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This Christian-themed daily devotional collection contains messages for each day of the year (including leap year’s February 29th). Each message is one or two pages long, and all begin with a biblical verse and a brief title. Some are topical: the July 4th message references “rampant lawlessness” in our society and invites us to remember that Jesus freed us from contamination from such ills. In quietly commemorating 9/11, he exhorts us to trust God and accept that we cannot explain the tragedies that occur, whether to our close ones, a nation, or a population. As Christmas nears on December 23, his vibrant entry is entitled “Mary’s ‘scandalous’ pregnancy” and asks us to speculate on how difficult this miraculous event was for Mary, Joseph, and their families to deal with, as the eyes of neighbors were upon them. Yet they responded with faith in God, and so should we when we face difficult situations.
Schmidt is a passionate, articulate writer of faith-based materials and has been working on this volume for many years. He began composing the entries when he was serving as Vice President of Operations and Director of Student Life at Williamson Christian College. His perspective on scripture incorporates current trends and departs from convention at times. For instance, the Bible verse for the opening segment, January 1, compares the path of the righteous to “the first gleam of dawn,” seeming to indicate a move forward as the year begins. But Schmidt’s commentary invites us to look backward, instead, to the trail we have left behind. Schmidt has used his devotionals on a website to serve as an inspirational guide to his fellow Christians and in doing so has garnered a following that will doubtless welcome this comprehensive, motivational compilation.