Random Thoughts: Get Real with God, Others and Yourself: A Devotional for Young Adults
Steve Russo, editor
Barbour Books, 2011, 384 pp., $12.99
With brief, direct entries, this Random Thoughts likely will appeal to many teens, and considering that each page’s author mentions Scripture and gives practical steps for application, I applaud that. However, although the theme of randomness is appealing to the youth I work with, I wonder if it’s wise to encourage randomness. After all, God is intentional, not random. With that caveat in mind, this could be a good book for us with a group — for example, students could do the week’s devotionals and then, during group meetings they could discuss what God pulled out for each of them.
–Dave Stuart
Random Thoughts, edited by Steve Russo is a 365-day devotional that begins with a great premise: Help young adults whose attention is pulled in several directions to spend devotional time with God. While this is a great idea, most of the entries tend to be more on the shallow side with only passing references to Scripture. Example: One entry illustrates
–Benjer McVeigh
Random Thoughts is a book that is exactly what it claims to be — random thoughts. This devotional for young adults is full of great, short (every devotion is no longer than one page) thoughts on everything from cheating to clowns. With 23 contributors, these 365 devotions are filled with the beauty of several voices speaking truth into the reader’s life. This book is filled with thought-provoking daily readings; but as an added bonus, there is a Scripture and topic index in the back, which is great for those times you are looking for something specific. I would recommend this devotional to youth workers who are looking for a way to encourage students in their walk with Christ.
–Mike Kupferer has been involved with youth ministry for more than 10 years. He currently lives in Ohio with his wife and three kids.
Random Thoughts is a good devotional for new Christians who need to begin a quiet time. It covers many of the issues that are in the forefront of teenage culture. It gives practical insight to students about these issues, as well as Scripture references for students to further examine and read. Some of the issues discussed are self-confidence, purity, how to treat others, how to pray, being a good friend, developing a stronger faith and fleeing temptations. This is a great resource that gives students life application and biblical insight to the issues they face every day.
–Dr. Scott Newton, Student Minister, FBC, Moore
My thoughts on the book? In a word: Winner! My impression of the title is that it is spot-on for the content. This absolutely is a book for youth workers within their groups. The contributors to the book have spoken right to the center of where most emerging adults (ages 16 to 30) live. This resource is easily understood and up-to-the-minute regarding current trends. The daily devotionals are thought-provoking and definitely can lead to some great discussions.
–Pam Horton
Steve Russo has compiled a wonderful collection of devotionals for teens and young adults. They are simple, relevant and thought-provoking. It’s one that I would recommend to any young person. In fact, I have already passed it along to my teenage daughter. She says she loves it.
–Jonathan Tripp
This simple devotional can be a great gift for a young person looking to begin the discipline of spending time with God each day. It’s written by a team of authors and speakers who effectively share practical metaphors, but it seems more targeted to high school students versus young adults (as the subtitle suggests).
–Tony Myles, author, ministry coach, volunteer youth worker and lead pastor of Connection Church, Medina, Ohio.
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