52 weeks through the Bible by James Merritt

52 weeks through the Bible: fall in love with the book that changed everything

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harvest House Publishers; Reprint edition (October 1, 2016)
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Book description: Read and Be Changed

For thousands of years, God's word has penetrated human hearts and transformed lives. So why does the Bible often collect dust on our shelves? Why don't we mine the wisdom filling its pages?

Pastor James Merritt, author of the bestselling 52 Weeks with Jesus, invites you to view Scripture afresh and fall in love with the book that changes everything. These simple weekly readings will help you...

• gain a big-picture view of God's message to you
• apply practical life lessons from the Bible's stories and teachings
• discover more about your destiny—on earth and in eternity

As you explore the lives of Israel's wisest kings, God's powerful prophets, and your amazing Savior, you'll see how every subject and story in Scripture paints a picture of God's plan for humanity—including the story God wants to write with you.

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My thoughts: 

I really, really enjoyed Dr. Merritt's heart for God. I wouldn't subtitle the book "Fall in love with the book that changed everything," but "fall in love with the Author of the book that changed everything." Slightly different, but of course, that's what this book is really about: learning about God's plan for this world and the people in it, both of which he loves so much. 

Dr. Merritt's God-loving heart shines through on every page as he highlights 52 of the most important scripture passages and themes of the Bible. 

If you're already familiar with the Bible, you probably won't find much new here. There wasn't a passage he highlighted that I hadn't read many times before. But the order in which he combined them was very effective, as well as what he had to say about each theme. 

If you're a newer Christian, this is a MUST READ. 

This book was given to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Hope for All Seasons: Encouragement from Our Daily Bread by Julie Ackerman Link

Print Length: 288 pages

• Publisher: Discovery House (April 20, 2017)
• Publication Date: April 20, 2017

Book description: Although God promised to be ever-present and faithful, some situations in life can be so overwhelming that they get in the way of our faith. Combining Scripture passages with brief meditations, Hope for All Seasons helps us with fresh point of view on reasons to put our trust in God, no matter what. Each selection reminds us that God will never fail—He will follow through on His Word, and He will not allow us to be consumed by the everyday challenges of life.

My thoughts: 

This was a lovely devotional, with the theme of hope in every offering. Ms. Link made use of extended scriptural passages, both from the Old Testament and the New, which I find more enjoyable than devotions that focus on a single verse. They were originally written for Our Daily Bread, but have now been collected in this volume as a spiritual legacy to Ms. Link, who went to be with the Lord in 2015. 

The book is divided into parts that deal with hope and time, life events, the seasons and life's difficult challenges. As someone who loves the changing seasons, I especially enjoyed the devotions that tied seasonal change with reasons to hope. 

For example, in the devotion entitled From Bleak to Hope, Mrs. Link references Job 42:10-17. She compares the coming of spring, and the transformation of what had seemed dead, but is now springing to life--to the second half of Job's life. 

"With God, there is hope, even in the most hopeless situation," she concludes. 

This book was given to me free by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

You are the beloved by Henri Nouwen

You are the Beloved by Henri Nouwen. This book was published in October of 2017 by Convergent Books.

This is a daily devotional written by the much-loved author of numerous spiritual classics such as The Return of the Prodigal Son and The Wounded Healer. It is intended to empower readers to claim the truth that "we are the beloved" and features the best of Nouwen's writing from previously published works.

The Amazon write-up says, "It will appeal to those familiar with Nouwen's work as well as to new readers looking for a devotional to guide them into a deeper awareness of their identity in Jesus."

My thoughts:

I wanted to fall in love with this book or this author. As someone who's encountered Nouwen quotes in countless other books of Christian nonfiction, I was sure I would become a fan and that after tasting the sampling here, I would want to read many of his books.

It didn't happen. Each sampling was taken so far out of context, and nearly always without an accompanying scripture reference, that the daily devotions were nearly meaningless to me.

However, I did leave many, many highlights, which is my custom, so it must've spoken to me to some extent. But it did not speak to me like others I have read that employed the same format.

Maybe it's just a difference in author personalities and voices.

For example, after reading Dear Abba: Morning and Evening Prayer by Brendan Manning, I went on to devour several of Manning's books. How I love this man's thoughts.

Although I did not fall in love with You are the Beloved, I am not giving up on Nouwen, however he has dropped a little lower on the list of Christian authors whose works I intend to read.

I was provided a free copy to read and review by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.