4 stars. This was a beautiful devotional book. Review to come.

Due to being a high school teacher, I have been falling behind on reviews. Here are my initial thoughts.

I have been a huge fan of Ruth for a few years now and every time a new book comes out I am blown away by how good it is - this one is no different! Foundations is a gorgeous guide to leading your family into deeper faith through daily devotions. This book is great for those who are trying to start some family faith time, or those who have been doing it for a long time. The prompts are thought provoking yet simple enough to engage with little ones. I believe this book will be a tool that will make a difference in many people’s lives!

I love everything from Ruth, and this book is no exception. The biblical truths in this book are a breath of fresh air. So much practical parenting advice and solid biblical teaching. A must-read for all parents.

Focusing on 12 foundational truths, this beautiful hardback guides readers of all stages through text that is saturated with scripture and open ended questions, all while gilded with Ruth’s artwork. I so appreciate the depth offered in this book! It is not saccharine soaked. Rather, it truthfully and deeply covers topics that are appropriate for personal devotional readings, family worship times with young ones, or your church small group.

I love how helpful this book is! I almost didn't read it because I don't have young children but it is applicable for all ages and all situations. I read it alone but I think it would be great for a bible study!

Whenever I read Ruth Chou Simons’ writing or see a new piece of artwork she’s done, I’m left with a longing to spend more time with Jesus. So when I heard that Ruth and her husband Troy released a new book, I immediately stopped what I was doing and went to track it down. This resource is based on twelve biblical truths that help shape a family, but this doesn’t just mean your biological family—you can use it with your church family as well!

Foundations part two of two by Ruth chou Simons and Troy Simons is a much needed book in today’s world. This is a book that will strengthen and bond a family. This is a book that will help a family grow in faith and character. My family has benefited so much from going through this book together. I highly recommend this to any family.

I was first introduced to Ruth and Troy on Instagram and have just been so inspired by their love for God and how they infuse that into their family. Their words are continually full of SO much wisdom and truth, and I am beyond grateful for their voice in this generation as a young 20-something wife and mom just starting a family.

The book itself is BEAUTIFUL. It looks great to leave out as decor, and could even be passed down through generations as a legacy piece - that would be a dream for me! The devotions are short and easy to read, yet pack a punch and point directly to Scripture. It's not watered down or theologically shallow like other family devotional books I've tried to read through before. The 12 key "foundations" they bring to the table have me thinking about how I desire my own family to look in the future.

Foundations is truly an exhortation to love God and serve Him for the rest of our days, and is a practical tool to HELP aid us as we instill these truths into our families as well.

If you’re looking for a Biblically solid way to start or continue family worship, Foundations by Ruth and Troy Simmons is a wonderful choice! Ruth and Troy give great practical and godly advice for the how and why of family worship. They demystify the process and share candidly what it means to be in spiritual community with your own family. As a family with 4 boys, I really look up to Ruth and eagerly anticipated getting to read her latest book. I feel like the Simmons have a wonderful balance of grace and truth and it shines in their writing. I loved the style and setup of the book. With Ruth’s beautiful illustrations and an easy to follow daily family worship devotional with great questions for your family to ask one another, I highly recommend this book to all families! I received this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is a wonderful tool and resource for families wanting to make Christ the center of their lives! The authors talk about the importance of daily prayer, worship, and being in Go'd's Word, especially as a family. The book goes through practical daily devotions of each of the resolutions and includes a small section at the end of each day: a truth, promise, or thought to dwell on, questions to use for discussion, and a verse to memorize together. This would be a great gift for expectant families or families in need of tools to create unity in Christ with each other, I highly recommend!

Thank you to Harvest House Publishers for the free review copy. All opinions are my own.

With a new season of life starting – parenthood – I have been looking for good resources to use now and come back to later, when needed, for ideas on how to make sure that Jesus is a prioroty for my family daily. This book is a great resource for helping me figure this process out.

For each foundation, there are five, short devotions that go with each. These are great for creating conversation among family members. There is also scripture to memorize, which I liked because I feel like this is important. Along with the great content, there is also Ruth’s fantastic watercolor artwork throughout the book. If you’ve never seen her work, you should definitely look into it.

Ruth and Troy Simons join together to share their wisdom and life experience as a couple, as parents and as Christians, in Foundations: 12 Biblical Truths to Shape a Family. This book is not a "how to guide" on raising perfect children, step by step instructions on establishing silent fidget proof family times or the recipe for training up children or oneself in the ways of the Lord. Instead this book is a resource full of solid scriptural truths, stunning visuals and suggested discussion points to utilize to engage families in deep life giving conversations about faith, family and focusing on others. Each of the twelve foundations is addressed over one week with a short and concise daily reading totaling 60 days of relatable and practical content for all ages and stages found in a family, whether that be your nuclear family, small group, or friends. With this book in your hands and the Bible, guiding your loved ones to have a firm foundation in Christ no longer needs to feel overwhelming, daunting or impossible.

Troy and Ruth Simons share Biblical truths that they refer to as "resolutions" which they seek to instill in their family. Chapters consist of 5 short daily devotions that can be done as a family or individually. Each day you are given a thought to dwell on, a couple questions to answer and a verse to memorize.

I read this book on my own as I have very young children. I look forward to reading this together at some point. However, the resolutions are something I can begin instilling in them even now through my words and interactions with them. I feel like one of the most important truths that Troy and Ruth try to impart is that my faith should be lived out in front of my kids every day.

This is a great book for anyone who wants their children to build an authentic faith in Jesus as they grow.

What a refreshing book! Ruth and Troy Simons share 12 key truths from the Bible in an easy to read and easy to understand way. The 12 truths are broken up into daily readings complete with a quick devotional thought, verse to memorize, and discussion questions.

I really enjoyed reading this book with my family. Its a book packed with wisdom and encouragement to keep our eyes on Jesus. Something i love about Foundations is that its written in a way that its not just for parents to teach their kids but its a devotional to grow and learn all together as a family or friends, so you also can read it in book clubs. And of course we can also appreciate the beautifull artwork of Ruth through the pages. Im definitly recomminding this book to my friends.

“...Family worship is the intentional tuning of hearts through remembering, praising, believing, honoring, and exalting our holy God as a group of desperate people needing His power to love, forgive, encourage, and exhort one another.” (Quote from the “Family Worship 101 section of the book.)

I loved this quote as I think it’s also a great definition of worship for any group of believers who meet together. Although this book is meant to be used for family worship, there are many aspects of it that are great reminders for all believers.

I wish we would have had this book during our parenting years. The devotions are beautifully written and are just the right length for family devotion time. There are practical tips on how to have a family devotional time and how to engage the whole family’s interest. I believe that not only will the children benefit from the instruction in this book, the parents’ hearts will be touched as well. I was challenged just reading through the book for this review.

The art work is beautiful and adds much to the appeal of the book. Each day’s writing has a devotional and sections entitled “To Dwell On”; “To Discuss”; and “To Memorize”.

I’m looking forward to hearing about the impact this book is going to have on the families that use it. It would also make a thoughtful gift to those who are training their families in their Christian walk.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Foundations is the perfect name for this book. I have been a Christian since I was a small child and I am 32 years old now. My husband is a fairly new Christian and I finally found a book that is not only encouraging to me in my walk with Christ and helping me grow but is helping y husband understand what it means to follow Christ and how to apply these great foundations to his life as well. This book is a conversation starter to be able to open up about our individual relationship with Christ and also how to apply these foundations to our lives together. The foundations discussed are very important to all Christ followers’ lives and is a tool to help us keep our eyes set on God’s Truths, bringing light to the foundations of God’s word and His ways. This book will be a great blessing to anyone and everyone, the unbeliever, the new believer, the veteran believer, single, married or a family. I recommend adding this book to your library, it will change you, it's powerful, easy to read, creates deep thoughts, and great discussions.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough.

Foundations is the third of Ruth Chou Simmons’ books that I’ve read and it is absolutely incredible. It’s meant to be experienced together in a group or as a family, whether you have children or not. It’s structured in simple chapters, and works so well as a daily bible study.

The principles and convictions that Ruth writes about are refreshing reminders of who God is and her thoughts and language are so incredibly accessible and understandable. Reading this is like having an easy conversation with an old friend.

As a new mother, I’ve been learning what my quiet time should/can look like. Adding this book to my daily reading along with my husband has been a breath of fresh air. We come together at the end of the day to discuss or talk throughout the day about it when we can - Ruth mentions that our expectations of what family devotional time should look like need to be thrown out the window. That we must each find what fits our own families and situations. The way this book is written makes it so easy to spend what time we have and make it count. Each piece ends with a thought to “dwell on” and a verse to carry with you throughout the day. I always walk away feeling that my reading is time well spent.

This book has left me feeling so encouraged and full of gratitude.

Ruth Chou Simons has done it again, this time with her husband, Troy, alongside her.

I have read and loved Ruth’s other books, and I’ve been on her launch teams before, so when I saw she had a new book coming out, this time centered on families, I knew I needed to get my hands on it. I’m so excited for this book to be out in the world.

Foundations: 12 Biblical Truths to Shape a Family is inspiring, convicting, encouraging, and necessary.

I was fortunate enough to receive an advance review copy, which I read through in basically one sitting. I will definitely be reading it again and again, and I’m excited about going through the daily readings with my boys this summer as we transition to our summer homeschool routine.

I have been a Christian since I was a kid, but I know as a parent I have always felt pretty inadequate when it comes to leading my kids in worship and bible study. It’s a part of our daily homeschooling rhythm, but I lacked confidence and assurance that the work was worth it. When kids are distracted or ignoring me or talking over me, discouragement is easy to fall into. But Ruth and Troy helped ease my fears. They emphasize over and over that families are shaped one day at a time through the word of God. We make time for what’s important, and if rooting our kids in God’s word is something we desire, we will do it. Day in, day out. I loved the GK Chesterton quote they included-- “anything worth doing is worth doing badly.” It won’t be perfect, but time spent in the word is never wasted.

Ruth and Troy aren’t writing this book in a vacuum, either. They are parents to six boys, and have spent years in both ministry and education. They know their stuff, but they’re also so incredibly humble. I’ve had the privilege of watching them grow their ministry over the years, and they haven’t changed. They’re down-to-earth, open, and honest people.

With practical advice alongside solid biblical teaching, Foundations is a wonderful resource, which explores 12 foundational truths which will shape your family. And it’s such a gorgeous book, too. Its pages are graced with Ruth’s beautiful water-coloring. Her books are not just troves of wisdom, they’re works of art.

Foundations hits shelves March 3, 2020. Pre-order your copy now.

"This book is more than a regular devotional. It’s a family guide. The book is divided into twelve chapters ( 12 principals that should guide a healthy christian family towards God) and each principle has a 5 day devotional.
I love that this book is so simple that anyone can take it and directly apply it to it’s life. It’s as simple as that. You don’t have to be a theological schooler, you just have to want more for yourself and your family.
The illustrations are delightful and they give the book more of a sentimental value.
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