Devotions I Love
My favorite part of the day is the morning. I can’t believe I’m saying that having spent the first 35 years of my life not being a morning person. But once my oldest daughter gets on the bus at 6:45, I have a wonderful half hour before the others get up. It’s quiet, the coffee’s hot, and I dig into a good devotion. I’ve used my Bible app for devotions and I love a good reading plan (especially when I read one with a friend), but I often get distracted on my phone, so I prefer devotions in an actual book. I'd love to share a few of my favorites with you:
Springtime for Your Spirit: 90 Devotions of Hope, Joy & New Beginnings by Michelle Medlock Adams and Andy Clapp
This is a devotional that you'll actually want to wake up to! It draws you in with full-color photography and springy colors and keeps you going with wonderful stories and helpful verses. Each devotion has scripture to read or memorize (Plant the Word), a prayer (Pray the Word), and a challenge (Work the Word). The devotions are quick but packed with great content. After a long, endless winter in Ohio, this book is exactly what I needed. I hope you’ll buy it and share with me what you love about it since it’s my current read.
Anxiety Elephants: A 31-Day Devotional To Help Stomp Out Your Anxiety by Caris Snider
If you struggle with anxiety (even just a little bit) you should check out this 31 day devotional. Caris Snyder offers the perfect mix of scripture and clear-cut techniques for coping with anxiety. I love how authentic the author is about her own history of anxiety. If you know a tween dealing with anxiety, check out Anxiety Elephants for Tween Girls and Anxiety Elephants for Tween Boys. Both of these are 90 day devotionals which were just released last month. I don’t have to tell you that circumstances in the past few years have caused a lot of anxiety. Help your kids by giving them some coping strategies that are grounded in the Bible. Both of the tween books are available on Kindle Unlimited as well.
New Morning Mercies: A Dailey Gospel Devotional by Paul David Tripp
One of the lovely ladies in my Bible study group gave all of us this devotion to celebrate her own Birthday. How cool is that? We’ve been reading it together and it’s both practical and meaty. Tripp’s gospel-centered devotions are a great way to change your heart and start the day with purpose. Warning: you will be challenged -both intellectually and spiritually.
Fabulous and Focused by Michelle Medlock Adams and Gena Maselli
I read this devotion years ago when I was a brand new stay-at-home mom. I knew I wasn’t the intended audience since it often talks about workplace situations, but I was amazed at how much I related to the devotions. The power of God’s word is just like that. I loved the personal stories in these devotions. You will too.
Sing a New Song: A Woman's Guide to the Psalms by Lydia Brownback
While not labeled as a devotion, this journey through Psalms is a great way to be in the word daily. If you’re like me and you have a choir background, you’ll find yourself singing some of the more well-known Psalms. I read this book while putting the kids to bed. (My kids do much better when we sit with them for a few minutes.) I loved reading these Psalms at the end of the day (even though I usually do devotions in the morning). There was something about praising God after a long day that was so good for my soul.
Coffee Shop Devos by Tessa Emily Hall
I LOVE this book for teens. Unlike your typical read from beginning to end devotional, this one includes a MENU of contents based on your current need. For instance:
Latte - Comfort in Trials
Cappuccino - All about Relationships
Decaf - Finding Rest
The menu also includes recipes for the coffee drinks. Might be time for me to try a few. I love giving this book as a gift because it’s great (and beautiful) and Tessa Emily Hall is an expert at talking to teens.
Children's Bible Stories for Bedtime: To Grow in Faith & Love by Julie Lavender
Again, not technically a devotional, but this book has been my favorite for learning Bible stories with my kids. It feels like I shouldn’t be learning as much as I am since it’s written for children, but that’s fine with me. If you have kids, you need this book! Like, order it right now. I’ll wait. Julie Lavender has a way of taking big stories (and big truths) and packaging them in a way that’s understandable and inspirational for both kids and adults. And the summary points and questions at the end are awesome for a short bedtime discussion.
Dinosaur Devotions; 75 Dino Discoveries, Bible Truths, fun Facts, and More! by Michelle Medlock Adams
If you have a dinosaur lover, you need this devotional. It's filled with dinosaur facts and truth from the word. Kids will think they’re just learning about dinosaurs, but they will also be absorbing scripture that will change their little hearts. Also, the illustrations are lots of fun.
Loved and Cherished: 100 Devotions for Girls by Lynn Cowell and Michelle Nietert
This gorgeous devotional helps girls know how much they are loved by God. I can’t think of anything they need to hear more than that. Lynn Cowell and Michelle Nietert make the scripture come alive by sharing their hearts and encouraging readers to examine the way they view God. Each devotion ends with a short prayer. The format is perfect for young girls to make a connection with God daily.
One Year of Dinner Table Devotions and Conversation Starters: A Daily Family Devotional with 365 Opportunities to Grow Closer to God as a Family by Nancy Guthrie
This is a fun one. If you take the time to eat together as a family, why not use this book to start conversations? Although we haven’t actually used this book yet, I have read most of it and love the idea of re-claiming dinner conversations and making them meaningful.
Sometimes you buy a devotion and it’s not for you. And sometimes you’ll miss a day...or five. Be kind to yourself. If it’s a dated devotional (like New Morning Mercies), allow yourself to start on today’s date and don’t feel like you have to catch up. I have a tendency to give up when I haven’t done something perfectly. Don’t do that. Just keep chugging along and God will teach and train you to be more like Him. I hope you try one (or more) of these devotions. Your experience with them will be different from mine, but I have faith God will bless your time in these books.
Happy Reading!
Shannon