Review: The Gift of Psalms by Lori Jones

This devotional book caught my eye like few others can these days. Why's that, you ask? Well, it has a lot to do with my lifetime love of the Psalms. More than just a songbook without music, these texts explore the depths of humanity in joy, suffering, praises and prayers.

The Gift Of Psalms is a lovely package including a gorgeous hard-bound book and three compact discs inside the back cover. In the book, fifty psalms are laid out tastefully. Each one is followed by a one-page devotional text relating to that psalm. Of these fifty, you can listen to thirty on the accompanying CDs. Not only is each psalm read aloud by a professional actor, but following that comes the audio version of the printed devotional for you to follow along in the book if you want to. The selected psalms include many traditional favourites such as Psalm 1 and Psalm 23, covering a wide range of topics from declarations of praise and thankfulness to yearning, unity and pleas in danger.

The audio renditions are very well done by various readers and including the use of mood music in the background, so that you can imagine you are watching a movie, or rather in this case a recital. These are great CDs to play while doing things around the house, or to spend more time on while perusing the book itself. It would also make a great starting point for a small group setting or family devotions. I encourage you to take a look at this if you want a fresh take on the devotional genre, with the added spin of audio extras. Part of a series, the Word of Promise, this volume is particularly suited as a gift item and will surely be treasured by all who own it.

Go here to find out more about this book.