I am privileged to have experienced this daily devotional based on The Message translation of The Bible written by Eugene Peterson. There are selected passages for all 365 days of the year and I'm a quarter of the way through it so far and it truly is the best daily devotional I've ever read and experienced.

First off, I've never actually read The Message translation although I love the contemporary language. I'm looking forward to reading all of the translations throughout this year and comparing them to my favorite NIV Bible verses. This book has given me both the opportunity to read a new modern translation AND experience the verses by doing a devotional. My pastor J.R. Briggs, along with Jan Johnson and Katie Peckham wrote the daily devotional content.

One of the studies I really enjoy is called Lectio Divina. It is a way of praying with Scripture that calls one to study, ponder, listen and, finally pray from God's Word. Mostly this involves focusing on a certain word or phrase from the text and meditating and praying over that text.

I truly find this to be an uncommonly great devotional. I spend about 15-30 minutes per day delving into God's Word and experiencing what God has to say to me. I highly recommend this book.

God Bless!

This Christmas, I found myself searching for a new devotional for our son, who is nearly a teenager. He has a very good teen devotional (Thrive), but it's shorter than most and he was ready for something different and daily.

My searching led me to Solo: The Uncommon Devotional. The book is designed for both adults and students, and neither will feel out of place. It is by Eugene Patterson and uses his Message Bible. When we gave it to him on Christmas morning, it was quickly clear that this is the best devotional we have ever found.

My son started reading it immediately, and every day since, and loves it. What's more impressive though, is that my wife became intrigued, read a few pages, and is now reading it daily. Not wanting to be left out, I did the same and am now enjoying it more than I have enjoyed a devotional before (and more consistently, too).

The book covers an entire year and you can easily begin anywhere and at anytime. It begins in Genesis and ends in Revelation, but it's a subtle rhythm that you're only vaguely aware of. In other words, it doesn't feel like a one-year Bible.

Each day takes just 10-15 minutes, but what I particularly enjoy is that most of that time is spent interacting with the text; reflecting on it, praying, sometimes writing or reading it out loud. Like the Message itself, it's written conversationally and is just a pleasure to spend time with. Solo is exactly what all three of us have been looking for in a devotional, and was easily the best $10 we spent at Christmas. Whether for yourself or a student in your life, I (well, we, actually) highly recommend it.

After a couple of weeks usingThe Message//Remix:Solo:The Uncommon Devotional I am going to put the book in my Goodwill box. The exclusive language for God of "He, He, He" is too bothersome to me and I find it influencing my image of God. I think the devotional exercises are useful and imaginative, not the usual "everything turns out rosy" sort of devotions but the language of the text is unnecessarily male imagery of God. I was familiar with The Message, having read it entirely, but I had missed this aspect until now. I can no longer recommend it to parishioners without a disclaimer about the language. I do not advocate for the complete exclusion of God as "He" but The Message//Remix: Solo: The Unccommon Devotional has no sensitivity to the idea of God as person.