Drive Thru History – “The Gospels”

For this review, we were asked to take a Drive Thru History® with Dave Stotts by viewing Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels”.  “The Gospels” covers Matthew, Mark, Luke and John from the Bible.  We made this a family event, taking a few days to share in the adventure.  Everyone took something away from these amazingly developed videos.

We were sent our very own 3 DVD set of Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels”.  The Gospels chronical the life of Jesus of Nazareth from before his birth forward.  This “Special Edition” set from Drive Thru History® comes in it’s own hard backed case that greatly resembles a book.  It features a simple font in white lettering to stand out to the eye.  It also features a spine with the same lettering so you can easily find it in a stack or on a shelf.  

Inside the “cover”, you find two DVD’s in the front and a third in the back of the set.  Behind the DVD’s a map of the land Jesus’s life events took place is featured.  Between these DVD’s there is a full study guide to be used with the DVD’s as you work your way through them.

These DVD’s each feature different content about the life of Jesus.  In total, there are 18 episodes each 30 minutes in length.  Just long enough to capture your attention without becoming boring.  Not that this show could ever be boring.

As the videos begin, Dave Stotts takes you straight into the adventure, wasting no time to show you the history of Jesus’s life from beginning to end.  The fast pace and catchy music keep you going along but when the important stuff is discussed, he slows it down to really show you what, how, why and where history happens.  I like this and so does my family.

There was also a DVD Book Jacket included over the boxed set when it arrived, featuring Dave Stotts standing in front of his vehicle in what looks to be the desert.  Information on the DVD’s and the series itself are included on this jacket cover.  The cover can easily be placed back over the set so it keeps it neat and clean.

We used this one as a family.  I had originally asked for this review when I thought I was going to have a hysterectomy last month.  I thought it would be a wonderful way to still have class with my kids while I was couch bound.  Thankfully, I did not have to have surgery at the time but we still had this wonderful review. 

So as I said, we watched together, sharing Jesus’s story with one another.

Dad:  Don aka Dad loved these.  Growing up Catholic and in Catholic School, he was taught religiously about the Bible but rigidly as well.  Watching this series really brought all these lessons he’d been taught to life.  Even though it was video, he was able to see where the Mother Mary lived, where she had Jesus, where Jesus preached, walked, who he trusted, how he lived and even his death.   This was something he was really able to absorb and learn with and something he very well enjoyed.

Winston:  Win is my video-gaming teen.  It takes something pretty interesting to make him stop and capture his attention.  These DVD’s really got him though.  He enjoyed seeing these places even on TV.  He enjoyed listening to these true accounts of Jesus’s life.  He really learned from viewing these along with the rest of us.

Emmalee:  Emma, of course, loved these!  She’s a history buff and loves to learn.  DVD viewing of history or science are her absolute  favorite and she was already a huge fan of Dave Stotts and Drive Thru History®.  This was a huge win all the way for her.

Laycie:  Laycie just turned 9 this month and she’s on a roll learning about Jesus.  She has three or four of our family Bibles she’s been “reading” through with some help from me and big sister.  She’s enjoying learning God’s story and that of Jesus as well.  Though she wasn’t as interested in watching these DVD’s for long periods as the rest of us were, she did learn a lot.  Since we’ve watched, she’s compared many of the topics discussed and segments we watched to stories in her different Bibles, truly making the connection between each.  This brings my heart great joy and hers as well.

Jackson:  Jack’s attention span is a little less than the rest of us since he’s four but even he enjoyed viewing the DVD’s with us.  He’d go back and forth between playing but some segments just caught his attention and he’d sit down beside Daddy and watch along.  He learned some from them as well and asked questions as he viewed, giving him a good base in Biblical study even at four.

Mom: Me (Dana) aka Mom.  I enjoyed these DVD segments.  I enjoyed watching and seeing the places where Mary walked, where Jesus led, where he spoke and prayed and where he was last.  Mostly I enjoyed seeing my children’s faces as they learned more, as they saw these things for the first time and as we discussed these events as a family.  My heart is overjoyed from the experience we shared while watching “The Gospels” together.

I must admit, I did not use this as much as I could have.  We had such deep and natural conversations about what we viewed with one another that I didn’t feel the need to use the guide.  I think as we rewatch I will use the guide to dive deeper but our conversations were satisfying without the additional help.

The Study Guide shares quotes from famous people, great people who have led our world and who have affected the world greatly.  It suggests reading from the Bible for each of the 18 segments, verses that relate to the segment in order to connect the Word to the segment itself.  It shares images of people, of places and things that relate to each segment, each differing for each different segment.  And it shares around 5 questions to help you build upon what you are watching, to help you grow in your knowledge of what’s been shared in the segment in order to expand your thought on the segment itself. 

The Study Guide is beautifully designed and wonderful to learn from and share but as I said, for us we discussed enough through our own sharing that I didn’t feel it was needed as part of our lessons.  Perhaps later on.  

You can obtain a copy of the 3 DVD set Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels” from Drive Thru History® from their website for $89.95.  It is well worth every penny!   This DVD series is generally for 5th grade to adult but can be used with much younger children, as I have mentioned above.  This is a Christian series and there are other historical topics available for purchase as well.