Live Second - Book Review

Live Second is a daily devotional with 365 devotions to help you "live second", i.e. put God first. I got to review a free e-copy of the book thanks to BookSneeze. The devotions are divided into chapters, which are divided into weeks. Obviously, the goal is to progress through the book by reading one devotional a day, but the book tells you not to worry if you miss a day or two or three. Just pick up where you left off.

It is also recommended that you read the book with a group or a friend, that way you have others to talk to about what you're reading and hold you accountable to "live second". But you don't have to be part of a group. If you don't have a group, you can always become part of the Live Second online community through social networks, such as Twitter. At the end of some devotions, there are specific Twitter hashtags to use so you can tweet about what you read and easily find other tweets about the same devotion.

As cool as it is to tweet about the devotions each day (if you follow me on Facebook/Twitter, you've probably seen some of my #IAS tweets), Twitter doesn't lend itself very well to having conversations with others. And when I searched for the specific hashtags, I didn't find a large number of people tweeting about the book. The most tweets for a devotion was 18. I think face-to-face interaction, if you want to discuss the book with someone, is a better way to go.

The devotions start, literally, at the beginning with Genesis. Then they move onto 1 and 2 Samuel, Isaiah, Luke, Matthew, Philippians, Psalms. They just jump all over the Bible, including both Old and New Testament books as they fit with each week's theme.

Also, at the beginning of each week, there is a website link that takes you to a video. Each video features a real person and their real faith stories. I enjoyed watching the videos. It added something extra to just reading a passage from the Bible and thinking about it. This book is definitely geared toward young people, those who utilize social networks, QR codes, and the internet. You don't have to get online or watch the videos if you don't want to. The devotions on their own are really good. But it is kind of fun to watch the video, tweet a thought, or visit IamSecond.com to find more information.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”