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Yep, buy a daily devotional from this list (this week) and receive as our thank you gift a personal favorite which I have mentioned occasionally before — On Being Human: Imaging God in the Modern World which has Calvin Seerveld reflecting on art objects and Biblical texts to inspire us to see what it means to be human. There are seven detailed chapters, black and white art reproductions (and an Advent hymn, written by Seerveld.) This gift is made possible by a donation of books by Seerveld himself, given to support our work.

Offer expires January 7, 2024.

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While some are reading this on New Year’s Eve, others may have already turned their calendar to 2024. I’ll invite you to skim back to the last BookNotes where I shared some titles about the classic church calendar and how following some sort of liturgical seasons can help us –as Jamie Smith puts it — “inhabit time.” The point of that Christmastime BookNotes was to share a free link to the webinar conversation I had with Paul Metzger around his book Setting the Spiritual Clock. It was a fun on-line conversation and I hope you can check it out at your leisure.

Now, I bet many are thinking of new habits and daily commitments (whether you call them “New Year’s Resolutions” or not.) Lots of folks are in the market for a daily devotional. We’ve got over 200 here at the Dallastown shop — some offer classic 365 page-a-day readings with a verse or prayer and others maybe have 30 days of devotional reading for those who want to give it a try or some have 52 entries (for us once-a-weekers.) Whatever your style — in format or content or style — we’ve got something for everyone. I hope our descriptions are helpful.

I’ve got some other lists of favorite older devotionals if you want to email me — I could send those to you via email. Just tell us what style or perspective or format your looking for. For now, though, here are some we thought we’d announce today.

(Might you send this out to a friend or two? We need more BookNote subscribers, more on-line readers, more customers for Hearts & Minds. We’d be grateful if you’d help us stay sustainable doing this. Being broader in tastes than some religious bookstores puts us in a rather unique niche, so it’s not necessarily viable.  We appreciate your help and support here at the start of a new year. Thanks.)

As always at BookNotes, these are all 20% off. Scroll to the bottom of this column to see the easy link to our secure order form page. As always, thanks for your support.

On Earth as in Heaven: Daily Wisdom for Twenty-First Century Christians  N.T. Wright (HarperOne) $29.99   OUR SALE PRICE = $23.99

We’ll start off with a Biblically mature, theologically sophisticated, serious-minded collection of 366 readings from our acquaintance and a bit of a hero, Tom Wright, arranged somewhat around the church calendar. Want to dip into a good handful of Wright’s books? It’s a great way to be introduced to his thinking, his understandings of the great story of Scripture, and how Christian faith is rooted in the unfolding drama of redemption, creation regained in Christ the risen Lord.

 

New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional Ted Tripp (Crossway) $24.99   OUR SALE PRICE = $19.99

This is one of the biggest selling devotionals of the last 25 years, at least, and it is well worth having. Tripp is a Biblical counselor and faithful preacher, relating the ugly and broken stuff of ordinary life to the glories and power of a gospel-centered life. This focus on the gospel — that is, through the cross of Christ and the power of His resurrection we, received into union with Him by grace, can see fresh ways to allow the gospel to transform us, equipping us for coping with our foibles and fallenness — is what sets this apart. It does offer simple bromides of faith and religiosity. It assumes our complicity in sin, and celebrates that God’s “yes” is bigger and more transformation than any “sin management” or cliched religiosity. This shows how we can preach the gospel to ourselves, first, and receive new mercies, day by day. We even have a handsome, deep maroon imitation leather edition of New Morning Mercies ($29.99 – OUR SALE PRICE = $23.99) with wide margins for note taking.

Means of Grace: A Year of Weekly Devotions Fleming Rutledge (Eerdmans) $24.99   OUR SALE PRICE = $19.99

This is a meaty gathering of 60 some of Rev. Rutledge’s great sermons, an extended message for each week. The publisher has done several big collections of her famously well-crafted sermons and these are drawn from those other volumes, arranged for the church year. Rave reviews on the back are from Marlena Graves and Samuel Wells, Alan Jacobs and Rich Villodas. Tish Harrison Warren calls it “brilliant”, noting Rutledge’s luminous prose.

For those wanting substantial theological sermons, based on the Biblical text, from this respected, elder preacher (one of the first women ordained in the Episcopal Church) this book is terrific; a gift, a blessing.

The One Year Shine Your Light Devotional: 365 Inspirations on Living Out God’s Love and Your Calling Chris Tiegreen (Tyndale) $24.99   OUR SALE PRICE = $19.99

I like the theme of this — who wouldn’t? — about serving God in the world, sharing God’s love, taking up our call to be responsible agents of God’s Kingdom in the world. Each reading is substantive and the closing words are lovely. I recommend it but, to be honest, one of the reasons we like to show it is that some prefer (for themselves or a gift for others) a handsome leather-like volume. This is a rich deep blue with gold embossed dots that look like lightbulbs on a hip outdoor string of lights. There’s a yellow ribbon marker — it’s cool to hold and use.

Live in Grace, Walk in Love: A 365-Day Journey Bob Goff (Thomas Nelson) $26.99   OUR SALE PRICE = $21.59

I love to tell the story when I’m showing somebody the hilarious, fun, hard-hitting, inspirational best-sellers Love Does or Everybody Always how I was with Bob when he was doing this book. He had convinced the publisher that the next books he owed them would be a bunch of short devotionals. How hard can that be? He was thinking of 30. The publisher wasn’t having it — he had to do about 320 more; I assured him I’d pray. I doubt if he needed my intercessions because, man, he can tell a story, he can write, and he knows His Bible. He lives full of extravagant grace, loving (as he explains in his earlier books) everybody, so there is always plenty of source material. He’s known for redemptive hi-jinx and infectious optimism, leaking the love of Jesus on everybody he can.

This great book is ideal for those not used to overly pious daily devotional reading and while every entry is based on a Bible text, there’s usually a practical application and a good story, some of which are simply unforgettable.

Savor: A 365-Day Devotional for Living Abundantly Where You Are, As You Are Shauna Niequist (Zondervan) $22.99   OUR SALE PRICE = $18.39

I loved this book when it first came out with it’s rough-hewn, burlap-like cover; the textured cover and earth tones fit my style. I’m glad they re-issued it, though, with a more artsy set of paintings, a more contemporary look, ideal for anyone but seemingly pitched to younger women who are learning to “lean in to the sacred right where you are.” There are good devotions on which to meditate, Scriptures reminding us to savor each day and to “live on the lookout for shimmers of hope from a God who gives every good thing.”  We like this a lot.

Sacred Questions: A Transformative Journey Through the Bible — 365 Days of Responding to God Kellye Fabian (NavPress) $22.99   OUR SALE PRICE = $18.39

Allow me to set the stage reminding you of another book we’ve celebrated and often mentioned by Kellye Fabian — Holy Vulnerability: Spiritual Practices for the Broken, Ashamed, Anxious, and Afraid; such an earnest book invites the hurting or ashamed to explore practices of faith formation that will enhance their trust in the goodness of God. That guide to “holy vulnerability” resonates with this hardback devotional, even if this one’s focus isn’t necessarily on the bruised or broken. Rather, this one is for the skeptical, curious, or eager, those wanting to start fresh and figure some stuff out.

Sacred Questions is unlike some on this list as the format isn’t one that offers a quick several minute read and a question to ponder. Rather, there are prayers, verses, questions, reflections, stuff that pushes you and pushes you again to draw closer to God, to take up a real dialogue, spending time to listen and learn.

It can be done, generally, in 20 minutes a day, but you have to work a bit. As it says on the back cover:

On this yearlong journey of transformation, 14 intentional sections will guide you into a holy space where God will uncover your deepest questions and respond. Come, draw closer to the one who loves you. You will discover more of who he is… and who you are.

Buy this one and commit to some intentional study, reflecting seriously about what it means to know God and trust God’s grace, eating to, as she puts it, “eyes lifted to Jesus and your hands open to a waiting world.”

Nailed It: 365 Readings for Angry or Worn Out People Anne Kennedy (Square Halo Books) $27.99   OUR SALE PRICE = $22.39

Anne Kennedy is herself, she might note on twitter sometimes, a bit angry herself. Or at least snarky. And that is what makes this 365 reader shine — at least for those who appreciate dark humor and snide remarks scattered around a pretty traditionally evangelical view of the high regard for the Word of God and conventional faith practices. Well, except maybe those idealistic “read the Bible through in a year” plans — the back cover asks with a wry grin, “How’s that working out for you?”  It continues: “That’s okay, everyone gets stuck. Just ask Jael, or worse, Jonah.” Ha.

There are a lot of frustrated, confused, and worn-out people in the stories of Scripture. This brings them together, inviting you to spend a year, helping you turn your eyes on God’s grace in Christ every step of the way, despite yourself. Some who are not into daily devotionals have appreciated this fresh Bible teaching.

Heaven and Nature Sing: 365 Daily Devotionals for Outdoor and Nature Lovers edited by Sharon Brodin (Brodin Press) $16.00   OUR SALE PRICE = $12.80

This thick collection of a year’s worth of devotionals is a great bargain. It’s a big, handsome book and there is nothing like it out there. And it is out there — out in creation, that is. It offers fairly conventional Bible reflections, nature writings, discipleship messages, and stories of spiritual formation set in the great outdoors. There are rock climbers and hikers and paddlers and campers of all sorts, offering their on-the-trail insights. Take it to a wilderness cabin or read it around a campfire (or, like me, snug in my house, living vicariously Ha!). Kudos to a friend from the CCO’s experiential learning /wilderness  department who has a couple of really great entries. Nice!

Let Creation Speak! 100 Invitations to Wonder Michael Guillen (Tyndale) $19.99   OUR SALE PIRCE = $15.99

What a cool hardback (sans dust jacket) this is, offered by Emmy Award winner, the former ABC News science editor, Dr. Michael Guillen. Here he offers fascinating and inspiring daily readings based on the astonishing universe we inhabit. Surely the cosmos is more than a cosmic accident. Surely there is more to life than the daily grind. Being inspired by these succinct science writings to be pointed to divine purpose and hope.

I’m sure you know somebody who might not want a more typical Bible study, but would delight in these faithful reflections, taking delight and new hope in God’s presence in the world.

Upon Waking: A Sixty-Day Devotional Jackie Hill Perry (B+H) $22.99   OUR SALE PIRCE = $18.39

I know there are many who really respect Jackie; she’s an excellent writer, a strong, theologically-conservative black woman who rocketed to fame with her first memoir Gay Girl, Good God, followed by the important study of God’s trustworthy goodness seen in His holiness, called Holier Than Thou: How God’s Holiness Helps Us Trust Him.

This new collection says on the back cover:

“There is nothing in your hands that God won’t replace with more of Himself. So let it go. Let it fly. Let it burn. God is better, anyway.” It’s a call to “discover ourselves and the God we were made for.”

These are Scripture-soaked and gospel-centered, with just a bit of hip-hop poetry edge. There’s a nice ribbon marker, too.

Journey to Love: What We Long For, How to Find It, and How to Pass It On: 40 Reflections on Become a Better Human Matt Mikalatos (NavPress) $7.99   OUR SALE PRICE = $6.39

Yep, this is a small book, compact sized, and delightfully written. Matt’s a fun guy, a good writer and a thinker who brings a lot to the table, as they say. This is a story-driven set of reflections “about how to increase your capacity to give and receive love.” There are practical exercises and reflection questions — do it alone or with a friend. This will invite you to a space of knowing you are loved, and being inspired to share that love, opening your heart, being more fully alive.

I hope you know Mikalatos’s books, including his recently co-authored, award-winning Loving Disagreement: Fighting for Community Through the Fruit of the Spirit. In any case this short reader packs a wallop — you won’t regret spending time with this!

Undone: A Modern Rendering of John Donne’s Devotions Philip Yancey (Rabbit Room) $18.00   OUR SALE PIRCE = $14.40

We have promoted this before, last year when the earlier version was published as A Companion in Crisis and then earlier this year when the good folks at Rabbit Room Press re-developed it, added some texture on the cover, some French folded flaps, and a new title. But, the core of it is the same — the brilliant, clear-headed Phil Yancey astutely telling about the devotions written by John Donne so many years ago.

You may only know the “no man is an island” line from the great 17th-century poet and writer, but even Yancey himself said that “Nothing had prepared me for John Donne’s raw account of confrontations with God.” Yes, there was stunning suffering during the time of the plague and, with the global pandemic taking so many lives, Yancey realized how very helpful these very devotions (from a 400-year old manuscript) could be for contemporary guidance. He edited them severely, slashing anything archaic or obscure. He updated the language, paraphrasing if necessary, making this useful and clear for moderns. Follow the arc from fear to trust in 30 short but substantive readings.

Pierced By Love: Divine Reading with the Christian Tradition Hans Boersma (Lexham Press) $22.99   OUR SALE PIRCE = $18.39

You may know Hans Boersma as a profound thinker, an ecumenical theologian who has (or so it seems to me) bridged the uniquenesses of the Dutch Calvinist Reformed tradition and the older Orthodox tradition, shaped by the patristics and early church fathers and mothers, the monks and the mystics. This book is not exactly a daily devotional but he makes the eloquent and elegant case that “holy Scripture requires holy reading.”  At the center are a set of extended reflections (with titles in prayer-book-like red and some ancient art) on ways to helping us learn to read slowly, carefully, devotionally. A friend recently told me how very much she appreciated his candor — Lectio Divina is not simple nor is it always a pleasant task, yielding lovely delights. Reading to hear God speak takes some practice and coming face-to-face with the Divine can be jolting, challenging, even. Be prepared to be pierced. By love.

Sacred Belonging: A 40-Day Devotional on the Liberating Heart of Scripture Kat Armas (Brazos Press) $18.99   OUR SALE PRICE = $15.19

We announced this enthusiastically when it came out this fall and it surely should be mentioned again here. This is well worth having on hand — it offers 40 days worth of imaginative reflection, inviting you into “a deep, expansive, and healing way of encountering Scripture.” Blurbs on the back rave, exclamations from Pete Enns, Kaitlin Curtice, Emily Freeman, K.J. Ramsey. Thoughtful, open-minded, and passionate leaders for goodness and grace all agree — this invites us to a more liberated relationship with God, the Bible, and our callings and vocations in the world. You’ll be shook a bit, I’m sure, delighted, maybe peeved. Each reflection is several pages with a good reflection question at the end of each.

Faith & History: A Devotional edited by Christopher Gehrz & Beth Allison Barr (1845 Books / Baylor University Press) $14.95   OUR SALE PRICE = $11.96

Oh my, this is a rare treat, but very, very cool, informed and inspiring, educated and edifying. Don’t let the bland cover or bargain price fool you, this is really great stuff. As Kate Bowler of Duke puts it, “This volume has brought together brilliant authors to dig deep into texts and pull out hidden gems and spiritual insights which will nourish our souls and minds.” Or, as Jay Green (of Covenant College) notes, this is authored by “some of todays’ most thoughtful Christian historians..” It “masterfully displays the integration of keen and learned historical insight with genuine, warm-hearted devotion to Jesus.”

It would be very cool if every discipline had a devotional done by scholars and leading lights in their field. For now, this collection of over 50 devotional readings on favorite Biblical texts allow these historians to shine in their Biblical insights, adding a prayer and thought exercises for reflection or discussion. There are over 40 writers, from George Marsden to Kristine Kobes Du Mez, Jemar Tisby to John Fea, Mark Noll, Margaret Bendroth, Shivraj K. Mahendra, and more.

On Love & Mercy: A Social Justice Devotional Stephen Mattson (Herald Press) $21.99   OUR SALE PRICE = $17.59

Happily, there are other books like this these days, inviting people to daily Biblical and spiritual reflection to equip us to be more intentional in our discipleship for justice-work and peacemaking. This handsome hardback of 60 sturdy readings will serve you well.

It is both a hope-filled and Christ-centered devotional, doubling down on the call to live into a life of justice action all emerging from a worship of and love for the second person of the Trinity. Praise God for those committed to Jesus and to serving the poor and marginalized in the world. Each days entry affirms your instincts to care about these things and strengthens your holy resolve. As it says on the back cover, this devo “validates social justice practices within the Christian faith by centering the example of Jesus as the ultimate standard.”

Blurbs on the back are lovely, from leaders like Karen Gonzalez, Rev. Brandan Robertson, Jim Wallis, and Kaitlyn Schiess (author of The Liturgy of Politics.) The author, Stephen Mattson, graduated from Moody Bible Institute and his first book (also with Herald Press) was the excellent The Great Reckoning: Surviving a Christianity That Looks Nothing Like Christ released in 2018.

The Practice of the Presence of Jesus: Daily Meditations on the Nearness of Our Savior Joni Eareckson Tada with John Sloan (Multnomah) $20.00  OUR SALE PRICE = $16.00

I hope you know Joni Tada who has been a hero of ours for decades. She is exceptional in her faith and trust in the sovereign grace of God, despite her severe accident in the 1970s which led to her conversion (and eventual memoir and movie about her.) Her ongoing story as advocate for the disabled and for those who are hurting is strong, and this wise use of Lawrence’s famous mid-1600s work is more than a delight, it is nearly brilliant. There are very nice small illuminations here, too, which Joni (an accomplished artist, despite being a quadriplegic) did with the paintbrushes and pens between her teeth.

As it says on the back,

The Practice of the Presence of Jesus offers wisdom from these two everyday saints, written nearly four hundred years apart, that teaches you how to experience the nearness of God in your life. Through rich devotional content from Brother Lawrence’s Practice of the Presence of God and through original art and new meditations from Joni, you’ll encounter a unique weaving of past and present spiritual reflection on a God who never changes.

As we recognize God with us moment by moment, our mundane becomes holy. Our pain becomes peace filled. And our uncertainties fade into the greatest, most certain hope of all.

Every Day Holy: 60 Devotions to Embrace God’s Gift of Time Meredith Barnes (Paraclete Press) $17.99   OUR SALE PRICE = $14.39

This is aimed at women, it seems, and is by an upbeat speaker and online presence, inviting readers to slow down, attend to God’s voice and work in their lives, and in so doing “embrace God’s gift of time.” The emphasis on the liturgical calendar reminds us, as this does in a parallel way, that our whole orientation in life can be shaped for more righteous flourishing once we see our very days as sacred, as we practice the holiness found in the mundane when we stop trying to put God in a little box for 15 minutes each morning.

These upbeat but solid devotions invite us away from worry and stress, away from performance anxiety and perfectionism, towards an intimacy with God that is grounded in the real lives of the real world. This is lovely and I’m sure it will be helpful for many.

Under the Wings of God: Twenty Biblical Reflections for a Deeper Faith Cornelius Plantinga (Brazos Press) $18.99   OUR SALE PRICE = $15.19

We have so many different books of daily devotionals from so many perspectives and styles that it would be hard to pick a “best” for any given year. Still, the evidence we’ve got come from feedback from customers and this is the most-talked about daily reader in quite a while. From a men’s group at a conservative Reformed church to a young adult gathering with evangelical connections to a mainline denominational prayer group, Under the Wings of God has been seen as a real winner — a blessing to be read and re-read. There are only twenty entries, but each is worth pondering. I trust Plantinga’s vision and orientation and he is a clear and even elegant writer. This is a great little book, highly recommended.

A Rhythm of Prayer: A Collection of Meditations for Renewal edited and compiled by Sarah Bessey (Convergent) $21.00   OUR SALE PRICE = $16.80

I have some acquaintances who have contributed prayers or reflections or essays for this compact book, jam-packed with visionary faith for social change, justice, raw honesty, lament, and trust. From Black leader Lisa Sharon Harper to Episcopalian and wordsmith Barbara Brown Taylor, from hip hip spoken word artist Amena Brown to the edgy, tatted-up Lutheran Nadia Bolz-Weber. This prayer book tilts progressive in important ways but even for those who desire broadly orthodox faith perspectives, this collection will bring you before important writers with much to say. And some of it is deeply spiritual, righteous, good and true. Enjoy.

Becoming Rooted: One Hundred Days of Reconnecting with Sacred Earth Randy Woodley (Broadleaf Books) $19.99  OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

Whether your interest in nurturing a more ecological faith or whether you are interested in submitting to indigenous Christian leaders to learn from them, this devotional by an esteemed Christian scholar, activist and teacher, is fabulous. We’ve highlighted it before, noticing how nicely it is written, how wise, how deeply in tune with a Biblical worldview, even as it offers uniquely native views to refine our imaginations. Woodley has written widely on earth-keeping, on Bible-based views of multicultural education, and, recently, about the problems with a colonialist sort of missiology. He is a Cherokee descendant, recognized by the Keetooway Band and, with. His wife, Edith, sustains the Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice at their farm outside Portland, Oregon.

Face to the Rising Sun: Reflections on Spirituals and Justice Mark Bozzuti-Jones (Forward Movement) $18.00  OUR SALE PRICE = $14.40

Rev. Bozzuti-Jones is a popular writer of several books, a former school teacher and an Episcopal priest at the famous Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City. Hailing from Jamaica, he knows the black spirituals of the African American experience very well.  (A popular one also offering  devotions on the spirituals is one to be used during Lent called Never Said a Mumbalin’ Word.) These old spirituals are songs of abiding faith passed down through centuries, that offer “a remarkable view of resilience, courage, and love. Formed in the crucible of fire, these songs express the suffering and horror of slavery as well as the love of God and the promise of a better future.” There are 31 readings, with lines from the spirituals linked to Biblical texts, a closing reflection question and closing prayer.

Arise to Blessedness: A Journal Retreat with Eight Modern Saints Who Lived the Beatitudes  Jen Norton (Ave Maria Press) $18.95  OUR SALE PRICE = $15.16

This Catholic writer and artist did a colorful devotional based on eight modern saints — some I had not heard of — based on their life of witness to the countercultural teachings of the Sermon on the Mountain. As they embodied the Beatitudes, they inspire us, and this book with illustrations and graphics and swirls of color invite readers to journal, write, draw, and color. There are some lectio visio type experiences, prayers to ponder, guidance as you “arise to blessedness” inspired by the likes of Saints Oscar Romero, Mark Ji Tianxiang, Elizabeth Ann Seton, and more.

Word by Word: A Daily Spiritual Practice  Marilyn McEntyre (Eerdmans) $19.99  OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

You know we are often touting the wise and well-stewarded words of this essayist, author, poet, and devotional writer. From her excellent and important little book Doctor to her When Poets Pray, from her Lenten book When Words Alight to her most famous Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies she is an author our BookNotes readers and friends of our work here generally admire. This book explores the very power of language, and how it can (in the words of Shauna Niequist in her acclamation about her love of the book) “heal and instruct us, challenge and shape us.”

There are fifteen chapters, each with a one-word title, evoking themes such as listen, receive, enjoy, accept, follow, rejoice, dare, leave, welcome, and more. There are seven days of rumination on that word so you work and pray with one topic per week, with eloquent daily guidance.  It’s a lovely, rich, thoughtful work.

Unfolding Grace: 40 Guided Readings Through the Bible ESV (Crossway) $19.99  OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

This is nothing more — and yet, how powerful it is! — than wisely selected Bible passages showing in forty sittings how to read through the core redemptive plot line of the whole Bible. This is a handsome hardback with the ESV text set like a normal book (that is not in columns or with interrupting chapters or verses. The table of contents shows the respective Scriptural passages; naturally, the evangelical scholars who arranged this are not saying that an “abridged” Bible is all we need or that other un-included passages are not vital. Still, this is a way to do a daily reading of key texts that hang togethers as the unfolding drama. There is also a nice black and white woodcut before each reading, which makes it handsome to use, enhancing the sense that every key portion hangs together and tells a unified story of grace and redemption.

Morning and Evening Prayers Cornelius Plantinga (Eerdmans) $19.99  OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

For some, a daily reading, no matter how handsomely created or winsomely written or Biblically astute, just isn’t what they need. Some prefer a collection of prayers. We have plenty, from the classic Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie to the poetic Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons by Jan Richardson to the remarkable prayer book by Shane Claiborne and others, Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals. And you know how we’ve promoted the three volumes of Every Day Holy.

If you are looking for well written, theologically aware, down to earth prayers with just a hint of traditionally classic rhetoric, I think these 31 days of page-long morning prayers and page-long evening prayers are hard to beat. Very highly recommended.

AND THESE —three volumes of Every Moment Holy. These are contemporary classics, must-have, extraordinary volumes. As we’ve happily explained often, they are prayers for ordinary stuff, bringing liturgies of litanies (two or more voice prayers) to daily tasks and special occasions. The linocuts are amazingly relevant (with hidden notes, sometimes, relating to the prayer for that situation.

There are a few for grief and death and illness and lament in the first one, and those, not surprisingly, got the most positive feedback (well, those and the one about coffee) so the second volume is just that, prayers for various occasions of loss and grief.

The third is special as it expands the “work to the people” beyond Douglas McKelvey and Ned Bustard to offer poetic, liturgical, and dignified prayers by various authors and black and white woodcuts and prints by various artists.

The first two are available in two sizes — the somewhat larger, leather bound hardback and the compact, personal size, soft, flexible, leather bound. Both versions are leather and both are richly made on quality paper, two color ink, a ribbon marker. The new third volume is only available in the somewhat larger, hardback style, in a rich, blue leather. These are stunning in their theological beauty and in their artfully designed and crafted with attention to detail. Once again, our kudos to our friends at Rabbit Room for this great gift which has blessed thousands.

Please be sure to tell us which edition you want, and which version. Volumes 1 and 2 come in two sizes/styles while the newer Volume 3 comes only in the larger, leather-covered hardback.

Every Moment Holy volume I – leather-bound hardback  Douglas McKelvey, illustrated by Ned Bustard (Rabbit Room Press) $35.00  OUR SALE PRICE = $28.00

Every Moment Holy volume I – leather-bound flexible softcover, personal size Douglas McKelvey, illustrated by Ned Bustard (Rabbit Room Press) $25.00  OUR SALE PRICE = $20.00

Every Moment Holy volume II: Death, Grief, and Hope – leather-bound hardback Douglas McKelvey, illustrated by Ned Bustard (Rabbit Room Press) $35.00  OUR SALE PRICE = $28.00

Every Moment Holy volume II: Death, Grief, and Hope – leather-bound flexible softback, personal size Douglas McKelvey, illustrated by Ned Bustard (Rabbit Room Press) $25.00  OUR SALE PRICE = $20.00

Every Moment Holy volume III – leather-bound hardback edited by Douglas McKelvey, art design by Ned Bustard (Rabbit Room Press) $35.00    OUR SALE PRICE = $28.00

Again, this new third volume only comes in the handsome, leather-bound slightly oversized hardback. The writers and contributors for the prayers and litanies are diverse and there are several artists who have contributed pieces, making this very much like the others, but perhaps with a bit more variety in tone and cadence. Like the others there are tons of prayers to recalls God’s presence and consecrate all manner of experiences, such as after a child has a meltdown, before playing board games, before teaching, for being single going to church, for when breastfeeding isn’t going as planned. There are prayers for sleeping, fishing, for mechanical repairs, for leaving ones home, for a child in foster care, for yard work. My, my. Very impressive.