Gordon Hubbell

Smashwords book reviews by Gordon Hubbell

  • Prayer Steps to Christmas: Daily Quiet Time Edition on Sep. 19, 2012

    Many Christians, and I include myself, have developed a love-hate relationship with the Christmas season. I look forward to it each year for the stirring music, rereading the gospels’ accounts of the Savior’s birth, and the warm traditions that my family and I observe. On the other hand, I am always appalled at the crass commercialism and the overemphasis on trying to be “jolly” while, indeed, life goes on and includes all the usual ups and downs plus, nowadays, Christmas stress. Any antidote is appreciated. Here’s a gem: L.G. Parkhurst Jr.’s Prayer Steps To Christmas – Daily Quiet Time Edition is aimed straight for the heart that seeks a dose of Christmas reality amidst the noise and the clutter. Thoughtfully reassembled from Rev. Parkhurst’s repertoire of bible lessons about the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, the thirty one devotionals included provide a spiritual anchor that is not only refreshing but organized and flexible. Each chapter begins with a short scriptural “nugget” that is conveniently linked back to the root text (both KJV and ESV). Next, several paragraphs, often using metaphors to help bring out the underlying meanings, delve into the historical and moral lessons the scripture provides. A “Prayer Step” then follows that focuses the devotion toward an individualized prayer on the topic. Finally, each chapter closes with “Thinking Further” – a mental action step for adding to one’s understanding of God’s word. Prayer Steps to Christmas may be taken as a daily dose of Christian “serum for the soul” or divided as the reader needs it or has available, in Rev. Parkhurst’s words, “Quite Time”. At $3.99 it easily fits in even the most taxed holiday budget and would be a worthy “e-gift” for sharing inspiration.