Book Club: Book Review of One Word for Today for Spirit-Filled Living: A 90-Day Devotional

I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

One of the things I see on social media, as each new year approaches and arrives, is people sharing the word they have chosen for the new year. It almost seems like those who don't share resolutions share their words of the year. What if, instead of one word, you focused on 90 words for this year? 

I have been reading One Word for Today for Spirit-Filled Living: A 90-Day Devotional from Chosen Books. This book looks at 90 different words that can help readers focus upon what God is saying to them over the course of three months. Each word has two pages devoted to it for a quick two-minute biblical mediation. 

About the Book 

One Word for Today for Spirit-Filled Living: A 90-Day Devotional is a 192-page hardcover book with a ribbon to mark your place. Each word has a brief reading, a question to reflect upon, a prayer, a declaration of faith, and a way you can put the word into action. The day starts with a Bible quote and then explores the word. Readers will find quotes from the Old and New Testaments and a multitude of thoughtful readings. 

My Thoughts 

In the busy world, it is wonderful to be able to approach God's Word daily. Having short two-minute devotions that allow us to dig deeper into God's Word is perfect. While the devotions are short, I found I could easily spend more than two minutes when taking time to reflect upon the questions, prayers, declaration, and action step. 

I have found – scattered throughout One Word for Today for Spirit-Filled Living – many words of wisdom that struck home for me. For example, on Day 14, the word is "Stand." The mediation reminds readers of the armor of God. We do not need to do it all on our own. We can stand in Him. We can pray to God: "I lean on You, cry out to You and find victory in You" (37). 

I would recommend this book to those who are seeking a new devotional to help them grow closer to God's Word. As it is a beautiful, small hardcover book, it would also make a wonderful gift for a friend, family member, or church leader. 

Book Club: Book Review of The Bible Recap Journal

I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

Do you enjoy Bible journaling? Perhaps you are looking for a new way to journal with your Bible? Bethany House Publishers has released a new book by Tara-Leigh Cobble to accompany The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible. The Bible Recap Journal: Your Daily Companion to the Entire Bible is based on a chronological reading plan for you to record what you learn as you read the Bible. 

About the Journal 

The Bible Recap Journal is a 384-page paperback book where each day of the year has one page devoted to it. It opens with instructions on how to use the journal and additional tools you can use while you journal through the Bible.

It is recommended to start at thebiblerecap.com and then complete the following steps each day: 

1. Complete your daily Bible reading. 
2. Use the journal during your reading – write down where you see God's attributes in today's reading. 
3. Use The Bible Recap Study Guide (find my review here: Book Review of The Bible Recap Study Guide).
4. Listen to the podcast or read The Bible Recap book (read my review). 
5. Use the weekly discussion guide.

I don't think you need to follow all these steps to be able to use the journal, but the more steps you accomplish or complete, the deeper you can dig into the Bible each day. I think the two most important steps are reading your Bible and using the journal. Those things alone will help you as you read God's Word.

Each day in the journal provides you with space to focus upon three parts: 

• Things I loved/learned/noticed 
• Questions/things I want to research 
• God Shot (where you see God on display in your daily reading) 

There is also space for you to write the date. And each page has either a quote from the Bible, a short prayer, or something to encourage you on your Bible journaling process. There are also a few pages of additional journaling pages in the back to write down more ideas and thoughts. 

My Thoughts 

I really like the idea of The Bible Recap Journal, but I am not sure if it is the right book for me to use as a Bible journal. I like the idea of looking for how God is on display in each day's reading. I do not know how easy it will be for me to fill in all three parts each day in the journal. Instead of being so open-ended, I would prefer to have more direction in the journal or none at all. But that really isn't the focus of The Bible Recap Journal. I think the journal will meet the needs of many who wish to dig deeper into the Bible on a daily basis. As you work through each day using The Bible Recap Journal, you will spend more time in God's Word.

Book Club: Book Review of The Bible Recap Study Guide

I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

Last year I had the pleasure of reviewing The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible by Tara-Leigh Cobble. This year, I have been reviewing two additional books that accompany The Bible Recap. 

The Bible Recap Study Guide: Daily Questions to Deepen Your Understanding of the Entire Bible is a softcover book of 379 pages that takes readers on a 52-week journey to read the entire Bible. The Study Guide provides information on how to use the guide itself: 

• Pick a reading plan 
• Use The Bible Recap Journal
• Use the study guide 
• Listen to the podcast or use The Bible Recap book 
• Visit thebiblerecap.com for weekly discussions and more information

Tara-Leigh Cobble writes that you don't have to use all the resources, but they will complement each other. Personally, I used The Bible Recap book this year and the reading plan on YouVersion but did not venture to the podcast or website. This year I would like to incorporate The Study Guide and the journal into my daily Bible reading. 

The Study Guide is very easy to navigate and to use. Each of the 52 weeks of readings is broken up in the table of contents by days and provides the Bible book and chapter number. So even if you aren't reading the Bible in its entirety using The Bible Recap chronological reading plan, you can find each Bible reading easily. 

When my copy of The Study Guide arrived, I was on about week 49 or 50 using The Bible Recap chronological reading plan. It was very easy to pick up where I was in the study guide. I really like how the two books complement each other so well. I can sit with each and my Bible to answer the questions. 

What Are the Questions Like?

There are some questions that require outside research, such as Day 345: Romans 14-16, #2

"Look up the word used for 'keep' (14:22) in a Greek lexicon and write down what you find. How does this help inform our understanding of this verse?" (page 357) 

There are also some questions that are repetitive but not in a bad way. As you start a new book in the Bible, The Study Guide asks: 

•  Who wrote the book?
• "To or for whom was it written?" 
• "When was it written?" 
• What is the literary style? 

I like that we are asked to think about individual authors as well as put the books of the Bible into context while working our way through the reading plan. 

There is plenty of room to write one's answers in The Study Guide. The pages are of a nice quality, but I can still see my writing showing a bit through on the reverse side. (I don't see this as a distraction, though.) I like that the cover design is the same as The Bible Recap. They all look nice on my shelf. I do find the material of the book covers tends to grab dust if the book sits on the coffee table a day or two untouched. 

What Do I Think? 

I think if you are looking for a study guide to help you deepen your understanding of the Bible, this will be a welcome resource. The questions go beyond just simple identifications and ask you to think critically. You can write your answers in The Study Guide or your own journal or Bible. I think teens to adults would find The Bible Study Guide to be helpful. I look forward to using it as I continue to read through the Bible year after year.  

If you would like to learn more about The Bible Recap, please read my review here: Book Club: Book Review of The Bible Recap.

Book Club: Book Review of The Whole Bible Story

 

I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of The Whole Bible Story from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

While I feel nothing is better than reading the Bible itself, sometimes it is useful to have a lighter version or youth version to read with our children. Once you move away from the storybook Bibles, where can you turn for an edition that is geared towards ages 8 to 12? Bethany House recently released a new book in the category of Young Adult Bible Stories called The Whole Bible Story: Everything That Happens in the Bible. 

About The Whole Bible Story 

This is a 302-page paperback book where Dr. William H. Marty with Troy Schmidt tells the stories of the Bible with explanations that will help the young readers understand what the stories are actually all about. The nineteen chapters are all set up in a similar fashion. They include: 

• Who's who?
• Where are we?
• Interesting Stuff in the section 
• Retelling of the Bible Stories of references to the Bible chapters 
• What's the Point? (a summary) 

Interspersed among those parts are black-and-white illustrations that bring the Bible stories to life. And occasionally, there are other key points pulled out in boxes for the readers to focus upon.

My Thoughts 

The Whole Bible Story is a great resource for your young children as they navigate the Bible.  I handed our copy of the book to our eight-year-old son to read during the review period. He finished reading it in a few days. I would say the book was a hit based upon that fact alone. 

Our son shared the following when I asked him his thoughts: "The Whole Bible Story has details that can be hard to find in the Bible. I liked how there were funny parts at the beginning of each chapter. For example, 'Isaac - Abraham and Sarah's son born whey they were in their eighties and nineties!' I also liked the pop-ups or inserts where facts were shared. Specifically, I liked the part where Zacchaeus doesn't like big crowds." 

After our son finished reading the book, I handed The Whole Bible Story to our six-year-old daughter, so she could read it, too. She is working through the book more slowly but loves to talk about what she has already read with me. 

Our daughter told me, "I like the little gray parts (these are the facts pulled out for focus in each chapter)." One of the stories that stayed with her was the story of Jacob and Esau. "The story of Jacob and Esau shows us how to forgive others because Esau forgave Jacob," she said when I asked her what she learned from the book. "I think it is very interesting."  

Personally, I begin reading any book that retells the Bible very thoughtfully. The written Word of God is best read in the Bible, but I do believe there are occasions when we can look elsewhere for assistance in bringing the Bible to life for our children. I will admit that, when I began reading The Whole Bible Story, I was unsure if I would share it with our children. In the Who's Who section, Adam and Eve are identified as "the first couple ever created; they run around naked," and Mesopotamia was identified as "some country that is hard to spell" (7). This caused me to pause and read through the first several chapters thoughtfully and carefully. It wasn't till after I had read chapter seven or eight, where we read about the judges and the kingdom under David, that I felt comfortable passing the book to our son. 

If you are looking for a way to talk to your children about the stories in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, I would recommend you check out The Whole Bible Story. As with any book, you should preview it before you share The Whole Bible Story with your children, but I do feel the book will open up many discussions about the Bible and its events with your children. I can see this book being a useful part of our homeschooling journey for years to come.

Book Club: Book Review of 3-Minute Devotions to Laugh and Reflect

I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

In this busy world where we live, it is nice to be able to step away and find solace in the Bible. Sometimes, we don't have time to sit down and read long passages for inspiration. So, it was wonderful to read 3-Minute Devotions to Laugh and Reflect: Lighten Your Load and Brighten Your Day by Christopher D. Hudson and Stan Campbell. 

About the Book 

There are 90 devotions in this 192-page paperback book from Bethany House Publishers. Each devotion written by Christopher D. Hudson and Stan Campbell is accompanied by a black-and-white illustrated cartoon by Dennis Fletcher. The devotions each begin with a Bible quote and then a reflection upon one topic, such as self-denial, wants and needs, church membership, being welcoming in the church, participating in the church, reading the Bible, and more. 

My Thoughts 

3-Minute Devotions to Laugh and Reflect is not like other devotions where you can use the chapter titles or skim them to pick out topics you wish to read. The devotions are written in such a way that I found I had to read and reread them to reflect upon their messages. The cartoons provide a laugh, but the book is full of wisdom and deep thoughts. 

As each devotion opens with a Bible quote, I liked to have my own Bible with me as I read 3-Minute Devotions to Laugh and Reflect. It was nice to read the quote in context after reading the devotion. As I was reading the book, I found many devotions I wanted to share with my family, friends, and co-workers. The devotions made me think and reflect upon the word of God and my relationship with Him, my church, and others. 

Some of my favorite devotions include: 

• Something in Your Eye? – A look at how social media, restaurants, televised talent shows, and more ask us our opinion and for our judgment. 
• Future Shock Absorbers – Clinging to God's love instead of being afraid. 
• What's Your Number? – Examining our obsession with popularity. 
• What Would Jesus Tweet? – Keeping the personal connection and touch. 
• Welcome to the Priesthood – Doing our part for the church. 
• Joyful Noisemakers – Making all welcome in our church, including noisy children. 

I would recommend 3-Minute Devotions to Laugh and Reflect to those who are seeking to reflect upon the teachings of Jesus once a day. This book would be a welcome addition to most coffee tables, bookshelves, and libraries. 

I previously reviewed The Most Important Stories of the Bible by Christopher D. Hudson and Stan Campbell. Please check out my review here: Book Club: Book Review of The Most Important Stories of the Bible.