Deborah Harrell & Jack Klumpenhower’s What's Up: Discovering the Gospel, Jesus, and Who You Really Are

Jack Klumpenhower’s Show Them Jesus was my dark horse favorite book of 2014. I had never heard of Klumpenhower and had heard nothing about the book. But man did it blow me away—the deftness with which Klumpenhower revealed Jesus was refreshing.

I immediately jumped at the opportunity to receive this new project he partnered with Deborah Harrell to write. I received a teacher’s guide and student’s guide for What’s Up: Discovering the Gospel, Jesus, and Who You Really Are.

I trialed this with my two oldest daughters. I took bits from each lesson and used it in family worship. They loved it. It’s fresh, engaging, and aimed for the heart. Harrell & Klumpenhower tackle issues, insecurities, and sins that kids deal with daily.

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Review: Jack Klumpenhower’s Show Them Jesus

Show Them Jesus is a tour de force of gospel goodness and rich meditations on the person and work of Jesus Christ. Jack boils down to the main issue and solution.

We’ve been dispensing good advice instead of the good news. Eventually, kids will tire of our advice, no matter how it might be. Many will leave the church. Others will live decent, churchy lives but without any fire for Christ. We’ll wonder why they’ve rejected the good news, because we’ve assumed they were well grounded in it. In fact, they never were. Although we told stories of Jesus and his free grace, we watered it down with self-effort—and that’s what they heard. (18)

Also, Jack says, “Today, a frightening number of kids are growing up in churches and Christian homes without ever being captured by the gospel of Jesus” (3). Key word there is captured.

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