What do you think?
Rate this book
Whit's End Mealtime Devotions: 90 Faith-Building Ideas Your Kids Will Eat Up!
Your family’s gathered around the table. What’s on the menu? Cold stares? Stale prayers? The same old leftover questions about “what happened at school today”? Next time you sit down to eat, enjoy some spiritual food too! Get everyone talking—and learning—with the nourishment of Whit’s End Mealtime Devotions! Encourage quality family time and pass on a strong spiritual heritage with these 90 devotions created to engage children in fun, lively, productive dialogue.
- GenresNonfiction
113 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 22, 2013
85 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Crystal Bowman
190 books51 followersCrystal Bowman is an author, speaker, and former preschool teacher. She graduated from Calvin College with a degree in elementary education and studied early childhood development at the University of Michigan. Her writing career began in 1990 as a lyricist for children's piano music. She began writing children's books in 1993 and has since written more than 100 books for children and 3 for women. She has written books for many popular children's series, such as Little Blessings, BOZ the Bear, MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers), Berenstain Bears, and I Can Read! She has also written two books of humorous poetry for children, numerous magazine articles, Bible study materials, and educational resource books. As a speaker, Crystal enjoys sharing her stories and poetry with students in the classroom and also with adults at teachers' conventions, writers' conferences, and women's seminars. "Writing and speaking can be intimidating because in order to connect with your audience you need to be personal and transparent, exposing what's in your heart and soul. But when readers or conference attendees respond positively to something I've said or written, it is humbling and rewarding all at the same time!" Crystal and her husband, Bob, have enjoyed 44 years of marriage and are the parents of 3 grown children and 5 grandchildren. They spend summers in Michigan and winters in Florida.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 20, 2013
Focus on the Family presents Adventures in Odyssey, Whit’s End Mealtime Devotions is written for parents to sit down and bring back family mealtimes and to make memories that their children will remember for a lifetime. Some parents struggle with having enough time to sit down and have a whole meal with the family. We tend to get so busy that some nights, we’re running around in a flurry to get one child to the baseball game, another child has basketball practice, another has choir practice, and making sure our children finish their homework and study. Meanwhile settling for fast food or a quick meal on the couch just seems flat out easier and quicker. Taking the extra effort to have a conversation as a family could hugely benefit families, if we would be proactive in seeking a deeper connection with our loved ones starting with our mealtimes.
The book is themed in five course mealtimes that help children to learn more about God. Each day starts out with a “mealtime prayer”, “appetizers”, “main course”, “table talk”, and “vitamins and minerals”. The book consists of an area to guide you in praying before the meal and some days contain a scripture to pray. Some days encompass games and activities to do with your children and other days have trivia or riddles. Each day has questions to begin an in depth conversation with your children that relate to the Bible. The book has a total of ninety days’ worth of family devotions. The book also has some special devotions for Holidays and themes including, Birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Easter Sunday, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Bible Riddles, Let’s Bake, Search for Treasure, and many more.
I would recommend this remarkable family devotions to parents who have younger aged children. Older children and teenagers wouldn’t be as willing to engage in some of these activities. If you can get teenagers to participate, all the more power to you! Let me begin by saying, I’m only twenty-two and I don’t have any children yet. So I couldn’t personally converse and complete the activities in this book. But I am planning on using this family devotional whenever I have children. My parents also raised me with eating meals together every night growing up. This is one thing I am passing down. I truly trust that this book will influence and help your children in learning about Christ. I loved the concept of praying before the meals and the different ideas the authors had on who to pray for. On one day, they suggested that you have your children identify missionaries that they personally know and lead your children in praying for their safety and family. I also enjoyed how the author wanted to make sure we taught our kids gratitude and being thankful for what God has blessed us with. The authors used Luke 17:12-19 to illustrate this point. Jesus healed 10 people who had leprosy and only one thanked Him. They wanted us to convey to our children to be hands-on in saying thanks and telling people how they have impacted us and we appreciate them. The authors encouraged to as a family to write a thank you note to someone and share with them. I personally believe that this could easily help our generation, if we voiced more encouragement and gratitude on the things we have been blessed with instead of always wanting more.
The devotional has some funny activities that such as, “King of the Mountain”. This one is geared towards teaching your children the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses. This activity allows your children to come up with ten new rules for your family and I can only imagine what some children would say. I especially loved the different games the book had. One of the days had a game called Truth or Consequences and it recommended dividing the family into two teams and playing a game of true and false about anything. And it also discusses excuses or lies you have heard and the importance of honesty. This book would aid and clarify our children’s values and it lets us have a glimpse in their world. I immensely loved the different Biblical questions, trivia, games, scriptures, and prayers presented in this book. I really believe that mealtimes is extremely significant in relating and connecting with our children. This small act can plant a small seed in their heart that will support our children in learning about Christ from an early age. The theme section devotions will require parents to plan ahead of time for the special activity. One of the days had a treasure theme and it encouraged parents to hide a Bible, memory verses, a picture of your family, a new cross or Bible verse necklace or bracelet, and anything else you can think of to impact your child on their spiritual journey. You can also design a treasure map to discover the hidden treasure. This activity seemed like it will be a fun filled day that would create memories and assist you in bonding with your children. I wish my parents would have thought of doing this neat activity when I was a child. These devotions will plant the starting foundation of a relationship with Christ and I highly recommend it!
“I received this book for free from Tyndale House for this review”.
The book is themed in five course mealtimes that help children to learn more about God. Each day starts out with a “mealtime prayer”, “appetizers”, “main course”, “table talk”, and “vitamins and minerals”. The book consists of an area to guide you in praying before the meal and some days contain a scripture to pray. Some days encompass games and activities to do with your children and other days have trivia or riddles. Each day has questions to begin an in depth conversation with your children that relate to the Bible. The book has a total of ninety days’ worth of family devotions. The book also has some special devotions for Holidays and themes including, Birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Easter Sunday, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Bible Riddles, Let’s Bake, Search for Treasure, and many more.
I would recommend this remarkable family devotions to parents who have younger aged children. Older children and teenagers wouldn’t be as willing to engage in some of these activities. If you can get teenagers to participate, all the more power to you! Let me begin by saying, I’m only twenty-two and I don’t have any children yet. So I couldn’t personally converse and complete the activities in this book. But I am planning on using this family devotional whenever I have children. My parents also raised me with eating meals together every night growing up. This is one thing I am passing down. I truly trust that this book will influence and help your children in learning about Christ. I loved the concept of praying before the meals and the different ideas the authors had on who to pray for. On one day, they suggested that you have your children identify missionaries that they personally know and lead your children in praying for their safety and family. I also enjoyed how the author wanted to make sure we taught our kids gratitude and being thankful for what God has blessed us with. The authors used Luke 17:12-19 to illustrate this point. Jesus healed 10 people who had leprosy and only one thanked Him. They wanted us to convey to our children to be hands-on in saying thanks and telling people how they have impacted us and we appreciate them. The authors encouraged to as a family to write a thank you note to someone and share with them. I personally believe that this could easily help our generation, if we voiced more encouragement and gratitude on the things we have been blessed with instead of always wanting more.
The devotional has some funny activities that such as, “King of the Mountain”. This one is geared towards teaching your children the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses. This activity allows your children to come up with ten new rules for your family and I can only imagine what some children would say. I especially loved the different games the book had. One of the days had a game called Truth or Consequences and it recommended dividing the family into two teams and playing a game of true and false about anything. And it also discusses excuses or lies you have heard and the importance of honesty. This book would aid and clarify our children’s values and it lets us have a glimpse in their world. I immensely loved the different Biblical questions, trivia, games, scriptures, and prayers presented in this book. I really believe that mealtimes is extremely significant in relating and connecting with our children. This small act can plant a small seed in their heart that will support our children in learning about Christ from an early age. The theme section devotions will require parents to plan ahead of time for the special activity. One of the days had a treasure theme and it encouraged parents to hide a Bible, memory verses, a picture of your family, a new cross or Bible verse necklace or bracelet, and anything else you can think of to impact your child on their spiritual journey. You can also design a treasure map to discover the hidden treasure. This activity seemed like it will be a fun filled day that would create memories and assist you in bonding with your children. I wish my parents would have thought of doing this neat activity when I was a child. These devotions will plant the starting foundation of a relationship with Christ and I highly recommend it!
“I received this book for free from Tyndale House for this review”.
December 7, 2019
This was a fun devotion to do with the kids. The devotions provide everyday things the kids can relate to connecting it to Biblical principles. Everyday they looked forward to what we were going to talk about. Focus on the Family- Adventures in Odyssey books don’t disappoint.
February 2, 2019
Still haven’t done all the devos but read through to get ideas. Have been regularly using them lately. Need to get another one soon.
April 2, 2013
About the Book:
Your family’s gathered around the table. What’s on the menu? Cold stares? Stale prayers? The same old leftover questions about “what happened at school today”? Next time you sit down to eat, enjoy some spiritual food too! Get everyone talking—and learning—with the nourishment of Whit’s End Mealtime Devotions! Encourage quality family time and pass on a strong spiritual heritage with these 164 devotions created to engage children in fun, lively, productive dialogue.
About the Authors:
Tricia Goyer is a busy mom of six, grandmother of one, and wife to John. Somewhere around the hustle and bustle of family life, she manages to find the time to write fictional tales delighting and entertaining readers and non-fiction titles offering encouragement and hope. A bestselling author, Tricia has published thirty-three books to date and has written more than 500 articles.
In addition to her roles as mom, wife and author, Tricia volunteers around her community and mentors teen moms. She is the founder of Hope Pregnancy Ministries in Northwestern Montana, and she currently leads a Teen MOPS Group in Little Rock, AR. Tricia, along with a group of friends, recently launched www.NotQuiteAmishLiving.com, sharing ideas about simplifying life. She also hosts the weekly radio podcast, Living Inspired. Learn more about Tricia at www.triciagoyer.com.
Crystal Bowman is a best selling author of more than 60 books for kids as well as 3 books for women. She also writes magazine articles and lyrics for children's piano music. She wrote her first poem when she was in the 4th grade. Her teacher told her she would be a poet someday. Her first book of poetry, CRACKS IN THE SIDEWALK, was published in 1993. It has been republished several times and is still in print. She also speaks at schools, churches, and writers' conferences. For more information on Crystal, you can visit her website at www.crystalbowman.com
My Review:
We always have supper together. It is a good way to stay connected to our children and whats going on with them. We have each others undivided attention. And we think it makes our children feel very special too which is always a bonus. Whit's Mealtime Devotions is a way for not only Adventures in Odyssey fans to enjoy devotions but anyone with children or grand children to enjoy a great devotional time with them.
Each devotion has a prayer, appetizer, a main course, some table talk, and some vitamins and minerals(Bible verse). The Table Talk portion is basically a question/answer section to get some dialogue going with your children and hopefully they will learn alot more about the Bible and from the Bible. The main course is included and helps us get in some reading from the Bible.
The authors of this book have made a very short and sweet but well rounded devotional for children that both young and old can enjoy together as a family.
**Disclosure** This book was provided to me free of charge for my honest review from the publisher.
Your family’s gathered around the table. What’s on the menu? Cold stares? Stale prayers? The same old leftover questions about “what happened at school today”? Next time you sit down to eat, enjoy some spiritual food too! Get everyone talking—and learning—with the nourishment of Whit’s End Mealtime Devotions! Encourage quality family time and pass on a strong spiritual heritage with these 164 devotions created to engage children in fun, lively, productive dialogue.
About the Authors:
Tricia Goyer is a busy mom of six, grandmother of one, and wife to John. Somewhere around the hustle and bustle of family life, she manages to find the time to write fictional tales delighting and entertaining readers and non-fiction titles offering encouragement and hope. A bestselling author, Tricia has published thirty-three books to date and has written more than 500 articles.
In addition to her roles as mom, wife and author, Tricia volunteers around her community and mentors teen moms. She is the founder of Hope Pregnancy Ministries in Northwestern Montana, and she currently leads a Teen MOPS Group in Little Rock, AR. Tricia, along with a group of friends, recently launched www.NotQuiteAmishLiving.com, sharing ideas about simplifying life. She also hosts the weekly radio podcast, Living Inspired. Learn more about Tricia at www.triciagoyer.com.
Crystal Bowman is a best selling author of more than 60 books for kids as well as 3 books for women. She also writes magazine articles and lyrics for children's piano music. She wrote her first poem when she was in the 4th grade. Her teacher told her she would be a poet someday. Her first book of poetry, CRACKS IN THE SIDEWALK, was published in 1993. It has been republished several times and is still in print. She also speaks at schools, churches, and writers' conferences. For more information on Crystal, you can visit her website at www.crystalbowman.com
My Review:
We always have supper together. It is a good way to stay connected to our children and whats going on with them. We have each others undivided attention. And we think it makes our children feel very special too which is always a bonus. Whit's Mealtime Devotions is a way for not only Adventures in Odyssey fans to enjoy devotions but anyone with children or grand children to enjoy a great devotional time with them.
Each devotion has a prayer, appetizer, a main course, some table talk, and some vitamins and minerals(Bible verse). The Table Talk portion is basically a question/answer section to get some dialogue going with your children and hopefully they will learn alot more about the Bible and from the Bible. The main course is included and helps us get in some reading from the Bible.
The authors of this book have made a very short and sweet but well rounded devotional for children that both young and old can enjoy together as a family.
**Disclosure** This book was provided to me free of charge for my honest review from the publisher.
April 23, 2013
Most families, I reckon, struggle with family devotions. In the busyness of life, finding a good devotional that spans the age ranges and interest of their families and disciplining themselves to do them each day seems quite an obstacle to overcome. However, I found these devotions to be so enjoyable for the family that my youngest child often retrieves the book and makes sure that we do the latest one.
Whit’s End Mealtime Devotions is a surprisingly small book. After all, it does contain 90 devotions! The positive thing about this is that it doesn’t take up much room on the bookshelf.
True to the effort put into all Focus on the Family/Adventures in Odyssey products, the cover art is superb. It features a family of four sitting around a dinner table with an open Bible. A depiction of Mr. Whittaker, an affable and wise character in the Adventures in Odyssey series, also graces the cover. The primary color is a glossy red.
Inside are three categories of devotions. Unlike most devotionals, the “Any Day Mealtime Devotions” are not targeted to specific days. This allows a busy family to do the devotions whenever it works for them without fear of falling behind or having to skip since they can bookmark where they left off from the last time. The parent, or whoever is in charge of the devotion, should note the sections labeled “Holiday Devotions” and “Theme Devotions.” Various special days such as Mother’s Day or Christmas have a specific devotion attached to them. Theme devotions add an element of fun to the devotional time as the family is asked to act something out or dress in a certain way.
The approach of this devotional is unique. It is full of opportunities to interact for each family member. In addition, it seeks to take the Bible stories and/or passages and show how relevant they are to lives today. I would heartily recommend it.
Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review purpose
this and other reviews found at:
http://beacon2light.blogspot.com/2013...
Whit’s End Mealtime Devotions is a surprisingly small book. After all, it does contain 90 devotions! The positive thing about this is that it doesn’t take up much room on the bookshelf.
True to the effort put into all Focus on the Family/Adventures in Odyssey products, the cover art is superb. It features a family of four sitting around a dinner table with an open Bible. A depiction of Mr. Whittaker, an affable and wise character in the Adventures in Odyssey series, also graces the cover. The primary color is a glossy red.
Inside are three categories of devotions. Unlike most devotionals, the “Any Day Mealtime Devotions” are not targeted to specific days. This allows a busy family to do the devotions whenever it works for them without fear of falling behind or having to skip since they can bookmark where they left off from the last time. The parent, or whoever is in charge of the devotion, should note the sections labeled “Holiday Devotions” and “Theme Devotions.” Various special days such as Mother’s Day or Christmas have a specific devotion attached to them. Theme devotions add an element of fun to the devotional time as the family is asked to act something out or dress in a certain way.
The approach of this devotional is unique. It is full of opportunities to interact for each family member. In addition, it seeks to take the Bible stories and/or passages and show how relevant they are to lives today. I would heartily recommend it.
Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review purpose
this and other reviews found at:
http://beacon2light.blogspot.com/2013...
March 23, 2013
First of all, I like the idea of mealtime devotions. Research points to the importance of family dinners. The authors do their best to make these devos easy to use so busy parents can make the most of family mealtimes. I've read the book myself and tried some of the devos with my children and their grandparents. I can attest to the fact that Whit's End Mealtime Devotions allow for lots of lively discussion and teaching centered around the Bible and Christian life.
Each day's layout is simple to follow. The authors describe it this way in the introduction:
Mealtime Prayer - a prayer suggestion
Appetizer - something to whet your appetite for more
Main Course - the "meat" of the devo - something to chew on
Table Talk - challenging questions to help families think about what they've learned and how to digest it for their daily lives.
Vitamins and Minerals - a Bible verse that relates to the day's reading and discussion
I like the fact that you can skip around and find topics relevant to your family at a particular time rather than having to go from cover to cover. I also appreciate the special sections of holiday devos (Valentine's, Good Friday, Easter, Mother's Day, etc.) and themed devos (treasure hunt, backward night, Bible riddles, grandparents, caming, etc.)
I give Whit's End Mealtime Devotions:
5 out of 5 for user friendly
4 out of 5 for keeping kids' attention
5 out of 5 for relevant topics
3 out of 5 for some lengthy Scripture readings (40 verses is a bit much for children at a mealtime!)
I highly recommend this book for ease of use and for generating lively discussion at the dinner table and just helping you talk as a family about spiritual things. Rather than just pulling out the book, make sure you read through your selected devo. If you pick one with a long Scripture passage, you can read it ahead of time, summarize the majority of it and pick the most important verses to read.
Note: I received this book free from the publisher for this review. However, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Each day's layout is simple to follow. The authors describe it this way in the introduction:
Mealtime Prayer - a prayer suggestion
Appetizer - something to whet your appetite for more
Main Course - the "meat" of the devo - something to chew on
Table Talk - challenging questions to help families think about what they've learned and how to digest it for their daily lives.
Vitamins and Minerals - a Bible verse that relates to the day's reading and discussion
I like the fact that you can skip around and find topics relevant to your family at a particular time rather than having to go from cover to cover. I also appreciate the special sections of holiday devos (Valentine's, Good Friday, Easter, Mother's Day, etc.) and themed devos (treasure hunt, backward night, Bible riddles, grandparents, caming, etc.)
I give Whit's End Mealtime Devotions:
5 out of 5 for user friendly
4 out of 5 for keeping kids' attention
5 out of 5 for relevant topics
3 out of 5 for some lengthy Scripture readings (40 verses is a bit much for children at a mealtime!)
I highly recommend this book for ease of use and for generating lively discussion at the dinner table and just helping you talk as a family about spiritual things. Rather than just pulling out the book, make sure you read through your selected devo. If you pick one with a long Scripture passage, you can read it ahead of time, summarize the majority of it and pick the most important verses to read.
Note: I received this book free from the publisher for this review. However, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
April 9, 2013
Each page of this family devotional includes a mealtime-themed devotion. The devotions begin with a short "mealtime prayer," then include an "appetizer" with questions to get families talking and bonding, a "main course" with faith-focused discussions or activities, "table talk" questions, and end with "vitamins and minerals" (Scripture) to read together.
The "appetizer" questions are unique and fun, and I love the focus on Scripture as those essential "vitamins and minerals!"
Most kids will love the discussion questions. For those with special needs, many of the questions offered will be easier for children with verbal abilities to participate in, but these family devotions also include activities to complete as a family. Many of these activities have hands-on components, like a darkness/light comparison blindfold activity from the "150 Watts" devotion to spur discussions on God as light. I love that the book includes specific devotions for holidays, birthdays, and other special events.
Especially geared for kids ages 4 or so through about age 12, Whit's End Mealtime Devotions provide fun, applicable ways to develop faith-based family conversations.
Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
The "appetizer" questions are unique and fun, and I love the focus on Scripture as those essential "vitamins and minerals!"
Most kids will love the discussion questions. For those with special needs, many of the questions offered will be easier for children with verbal abilities to participate in, but these family devotions also include activities to complete as a family. Many of these activities have hands-on components, like a darkness/light comparison blindfold activity from the "150 Watts" devotion to spur discussions on God as light. I love that the book includes specific devotions for holidays, birthdays, and other special events.
Especially geared for kids ages 4 or so through about age 12, Whit's End Mealtime Devotions provide fun, applicable ways to develop faith-based family conversations.
Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
March 22, 2013
Attention getting!
I love that these stories offer deep thoughts but within an easy context for kids to understand and comprehend. My kids are 12 and 10 but I feel that kids younger will still be able to answer the questions and be able to understand the points each devotional is trying to teach.
If dinnertime is not possible for your family, then breakfast or lunch is also doable or even during a car ride. Each lesson can be as long or short as you have time for. The main purpose of each page is to open up conversation and dialogue within families. Any time you can do this, in a meaningful and intentional way, is going to be beneficial.
This is the second book I’ve read from the Adventures in Odyssey people and both have been winners. I highly recommend their products and the wonderful messages they are getting out to our kids.
Tyndale sent me the above book for review purposes. It will allow me to keep the book. I have no other connection to and have received no other compensation from Tyndale.
I love that these stories offer deep thoughts but within an easy context for kids to understand and comprehend. My kids are 12 and 10 but I feel that kids younger will still be able to answer the questions and be able to understand the points each devotional is trying to teach.
If dinnertime is not possible for your family, then breakfast or lunch is also doable or even during a car ride. Each lesson can be as long or short as you have time for. The main purpose of each page is to open up conversation and dialogue within families. Any time you can do this, in a meaningful and intentional way, is going to be beneficial.
This is the second book I’ve read from the Adventures in Odyssey people and both have been winners. I highly recommend their products and the wonderful messages they are getting out to our kids.
Tyndale sent me the above book for review purposes. It will allow me to keep the book. I have no other connection to and have received no other compensation from Tyndale.
March 21, 2013
With 90 Faith building things to enjoy while eating with your children, this book has many ideas to help keep your children, you and the family all on track to building faith. The idea of this book is to talk while you're sitting down at the table and enjoying your meals as a family. This not only helps to build faith, but builds stronger minds and families. It helps with spirituality and is great for family quality time too.
I recommend this book for several reasons. The main one is that every family should eat at least one meal a day around the table for quality time. You learn more about your family and even yourself when doing this. It also shows in studies that children that do this, tend to have higher IQs.
Tyndale sent this copy for review to express my own personal thoughts, free of charge. These are my thoughts:
I highly recommend this book. It builds faith, family time, devotionals and even builds stronger minds.
I recommend this book for several reasons. The main one is that every family should eat at least one meal a day around the table for quality time. You learn more about your family and even yourself when doing this. It also shows in studies that children that do this, tend to have higher IQs.
Tyndale sent this copy for review to express my own personal thoughts, free of charge. These are my thoughts:
I highly recommend this book. It builds faith, family time, devotionals and even builds stronger minds.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews