"HOME EVENING FOR NEWLYWEDS," by JoLyn Brown, Walnut Springs Press, $11.99, 127 pages (nf)
When author JoLyn Brown was first married, she and her husband found following the counsel to hold weekly family home evening a challenge.
"We spent so much time together that Monday nights often felt like just another evening. How could we have lessons for two, and what should the lessons be about?" Brown writes in the introduction to "Home Evening for Newlyweds."
Brown answers that question for herself and readers throughout the book, providing thought-provoking, easy-to-execute lessons intended to help spouses "come to know the Savior better," according to the introduction.
With 52 lessons included in the book, couples could plan to utilize one for each week of the year. The lessons are separated into four different sections: "His Life," "Becoming Like Him," "His Work and His Glory" and "Centered on Him," which includes holiday-themed lessons for Valentine's Day, Easter, Christmas and more. An additional section at the back of the book includes suggestions and a few recipes for FHE treats.
The various lessons include not only well-known scripture stories and conference talks but also lesser-known Ensign articles, the combination of which indicates that Brown did her homework before writing this book. References to supplemental videos and online articles include the URL, as well as the author's name, the title of the article and date, when applicable, making it easy to locate the articles. Brown's thoughtful questions in each lesson lead to worthwhile conversations, and the activities included with many of the lessons allow participants to apply the principles and make them relevant to life.
Although the book's title indicates the author wrote the book with newlyweds in mind, the book could easily be adapted to families with children as well.
Regardless of family dynamics, Brown succeeds at providing quick but meaningful lessons and activities that can be both planned and delivered in a time crunch but also leave participants spiritually uplifted.
Email: wbutters@deseretnews.com, Twitter: WhitneyButters