Wonderful Names of Jesus - A Review

 

Wonderful Names
of Jesus

by
Marilee Parrish

Marilee Parrish has prepared a wonderful collection of 52 devotionals focusing on the various names given to Jesus in Scripture. Though intended (as per the publisher) for children age 8 and above, this senior adult with a graduate school education found encouragement in the comments offered.

Each devotional begins with a decorative “title page” offering a quote where the name is used in Scripture. The devotionals are two pages in length - each ending with a brief

one or two-sentence prayer and a question that aims to help the reader apply that days reading. A “Table of Contents” will help the reader find readings on a specific topic. Given that each devotion quotes two, three, or more, Scriptures, I was disappointed in the lack of a more complete “Scripture Index” being included as an appendix. For this reason, I can only give this book four-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 are mine alone.

The Family Bible Devotional - A Review

The Family Bible Devotional

by

Sarah M. Wells

A Review

The subtitle describes this book well:”Stories from the Bible to help Kids and parents engage & love scripture”. What the author has done is to compile a set of 50+ devotionals for parents to share with their children.

After briefly giving some brief suggestions on using the material found in the book, each of the 52 devotions follows a similar pattern:

1. A one-paragraph description of the setting for the chosen text. 
2. The week’s scripture is quoted using The Message 
3. Some suggested Bible study questions and provide an opportunity for each member of the family to ask their own questions 
4. “A Closing Thought” summarizing the lessons that may have come from the passage 
5. A “Prayer Prompt” based on the lesson is provided 
6. An activity is suggested to help all participants cement the lesson 
7. Each lesson concludes with a “Pop out” - a bit of trivia, from scripture, history, culture, etc.

Though my kids are long gone from home, this year’s collection of studies is among the best I have seen for use in family worship. It would make a great gift for a church to make to families with middle school or junior high school students. With a bit of work and patience, it might even be used with a younger family. Though not designed for a church setting, it might also be used as the basis for the weekly study with a small youth group.
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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.