I was skeptical at first to read that these 40 meditations were drawn from a larger body of the author’s work. I approached them much as you might view a CliffsNotes version of your favorite novel, or even a “Cinderella Part II.” Would this be some sort of a “dumbed down” sequel?
But to his credit, author Brian G. Hedges totally blew away my expectations. Each meditation is rich and thoughtful. Not having read Hedges' larger works, I can’t say for certain, but I suspect that in reading this abbreviation, we are really benefiting from sitting at the feet of someone who has done the hard work of selecting some of his very best material and condensing it into a rich, insight-packed volume.
This lovely collection of 40 meditations has been an encouraging group-read-aloud for our family over these past few months. I suppose that’s probably not the intended use for a book of “meditations” lol, but we’ve been taking it in together at breakfasts. We’ve turned the reflection questions at the end of each chapter into discussion questions and with a quick switch of pronouns in the closing prayers (“we” for “I”), it has encouraged conversation and application as we head into our day.
~Jen