By Tricia Goyer
Tyndale House Publishers - 2013
Summary
In our instantly connected world, it’s surprisingly easy to lose our connection to God. This devotional taps Amish wisdom in order to help us draw closer to God and hear his voice. In The One Year® Book of Amish Peace, you’ll get a daily taste of Amish values and wisdom. Tricia Goyer shares her fascination with the Amish in a way that will inspire and encourage believers to carve out more time in each day to listen to God and experience his presence. This daily devotional contains interesting facts about the Amish, recipes, and information about the way the Amish handle money, rear their children, and center their lives on faith in God. You’ll be inspired to slow down and find ways to simplify so that you, too, can experience God in the ordinary.
My thoughts
The One Year Book of Amish Peace (Tyndale House Publishers) is an inspiring devotional, whether you're a fan of the Amish culture or not, for there is much to be gleaned from their lifestyle. There are so many things about the Amish that I admire - cheerfully working together, closeness of family, helping others in the community, taking care of the elderly, the practice of forgiveness, respect for those in authority, simplicity - and Tricia does a wonderful job drawing from these and more Amish beliefs and practices in this inspirational devotional.
The second part of this book's title is "Hearing God's Voice in the Simple Things" - and that is the perfect description of this collection. Tricia focuses each day on a different theme, beginning with a Scripture passage, then blending Amish culture with personal application. The book is very well written and filled with Amish proverbs and facts.
The One Year Book of Amish Peace focuses on the many interesting aspects of the Amish lifestyle and culture that we can take to heart. The meditation entitled "God Is Able," which looks at how they view people with disabilities, is especially touching - for to the Amish, "The needs of a family with a new baby who has medical problems are no different from a family's need for a new barn or for help with a harvest." This Amish proverb expresses their attitude: "People who care about each other take care of each other. It's not a duty; it's a pleasure."
Another meditation stood out to me because it asks how we can live in the world without loving the world. The Amish "believe that worldly things take our time and attention away from godly things." Selwyn Hughes, Welsh minister and author, sums it up nicely: "Life works better when we know how to glance at things but gaze at God."
The One Year Book of Amish Peace is a devotional that all will find inspiring and its appeal will go far beyond those who enjoy Amish fiction. Highly recommended.
Tricia
Goyer
"As I did research for [Amish] books, I found myself being challenged . . . and changed. No, I had no intention of leaving my 'modern' life, but I did seek to incorporate their peace into my own ordinary days. I've been more intentional in caring for my family. I've reached out to friends and neighbors. I've dug into God's Word to discover the peace He has to offer us, Amish or not.
"My hope is that this devotional will guide you to that same peace. Not simply peace in your surroundings (although we can take steps toward that, too), but peace - Jesus, our Prince of Peace."
Visit Tricia's website at triciagoyer.com to learn more.
This book was provided by Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.
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