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!

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Refresh Your Faith: Uncommon Devotions from Every Book of the Bible by Lori Hatcher: Review & Giveaway


About the Book



Book:  Refresh Your Faith

Author: Lori Hatcher
Genre:  Devotional
Release Date: May 2020

Unfamiliar verses. Uncommon insights. Unlimited possibilities.

Move from biblical doldrums to dynamic discovery! While your favorite Scripture verses or stories may bring you comfort, if you’re feeling monotony in your time with God it’s time to shake it up a bit. Each of these 66 culturally relevant, story-driven devotions—one from each book of the Bible—spotlights an unusual verse or passage and takes only five minutes to read. If you have more time, you can dig a little deeper with an uncommon thought to ponder, unusual faith action step to take, and an unfamiliar passage suggestion that invites you to further explore the Bible’s hidden gems.
You’ll be challenged to think deeply, step out boldly, and grow dynamically, transforming your devotional time—and your life!

Praise for Lori Hatcher’s writing . . .

“Real-life inspiration and candid wit. These 5-minute devotions will change your life.” —Psychologist and best-selling author Dr. Kevin Leman

Click here to get your copy!

MY THOUGHTS.....

I love devotionals and Refresh Your Faith is one of the best that I've seen lately because each devotion is based on a different book of the Holy Bible. Author Lori Hatcher has written sixty-six devotions centered around scripture that is often lesser known and they all end with the same sections: Uncommon Thought, Uncommon Faith, and Read (even more Bible scripture to read)!

The topics covered include hope, trust, forgiveness, and God's love, but there are also mentions of pride, jealousy, and the poor choices that we sometimes make. I was especially touched by the devotion based on Lamentations 3: 31-33 and Hatcher's story of a friend who suffered a fatal disease as a result of poor choices. The "Uncommon Thought' of the devotion "Does God Delight in Our Suffering?" reminded me that "God never celebrates when the results of our disobedience wreak havoc on our lives. Instead, he weeps with us." Isn't it reassuring to know just how much He cares?

My knowledge of God's Word has certainly increased from adding this book to my devotion time and I highly recommend it for personal Bible study. I can also see Refresh Your Faith as a wonderful resource for a group Bible Study!

I received a copy of this book from the author and Celebrate Lit. There was no obligation to post a positive review. These are my own opinions.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

About the Author



Lori Hatcher is a blogger, pastor’s wife, and women’s ministry speaker. She’s the editor of South Carolina’s Reach Out, Columbia magazine, president of Columbia Toastmasters, and regular contributor to magazines such as Christian Living Today and websites like Crosswalk.com. Her book Hungry for God . . . Starving for Time, won the Christian Small Publisher 2016 book of the year. Find out more about Lori and her well-loved 5-minute devotions at lorihatcher.com.

Read a Teaser from Refresh Your Faith

The dirty little secret in Christian circles is that many of us are bored with our devotional time. We know we shouldn’t feel this way. It’s important to read our Bibles every day. After all, it’s God’s Word, the source of truth, and life, and hope.

While some have successfully built the discipline of Bible reading into their lives, others struggle. Even those who regularly read their Bibles find it a bit dry at times. Many of us also read devotionals, not to take the place of Bible reading, but to help us discover unfamiliar passages and stories and benefit from a godly writer’s perspective.

I wrote Refresh Your Faith because I was frustrated by many of the devotionals I read. They seemed to focus on the same basic verses I’d memorized with my children twenty years ago. John 3:16, Romans 8:28, Psalm 23, Matthew 3:5-6. Same with the Bible passages and stories. I treasure the familiar verses and stories. I’ve held them close to my heart during some of the darkest times of my life.

But I knew there was more to the Bible than these well-worn favorites.

I reached a point in my spiritual life when I needed something new. If something didn’t change, my spirit was going to wither up. My time with God shouldn’t be something I did out of duty. I wanted to delight in God and His Word.

So I asked God to help me. I needed something to refresh my faith and energize my Bible reading. Wow, did He answer. I’d been reading through the Bible every year for more than a decade, but all of a sudden, the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to passages I’d never noticed before.

These uncommon verses sparkled like gems. The more I read, the more I spotted them, tucked into obscure stories and buried under genealogies and census reports. I found some hiding out in plain sight—golden nuances and nuggets in the shadows of the more familiar stories.

Refresh Your Faith, Uncommon Devotions from Every Book of the Bible is a collection of the treasure I unearthed during my year of searching. Each story-driven devotion contains an unusual verse, a real-life application, and an uncommon faith step.

I hope my book will energize your faith, inspire your devotional time, and make you say, “Wow, I’ve never seen that before!”

Blog Stops

Emily Yager, May 8
Mary Hake, May 10
God is Love, May 17
Marilyn Ridgway, May 18 (Guest Review on Lighthouse Academy Blog)

Giveaway

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Lori is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and autographed copy of Refresh Your Faith!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

4 comments:

  1. I liked the review, thank you.

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  2. This sounds like a wonderful book.

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  3. Wonderful review! Thank you for sharing.

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  4. Connie, thank you for your years of service as a librarian. (I always wanted to be one when I grew up.) Thanks also for providing such a comprehensive and thoughtful review of Refresh Your Faith. I pray many will be drawn ever-closer to our precious Lord. Blessings to you today!

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