John Calvin Presbyterian Church

Nov. 6th – Amazing Grace: Hymn Texts for Devotional Use By Bert Polman. This collection of familiar hymn texts offers readers an opportunity to read and enjoy the language and poetry of their favorite hymns free of the encumbering musical notation. Reading the hymn texts is spiritually enriching and will also enable the reader to sing the hymns with greater understanding. You can order this book at the PCUSA web store or an amazon.

Feb 26th – Songs We Should Remember, Truth We Can’t Forget: 50 Devotions from Negro Spirituals and Gospel Songs. Your Granny had more than “old time religion”. She had a solid foundation of biblical truth. And much of it was passed down through the words of Black sacred music. The Spirituals and traditional Gospel songs that the old folks used to sing are filled with wonderful truth from the scripture and priceless heritage from the Black cultural tradition. Songs We Should Remember guides you through 50 days of devotional reading to explore and celebrate the rich biblical truth found in Black sacred music.

Nov. 26th: Rise Up Shepherd! Advent Reflections on the Spirituals By Luke A. Powery

Valuable not only for their sublime musical expression, the African American spirituals give us profound insights into the human condition and the Christian life. Many focus on an essential scene of the Christian drama: the coming of God as the child in Bethlehem as the hope of the world and the liberator of God’s oppressed people.

In these devotions for the season of Advent, Luke Powery leads the reader through the spirituals as they confront the mystery of incarnation and redemption.  In Rise Up, Shepherd, each devotion features the lyrics of the spiritual, a reflection on the spiritual’s meaning, a Scripture verse, and a brief prayer.

Giving Together A Stewardship Guide for Families by Carol A. Wehrheim

In her follow-up to Getting It Together, Carol Wehrheim presents a concise, accessible resource to help families better understand the importance of stewardship: in the family, in the congregation, in the community, and in the world. Reminding us that stewardship is about much more than money, Wehrheim clearly illustrates a more holistic understanding of the concept to include careful consideration of the choices we make that show the role Christian discipleship plays in our lives. She skillfully analyzes biblical passages and identifies spiritual practices intrinsic to stewardship as a way of helping families respond to their call to be stewards in today’s world. Including both a participant’s section and a leader’s guide, Giving Together is ideal for group or family study.

Advent in Narnia Reflections for the Season By Heidi Haverkamp

Walking into Advent can be like walking through the wardrobe. 

With its enchanting themes of snow and cold, light and darkness, meals and gifts, temptation and sin, forgiveness and hope “and even an appearance by Father Christmas “C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe fits naturally into the Advent season. As the reader seeks a storied king and anticipates the glorious coming of Christmas, these twenty-eight devotions alternate between Scripture and passages from the novel to prompt meditation on Advent themes. Each devotion also includes questions for reflection. The book also provides several

April  2nd –  Awaken to Rest: Daily words of comfort and hope The Lord wants your freedom and for you to feel the joy in His heart for you. Listen to the words in this book to jumpstart a deeper relationship with Him. Sink into His vision of you. See that you are a canvas where He is creating a beautiful life. The finished work of the Cross secured your liberty into a radically new existence.

As you read these messages daily, let them awaken you to truths that are liberating. Awakening to His rest is the key to fulfillment and peace. Striving and anxiously trying to control your life is a dead-end that leads nowhere. Come into the open pasture and lean against the heart of your Creator. Allow Him to show you a new and better way.

April 9th – Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals Designed to help individuals, families, and congregations pray together across denominations, this book of common prayer will help you and your community join together each day with the same songs, scriptures, and prayers. Composed under an advisory team of liturgy experts, these three influential and inspiring authors have created Common Prayer–a tapestry of prayer that will help the church be one as God is one.

April 16th – A Rhythm of Prayer: A Collection of Meditations for Renewal It’s no secret that we are overworked, overpressured, and edging burnout. Unsurprisingly, this fact is as old as time—and that’s why we see so many prayer circles within a multitude of church traditions. These gatherings are a trusted space where people seek help, hope, and peace, energized by God and one another

April  23rd – Imaginative Prayer: A Yearlong Guide for Your Child’s Spiritual Formation by Jared Patrick Boyd

How do we help our kids connect with God? Most parents want their kids to learn to love God. But most of us struggle to facilitate real 

spiritual experiences. It’s hard enough to have a meaningful conversation with our kids about spiritual things, let alone help them experience true transformation in the presence of God. Jared Patrick Boyd discovered that children’s spiritual formation is rooted in th

e imagination. When we lead our children through guided times of imaginative prayer, they can experience a connection with God that transcends mere Bible knowledge or doctrinal content. This unique resource provides six units of weekly guided imaginative prayer, themed around core topics: God’s love, loving others, forgiveness, God as king, the good news of God, and the mission of God. Each unit has six sessions, providing a yearlong experience of spiritual formation for children ages five to thirteen. Through imaginative prayer, you can help your child connect with God. As you do so, you may find yourself connecting more closely with your child, and your own formation as a parent will deepen into greater awareness of God’s work in your lives.

March 26th – Pentecost: This Story is Our Story: Robert Menzies lays out clear, compelling, and concise truths about the relevance of the Pentecostal experience for Christ’s followers today, tomorrow, and the day after that. He does not agonize over whether this experience is right or wrong…he explains simply and clearly that the story of Pentecost found in the book of Acts is the story of every believer. With a keen intellectual presentation that is both informative and intriguing, he explains that Pentecostalism is Christ-centered and Bible-based. It is the model for the mission of the church.

Bonus: 

Tongues of Fire: 40 Devotional Insights for Today’s Church from the Book of Acts The book of Acts was a thrilling time for the early church. Now you can capture the excitement and passion of the first-century Christians in this devotional Bible study designed to take you through the book of Acts. In Tongues of Fire: 40 Devotional Insights for Today’s Church from the Book of Acts, you’ll connect the biblical narrative with today’s reality in 40 easy-to-read reflections about Christian life and church.

Discover how the Spirit moved through early believers’ lives, how the Gospel spread, and what we can learn as the body of Christ today. Through forty daily devotionals, you’ll gain insights that can help guide your faith and expand your spiritual practices as you uncover how this book influences Jesus’s followers two millennia later.

Tongues of Fire challenges us to seek answers on what today’s church can learn from Jesus’s first followers and how they moved under the Holy Spirit’s power. This easy-to-read Bible study will give you forty days of devotional insights that can help you grow in your faith and discover how to celebrate the role of the Holy Spirit then and now. It will encourage you toward deeper community and an effective personal ministry. Perfect for women, men, or small groups.

Feb 5th – Let Justice Roll: Biblical Devotions on Conscience and Justice

“Let Justice Roll” is a compelling devotional that walks the reader through 365 days of biblical insights in freedom of conscience, and social justice. This compilation of articles represents the work of a nationwide network of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty (PARL) advocates and other connected community activists.

The components of conscience and justice ministry include conscience, discipleship, engagement, fellowship, the power of the Holy Spirit, love, and prophecy. This is a must-read book for all followers of Christ and those who seek spiritual growth. Get ready to explore the profound biblical insights in this masterful book.

Feb 12th – African American History & Devotions: Readings and Activities for Individuals, Families, and Communities: Twenty-eight devotions for individuals, families, or small groups, including a scripture verse, a reflection on the scripture, related activities for each day, and a prayer. This intergenerational devotional is great for use during Black History Month, but can be used at any time.

Feb 19th – On Love and Mercy: A Social Justice Devotional A hopeful and Christ-centered devotional for Christians who know social justice to be a good and holy endeavor. On Love and Mercy is a 60-day devotional that invites readers to expand their vision of both personal faith in God and the redemptive and saving work of social action. Each day’s entry offers Christians who long to see justice and equity within society with a much-needed source of affirmation, solidarity, and encouragement. These heart-felt devotions bring readers hope and encouragement to embrace social justice as the Christ-like discipline that it always was and is meant to be. On Love and Mercy validates social justice practices within the Christian faith by centering the example of Jesus as the ultimate standard. Step into this journey and discover anew what it means to be devoted to Jesus and justice. This can be found on Amazon and Christianbooks.com.

Feb 26th – Songs We Should Remember, Truth We Can’t Forget: 50 Devotions from Negro Spirituals and Gospel Songs. Your Granny had more than “old time religion”. She had a solid foundation of biblical truth. And much of it was passed down through the words of Black sacred music. The Spirituals and traditional Gospel songs that the old folks used to sing are filled with wonderful truth from the scripture and priceless heritage from the Black cultural tradition. Songs We Should Remember guides you through 50 days of devotional reading to explore and celebrate the rich biblical truth found in Black sacred music.

Tell The Story: 40 Devotions with Reflections on Black History

May 7th – Contemplations from the Heart: Spiritual Reflections on Family, Community, and the Divine How do we find God in a world where God often seems to be hidden? How do we love one another and seek social justice? This series of theological and spiritual reflections on family and community helps readers see spirituality in daily life, exploring current issues such as global warming, environment, racism, child rearing, and sexism in relation to the church to offer readers new insights and directions for living as faithful Christians.

This book’s brief, daily reflections on universal concerns give voice to what many people feel but struggle to articulate, bringing emotions to the surface to help readers apply theology in their everyday lives. The book’s thirty entries make it ideal for a month of daily personal devotions or group study and discussion.

Devotional Spotlight: Do you want to grow deeper in faith with a Daily Devotional but don’t know where to start? Each week we will highlight a devotional book you might like to try. This week’s devotional is: 

Jan 1st Life: An Obsessively Grateful, Undone by Jesus, Genuinely Happy, and Not Faking it Through the Hard Stuff Kind of 100-Day Devotional Do you ever wonder if the Gospel is truly “good news” for your actual, everyday, often difficult, sometimes painful, and typically crazy real life? Well, it is. But sometimes we all need a reminder that God’s faithfulness really does follow us into the face of all that harried, hard, and even humorous stuff of life. In her new devotional LIFE, Lisa Harper gives you exactly that: a gut-level exploration of pertinent and redemptive moments in Scripture that prove God’s grace is more than sufficient for both the massive and the minuscule things of life. Whether we deal with personal loss, ongoing trauma, global crisis, or simply stuff, the Gospel is more than enough. 

Jan 8th Live in Grace, Walk in Love: A 365-Day Journey Join beloved New York Times bestselling author Bob Goff in Live in Grace, Walk in Love as he shares 365 days of inspiring, unexpected, humble teachings on grace and love that will prepare you for the year ahead. Built on Bob’s trademark storytelling and unique way of helping us to see things in a new light, Live in Grace, Walk in Love weaves together personal stories with timeless scripture, taking you through an entire calendar year of meditations. Each of the 365 daily devotionals center around a key scripture and combine Bob’s thoughtful analysis and a thought-provoking question that you can reflect on throughout the day.

Jan 15th April 30th  God Is Still Speaking: 365 Daily Devotionals “God is Still Speaking: 365 Daily Devotionals” is a collection of light-hearted, God-filled, and provocative devotionals for the person who thinks devotionals are “too religious.” Do you wonder if God has anything to say about what you face each day when you get up in the morning? Not sure that the Bible has much to tell you, but you are curious and willing to find out? The book includes relevant, brief, insightful devotionals designed to give you a powerful jolt each day. Each easy-to-read devotional provides a scripture verse, reflection, and prayer for every day of the year. Whether as a thoughtful gift or a personal resource, this book will encourage, inspire, and strengthen anyone’s Christian journey.

Jan 22nd Liberating Love Daily Devotional: 365 Love Notes from God When the world is scary and comfort is in short supply, Sandhya Rani Jha’s Liberating Love Daily Devotional provides a daily message of encouragement. In 365 “love notes from God,” dated for each day of the year, hear the voice of our loving God connecting your life with the Bible’s many stories of imperfect people facing real challenges. Drawing from all 66 books of the Bible, each devotion includes scripture, a brief meditation, and a word of hope, encouragement, and challenge that will help you foster a deeper relationship with God and with the great diversity of God’s beloved children. If you’ve never found a devotional for your inclusive values, Liberating Love is for you.

Bonus Books from other months that are full year Devotionals 

One Year of Dinner Table Devotions & Discussion Starters: 365 Opportunities to Grow Closer to God as a Family A daily serving of spiritual nourishment for your whole family. Between sports practice, music lessons, and homework, we can feel like our days pass by without ever really talking with each other about the most important matters of life and faith. This family devotional serves up a year’s worth of daily truths from God’s Word to chew on and apply to real life. Going beyond Bible stories, your whole family will enjoy discussing biblical words and themes at a level kids from 5 to 95 will understand and relate to.

Let Justice  Roll: Biblical Devotions on Conscience and Justice

“Let Justice Roll” is a compelling devotional that walks the reader through 365 days of biblical insights in freedom of conscience, and social justice. This compilation of articles represents the work of a nationwide network of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty (PARL) advocates and other connected community activists.

The components of conscience and justice ministry include conscience, discipleship, engagement, fellowship, the power of the Holy Spirit, love, and prophecy. This is a must-read book for all followers of Christ and those who seek spiritual growth. Get ready to explore the profound biblical insights in this masterful book.

These Days, Daily Devotions for Living by Faith. Strengthen your faith with These Days, an inspiring and uplifting daily devotional! Each issue of These Days features: Scripture suggestions, thought-provoking daily reflections written by clergy and lay leaders, Inspiring prayers, Adult coloring pages and artwork, poems, prayers, and songs pertinent to the issue’s theme. These days is available right here at church. 

Our Bible App.  “Our Bible App.” is an online and app driven source for devotions from a Protestant perspective. In fact for advent this year they are producing out advent devotional from last year. Holy Nights: Advent Through John. So hop over to the app store and download and enjoy our dictionary and many others to uplift you through the year. 

The Upper Room Disciplines 2023: A Book of Daily Devotions Center your heart and mind on God each day with The Upper Room Disciplines. Readings in this

year-long devotional will awaken and strengthen your awareness of God’s presence in your daily life. Each week a different Christian thought leader offers daily meditations, scripture readings, and prayers that will help you engage God’s Word. Based on the Revised Common Lectionary, Disciplines features: a focal scripture passage for each day, short daily meditations from 53 thought leaders from diverse Christian traditions, a reflection or prayer to carry with you each day, weekly scripture overviews, an index of scripture readings, and a guide to daily prayer.

Our Daily Bread. It is a calendar-style devotional booklet published by Our Daily Bread Ministries. The booklet is one of the most widely read Christian devotionals in circulation today. Each day gives you a short bible passage to read and highlights a main verse from that passage. This is followed by thoughts on the passage. It is written by a different author each day, and also features additional Bible passages for people following Our Daily Bread’s “Bible In One Year” reading program.So if you looking to dip your toes into the devotional waters this short pocket size booklet may be for you. Bonus, it’s available right outside the church doors. 

Devotional Spotlight: Walking in Grace – 366 Inspirational Devotions for an Abundant Life in Christ Walking in Grace Devotional holds 366 grace-filled devotions designed to offer courage, hope, and wisdom to women. This daily devotional is a haven of calm contemplation amid the busyness of life. Each devotional includes a Scripture verse, a devotion, a thought-provoking question, and a prayer. You can find this lovely book on Amazon. Bonus: the imitation leather version is on sale. You can also check out the Author Dalene Reyburn on right now media.

WEEK 4  Book Recommendations for Black History Month

February is Black History Month, a time that has been set aside to honor African Americans, who have contributed so much to society and the church. We celebrate the history and contributions of African Americans and we continue to be inspired by those who have worked to ensure that equal opportunities are offered to all people, regardless of the color of their skin. This is also a time of studying and reflecting on racism, as well as learning the important role the church is called to play in anti-racism. Each book explores the black experience in America and calls each of us to repentance, redemption, and reconciliation in response to Jesus. Most books can be found on amazon or Christianbooks.com: 

Jesus And The Disinherited by Howard Thurman, Vincent Harding

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of Stamped from the Beginning by Jason Reynolds (Author), Ibram X. Kendi (Author)

This is NOT a history book. This is a book about the here and now.

A book to help us better understand why we are where we are.

KID BOOKS: 

Lift Every Voice and Change: A Sound Book: A Celebration of Black Leaders and the Words that Inspire Generations by Charnaie Gordon (Author), Aeron Cargill (Illustrator)

With the touch of the button, hear impactful quotes spoken by inspiring Black Americans in primary source audio files. Aimed at children ages 7–12, a succinct profile of the speaker alongside an explanation of the significance of the quote and moment provide the context for each audio clip. A vibrant illustration of the speaker completes the picture.Through the included quotes, kids gain an age-appropriate understanding of the strides made in the ongoing journey for equality, from the early days of sound recording to modern day.

The voices chosen represent an equal number of men and women, historical and modern figures, across a variety of disciplines. Some are household names and others may very well be introduced to children for the first time! Inspire the next generation of leading voices by inviting them to listen to and learn from the Black leaders of yesterday and today.

For Beautiful Black Boys Who Believe in a Better World” by Michael W. Waters 

“Dad, what happened?”

“Why are they shooting?”

“What is this vigil for?”

The shootings keep coming, and so do Jeremiah’s questions. Dad doesn’t have easy answers, but that doesn’t mean he won’t talk about it—or that he won’t act. But what if Jeremiah doesn’t want to talk anymore? None of it makes sense, and he’s just a kid. Even if he wants to believe in a better world, is there anything he can do about it?

Inspired by real-life events, this honest, intimate look at one family’s response to racism and gun violence includes a discussion guide created by the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky, a multicultural center and museum committed to promoting respect, hope, and understanding.