The Hunter's Devotional

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY JUN 20, 2016

Chapman, a musician and avid hunter, draws on his rich experiences in field and forest as illustrations of larger spiritual truths about disappointment, failure, loss, redemption, hope, family, and love in this inspiring collection of 52 devotions. A rousing storyteller, he captures the reader's attention with his stories of the challenges and successes he's faced as a hunter and the ways that he's seen God's hand at work in those moments. For example, he tells the story of his friend Jim, who had spent his young life illegally poaching and trapping, but saw the light and became a game warden; Chapman compares Jim's change of heart to the apostle Paul's, whose transformed from a persecutor of Christians to a tireless advocate of Christianity. Chapman, in the vein of the biblical King David of Jerusalem, takes his time in the "great cathedral of the outdoors" to focus on God the Creator, and challenges readers to find their own quiet place to reflect similarly. He tells his story of eating a nourishing meal after having forgotten to eat because of various distractions, illustrating that spiritual nourishment can sustain those who face their doubts and fears. Filled with honesty and humor, these devotions will certainly appeal to hunters and even those who've never picked up a gun or bow.