Authentic Living by Richard Exley

Exley's goal in creating this devotional was to renew our minds and transform the way we live. He distinguishes the intellectual and practical aspects of the Christian life and tries to address both. Each devotion includes a writing from Exley, a relevant verse, and a prayer. The devotions are short by design so they can be read in under five minutes. Exley covers a variety of topics and generally has a few readings on each topic. Some topics he returns to several times, such as prayer and money.

I would not identify these devotionals as intellectually deep nor particularly challenging. They would be suitable for new Christians or for Christians who have not read many intellectually challenging books on the Christian faith. Exley draws from books he has read, movies he's seen, and from Bible stories, such as Ruth and Joshua.

The devotions vary in quality and originality. The entire devotion for October 7, for example, is a quote from a blog he read. In one devotion, Exley tells the often repeated illustration of the high wire artist crossing Niagara Falls asking for volunteers to ride in his wheelbarrow. Potential readers should also be aware that Exley defends his pre-trib rapture view (June 4) and refers to his own charismatic experiences.

I found some of the entries repetitive, literally. For example, in the devotion for January 12, Exley writes about money, “I think money should come with a printed warning: 'Danger: Handle with Care!' Or better yet, 'Danger: Handle with Prayer!'” Then on August 6, “As I've said before, I think money should come with a printed warning: 'Danger: Handle with Care!' Or better yet, 'Danger: Handle with Prayer!'”

These devotions offer good general encouragement to keep at our Christian walk, especially for new Christians. Seasoned Christians may find the devotionals less challenging than others they have read over the years, as I did.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Richard Exley has been a pastor, conference and retreat speaker, as well as radio broadcaster. He has written more than thirty books. You can ind out more at www.richardexleyministries.org and www.richardexleybooks.com.

Worthy Publishing, 384 pages.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.