The Biggest Story Audio CD and Animated Short Film DVD {Review and Giveaway}

We had the privilege of reviewing "The Biggest Story" by Pastor Kevin DeYoung. We received both an audio book on CD and the animated short film on DVD. 

About the Products We Received:

The Audio Book: An audio book of The Biggest Story - written and narrated by best-selling author Kevin DeYoung. 

The Animated Short Film is the same story, except it features animated illustrations by Don Clark, adapted from the book.

We listened to the audio book in the van and watched the DVD while relaxing at home. Both tell the exact same story.

There are ten chapters in The Biggest Story and it is about 26 minutes long.  The story is like a quick run-down of the Bible. It shows how the events in both the Old and New Testaments are related to the gospel of Christ. God planned our redemption from the very beginning! 

The story starts out in creation where we hear about the snake who deceives Adam into eating the forbidden fruit. We then journey down, out of the garden, hearing about how things got a lot worse before they got better. 

These are the stories you will get glimpses of as you listen to The Biggest Story:

• Adam and Eve
• Cain and Abel
• Noah and the ark
• Tower of Babel
• Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and Judah
• Joseph is briefly mentioned
• Slavery in Egypt and Moses
• Promised land
• King David
• The Divided Kingdom
• 400 years of silence
• Birth of Jesus
• Death of Jesus
• Resurrection and Ascension 
• Waiting for His return

Also included with the DVD was a two-sided poster. Looking at these pictures will give you some idea of what the animated illustrations are like in the DVD. Bright and colorful, geometric and quite a bit abstract. From my understanding, it is the illustrations of the book, come to life.

What did we think about The Biggest Story?

We enjoyed watching and listening to the story. It is definitely a quick run through of the stories found in the Bible. Like a beginner's crash course of what God's plan for the world is. Most of the stories mentioned are going to be stories most Christians know well. In fact, our older girls knew most of the stories. None of the stories are gone into in detail, but I guess you sort of figured that out, seeing as the program only runs for 26 minutes. What we are seeing, is how man has rebelled against God from the very beginning, and continues to do so. But more than that, we are seeing that God had a plan which is seen throughout the Bible. 

It is a great reminder of God's promises. A great insight into the fact that the entire Bible works together. God promised from the very beginning that one of these days the snake's head would be crushed (that would be Satan will be defeated). We are reminded (or learn for the first time) that Abraham (once called Abram) would be the father of a great nation through which all nations would one day be blessed. That through the lineage of Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Judah, and then King David, we will have redemption. We are reminded that God always finds a way to save his people. 

What we liked:

I think it was a neat little story, especially helpful for sharing with someone who isn't already a Christian, someone who would needs to understand how the Bible is all related. The children loved the animated pictures, calling them "cool."  It was also stated that that were "gorgeous, and so pretty. I love them." They also enjoyed the background music, calling it "peaceful."

We also enjoyed the bits of humor that were spattered throughout the story.

What left us scratching our heads:

I was put on alert from the very beginning when the words, "Once Upon a Time" were used to introduce the story. In this day and age, when the Bible is made out to be a book of fairy tales, I thought that wasn't the best way to start a book that is God's truth, His Holy Word. Maybe it was a way to catch the interest of children who are used to hearing tales begin with "Once upon a time." However, to me, it doesn't seem like the right way to introduce a story based on the Bible. 

Obviously in such a short tale, there are going to be huge chunks left out. But I was concerned that the story neglected to mention that Eve ate the forbidden fruit first, only mentioning Adam. That seemed a bit weird. 

As someone who is very much concerned about the truth of creation being shared, I was disappointed to see that Noah's Ark was once again depicted as a tiny boat where animals stick their heads out of windows and a few animals almost take up the entire boat. But, seeing as all of the illustrations are a bit on the abstract side, I guess I can understand that.

I'm not too sure how I feel about Jesus being known mainly as the "snake crusher." The children seemed to enjoy this new name for Jesus though.

Final thoughts:

Though I have my reservations which I shared above, I still think this is a lovely story showing how Jesus is seen throughout the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments. I think it is a neat way to introduce people to the Bible and have them interested in learning more. 

Great news! I have been given the opportunity to offer a giveaway for one person to win The Biggest Story (CD and DVD set) by Kevin DeYoung.

All you need to do is enter in the Rafflecopter form below. 

There are only 2 simple mandatory entries, with the remainder of the entries being optional. 

Remember, you do not have to do the extra entries, but they will increase your odds of winning. 

This giveaway is open to US residents 18 and over. 

The giveaway runs September 15th through September 23rd.

Thanks for stopping by, and good luck!

 By entering the giveaway, you understand and agree that your contact information will be shared with the sponsor.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

Disclosure: I received The Biggest Story Audio Book CD and Animated Short Film DVD in exchange for my honest review. No further compensation was given. This did not in any way influence my review. I only recommend products I use personally and feel will be a good products for my readers.