Dear Reader,

Today’s guest author, Dr. Scott James and his wife, Jaime, have four children and live in Birmingham, Alabama, where he works as a pediatric physician. Dr. James is the author of several devotionals and picture books that help families connect their faith to everyday life through prayer, reflection, and Scripture. His newest children’s book is ‘Deep Breath, Little Whisper.

Dr. James is giving away three copies of ‘Deep Breath, Little Whisper.’ To enter, drop him an email at: scott.h.james@gmail.com Please remember to include your shipping address in case you’re a winner.

Welcome to the book club, Scott James…

As the sun dipped to the edge of the horizon, a spray of colors beamed across the sky. Pastel-tinted clouds daubed over a canvas of vibrant blue, accented with streaks of last-gasp sunbeams radiating from the sinking orange disk. Simply stunning.

An unconscious exhale slipped from my lips: “Wow.”

Bundled up next to me, my daughter’s gaze was lost in the beauty of the sunset, too. “Wow,” she agreed. Then, ever so quietly, she added, “Look what God did.”

And that’s when my “wow” became a prayer.

The wonder was always there. How could it not be? The scene before us was undeniably majestic. The question was, who was behind it? Whose majesty was it pointing to? That twilit evening, as we marveled at the stunning canvas of sky, my daughter reminded me who the painter was. Our spontaneous exhale of wonder was elevated into a breath prayer of praise.

We sat together, my daughter and I, praising the Great Artist. We witnessed the grandeur of God, and with our simple expressions of wonder we gave him credit for his work. We thanked him for the beauty we were experiencing together. We praised him as the painter of sunsets and maker of the rising moon. And we asked him to help us be reflections of his goodness, too.

All of that, wrapped up in a “wow”.

My daughter’s wisdom–profound and child-like all at once–helped me appreciate the simplicity of prayer. The opportunity to connect with God in this way is always there, if we’ll only acknowledge it. Every sunset is an invitation to praise; every sorrow is a chance to cry out to the One who brings comfort and help. We have this open invitation to call out to God anytime, anywhere. I’m learning to tune my heart to recognize these everyday moments as they come, and in doing so, to find communion with God in any situation.

As I grow in this area, I’m grateful to have my daughter as such a wonderful teacher along the way.

— Scott James

Dr. James is giving away three copies of’Deep Breath, Little Whisper.’ To enter, drop him an email at: scott.h.james@gmail.com Please remember to include your shipping address in case you’re a winner.

Thanks for reading with me. It’s so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com