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Finding Jesus on Upside Down Days: Family Devotions from the Barnyard
By Jill Miller, Illustrated by Brad Woodard
In Finding Jesus on Upside Down Days, Jill Miller gives heartwarming, intimate glimpses of her life on the farm. But more than this, as Jill takes care of her animals, enjoying what the Creator has made, God takes her upside-down soul and sets it right-side up.
Designed as a 52-week family devotional, readers of all ages and abilities will enjoy this illustrated collection of stories starring Jill’s farm animals and pets. Each story has an accompanying Bible verse that reinforces the story’s theme, encouraging the reader to see God in daily life. Readers will be able to comprehend the truths of the Bible in deep ways, to discover and experience Jesus, and to know his amazing love for them at a new level. Through reading these stories together, families will be drawn closer to Jesus and to each other.
In writing the stories, Jill had her adult daughter with autism and her grandchildren in mind. “I wanted my grandkids to love the things I love—most of all Jesus. I believe God gave me the ideas for the stories while I was in the barn with the animals doing the ordinary things and discovering a God that cares about all things! The fun, the hard and the crazy.”
Many days seem to be upside down. Topsy-turvy. Right from the get-go, the day seems out of control. But in the craziness, there can be peace. Psalm 37:23 says, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives” (NLT).
When I go out to the barnyard every day, God pops those “details” into my head. As I take care of the animals and see all he has made, he takes my upside-down soul and sets it right-side up.
Finding Jesus on Upside Down Days
“Finding Jesus on Upside Down Days” is 52 weeks of barnyard stories that connect everyday life on the farm to biblical truths from the Bible. I love that it teaches the gospel using everyday problems and situations with heartwarming stories from farm animals and fun illustrations. This devotional will delight the whole family and draw you closer to Jesus and each other. It’s a great reminder of God’s kindness, goodness, and nearness. I love how it shows how God takes our upside-down souls and sets them right side up. I highly recommend this great family read, and I think it’s beautiful for teaching and training little hearts and minds to look at the world through the lens of the gospel. Sometimes during our day, we need a change of perspective, and this is the perfect devotional for families to dig in together to make everything right side up!
I have received this product from New Growth Press in exchange for my honest and unbiased product review; all opinions are my own.*
About the Author:
Jill Miller has spent the past thirty years discipling and ministering to students with disabilities and is committed to developing materials for teachers, parents, and caregivers who want to share the love of Jesus to use with them. Due in part to experiences with her own daughter, she has also started two businesses aimed at employing individuals affected by disability. Jill is a mother of six, wife of Paul Miller, Grammy of many, and lives in rural Pennsylvania. She is the author of Finding Jesus on Upside Down Days.
About the Illustrator:
Brad Woodard, BFA, has been illustrating his entire life, but decided on a major in graphic design at college. Post-college, while working as a designer, he rediscovered his love for illustration. Eventually and naturally, Brad’s illustrating and design fused together. He and his wife now run their own design and illustration studio, Brave the Woods. In addition to working with major brands, Brad shares his expertise via lectures, workshops, and online courses. He is the illustrator for Finding Jesus on Upside Down Days and Why Do We Say Thank You?
This is such a great book for the kids.