When my friend saw 40 Loaves sitting on my coffee table, she excitedly picked it up thinking it was a cookbook for bread. I told her it was a devotional as she began flipping through its pages, stopping at different places of interest to read. No, C.D. Baker’s 40 Loaves isn’t a cookbook for bread, but it definitely had the right ingredients to engage with the Bread of Life.
40 Loaves invites readers to take a 40 day journey into some of the toughest questions that plague to hearts of Christians (and non-Christians)—questions like “Why do I only pray in emergencies?” “Why does God seem silent in my life?” “Why don’t I feel safe at church” and “Why do I try so hard to fit in?” These are questions that have not only kept me awake at night—doubting my faith in God, doubting my passion for His Kingdom, and doubting my own salvation—they are also questions an unbelieving world wants answered.
While author C.D. Baker doesn’t have a neat and tidy answer for everything, he does good job of presenting his ideas in short three pages, which also include questions to consider (called “Food For Thought”) and a brief prayer from Scripture, the saints, or written by the author himself. Each entry is written in a friendly, easily understood manner that invites engagement with the text.
What I really enjoy about this book is this—the other day I was pondering a deep question in my heart. I just needed a bit of encouragement, so I opened 40 Loaves to distract myself. As I perused my table of contents, I saw my question there among the others. I turned to the page, read what Baker had to say, and I felt a little better. Did I still wrestle with the issue on my own after that? Absolutely. But I felt better knowing someone else felt the same way and presented a well-crafted, logical, and biblical answer to what bothered me.
This is a great gift book or one to keep by your bed or even to use in your own 40 day journey—a journey into doubt, fear, and questions—one you will no doubt keep taking.
*This book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.*
:: :: :: ::
CONTEST CLOSED
Guess what? The powers that be over at Random House have given me a copy of 40 Loaves to bestow on one special reader. Here’s how to win::
Leave a comment telling me your favorite type of bread—that’s it! As always, we’re opening up this question to Twitter and Facebook followers, too.
If you’re on Twitter, simply Tweet, “My favorite is [insert your fave type of bread here—don’t type that, actually enter your fave type of bread] What’s yours? Win the book 40 Loaves from @backseatwriter http://bit.ly/7NCOYx ”
If you’re not a fan of Backseat Writer on Facebook, fan BSW and then leave a comment telling me your favorite type of bread.
If you do all three, you get three chances to win (leave an individual comment for each thing you do because I’ll pick the winner by post number.) The contest ends on 12/23 at 9 AM. Winner will be announced here on 12/23. Make sure you use a valid e-mail address so I can contact you should you win.
Congrats to Kenya for winning 40 Loaves!!!
She is Beloved 
Mmm…Hawaiian Sweet Rolls are the best.
@clay Technically, you get another entry for FB 🙂 We’ll just count my response as your entry. 🙂