15 GLAD TIDINGS APRIL 2025 just the beautiful, full actionpacked [presentation] and our illustrations that really bring the story to life,” he said. “And we like to think about … bringing the Bible to life in a different way.” Eastman continued, “For this generation, specifically, who is involved with graphic novels, this Bible appeals to them because they like that kind of, ‘Oh, I can see the images of the story moving,’ and there’s a narrative, like a paraphrase narrative of the Bible story that’s easy to understand and sounds like a conversation.” This all creates what Eastman called an “inviting” experience that allows young people to fully immerse themselves in this Bible version, including 230 stories from Scripture and extends to 830 pages. The roots for “The Action Bible” were set in the 1970s with a preceding project known as “The Picture Bible.” With young people diving into the comic book world — and with new ways of evangelizing emerging — “The Action Bible” was seen as an innovative tool to build upon successes with “The Picture Bible” and deliver timeless truth to a new generation. As a dad of four kids himself, Eastman said, “The Action Bible” does two important things: it seizes upon the interest of youths in graphic novels while also delivering hope to youths who desperately need it. Many of the popular graphic novels and comics of the day simply don’t offer “hope,” he said. “Those stories don’t provide the hope and the beautiful story that God does and the redemptive story of the plan of bringing Jesus and our salvation,” Eastman said. “And, so, the Bible does that.” This is especially important right now, as young people in Generation Alpha — those born between 2010 and 2024 — recently dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic and other struggles. Hopelessness, for some, has been a result of the chaos, with Eastman believing “The Action Bible” holds power and sway to help ease some of this pain. “Something like ‘The Action Bible’ that has these graphics that the kids … are drawn to, telling this narrative of this beautiful story of redemption, of hope, of stories and the characters in the Bible that are just like them — people who struggled with things, who had fear but overcame it with courage because they were empowered by God,” he said. “These fantastic stories that kids are connecting to. They’re like, ‘I see myself in that story and I can be that.’” “The Action Bible” has carefully worked to ensure it keeps “true to what God’s word is.” “There’s a lot of careful effort put into not only the language and the words, but also the imagery that took those pages and basically … brought them to life,” Eastman said. The impact of “The Action Bible” has been undeniable, with the project being translated into 108 languages around the globe. While the book has sold 3 million copies in the U.S., the worldwide number is “much larger.” “In the last four years alone, we’ve sold 1.1 million action Bibles around the world,” Eastman said, explaining this is in addition to the 3 million sold in America. Ultimately, Eastman said the mission of “The Action Bible” — to bring Jesus’ story to the masses — is being recognized, with stories of the project’s impact continuing to reach his team. “This is meant to be an evangelism tool because that’s our goal,” Eastman said. “‘The Action Bible’ is a significant tool, and it’s for parents, it’s for churches, it’s for all to get that to a young person and say, ‘Hey, the Bible is pretty interesting. There’s some really awesome stories in here.’” He said kids all over the world are being impacted by the Bible. For instance, a 6-year-old from Nairobi, Kenya, wrote in to say “The Action Bible” has “nice pictures and stories.” The child continued, “I like it because it is from God and teaches us good manners, and has taught me to forgive others. It has taught me to love other people.” Eastman said this is just one of hundreds of impact statements from young people. He hopes “The Action Bible” serves as an introduction to kids — and that they go deeper with other more complete forms of Scripture. “We always tell kids, ‘Hey, your next step is: you graduate to one of these study Bibles … you get a study Bible and you go into God’s word as a whole,’” he said. Permission Granted/CBN u THE ACTION BIBLE - con’t Cancer Healed with no medicine, only God! I worked for the department of corrections for 30 years as a teacher and had just retired. Right after my retirement, I noticed blood in my urine and was diagnosed with stage 2 bladder cancer with very aggressive cancer cells. I was advised by my doctor that because the cancer was extremely aggressive, they suggested the total removal of my bladder and prostate within two weeks. I was told the surgery would be 8 to 9 hours with a 6 to 8 month recovery period. I had a large tumor on my bladder and it had spread into the muscle tissue and the prostrate had cancer as well. My brother and a close friend of his met me one morning for breakfast and Bruce Van Natta came with them to pray for me. My brother told me about Bruce’s story so I was excited to meet him. After we finished eating Bruce asked if he could lay hands on me and pray. Bruce lifted up his shirt and showed me his scars after sharing his incredible story. I sat there as Bruce anointed me with oil and prayed right there amongst everyone in the restaurant. I didn’t feel anything special happen right there and then, however that evening and into the next day I felt vibration going on in my body especially my lower extremities where the cancer was located, it felt strange. For the next couple of months I began to feel much better. I also changed my diet and started eating better too but I knew something was much different. On January 5th of 2012 I went to the University Wisconsin Hospital in Madison for a second opinion and to be retested by an oncology specialists. That morning I was given a blood and urine test followed up with a consultation with experts specializing in bladder cancer. I was told that they had reviewed all the tests and reports from my doctors in Green Bay. It was their consensus that it was in my best interest to pursue the recommendation of my doctor in Green Bay and immediately have the surgery. I was also told that I could forgo the painful retest based on the previous reports and because of the fact it was a very aggressive cancer, they were anxious to do surgery and chemo. I insisted that they scope my bladder again just to make sure. This is where it gets really interesting, during the test the doctor scoped my bladder then called another doctor in to take a look. After 15 minutes he called in a third doctor who while scoping kept whispering to the others. After the procedure they told me because it was so late in the day, they would call me the next day with the results. The following day I was informed by the specialist that the options we discussed yesterday were still open, but the Dr. went on to say that my bladder looked really good and there was no cancer there now, my urine had no traces of blood or bacteria, and that it was their consensus that I wouldn’t need the surgery based on their new observation that the tumors were gone. They suggested I still consider chemo and radiation as a precautionary measure because of the cancer that was originally there but had now vanished. I said no way, I know what chemo and radiation does to the body! It has been a year and I feel the best I have every felt in my life. With changing my diet and eating healthy, I have lost 50 lbs now. Everyone comments on how good I look and how great my skin looks. My blood pressure is in a normal range, and my cholesterol and sugar are normal as well. During one of my tests they said I had the arteries and blood of a 25 year old. I thank God for that day and the willingness of Bruce to take time out and meet and pray with me, I am forever blessed and grateful. One fact I do know, Jesus heals. Brad Hentges u Permission Granted Sweet Bread Ministries 230 State Highway 66 Rudolph WI 54475 sweetbreadministries.com
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