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Old Story New: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God
Easy-to-Use Devotional Helps Christian Parents Share the Living Gospel Story! Old Story New makes it easy for parents to stay on the life-giving course of sharing the gospel story with their family. This second volume in Marty Machowski's Christian family devotional series continues the gospel story begun in the Old Testament devotional, Long Story Short.
Using the same effective ten-minute a day structure, it connects children to living gospel truth through 78 New Testament bible stories. Simple discussion questions (and answers) for each day's devotion help children understand and connect the story of salvation to their own lives.
Old Story New, part of the Gospel Story for Kids program, is suitable for children from preschool through high school. This devotional is also a companion product to the Gospel Story Curriculum available at New Growth Press.
Using the same effective ten-minute a day structure, it connects children to living gospel truth through 78 New Testament bible stories. Simple discussion questions (and answers) for each day's devotion help children understand and connect the story of salvation to their own lives.
Old Story New, part of the Gospel Story for Kids program, is suitable for children from preschool through high school. This devotional is also a companion product to the Gospel Story Curriculum available at New Growth Press.
562 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 15, 2012
234 people are currently reading
520 people want to read
About the author
Marty Machowski
63 books124 followersMarty Machowski is a Family Life Pastor at Covenant Fellowship Church, a Sovereign Grace Ministries church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, where he has served on the pastoral staff for more than twenty years. As leader of their children’s ministry, Promise Kingdom, he has worked for many years to develop curriculum and devotional material that connect church and home. His passion is equipping families to understand the Bible as one gospel story and help them share that with their children. He is the author of The Gospel Story for Kids series including Long Story Short: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God (OT); The Gospel Story Bible; and the Gospel Story Curriculum: Finding Jesus in the Old Testament and the forthcoming Old Story New (NT): Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God and Gospel Story Curriculum: Following Jesus in the New Testament. He and his wife Lois and their six children reside in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 24, 2022
I think we’ve done every devotional by machowsky and we all love them. He engages the kids well and its perfect for our family and the kids’ ages (6-14). My only criticism is that he misses large chunks of scripture or stories, but we can supplement ourselves and I don’t know how he could possibly add the entirety of the NT. It takes us about ten minutes in the morning before school. Well pleased and highest recommendations.
November 6, 2025
We’ve read so many of Machowski’s family resources. Super solid. Great discussion questions for kids in the middle years.
October 12, 2012
If you were to sit down with a group Christian moms and dads and ask them to identify the top three challenges they’re up against when it comes to discipling their children, most if not all of them would put consistency in family devotions and Bible reading on their list. When you take into consideration the rapid pace at which we try to live our lives and the fact that many of us didn’t have this modeled for us when we were growing up, this is tough stuff. To he honest, this was a constant frustration in our family until about a year ago. Things started to change when we got ahold of a copy of The Gospel Story Bible: Discovering Jesus in the Old and New Testaments (New Growth Press, 2011). The Gospel Story Bible is now a constant companion at our dining room table. Our older children take turns reading one lesson at each meal. The “Let’s Talk About It” follow up questions have led to many a lively discussion with our kids ranging in age from toddler to teenager. Quite simply, our family has been very blessed by The Gospel Story Bible.
Lately, we have been looking for an additional resource to take us beyond our dinner table readings. New Growth Press has come to our rescue once again with a brand new book by Marty Machowski titled Old Story New: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God. Old Story New (New Testament) in conjunction with its predecessor Long Story Short (Old Testament) is a three year family devotional program that shows how God’s plan of salvation runs all the way through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Each lesson tries to drive home a consistent message, always coming back to a very specific question. In the case of Long Story Short it’s “How does this passage point forward to Jesus?” and in Old Story new it’s “Where is the gospel?” Here’s how each week’s lesson breaks down:
*The week begins with a bit of trivia, a creative activity, or exercise to introduce your kids into this week’s passage.
*Days 1-4: Review a part of the week’s passage
*Day 3: Emphasis is placed on considering how the week’s passage connects to the gospel
*Day 4: Older children are encouraged to ask their parents a questions.
*Day 5: Investigate a passage from Psalms or the prophets to see how it points forward to Christ
If like me you have some kids still in diapers and others who will be driving in a few years, you may wonder if this book will work with older kids too. My answer to that question is a resounding yes. Marty offers some great tips on how to use the book with preschoolers, grade schoolers (elementary) and young teens in the introduction.
Our family is excited to be incorporating Old Story New into our weekly family devotions regimen. Here are the things that I appreciate about the book:
*Each lesson can be completed in 10 minutes or less.
*It can be used in conjunction with The Gospel Story Bible.
*Each week, you are encouraged to read aloud a significant portion of scripture.
*Each lesson includes three well-written discussion questions.
*Each lesson ends with a topic to pray about.
The only negative thing I have to say related to Old Story New is that I really missed out when I failed to get a copy of its predecessor, Long Story Short. I know my family would have greatly benefited by me introducing them to this series much sooner. As the saying goes, better late than never. For now, we’ll continue working our way through Old Story New and will pick up with Long Story Short afterwards.
My overall rating for Old Story New is 5 out of 5 stars.
If you’re a pastor or are involved in children’s education at your church, you should consider taking a look at the Gospel Story Curriculum. It is aligned with Long Story Short, Old Story New, and The Gospel Story Bible. If you get those great resources into the hands of your students’ parents, there is great potential for what the kids learn on Sunday to be reinforced all week long. Learn more at GospelStoryForKids.com.
About the Author:
Marty Machowski is a Family Life Pastor at Covenant Fellowship Church, a Sovereign Grace Ministries church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, where he has served on the pastoral staff for twenty-two years. Marty leads Promise Kingdom, the children’s ministry of Covenant Fellowship. He is the author of The Gospel Story Bible; The Gospel Story Curriculum (OT); and Long Story Short, the Old Testament companion devotional to Old Story New. He and his wife Lois and their six children reside in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Lately, we have been looking for an additional resource to take us beyond our dinner table readings. New Growth Press has come to our rescue once again with a brand new book by Marty Machowski titled Old Story New: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God. Old Story New (New Testament) in conjunction with its predecessor Long Story Short (Old Testament) is a three year family devotional program that shows how God’s plan of salvation runs all the way through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Each lesson tries to drive home a consistent message, always coming back to a very specific question. In the case of Long Story Short it’s “How does this passage point forward to Jesus?” and in Old Story new it’s “Where is the gospel?” Here’s how each week’s lesson breaks down:
*The week begins with a bit of trivia, a creative activity, or exercise to introduce your kids into this week’s passage.
*Days 1-4: Review a part of the week’s passage
*Day 3: Emphasis is placed on considering how the week’s passage connects to the gospel
*Day 4: Older children are encouraged to ask their parents a questions.
*Day 5: Investigate a passage from Psalms or the prophets to see how it points forward to Christ
If like me you have some kids still in diapers and others who will be driving in a few years, you may wonder if this book will work with older kids too. My answer to that question is a resounding yes. Marty offers some great tips on how to use the book with preschoolers, grade schoolers (elementary) and young teens in the introduction.
Our family is excited to be incorporating Old Story New into our weekly family devotions regimen. Here are the things that I appreciate about the book:
*Each lesson can be completed in 10 minutes or less.
*It can be used in conjunction with The Gospel Story Bible.
*Each week, you are encouraged to read aloud a significant portion of scripture.
*Each lesson includes three well-written discussion questions.
*Each lesson ends with a topic to pray about.
The only negative thing I have to say related to Old Story New is that I really missed out when I failed to get a copy of its predecessor, Long Story Short. I know my family would have greatly benefited by me introducing them to this series much sooner. As the saying goes, better late than never. For now, we’ll continue working our way through Old Story New and will pick up with Long Story Short afterwards.
My overall rating for Old Story New is 5 out of 5 stars.
If you’re a pastor or are involved in children’s education at your church, you should consider taking a look at the Gospel Story Curriculum. It is aligned with Long Story Short, Old Story New, and The Gospel Story Bible. If you get those great resources into the hands of your students’ parents, there is great potential for what the kids learn on Sunday to be reinforced all week long. Learn more at GospelStoryForKids.com.
About the Author:
Marty Machowski is a Family Life Pastor at Covenant Fellowship Church, a Sovereign Grace Ministries church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, where he has served on the pastoral staff for twenty-two years. Marty leads Promise Kingdom, the children’s ministry of Covenant Fellowship. He is the author of The Gospel Story Bible; The Gospel Story Curriculum (OT); and Long Story Short, the Old Testament companion devotional to Old Story New. He and his wife Lois and their six children reside in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
January 3, 2018
A quick daily run through the New Testament, following the same structure as Long Story Short: a quick review of the previous day's reading, a short passage of Scripture, a paragraph or two explaining it, and a few questions for discussion. In our family, we used this as Bible curriculum as we homeschool. I usually did a devotion or two per day in order to get through in our 36-week school schedule. Highly recommend.
May 16, 2018
This has been my favorite for family devotions and/or Bible in homeschool. I love the depth you get in 10 minutes. It’s the proper challenge for my 8 and 5 year old and they are hearing the heart of the Gospel everyday. I learn new things as well! Sometimes us adults need it simplified too!
May 20, 2020
Amazing Bible study
My family has loved reading these devotional by Machowski. We have learned so much and had such rich conversations with our children.
My family has loved reading these devotional by Machowski. We have learned so much and had such rich conversations with our children.
November 16, 2020
Excellent, simple, usable family devotion. We've used them in our home for years.
June 11, 2021
It's a great book but not something I do every day with my family. We choose different books to read every night. I will keep this in my bookshelf for continued reading.
November 3, 2021
One of the best resources I have found for sharing the bible with my kids. I now use it as a Sunday school resource. Love the gospel focus.
October 18, 2022
An excellent daily devotion to do with your kids. It’s Bible-based but with great illustrations and questions about the text.
January 11, 2013
In some ways, reviewing a book like Old Story New is quite difficult. After all, it's a year long devotional guide for families. So, if you wanted to do an experimental review, you'd walk through it with your family…over the course of a year. And that defeats the purpose of doing a timely review coordinated with the release of this book.
On the other hand, doing a review for a book like this is quite easy: you jump in all over the place, reading various days devotionals and then sit back and say, 'Families, use this book; especially if you have young children, use this book.'
In November of 2012, I'd reviewed Machowski's first devotional book for families: Long Story Short. That devotional guide was based upon the Old Testament. In Old Story New, as you could guess from that set-up and the title, is a devotional guide about the New Testament. This is such a helpful tool for families. If you have young children, I can't think of a better book to help in family worship than these two accompanying books. If you have a wider age-range of children, you could involve the older kids in the readings, while the younger ones get involved through age-appropriate questions and prayer. You could also supplement the times of family worship with some singing or the occasional object lesson connected to each day's reading.
The book is arranged by the week. Each week features five days worth of devotionals that will walk you through the entire New Testament in a year. Each day begins with a 'Remember It' question so you're always reviewing what's been learned. Then, there is a passage of Scripture to be read, followed by the 'Think About It Some More' section. This provides Mom or Dad the explanation of each text being examined, put in such a way that all can understand it. Next comes the 'Talk About It' portion, which usually consists of 3-4 questions to draw out from each person present what they've just heard. It also helps solidify that passage into their heart and mind by thinking about it more. Finally, there is a closing time to 'Pray About It'.
My heart's longing would be to get this book (and it's predecessor) into the hands of young families. I'd exhort each of them to take the 15-20 minutes it might take each day to gather everyone around the dining table or in the living room. I'd sit with them and help them get started, making this a 'ritual' that no one wants to miss. Of course, I can't really do it that way. What I can do is recommend this book…highly. Begin the God-honoring habit of family worship, using God's Word and let it transform your whole family.
On the other hand, doing a review for a book like this is quite easy: you jump in all over the place, reading various days devotionals and then sit back and say, 'Families, use this book; especially if you have young children, use this book.'
In November of 2012, I'd reviewed Machowski's first devotional book for families: Long Story Short. That devotional guide was based upon the Old Testament. In Old Story New, as you could guess from that set-up and the title, is a devotional guide about the New Testament. This is such a helpful tool for families. If you have young children, I can't think of a better book to help in family worship than these two accompanying books. If you have a wider age-range of children, you could involve the older kids in the readings, while the younger ones get involved through age-appropriate questions and prayer. You could also supplement the times of family worship with some singing or the occasional object lesson connected to each day's reading.
The book is arranged by the week. Each week features five days worth of devotionals that will walk you through the entire New Testament in a year. Each day begins with a 'Remember It' question so you're always reviewing what's been learned. Then, there is a passage of Scripture to be read, followed by the 'Think About It Some More' section. This provides Mom or Dad the explanation of each text being examined, put in such a way that all can understand it. Next comes the 'Talk About It' portion, which usually consists of 3-4 questions to draw out from each person present what they've just heard. It also helps solidify that passage into their heart and mind by thinking about it more. Finally, there is a closing time to 'Pray About It'.
My heart's longing would be to get this book (and it's predecessor) into the hands of young families. I'd exhort each of them to take the 15-20 minutes it might take each day to gather everyone around the dining table or in the living room. I'd sit with them and help them get started, making this a 'ritual' that no one wants to miss. Of course, I can't really do it that way. What I can do is recommend this book…highly. Begin the God-honoring habit of family worship, using God's Word and let it transform your whole family.
February 2, 2013
Title: OLD STORY NEW: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God
Author: MARTY Machowski
Publisher: New Growth Press
October 2012
ISBN: 978-1-936768-66-0
Genre: Devotional
Easy-to-Use Devotional Helps Parents Share the Living Gospel Story!
Old Story New makes it easy for parents to stay on the life-giving course of sharing the gospel story with their family. This second volume in Marty Machowski's family devotional series continues the gospel story begun in the Old Testament devotional, Long Story Short. Using the same effective ten-minute a day structure, it connects children to living gospel truth through 78 New Testament stories. Simple discussion questions (and answers) for each day's devotion help children understand and connect the story of salvation to their own lives. Old Story New, part of the Gospel Story for Kids program, is suitable for children from preschool through high school.
OLD STORY NEW is a collection of Bible stories from the New Testament. It has a section of Scripture readings, a section to think about it, and a collections of discussion questions to talk about it and your child’s thoughts.
I used this with my eleven- and eight-year-old daughters for the Bible program in our homeschool, but it would also be good for children’s clubs, church groups, or family devotions. My daughters both said they enjoy using it. $19.99. 432 pages.
February 11, 2014
These ten-minute family devotions are companion pieces to our current Children’s Church curriculum for ages 4 – 5th grade, and would be appropriate for children that age. Each week has five days’ worth of discussion topics, questions, illustrations, Bible passages, and ideas for discoveries to make as a family. The weeks line up with the Children’s Church story from Sunday, and the accompanying Bible passages help your family draw a connection between each story and the gospel. You could use this devotion without paying attention to the current Children’s Church lesson and without using the Gospel Story Bible. I like how the topics for family discussion give parents and kids a chance to share about struggles and celebrate joys together (For example, “Kids, ask your parents to tell you about a time when God provided something for them in a way that they knew it was by God’s grace, not their own effort.”). These devotions could be a springboard for great family conversations about the ways each person is growing with God.
February 18, 2013
***one of the best family devotionals I've ever reviewed***
Marty Machowski’s Old Story New is the second volume in his family life devotional series that “continues the gospel story begun in the chronological Old Testament devotional Long Story Short.” Review: www.examiner.com/list/long-story-shor...
Old Story New uses the same effective format and structure as that in the Old Testament devotional except this one features New Testament teachings about Christ, the cross and the salvation message. The focus—Christ within the story!
The gospel centered narratives are designed for busy families and can be completed in ten minutes a day, five days a week. Their use plants life-transforming seeds of God’s truth that build trust, faith and relationship with Christ…Full Review: http://tinyurl.com/b6vocrc
Marty Machowski’s Old Story New is the second volume in his family life devotional series that “continues the gospel story begun in the chronological Old Testament devotional Long Story Short.” Review: www.examiner.com/list/long-story-shor...
Old Story New uses the same effective format and structure as that in the Old Testament devotional except this one features New Testament teachings about Christ, the cross and the salvation message. The focus—Christ within the story!
The gospel centered narratives are designed for busy families and can be completed in ten minutes a day, five days a week. Their use plants life-transforming seeds of God’s truth that build trust, faith and relationship with Christ…Full Review: http://tinyurl.com/b6vocrc
February 8, 2018
An excellent resource to utilize for family devotions at home. Part of our current Sunday School curriculum, better suited for elementary and early teens
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews