Attend: Forty Soul Stretches Toward God by Laura Davis Werezak

Attend means to literally means "to stretch toward," according to Laura Davis Werezak. She wrote Attend to help readers stretch toward God when they may not quite know how or where to start to do that. Attend contains forty days worth of helpful soul stretches.

These forty soul stretches in Attend don't necessarily have to be read straight through. In fact, Werezak says in the introduction that there is no right way to use this book. She encourages you to start your stretching however it works best for you--read the book straight through, pick and choose and read randomly, or read during Lent or Advent when you especially want to turn your focus toward God. Along with those loose reading guidelines, Werezak adds that you may want to read Attend alone or with others in a group to share. Werezak stresses that Attend is not a spiritual checklist, encourages readers to give themselves grace each day, and adds that the real power is found in the "doing."

Each of the forty readings in Attend offer something to meditate on and think about to grow and stretch closer to God. At the same time, each day offers a small, usually simple activity to draw closer to God, to be more mindful in your thoughts toward God and your day, and sometimes to draw closer to those in your community around you. Activities range from opening a window and thinking about the air moving in the room, writing a real letter to someone you care about, to closing your eyes and imagining you are with Jesus living out one of the Bible stories. I think this is a great idea because I know I learn best by doing while I am learning.

Attend would be such a nice book to read through for Lent this year, but as Werezak says, it would be a good book for any time you feel a tug in your spirit to draw closer to God. This small book is a nice size to carry along and read if you don't have time for devotions at home too.  However, the flip side of that is that I did think the print is a little smaller than some books. I would encourage anyone to take time to read these short readings and do the activities as they feel God leading them. Attend is a good book not only offering wisdom from God's word, but offering you the chance to experience God in a new way. I highly recommend it.

I received this book from Faithwords/Hachette Book Group. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for the book.