Your Family Time with God

A Weekly Plan for Family Devotions

By John Maxwell with Brad Lewis
Christian Parenting Books

ISBN 0-7814-0240-9

Review by Todd O. Ross

Making Family Time Count

John Maxwell is making quite a name for himself in the areas of leadership and motivation. He has strung off a number of bestsellers including The Winning Attitude, Developing the Leader Within You, and Developing the Leaders Around You. He has enlightened millions of Christian and business leaders with his wisdom. Now, he brings that wisdom to bear on parenting and family life with Your Family Time with God: A Weekly Plan for Family Devotions.

Don't worry. It's not your average devotional. Too often an author will pick 365 verses, write some commentary and pass it off as a devotional. Maxwell and Brad Lewis, the editor at Christian Parenting Today magazine who helped write this book, actually put an enormous amount of thought into this one to make it unique.

First of all, Your Family Time with God is set up as 52 weekly devotions, each divided into Scripture, Memory Verse, Devotion Time, Prayer Time, Family Worship and Family Time Throughout the Week. Starting on Monday, families focus on a particular portion of the devotional topic every week day, adding up to about one hour per week. This is helpful because many families today need a little structure in their routine. But it is still flexible enough to allow for the most hectic family schedules.

Maxwell has chosen 52 family values as subjects for the devotions-from Attitude to Taming the Tongue and Kindness to Worship-and has written them to speak to the youngest and the oldest members of the household. He makes the lessons fun, too. For example, Maxwell compares bologna, with its not-so-pleasant ingredients, to our attitudes.

Maxwell even recognizes and addresses the difficulties of beginning a family devotion time; and this will be the hardest part about this book. "Doing devotions together as a family won't be easy," he says. "You will have to set aside and schedule time for it in your busy schedule. Some of your children may resist the idea, but don't give in or give up. It will require commitment to stick with it each week. But remember, it will pay dividends in the lives of your children."

And it will in yours.