Mandy Baker Johnson

Living without Shadows

Tag: devotional

New Life: Reflections for Lent

I’m absolutely delighted to be part of a brand new book that has just been released: New Life: Reflections for Lent. Conceived by the committee of the Association of Christian Writers, they invited and accepted contributions from different members. Each contributor has written a devotional, poem, or story for every one of the forty days of Lent.

It’s a joy and honour to have been a part of this project and I can hardly believe that my dream of being published has now been realised twice. I co-authored Drawn from Words (another Lent project!) in 2016, and now New Life. Yesterday afternoon, I was kept busy posting out copies to friends. I can’t quite believe this is happening!

I have a few copies at the bargain promotional price of £5 plus postage. If you would like to order one, please leave a comment below with your email address and I’ll get in touch. UK only I’m afraid.

God is amazing isn’t He?! He puts dreams in our hearts and then fulfils them as we press on with Him. Wow. Just wow.

 

90 Days in John 14-17, Romans, James

I’m excited about this devotional book by Tim Keller and Sam Allberry.

Each short chapter gives the Bible text for the day followed by a few helpful notes. The notes are split up by sub headings, as well as questions which aid the reader to think about the passage and how it applies to your life. At the end of the chapter is a small paragraph with suggestions of how to pray in to what you have just read.

The page layout (it’s on my Kindle) is easy on the eye with lots of white space and clear headings and short paragraphs. It is appealing and draws you in, making you want to read it.

This is precisely the kind of devotional I like to start my day with. I don’t have to work at trying to wake up reading lots of dense text, and at the end of a chapter wonder what I’ve just read because I haven’t taken any of it in. With a book like 90 Days In, I can begin reading and find that my brain and heart are engaging with the subject matter almost at once.

I love Tim Keller’s books. His love and passion for God shine brightly through each page, and he brings fascinating insights from the original Hebrew and Greek.

I’ve read only one other book by Sam Allberry but found him to be a very readable writer with a deep love for God. He comes across as compassionate and sensitive with a wholesome love for the truth.

I’m looking forward to reading and savouring 90 Days In, using it as my morning devotional. I have given it **** on Amazon and am grateful to Cross Focused Reviews for providing me with a free copy to review.

 

 

1 Samuel For You

I thoroughly enjoyed reading 1 Samuel For You by Tim Chester. The only downside was that because I was under time constraints to join this blog tour, I was unable to ponder the thought-provoking and heart-searching questions at the end of each section. So I’ll have to go back and do that!

There are thirteen chapters and each one is divided into two sections, and both sections contain three or four questions for reflection. I liked the way the chapters are clearly set out with appropriate headings and sub headings, allowing the reader natural pauses to digest what has just been read. Another thing I appreciated was the fact that words that may be unfamiliar to some readers were linked to a glossary (I was using my Kindle). Tim Chester is clearly a writer who puts the ‘cookies on the bottom shelf’, ensuring the information being shared can be understood by all readers.

The book opens with the story of Hannah’s distress over her barrenness, the subsequent answering of her prayers in the form of baby Samuel and her outpouring of praise to God who brings down the proud and lifts up the humble. This theme of pride and humility is woven through the rest of the book as it follows the lives of the different characters:  Samuel, Eli, the rise and doom of King Saul, and the rise of King David. The author highlights Saul as being like the first Adam who fell and David as being a type of Christ who is the second Adam.

Saul is not the promised second Adam. He is the old Adam revisited…. David will be God’s choice. And from his dynasty will come the new Adam, the snake-crusher.

The author also offers pastoral insights and little golden nuggets of wisdom through the book. These are a few that I particularly valued:

…excuses do not bring true freedom and forgiveness. Freedom and forgiveness come through honest repentance.

David encourages us to remember how God has delivered us in our personal histories, and ultimately through the cross and resurrection.

Envy is the mother of malice and gives birth to murder.

If we glory in God, then we do not need to manoeuvre for prestige, nor will we envy the success of others. If we find identity in Christ, then how we compare with others or what they think will not matter.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It is very readable, and it would be possible to simply enjoy reading through and gaining an oversight of 1 Samuel, or to use as part of your own devotional time, or in a study group. It truly blessed me and I’m looking forward to reading it again more slowly, as part of my regular devotions.

My grateful thanks to Cross Focused Reviews and The Good Book Company for providing me with a free copy for the purpose of writing a review.

 

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