Book Review of:
The One Year Book of Josh McDowell's Family Devotions
© 1997 by Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler
Copyright 2011 by Lauretta Marigny - All rights reserved
This book is now in its 14th printing. My copy of the book (the 7th printing) has a different cover and is entitled Josh McDowell's One Year Book of Family Devotions.
The book is very well written. Young people should be able to relate to the stories. Some were especially heartwarming, e.g., one tells the story of a teenager showing kindness to a mentally handicapped co-worker. Because of the teen's kindness, his boss later shows him mercy.
Scattered sparsely throughout the book are the following topics: smoking, drinking, drugs, unplanned pregnancy and premarital sex.
Each devotion is presented in the following manner:
#1. Title
#2. Main point of the lesson
#3. A Bible passage, usually about 2-10 verses (You'll need a Bible to look this passage up and then read it. I'd recommend your children take turns doing this.)
#4. The verse of the day (often one from the Bible passage) (the verse is printed in the text)
#5. A story about a real life situation
#6. A discussion or activity section
#7. A short 1-3 line prayer (I'd recommend each family member be encouraged to offer a short prayer of their own.)
There are many sections in the book that cover one topic for several nights, e.g., honesty is covered May 3-7 and then again Dec 4-12, the fruit of the Spirit is covered Mar 22-31.
Throughout the book you will find the following logic frequently repeated:
"God commands honesty because God values honesty. God values honesty because God is a God of truth." or
"Mercy is right because God is merciful."
Any number of character qualities e.g., self-control, generosity, patience, purity, faithfulness, etc., replace honesty and mercy in the above sentences.
Another common theme throughout the book is: "God is the standard for determining what is right" and what is wrong, not us.
I recommend the book; as seen from the many printings, it is still popular.
