A few years ago, when my daughter was three, there was a particular Bible storybook she couldn’t get enough of. We read it every night before bed and multiple times throughout the day. She memorized the story of David and Goliath right down to my dramatic pauses, voice inflections, and stage-worthy impressions of the nine-foot giant. David was a hero, slaying the giant with just one smooth stone.
On the next page we read the story of Ruth. The story is heartbreaking; after experiencing great loss, Ruth bravely decides to transition her entire life to a foreign country and live among strangers who spoke a different language and had unfamiliar traditions—in order to follow God. Instead of focusing on Ruth’s heroic gesture to start a new life, the storybook account ends by saying, “Ruth was rewarded with a husband.” It’s true that Ruth did marry, but was marriage the ultimate moral of the story?
The more children’s Bible books I read to my daughter, the more of a void I noticed. Kids’ Bible books often describe the men of the Bible as brave and valiant and characterize the women as faithful servants. These descriptions aren’t wrong in and of themselves. But when that’s the only narrative that we teach our children, we limit their perception of women’s roles in advancing the Kingdom. So, I stopped buying Bible books to read to my daughter.
Then I read Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey. In it, she named my discomfort: There is a lack of literature for children about brave women in the Bible. I texted Anna late that August evening and said, “What would you think about writing children’s books about brave women in the Bible?” The next morning there was a response waiting that read, “I’m in.”
We began casting our vision for a series of books to highlight the brave women in the Bible—women who were disciples, spiritual leaders, philanthropists, moms, business people, evangelists, and prophets. They faced overwhelming odds with courage and faith and risked everything for the Kingdom. Through examples of steadfast faith, determination, and—ultimately—God’s direction, these stories invite our children to discover how God is calling them to use their talents, passions, and gifts to journey with God on a Kingdom adventure.
The journey after that moment has been exciting…God’s fingerprints are all over it. Anna is an accomplished writer, but I had never written a book myself. My degrees aren’t in creative writing or anything related to writing. I’m definitely not a blogger. I knew no one in publishing and had no idea how to pitch an idea. And yet somehow, really smart, capable, and accomplished people whom we had never met are taking risks on us, people who have jumped in with both feet and championed the work that God has begun.
God has repeatedly reminded us the most unlikely people are the ones used to advance the Kingdom—people like Miriam, a young Hebrew girl, whom God used to save a life. Or Rahab, a woman whose experiences left her without status, ending up in the lineage of Christ. It doesn’t matter what our credentials are…or aren’t. We must steward our callings responsibly.
We’re so excited to share the Called and Courageous Girls series and can’t wait to see how God continues to use the women of Scripture to advance the Kingdom and to inspire us to fulfill our callings in Christ.
Rachel Spier Weaver
This is absolutely incredible what you’ve done for our little girls and us women. I can see the strength and power in the women of the Bible but in a world fighting to demonstrate women’s power in not always the most effective means, these books will provide the well needed support with Christ at the centre.
Thank you,
Meaghan