Treasure Box Books | Dads Building Relationships, Reading Great Books, Preparing Children for Life

032 | Read Interesting and Inspiring Books Together

Hey Dads,

What books might your child (especially those around the preteen years) enjoy reading alone or with the family--books that could both entertain and encourage them in their Christian faith?

In this episode my favorite daughter joined me for a conversation about an inspiring story she read recently, how we have weekly Daddy Times, favorite books, and a few favorite book series we hope you can enjoy, too!

Aloha,

Nathan

Books

📖 Stories of America, by Charles Morris (published by Simply Charlotte Mason)

📖 Amy and Her Brothers, author unknown (published by Lamplighter)

📖 The Peabody Series, by Jeri Massi (Books 1-6 published by BJU Press; Book 7 published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform)

📖 Adventures of An Arctic Missionary Series, by Gloria Repp (published by BJU  Press)

📖 An American Adventure Series, by Lee Roddy (published by Bethany House Publishers)

📖 The Ladd Family Adventure Series, by Lee Roddy (some published by Mott Media, some by Thomas Nelson)

📖 Advent stories, by Arnold Ytreeide (published by Kregel Publications)

📖 Mike Danford Adventures Series, by Arnold Ytreeide (published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform)

📖 God of Alaska Series, by Bruce Hamilton (available at GodofAlaska.com)

If you enjoyed this episode,

🎙️Please subscribe to the podcast so you can listen again next week!

✍🏻 Leaving a review is the best way to say "thanks" so that others can find the podcast, too! In Apple Podcast app, scroll down to the bottom of the episode list (right above the "About" section) and click the tiny link to "Write a Review."

➡️ Take a screenshot or click the "Share" button in your podcast app to let your friends know.

🧑🏻‍💻 Join the Facebook group

📧 Read more and subscribe to our newsletter at treasureboxbooks.com

💡 See the show notes (with lists of books in each series above) at https://refreshpublishing.com/032-read-interesting-and-inspiring-books-together

Notes

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/roo-walker/bloom
License code: CW3RYTALMYHQAW7H

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/aaron-paul-low/pony-express
License code: ZUCYKOROVB4PRHZC

031 | Read the Old Testament

Hey Fellow Dads,

Have you ever wondered if the Old Testament is really relevant for today? Is it worth studying with and reading to our families, or should we “unhitch” ourselves from the O.T. and focus only on the New? Today we ask ten questions about the Old Testament—and find the answers mostly in the New Testament.

Aloha,

Nathan

Outline

💡 For a full outline including Scriptures for each point below, see the show notes at https://refreshpublishing.com/031-read-the-old-testament

1. What does the New Testament say about why the Old Testament was written?

2. To the person without knowledge of the O.T., does the N.T. really make sense?

3. According to both O.T. and N.T., what does God use His Law (part of the O.T.) to accomplish?

4. How did Jesus view the O.T.?

5. What does the N.T. instruct Christians to do with the O.T.?

6. How did the apostles view the O.T.?

7. How does God view His word?

8. In what ways is the O.T. useful for Christians?

9. What did Jesus himself say about the words of the O.T.?

10. How important did Jesus say the words of the O.T. are to our lives?

So Should We "Unhitch" from the First 39 Books of the Bible?

Ideas for Reading the Old Testament

1. Read through the Bible with your family, including O.T. passages. (practical suggestions for this in Ep. 24: Lead Your Family to and in the Bible).

2. Use Bible story books to teach your children the stories of the O.T. (check out Episode 19: Use Tools to Teach Your Children the Bible).

3. Sing Psalms. Three practical tools listed below:

   📖 We enjoy using Psalms for Worship, published by Crown and Covenant Publications. (A friend said the Book of Psalms for Singing, same publisher, is better. I’m not familiar with it, so cannot knowledgeably comment.)

   📖 Psalm 119 in Song, by Susie Kimbrough, available on CD, MP3 download, and songbook at ShepardMusic.com. We love singing these very singable tunes.

   📖 A church in NE Florida introduced us to the hymnal called Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs, a hymnal uniquely and intentionally containing all three types of music listed in Ephesians and Colossians—with nearly one thousand selections!

4. When you read O.T. passages, look for the ways the text points to the Lord Jesus Christ, and show that to your family.

5. Read a chapter of Proverbs to correspond with the date. For example, on Feb. 20, 2024, we would read Proverbs 20.

6. When you read the Bible—either from O.T. or N.T.—make this your prayer: "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." (Psalm 119:18)

If you enjoyed this episode,

🎙️Please subscribe to the podcast so you can listen again next week!

✍🏻 Leaving a review is the best way to say "thanks" so that others can find the podcast, too! In Apple Podcast app, scroll down to the bottom of the episode list (right above the "About" section) and click the tiny link to "Write a Review."

➡️ Take a screenshot or click the "Share" button in your podcast app to let your friends know.

🧑🏻‍💻 Join the Facebook group

📧 Read more and subscribe to our newsletter at treasureboxbooks.com

Notes

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/aaron-paul-low/pony-express
License code: ZUCYKOROVB4PRHZC

030 | Secure Your Own Mask First

Hey Dads,

As Christian dads, we long for our children to follow God’s path with joy-filled hearts. We pray they will delight in God Himself. But is there something we need to make sure we ourselves are doing first?

In Ep. 30, my longtime friend Jonathan Ballou talks with me about how we as dads need to “secure our own mask first” to guide our families in the right way.

With Much Aloha,

Nathan

Scripture

Hebrews 7:27

Quotes

"The journey of missions has always had a strong connection to adventure. It's always, for me, had a sense of freshness and newness and a pioneering spirit to it…"—Jonathan Ballou

"Honestly, we learn from each other in that, we support each other in that, because our strengths are different, we lean on each other."—J.B.

"I know that my own heart has to be steady through my walk with God. I think that I try to deal with my own…spiritual, emotional turbulence without letting that shake the people around me."—J.B.

"One of the responsibilities that God gave men with our role is to be steady. And the faith and the devotional life of a father has to provide stability that will weather seasons. Any family is going to go through a lot of different seasons, and I've seen in so many cases where it's the strength and the stability of a father's walk with God that allows the family to navigate and to weather those different times."—J.B.

"We live in an age where there's a great deal of the abdication of the role that God has given to us."—J.B.

"We do have the responsibility to other people, but the way that we're best suited to care for our families is when our own spiritual lives, our own spiritual walk is regular and steady and faithful, and then we're able to, by example, lead others into a similar closeness and intimacy with Christ."—J.B.

"Fathers, you can get this right."—J.B., referring to what Jon Tyson teaches fathers regarding raising their sons

"As readers, we can't become complacent….We want our minds to be sharp. There can be a certain dullness of the mind, either from not reading, or from only reading that which we already know or that which we already agree with, and we're never allowing ourselves to be challenged to actually do the work of sifting out and refuting what somebody else is putting out there in their position. I think we expose ourselves to a certain amount of mental atrophy, that we would then become unfit to help the people that we're supposed to help." —J.B.

Books and Authors Mentioned

👤 Elisabeth Elliot

👤 Wilfred Grenfell

👤 J. Hudson Taylor (best book about him: Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret, by Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor)

📖 Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, by Alfred Lansing

📖 The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg

👤 Oswald Chambers

👤 A.W. Tozer

📖 The Intentional Father, by Jon Tyson

👤 James Dobson

👤 John Eldredge

👤 Douglas Wilson

👤 Steve Farrar

If you enjoyed this episode,

🎙️Please subscribe to the podcast so you can listen again next week!

✍🏻 Leaving a review is the best way to say "thanks" so that others can find the podcast, too! In Apple Podcast app, scroll down to the bottom of the episode list (right above the "About" section) and click the tiny link to "Write a Review."

➡️ Take a screenshot or click the "Share" button in your podcast app to let your friends know.

🧑🏻‍💻 Join the Facebook group

📧 Read more and subscribe to our newsletter at treasureboxbooks.com

💡 See the show notes at https://refreshpublishing.com/030-secure-your-own-mask-first

Notes

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/jonny-easton/the-messenger
License code: OAJIXAABB3C1V1OY

https://uppbeat.io/t/aaron-paul-low/pony-express
License code: ZUCYKOROVB4PRHZC

029 | Care for Multiple Generations in Your Family

Hey Dads,

Do you have certain books that are so good you want everyone in your family to experience them? If you have multiple children in different age brackets, it’s easy to assume that what you’ve shared with one, they all should know. How do we record and remember our reading so that no one misses out on their part of the feast? Tune in today and find out!

Nathan

Scriptures

Psalm 23:5
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  

Psalm 50:14-15
14 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:
15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.  

Psalm 65:2
O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.

Books

📖  The Lamb, by John Cross

📖  Missionary Stories with the Millers, by Mildred Martin

📖  If Animals Could Talk: Creation Speaks for Itself, by Dr. Werner Gitt

📖  The Cruelest Miles, by Gay Salisbury & Laney Salisbury

📖  The Driving Book: Everything New Drivers Need to Know But Don’t Know to Ask, by Karen Gravelle

📖  The Holy Bible

Practical Ideas

• Keep a reading list.
• Include each member of your family your reading list, and record the books read with or to each one.
• In your family’s own books, record the date and place you finished reading the book, and with whom (whole family or individual family member).
• Encourage each child to personally read through the Bible himself or herself, and reward him or her upon completion of this great accomplishment.

Quote

• “If we dads have any powers of observation at all, we know from seeing what our wives do in and for our homes that a mother's work is never done. It might not seem as dramatic as that, but when it comes to reading with and reading to and encouraging our children to read, our work as dads is never done--at least, not until they leave our nest and fly out to build one of their own--then, we hope and pray, they will carry on the grand tradition we have begun under our roof, reading to and with our children.”

If you enjoyed this episode,

🎙️Please subscribe to the podcast so you can listen again next week!

✍🏻 Leaving a review is the best way to say "thanks" so that others can find the podcast, too! In Apple Podcast app, scroll down to the bottom of the episode list (right above the "About" section) and click the tiny link to "Write a Review."

➡️ Take a screenshot or click the "Share" button in your podcast app to let your friends know.

🧑🏻‍💻 Join the Facebook group

📧 Read more and subscribe to our newsletter at treasureboxbooks.com

💡 See the show notes at https://refreshpublishing.com/029-care-for-multiple-generations-in-your-family

Notes

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/aaron-paul-low/pony-express
License code: ZUCYKOROVB4PRHZC

028 | Keep Daddy and Mommy Times

Hey Fellow Dad,

Proverbs 23:26 instructs a son to “give” his heart to his father and to let his eyes “observe” his father’s ways. What a beautiful picture of an ideal father-son relationship!

We all hope our kids can emulate us. But are you, as a dad, intentionally leading your children to want to have that kind of relationship with you?

In this episode, my wife Kristin joined me to talk about a simple way for parents and children to build a weekly routine of one-on-one times together. (We also had an unexpected appearance by our two-year old son.)

- Nathan

If you enjoyed this episode,

🎙️Please subscribe to the podcast so you can listen again next week!

✍🏻 Leaving a review is the best way to say "thanks" so that others can find the podcast, too! In Apple Podcast app, scroll down to the bottom of the episode list (right above the "About" section) and click the tiny link to "Write a Review."

➡️ Take a screenshot or click the "Share" button in your podcast app to let your friends know.

🧑🏻‍💻 Join the Facebook group

📧 Read more and subscribe to our newsletter at treasureboxbooks.com

💡 See the show notes with recommended books, links, and more at refreshpublishing.com/028-keep-daddy-and-mommy-times

Key Thoughts

• Do dads have an implied responsibility in our children giving us their hearts and observing our ways?
• Dads, spend time with all your children and be sure to spend time with each of your children.
• Keep daddy times light and fun, drawing your children's hearts to your own, causing them to want to give you their hearts.
• Workable processes may take years to develop. None of us are really experts. Allow yourself to make mistakes as you progress in growing, asking God for wisdom all the while.

Notes

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/jacob-taylor-armerding/spring-march
License code: A1JSH1R4RRS2OM53

https://uppbeat.io/t/aaron-paul-low/pony-express
License code: ZUCYKOROVB4PRHZC

https://uppbeat.io/t/aaron-paul-low/all-that-glitters
License code: IEQ0QNBDV13HTPMO

027 | When You're Stuck in the House with Guest Daniel York

Across the U.S., storms this winter have been brutal. Some of you might have even had to stay home. How do you ‘redeem the time’ on days like that? My guest in this episode knows all about it, and he’s found a great way to make those stuck-in-the-house days meaningful.  

—Nathan

Quotes

“When the topic of…marriage comes up, say, ‘You know, find somebody that you can serve God with, someone that works hard, hopefully you’re working alongside each other.”—Daniel York  

“We need dads like Daniel. Many of you are those kinds of dads, who are sincerely, passionately pursuing wisdom and knowledge with your families and for your families for the glory of God.”—Nathan

Books

📖  Endurance, by Alfred Lansing
📖  The Christmas Duck, by Ken Gire
📖  Jotham's Journey, by Arnold Ytreeide
📖  Ishtar's Odyssey, by Arnold Ytreeide
📖  The Chronicles of Narnia series, by C.S. Lewis
📖  Medallion, by Dawn L. Watkins
📖  Christian Heroes Then and Now (series), by Janet and George Benge
📖  LightLine books, published by Bob Jones University Press

If you enjoyed this episode,

💡 See the show notes, including referenced Scriptures and books, at https://refreshpublishing.com/027-when-you-are-stuck-in-the-house.

🎙️Please subscribe to the podcast so you can listen again next week!

✍🏻 Leaving a review is the best way to say "thanks" so that others can find the podcast, too! In Apple Podcast app, scroll down to the bottom of the episode list (right above the "About" section) and click the tiny link to "Write a Review."

➡️ Take a screenshot or click the "Share" button in your podcast app to let your friends know.

🧑🏻‍💻 Join the Facebook group.

📧 Read more and subscribe to our newsletter at treasureboxbooks.com.

Notes

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/aaron-paul-low/pony-express
License code: ZUCYKOROVB4PRHZC  

https://uppbeat.io/t/roo-walker/bloom
License code: CW3RYTALMYHQAW7H

026 | Nourish Your Children's Faith

Hey Dads,

We hear about so many young people who have grown up in Christian homes but left the faith. We can’t guarantee that our children will follow God, but we can find ways to help encourage a thinking, vibrant faith in God’s word . . . including using books!

--Nathan

Quotes

Just as healthy plants need nourishment, our children need nourishment too. Specifically, their faith in God and His word needs nourishment. How do we, as fathers, provide that nourishment to their souls? In this episode, I list five practical tips to help you nourish your children's souls in trusting God.

We're not promoting mindless belief and blind faith; we strongly believe in thinking through questions, we cherish the responsibility of finding out why we should or should not believe certain things; and we want to nourish inquisitiveness in our children's minds.

You and I don't have to be experts or feel expert in a particular field to speak confidently about God's word.

"Why would you put your faith in something that can't supported by evidence?"-- J. Warner Wallace

Tips for Nourishing Your Children’s Faith

1. Consider their age and level of understanding.
2. Confidently teach them the truth of God’s word.
3. Consistently keep the truths of God's word before them.
   • Have a daily family Bible time (links: Lead Your Family to and in the Bible and Use Tools To Teach Your Children The Bible)
   • Read books that encourage faith in God’s word (links: Spread a Feast for Your Family and God of the Aurora Part 1 and Part 2).
   • Read books that lead to discussion about what is true (links: Why Stories Matter and Entertain to Educate with Stories).
4. Correct falsehood as it arises.
5. Capture teachable moments.
6. CONVERSE with your children regularly.

If you enjoyed this episode,

💡 See the show notes, including referenced Scriptures and books, at https://refreshpublishing.com/026-nourish-your-childrens-faith.

🎙️Please subscribe to the podcast so you can listen again next week!

✍🏻 Leaving a review is the best way to say "thanks" so that others can find the podcast, too! In Apple Podcast app, scroll down to the bottom of the episode list (right above the "About" section) and click the tiny link to "Write a Review."

➡️ Take a screenshot or click the "Share" button in your podcast app to let your friends know.

🧑🏻‍💻 Join the Facebook group.

📧 Read more and subscribe to our newsletter at treasureboxbooks.com.

Notes

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/aaron-paul-low/pony-express
License code: ZUCYKOROVB4PRHZC

025 | We Need You, Dad

The data is in: dads are essential! We need you, Dad! Here's why, and even better, here's how!

—Nathan

Show Notes

💡 See the complete show notes at https://refreshpublishing.com/025-we-need-you-dad, including Scriptures referenced, recommended books, and  more quotes from today's episode.

Books Mentioned

📖 The Holy Bible (read it yourself, read it and discuss it with your family).

📖 How To Be Your Little Man’s Dad, by Bolin & Sutterfield

📖 How to Be Your Daughter's Daddy: 365 Ways to Show Her You Care, by Dan Bolin

📖 The Homeschooling Father, by Michael Farris

📖 Be the Dad She Needs You to Be, by Kevin Leman

Quotes

"You might not feel up to the task; you might not have had a father or father figure in your own upbringing; you might see the challenge as too great--but if you are a child of God yourself, if you have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, you have a perfect Father--and your perfect Father is very willing to lead you as you lead your family."

If you enjoyed this episode,

🎙️Please subscribe to the podcast so you can listen again next week!

✍🏻 Leaving a review is the best way to say "thanks" so that others can find the podcast, too! In Apple Podcast app, scroll down to the bottom of the episode list (right above the "About" section) and click the tiny link to "Write a Review."

➡️ Take a screenshot or click the "Share" button in your podcast app to let your friends know.

🧑🏻‍💻 Join the Facebook group

📧 Read more and subscribe to our newsletter at treasureboxbooks.com

Notes

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/asher-lee/the-way
License code: SYIRPZGRFJJIFTWQ

https://uppbeat.io/t/aaron-paul-low/pony-express
License code: ZUCYKOROVB4PRHZC

https://uppbeat.io/t/augustine/sunflower-breeze
License code: DKLU4AT4CNI8YHUA