Life is a lot like a long journey on a ship. Some days are sunny and pleasant. Other days are rainy and dreary. And sometimes there are days when the howling wind and crashing waves are bigger than we can handle on our own. That's why God gave us friends!
In this 4-week Bible study, discover God's perfect plan for friendship, how to make friends, how to be a good friend, and how to pick a good friend. Friendship is a beautiful gift, and you can learn to navigate it well!
Life is a lot like a long journey on a ship. Some days are sunny and pleasant. Other days are rainy and dreary. And sometimes there are days when the howling wind and crashing waves are bigger than we can handle on our own. That's why God gave us friends!
In this 4-week Bible study, discover God's perfect plan for friendship, how to make friends, how to be a good friend, and how to pick a good friend. Friendship is a beautiful gift, and you can learn to navigate it well!
Why you'll love this Bible study
The study spans 4 weeks with 5 lessons a week. We will dig into why God created friendship, how to make good friends, and how to be a good friend. God is so kind to give us community to enjoy. We weren't meant to do life alone!
Our Bible studies are available in 3 levels that work together perfectly for family study. Each lesson has a consistent key truth, key Scripture, and central theme no matter what age level your kids are working in.
Each study in the family Bible study bundle also comes with a fun pack including verse cards, stickers, and a bookmark.
Help the Bible come to life for your kids through award-winning audio dramas. Navigating Friendships study bundle makes an excellent faith-filled gift as it encourages spiritual growth through engaging Bible study, exciting audio drama, and daily truth reminders (that just so happen to look pretty cool).
This CD is supplemental and can be used before, during, or after your study. You decide!
Basket of Flowers
James, the king's gardener, teaches his 15-year-old daughter Mary all the principles of godliness through his flowers. She is falsely accused of stealing, and the penalty is death. Mary learns how difficult friendship can sometimes be and how beautiful it is once restored.
Whether you use it before, after, or during the study, it's sure to spark great conversations about friendship and truth!
What version of the Bible do you use?
I study and write using the KJV and ESV Bibles. However, my studies are written with the intent that children and families will look up Scripture in the Bible of their choice, with specific attention taken to assure questions can be answered from a variety of translations. So you should be able to use whatever version your family prefers. It's my passion to see kids opening the Bible themselves, so we've been very intentional about this.
What do you believe?
I believe that the Bible is the absolute authority in matters of faith and practice. It's 100% true, with no exceptions or figurative sections. I believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of Scripture; in one God eternally existing in three Persons; in the creation of all things, including man, as the direct act of God; in eternally secure salvation by grace through faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ; in the incarnation and virgin birth of Christ, and in His bodily resurrection; in the personal, bodily, premillennial return of the Lord Jesus Christ and His millennial reign on earth.
What age level should I buy?
This is by far the most common question we get around here. Please
check out this video. I'll show you the differences between the levels and walk you through how to use them as a family!
How many copies should I buy?
If you are buying digital, you only need one copy. If you plan to share with people outside of your home (like a group, co-op, church, etc.) you will need a site license to do so. Those can be found on each product's page.
If you are buying softcover, you should purchase one copy per child. This will enable children to write in the book, as it is designed to record their drawings and responses to the Word. Please check out this video for more explanation on why this is so important!
How long are your studies?
Each Bible study is a slightly different length, ranging from 20 lessons to 28 lessons. We suggest doing one lesson a day. Most kids find that it takes about 15 minutes a day.
Studies with 20 lessons:
Obey
Do Right
Fruit of the Tongue
My Brother's Keeper
Navigating Friendships
Foundations of Faith
A Content Heart
Studies with 25 lessons:
Keep Thy Heart
Studies with 28 lessons:
Developing a Quiet Time
We have done 5 of Not Consumed Bible studies and we have enjoyed them as a family with 5 boys (ages 1-9) and one girl (age 13).
I chose this study after my 7 year old daughter began having friendship issues at church. This study has been wonderful in helping my daughter know how to handle the unkindness of friends, the movement of friends from the inner to outer circle and how to BE the friend that God wants HER to be through it all. It has reminded me of the treasure I have in my inner and outer circle of friends. I love how it teaches that even Jesus is our friend but with the highest of authority. This study does a great job of teaching people of all ages how to be a true friend! Thanks for challenging us as we navigate through life and relationships!
I am thoroughly pleased with how well this study has gone for my children 5-17. I love how it’s customized by age group and how the parent guide is a Bible study for me as well. Friendship was an important topic we wanted to tackle. Having a study that puts Jesus first is absolutely wonderful.
This was a great opportunity for our family to get into the Word together and talk about how to seek out and manage friendships in a Biblical way. I appreciated the discussion on inner vs. outer circle of friends and setting boundaries. We are thankful for this ministry!
I love how Kim finds a theme or topic and relates it well with the subject at hand. In this case, this book is a beautiful journey into what friendship is and is not and uses the allegory of a ship. It has 20 lessons from God as your Captain, the First Mates (the parents, I appreciate this lesson), the second in command (siblings or cousins), and shipmates (friends) as inner circle and outer circle. It goes deep into what it means to be a biblical friend for someone else, and what it looks to have biblical friends in a very practical way. At the end, she writes a simple beautiful diagram with all the truths your kid learns for a quick read and review for the future.
My 11 year old daughter is enjoying the Not Consumed Studies so much and I can see fruit in her life. Every morning she wakes up and heads straight to her comfy spot to complete her study and pray. I'm so grateful for the way these studies have gotten her leaning in and drawing near to The Father.
Our family loved this study. I enjoyed it so much that I will be teaching it at our local Christian Co-Op this session. Thank you for making these!
This is a great way to help kids understand what it means to be a good friend in the way God intends for us.
I’m so excited about this study for my 12 year old. Her friend picker has been a little off, and it is my prayer that this beautifully written Bible study will remind her of the importance of wise friendships. Kim and the Not Consumed team did such a great job showing the right types of friendships w/ Jesus, Parents, Siblings and wise friends!
Select the number of participants in each age group: