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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

My 3 Favorite Things about Hope for New Beginnings

by Chautona Havig · 5 Comments

Hope for New Beginnings offers a daily or weekly look into different passages of Scripture and really does offer insight into the hope we glean from the Word. via @chautonahavig

“Why are you chopping up that book?”

Okay, is it just me, or does this blog post open like Charlotte’s Web?  I keep expecting Fern to look up at me with those big eyes, flip a braid over one shoulder, and demand that I not destroy a perfectly good book!

I digress.

My answer probably made little sense. “I want to spiral bind it.”

“Huh?”

Okay, so my mind was fixated on the task, okay?  I set it aside and looked up.  Blinked.  The look on her face.  I snickered.

“It’s a devotional. I want to write in it, and I can’t do that with this binding, so I’m cutting the spine off, trimming it, and punching it to be a spiral-bound book.  That way, writing will be easier.  I might even add a few pages of paper in there for notes.  We’ll see.”

Apparently, that was an even crazier statement.

“Since when do you do more than skim over a devotional?”

That one was easy to answer.  “Since someone wrote one I want to do.”

Ages ago, I requested a review copy of Hope for New Beginnings. It might be a risk, but the synopsis gave hope that it would have some meat and little extraneous fluff.  I got it and it delivered.

My 3 Favorite Things about Hope for New Beginnings

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.  Additionally, I requested and received a free review copy of this book.  Opinions, as usual, are mine… free… and probably obnoxious.

My 3 Favorite Things about Hope for New Beginnings.

Devotionals are rarely my first choice in reading. At the risk of sounding even more self-righteous than I actually am, I’d rather just read the Bible most of the time.  #becauseBible.

However, sometimes having someone directing your study in general directions is really nice—if you don’t spend the whole time spitting out bones. And that’s actually one of the biggest problems I have with many devotionals—the number of opinions overriding basic Scripture.  Give me the Word, not your opinions of what I should think about the Word.

So what are my three favorite things?

  1. That the authors used Scripture as much or more than anecdotal illustrations.

So many devotionals are really just short stories with a Bible verse tacked on.  There’s nothing wrong with that if that’s what they’re being billed as.  However, when you expect to learn what the Bible says about something, you kind of expect to read the Bible itself.  So thank you, Crowder and Eyrich, for putting the most important thing first in Hope for New Beginnings.  They even created a list of all the references used in the book and added it to the back.  Seriously, I don’t often see that anymore!

  1. Logical layout.

Recently, a lot of Christian nonfiction has disappointed me with rambly, illogical layouts and a serious lack of organization.  Not so for Hope for New Beginnings. This book’s daily/weekly devotionals flow from one to the next, and they even let you know who is writing which.  By the time I got about halfway through the book, I could guess based on writing style, which shows that their individual voices came through.  But here’s the thing.  It reads smoothly—as if only one person wrote it, too.  How did they do that?

  1. Solid content.

This may feel repetitive with the last two, but I have to say it.  This wasn’t a fluffy book.  Neither is it a didactic nor pedantic tome, either.  Instead, in a relatable, approachable style, the authors take the Scriptures they hope you will infuse into your life and show how they affect your life as well as how to apply them to your daily walk with Jesus.

It’s a rare occasion that I recommend a devotional.

Well, this is that occasion.  Although I didn’t examine every word in the book for Scriptural accuracy, I did give it a solid reading and found nothing that sent off red flags.  That doesn’t mean it’s perfect, but it does mean that I’m not adding a bunch of caveats.  It also means I’m happy that I requested and received my free review copy, and even more thrilled that I can give a favorable review.  That doesn’t often happen with Christian nonfiction these days.

Of course, if there’s something I missed in the book, I’d love to know about it.

Hope for New BeginningsAbout the Book

Book: Hope for New Beginnings.

Author: Shirley Crowder, Howard A. Eyrich

Genre: Non-fiction / Religion / Devotional

Release Date: November 2018

Hope for New Beginnings.: Devotions for the Adventure – Stepping into any new beginning not knowing what is ahead, is exciting and unsettling at the same time. Our Hope, as Christ-followers, rests in knowing that we do not move forward in our own strength, but in the strength of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. We pray these devotions will help prepare your heart to learn from the Lord as He affirms His steadfast love that gives the strength and hope needed to walk boldly into whatever new beginning the Lord has in store for you.

These devotions will guide your thoughts toward the biblical truths presented in the background and focal Scripture passages. Each devotional has exercises (you will choose at least one to do each day) that lead you to interact with the biblical truths presented and gain a deeper understanding of the truths in each devotion. Biblical Counselors, when you are ready to dismiss a counselee, this makes a great assignment for the next thirty-one days, then have the counselee come back for a final check-up.

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Comments

  1. James Robert says

    February 29, 2020 at 11:21 am

    Thanks for sharing your book with us. I think we all enjoy hearing about new books we previously didn’t know about. Also, thank you for the giveaway.

    Reply
  2. Melissa Wenger says

    February 29, 2020 at 6:49 am

    I’m always looking for a good devotional!

    Reply
  3. Dianna says

    February 28, 2020 at 7:33 pm

    I’m impressed that you wanted to spiral bound it! That’s a lot of effort to put into a devotional.
    Now I need to go look up the definitions for didactic and pedantic.

    Reply
  4. Shirley Crowder says

    February 28, 2020 at 6:49 pm

    Thank you for your review. We pray the Lord will be pleased to use our devotion to encourage, teach, strengthen, and admonish Christ-followers.

    Reply
  5. Emma says

    February 28, 2020 at 6:20 pm

    This sounds really good! I rarely ever use a devotional, but have been thinking lately that some sort of guided study would be helpful.

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

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Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 263: A Chat about The Love Script w/ Toni Shiloh
byChautona Havig

I had another lovely conversation with Toni Shiloh last month. Her latest book, The Love Script released and boy does it promise to be another #BookTouchdown!  Listen in to what you’ll find in this Love in the Spotlight series and especially in The Love Script.

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

How Many Lies Does It Take to Expose the Truth That Love Brings?

Authors tell me over and over that they experience the same things I do when I’m writing. You start helping your characters work through their problems, and as you do, the Lord starts exposing your own.  He helps you understand where you need growth and helps pull weeds that try to choke out that growth.

The Love Script has a great twist of someone trying to use a lie to smooth over the gossipy ripples of false reporting (genius way to handle it, eh?) and oh the fall out.

Toni promises we’ll see some great wisdom from Lamont’s mother and some deep truths that Neveah discovers.

The Love Truth by Toni Shiloh

A Hollywood hair stylist.

Nevaeh Richards loves making those in the spotlight shine but prefers the anonymity of staying behind her stylist chair, where no one notices her. But when a photo of Nevaeh and Hollywood A-lister Lamont Booker goes viral for all the wrong reasons, her quiet life becomes the number-one trending topic.

The silver screen’s latest heartthrob.

Lamont Booker’s bold faith has gained him a platform, and the authenticity of his faith is well known . . . until the tabloids cause the world to question everything he claims to be. With his reputation on the line, he finds himself hearing out his agent’s push for a fake relationship–something he never thought he’d consider in a million years.

A love that goes off script.

With their careers at risk, Nevaeh and Lamont have to convince the world that their scripted romance is more than just an act. But when fake seems to turn into something real, can Nevaeh trust her heart in a world where nothing is ever as it seems?

You can find out more about Toni on her WEBSITE.  Follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

And don’t forget that you can get 30% off the book with free shipping at BakerBookHouse.com. And you can get You Make It Feel Like Christmas, too!

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Episode 263: A Chat about The Love Script w/ Toni Shiloh
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