Skip to main content

Book Review: Homespun Devotions, Volume One

 


How do you read devotional books?  Sometimes I like to start my day with a hot cup of coffee and a short inspiration.  Sometimes I like to end my day propped up on my pillows with a cup of Chamomile Tea and a short story or two to relax.  If my husband stops at the hardware store on our way home, I usually tell him to take his time and I pull out a devotional book that fits nicely in my purse to sit and wait for him at such times.

 

Homespun Devotions, by Cheryl E. Smith, arrived in the mail and I can’t put it down.  I read it as I wind down before bed with tea.  It’s my go to choice for those times of waiting in the parking lot, too.  I've been taking more breaks in the middle of the day to relax so I can read another chapter!   I like stories that touch my heart and help me to reflect on my faith.  Homespun Devotions does that for me every time I pick it up to read.

 

I’m facing a challenge these days.  My raw emotions are a set up for encouragement from such stories of faith.  I feel inspired by this book’s beautiful messages of surrender, of persistence, loving at all costs, and stepping out of a comfort zone to lean on God for stability in the unknown. 

 

The story, Squirming Puppies, taught me how to hold and train a puppy in my hands to teach it how to trust and yield to its owner’s will.  I like the way the author ties it to learning to trust God rather than squirm into one’s own path during those vulnerable times of life.

 

Homespun Devotions is a book chock full of life lessons and written so beautifully, it leaves me feeling full inside as if I just left the café after a nutritious meal with a friend.

 

I highly recommend this book and I think it would make a great gift for a special occasion.

 

You can learn more about the author, Cheryl E. Smith, at her website, Homespun Devotions, where she writes devotionals.   She is the author of the book, Biblical Minimalism:  Following Jesus from a Life of Abundance to a More Abundant Life.  Cheryl likes to spend time with her husband and son in the mountains, sing and play bluegrass music and write.


Comments

  1. SandiSeptember 13, 2021 at 5:03 AM

    Thanks for the book idea!

    It is good to sit a spell, isn't it? Rest, read, and be encouraged. God bless you. Thank you for your comment on my post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownSeptember 13, 2021 at 5:25 AM

    This book is something I need in my library. I like to start my day with a devotional. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. DUTASeptember 13, 2021 at 5:36 AM

    I too like to read stories that make me reflect on the spiritual side of things, help me make the right plan and commit to it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mevely317September 13, 2021 at 12:37 PM

    What a moving review, Mary! Because I was cautioned not to drink coffee for 30 min. after taking my medication, I've begun using that time to prop myself up in bed and turn to my daily devotionals -- two very different, but meaningful books. Lifting prayers for the challenges you're experiencing ... God is in the details. Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  5. CherylSeptember 13, 2021 at 9:14 PM

    Dear Mary, how very blessed I am by your dear, kind words! May God richly and abundantly bless you, my sweet friend. Sending much love and gratitude to you and to God for the gift of your friendship.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Creations By CindySeptember 16, 2021 at 12:14 PM

    I love her book too! I actually read it in just a couple of days. I could not put it down! I plan to do a review on my blog before long and will do one on Amazon too. REAL LIFE, REAL GOD! I plan to read through it again but this time, I will use it as a devotional. But, I couldn't refrain from reading all of it at once when I got it! Love it! Hugs and blessings to you dear Mary. Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  7. BrendaSeptember 19, 2021 at 4:57 AM

    It is always good to be encouraged in the Lord through testimonies of others, as the scripture says 'They overcame him (the spiritual enemy) by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.
    God bless you Mary as we all endeavour to encourage one another in these troubling times.

    ReplyDelete
  8. ashok September 22, 2021 at 7:11 AM

    Interesting book

    ReplyDelete
  9. Rajani RehanaSeptember 24, 2021 at 7:58 AM

    Mind blowing book

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Trade

My best friend’s husband died, but she did not place her wedding ring in a draw.  She designed a new ring, an everyday kind of ring, and incorporated the diamonds from her wedding ring.  I cheered her on for her ingenuity to keep his memory close at all times. A gal in my critique group wrote about the best Christmas present she ever received.  She inherited her late mother-in-law’s mink coat.  She loved her dearly, but when she put on the coat, she felt like she stepped out of the 1950’s.  She hated the thought of it placed in a box and stacked on a closet shelf.  Her husband took it to a furrier and surprised her at Christmas with a brand new mink stole.  I choked up when I read her words of love for her mother-in-law and the beautiful mink cape she wore for a classy event in frigid Flagstaff during the holidays. The Spiritual Trade off I don’t have a mink coat or extra diamonds to create something new.  I do have some thin...
40 comments
Read more

Spiritual Sundays ~ Not Just For Prophets

I smiled when I heard Pat Robertson on the 700 Club make this remark: “Doesn’t everyone talk to God?” He was referring to the jab that Joy Behar gave to Christine O’Donnell, running for Senate in Delaware. Christine was asked by one of her supporters why she goes out on a limb defending her conservative Christian convictions in such a hostile campaign. “Because God told me to” she replied. And for that, Joy called her crazy because she hears from God. The cry of my heart is to be able to hear God’s voice. When God speaks personally, there’s nothing else like it in the whole world. I studied the 25th chapter of Genesis this week and noticed how troubled Rebekah was during her pregnancy. She said “Why is this happening to me?” She was referring to the jostling in her womb. So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her: “Two Nations are in your womb, And two peoples from within you will be separated; One people will be stronger than the other And the older will serve the y...
27 comments
Read more

Spiritual Sundays ~ Shalom!

On Monday at sunset we will celebrate our Jewish Roots for the 27th year with a Passover Seder. We have a lot of memories over the years and I always look forward to eating this special meal with its unique foods and order of celebration. One of my favorite memories over the years is the hiding of the Afikomen matza. The Rabbi, or my husband in our home, places three pieces of matza (unleavened bread) in three pockets of a bag called the Afikomen. The Afikomen is placed on the table with other elements. At the beginning of the Seder, the rabbi removes the middle matza, breaks it in half, and hides the half in a linen napkin somewhere in the room. Towards the end of the night, just after the Seder meal is eaten, the rabbi turns to the youngest person, usually a child, and asks him to find the hidden matza. He then rewards the child usually with some chocolate candy. We’ve asked Jewish people why this is part of the ritual and most reply that they do not know what it represents. I’ve rea...
23 comments
Read more