The Beauty of Believing

The Faithgirlz series has a new devotional called The Beauty of Believing. Geared for girls ages 8-12, this 365-day devotional is a collection of stand-out entries pulled from several devotional books. Contributing Faithgirlz authors include Tasha K. Douglas, Mona Hodgson, Kristi Holl, Lois Walfred Johnson, Allia Zobel Nolan, and Nancy Rue.

The book is divided into six sections, each introduced by one of the contributing authors. They are: 

• Growing Seeds of Faith—(having the right focus) 
• God's Promises—(inner beauty) 
• Finding Strength in Hard Times—(faith during trials) 
• God Speaks to Us—(making Godly choices) 
• The Helping Body of Believers 
• The Beauty of Believing 

Each devotional short; most consist of only one page, although a few spill over into a second page. They are structured with a Bible verse listed at top followed by a short story or narrative addressing issues, questions, and conflicts appropriate for this age level. The bottom of the page has a gray box with an additional Scripture reference to look up, “Girl Talk”—a few personal questions that give the reader something to think about—and “God Talk”—a brief prayer. A byline marks the end of each devotion, letting the reader know the author and from what book the devotion originated. 

 Since several authors contribute to the book, the writing style itself varies a little bit. Some use more slang and a more conversational tone. Others focus on stories first with applications and insights that can be pulled from a situation, while still other devotionals start off with a more direct tone, highlighting a problem faced by preteens and going from there. While the overall theme is beauty, within that context readers address how to be a friend, loneliness, strengthening your faith, making good choices, how to deal with anger, self-discipline, and more.

What I Like: For busy teens, the structure of the book makes it easy to establish it as a quiet-time staple; in addition, the lessons are quick and easy to apply. As mentioned above, the topics are age-appropriate, which means most girls will be able to see themselves in the pages.

What I Dislike: If you’ve read other reviews by me, you know I don’t care for slang, which slips into some of the devotions. Slang can make a book feel outdated.  I believe using consistent quality vocabulary would have broadened the target audience by giving it a more mature, timeless feel.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 8-12.

Publisher Info: Zonderkidz, 2014; ISBN: 978-0310736172; Paperback, ebook, Kindle, 432 pgs., $12.99

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Special Info: Devotions are taken from some of the following books:

That Is SO Me: 365 Days of Devotions: Flip-Flops, Faith, and Friends (Or try the Kindle version)
Girlz Rock: Devotions for Girls (Or try the Kindle version)
Girl Talk: 52 Weekly Devotions (Or try the Kindle version)
Chick Chat: 90-Day Devotional (Or try the Kindle version )
Shine On, Girl!: 90-Day Devotional (Or try the Kindle version .)