31 Days of Praise: A Closer Walk Vol. II, by Alexis Hamlor - Book Review

 

Alexis Hamlor’s 31 Days of Praise: A Closer Walk Vol. II follows on the warm reception of her previous volume. The book of devotional exercises, which is intended for the guidance and inspiration of Christians everywhere, consists of 31 two-minute devotional exercises, based largely on Hamlor’s own experience. Each day’s entry includes, in addition to the brief devotional, a short prayer and a few appropriate verses quoted from the New International Version Bible. 31 Days of Praise ends with a piece on the purpose of praise, which she regards as enabling us to “communicate with God on a deeper, intellectual level.” Hamlor also includes a praise report, which she encourages each reader to complete with a list of those blessings for which they are most grateful.   Hamlor relates each exercise in 31 Days of Praise: A Closer Walk Vol. II to her personal experiences, with her very openness and vulnerability drawing the reader closer to her, so that I felt that I was coming to trust her more deeply each day, as well as the message that she has to convey in such a searching and meaningful way. The ease and flow with which she writes must come, at least in part, from her being a Special Education-Middle School Teacher. Hamlor’s firm belief in the value of family resounds throughout the work, with her personal history being particularly compelling to read, especially in the light of her recovery from a six-year-long abusive relationship. As she says on multiple occasions: “God Bless Family!”