Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions For Kids By Sarah Young (Review)

Our school day "Starts" with "Bible Time". I find it rather humorous that my kids get their spelling and sometimes their math done before breakfast, but they consider our devotional time to truly be the start of our day. They have even been known to ask if we were ready to "Start our day yet?" when other things get in the way, like doctor or orthodontist appointments. This is a good thing, I think.

This year we have been using, among a couple of other items, the book "Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions For Kids." It is adapted from the adult version of the book by the same title, written by missionary Sarah Young, based on her written prayer journals through the years.

Each page is dated, given a topic, with scripture at the beginning and the end of the devotional.(See widget below for a look inside!)

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CONS:

• The devotions are written in the "voice" or from the perspective of Jesus, speaking directly to the reader. This is an interesting concept, but one that I found disturbing on a daily basis. I understand the intent, but  I felt that what God may have been saying to someone else isn't necessarily what He would be saying to me or my kids (Certain devotions were too "Specific", and didn't apply to my children or our circumstances....).  I have changed the "voice" to  third person upon some occasions.
• We also found instances where the scriptures used to back up the devotion were taken out of context, which is not a practice I am fond of. 

PROS:

• That being said, we were amazed the number of times that the devotion correlated to the sermon on Sunday, something else that we were reading during our devotion time, or some other thing we had read about or heard that week or even day. 
• The scriptures are one of our very favorite parts of the day, as I have turned them into "Sword Drills" for my kids... they race to see who can find the reference the fastest. They like the competition, and I like that they are learning to find their way around the Bible quickly and easily.
• Although not fond of the consistent use of the first person, I have appreciated the commitment to showing my children that God does use His Word to speak to us on a daily basis if we will only hear Him.

This might be an excellent choice for a family Christmas Gift. I personally would recommend using it as a read-aloud, vs individual devotions, due to some themes that may not apply to every family. (not bad... just not applicable).

"Jesus Calling" can be purchased from a variety of booksellers, including ChristianBook.com, Barnes & Nobles, Borders, Family Christian, Amazon.com and others.

List price is $14.99, but I found most of these booksellers are offering it for an average of 20% off.

I hope that you enjoyed this review.
Blessings~

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”