Book Review: Thirty Days in the Land with Jesus by Charles H. Dyer

From a barnyard manger to the Sea of Galilee, Charles Dyer takes readers on a 30 day devotional journey through the land of Israel. We get to imagine stories in the Gospels in the context and location where they actually happened. It’s easy as an American in modern culture to take things for granted, or to not realize the intimate setting where an event took place or how incredible something was because we see it through the filter of our own culture.

Thirty Days in the Land with Jesus is a theologically sound and eye opening devotional. The passages examined are all familiar stories, but the author sheds new light on them with pictures and descriptions of the geographical area and context of when they took place. Clues in the passages that are usually overlooked give detail I never saw before. I finished the book with a strong desire to visit the Holy Land someday, even though much of the area has changed, including boundaries between countries.

I can easily recommend this devotional to any Christian! It is only a 30 day devotional so it isn’t hard to get through at all! I do suggest starting each devotional by actually reading the cited Biblical passage as it sets the scene. It’s tempting to skip them, as the stories are familiar, but I gained so much more by reading them first. I could also see using this book as a family devotional for a month, discussing it with my children afterwards.

I received this book for free from the publisher through the Moody Publishers blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions and thoughts I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255