What do you think?
Rate this book
Liberating Love Daily Devotional: 365 Love Notes from God
When the world is scary and comfort is in short supply, Sandhya Rani Jha's Liberating Love Daily Devotional provides a daily message of encouragement. In 365 "love notes from God," dated for each day of the year, hear the voice of our loving God connecting your life with the Bible's many stories of imperfect people facing real challenges. Drawing from all 66 books of the Bible, each devotion includes scripture, a brief meditation, and a word of hope, encouragement, and challenge that will help you foster a deeper relationship with God and with the great diversity of God's beloved children. If you've never found a devotional for your inclusive values, Liberating Love is for you.
384 pages, Paperback
Published August 4, 2020
33 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Sandhya Jha
5 books21 followersSandhya Jha serves as founder and director of the Oakland Peace Center, a collective of 40 organizations creating access, equity and dignity for all in Oakland and the Bay Area. She also serves as Director of Interfaith Programs for East Bay Housing Organizations, where she organizes faith communities to advocate for housing as a human right and spiritual mandate throughout California’s Bay Area. Former pastor of First Christian Church of Oakland and former regional staff with Christian Churches of Northern California-Nevada, Sandhya is the author of Room at the Table, the history of people of color in the Disciples of Christ, and Pre-Post-Racial America: Spiritual Stories from the Front Lines on the subject of race and spirituality in America. She serves as a consultant with Hope Partnership and an anti-racism/anti-oppression trainer with Reconciliation Ministries for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She is a faith-rooted organizer with Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity (formerly Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice – CA) and is particularly proud of her podcast, Hope from the Hood, available on iTunes and at http://sandhyajha.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 12, 2020
There is a devotional book for everyone. They come in all shapes, sizes, and theologies. Some are tendentious and some are provocative. The point of a daily devotional is to keep a person's focus on God. At its best, a devotional invites us to listen for God to speak to the day.
Liberating Love is a daily devotional that invites us to listen to the voice of God, reflecting on Scripture, in ways that will challenge and provoke. It is the creation of Sandhya Rani Jha, a Disciples of Christ ministry colleague. Jha has written several books that speak to issues of justice, race, and community. All of that is present in this book, and more. The title is appropriate. It offers a message of liberation that is rooted in love.
There are "365 Love Notes from God" contained in the book, one for each day of the year. The devotional thought for the day is rooted in a particular text of scripture, usually just a couple of verses. This reading from scripture forms the basis of the devotional thought. What makes this book somewhat unique is that Jha puts the devotion in the first person, in God's voice. Thus, as we read, she wants us to hear it as a word from God. She asks that we not think of her being too presumptuous (audacious?) in doing this. While it may seem a bit audacious to do this, it actually works very well. Jha writes that her use of I in the devotion is "my imagining how God might talk about the scripture and God's relationship to you" (p. x).
As you read through the book, day by day, you will quickly notice a pattern. January 1 is a reading from Genesis 1:1-3 (Old Testament/Hebrew Bible). January 2 is Matthew 2:13-15 (the escape of the Holy Family to Egypt), and then on January 3, we're back in Exodus 1. So it goes, alternating between Old and New. If you turn to the back of the book, you will find an index of Scriptures. You will notice that there are five to eight readings from each book of the Bible. Thus, there are eight readings from the Psalms (150 chapters) and six from Philemon (1 chapter). So, by the end of the year, you will encounter every book of the bible, but those readings are scattered throughout the year. So, to take note of the readings from Philemon, we hear from this letter on February 7, April 2, May 26, July 20, September 14, and November 8th.
To give an example of what a reading looks like, I'll offer up that reading from Philemon verses 17-18. Using the voice of God, she writes: "My child who wrote this letter modeled what it means to vouch for someone who might not be well received on their own. Because he believed in his new apostle, he staked his own resources on backing up that man. Who our world could do their work better if you encouraged, mentored, and supported them and also lent them your credibility? Your voice matters and makes a difference" (p. 313).
In a concluding note to the book, Jha speaks to the way she engaged the text, prayerfully (and humbly). She points out that because of the way she laid out the book, she was taken to texts that at times made her uncomfortable. Thus, sometimes she had to argue with the text and thus took liberties in her interpretation. She expresses her hope for the readers, that as they use the devotional, it will help the reader "reread familiar passages in new ways, particularly in relationship to how the Bible is most of all a book on how to be community together as God intended." That leads her to conclude with her hope that as we use this book we "feel reinvigorated to be about the work of building God's Beloved Community here on earth by the end of this year's journey" 9p. 369).
As a reviewer, I read parts as if it was any book, reading several pages at a time. After all, I was reading it as a reviewer and the publisher would like to see my review before the year is out. At the same time, I used the readings for September as a personal, daily devotion. Thus, I was able to experience it as most readers will encounter it. I believe that it will prove valuable, especially for more progressive Christians.
Liberating Love is a daily devotional that invites us to listen to the voice of God, reflecting on Scripture, in ways that will challenge and provoke. It is the creation of Sandhya Rani Jha, a Disciples of Christ ministry colleague. Jha has written several books that speak to issues of justice, race, and community. All of that is present in this book, and more. The title is appropriate. It offers a message of liberation that is rooted in love.
There are "365 Love Notes from God" contained in the book, one for each day of the year. The devotional thought for the day is rooted in a particular text of scripture, usually just a couple of verses. This reading from scripture forms the basis of the devotional thought. What makes this book somewhat unique is that Jha puts the devotion in the first person, in God's voice. Thus, as we read, she wants us to hear it as a word from God. She asks that we not think of her being too presumptuous (audacious?) in doing this. While it may seem a bit audacious to do this, it actually works very well. Jha writes that her use of I in the devotion is "my imagining how God might talk about the scripture and God's relationship to you" (p. x).
As you read through the book, day by day, you will quickly notice a pattern. January 1 is a reading from Genesis 1:1-3 (Old Testament/Hebrew Bible). January 2 is Matthew 2:13-15 (the escape of the Holy Family to Egypt), and then on January 3, we're back in Exodus 1. So it goes, alternating between Old and New. If you turn to the back of the book, you will find an index of Scriptures. You will notice that there are five to eight readings from each book of the Bible. Thus, there are eight readings from the Psalms (150 chapters) and six from Philemon (1 chapter). So, by the end of the year, you will encounter every book of the bible, but those readings are scattered throughout the year. So, to take note of the readings from Philemon, we hear from this letter on February 7, April 2, May 26, July 20, September 14, and November 8th.
To give an example of what a reading looks like, I'll offer up that reading from Philemon verses 17-18. Using the voice of God, she writes: "My child who wrote this letter modeled what it means to vouch for someone who might not be well received on their own. Because he believed in his new apostle, he staked his own resources on backing up that man. Who our world could do their work better if you encouraged, mentored, and supported them and also lent them your credibility? Your voice matters and makes a difference" (p. 313).
In a concluding note to the book, Jha speaks to the way she engaged the text, prayerfully (and humbly). She points out that because of the way she laid out the book, she was taken to texts that at times made her uncomfortable. Thus, sometimes she had to argue with the text and thus took liberties in her interpretation. She expresses her hope for the readers, that as they use the devotional, it will help the reader "reread familiar passages in new ways, particularly in relationship to how the Bible is most of all a book on how to be community together as God intended." That leads her to conclude with her hope that as we use this book we "feel reinvigorated to be about the work of building God's Beloved Community here on earth by the end of this year's journey" 9p. 369).
As a reviewer, I read parts as if it was any book, reading several pages at a time. After all, I was reading it as a reviewer and the publisher would like to see my review before the year is out. At the same time, I used the readings for September as a personal, daily devotion. Thus, I was able to experience it as most readers will encounter it. I believe that it will prove valuable, especially for more progressive Christians.
August 5, 2020
Rarely do I read a book that has such a physical impact on my spirit. With each of these beautifully written devotions I find my shoulders relaxing and my breath slowing and my heart opening. Written with theological depth and nuance while maintaining a short format that is easy to read daily, this is a book I will read over and over much like Mark Nepo’s Book of Awakening and be gifting to friends and family.
August 10, 2020
Every morning, I start my day by reading scripture, reading the devotional, and journaling. I have enjoyed reading Walter Brueggemann, Richard Rohr, and now Sandhya Jha! This devotional is deeply personal and it speaks to the spirit in ways that other devotionals I have tried don't always manage to pull off. I find myself looking forward to this devotional every morning and am blessed by the words and creativity of the author who helps me start every day on the right foot. I have so enjoyed reading each entry and have felt stimulated, challenged, soothed, pushed, comforted, and provoked to love each morning. Thank you for writing this, Sandhya!
July 28, 2020
This book is full of good news, with each day holding a passage of scripture accompanied by a note of liberating love from God to the reader. Jha provides a refreshing tone in her representations, inviting the reader to open oneself to the inclusiveness of God's offer of life to us all. She transcends limiting lens, such as gender and age, we sometimes find in our faith traditions. Jha will have you entering into dialogue with familiar texts, inviting you to discover new perspectives. If you are experiencing an emerging faith, or have longed for a reminder of the good news of God's love, this book will be a welcomed companion to your quiet time.
December 18, 2021
This is the best daily devotional I have ever read, and I've read plenty. If you're looking for a devotional for 2022, pick this one up. It came out in the fall of 2021 so I started it then, but then restarted on January 1st so I could read it all the way through. Challenging and inspiring and short enough that if you have only two minutes, it's perfect, yet you'll be thinking about it the rest of the day and how to live into God's ways of love, justice, and peace.
January 11, 2023
Not quite what I was looking for in a daily devotional. This would be good for someone looking for a short verse and a quick note of encouragement. This book might appeal to people who may have been burned by literal readings of bible verses that omit the heart and intent behind the passages. Each entry is a page or less. I'm looking for something with a bit more meat.
June 30, 2020
Looking forward to this. I’ve already ordered my personal copy. Each day involves a bible passage taken from the Jewish Study Bible NESV and followed by a short note “from God” that provides readers something to contemplate.
Thanks to the publisher for letting me preview this devotional.
Thanks to the publisher for letting me preview this devotional.
November 29, 2021
One of my favorite devotionals I've read. Engaging voice, some gentle humor, good insights.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews