A beautiful and unique, artful approach to scripture. Too often, creative fields are not honored in the church. This book is a welcome and needed perspective.

I loved the first book by this duo and this one did not disappoint. The artwork is beautiful and it is good for anyone who is practicing contemplative prayer.

This is a beautiful book which combines words and images to lead the reader through 40 days of meditation on the Lord’s Prayer. Each phrase and each image is simple but so skilfully crafted that they resonate throughout the day.

I got a digital copy as an ARC, but this is one book which really does need to be read on paper.

There are some wonderful quotes in this. My rating: 4.5 of 5.0.

There are gems in this devotional based on The Lord’s Prayer.
There are forty prayers shared with sometimes a drawing, sometimes a story that gives wisdom and faith that serve to direct mediation. The authors describe the work as:

…a piece of art.
…an act of love.
…a redemptive tool.
…a resource.
…designed to stir, inform and inspire.
…it is not ‘content’.

The goal is to encourage an ongoing conversation between the reader and God.
I thought I would try to read this as a daily devotion, but that did not work well for me with the ebook format. I read it more in groupings each week. I did enjoy reading it this way.

I loved the story about the beaded bracelets and the children in India. Some of my favorite quotes are:

I am not alone. Neither are you.
The power in a gift is that it changes the recipient.
May the work it takes me to move forward never keep me from wanting to move.

I am likely to order this in print format for myself and copies to share as a gift to friends. I recommend it to others who want to meditate on a deeper meaning of The Lord’s Prayer.

Source: 2019 NetGalley.

I so appreciated the slowness of reading this book. It's meant to be a 40 day devotional, but with the majority of the daily reflections being only 1 sentence long, it's tempting to just read straight through and call it done...
But that's not how this book is meant to be read. The purpose is daily reflection, a simple prayer, compared at every step with the Lord's Prayer. We are meant to marinate on each of these daily reflective prayers, let them soak into our soul and change us. The hard work isn't what we think: it's not laboring over long theological ideologies and spending hours every day "doing" something productive for God...it's allowing our souls to be quiet before the Lord and let Him speak to us and change us from that quiet place. This book provides the perfect framework for just that!

This was a beautifully produced, thoughtful and heartfelt testimony to the personal practice of prayer. The "prayer prompts" were often surprising and original in their wording, but grounded in the timeless wisdom that always means to lead us toward the divine gifts of love and connectedness. The short essays drawn from Justin's life experience were moving and inspiring, making me think about what small epiphanies are to be found in my own everyday life. The illustrations brought visual expression to ideas that are difficult to encompass only in words. Though small, this book would lend itself to practice over a long period of time and would unfold differently through each participant. It would be a good starting point for a prayer group or for discussion.

This is a book about spending 40 days with the Lord’s prayer. So, what this author and illustrator did was take most sections of the Lord’s prayer and share their thoughts of application for the section and then have days of small reflections that they found with word and illustrations to bring about reflection time. This is NOT a Bible Study or a teaching of the Lord’s prayer. My favorite reflection, although I worded it a bit differently was, “Grant me, once again, assurance of Your presence and love.” When I first picked up the book, I was feeling like it was really lacking but then as I started at the beginning again and slowed down, I found the little blessings and where they were going with it. Where I found I differed – I just made notes of my thoughts and Scripture in the margin.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and have chosen to post a review.


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One of my favorite artist/author duos!! I read their first book prayer after I purchased it from a Christian coffee shop in Chandler, Arizona on vacation to visit my grandparents (which is my husband, brother and I's favorite coffee shop hands down). I have been following them ever since on social media. Great artwork! Great writing! Just absolutely fabulous work! RECOMMEND!!
#Netgalley
#Prayer
#Mayitbeso

Many individuals are familiar with the Lord's Prayer and memorized it ages ago. Different church traditions vary on the frequency and extent that it is used. However, often times because it is used frequently in a variety of situations and because you may have memorized it as a child, the Lord's Prayer may be just words instead of a meaningful example of how to pray. The new book May It Be So: Forty Days with the Lord's Prayer by Justin McRoberts and Scott Erickson sets out to change that.

May It Be So provides devotional thoughts related to each phrase of the Lord's Prayer. The sections are a bit longer, but not too long that they can't be read at one time. These 7 sections provide marvelous information on the Lord's Prayer and suggestions on how to plumb the phrase to its full extent. Some readers may be wondering how these 7 sections on phrases form 40 days with the Lord's Prayer. In between each longer section, there are numerous quotes and images that relate to the phrases. These quotes, which the author calls guided prayers, and the images are designed to be contemplated and to inspire prayer as well. While the longer sections are wonderful, the images and guided prayers are extremely thought-provoking. Although only a line or two, these guided prayers are meaty and designed to be chewed on and deeply considered.

This book provides a wonderful devotional resource to use on its own or in conjunction with other Bible reading. As it provides 40 days of reflections, it would fit well as Lenten reading but would be marvelous for use during Ordinary Time over the summer months or in the time period between now and Advent. As it is only a 40 day resource, this book could be pulled out numerous times and continue to provide spiritual nourishment. Highly recommended as a resource for yourself or as a gift for others.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received May It Be So via NetGalley from Waterbrook. 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: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Breath-giving, nuanced, and filled with hope. Lots of prayer and devotional books leave me feeling stressed and full of "to-do's". This one left me feeling safe, beloved, and with a fresh perspective on prayer.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2861469916?book_show_action=false

May It Be So by Justin McRoberts and Scott Erickson is a devotional that breaks down the Lord's Prayer into sections. This is a 40 day devotional so I haven't used it all, but I like what I've read (as well as what I've skimmed).
Jesus taught us to pray and its God to be reminded of how and what...

The best thing about this book is that each thought is really bite-sized. It's not really one that sets out to "teach" you something, but one that asks you to reflect on something. Most of the thoughts are a short prayer or a picture. In between, there are longer pieces/anecdotes that tease out a thought or reflection from a line in the Lord's Prayer.

I didn't actually take that long to read it. I have the unfortunate habit of rushing things through--and that's where the downside of this book is: because some of them are so brief, there's a tendency to do more than one a day, so instead of being 40 days, you flip through in something like two weeks. That's not a bad thing either. It just shifts the timeline and maybe the impact, I guess.

Also, because I'm not a very visual person, the pictures didn't do that much for me. But the prayers were wow.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook & Multnomah via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book is a great book for devotional time and quiet time! Deep and extremely thought provoking beyond the few minutes of reading each day. A great example of stepping outside of self into what God truly wants us to see.

The content of the book was really good, in act it was excellent. I'm not sure if it was because I read the kindle version or not, but the layout of the book made it difficult to follow. Some of the pictures were easy to see how it applied, but many of the images need some explanation. That may be present in the final form of the book. The book is easy to read and the concepts taught are direct and to the point. I appreciate the focus on the Lord's Prayer and would recommend this book to my friends.

This is an interesting book exploring each line of the Lord's Prayer. While it is a prayer we say often, I think it this book gives it a thoughtful treatment. I like how the prayers and pictures correspond although in the electronic version, it was hard to figure out which picture went with which prayer. I am sure in printed format, that is managed better. A worthy prayer guide.

I would truly love a physical copy of this book when it is published. I am not done with the 40 days following the prayers but I feel lifted up every morning knowing I can look forward to using May It be So to start my day. I think this book is a gentle guide to daily devotions without being to in your face for those still exploring their faith. Wonderful, wonderful job.

Although this was a well laid out book, and will most likely be inspirational to many, it was not what I thought it would be. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. (I will not be posting this review anywhere but here.)

I did not enjoy this book. It was a struggle to connect to the message being conveyed. True, I read this in a week instead of the full 40 days recommended... Maybe if I read it again slowly it will speak more deeply to me. But for right now I am underwhelmed and unimpressed.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

It's a quick read. Four of the prayers have stuck with me and I have recorded them into my commonplace book.

Justin McRoberts & Scott Erickson do it again! The prayers are real, honest & applicable to daily life. The illustrations really make you think and connect well with each theme. I really enjoyed the format allowing us to take a journey through The Lord's Prayer and really meditate on some things we might gloss over just reading it through quickly.

I read this on e-book (thanks to NetGalley and the publisher but I will absolutely be purchasing a personal hard-copy so I can take physical notes and refer to it over and over.