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Devoted Heart: A Modern Nativity
The retelling of the birth of Jesus as if it happened today. Seen through the eyes of Joseph's questioning yet devoted heart, the story strips away the layers of traditional varnish to capture the true love and fear of a young, unmarried couple who learn they are giving birth to the savior of all mankind. In this prequel to the best-selling Eli , Devoted Heart replaces been-there, know-it-all clichés with the powerful emotion and riveting drama of the real Gospel.
200 pages, Paperback
Published September 5, 2017
23 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Bill Myers
332 books394 followersBill Myers was born into a Christian home, and although as a child he became bored with Christianity, he decided at the University of Washington quote, to "make God my boss." Ironically, at the University his worst subject was writing. He claims to have prayed, and said that he would be able to do anything for God, except write. Even so, he has become a prominent Christian writer, and has a large amount of successful books and films to his credit.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 30, 2017
A very sweet modern re-telling of the Nativity story, that makes the story more real to the reader. It's definitely very short, I would have liked it better had it included Mary's portion of the story rather than mainly Joseph's POV. I loved the parts about the shepherds, and I found the birth portion to be the most realistic and it made me think about how it really was--the Bible doesn't go into the nitty gritty of labor and it was definitely not easy for Mary in a stable. The part with the wise men/kings was more far fetched than I would have liked too.
January 5, 2018
A refreshing take on the Christmas story. I really enjoyed this book. Makes you see it differently from the perspective of Mary and Joseph in today’s modern world.
December 9, 2018
Bill Myers loves bringing a fresh essence to the New Testament in his stories. I'm particularly enjoying his "Eli Series" of novellas where he has plopped the heroes of the Gospels into a modern day teenage world.
In this story we see Joey Shepherd return from a tour of Afghanistan to find his child crush, Mary McDermott, pregnant. He's miffed believing she has slept with a bloke and got herself pregnant. Until he has a dream, Like the Gospel version, Gabriel appears one night and tells Joey Mary is carrying the Saviour of the world.
Then the story follows a similar path except in a modern take, so we have Mexicans as shepherds and a bunch of wealthy foreigners as the 3 wise men.
It's a good re-telling but lacked some of the wonder and innocence of the true account. I also would have liked to have seen greater emphasis on Mary's POV as this is especially powerful in Luke chapters 1 & 2. It was hard to adjust to the significance of Jesus coming for the first time 2,000 years later ... kind of didn't have the same impact.
But it was a good quick read and Bill's writing is always strong.
In this story we see Joey Shepherd return from a tour of Afghanistan to find his child crush, Mary McDermott, pregnant. He's miffed believing she has slept with a bloke and got herself pregnant. Until he has a dream, Like the Gospel version, Gabriel appears one night and tells Joey Mary is carrying the Saviour of the world.
Then the story follows a similar path except in a modern take, so we have Mexicans as shepherds and a bunch of wealthy foreigners as the 3 wise men.
It's a good re-telling but lacked some of the wonder and innocence of the true account. I also would have liked to have seen greater emphasis on Mary's POV as this is especially powerful in Luke chapters 1 & 2. It was hard to adjust to the significance of Jesus coming for the first time 2,000 years later ... kind of didn't have the same impact.
But it was a good quick read and Bill's writing is always strong.
December 30, 2024
In this re-imagination of the Christmas story, Bill Myers does what he does best: he delivers an ancient Biblical narrative wrapped in a familiar modern context. In doing so, he invites the reader to experience all of the nuance of the nativity account in detail. Time and distance have allowed us to forget what the Christmas story must have felt like to those who lived it. Devoted Heart is a timely reminder.
What I find most compelling is his decision to tell the story from Joseph's point of view. With Joseph, we get to spend time with someone who is often a background figure in our perception of the events of Christmas. More importantly, we have an opportunity to see the societal pressures, the difficult choices, and the very real danger that Joseph, Mary, and ultimately Jesus faced as Joseph led them through a maze of tough decisions.
What I find most compelling is his decision to tell the story from Joseph's point of view. With Joseph, we get to spend time with someone who is often a background figure in our perception of the events of Christmas. More importantly, we have an opportunity to see the societal pressures, the difficult choices, and the very real danger that Joseph, Mary, and ultimately Jesus faced as Joseph led them through a maze of tough decisions.
December 3, 2018
Modern version of the Christmas story
I thought this story was going to be a romance, but after an Angel visited Joe in a dream, I realized it was a modern retelling of Jesus's birth. The story kept me enthralled as I kept on reading to see how closely it followed scripture. I couldn't stop reading until the end because of the good storytelling. When I realized the author was just trying to give his readers the idea of what would happen if Jesus was born in modern times instead of closely following the bible, I just relaxed an enjoyed the tale.
I thought this story was going to be a romance, but after an Angel visited Joe in a dream, I realized it was a modern retelling of Jesus's birth. The story kept me enthralled as I kept on reading to see how closely it followed scripture. I couldn't stop reading until the end because of the good storytelling. When I realized the author was just trying to give his readers the idea of what would happen if Jesus was born in modern times instead of closely following the bible, I just relaxed an enjoyed the tale.
January 11, 2018
A modern re-telling of the nativity story. It is pretty good, if you like a "what-if" story, but not if you are against "Biblical fiction". Very short.
The author gives a sort of disclaimer in the introduction, which I thought was good.
The main thing I didn't like about this story was that Joseph doesn't believe in God. I don't think that God would have chose someone who did not believe in Him to be the earthly father of His Son.
Otherwise, I found it interesting. Something different. :)
The author gives a sort of disclaimer in the introduction, which I thought was good.
The main thing I didn't like about this story was that Joseph doesn't believe in God. I don't think that God would have chose someone who did not believe in Him to be the earthly father of His Son.
Otherwise, I found it interesting. Something different. :)
December 8, 2018
What might Mary and Joseph be like if they lived in today's world? Although we can only speculate, Bill Myers offers an intriguing look into how they might feel and act. Excellent story that makes one think more deeply about the nativity and see Mary and Joseph as real people facing trials and growing in their faith, rather than the idealized saints they are sometimes portrayed as. A gripping story.
December 2, 2018
You Never Quite Read This
Don't let the rough first chapter fool you. This is a book like no other. Well . . . not QUITE like any other.
Read it and see for yourself.
Recommended for all Christians, those who want to be Christians, and those who are not Christians.
That seems to cover the idea.
Don't let the rough first chapter fool you. This is a book like no other. Well . . . not QUITE like any other.
Read it and see for yourself.
Recommended for all Christians, those who want to be Christians, and those who are not Christians.
That seems to cover the idea.
December 23, 2018
The oldest story of true love!
This is a modernized of the true Christmas Day story! It is well written and totally believable! It is a poignant reminder to keep on open mind for the heavenly messages. GOD sends us many messages if we are open to receive them. Don’t take my word for it, read this story then go do your own study in GOD’s word.
This is a modernized of the true Christmas Day story! It is well written and totally believable! It is a poignant reminder to keep on open mind for the heavenly messages. GOD sends us many messages if we are open to receive them. Don’t take my word for it, read this story then go do your own study in GOD’s word.
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July 29, 2019Myers' short novel brought the original Mary and Joseph to life in a fresh way. After all, they were real people, young adults in an unbelievable situation, in a community where hardly anyone did, in fact, believe Mary's story. I also enjoyed the contemporary versions of the original "secondary" players who interacted with Mary, Joseph, and the new Baby.
November 18, 2020
A retelling of the nativity as if it happened today. Joey went off to war; he was gone 11 months. Mary waited for him but became pregnant even though she never had sex. Joey is hurt and devastated when he gets home and finds Mary pregnant. He decided not to propose to her. But, God had other plans and appears to Joey in a dream. A very good story that I would recommend.
March 25, 2019
Good
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2018
What if God had not sent His Son to Bethlehem so long ago? What if we were still waiting, and God sent Him to modern-day America instead? Joe Shepherd returns from deployment to find his sweet fiancee Mary is large with someone else's child. He loves this woman, but how can what she says be true?
This is a fresh take and somewhat gritty retelling of the nativity story. For a closer view of the development of Joseph and Mary's relationship I prefer the movie "The Nativity Story," but if you've never really thought about what it would have been like to be these two people, trusting God through strange circumstances and facing cultural backlash, this could be a way to examine this holy story anew.
This is a fresh take and somewhat gritty retelling of the nativity story. For a closer view of the development of Joseph and Mary's relationship I prefer the movie "The Nativity Story," but if you've never really thought about what it would have been like to be these two people, trusting God through strange circumstances and facing cultural backlash, this could be a way to examine this holy story anew.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews