What books do you find helpful for devotional reading? Do you only read the Bible or do you supplement your reading?   I generally have one book in addition to the Bible next to my reading chair in the living room.  This year I’ve alternated between An Ancient Christian Devotional and The Divine Hours, both which I recommend.  This coming year I will likely add Zondervan’s just released A Faith and Culture Devotional.

Edited by Kellye Monroe Kullberg and Lael Arrington, A Faith and Culture Devotional is divided into 5 sections: Bible and Theology, Science, Literature, Arts and Contemporary Culture.  Each section features 15 succinct readings by an impressive lists of thinkers, scientists, artists, etc.  In this devotional are topics as diverse as postmodern architecture, modern slavery, the periodic table of elements, and general revelation.

In addition to the caliber of the contributors (Dalas Willard, Frederica Matthers-Green, John Stott and Francis Collins among others) and the significance of the topics, what I find most attractive about the book is its underlying assumption: culture matters.  Here is a collection of superb thinkers whose Christian lives contribute to the creation and interpretation of culture.  The writing in A Faith and Culture Devotional repeatedly affirms God’s abiding concern for the world and explores our diverse roles in participating in the ongoing stewardship of creation and culture.

Should you be looking for some devotional reading in 2009 to go along with your reading of the Scriptures, A Faith and Culture Devotional is a recommended place to start.