Kitchen Table Devotions

 So, what if your family devotions went through the bible from A-Z?

What that be fun?

And here enters, Kitchen Table Devotions by Sergey Sologub. 

This is a light devotional made just for families, especially those with younger ones who can correlate the alphabet with these devotions or those learning about the bible for the first time.

The book is first broken down into three sections. The first one sets the foundation for "why" to adhere to family worship. The second one is where the devotions lie. And the third section is the "for good measure" section, where we are sure what's being planted is not only in good soil but that the soil is watered. 

There are 26 devotions. One for each letter of the alphabet. The devotions are short because as most parents know, children's attention spans are short. So no more than 2-4 pages per devotion. 

It's also a lightweight book so it can be easily tossed in a bag when travelling so that the family keeps up with their devotion no matter where life takes us each day. 

One of the best parts is that the word choice for each day is not predictable. Another is the style of writing. When reading, you can tell with ease that the author revers God and wants the reader to get to that same place of reverence. 

For family's who are just starting out with family worship and coming together for daily family devotions, I recommend you start here. Somewhere that sets a foundation for your family worship and devotions together. 

To read a quick excerpt before purchasing, click here.

And as always, please note that I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, Moody Publishers, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Habits for Our Holiness

Many are the number of books available on Christian Living. 

Rare is a book that puts different habits into one book (outside of the Bible).

So Philip Nation undertook the very high standards and responsibility of composing a book on the spiritual disciplines. He starts with actually loving Jesus and surrendering our lives to Him. 

The second chapter focuses on worship and not just in the manner of singing or rather listening to someone on a stage sing. Completely pleased with the way addresses this because people often think worship is just the beginning of Sunday service, the singing portion. But worship goes beyond that into the way we live and what we spend our time, affection, and resources on. 

The third chapter is on bible study. Praise God! And he makes clear the difference between devotions, basic reading and actual study of the bible. Yes, there is a difference. And unfortunately many I know get to devotions and because they may get a couple verses in the devotion, they stop there as if its a full meal and not a snack. 

Then the fourth chapter focuses on prayer. Yet another spiritual discipline that even I have to rein in. Prayer is a conversation with God, there's dialogue and too often we treat prayer like a monologue simply dumping on God then continuing on with our day OR treating Him like a genie (available to grant our wishes). 

The fifth chapter is on the discipline of fasting. Because it is something we are expected to do. Jesus doesn't say IF you fast but WHEN you fast, meaning it is supposed to happen. 

The sixth chapter covers fellowship. Again something else we are expected to do. We are expected to spend time with other believers in corporate fellowship and worship. Even if large crowds are uncomfortable, there are house churches (we need more of these) and bible study or belong groups, you can join. 

The seventh chapter addresses rest. Because there is a such thing as doing too much and even God rested.  

The eighth chapter focuses our attention on simple living. Something capitalist America struggles with. There's always the quest for more, more bigger, for better, for brand names. And there's the idea of being like the early church, live simple and be generous. 

The ninth chapter reminds us to serve. Jesus did not come to be served BUT to serve others. And we must also remember to serve others. 

The tenth chapter exhorts us to submission. Because that word is dirty, especially to women and almost always comes with a negative retort. Submission is to get under the mission, which is literally what we signed up for when we chose Jesus and when we get married. 

The eleventh chapter concerns spiritual leadership. Knowing that there is good and there is bad and we must always seek to serve God and lead people to God. 

And the final chapter like Jesus final instructions exhorts us to disciple-making. The end of the great commission is to make disciples. Our testimony can't end with us. And we have to help steward those we lead toward Jesus. Help then stay on the narrow path. 

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. This is one of those books that once you read you're expected to act on what you know. Once you read and gain a base understanding of these spiritual disciplines, you will be held responsible for what you do or don't do.  And on that note, I do recommend reading. Especially new believers who may want and need a base understanding of these spiritual disciplines.

Remember: It's hard to do what you don't understand just like you can't love what you don't know.

{I received this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for my honest review.}

Worship Essentials

Worship by definition is the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity.

So why does "church culture" limit worship to just the music portion of Sunday service?

This is one book I think I went into reading with my expectations too high. I was hoping for a book that would address the tendency to try to separate the music part of Sunday services from the sermon and advocate for the fact that they are one and worship is more than just the music and therefore maybe there's a music team but the entire service is worship. 

Unfortunately, this book does not do that. Its focus is on building a music ministry that is harmonious regardless of the style of music, although the author does seem more disposed towards contemporary music. Harland addresses how modern society is often moving away from hymns and traditional gospel music into more upbeat, contemporary music with Sunday services that look like a concert. Harland also discusses the need for the worship ministry to be built up without starting a war. Harland discusses his approach to worship ministry by breaking down core values that any worship ministry needs to have: 

1. Tell the Story, 

2. Make True Disciples, 

3. Engage the Body 

4. Aspire with Purpose.

This I can understand, when I attended Shoreline in Austin, it's Sunday Service felt much like going to a concert. But let's be honest, God isn't concerned with the specific way that we worship as long as we worship in spirit and in truth. I can appreciate his addressing the need to dissolve the conflicts (idle meaningless arguments) over worship that can often be felt throughout the church. 

This is a book that I think could be helpful to those in music ministry. 

{FYI: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.}

The Life Giving Table

I've been sitting on this book for quite awhile. Sitting savouring what I was reading and enjoying the recipes shared in the book by Sally.

So this is book two in the Life-Giving Series. This particular book focuses on mealtime and how it can be used to disciple those who dine with us. Of course, because Sally is a mom of four, a majority is told from the perspective of using meal time to disciple the hearts of our family and set a tone of nurturing each other through meals and the time spent. However, she also includes some experiences of hers from before she and Clay had children so their mealtime discipleship would be for their friends and acquaintances while abroad on missions, specifically in Vienna, Austria.

Mealtime does not have to be just eating but also includes the conversation that can occur over meals (I say can because not everyone converses during meals).

So one of the best parts? The nuggets found throughout the book and the recipes that are tried and true direct from Sally's kitchen (each chapter includes several recipes). The first chapter that is written by Sally's husband, Clay. And it is so good because you get the why from a male's perspective, who purposefully participates in this process. As a mom who wants to leave a godly influence on my children, this book, as well as the others in the series, are apart of the treasure trove.

This is the table of contents. As you can see there are about 14 chapters and each chapter has about 2--4 recipes at the end, there are at least 30 recipes in this book. There is an appendix with conversation starters which is awesome for families who are just introducing the idea of discipleship around mealtime.

This is how each chapter starts off. The table-discipleship principle at the beginning of each chapter kind of gives you an idea of what that chapter will cover.






{FYI: I received this book from the publisher (Tyndale) in exchange for my honest opinion.}

The Words of Jesus

The Red Letter Words Of Jesus takes the Words of Jesus in the New Testament and uses them for the Scripture references in a devotional.  It starts off in Matthew and makes its way through the Gospel with the ending devotional coming from Revelations. Over 100 verse of Jesus' words are in this devotional. The devotions are not numbered nor is there a table of contents.

I like that it is small enough to toss in a bag when you're on the run but don't want to miss out on your daily devotional. It is also built pretty sturdy, you don't have to worry about the cover bending up or pages ripping so easily.

I think this devotional is great for any age of believer, from the teen to the elder of the church. 

{FYI: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.}

The Art of Worship

I'll be honest for a while this book intimidated me. Maybe because I knew that with reading it came a need for change in how I do life, in how I worship God.

and I was right.

Worship in its purest form is a way of life. 

As John MacArthur puts it, nothing we do is more important than worship. It will govern every aspect of our lives.

This book takes us, passage by passage through the Bible showing us not only how to worship but also the importance of worship and why it needs to be a priority.

A lot of times, at least for me, people tend to see worship as the time during service when we are singing unto the Lord (i.e. praise and worship). However John MacArthur paints a picture of worship being more than that and extending beyond Sunday service. 

For the longest, I had thought of worship as just the singing unto God, regardless of time or location. But this book trumps that thought. It informs me that worship is everything. It is in my attitude towards everything I do. Is my attitude nasty? Am I doing things/working as unto man or as unto the Lord? 

And those questions will prompt the change that will accompany reading this book. The next question will be: where does worship lie on my list of priorities? Is far down the totem pole or is it at the top of my priorities, leading the way for my interaction with everything else on my list?

And one thing about God is that He says "He desires those who worship Him in spirit and in truth." And that is in everything that we do.

Even better is the study guide (free) available on Moody Publishers, just scroll down to "free resources."