Local mom and Christian author Faith Harralson recently released her second book of the year. Matching Bible verses with topics relatable to children, she hopes “Let Them Roar: I Am Who You Say I Am” will inspire families to dive into the word of God.
“I wrote this book with the hope of inspiring families to memorize and declare the word of God over their lives,” Harralson said. “I wanted something easily accessible, something that could sit on your night stand and be read every night before bed with your children.”
Harralson, who resides in Owensboro with her husband and their daughter Olivia, has more than 20 years of children’s ministry experience. She taught kindergarten for five years at Estes Elementary School before staying home with their daughter since June of 2019.
“My heart behind it is not just to reach the child but to empower the whole family,” Harralson said. “I know with raising a toddler and teaching that our words have power. I hope this is a resource for parents, grandparents, and families as a whole to not just memorize the scripture but to declare the words over their lives. The more we say things, the more we believe it.”
Harralson realized the resource she was looking for wasn’t out there when their daughter began having night terrors. As a family of faith, they declared Psalms 4:8 and would teach that to Olivia.
Psalms 4:8 NLT reads: “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.”
Harralson says each chapter of the new book will have a different topic that children would be experiencing through their day, such as learning how to be kind to others, being obedient, and overcoming fears. With knowledge from her previous teaching experience, she’s also incorporated ways to help the children remember what they’ve learned.
“There is a lot of research that suggests the use of gestures, or anytime you put movement along with something you are wanting to be taught; it makes it easier for them to remember,” she said. “Each scripture has gestures that will help them with it remaining in their memory by that movement.”
This is Harralson’s second book self-published and released in 2020. “Sensory Adventures: A Guide to Increasing Literacy Through Sensory Play” came out in June.
“I started to realize that Olivia liked to experience things through using her senses,” Harralson said, reminiscing on how it all began. “I was already doing a little sensory in my classroom, but with all the requirements, I had little time, but I knew the power of it.”
Harralson didn’t just want a sensory bin, but instead a guide with activities that parents, adults, or educators can use with step-by-step instructions on what easily accessible supplies they will need — a scripted message to read, adult tips, and read-alouds that tie in with each activity.
“I saw what a great tool this was to create imagination,” she said. “Over 1,000 hours of just really experimenting, buying supplies, and figuring out the best way to match her learning style along with answering questions like will the sensory supplies used vacuum up easily.”
Harralson said the book was published at a great time for parents, as many had toddlers who really needed those sensory activities while also trying to homeschool and work from home, amongst many other things during the pandemic.
“For me, it’s not about how much money I make; it’s about if I can just touch one family’s life, it’s worth it,” Faith said.
Both books can be found on Amazon and Harralson has future plans as an author to continue writing in the Christian genre.
