Deeply Loved by Keri Wyatt Kent

The timing of this book is absolutely perfect because we are coming upon Easter and are already in Lent.  Although Lent means has sometimes lost its meaning with some (like "I'm just giving something up because everyone else is doing it and I want to see if I have the discipline to do it...plus, it's good to do."), for many Lent is truly a time where they spend more time in the Word and more time contemplating what Christ did on the cross.  This is a time to grow deeper to God and to see Him for who He truly is and for God to reveal more of Himself to us.

I'm very picky about my devotionals I use.  I don't tend to review a lot of them because I like them to be scripturally sound and make me spend more time in the Word than a book that gives me someone else's opinion of the homework they did while they were pouring over the passage.  I like studying it for myself and giving God the opportunity to open my eyes and reveal things to me.  That said, when I heard about this book and read the info about it, I was intrigued enough to want to review it and actually anticipated getting it in the mail.

I'm happy to report that this book has met my criteria and is one that I plan to use over and over again.  I love how the focus is on God and not on us.  I like that Keri wants you to spend time praying about specific things and meditation on those promises of God.  I like that she kept going back to being quiet and still, something that is so counter-cultural and probably the thing that everyone struggles with the most.  I also like how she reminds us to look for Christ in the day-to-day things we do and to anticipate Him working..  I'm thankful that she did not just focus on how Jesus loves us.  That's true, but she kept pointing you back to Scripture and finding out who God is.  Without knowing who God is, what His promises are, and what His character is like, your love for God won't grow.

I know Lent is almost over and Easter is almost here, but this is a great book to put in Easter baskets to do after Easter.  What a great gift to give someone....a guide that helps you understand more of who God is without you reading her opinions.  She does give a little devotional at the beginning of each day, but I think the "meat" of the day is the "Presence Practice" that ends the day.  That's where the work comes into play and the focusing on the spiritual disciplines.

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I received this book free from Abingdon Press in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.