Marlton author Lakeisha Faulkner is the founder of Faith by Fire Kids, a Christian children’s brand created to help little hearts know and love God’s Word, build Christlike character and grow in faith. She celebrated the launch of Faith by Fire Kids with friends, family and community at the Marlton Field House on Sept. 18, giving attendees a first look at the brand and the heart behind the mission.
“Faith by Fire Kids brings all of the different parts of my life together: my faith, my experience as a mom who is really focused on raising her children, and then also my background in building brands,” Faulkner said.
Faulkner is the proud mother of two boys, five-year-old Kairo and three-year-old Kingston. With a career in marketing and strategy, a lot of her work is about understanding people, understanding needs and insights and finding meaningful ways to connect with people. All of that led her to author her first children’s book “12 Scriptures for Little Disciples,” the first title in the Faith by Fire Kids collection.
Faith by Fire Kids was inspired by Kairo and Kingston’s love for God’s Word. Since they were little, Faulkner has always taught her boys Scriptures, and she quickly picked up on how they appreciated what they were learning. The scriptures that she and her children repeated became part of their prayers, their questions and the way they made sense of everyday moments.
“Faith by Fire Kids was given to me by prayer,” Faulkner said. “I believe that God planted that in my heart years ago before this was ever a thought. It made me go to a scripture that says, ‘When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned.’ When I was going through hard times in my life, that was my reminder – and I think it’s a reminder for kids too – that life is not always kind to us whether we’re kids or we’re adults, but your faith is what will pull you through.”
The “Fire” in Faith by Fire represents the real moments we all encounter as we journey through life. The brand’s philosophy is simple: plant truth early, connect it to everyday life and keep pointing little hearts towards Jesus. Faith by Fire Kids makes Scripture understandable for children by connecting biblical truth to familiar childhood experiences using simple language, repetition, visual storytelling and conversation while protecting the meaning of Scripture. Faith by Fire Kids is Christ centered and biblically grounded, with resources created to serve families and communities across Christian denominations.
“12 Scriptures for Little Disciples” follows the life of a bear named Theo who wakes up and lives every day just like that of a typical child. All 12 scriptures are connected to relatable childhood moments and were included in the book with young children and families in mind. Before Tho had a name and she only had a prototype for the book, Faulkner showed it to her sons. They both loved it and found certain Scriptures inside that they really connected with. That made a difference in Faulkner’s parenting and she saw how that could help other families. Every single morning when her boys wake up, Faulkner tells them the same thing.
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be proud,” she said. “And they know it and they say it too. For me, I’m very intentional for how I want to bring up my kids, the decisions that I make and what I’m exposing them to, and one of the things that I realized as a parent is that children are faced with so much in this world. Life is hard period but even for our children…With all of the things going on in the world it’s a lot, and I think it’s never too early to start teaching them, sooner rather than later in life, their identity.”
For more on Faith by Fire Kids, visit www.faithbyfirekids.com.
Marlton resident Lakeisha Faulkner is the author of “12 Scriptures for Little Disciples,” the first title in the Faith by Fire Kids collection. Faith by Fire Kids, founded by Faulkner, is a Christian children’s brand created to help little hearts know and love God’s Word, build Christlike character and grow in faith.
