OK, let me cut to the chase of it….. if you’re looking for a devotional… buy this book! Now! Stop reading, go to your local Christian bookstore, and buy this book!
I am very picky when it comes to devotionals. For the most part, I just don’t like them. They are either new, trendy and shallow or they were written 100 years ago and have great but hard to read content. We make it a practice to do devotions as a family in the morning and half the time, it is more about spending time together and showing Emily (our 4-year-old) that quiet time is important than having impactful experiences. Am I depressing you yet?
Only one devotional has ever satisfied me in all my years and that was “God Calling” by two anonymous listeners in the 1930’s. These authors wrote the book from moments of solitude and from the vantage point as if God was talking to them directly. I loved it! The version I got included a journal where I could journal my thoughts as I went throughout that year. The next year, I reread the devotionals and my thoughts from the previous year. It was awesome as I saw where God had led me during that time. I think that is why the name of this book, “Jesus Calling” stood out to me.
In reading the introduction, I learned a lot more about the author. I read about her journey, her travels, and her quest for personal intimate time with the Lord. To my surprise, she shared her testimony with “God Calling” and where it led her in her devotional life and journal. Then I started to sample through some of the devotionals that followed out of the 365 writings in the book. For the first time since “God Calling”, I found what I was looking for; deep content from someone who regularly experiences Him in today’s language that led me to be engaged with Him. These devotionals are wonderful and include Scripture references that drive you back into the Word. I am looking forward to digging into it deeper over the next year with a journal in hand. I haven’t done that in a while. Thank you Mrs. Young for reminding me how powerful it can be.
Why are you still reading this? Go to your local Christian bookstore and buy this! Jump in!
I received this book for free from Booksneeze.com by Thomas Nelson publishers in exchange for an honest review.
Emerging Conservative 
You noted that God Calling was written “as if” God was telling the witnesses directly. But they were not understanding it in an as if way. They were practicing automatic writing as unbelievable as that may sound. Jesus Calling seems to be headed down this tragic path as well.
Not good.