Thursday, September 1, 2022

Guest Author, Ken Tatum

 

I found this book insightful and interesting.



Devotions With a Friend



Devotions With a Friend contains 21 devotionals on topics ranging from basic Christian doctrines of grace and love to spiritual growth to seeing God through our tools to how we see those people around us.  Each one is connected to specific verses of scripture.  But, since God inspired ALL the Bible, connections are often made to other verses which provide additional insights.  A prayer emphasis concludes each devotional to guide the reader into personal conversation with God.

Many of the thoughts related in these articles came from specific events I have lived through, or from snippets of sermons, lectures, or readings which God has led me through.  They came to me as I was going about daily life, trying to be a good witness to others of God’s work in my life.  Not necessarily because I was doing that so well and deserved special insights from my Lord, but rather because He loves me and wants me to learn from Him and grow in Him.  I know God has spoken to me, not in audible words, but through hundreds, if not thousands, of little experiences.

Earthly family conversations can be brief snippets as we grab a coffee and Danish dashing out the door.  They can be long discussions over the state of the nation and world that extend through the evening.  But often they are discussions of varied topics while eating dinner.  In healthy, vibrant families, those are the conversations that draw people together.  We find out how another person’s day went, hear what their desires are, and share things we have learned from the day’s events.  For me personally, those are the most meaningful times of inter-relating simply because our relationships grow stronger through them.

This book of devotions is intended to be like those casual “meal-time” conversations among friends and family. My suggestion is to read these brief notes sitting at the breakfast table with a favorite coffee or tea beverage in-hand or in the evening in the easy chair while resting from another busy day. Think of them as having a conversation with a close friend or family member who is going through similar experiences.  I hope readers feel like they are talking with a friend.

However, the greater goal is to have the readers talk with their Lord, their Father who loves them deeply and has adopted them into His family.  The writings included herein reveal times in which God has spoken to me, a lowly sinner redeemed by His grace.  I pray that others will allow their Master (and Friend) to speak to them also through these writings, just as He has to me.

Christians need to realize that God will, and wants to, speak to them.  Again, maybe not through audible words, but more likely through any of the millions of activities that they are involved in daily.  We all need to be listening for our Father’s voice.  God IS trying to speak to us!

I did not write this book to give all the answers that other Christians need.  I am sometimes criticized because I ask a lot of questions in my writings and do not provide enough direct statements of what I want understood.  But I do that on purpose; the real answers to our life’s events must come from God, not me.  And to hear those answers we must spend time with Him.  I want these articles to lead people to spend more time with Him.

I chose the book title to emphasize that all Christians are to be family and friends, and we should be able to share with one another in our Christian walk.  But, long after I chose the title, I realized I had created a double entendre.  When we study His Word we are also talking with another Friend: our heavenly Father and Lord!

 

Purchase Link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BBQB5WLP/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3SJ7LO67ZS4H4&keywords=kenneth+e+tatum&qid=1661424023&s=books&sprefix=kenneth+e+tatum%2Cstripbooks%2C84&sr=1-1

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