Episode 354: Helping Kids (And Grown-Ups) Grow in Friendship with Jesus with Sally Lloyd-Jones

Mar 3, 2026

Sally Lloyd-Jones, beloved children’s author of The Jesus Storybook Bible, shares how her childhood faith inspired Jesus, Our True Friend. She talks about choosing gospel stories, using design to let the gospel shine, and tackling perfectionism through the Mary and Martha story. Conversations emphasize grace, hope, laughter, and comforting children (and adults) with the truth that Jesus is always near.

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ANECDOTE

Book Met A Real-Time Need After A Tragedy

Sally's Jesus Storybook Bible reading provided immediate comfort when hosts used it after the Covenant shooting to speak to grieving parents and faculty.
She and the hosts described the moment as mysterious providence: the book's words meeting a specific need at the right time.

INSIGHT

Books Should Give Children Hope Not Just Rules

Sally wrote Jesus, Our True Friend to give children hope rather than moral instruction, wanting Scripture to comfort them facing real fears like bullying.
She contrasted empty rule-based devotions with a devotional that tells kids what God says about them, not what others say.

ADVICE

Ensure Excellence So The Message Isn't Blocked

Make creative work excellent in every detail so design becomes invisible and the gospel can shine through.
Sally checks typeface, illustration, and layout because any obstacle (hard-to-read type) will exhaust readers and shut the book down.

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In this deeply moving conversation, Sissy and David sit down with beloved children’s author Sally Lloyd-Jones to talk about her newest book, Jesus, Our True Friend. Sally shares how her own childhood—being sent to boarding school at eight and clinging to Jesus as her best friend—inspired her lifelong desire to help children know they are never alone. The conversation weaves through themes of perfectionism, grace, hope, and the tender story of Mary and Martha, reminding listeners that God is not disappointed in us—He is delighted in us. It’s a rich, honest, joy-filled episode about getting out of the way so the beauty of the gospel can shine through.

Resources mentioned:

Jesus, Our True Friend by Sally Lloyd-Jones
The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones
Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing by Sally Lloyd-Jones
The Waiting Father by Helmut Thielicke

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