Day by Day Through the Gospel of John edited and compiled by Lance Wubbels The weather has turned to autumn here in Northwest Ohio! Gone are the hot, humid days of summer- replaced with the brisk chill of fall. Lately in the evenings after things on campus are wrapped up and Elaina has gone to bed (she's up to 6 hour stretches and I feel like a human again!), Jake and I have enjoyed curling up in our blankets -a cup of tea or coffee in hand- and catching up on our reading. While I have been reading through current releases like Letters to an American Christian and I'd Rather Be Reading, Jake has been enjoying more classic reads like Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion and Ryle's commentary on Mark. I have always admired Jake's book preferences. His part of the bookshelf is filled with massive volumes from Calvin, Frames, and Grudem as well as thinner books by greats like Spurgeon and Edwards. When we started filling our first bookshelf after we married, I remember asking how he chooses to read the titles he does. He responded by sharing he prefers books that have stood the test of time. Writers who have shown to be timeless and have contributed significantly to the church we know today. When a piece of writing prevails over hundreds of years despite the hundreds of thousands of new books being released every year, you can be fairly confident that the content will be beneficial and fruitful to read. Since watching the way Jake's books help him to understand and apply theology and God's Word to his life, I've been inspired to begin reading a few classic authors myself. If I'm honest, I have felt a little intimidated and unsure of where to start these reading endeavors. Conveniently enough, I came across a devotional that has helped expose me to these authors I was desiring to begin reading! Day By Day Through the Gospel of John is a 365 day devotional compiling sermon and teaching excerpts of the Gospel of John from a few of the 1800's most influential preachers and teachers. Working chronologically throughout the book of John, these excerpts help readers meditate and work slowly through the Gospel while offering insight and practical application. A few of the writers I was familiar with (like Charles Spurgeon and Hudson Taylor), while others I had never heard of but am excited to learn about! The devotional starts with brief biographies of all the included writers, which I found extremely helpful for better understanding their lives. From there, the devotionals work chronologically through John. Each day varies in length and depth, but is never longer than one page. On average, I could spend about 10 minutes doing each one including time reading, looking the verse up in my Bible, and meditating on how to apply what I learned to my life. Many devotionals released in our culture today are centered around fluffy content that, like a cozy cup of morning coffee, will help you feel great about yourself as you start your day. But based on the way people in Jesus' day reacted to His teachings (as in...they literally crucified Him), I am wary of devotionals aimed solely towards making me feel good. Day By Day Through The Gospel of John is not one of those devotionals. It is centered around God's Word and offers convicting challenges like the one Spurgeon gives in the devotional for July 26 (ironically the day I went into labor with Elaina): "I wish you great happiness, but our Lord made it clear that troubles will come in this life. The comforts that surround us today may take themselves wings tomorrow. What shall we do? We shall breathe this prayer, 'Father, glorify your name.'" My rating? 3/5 I was surprised and disappointed to find that, while this book does go chronologically through the Gospel of John, not every verse in John is included. At points, there are actually chunks of chapters that are skipped over. I wish the editor would have either included content for those verses or included more writers who do have sermons on those omitted verses. However, I do love the content and how slowly this devotional works through the Gospel of John. Some days the Scripture is only one verse! And sometimes the next day's Scripture is also just that one verse! This book is a great way to start reading challenging excerpts from classic Christian preachers/ teachers/ missionaries. *I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest, unbiased review! Links provided through Amazon Associates.*
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