I was visiting an older woman in the hospital and noticed a copy of Jesus Calling on her side table. I would like to give her a real devotional that would spiritually help her, but I need recommendations. I need something doctrinally sound, but also something very readable and understandable. I think Spurgeon, Chambers, and, unfortunately, Ryle, to name a few, are all just too archaic. I adore those men, but it’s hard to imagine her reading any of those without her eyes just glazing over.
The most readable thing I’ve found so far in the Reformed category is Paul Tripp’s New Morning Mercies, but I was not impressed. Each devotional starts with one of Tripp’s tweets which is then followed by a grace-heavy few paragraphs. At the bottom is some suggested (optional) reading from the Bible. At least more faithful works like Ryle and Spurgeon stem from a particular verse or section of Scripture, not just their own minds, and they expect you to read God’s Word before you read theirs.
Does anyone know of something that is very low-level readable/engaging, but grounded in Scripture and doesn’t pander?
Boy, low-level readability and solid is rarer than you’d think seems like this shouldn’t be a problem, but alas.
This book was listed on Ligonier’s website: Praying the Attributes of God, by Rosemary Jensen. Check out the reading sample on Amazon. Might be just the thing
There’s also the One Year Christian History. I have a copy and it’s a nice physical book, with concise glimpses into church history, but it might not be the easiest read for your intended audience.
Not sure if it counts as low level, but Carson had two volumes titled ‘For the Love of God’ that were tied to the M’Cheyne reading plan. Short. Rich. But not academic.
I’ve never gone through all of Chambers’ ‘My Utmost for His Highest’, but it was readable and connected with scripture rather than tweets.
This is also really good, JC Ryle’s ‘Daily Readings’, it goes through a whole year, it’s drawn from his Expository Thoughts in the Gospels (which would be edifying in and of themselves), it’s cheap, and did I mention it’s Ryle?
I was specifically referring to Chambers’s My Utmost for His Highest and Ryle’s Daily Readings and just felt like they would not work, sadly. I’ll check out Carson.
Just do it, Alex and Aaron. Christian publishing, Carson, Ligonier, etc. are just not trustworthy any more. Full stop. What necessarily follows from coming to terms with this truth is that we are the men. Paraphrase and add to Calvin, Ryle, Spurgeon’s morning and evening.
For years, Daily Bread was OK, but if you check out today’s devotional, grace monotone rules all, today. And Paul Tripp is the worst of the lot.
So as I said, do it. Day by day and we publish it. Love,
I wonder if feeding a pdf of Ryle’s ‘Expository Thoughts’ (or anything Spurgeon) into AI and telling it to modernise the English would do any of the heavy lifting? Would it save time or would the edits afterward eat up whatever time was saved?
And I did an Advent devo through Christmas carols this past year for BBC. I can send it along if you’re interested in it.
This series by Lydia Brownback is quite good, in my opinion. I know it’s published by Crossway, but it’s a little older and what I’ve read of hers has been solid and helpful.
Thanks for the recommendations. I ordered Praying the Attributes of God, at @MattShiff’s suggestion, and it is quite good. It takes 31 attributes of God (including less popular attributes like jealousy and justice) and uses the ACTS model of praying for each one. The Adoration section simply consists of a dozen or so Scripture passages that exemplify each attribute of God. The Confession and Thanksgiving sections are brief prayers that use those attributes and the Scriptures that reveal them as the basis for confessing our own sins and for thanking God. For each Supplication section, there are two blank lined pages for writing requests to God. I’m planning to give this to our sister (along with telling her not to read Jesus Calling).
seems like this shouldn’t be a problem, but alas.