Day by Day with God January to April 2012
Rooting women's lives in the Bible
Currently out of print £4.00Content
Day by Day with God are Bible reading notes specifically written for women. All the contributors are women and write from a woman's perspective. The entries for each day contain a suggested Bible reading, with the key verse written out in full, a helpful comment that engages heart and mind and a short reflection or prayer.
The regular team of contributors are all excellent writers. Whatever your current situation in life, you will be inspired and encouraged by these notes.
Published every four months (in January, May and September) and edited by Catherine Butcher.
The Editor writes...
Most days find me walking on the South Downs with our collie. There are dozens of beautiful evergreen holm oaks. Many other trees grow permanently bent over by strong winds, but holm oaks are strong and are rarely shaped by the wind. One in particular stands out for me, with a wild plum tree growing in its shelter. When the March winds blow the blossom off other trees, the delicate plum blossom is sheltered by the oak and, in the autumn, there are plums to be picked.
These trees remind me of the shelter God gives: the comfort, joy and hope that enable us to live a fruitful life. The holm oak and the plum also challenge me. Who am I sheltering from life's storms? Whose life will bear fruit under my protection? Will my life mean that people become part of God's family?
In my Bible, Isaiah 61 is headlined 'The Year of the Lord's Favour'. Jesus read from it in the synagogue in Nazareth at the start of his ministry. Luke records Jesus' matter-of-fact statement when he finished reading: 'Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing' (Luke 4:21). Two millennia later, at the start of this year, again Jesus declares to us, 'This is the year of the Lord's favour.'
Jesus died to give each of us the comfort, gladness and hope that Isaiah describes - to know his resurrection life bursting forth in our lives. This year, many people around the globe will receive the new life Jesus gives. Jesus wants us all to grow to be Isaiah's 'oaks of righteousness' - rebuilding, restoring and renewing where lives are broken and society is in ruins - and he wants us to be people who 'rejoice in their inheritance', who know 'everlasting joy'.
This year, Day by Day with God has a fresh new look, and the notes are available as an iPhone app as well as in print. The format may be different but the aim remains unchanged: 'rooting women's lives in the Bible'. A couple of years ago, we started the year with the aim of finding out what pleases God. I was struck afresh by the fact that God wants a relationship with us. All he wants is our grateful hearts. So this year I've asked the contributors to carry the theme of gratitude throughout the year. Gratitude is not just a fuzzy feeling; when we are truly grateful, our actions change. Make 2012 the year you get the 'gratitude attitude'.
In this issue:
Gratitude
Catherine Butcher
1-7 January
Ephesians
Diana Archer
8-21 January
God and me
Jean Watson
22-28 January
Eve: new beginnings
Abidemi Sanusi
29 January-11 February
Isaiah 27 - 35
Elaine Pountney
12-18 February
Silence and solitude
Wendy Bray
19 February-3 March
Death and dying
Sandra Wheatley
4-10 March
Leadership
Alie Stibbe
11-24 March
'I am the Vine'
Tracy Williamson
25-31 March
Easter
Christina Rees
1-14 April
Praise and thanksgiving
Lyndall Bywater
15-28 April
Still grateful
29-30 April
Catherine Butcher
About the contributors in this issue:
Diana Archer works as a freelance writer, editor and theologian. She lives in Southampton with her vicar husband; she runs courses for eating disorder sufferers and carers, and is the author of Who'd Plant a Church?
Wendy Bray is a freelance writer. She particularly enjoys surprising those who are tired, discouraged and sceptical with glimpses of the limitless grace and love of God through her writing and speaking.
Catherine Butcher has edited Day by Day with God since 2003. She loves using words to help Christians grow spiritually and put faith into practice. She and her husband Adrian have two teenage children and live in Sussex.
Lyndall Bywater lives in Canterbury with her husband, her housemate, her assorted guide dogs and a cat. She is passionate about prayer: writing about it, promoting it and training people in it.
Elaine Pountney coaches Christian leaders in spiritual formation and also facilitates workshops on 'Reclaiming the wonder of sexuality'. Currently she offers inspiration to a church plant on Vancouver Island, specialising in an exciting 'Parables in the pub' outreach.
Christina Rees is a writer and broadcaster. Her books include The Divine Embrace and Feast Fast. She is a member of the General Synod and the Archbishops' Council of the Church of England.
Abidemi Sanusi is a writer and editor of www.readywritermag.com, an online magazine for Christians who enjoy reading and writing. Her last book, Eyo, was shortlisted for the 2010 Commonwealth Writers' Prize.
Alie Stibbe works in Business Support in a College of Further Education. She is also a freelance writer and mother of four. She is married to Mark Stibbe, Director of The Father's House: Trust:www.fathershousetrust.com.
Jean Watson is a writer, a spiritual director and a director of a local counselling service. Her work has included teaching, editing and writing for different age groups and media - books, magazines, radio and TV.
Sandra Wheatley remains as active as possible, despite the constraints of MS and a wheelchair. She enjoys an extensive prayer ministry and has mastered swimming and praying at the same time!
Tracy Williamson is an author and speaker - part of Marilyn Baker Ministries, bringing a message of hope and assurance of God's love through Marilyn's music and Tracy's testimony, insights and teaching seminars.
Endorsements
Endorsements for Day by Day with God January to April 2012 have not yet been added.
Reviews
Quotes from readers of Day by Day with God:'I find it great to start the day with Day by Day with God. It focuses me on Him and gets me into reading His Word to us, so in a sense this is setting me up for the day that lies ahead - so bless your writers for that. I also find that the meditations and thoughts are often very affirming of what God is speaking to me about.'
'I love this little book and order six copies to distribute amongst friends...'
'I have taken the notes since the first issue and they are excellent.'
'Thank you for Day by Day with God. It's so good to read other Christian women's stories and to be inspired by them in our own walk of faith.'
'I find Day by Day with God excellent.'
Book details
- ISBN: 9781841016689
- Published: 01 November 2011
- Status:
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 144
