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This topic shares a number of programs that are technically out of print, but may still be found in use in Sunday Schools and homes, in church resource closets, resource centers, Ebay, and other places where older software is shared or sold.

Some of these notes come from Sunday Software Inc. which carried a number of the following titles in their catalog.


Life of Christ Software ("LoC")

"Discovery Interactive’s Life of Christ" CD, the hugely popular interactive program for kids about Jesus' life and ministry, went out of print in 2015.

LOC-Announcement

With the owner's permission, we have uploaded a copy of the LOC CD version 4.1 to archive.org at https://archive.org/details/the-life-of-christ

View our important installation and tech notes and outline at https://www.rotation.org/topic...5#720647407128577695

Life of Christ came out in four different versions -each a technical improvement. If you have Windows 7, 8, 10, or 11 you only want version 4.1 and will probably need to download the latest/last version of Quicktime 7.7.9 to get LOC's videos to run.

I have attached a PDF version of Sunday Software's guide for those who still own the CD.  It has some now defunct contact info, but Neil's outline of the program, tips, and helpful explanations are all there.




How the original Life of Christ CD has been traditionally used by our rotation.org members:

The Life of Christ (LoC) has been a staple in rotation.org Sunday School's computer labs since it was first introduced back in 1997.

Generally Sunday Schools, teachers ‘cherry pick” a lesson or two from the presentations that match up to their lesson for the day.  After viewing the presentation we usually discuss the question posed at the end of the lesson, followed by the 6 interactive quiz questions.

Then we follow-up with one or more of the activities provided—media/map/matching quiz that matches the lesson for the day (previewed and chosen by teacher ahead of time—for example, if you are using the Road to the Cross lesson, you might also pick the MAP of Jesus’ last two days in Jerusalem. Or, if you’re studying Jesus’ call to the Disciples, you’ll find a link to photos of the Sea of Galilee where the call happened.)

This all will take about 15 minutes. At this point, you'll usually follow up LoC with other activities, including other software-based activities. These software activities might include: working on the lesson’s memory verse in Cal & Marty’s Scripture Memory Game, or using Let’s Talk to create some computer-spoken responses to questions the teacher has about the LoC lesson.  By the time we’re done doing LoC and the follow-up activities, we’ve been at the computer about 30 minutes.

"Cal & Marty" and "Let's Talk" software programs are now available FREE OF CHARGE to download here at Rotation.org to the supporting members of Rotation.org.  Learn more!



List of the 40 Lessons in LoC

This list was created by Neil MacQueen and originally posted at Sunday Software (posted with permission.)

Getting to Know Who’s Who

Lesson 1. Getting to Know Jesus (John 5:31-47)
What Jesus accomplished, What are Gospels, Why they wrote them, Do you know Jesus is your Savior?

Lesson 2. Getting to Know Matthew (Matthew 9:9-10, 10:1-3)
Who he was, what were taxes, Jesus parties with sinners, Why Jesus chose Matthew, Matthew wanted to prove Jesus fulfilled prophecy, Do you think God only likes good people?

Lesson 3. Getting to Know Mark (Acts 13:4-5, 13; Acts 15:36-39)
The tradition of who Mark was and how he came to be with Paul, Mark focused on what Jesus did –action and power. Have you ever tried to run away from something God wanted you to do?

Lesson 4. Getting to Know Luke (Luke 1:1-4)
Who he was, he was like a news reporter, Luke took great care….what can you do to know you know the truth about Jesus?

Lesson 5. Getting to Know John (John, all chapters)
John was one of Jesus’ best friend, why John’s gospel is different, John’s use of “I Am,” Do you believe that Jesus is God’s Son?

NOTE: Strangely, for the most part it is only the first four or five lessons in Life of Christ that might stir controversy from a biblical point of view. Lesson 5 takes the traditional view that the gospel writer John and the Book of Revelation’s John as the same person. Many scholars don’t think that’s correct.

Beginnings to Baptism

Lesson 6. An Angel Brings Good News (Luke 1:11-22)
About Mary, Gabriel, Zechariah & Elizabeth. Zechariah at first didn’t believe what he had been told. Do your eally believe that God will do all he promises?

Lesson 7. The Savior is Born (Luke 2:1-20)
The essential Christmas story here. Can you imagine what the shepherds thought and felt?

Lesson 8. Visitors for the Newborn King (Matthew 2:1-12)
All about the Magi and Herod. How do you worship Jesus? What gifts can you give him?

Lesson 9. Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:21-52)
As a baby and as a boy his parents brought him to the Temple. Jesus was being obedient to God. How do you do it?

Lesson 10. The Baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:13-17, Luke 3, John 1)
All about John the Baptist and the baptism. Our baptism is a symbol of new life in Jesus.

Introducing the Son of God!

Lesson 11. The Lamb of God (John 1:15-34)
What John the Baptist meant when he called Jesus the “Lamb of God” (the one who takes away sin). Have you asked God to pass over your sins?

Lesson 12. Three Temptations (Matthew 4:1-11)
Jesus is tempted by Satan in the wilderness and what those temptations meant. How do you prepare yourself to fight off temptation?

Lesson 13. New Wine out of Water (John 2:1-11)
The Wedding at Cana story. When you pray, do you try to tell God what you want, or do you present your needs and trust him to do what is best?

Lesson 14. Jesus Tells His Secret to a Lonely Woman (John 4:4-42)
The story of the Samaritan woman by the well. Do you reject people who are loved by God? How do you introduce others to God?

Lesson 15. Jesus Tells His Secret in His Hometown (Luke 4:14-30)
Jesus is thrown out of Nazareth. What would you have said after Jesus’ sermon?

Ministry with His Disciples

Lesson 16. Four Fisherman (Luke 5:1-11)
Jesus calls his first disciples. Are you just interested in Jesus, or do you want to follow him?

Lesson 17. Faith That Goes Through the Roof (Mark 2:1-12)
The healing of the paralytic let down through the roof. Jesus claims to be able to forgive sin (which got him in trouble). What do you do to get close to Jesus?

Lesson 18. Jesus’ Power Over a Storm ( Mark 4: 35-41)
Jesus wakes up and rebukes the storm. Do you think Jesus has the power to comfort you when you are frightened?

Lesson 19. One Boy’s Lunch Feeds 5000 (John 6:1-14)
The basic story. What do you have that you could offer to Jesus?

Lesson 20. Jesus Walks on Water (Matthew 14:22-32)
Peter also tries to walk. When you pray do you focus your attention more on Jesus’ power or on your problem?

Lessons About Life and Death

Lesson 21. A Glimpse of Glory on a Mountaintop (Luke 9: 28-36)
The Transfiguration story. Have you taken time to pray to God?

Lesson 22. Who Will Throw the First Stone? (John 8: 1-11)
Jesus and the woman caught in adultery. Background info of the law concerning adultery. How would you have felt?

Lesson 23. Jesus Blesses the Little Children (Mark 10:13-16)
Background on “blessing.” Thoughts about children. How does the story make you feel about Jesus’ love?

Lesson 24. Some People Will Do Anything to See Jesus –Zaccheus and The Blind Man (Luke 18:35-19:10)
A full telling of the Zaccheus story. If you were in the crowd, what would you have done to see Jesus? How eagerly to you seek him now?

Lesson 25. A Rich Young Ruler Wants Eternal Life (Mark 10:17-27)
The man didn’t ask for eternal life, he assumed he had to do something to earn it. Would you choose riches in heaven or on earth?

Lesson 26. Learning About Life After Death –Lazarus (John 11:1-44)
An explanation of the meaning of the Lazarus story. How would you feel seeing some come back to life?

The Road to the Cross

Lesson 27. Mary Prepares Jesus Body for Burial –with perfume (Matthew 26:6-13)
Mary believed Jesus when he said he would be crucified and wanted to show she loved him. What can you do to show your love for Jesus?

Lesson 28. The Plot to Catch and Kill Jesus (Matthew 26:1-16)
Why the Jews and Caiaphas plotted to get rid of Jesus. Has jealousy ever made you say something that hurt others?

Lesson 29. A Grand Entry Into Jerusalem –Palm Sunday (Luke 19:28-46)
The prophetic prediction behind the act. Jesus sobs over Jerusalem (and why). Do you honor Jesus as your king? If so, how?

Lesson 30. Disruption at the Temple (Matthew 21:12-17)
Why people needed their money changed. People misuing the Temple. Children sang praises. When and how do you praise the Lord?

Lesson 31. New Meaning to the Passover Meal (Luke 22:14-23)
An excellent presentation on the history and practice of the Passover meal and how Jesus redefined it. Have you ever taken Communion to remember Jesus’ death?

Lesson 32. Arrested, Tried, and Tortured (Luke 22:47-23:45)
Jesus, the crowds, the priests, the soldiers, and Pilate. Have you ever been accused of something you didn’t do?

Lesson 33. Jesus Goes to the Cross (Luke 23:26-49)
Explanation of cross, calvary, the sign, meaning of some of his last words. How would you have felt watching Jesus die?

Jesus is Alive Forever and Ever

Lesson 34. The Burial and Resurrection (Matthew 27:57-28:15, Luke 24:1-7)
The women discover the empty tomb. How would you have reacted?

Lesson 35. Resurrected Messiah Visits Friends and Followers (Luke 24:13-44)
The road to Emmaus story. Why shouldn’t the disciples have been surprised at Jesus’ resurrection? How would you have acted?

Lesson 36. Saying Good-bye and Spreading the Good News (Matthew 28:19,20)
Jesus’ Great Commission to his disciples, his ascension. What is the good news about Jesus?

Lesson 37. Jesus Selects An Apostle (Acts 8:1-4, 9:1-31)
The story of Pentecost, the selection of Stephen and his stoning, plus the conversion of Saul to Paul. Would you still follow Jesus if you could be arrested for being a Christian?

Lesson 38. The Devil’s Destruction (Ephesians 6:10-18, Revelation 20:10)
All about the devil and the origins of evil. (NOTE: Check your theological needs here.) The devil is defeated and thrown in a lake of fire in John’s vision. Do you ever feel that you’re in a war with the devil and his evil forces?

NOTE: Some teachers may find this material out of step with their own theology. This should not deter you, however, from needing to deal with the subject matter of the devil and nature of evil. It IS important (whatever your opinion is) and the kids find the subject fascinating.

Lesson 39. God Makes All Things New (Revelation 21:1-22:6)
John’s vision of the future: “I saw a new heaven and a new earth….” What is heaven all about. How is John’s description of heaven different from what you thought heaven would be like?

Lesson 40. The Teachings of Jesus –Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7)
What he taught and why some people didn’t understand it. Become wise by learning the teachings of Jesus, that’s what disciple means. How can you learn his teachings?

Attachments

Last edited by Luanne Payne
Original Post

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Attached is Sunday Software's example of how to use in Sunday School the interactive map of "Jesus' Last Two Days in Jerusalem" that is found in the now out of print Life of Christ software. I've also included a graphic of the map below.

You could make your own version of the map using some other map of Jerusalem, and then play a quiz game of "what happened here" after you did a presentation to your class of what happened in each place.

This is a good example of how a map "maps out the story" --provides a visual organization of the story's pieces. It also helps them understand how all the locations of Jesus' last two days are related to each other.   Any good map of Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus can be used and modified like the one below from the software. You can also make a salt map or playdough map --modeling Jerusalem's main features and elevation, adding labels and objects, etc. for maximum effect.

jerusalem-blankmap

Attachments

Images (1)
  • jerusalem-blankmap
Files (1)

Ilumina Bible Software

Tyndale Publishing

This wonderful interactive Bible software was sold by many including Sunday Software. It was retired by the publisher in the late 2000's. It came in many different versions --most of which will not work in Windows 7. 8, or 10. Buyer Beware: Some of these earlier versions are still being sold on Ebay. Pictured right is their last/latest version that you want if you can still find it (comes with a DVD to install it). You do not want the "silver" or "gold" or "parent" versions. You need to have the latest/last version of Quicktime 7.7.9 to run the videos and some features in this program.



Play and Learn Children's Bible Sofware

Originally published by EPC, licensed to Sunday Software and sold in their catalog for many years.

This program works on Windows XP and 7. Won't work on 64 bit systems (Windows 8 and 10). For preschool and early readers.



Bible Grand Slam Software
Bible Crosswords, Bible Wordsearch Software

These three programs were made by Barbour Publishing and sold by Sunday Software for many years. Will not work properly on Windows 8 and 10.  Note that other similar programs by similar names have been sold.



Bibleland.com Software

by EPC

This venerable program was retired from Sunday Software's catalog in the late 2000's as it became dated. Won't run on Windows 8, 10.

Attachments

Images (1)
  • Ilumina Bible version you want
Last edited by Luanne Payne

Treasures of the Nile

IMG_6580

"Treasures of the Nile" is an interactive software CD that was produced in 2003 by Standard Publishing as a supplemental resource for their "Treasures of the Nile" VBS curriculum.  It was meant to be a take-home resource.  While it doesn't directly tell any Bible story, it does have resources for "Joseph in Egypt," "Moses Parting the Red Sea," and Baby Jesus in Egypt" within the onscreen coloring pages.  The software contains a number of fun games, coloring pages, and even songs that kids can enjoy as a close out for the Bible stories listed above.



While out of print, "Treasures of the Nile can be downloaded from Archive.org at the link below.  The software works on Windows 8, 10 & 11.

https://archive.org/details/tr...dard_publishing_2003

Here are a couple of screen shots from the Software:

IMG_6578

IMG_6589

Attachments

Images (3)
  • IMG_6580
  • IMG_6578
  • IMG_6589

Kid Pix 4

For nearly two decades, Broderbund's Kid Pix 4 software was VERY popular in schools and Sunday School labs for its illustrating and storytelling tools. Many Sunday Schools and schools still use it and it CAN be tweaked to use on Windows 8,10, and 11. See notes below. (Newer versions go by the name of Kid Pix 5 and Kid Pix 3d and are now owned by MacKiev.)

Many versions of Broderbund's Kid Pix Deluxe 4 will need the attached patch file for KP4 to run in Windows 8, 10, and 11. Download the zip file, unzip it, and view the README file for how to easily install the included patch.

Kid-Pix-4-Patch-File


NOTES:
You may also need to download Quicktime for Windows version 7.7.9.

To make the screen fill more of the screen, go into your Windows "Display" settings and set your "SCALE" to 125% or 150%




Here's a screenshot of where to find the Kid Pix installation on your computer. These screenshots ALSO show you how to delete older users and their pictures/projects.

Kid-Pix-4-Delete-Users

(Thanks to Luanne Payne for posting these screenshots!)

Attachments

Images (3)
  • Kid Pix 4
  • Kid-Pix-4-Patch-File
  • Kid-Pix-4-Delete-Users
Files (1)
Last edited by Luanne Payne

Actual Reality CD software has been out of print for over 15 years, but a downloadable ISO version of it can be found at archive.org

Actual Reality was a groundbreaking program featuring then-current Christian rock artists talking about basic Christian beliefs in a hip-graphical setting that encouraged exploration. It's still pretty cool today and the message is timeless. I sold a ton of them during my heyday as Sunday Software Inc. I also wrote a much-needed OUTLINE to it so teachers could figure out where things were.  I've attached a "functional" copy of that guide, however, almost none of the links will work in it. Still, the guide will tell you where everything can be found in Actual Reality.

You can download an "ISO" copy from ARCHIVE.org that will run fine in Windows 10 or 11.

Just make sure you also have the latest/last version of Quicktime for Windows 7.7.9 installed or the videos/menus won't work.

Go to https://archive.org/details/ACTREAL. Select the ISO image version. It's about 650 megabytes so will take a bit to download. After downloading, double click to open, select "details" and "run away" to unzip it. Then click the actreal.exe file to run it! Tip: Use Window's Display Scale control to set screen to 150% to make it fill the screen.

actualreality-iso-image

Actual Reality CD is/was a deep interactive collection of creatively presented video vignettes and startling graphics and short texts about various "Christianity 101" subjects presented by Christian recording artists from the 1990's and early 2000's. Subjects include: "Who is Jesus?" "What does the word Christ mean?" and "What about the Resurrection?" Originally designed for teens, it's content can be explored by children provided you go with them. The software includes many Christian rock-artists talking about these subjects and their faith, and includes clips of some of their music. It runs on Windows and was widely available through various sources, including Sunday Software, in the late 1990's and early 2000's.

The attached "OUTLINE TO ACTUAL REALITY" is still good to go, however, NONE of the contact info or links are correct.

Attachments

Images (2)
  • actualreality-iso-image
  • mceclip0
Files (1)
Last edited by Neil MacQueen

Life of Christ CD

The very popular Life of Christ CD software has been out of print for some time now. The publisher just seemed to lose interest in keeping it available.

I found a downloadable copy of it at Archive.org.   Pick the ISO file format to download. It will look like the CD to Windows, and thus, installs just fine. Once you download it, run the EXE file in the downloaded folder and select "Details" and "Run Anyway" at the Windows Defender warning screen.  It will install a startup icon, so use that to start the program. Adjust your Windows Display Scale size to 125% to make it fill more of your modern screen.

Surprisingly, the version I downloaded ran JUST FINE on my Windows 11 laptop. There were several versions of the software and most of the older ones stopped working in Windows.  Just make sure you have the latest/last version of Quicktime for Windows 7.7.9 installed or the menus and videos won't work.

https://archive.org/details/loc-cd

Note: I sold a ton of these in my "Sunday Software" days, and there are a lot of lesson ideas/plans here at Rotation.org that reference it (saying it is "out of print' which it technically is).

This "OUTLINE TO LIFE OF CHRIST" is still good to go, however, NONE of the contact info or links are correct.

Also attached is the "Life of Christ Castle Map Game Tips.pdf" created by Luanne Payne for rotation.org.

Attachments

Last edited by Luanne Payne

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