Goals to Gold: Track & Field Stories for Young Readers
Every young athlete needs a role model to look up to and motivate them along the way. This book includes twenty stories of great track & field athletes who have overcome adversity by setting big goals and working relentlessly to reach them. Their methods of success give practical ways to improve times and earn recognition on and off the track. Readers will find inspirational ways to get better, but also focus on how they can balance life, school, and sports.
Young athletes will discover unique stories in the lives of the greats like Jesse Owens, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Florence Griffith Joyner (Flo-Jo), Roger Bannister, Allyson Felix, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Steve Prefontaine, Ryan Crouser, Mo Farah, Wilma Rudolph, and Jim Thorpe. These motivational stories go beyond boring biographies with names and dates. Readers will learn specific and practical skills from the experiences of these highly successful people including:
- how to set goals
- how to find the motivation to achieve
- how to stand out on and off the track
- how to pick the right events
- how to find the right training methods
- how to work with great coaches
Writer, educator, and coach, Jared Dees, takes young readers on a journey through the history of track & field highlighting lessons for life on and off the track.
This is the perfect gift to accompany any young athlete interested in the 2024 Olympic Games.
The Gospel According to Video Games
Explore Christianity in a whole new way with the help of some of the most popular video games, systems, characters, and more. Accomplished author, speaker, and religious educator, Jared Dees, presents the gospel message in fresh and unexpected perspectives for anyone who has ever played video games.
Experience insights into Christianity based on some of the best video games of all time including Pong, Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros., Minecraft, Tetris, The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, Pokémon, Fallout, The Last of Us, Red Dead Redemption, Animal Crossing, Candy Crush, Fortnite, and many more.
Whether you are a dedicated gamer or look with joy upon your video gaming memories, this book will reignite your passion for gaming and rekindle a love for Jesus Christ.
Press START and level up your experience in Christianity today!
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Just Plant Seeds: A Message of Hope for Religious Educators
Religion teachers and catechists can feel overwhelmed by feelings of failure—failure for not teaching enough, not reaching enough kids, not making a big enough impact—and they rarely get to see the fruits of their labor. To the educators struggling with feelings of failure, hear this: just plant seeds.
Saint Paul once shared a message that will give hope to religious educators: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6). Find comfort and peace in these words. Just plant seeds like Saint Paul and let God cultivate the growth. Find freedom in God’s grace by focusing only on the effort and not the outcome. Let go and let God grow the faith in our children’s hearts.
In this book the founder of TheReligionTeacher.com, Jared Dees, shares practical ideas for making a long-term impact on students by planting SEEDS: Stories, Emotion, Encounters, Discipline, and Sayings. These are the seeds teachers and catechists plant in the hearts and minds of the students they serve. Religious Educators will find a more joyful experience of faith formation by following the example of the saints and strategies in this book.
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The Angelus & Regina Caeli: Meditations for Everyday Life
Discover the transformative power of praying the Angelus and Regina Caeli. Popular author and speaker Jared Dees reinvigorates these cherished Catholic devotions with a collection of meditations on the powerful words of each of these prayers.
In this compelling book, Dees offers a fresh perspective on two classic devotions with meditations that will deepen your spiritual life. Whether you are a seasoned practitioner or new to the Angelus and Regina Caeli, you will be inspired by the powerful words and renewed sense of meaning the prayers bring to your day.
Named for the opening words of the devotion’s first prayer in Latin, “The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary,” the Angelus is typically prayed at 6:00 a.m., noon, and 6:00 p.m. each day. Likewise the Regina Caeli is named for the opening lines of its prayer, “Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia.”
Readers will also uncover convincing reasons to add these devotions to their daily life with a greater understanding of their spiritual benefits. The book offers a brief history of the Angelus and Regina Caeli, the basics of the prayers, guidance on how to pray, and insight into the spiritual gifts available to those who make it a part of everyday life.
The Angelus and Regina Caeli book is supported by Dees’s website, TheAngelusPrayer.com, where people can delve deeper into the devotion and share it with others.
This book is an updated version of the book previously published Praying the Angelus.
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15-Minute Stations of the Cross for Kids: Meditations and Prayers for the Home, Church or School
The meditations and prayers in this Stations of the Cross book by Jared Dees are short and powerful opportunities for children to encounter Christ especially during the season of Lent. This collection includes five separate meditations to help kids make meaningful connections between the Crucifixion and their everyday lives.
Each set of meditations will take fifteen minutes or less to complete, but the experience will be heartfelt and memorable every time.
Accompanying the mediations are kid-friendly illustrations for each of the fourteen Stations of the Cross by graphic novelist and illustrator Ezekiel Saucedo.
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Advent with the Angels: A Daily Devotional for Kids
Invite your children on a journey through Advent and Christmas with the angels by their side.
The days leading up to Christmas are filled with anticipation. It is an exciting time of year. It can also be a time for everyone, even kids, to easily forget that Jesus is the real reason for the season. This book of daily devotions will fill the hearts and minds of children with faith and hope during Advent and Christmas.
On each day of the Advent season, kids and families will pray with the words spoken by the angels in the New Testament to Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds. The goal is to imagine the angels speaking these words directly to us. With each of the Bible verses comes a reflection question, a short meditation, and a simple prayer for the day. At the end of Advent, kids can continue to reflect on the words of the angels on Christmas Day and then through the first week of Christmas.
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Take Up Your Cross: Lenten Bible Stories for Kids
Take a journey through Scripture during this season of Lent using this collection of short and simple Bible stories for kids.
Take Up Your Cross includes dozens of stories that will help young people grow closer to Christ and gain a greater appreciation for the season of Lent and Holy Week.
The Bible Breaks Stories for Kids series helps you set aside just a few minutes during your day to read and reflect on a God’s Word with your kids.
Each short and simple story is written to help you teach children ages 6-12 the most important lessons of the Christian life from Sacred Scripture.
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Prepare the Way: Advent and Christmas Bible Stories for Kids
Prepare for the coming of Christ with this collection of classic Advent and Christmas Bible stories for kids.
Prepare the Way invites young people to grow closer to God during the Advent and Christmas seasons of celebration of the Lord’s birth. Children will read about the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah that were fulfilled in the birth of Christ. They will experience the events leading up to the birth of the Lord and learn about the stories Jesus told about his return. Most of all, they will grow in a greater understanding of the meaning of the Lord’s birth in their lives.
Each short Bible story in this book includes a brief introduction, an easy-to-read retelling of events, and reflection questions to discuss.
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Pray without Ceasing: Bible Stories for Kids about Prayer
Inspirational Bible stories to teach and encourage young people to pray.
How do we pray? What should we say to God when we pray? The many stories from Scripture in this collection will help kids answer this any many other questions about prayer. Children will encounter inspiring tales of people in both the Old and New Testaments who turned to God with faith for his help.
Read about the prayers of prophets like Samuel, Elijah, and Jonah. Learn from the prayer practices and parables of Jesus Christ and from some of the people who asked for his help and healing. Most of all, you and your kids will start to apply these examples of prayer to your own lives and start to see the grace that God is ready to give to you.
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Take and Eat: Bible Stories for Kids about the Eucharist
On the night before he died, Jesus Christ celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples and told them to take and eat bread and drink the wine that is his body and blood. Then he told them to celebrate that meal in remembrance of him.
This collection of Bible stories explores the meaning of the Eucharist that we celebrate during the Catholic Mass. Children will explore Old and New Testament stories from the Garden of Eden to the Last Supper, the Resurrection, and the Book of Revelation. Along this journey they will gain a deeper understanding of the Eucharist and the Mass.
Each short Bible story in this book includes a brief introduction, an easy-to-read retelling of events, and reflection questions.
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Do Not Be Afraid: Bible Stories for Kids about Hope
Discover dozens of Bible stories your kids need to hear in these trying times.
Give your children the gift of hope by sharing this collection of Bible stories from the Old and New Testament. We all go through challenging days and fear-filled times. The stories contained in this book offer God’s hope within the darkness. You and your kids will read stories of hope in the lives of Old Testament heroes like Noah, Sarah, Moses, Ruth, David, Elijah, and Isaiah. You will reflect on the life and resurrection of Jesus and the many healing miracles he performed as well as the hope-filled parables he told.
Jared Dees, founder of TheReligionTeacher.com and author of Beatitales, uses his experience as a religious educator and father of young children to offer this collection of heart-felt stories of hope for young people. Each short Bible story in this book includes a brief introduction, an easy-to-read retelling of events, and reflection questions to share with children. Reading these stories will open up new ways for children to strengthen their relationship with God.
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Tales of the Ten Commandments: 50 Fables to Help Children Learn God’s Law
Help children learn to live out the Ten Commandments through the power of story. The fifty fables and parables in this short story collection for kids will inspire young people to grow closer to God through a deeper understanding and appreciation for the commandments given to Moses in the Bible.
Children will encounter stories told in the classic tradition of Aesop’s fables with birds, dogs, rabbits, lions, trees, flowers, and more. The collection also features modern parables with both children and adults who learn to live the Ten Commandments.
Parents can read stories to their children before bed or give their kids the chance to experience the stories themselves in their private reading time. Likewise, religious educators can share them with their students to help guide them in their faith formation.
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Beatitales: 80 Fables about the Beatitudes for Children
Help children understand the meaning of each of the Beatitudes through the power of story. The eighty fables and parables in this short story collection for kids will give young people a greater appreciation for the ways they can live out the teachings of Jesus from the Bible.
Children will encounter stories told in the classic tradition of Aesop’s fables with knights, kings, bears, birds, dogs, wolves, ants, worms, trees, flowers, pencils, household appliances, and more. The collection also features modern day parables with both children and adults living out the Beatitudes.
Parents can read stories to their children before bed or give their kids the chance to experience the stories themselves in their private reading time. Likewise, religious educators can share them with their students to help guide them in their faith formation.
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Christ in the Classroom: Lesson Planning for the Heart and Mind
OIf the goal of catechesis is to cultivate an encounter with Christ, why do religious educators spend so much time focused almost exclusively on ideas and not experiences? The reason is that many have never been shown a method that inspires the heart while also instructing the mind. Jared Dees, creator of the popular website The Religion Teacher, shows how applying the steps of lectio divina to teaching can reorient religious education toward encountering the person of Christ rather than merely sharing information about him.
In Christ in the Classroom, Catholic author and speaker Jared Dees applies the five steps of lectio divina—reading/learning, meditation, prayer, contemplation, and action—to the ministry of catechesis. He offers teachers and catechists a practical framework for preparing lessons that broaden the focus of teaching from mostly intellectual learning to also encountering Christ in prayer, reflection, and action. Using this method, students and catechists come to know intimately the person of Christ at the same time that they are learning the tenets and traditions of the Church.
Dees shares stories of success and failure from his own teaching experience and he offers dozens of field-tested strategies, tactics, and teaching methods to effectively integrate the steps of lectio divina into the classroom or other catechetical setting.
Outfitted with these tools, both experienced and new religious educators will feel confident in their ability to teach effectively and lead their students to a life-changing encounter with Jesus.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Ave Maria Press
To Heal, Proclaim, and Teach: The Essential Guide to Ministry in Today’s Catholic Church
Jesus had a threefold ministry on Earth: to heal the sick and wounded, proclaim the Good News, and teach those who became his disciples. It’s an approach imitated by the saints throughout history and continues to be the cornerstone of successful ministry in parishes, Catholic schools, and other vibrant programs today.
Jared Dees—author of 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator—will help you understand how Jesus’ ministry transformed lives through biblical examples such as Paul, Bartimaeus, the centurion’s servant, and the woman at the well. He shares the importance of healing through the ministries of saints, such as Mother Teresa, Br. André Bessette, Ignatius of Loyola, and Fr. Damien of Molokai.
In To Heal, Proclaim, and Teach, Dees offers practical examples of how to apply Jesus’s threefold ministry to everyday life: allow yourself to be constantly evangelized; learn to help others through both good and bad times; and root yourself in community. He also suggests examples of ministries that are effectively reaching the faithful of all ages today, including Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Life Teen, Teens Encounter Christ, Theology on Tap, FOCUS, and Christ Renews His Parish. Dees will guide you with practical ways to imitate Jesus’s ministry in your own classrooms and faith formation programs at all levels.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Ave Maria Press
31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator
Creator of the popular website The Religion Teacher, Jared Dees shares practical, easy-to-use teaching strategies and exercises for spiritual growth in his book 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator. These components are designed to improve the effectiveness of any busy religious educator.
Volunteer catechists and professional religion teachers are responsible for two unique and challenging tasks: sharing (and assessing) information and the spiritual formation of their students. This succinct, practical resource helps busy catechists and religion teachers with both tasks and is designed for use either over consecutive days in one month, or by specific themes that encourage personal improvement in areas of discipleship, service, leadership, and overall teaching. Each of the thirty-one days includes a clear title that gives the lesson theme, a quotation from Scripture, an introduction to the exercise, step-by-step actions to take for the day, and spiritual enrichment ideas for the educator.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Ave Maria Press
The Lumen Fidei (Light of Faith) Study Guide: A Companion to Pope Francis’s First Encyclical
Reading and understanding the deeply theological work of papal encyclicals can be a challenge for the everyday Catholic, yet understanding the lessons in Pope Francis’s first encyclical at this time in the Church’s history has never been more important.
The Lumen Fidei (Light of Faith) Study Guide includes summaries of each section, in depth commentary, reflection questions, a glossary of key terms, and suggestions for integrating the encyclical into personal or community prayer. Perfect for personal study or group discussions, this study guide is the essential companion to the “work of four hands,” Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
Find out more: lumenfidei.com/study-guide/
Individuals: Purchase and download the eBook on from Amazon Kindle.
Groups: Purchase the PDF License from Ave Maria Press to print out multiple copies for use in groups.
The Religion Teacher’s Guide to Lesson Planning
The Religion Teacher’ Guide to Lesson Planning provides a framework for lesson planning and 250 essential activities and teaching strategies that will save valuable hours planning lessons and provide a treasure chest of ideas that will last the whole year. This free eBook provides a step-by-step process to lesson planning that anyone can easily implement.
What is in this free eBook?
- A Four Step Lesson Planning System that most teachers fail to follow
- Unit planning and lesson planning templates that make lesson preparation easy and organized
- SWBAT lesson objective starters that will move students beyond simple tasks
- Assessment ideas for students with various learning needs and multiple intelligences
- The Learning PROCESS framework for designing instruction that will engage students and help them perform better on tests and assessments
- 250 activities and teaching strategies that will provide so much variety, students will never complain, “Oh, not that again!”
Sign up for free at www.thereligionteacher.com/guide-to-lesson-planning.
