Monday, October 1, 2012

"Together: Growing Appetites for God" Review


About the Book:  Christian parents have a responsibility to make sure their children know and love God's Word. But what if you struggle as a parent to read the Bible yourself? How can you pass a love for God's Word along to your children if you struggle with it? That was Carrie Ward's story -- until God gave her a plan to help her develop a consistent time in the Word, right along with her children. Readers will walk together with Carrie Ward, an everyday mama, as she journeys through the Bible with her small children one chapter a day. As her children re-enact the Bible stories, readers will be able to see Scripture through the eyes of a child. Parents will learn how to impart God's truth to their children day by day, and will see its transformative power on their families. Together: Growing Appetites for God is an easy read and includes helpful tools for scripture memorization and charts to follow progress through the Bible.


About the Author:  Carrie Ward, her husband Wes, and their four children make their home in Michigan. Join Carrie and other every day mamas at www.AnEveryDayMama.com.




My Take:
For as long as I have been a Christian, I have struggled somewhat with daily Bible study. I have done well during certain seasons of my life and not so well in others. I am someone who would actually rather take an hour or two on a certain day of the week and devote that time to deeper Bible study and prayer rather than doing bits and pieces every day. Being in an accountability/Bible study group over the last few months has really helped me in this area. I have been able to grow in my study of God’s Word, but - what about being in the Word daily?
I have done ‘daily devotionals’ in the past, but they sometimes seem to barely scratch the surface rather than really digging into the Bible. And doing ‘read-the-Bible-in-a-year’ plans have me reading so quickly that I feel as if I’m not really getting much out of it.
Which brings me to why I got so excited when I stumbled across this book on NetGalley. Since I struggle with daily Bible reading, I know that this will influence my daughter. I had been wondering if I should be reading the Bible to her (and how), and Together came to me at just the right time! I was greatly encouraged by the author’s story in this book. I related to her struggle, and I became hopeful that if she could do this with her children, then I could, too.
So, my 3-year-old daughter and I set out to read from the Bible every day. I planned to start in Genesis, read a chapter a day Monday – Friday during breakfast, and I had no idea what would happened. We have not been extremely consistent, but we are reading most days. My 3-year-old listens and asks questions. She is excited to read the Bible every day, and it is such a joy to see her little mind and heart learning about our great God.
Together is easy to read, not too long, and very encouraging. It goes into a lot of personal stories, which sometimes felt odd, but I understand that it is the author’s intention to share her heart and her life.
My daughter and I have been doing pretty well with this. We don’t always read at breakfast, but on those days, we try to read our chapter after naptime. She is quick to remind me when we have missed our reading for the day!
I will give Together ... 4 ½ BookWorms.




Together:  Growing Appetites for God was sent to me by Moody Publishers through NetGalley.




Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Moody Publishers through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this is accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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