"Creation Sings His Praise"

TITLE: Creation Sings His Praise: 90 Devotions on Nature from Our Daily Bread
AUTHOR: Dave Branon, editor
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers, 2012, (128 pages)

We all like to have devotions. Where do we start? How we we begin to sing our praises? Is there a way in which we can jump-start our devotional lives amid a land deluged with technological devices and modern landscapes? The solution: Return to nature. Reflect on creation. Refresh ourselves with a deeper appreciation of what God has done, what God is doing, and what God will be doing for us, and for the world around us. With 90 devotions that cover nature such as plants, animals, and scenes of natural beauty, readers are given an amazing spectrum of seeing ordinary creation with the eyes of faith and a heart of gratitude. Each devotion begins with a "Guidebook reading" from the Bible. A key passage is selected and printed for readers to meditate upon. Following that, a short devotion in the style of OUR DAILY BREAD is provided. In easy reading style, it gently helps readers to take a longer pause to see the wonders of creation. It invites readers to linger on, letting the beauty of nature be soaked in the riches of Scripture.Finally, a COMPASS POINT is a brief challenge for readers to think about. It is kind of a 'thought-of-the-day' statement where readers can easily remember and keeping pondering through the day. Of course, if one were to rush through it, one would miss important details and nuances of creation.

This is a delightful devotional book to quieten the soul from the oft-stated busyness of life. Drawn from the rich resources of the OUR DAILY BREAD publications over the years, it compiles devotions specifically with nature in mind. The high quality photographs alone are worth the price of the book. In fact, there is much to learn from the small call-out boxes that educate readers on some scientific or natural knowledge. For instance, about 20000 species of mantises worldwide, or how to keep a skunk, or the more than 80 animals that make Northern Minnesota their home. If you are a nature lover, this book will bring winsome smile often. If you are someone new to nature watching, this book can launch you forward. If you are feeling too rushed or busy, especially during this festive season, this book is a perfect gift not just for yourself, but also for people that you may know who needs to take a good break from work. Maybe, for those you know who are on social media too much, this book in printed form, is a great freshener that reminds us that life is more than simply being connected to the Internet.

Ratin: 4.75 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me free by Discovery House Publishers and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.