Her Daily Bread - A Review

 

Her Daily Bread

by

Kate Wood

Reviewing this book requires me to ask two questions First, would I purchase this book for myself?  Second, would I purchase this book for my wife or daughter-in-law?

This is a devotional book with one recipe substituted per week in lieu of the devotional. The devotionals are personal reflections on the author’s life. They each conclude with a Biblical reference or two, related to though not directly addressed in the daily devotionals.  The individual entries are not scholarly, but they are well-written thoughts offered for six days a week for a year. 

The recipes offered each week come from seven distinct categories: Snacks, Soups, “Sides, Salads, and Sauces”, Entrees, Breakfast, Beverages, and Desserts. The recipes, themselves, are a bit more high-end than I would expect at my daily family’s meals - perhaps at a special meal when entertaining guests.

 

Back to my two questions. Would I buy this book for myself: NO! Would I buy this book for my wife or daughter-in-law: maybe, as a birthday or Christmas present? They would find refreshment in the devotionals. I do not know how much use they would make of the recipes.  I will give the book 3-½ stars.

______________ This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Wisdom For Daily Living - A Review

 

Wisdom For Daily Living:

365 Encouraging Verses

Of The Bible For Men

A Review

Barbour Publishing is reprinting this devotional, originally printed in 2011, in time for Father’s Day 2021. Each one-page devotional begins with a verse reference, taken from one of 18 different translations. Also, about 18 twenty or twenty-first century authors have contributed devotional thoughts to this volume.

One of the strengths is the addition of two indexes at the rear of the book. The first index is based on authors, the second by scripture references.

The one concern I had as I read through the devotions was the lack of authors being given credit with their own devotional material. This information can be found - once the entry number is determined, the reader is able to scan the author index in the rear of the book. Note, the author index is sorted by author’s name, not by entry number. All the entries for each author are given in a single list.

I liked the devotions, but was less enthusiastic about the tools the reader is provided for accessing the various readings. I give this book 3-1/2 stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Psobriety - A Review

 

Psobriety

by

Jeff Dafler

A Review

Scripture has long been a solid rock for those who have struggled with addictions or who have lived with those who do. Jeff Dafler has written a set of 150 daily devotions based on the book of Psalms.

The book is as much a personal journey of the author as he moved through his own addiction issues a it is a study of God’s answer to many of the issues which the addict or their family may face as they move through their recovery.  Though I have been in recovery for 25+ years, there are times that I still need to rethink and review the answers that have kept me growing through the years. Psobriety is a book that allows me to do exactly that.

Each of the Psalms is addressed by a single devotional composed of three parts. The author begins by quoting one or two verses of that day’s Psalm.  The author then offers a one page devotional focusing on that day’s Psalm, rarely, if ever, overing details from other places in scripture. This is one of the two weaknesses seen in the book, in that no balance is shown from the rest of scripture. The daily devotional ends with a short prayer aimed to reinforce that day’s lesson. Each devotional is well-written, thoughtful, and helpful.

This leads to the second weakness of the book: the lack of an index. There is no way to easily discover or rediscover a reading dealing with a particular issue or topic. There are times when it is helpful to review issues in some random order, but there are also times that I need to address a particular issue today (e.g.depression).  

I give Psobriety four stars. ______________ This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.

Strength for the Challenge - A Review

 

Strength for the
Challenge

by

Barbour Publishing A Review

In this book Barbour Publishing has compiled 365 undated daily devotions for men.  The devotions are short (a single page each) but to the point.

The devotionals are practical and to the point. I was pleased to see that the publisher also included a Scripture Index but was disappointed in that the index only covered the main scripture for each day, but ignored other references or examples included in the body of each day’s reading.

This book would make a great Birthday or Father’s Day gift. It would also serve as a great “I Love You” gift. Though designed as a men's devotional, it could easily serve as a gift for the all leaders of the church. I give the book 4-stars.

______________ This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.

Advent for Everyone - A Review

 

Advent for Everyone
Matthew

by

N. T. Wright

Most of what I see from N. T. Wright is more scholarly than devotional, but this book is definitely different. Designed around the four weeks of advent, this book presents four weeks of undated devotions centering on the advent season borrowing on the book of Matthew.

The 28 devotions are selected from passages scattered throughout Matthew. The first two weeks draw more from the later chapters of the book; as the dates draw closer to Christmas, they draw more heavily from the advent story found in Matthew. The individual devotions are lengthier (three pages) than most devotional writings - but they are good, deep, and practical, as would be expected from a writer such as N. T. Wright.

This is a reprint of a book originally published in 2016 and it is one of three advent devotionals prepared by the author - the others are based around the Gospel of Luke (2018) and the writings of the apostles (2019). The book would easily find a place in a small group or a family setting. It would also make a fine set of readings for individual devotions during the four weeks of advent.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Stand Strong (Deluxe Edition) 365 Devotions for Men by Men - A Review

 

Stand Strong
(Deluxe Edition)
365 Devotions
for Men by Men


by

Our Daily Bread

Written by the same people who create the quarterly Our Daily Bread devotionals, the 365 devotions in this book follow the same format. Each dated devotional consists of a suggested scripture passage to be read followed by a key scripture.

Following this is a brief devotional along with the author’s name. Each page ends with some blank lines appropriate for the reader to make personal comments or prayer requests. The devotions are contributed by nineteen different authors - some are familiar to this reader, others were not.

I found the devotions to be practical - including clear to-do’s of one sort or another. Though the book is addressed to men and many of the stories used have a masculine perspective, the lessons are generic enough that couples could easily use the lessons for a year of devotions together. 

I do have two concerns. First, all the authors are male. My other concern was the lack of an index - there is no scripture index, topic index, or author index. The book does include a list of the 19 contributing authors, but the reader has no way of determining which entries were written by which author except by visually scanning all 365 entries. An electronic edition would allow the reader to search the book since each individual entry includes the author’s name. These two flaws warrant only 3-½ stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

The Story of the Bible in 365 Readings - A Review

The Story of the Bible

in 365 Readings

by

Ed Strauss

This new book presents a group of simple but thought-provoking devotional readings that take the reader from the days of creation in Genesis to the end of time in Revelations. Each entry is a little less than a page in length. Here is an example from I Samuel 24 and 25:

The entry begins with a sentence explaining the key points from the lesson. The lesson ends with comment or two that the reader can remember throughout the day. Though the entries are numbered, they are not dated, allowing the reader to start or begin their study when convenient for them. The book contains a Table of Contents near the beginning of the book that allow the reader to find a reading based on a particular passage. The book concludes with a scripture index - though I could not use it to easily find references.

The book will take the reader through the whole story of scripture, but I would have a difficult time recommending it as the first devotional for Bible Study.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.