“A Year With Jesus” by R.P. Nettelhorst
This book is a devotional based on the idea that the best
way to get to know someone is to spend time with them. The reader is invited to spend one year with
Jesus. Nettelhorst uses a variety of
translations for this purpose. The
format: the top of the page is the Scripture while the bottom of the page is
the devotional. The days are numbered
but no dates are given (e.g. “Day 192”)
Many of the devotionals have interesting historical bits
that put what Jesus said into context.
There are generally some current cultural insights and very well thought
out applications. This is not a “fluffy”
feel good type of devotional… It has one intention: to know Jesus.
Bluntly put, some points are uncomfortable as the reader is
confronted with the truth about what Jesus is actually getting at… generally without
forcing or pressing the thought into a theological grid. In other words, there are no “stretches” to
say something or make a point. The clarity
of the devotionals will give us all pause to consider and reconsider how we
live, what we say, and how we deal with our attitudes.
The book cuts to the heart in many ways. As a pastor most of the devotionals I see on
the level of “Chicken Soup” or “Daily Bread.”
You will find some stories here but it’s mostly challenging meat, not
milk, in these pages. Again, this is not
the gentle heart-warming or head scratching stuff that has been produced
lately. This is a serious invitation to chat
with the real Lord Jesus Christ.
I HIGHLY recommend this book to you and personally consider
this a devotional master piece.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free
from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com>
book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review.
The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance
with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255
<http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> :
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