Lent Resources for 2019

Lent is around the corner!

Here are some recommendations 

for reading during this Lenten season.

For children and families, the 40 days of lent are a great time to grab a book and spend a few minutes each day or week celebrating Lent by reading together.  Here are two books that would be great:

Meet the Saints: Family Storybook by Lindsay Hardin Freeman is great for all ages. It contains twenty-four stories of saint for families to read together. The stories feature short profiles on monks, missionaries, prophets, doctors, evangelists, and more.  Settle in together once or twice a week during lent and start from the beginning - or pick the the stories that peak your interest.  We have copies of this book at the church if you would like to preview it or borrow. 

Growing in God’s Love: A Story Bible by  Elizabeth F. Caldwell and Carol A. Wehrheim is great for younger kids (ages 4-8 seems to be the target) and has 150 Bible stories divided into themes.  I would recommend picking a story to read everyday from the sections about Jesus' life and teachings.  At the end of each story there are three simple reflection questions - Hear, See, and Act that will prompt conversation about the story.  Take a trip through the table of contents of this story bible and pick what you like. Themes include Strong Men and Women, Listening for God, Parables, and Healings and Miracles.  I have a copy of this one at the church if you would like to preview it! (Wehrheim is also author, editor of the Sunday school curriculum that we use at Sixth Church called  "Feasting on the Word.") 

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For Adults: 

Presbyterian Today's 2019 Lent Devotional is called Awakening to God's Beauty: A Lenten Invitation to pray with art. The text, meditations and original photography are the work of the Rev. Krin Van Tatenhove, long-time Presbyterian pastor, hospice chaplain, substance abuse counselor, traveler, photographer, and storyteller. The devotional contains a variety of original photograph with a short   short guided meditation for each day during Lent. We will have a limited amount of copies available at the church. You can also order it  here

The Poetry of Lent: A Lenten Companion to Mary Oliver's "Devotions" is a weekly devotional created by the SALT Project. This is a down loadable six-week devotional that features passages of scripture and meditations on key Lenten themes centered around poems from Mary Oliver's collection, Devotions. We will have copies of this devotional along with the selected poems available in the church office.

God is on the Cross: Reflections on Lent and Easter by Dietrich Bonhoeffer has 
forty-seven  devotions that move move thematically through the weeks of Lent and Easter, with  themes of prayerful reflection, self-denial, temptation, suffering, and the meaning of the cross. Passages are taken from  Bonhoeffer's letters and sermons.   

Where You There? Lenten Reflections on the Spirituals by Luke A. Powery uses African American spirituals as the basis of the devotions to take you through Lent. Each selection includes the lyrics of the spiritual, a reflection by the author on the spiritual’s meaning, a Scripture verse related to that meaning, and a brief prayer.

Lent for Everyone: Luke, Year C by N.T. Wright guides you  from Ash Wednesday to the week after Easter.  By the end of the book readers will have been through the entirety of Luke, along with Psalm readings for each Sunday. 

Forgiveness: A Lenten Study by Marjorie J. Thompson is a six-chapter study on forgiveness. The brief chapters could be read one each week during  Lent, and help to deepen the reader's understanding and practice of forgiveness.  A study guide is also included at the back of the book that is appropriate for either individual reflection or group discussion. 










(Unless otherwise noted,  these books should be available to order through your favorite local bookstore or book vendor.)