Guest Post: Jeff's review of Amy's Devotions for Lent

The traditional festivals and calendar of the church are not things that I generally put much thought towards. The particular protestant traditions I have been part of threw some (small) babies out with the bathwater when they split from the more established traditions, and Lent is was one of those. But I must admit that somewhere deep down inside I have a desire to continue on with some of the more traditional practices. As such, I find it quite useful to stand on the shoulders of someone who is a step or two ahead of me. Amy’s family devotions for Lent fall within that category.

I don’t usually use devotional material, and so having a go at this one was a bit of a new experience for me. I like the fact that Amy has put thought into what passages to look at, questions with answers that the kids at different ages can handle, and answers in case I haven’t done any preparation and am not sure which direction she is going over the study. Sometimes the kids and I get caught up in the study and head off on our own direction, but it has been a good experience to be working through a devotion together.

The focus on Jesus, on different responses to Him from the Gospels, and an engagement with what each passage tells us about Him – and how we should respond to Him – has been very much appreciated. I also really appreciate that Amy jumps around in the devotions (without giving the impression of randomness) including some narrative passages about Jesus, some of Jesus’ teaching, and some testimony about Jesus (from John the Baptist). This helps to build a more rounded picture rather than a narrow focus on a preferred topic.

As we’ve worked through the devotions I’ve loved it when the kids remember a story from their Sunday School classes and want to tell the story before it has finished being read, and are able to engage with the material and explore their knowledge of Jesus in more depth as a result.

Well worth getting and working through with your family.
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Amy's book is available in paperback (for $US9.99) and kindle ($US2.99) versions from amazon.com.