I have the honour of reviewing some wonderful books by Nicole Vaughn, along with the Devotions from the Torah Launch Team. I have started with Devotions from Genesis which is the first in a series of devotionals that are meant to take their reader on a journey through the Books of the Law, which is the Jewish Torah or the first five books of the Old Testament. Devotions from Genesis will take you on a journey from the garden of Eden to the courts of Pharaoh in Egypt, allowing you to see your own hurts, struggles, and joys through the lives of patriarchs from Adam to Joseph. You will gain insight into your heart and more importantly, insight into the very heart of God. One day at a time, you will be reminded that you are not alone with these Devotions from Genesis. I have not had a chance to read the second book yet, but plan to in the new year.
Devotions From Exodus Part One will take you from the bondage of the children of Israel to their freedom. The children of Israel were set free from their bondage in Egypt, and they had to learn how to live in this new freedom. As you study through these first twenty chapters of Exodus, you will see that after God delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt, he still had to get Egypt out of them. Our deliverance in Christ is no different. God delivers us from the world, but he still has to get the world out of us. We, like the Israelites, are learning to live in this freedom.
Author Nicole Vaughn is the Children’s Ministry Director at Shiloh Baptist Church in Somerville, AL. She is the co-administrator of CrossRoads Christian Academy. She is the founder of Proven Path Ministries. She has also lead inductive Precept Upon Precept studies, has served as an advocate for her local crisis pregnancy center and has shared the testimony of Christ throughout her community and abroad. Nicole is a woman who is dedicated in her faith, devoted to her family, and driven to share the truth of God with others. She and her husband, Patrick, currently reside in Decatur, AL with their two youngest children.
I love God's Word so much and became passionate about reading and immersing myself in it about seven years ago. I started with Genesis and read all the way through. I read it conversationally, taking my time. No schedule, no plan, just reading and listening to my heavenly Father. It was life-changing. I feel so connected with Nicole because I can tell through her writing that she is completely passionate about God and His Word and wants to share that love and passion with her readers. These words on her website were touching to me:
I realized how dangerous this lack of knowledge [of God and His Word] can be after I traveled to Poland with the March of Remembrance and Hope in 2006. As I heard the stories of the Holocaust from actual survivors and stood in the gas chambers of Auschwitz and Majdonek, I fully understood the magnitude of not knowing the whole council of God. I saw how easily people could be swayed by the words of man when they had no sure understanding of the words of God. Colossians 2:8 says, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the traditions of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”
I have loved reading through her devotions with fresh eyes for the book of Genesis. She includes the original Hebrew (another very important aspect of studying the Word, in my opinion), as well as the names of God, and her prayers at the end of each section are so heartfelt and pure.
There are no dates on the sections in Devotions in Genesis, which I love. You can go at your own pace, stop and meditate on certain passages and not feel like you are ever "behind". We Americans tend to rush through things to check off a list or because we think everything is a race or just because we are in a hurry all the time. I am so impressed that Nicole didn't assign dates or schedules to these devotions so that they can be savoured and enjoyed slowly. What a blessing!
To buy Devotions from Exodus Part One click HERE for paperback ($12.59) and HERE for Kindle ($8.49).
No comments:
Post a Comment