Thirty stories…thirty unique lessons to bring you hope, comfort, and learning.
Jesus used fishermen, prostitutes, the rich and the poor, the sick, the young and old to teach the principles of the kingdom of God. Today, Abba Father is no different. He uses real people with real issues to bring you healing, instruction, and understanding.
In Abba’s Lessons, you’ll find thirty stories of people from all walks of life—an adoption attorney, a wedding planner, Bible leaders and pastors, military wives, and more. Each story brings a special lesson we can apply to our own lives. Lessons of surrender, forgiveness, humility, pride, judgement, praise, trust, letting go, God’s will, anxiety, and so many more.
Sit for a minute. Read these stories and experience learning from Abba the way He did it in the Bible and come away changed.
RELEASE DATE: October 24, 2023
Felicia Ferguson –
The book lives up to its title. Each story is packed with lessons the author learned from God-provided life situations. No matter your level of faith (cradle Christian to newbie), this book has something for you. Great read and a nice shot of faith if you’re struggling right now.
Judson I Stone –
Abba’s Lesson: 30 stories of the lessons God teaches His children is a collection of 30 stories written by skilled female authors. Together, they give the reader a college course in learning God’s lessons for life. The book is the fifth in the Abba series published by CrossRiver Media Group. Deedee Lake, compiler and editor of the present edition, is an award-winning author, speaker, and life coach. The Aramaic noun Abba means father in a human family context and Jesus elevated it as an intimate or familial title for God.
The book is a marvelous 30-day spiritual, inspirational, and meditation resource. Each chapter includes a theme verse, a story, and a closing prayer. The prayer helps the reader consider how they might pray about their circumstances. I don’t always know how to pray for mine.
Abba’s Lessons is beautiful for at least two reasons: The authors’ transparency and the brevity of each story. The transparency in each chapter helps readers think about their own lives. The brevity means busy people can easily make room to read a chapter in their daily schedules. The stories make readers laugh, cry, rejoice, trust, hope, and pray. They did for me.
The first and last stories serve as bookends. “Thy Will, Not Mine, Lord” opens the book. It tells about a military family learning to trust God to find an affordable California place to live. After they accepted an owner’s offer, the family joined hands and thanked God for “working everything together for us even better than we had hoped. He made the impossible—possible.” The last story “Absence with a Purpose” introduces the reader to the Portuguese word ‘saudade.’ Lori Ann Wood explains the meaning of the word. She urges the reader to view God as the Great Filler of the spiritual hole in our lives that “can only be filled by the One who triumphed over the ultimate emptiness.”
I especially appreciated “Trusting God’s Way” by my author friend Alice H. Murray. She caught my attention in the first paragraph: “The story’s ending was great—better than I could have written…The Author of the universe penned it Himself. The beginning, however, rocked my world and would never have been the way I would have chosen for events to unfold.” Alice lost her job at a crucial time in her family’s life. She fretted, prayed, and stepped out of her comfort zone. As a result, she grew in her awareness that God knows best. The ending became so much better than Alice imagined.
The book made me question my prejudice against a book whose stories are all written by women. Most of the stories contain husbands and male family members. This is a positive for men. They will read about positive and not-so-positive examples of their gender.
The title made me think about two things. First, because I know the Semitic origin of the word Abba, the book’s intended audience is a Christian one. Nothing is wrong with this, but some non-Christian or non-religious person would benefit from reading the book. Second, if a person is not familiar with Abba’s origin, a curious person might think the book is about the famous Swedish singing group ABBA. One drawback to the book in our present cultural environment is the apparent lack of racial or ethnic diversity among the contributors. The content is excellent, but this observation shows how ingrained diversity is in my mindset. I imagine prospective buyers and readers might use this as an excuse not to buy or read the book. I do not want this point to dissuade the prospective buyer because I highly recommend the book and give it five stars.
Quinetta Mays –
This a a wonderful devotional. It has a message for everyone no matter your age. It was a personal blessing to me since I have known DeeDee for over a decade.
I would recommend this wonderful book to everyone. It would make a great gift.
Quinetta Mays –
This a a wonderful devotional. It has a message for everyone no matter your age. It was a personal blessing to me since I have known DeeDee for over a decade.
I would recommend this wonderful book to everyone. It would make a great gift.
Jeanie Jacobson –
I’ll be honest–sometimes devotional-type books don’t resonate with me. That wasn’t the case with Abba’s Lessons. The stories grabbed my interest from the start. I found the essays thought-provoking, encouraging, and compelling. For instance:
*Divine intervention in a military family’s move.
*Using praise as a mighty spiritual weapon during an excruciating health battle.
*Dealing with a husband’s brain tumor, father’s liver cancer, and mother’s Alzheimer’s…simultaneously.
The one that brought me to tears was Lollie Hofer’s, “My Name Meant Ugly.” She experienced one abandonment after another. And her stepfather deliberately shredding Lollie’s heart in front of a large audience? Horrific. But reading how the power of her heavenly father’s love transformed her? Triumphant!
I highly recommend this beautifully written book. Each devotional piece begins with a scripture, and ends with a short prayer. Abba’s Lessons provides positive, inspiring lessons to uplift and encourage us daily.
Patsy Reiter –
I loved the heartfelt devotions in Abba’s Lessons about placing faith and trust in God through our trials and insecurities. The stories portray how He lovingly strengthens us and answers our prayers with His perfect plan. An inspiring read that encourages us to seek His guidance. Abba’s Lessons would be a wonderful gift to uplift hearts.
Carolyn –
When I pray, I always address the Lord as “Abba Father.” So, the title of this devotional book, Abba’s Lessons: 30 Stories God Teach His Children, immediately captured my interest. Every day, I met a new friend who, over a hot cup of java, invited me into their stories. As I read, I learned how God powerfully transforms our lives using the simplest of truths. Praying at bedtime for a child afraid of the dark. Pruning an oak branch and finding a hidden gift. Discovering how a flashlight is a perfect analogy for how we are to illuminate Christ’s path for ourselves and others. Imagine my surprise when I opened chapter 28, and instead of reading another’s story, I read my own. Right down to the truth I am still learning, “God’s love does not depend on our view of ourselves. He loves us as His masterpiece that He knew inside and out before we were even born” (p. 123). I encourage you to buy this book and discover, for the first time or the hundredth time, that Abba loves you more than you can ever know.
Laura Marth –
Wow, Abba’s Lessons is an inspiring book about God’s faithfulness and restoring power through so many different viewpoints and life situations. The quick-read, individual stories are heartwarming and inspiring. I found myself entering a habit of ending the day by reading a couple stories each evening before bedtime. It was a little treat I looked forward to, excited to read about a lesson a sister-in-Christ learned through God’s provision. Testimonies have always shown me God’s promise of restoration and Abba’s Lessons shares a month’s worth of lessons from which we can grow in our own relationship with Christ.
Amanda Everhart –
Quick bite-sized stories to push the believer forward as they learn to trust Abba! What real life lessons in the pages of this book. I was blown away by the honesty of each writer in sharing their personal struggles with faith and learning to fully surrender to the Father. I thoroughly enjoyed the reflective prayers at the end of each short story as well. This is a book I plan to read again and again in my own faith journey. This book would be the perfect coffee table addition! It could also be a great gift for busy friends who need a quick faith boost!
Megan –
These are beautiful lessons to be learned by us all from our Creator. These stories have such inspiring and relatable connections, yet point us back to the Father. Even though this is a devotional style book, you will definitely want to read all of the stories in one sitting!
Melissa Stroh –
I love hearing stories from others about how God works in their life. So reading these short accounts was the next best thing to sitting down and hearing someone relay their life story. If you’re looking for encouraging, light reads with a God-focus, then this book is for you.
I don’t typically buy devotionals, so I don’t feel I’m the intended audience for these books. I prefer meatier, in-depth studies when seeking out Christian nonfiction. Nevertheless, it was a fun read.
Emily W –
This is a wonderful collection of uplifting stories! It is a joy to be given a glimpse into the intimate relationships these individuals have with Christ. We all experience difficult days but these devotions show us how to not give up and remain hopeful of better days to come. Each can be read in just a few minutes but you will not want to put it down!
Lindsay Archer –
I was pulled in on “Right Where God Is” by Mary Anne Kline. After living in Colorado Springs myself, I also look at the Rocky Mountains and have a sense of peace that comes over me. Her words are so heartfelt giving us readers a glimpse of what she went through and how God guided her through that time. The words “Right Where God Is” expresses deep personal perspectives that help to guide my heart. I am so grateful for our military and military spouses, like MaryAnne! I hope that others read her words and it blesses them in the way it did me, because that is right where God is, in the beauty of our everyday life!
Thanks for your words and sharing your heart!
Cheryl Anderson –
Nothing inspires my faith more than hearing or reading stories of God reaching out to his children to draw them closer to him. That is what this book is: real stories from real women of times in their life when God extended his love, grace and mercy to them and lead them to renewed faith. I enjoyed each story in this book and will surely be going back and re-reading many of them. A great devotional – highly recommend!
Lora Haskett –
This book was a breath of fresh air. It was such a pleasure to sit down and read each day’s story. The stories were like little snippets of God speaking to me in relatable experiences from different people who have very different stories of events that they had happen to them and how the Lord answered their needs through events and people. It was so relatable and unlike other devotionals I have read. I “fell in love” with the Lord even more during my time reading this book.
Rhonda Gilliam –
Many of these stories hit close to home. I loved how the continuously encouraged you to put your faith in our Lord and Savior. Abba’s Lessons is a beautiful inspirational read that leaves you with renewed feelings of Faith, Hope, Peace and Love!
Gretchen Huesmann –
Our Father—Abba—uses the experiences of life to shape, use, and teach us, just as a loving parent would do. God often has bigger plans than we can see in the dark moments. The authors share how life events became teachable moments in their own lives. After reading this book, you too will find yourself saying, “Thank you, Lord, for doing things your way, not mine” (from Day 23).
Susan Miura –
Love this devotional full of relatable, inspirational stories about trusting God through life’s many challenges. I especially appreciated the variety of real-life circumstances in which the authors found themselves afraid, worried, angry, frustrated, or desperate. The diversity of situations ensures there’s something in this book for any Christian. Each story is followed by a short and simple prayer that ties in beautifully with the the story’s message. This will be a book I return to time and again when I need a reminder that God is always there – loving us, hearing our prayers, and giving us hope and a future.
Leslie Roehm –
Thus far the Lord has helped us
I absolutely love all the devotionals in this book, Abba’s Lessons. True stories of letting go and allowing God to do his will. Learning to trust him even when you don’t understand the plan.
Janet Todd –
ABBA’s Lessons is filled with encouraging stories relating to the struggles we all face. Armed with scripture and words to uplift one’s spirit, I found the stories to be moving and inspirational. They are beautiful as well practical for any Christian wanting to remain true to their faith.
Jarm Del Boccio –
Abba’s Lessons is a devotional for those days when you need a bit of encouragement from someone who has been there and back. You can survive discouragement and hard times when you have God’s Word and a personal testimony of God’s faithfulness in a life.
Easy to read and relatable, the reader is sure to find words to strengthen and guide them on their sometimes challenging journey.