Plus an interview with author, Brynn Padrick!

As the first fall feast of YHWH just passed over the weekend, it seems only appropriate to post a review of a book on Messianic Prophecy. Follow the Threads: Messianic Prophecy for Kids
is an in-depth study that takes a closer look at  Prophecy pertaining to Messiah Yeshua and all the little threads that intertwine within it.

Author Brynn Padrick explains probability and presents her own way of Biblical study through a colorful underlining system. Brynn guides students though Prophetic passages by first having them mark key passages. She follows by providing discussion questions, fill in the blank questions, and even drawing pages. Her unique approach to a very difficult topic creates a study that is both fun and educational!

More about Follow the Threads from the author…

Follow the Threads: Messianic Prophecy for Kids is an in-depth study of Messianic Prophecy in the Tenach. As the 9-15 year old student searches the Scripture and diligently follows the threads of prophecy, God’s truth about Messiah is revealed. Underlining aspects of messianic texts with colored pencils, answering questions, writing, drawing, mathematics, memorizing, and perhaps even completing a weaving are all part of this exploration of messianic truth. This resource would be perfect for teacher-led groups in camps, messianic congregations, and churches as well as providing enough support for students studying alone. It is the author’s hope that adults may enjoy the book as well, perhaps for a new insight, but also for the tie-in with weaving and the attempts at humor throughout. This book largely follows Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum’s Messianic Christology.

What I liked…

I really enjoyed getting to know the author through her writing. Her humorous and lighthearted personality emanates from each chapter. Studying Prophecy can be a daunting task, but Brynn makes it enjoyable. It is obvious through her writing that she has experience with children because she writes for them. When you read Follow the Threads you will find a study geared towards a younger audience, but don’t worry, I promise you’ll learn something too.

I am not a scholar by any means. I liked how Brynn approached each Messianic Prophecy in a way that is simple and understandable. I also appreciated that Follow the Threads included the scripture passages to be studied at the beginning of each chapter. This way, readers can mark up the passages using Brynn’s colorful “threading” system, without having to mark up their own Bibles (unless they want to, of course!)

Follow the Threads: Messianic Prophecy for Kids is broken up into four main sections, covering an Introduction, The Law, The Prophets, and the Writings, with an optional weaving project at the end. I I enjoyed looking at Scripture from a Jewish standpoint and agree with Brynn that “studying the Scriptures in context, from a Jewish perspective, illuminates them in a new and powerful way”.

Recommendation…

I recommend Follow the Threads: Messianic Prophecy for Kids to homeschoolers and Bible teachers who are seeking a well formatted, child geared study on Messianic Prophecy. Because of the deep content of this particular subject, I would suggest it for children ages 10 and older. Also, remember that anytime you go through a Bible study, to always pray, ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom, and do your own research, going back to Scripture as your foundation.

An interview with author Brynn Padrick…

Follow the Threads: Messianic Prophecy for Kids began when you were preparing lessons on Messianic Prophecy for camp. Can you tell me a little more about Camp Shoshanah? Where is it? Who attends? What is the camp’s mission?

From the website:

Camp Shoshanah is a Conference, Retreat and Bible Study facility for believers in Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, located on over 400 acres in the scenic Adirondack Mountains of northern New York State. The Camp is part of Ariel Ministries, a Messianic Jewish outreach ministry, sharing the Good News of Messiah Jesus with the Jewish people and with all who will hear, discipling those who come to faith and training believers.

I was blessed to be able to meet Dr. Fruchtenbaum, the internationally respected Messianic Jewish scholar who later founded Ariel Ministries, and be taught by him in 1973 when I was only 17, at the site which later became Camp Shoshanah.  Dr. Fruchtenbaum’s in- depth teaching and vast knowledge gave me and many others the confidence we needed to persevere in the faith.

It has been said that studying the Scriptures in context, from a Jewish perspective, illuminates them in a new and powerful way. I highly recommend this study Camp. More information can be found at www.Ariel.org.

How long have you been studying Messianic Prophecy and what about it intrigues you most?

As a Jewish person, as soon as I was shown, at age 17,  the claims of Jesus to the Messiahship of Israel, I began to study Messianic Prophecy because, well, I desperately needed to know if He was who He claimed to be, and He is! Sometimes it intrigues me that man can deny the truth of Jesus (even though I know this is complicated), because if one looks with open eyes, I believe the fulfilled prophecies alone substantiate the claims of Jesus, even to the prediction that Israel would deny her Messiah for a time.

The colorful underlining process you provide for prophetical study is very interesting. What gave you the idea for studying this way? Do the children you teach find it easier to study when they “follow the threads”? Do you use this underlining method for all Bible study or just for prophecy?

I love color, so I suppose the idea of color coding has always appealed to me. I don’t know if Kay Arthur’s Inductive Studies were the beginning of this; I tend to think it has been around for much longer. I think, working with children, it is just a natural way to draw connections and bring clarity. I use colors for all sorts of things!

What is your favorite Messianic Prophecy and why?

I would have to say my favorite Messianic Prophecy is the Isaiah 53 passage about the Suffering Servant. It is so moving and poetic…”Who has believed our report?…He  is despised and rejected by men. A man of sorrows…” And, it even mentions sheep!

I also find the Zechariah 12 :10 passage amazing as it speaks of Israel realizing what they have done. So powerful!

Follow the Threads: Messianic Prophecy for Kids provides a lot of space for notes, answers, and even drawings for the kids who use it. Do you have plans to write a Teacher’s Guide as a companion to this book in the future to help instructors who use Follow the Threads guide their students through the course?

I was not planning on doing a Teacher’s Guide as I felt the book was largely self-explanatory, but I am certainly open to suggestions on this, as well as other things. In some ways, I think the book may work perhaps better for homeschoolers as an in-depth study for those who have a fair amount of time to give.

I worry that for some teachers, depending on the setting, they may have difficulty fitting the study into their time allotments. In addition, since the book is so much my voice, I worry that teachers may be unsure what their role is. I am hoping teachers will feel free to add their own voice and other ideas or projects, and to leave out passages or parts of the study if necessary. For some groups, perhaps the study could even be done without the color coding. I leave that up to the discretion of the teachers who know their students and their time limitations.

How can readers connect with you? (i.e. facebook, email, etc…)

I would love for readers to connect with me through my email, brynnpadrick@yahoo.com,or on Facebook. The third edition of the book will be coming out shortly, and my email address will be included.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

I do not feel I am in a position to advise aspiring authors, except to say, persevere!

How about you? Have you taught your kids anything about Messianic/Biblical Prophecy? If so, please share what resources you love in the comments section below.

Until then, happy reading!

Yours in Yeshua,

S

 

Disclosure:

I received a print copy of Follow the Threads: Messianic Prophecy for Kids directly from the author. I was not asked to write a positive review. All views and opinions expressed are solely and completely my own. I received no compensation other than a print copy of Follow the Threads, which is mine to keep. This post also contains affiliate links. To learn more, please read my full policy.

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