I was approached last month about whether I would be interested in reviewing a book about how Christian’s can enjoy their Walt Disney World vacations while not leaving their Faith on the dresser, so to speak. I agreed to do so, and as a result, I am pleased to present to you my review of A Christian’s Guide to Walt Disney World Resort: Devotions for your Family Vacation, by Jeff Chaves!
A Christian’s Guide is available in ebook form from Amazon or Barnes and Noble, and the beauty of this ebook is that you are able to download it into your smartphone and carry it with you when you go to the park! As many of you know, I am a Christian, and I do use this platform to get my message across (although I try not to overwhelm you.)
When Peggy approached me about doing a review of the book, I was immediately interested, and I’m glad that I agreed to do so! This book has so many incredible tidbits of information in it, all of which is designed to show you that, even though you are a family on your Walt Disney World vacation, that doesn’t mean that you need to stop, put your Faith and Christianity in a dresser drawer, and forget it until you get back home! Chaves does a great job of doing what so many of us forget to do when we are on vacation — getting us to slow down, examine the wonderful intricacies that is Walt Disney World, and gleaming the wonderful insites that Walt Disney and his Imagineers present to us, all while tying it into wonderful lessons from the Bible.
The book is divided up into five main sections. The are:
- Around the World Devotions
- Magic Kingdom Devotions
- EPCOT
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Animal Kingdom
In each section, there are specific devotions related to the area of the Resort that you are in. For example, in the “Around the World Devotions” you will find devotions about the Hidden Mickeys that can be found throughout the resort, or about the Water Features. Additionally, in the Magic Kingdom Devotions section, you’ll find what I think was my favorite devotion — the one called “Main Street Windows.” Let’s explore that one in greater detail.
In Main Street Windows, Chaves’ goal is to connect the special windows located throughout Main Street, U.S.A. with the Bible truth that God honors people for their faith. As in each devotion, there is a Bible reference that you should read (in this case, it is Hebrews 11:1-2, 39-40) and three main sections. They are:
- Know-Before-You-Go
- Connect It
- Discuss It
In the Know-Before-You-Go section, you will find that you are being given some background information about the attraction or section of the park that you are in. Of course, in Main Street Windows, the focus of this devotion is to look at the details that you find in the upper windows.
In the Connect It section, Chaves does a good job here of pointing out that the names listed on the windows are key people in the history of Walt Disney World, and that, in this same way, Hebrews 11:1-2 and 39-40 talks about how God honored those people that had a strong Faith towards Him. This is but one example of how you can take a situation at Walt Disney World, and show how God’s Word can be applied to everyday things that we see. In Chaves’ thinking, it’s a similar process to how Jesus used moments such as how the trees grow and the flowers bloom to impart wisdom to those that followed him. This book does a good job at helping you to focus on specific things for those teachable moments, and is a book that we all can learn from.
Lastly, in the Discuss It section, there are some questions that you can ask of your family, and go over what you have learned during this devotion.
Jeff Chaves has done a good job with the e-book, and it is one that I recommend and will be purchasing for my family.
The book is available at both Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and costs $9.99.
Don’t forget to enter for a chance to win a $50 Disney Gift Card!
Great review Mike! Glad to hear you're a fellow believer. ;o) I had the opportunity to review the book as well – loved how much Scripture was used throughout.
Great review! This book sounds like it's very inspirational. I'm looking forward to checking it out.
What a great review, Mike. I had seen someone else review this one, but their review wasn't nearly as thorough. I'd love to check out this e-book for my Disney Resource Blog. :)
Thanks for the compliment, Heidi! I've loaned my copy to my wife, but when she is done with it, I'll be happy to loan it to you for your Kindle. I'll get in touch offline. Thanks!
Me too, Terri! It was full of a lot of great Bible references that you can just take right to heart!
Thanks, Deb! If you want, I can loan you my copy later on.