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Book nook: What Does This Mean? Exploring Our Christian Faith
Individuals and families looking for an approachable devotion—whether for after dinnertime, before bedtime, or other—should consider What Does This Mean? Exploring Our Christian Faith by Charles Degner.
This volume does well in meeting several needs in what many would consider an effective devotional book: (1) reinforcing critical truths about God and his teachings (through a structure primarily focused on the commandments, creeds, and sacraments), (2) keeping things simple by focusing on one main question per single-page devotion, and (3) creating opportunities for interaction through questions, prayer, and even song.
Each devotion connects the teaching of the day with verses of a hymn from Christian Worship, encouraging us to recognize how scriptural truths have been translated to songs we use in worship while reminding us of—or perhaps introducing us to—new anthems as well.
One particular aspect of What Does This Mean? our family enjoyed was that the devotions did not need to be read in sequential order. The book begins with several short studies on the Bible itself before transitioning into 8 to 12 separate, short devotions on key questions related to each commandment, the petitions, sacraments, and more. If a particular topic arose in church the past weekend or at school that very day, readers could easily select that topic for the evening’s devotion.
Certainly this book can work well as a personal devotion for someone; in terms of families, it would likely work best among children in second grade and above, but relevant truths can be explained to younger ones too.
The more the world changes and tries to change the truths about the Lord, the more important it is to stay grounded in what the Lord actually says in his Word. Degner provides a comprehensible format for doing just that.
A look at books published by Northwestern Publishing House. For more information, visit nph.net or call 800-662-6022.
Author: Mike Blievernicht
Volume 111, Number 12
Issue: December 2024
