About Me I am a retired librarian and I now support books and authors through my reviews.

I have always loved to read and I was able to share that love through my work as a public librarian for 22 1/2 years. I now promote literacy by reading, and then writing reviews. I love to support authors by sharing my reviews with others!

Monday, February 17, 2020

Hope for New Beginnings: Devotions for the Adventure by Howard A. Eyrich, Shirley Crowder: Review & Giveaway



About the Book



Book:  Hope for New Beginnings
Author: Shirley Crowder, Howard A. Eyrich
Genre: Non-fiction / Religion / Devotional
Release Date: November, 2018

Hope for New Beginnings: Devotions for the Adventure – Stepping into any new beginning not knowing what is ahead, is exciting and unsettling at the same time. Our Hope, as Christ-followers, rests in knowing that we do not move forward in our own strength, but in the strength of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. We pray these devotions will help prepare your heart to learn from the Lord as He affirms His steadfast love that gives the strength and hope needed to walk boldly into whatever new beginning the Lord has in store for you. These devotions will guide your thoughts toward the biblical truths presented in the background and focal Scripture passages. Each devotional has exercises (you will choose at least one to do each day) that lead you to interact with the biblical truths presented and gain a deeper understanding of the truths in each devotion. Biblical Counselors, when you are ready to dismiss a counselee, this makes a great assignment for the next thirty-one days, then have the counselee come back for a final check-up.

Click here to get your copy.

MY THOUGHTS.....


This is a book of 31 devotions that can be used daily for one month or weekly for 31 weeks. I have chosen to spread it out over the 31 weeks because Hope for New Beginnings is filled with so much to process and savor! Forgiveness, Discipleship, Death, and Hope are just a few of the topics shared and each devotion features the same format: Bible scripture, Contemplate the Devotion, Prayer, Interact with Biblical Truths, and Notes, Thoughts, and Questions. These different sections offer many ways to challenge our thinking and deepen our understanding of God's Word; I especially like that there is space provided to jot down our thoughts.

Authors Dr. Howard Eyrich and Shirley Crowder are both very knowledgable and they are able to share their knowledge in a way that is relatable to all. I highly recommend this book and I believe that Hope for New Beginnings can be used as both a personal devotional or in a group Bible Study.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. A favorable review was not required. These are my own thoughts.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

About the Authors



Dr. Howard A. Eyrich’s career has spanned more than sixty years. He has filled various roles including seminary professor and president, Pastor and church planter. He retired as the Director of Counseling Ministries at Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, Alabama;

He has served on the boards of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors, Birmingham Theological Seminary, Trinity Seminary, the Biblical Counseling Coalition, and The Owen Center, as well as various Presbytery and Presbyterian Church in America denominational committees to name some of major roles.

His publishing efforts include two books as solo author, three books with a co-author, and numerous chapters in significant volumes in the biblical counseling field, as well as articles for The Journal of Biblical Counseling and several other magazines.

Dr. Eyrich and his wife Pamela have two grown children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Retirement for him is a time for ministry. He writes, teaches, preaches, and travels for the Kingdom. He also enjoys the hobbies of model railroading, hunting, and shooting.

Dr. Eyrich is available to speak in conferences, fill pulpits, and for intensive marriage interventions, especially with ministries couples.



Shirley Crowder was born in a mission guest house under the shade of a mango tree in Nigeria, West Africa, where her parents served as missionaries. She and co-author Harriet E. Michael grew up together on the mission field and have been life-long friends. Shirley is passionate about disciple-making, which is manifested in and through a myriad of ministry opportunitie including: biblical counseling, teaching Bible studies, writing, and music.

She is a biblical counselor and is commissioned by and serves on the national Advisory Team for The Addiction Connection. Several of her articles have appeared in “Paper Pulpit” in the Faith section of The Gadsden Times, and in a David C. Cook publication. She also writes articles for Life Bible Study, Woman’s Missionary Union, InspiredPrompt.com and TheAddictionConnection.org. She has authored, co-authored, or contributed to six published books, and she has a four-book devotional series she co-wrote that is scheduled for publication over the next couple of years.

Shirley has spiritual children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren serving the Lord in various ministry and secular positions throughout the world.


More from Shirley


New beginnings are a regular part of life. Sometimes they are well planned, and we eagerly anticipate the future. At other times, we are reticent to move forward into the new beginning. As we think about new beginnings it is appropriate for us to look at the beginning of God’s Word—the Bible.
In Genesis 1:1 ESV, we read, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Here God is the subject, as He is the subject of the entire Bible. From this verse we learn something very important about God—He existed before the universe was created. God has always been, is now, and will always be, present.

Next, we learn that from nothing God created the universe and everything within it. He is the holy, sovereign, majestic, powerful, all-knowing God.

Every time I read these first few verses of the Bible, I am amazed that with just four little words, Let there be light (verse 3), the Creator God spoke into existence light that drove away the darkness.

What astounding power! From these verses, we learn that God is the Author of light. Other places in Scripture tell us that God is light itself (1 John 1:5), and James calls Him the Father of lights (James 1:17).

Think about it: here we are today, many years since God spoke those four little words, Let there be light, and as John tells us, The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5). The Light—God—brings clarity, order, and understanding, while darkness is seen as evil, void, and chaotic.

I watched the coverage of a solar eclipse on several websites. It was so interesting to listen as a myriad of scientists and others explained the wonders of the universe, and while the science behind it all was quite interesting to me, the coverage fell flat. Why? Because it was totally devoid of any mention of Creator God. Only one man explained the solar eclipse through the lens of God’s Word.

As he explained the science behind the solar eclipse, he also explained that THE God of the Universe who created everything that we see, holds the entire universe in His hands, and controls everything that happens, including a solar eclipse.

In the midst of a new beginning or anything else going on in your life, the truths in these passages are wonderful reminders that we can step confidently into any new beginning as we trust in the God who was here in the beginning, is here with us now, and who will be with us always. And what a comfort it is to remember that the light of God dispels the darkness and chaos of sin.

Blog Stops

Texas Book-aholic, February 15
Older & Smarter?, February 17
Inklings and notions, February 18
For Him and My Family, February 19
deb’s Book Review, February 20
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, February 22 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, February 22
CarpeDiem, February 23
SPLASHES of Joy, February 25
Tell Tale Book Reviews, February 26 (Author Interview)
Artistic Nobody, February 27
Just the Write Escape, February 28

Giveaway



To celebrate their tour, Shirley and Howard are giving away the grand prize package of a print copy of the book and a $25 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

4 comments:

  1. Nice review for this devotional that will encourage users. Thank you for being a part of the tour.

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  2. I'm always looking for a good devotional!

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  3. Thank you for your review. We pray the Lord will be pleased to use our devotion to encourage, teach, strengthen, and admonish Christ-followers.

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  4. Great post and I appreciate getting to find out about another great book. Thanks for all you do and for the hard work you put into this. Greatly appreciated!

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