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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

The Because Fiction Podcast
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Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 161: A Chat with Christian Women's Fiction Robin W. Pearson
byChautona Havig

Nothing says good, Southern women’s fiction like a feisty granny or a family secret, and Robin W. Pearson’s got you covered on both fronts. Stir in a pot of faith, and well… you’re bound to find a story you’ll never forget. And isn’t that a blessing? Award-winning, bestselling, and aspiring yodler on the other side of the Rockies, Robin writes stories of faith, family, and it sounds like some seriously delicious food.

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

What’s Better Than a Great Women’s Fiction Novel on a Summer’s Day?

New-to-me (or she was!) women’s fiction author, Robin W. Pearson writes God-centered, family-focused fiction. Robin is a delightful homeschooling mom of seven and if that wasn’t job enough, her debut novel won a Christy award! I mean, that takes some serious skills! Not to mention, it has a killer kick-off synopsis on Amazon. I was hooked from the first paragraph.

Robin says she wants people to see love in her books–how to love well even when we don’t know how. How to see each other as God does.  I think that sounds pretty amazing.

Her debut novel, A Long Time Coming, is more than just a great-sounding book, it really deals with family issues and I’ll just say I fell in love with the narrator of the audio.

The next book, Till I Want No More, rips your heart out with the synopsis, stomps on it, and says, “There. Now what’ll you do about that?  Well, I don’t know what I’ll do, other than read it of course!

And her latest novel?  Oh, my gravy. It released just last week and it’s amazing.  Well, the part I’ve read already is. Walking in Tall Weeds promises to keep your heart on tenterhooks as it takes you through a family’s pain and trauma.  And what more could you want?

Walking in Tall Weeds by Robin W. Pearson

From award-winning author Robin W. Pearson comes a new Southern family drama about one family who discovers their history is only skin-deep and that God’s love is the only family tie that binds.

Paulette and Fred Baldwin find themselves wading through a new season of life in Hickory Grove, North Carolina. Their only son, McKinley, now works hundreds of miles away, and the distance between the husband and wife feels even farther. When their son returns home, his visit dredges up even more conflict between Fred and Paulette.

McKinley makes it no secret that he doesn’t intend to follow in his father’s footsteps at George & Company Fine Furnishings or otherwise. Fred can’t quite bring himself to accept all his son’s choices, yet Paulette is determined McKinley will want for nothing, least of all a mother’s love and attention—which her own skin color cost her as a child. But all her striving leaves Fred on the outside looking in.

Paulette suspects McKinley and Fred are hiding something that could change the whole family. Soon, she’s facing a whirlwind she never saw coming, and the three of them must dig deep to confront the truth. Maybe then they’ll discover that their history is only skin-deep while their faith can take them right to the heart of things.

You can learn more about Robin W. Pearson on her WEBSITE.

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