🍗 Tendie Tuesday: Devotionals That Aren't Dumb, Studies That Don't Suck

Well hello everyone! If you’re a Swipe Up+ member, this is our usual day for me to pop up one extra time in your inbox, but if you’re a Lil Treasures Purist, you may be confused. It is not Friday.

It is definitely Tuesday, which for paid subscribers means Tendie Tuesdays, but I’m dropping in to share some exciting news and a fun list with the entire Lil Swipe Family.

Something I get asked a lot is “do you have recommendations for devotionals that don’t suck?” And it’s a fair question. Who among us has not attempted to slog through My Utmost for His Highest (no shade to Brother Chambers) and wondered if there might be a better option (at some point I will write My Medium for His Highest, but not today)?

And while I am going to give you a list of some of my fave devotional resources that decidedly do not suck in a minute, I also have some of my own offerings to add, as of today!

Almost all the studies/devotionals I’ve written have been tied to the church calendar, which is great, but it also puts you at a disadvantage if you want to do them outside the church calendar. Hannah and I (mostly Hannah) started editing and tweaking them so that you can work through them at any point during the year. Then we asked Lil Swipe Libby to make them beautiful, and BOY HOWDY DID SHE EVER.

It took an insane amount of work to get these prepped and ready, and I had almost nothing to do with it, so if you see Hannah and/or Libby out on these internet streets, please give them a virtual high five.

And so, without further ado, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite devotionals and studies that don’t suck¹, and yes, I did include my own in this list. 🤷🏻‍♀️

The Comfortable Words — a 10-day digital devotional resource for anyone who feels like sometimes the darkness is winning, based on the Comfortable Words, a small section of the Anglican liturgy.

Thunder in the Desert — a 7-day study walking through the 40th chapter of Isaiah (it’s a pretty intense chapter).

Memento Mori — a 27-day study on the Sermon on the Mount, Memento Mori is for those who ask questions about the true nature of the kingdom of heaven, who dig for Jesus in the cracks and crevices of daily life. It’s a place for the grieving brokenhearted, for the weary peacemakers, for the searching doubter.

Every Broken Thing — a 40-day devotional on Ecclesiastes (yes, this is what we just went through for Lent). Through a time of self-examination and paying attention, we’ll look at these questions and doubts in the eye, and we’ll see how we can answer them with the Gospel of Jesus.

Mercy Seat — The lid of the ark of the covenant is called the Mercy Seat, and it’s said to be the place where God’s presence physically dwelled. The Israelites carried with them a physical reminder that God was with them in the most no- words space-time of them all - forty years of frustration and what must have felt like aimless meandering. And yet! He was with them. That space where it seemed like nothing was happening: where the angel wings almost touched, that was where God was moving. This study is a reminder that God’s presence is everywhere and that He is working on your behalf to bring you closer to Him, even in the no-words-spaces.

Sacred Questions by Kellye Fabian — I have used this devo for almost three years now, and it remains a simple, but powerful favorite.

Good Enough by Jessica Richie and Kate Bowler — it must be exhausting being the best anti-devotional. If you’re tired of empty platitudes and easy answers, this one’s for you.

Bread for the Resistance by Donna Barber — encouraging for anyone doing any kind of justice work, even the work you do in your neighborhoods and homes.

Luminous by Shannon K. Evans — for my ladies who need some space around identity and dealing with all that goes along with being a woman.

Sacred Belonging by Kat Armas — okay, yes you will have to pre-order this, but I think the wait is going to be worth it.

Lectio 365 app — when I just can’t do anything else, this app is perfect (and it’s perfect when I can do other things too).

And of course, there’s no way I could possibly have all the good ones, so if you have a devo or study you love, please feel free to add it in the comments below!

And of course, as a thank you for being a subscriber, you can use code LTP15 for 15% off anything in the resources shop (if you’re a Swipe Up+, there’s a bigger code for you under the paywall break, so make sure you’re logged in)!

Thank you again for letting me drop into your inbox. Things are heavy right now, but you make it all a little lighter. I mean that.