Words from the Heart

One of my favorite conversations in the Bible happens after Jesus has risen from the dead. Peter had made a terrible mistake. Just a few days before, he had denied even knowing Jesus—not once, but three times. Can you imagine how Peter must have felt? Ashamed. Discouraged. Wondering if he had ruined everything. But Jesus wasn't finished with Peter. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to some of His disciples while they were fishing on the Sea of Galilee. They had fished all night without catching anything. Then a man standing on the shore called out and told them to throw their net on the other side of the boat. Suddenly, their net was overflowing with fish. John realized who it was. "It's the Lord!" Peter didn't wait for the boat. He jumped into the water and swam to Jesus. When the disciples reached the shore, Jesus already had breakfast waiting for them. I love that. Before Jesus said anything about Peter's failure, He simply invited him to sit down and eat. After breakfast, Jesus asked Peter a question. "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter answered, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." Jesus replied, "Feed My lambs." Then Jesus asked him again. "Do you love Me?" Again Peter answered, "Yes, Lord." Jesus said, "Take care of My sheep." A third time Jesus asked, "Do you love Me?" Peter was hurt that Jesus asked him a third time, but he answered, "Lord, You know all things. You know that I love You." And once again Jesus replied, "Feed My sheep." (John 21:15–17) I've often thought about why Jesus asked Peter three times. Peter had denied Him three times. Jesus wasn't trying to make Peter feel guilty. He was lovingly restoring him. Instead of leaving Peter in his failure, Jesus reminded him that he still had a purpose. That gives me so much hope. Because we've all failed. We've all said things we wish we could take back, made poor decisions, or missed opportunities to trust God. But our failures don't have the final word. Jesus does. One part of this story especially touches my heart. Jesus says, "Feed My lambs." Lambs are the youngest and most vulnerable members of the flock. They need someone to guide them, protect them, and help them grow. Isn't that exactly what we're called to do with the children God has placed in our lives? Every Bible story we read together... Every prayer before bed... Every conversation about God's love... Every seed of truth we plant... We're helping feed His little lambs. That has always been the heart behind Iam The Lamb. Our books and products aren't just about creating sweet family memories—although I hope they do. They're about helping children know Jesus, trust Him, and follow Him for the rest of their lives. One of the most beautiful truths in all of Scripture is that Jesus is both the Lamb of God, who gave His life for us, and the Good Shepherd, who lovingly leads us every day. Only Jesus could be both. Today, His question to Peter is still a question for each of us. "Do you love Me?" If our answer is yes, then one of the greatest privileges we have is helping feed His lambs. Because you never know how one bedtime story, one prayer, or one simple conversation about Jesus might shape a child's heart for eternity.

Why Memorizing Scripture as a Child Matters: A Psalm 23 Story for Families There is something uniquely powerful about words learned in childhood.Songs we sang as kids, rhymes we repeated, and stories we heard again and again often stay with us for life. Scripture is no different, except its impact is far deeper. When children memorize God’s Word, they are storing up truth long before they fully understand it. They may not grasp every phrase or picture in the moment, but those words take root. They become familiar. Safe. Known. And one day, often unexpectedly, they bloom into understanding and comfort. Memorizing Scripture as a child is simply easier. Their minds are open, flexible, and naturally wired for repetition. What might take an adult weeks to commit to memory can be absorbed by a child through gentle, consistent exposure. Even if the meaning feels abstract at first, the rhythm and truth of Scripture settle into their hearts. And when life becomes difficult — when fear, pain, or uncertainty appear — those hidden words often surface. I’ve seen this firsthand in our own family. When our kids were little, my husband Ted always enjoyed doing the bedtime routine. He worked all day, so those quiet evening moments were precious to him. He would play games with them, read books with them, and pray with them. He also began choosing passages from the Bible and helping them memorize Scripture — not just single verses, but entire passages. Night after night, line by line, they repeated them together. Before long, they could recite sections of Scripture without missing a beat. Psalm 23 was one of the very first passages they learned by heart. Years later, we saw just how important those early memories really were. When our daughter Kallie was 22, she broke her leg — a complete fracture of the femur — in a wakeboarding accident. That night in the hospital, as we waited for surgery, she asked me to recite Psalm 23 with her again and again. She had memorized those words as a child. They were written on her heart. And on one of the most painful and uncertain nights of her life, those familiar verses became a source of comfort for both of us. They reminded us we were not alone. They steadied our thoughts and gave us peace in a moment we couldn’t control. That experience reinforced something I already believed, but now understood more deeply: when God’s Word is planted early, it stays. Children may not fully understand every word right away — and that’s okay. Understanding grows with time. The important thing is planting the seed. When Scripture is hidden in their hearts, it will be there when they need it most. That is the heart behind our upcoming Psalm 23 book. I wrote it to help families slow down, read together, and gently commit these sacred words to memory. To create simple moments at bedtime, around the table, or before school where Scripture becomes familiar and comforting. To give parents an easy way to help their children carry truth with them wherever they go. Because challenges will come.Uncertainty will visit.Life will have hard days. But when those moments arrive, a child who has hidden Scripture in their heart will not be empty-handed. They will remember. And when they remember, they will know their Shepherd is near.  

When John the Baptist saw Jesus approaching the Jordan River, he made a declarationthat captures the whole mission of Christ in a single sentence: “Behold, the Lamb ofGod who takes away the sin of the world!” — John 1:29 Some translations say “Behold…” others say “Look…” but the meaning is the same.John the Baptist, whose purpose was to prepare the way for the Messiah, identifiedJesus not first as King, Lord, or Teacher, but as a Lamb. Why Did John Call Jesus a Lamb? In Scripture, a lamb symbolizes innocence, purity,and sacrificial offering. From the Passover lamb in Exodus to the lambs offered daily inthe temple, the image consistently pointed to substitution: one life given so anothercould live. By calling Jesus “the Lamb of God,” John was saying: Jesus is God’s chosensacrifice; provided by God Himself, not by human priests; Jesus came to remove sin,not just cover it temporarily; and Jesus’ mission from the start was sacrificial, aimed attaking away “the sin of the world.” This was not poetic language. It was theological truth: Jesus came to die as the perfectoffering for humanity. But, John 10:11 offers an amazingly divine contrast. In anothermoment, Jesus described Himself in a completely different way: “I am the goodshepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” — John 10:11Here, Jesus is not the lamb. Here, He is the shepherd. A shepherd who protects,guides, and willingly gives His life on behalf of His flock. This creates a profound andbeautiful paradox: Jesus is both the Lamb who is sacrificed and the Shepherd whosacrifices Himself. At the cross, Jesus fulfills both identities: 1) As the Lamb, He offers Himself as thespotless sacrifice to take away sin; 2) As the Shepherd, He lays down His life out ofdeep love for His sheep. The Shepherd becomes the Lamb so the lambs may becomechildren of God. In Jesus, God reveals a redemption plan beyond human imagination: aLamb who saves, a Shepherd who dies, and a Savior who holds both identitiesperfectly. Only God could unite those two images in one person and design such a perfect storyof love, sacrifice, and salvation, where Jesus is both the Lamb and the Shepherd. By Ted Karr Image:  This is another one of the beautiful pieces of artwork from Jamie that will be in our Psalm 23 book.