Beloved: A Devotional (A Homeschool Coffee Break Review)

Although our Homeschool Review Crew year has been pretty much wrapped up, some of us on the Crew had the privilege to review one more item - this beautiful devotional book from Zondervan. It's called Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women.

Zondervan is a well-known Bible and Christian resource publisher. For over 80 years, they've been bringing Bibles, best-selling books, curricula, and academic resources to the market. Of the hundreds of devotionals they publish, one of the newest offerings is this lovely hard-cover volume geared towards teen girls and young women. Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women has a devotional thought for each day of the year, each about a girl or woman mentioned in the Bible. The focus is on counteracting the negative messages the world gives young women with inspiring and positive messages from God's Word.

So I have been doing some reading in Beloved to get an idea of what it has to offer. I will be passing it along to my daughter for her to read throughout 2019 - she knows, so there's no surprise being spoiled here! It's such a pretty book, although more pink than what we usually choose! Each devotional is just one short page, with a verse or two of Scripture and a few paragraphs summarizing the positive example and lesson to be learned. The Scripture passages are about girls or women in the Bible, whether the well-known heroines like Ruth and Mary; or those that usually get far less recognition, like Jochebed and Martha. There are even positive lessons drawn from the stories of women whose names we don't know (the Woman at the Well or the Shunamite woman); those who get mostly bad press, like Tamar and Leah; and those who were wicked to the end, like Jezebel.  The devotionals highlight the women who did mighty things for God and show that their successes and beautiful character traits were the result of obedience and faith. There are lessons ranging from bravery, humility, leadership, and trust; to dealing with injustice, or bullying, or rivalry. On each page there's a little room to journal a couple lines with your own thoughts about what God is saying to you through the stories of these women.

I love this - applauding Martha's bold statement of faith based on her
sound knowledge of prophecy and theology.

What we liked best:

• first impressions matter, and this book makes a good one! It's visually appealing, and is just so pretty! Even if pink isn't your favorite color!
• short devotionals that provide simple Biblical truth about many of the concerns young women (and not so young women) face today. The lessons may be brief, but that doesn't mean they are shallow. The one page per day format makes the devotions manageable for reluctant readers or new believers, and for teens who might be intimidated or overwhelmed by longer readings.
• again, although short, there is enough background for the stories mentioned so that readers who aren't familiar with the Scripture passages referenced can understand what is happening and can read the whole story for themselves.

Our bottom line:  Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women would make a beautiful gift of encouragement to a teen girl or young woman, whether she's grown up as a believer or is new to the faith. With the confusing and often negative messages women are receiving from the news, entertainment, and media every day, how good it is to see that God's message is one of love, acceptance, and value.

Would you like to share this encouragement and inspiration with someone you love? Here's what you need to know:

Visit the website:  www.zondervan.com  and  www.Zondervan.com/p/Beloved-Devotional/

Pricing: Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women is available for $15.99 from several online retailers.

Age recommendations: Written with teenage girls in mind, but suitable for young adults and adult women too.

You can follow Zondervan on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube.

Visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog for more information and to read other reviews.

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