Book Reviews and More: With Your Whole Heart: Family Devotions and Activities for Lent

With Your Whole Heart:

Family Devotions and Activities for Lent

Amy Welborn

Creative Communications for the Parish

eISBN 9786000426323

eISBN 9781682793831

ASIN B08Q4M86ZT

This past Advent I read two devotional from the pen of Welborn intended for families and both were excellent. The first; Wonders of His Love Family Devotions and Activities for Advent, was a new read. The other was a reread Prepare Him Room: Advent Family Devotions, which I had a read a decade earlier but had not reviewed. This year Welborn promoted two volumes for Lent:

With Your Whole Heart: Family Devotions and Activities for Lent

No Greater Love Stations of the Cross for Young People

While looking into them I also discovered I had read Daybreaks: Daily Reflections for Lent and Easter, 9 years ago but had not reviewed it. So I read both volumes over a few days in order to review them and promote them for Lent this year.

I picked up this volume for two reasons. The first it was by Amy Welborn and I have loved everything I have read from her masterful pen. And the second I was looking for a few new books for Lent reading in 2026 I picked it up a month before Lent with the plan of reading the whole volume, then rereading it over Lent. It is a wonderful little volume with clear concise reflections; it is theologically sound, and very moving.

The description of this volume is:

“Lent invites us to “return to the Lord” with our “whole heart.” This daily devotional is designed for families to put their faith into practice. Written by popular author Amy Welborn, the booklet encourages parents and family to grow together during the important season of Lent. Welborn suggests six areas of focus for helping family members develop stronger Christian habits—one for each week of the Lenten season. Habits of self-examination, prayer, fasting, charitable giving, gratitude and sacrificial love are discussed and prayed about with simple style that is both hopeful and doable.”

I worked through the digital edition of the book, and I I found evidence of older physical booklets editions. But the eBook is available readily. The chapters in the volume are:

Introduction

Ash Wednesday

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Friday after Ash Wednesday

Saturday after Ash Wednesday

First Sunday of Lent

Monday, First Week of Lent

Tuesday, First Week of Lent

Wednesday, First Week of Lent

Thursday, First Week of Lent

Friday, First Week of Lent

Saturday, First Week of Lent

Second Sunday of Lent

Monday, Second Week of Lent

Tuesday, Second Week of Lent

Wednesday, Second Week of Lent

Thursday, Second Week of Lent

Friday, Second Week of Lent

Saturday, Second Week of Lent

Third Sunday of Lent

Monday, Third Week of Lent

Tuesday, Third Week of Lent

Wednesday, Third Week of Lent

Thursday, Third Week of Lent

Friday, Third Week of Lent

Saturday, Third Week of Lent

Fourth Sunday of Lent

Monday, Fourth Week of Lent

Tuesday, Fourth Week of Lent

Wednesday, Fourth Week of Lent

Thursday, Fourth Week of Lent

Friday, Fourth Week of Lent

Saturday, Fourth Week of Lent

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Monday, Fifth Week of Lent

Tuesday, Fifth Week of Lent

Wednesday, Fifth Week of Lent

Thursday, Fifth Week of Lent

Friday, Fifth Week of Lent

Saturday, Fifth Week of Lent

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord

Monday of Holy Week

Tuesday of Holy Week

Wednesday of Holy Week

Holy Thursday

Good Friday

Holy Saturday/Easter Sunday

Each week follows the same format, with reflections for each day, a Pray Together each day and a Grow Together section each week and a reminder to check in on it part way through the week. A sample day is:

“Ash Wednesday

Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart…

Joel 2:12

Today, the first day of Lent, is called Ash Wednesday. Many people celebrate this beginning by going to church and receiving ashes, usually in the form of a cross, on their foreheads. These ashes are a sign of being sorry for our sins. They’re a sign that we want to be in communion with Jesus, who carried his cross because he loves us.

God loves each of us and made us for life with him. But that happy life with God doesn’t just happen. We can say yes to it—or we can say no. We can grow and learn in ways that bring our hearts closer to him—or farther away. Lent is a time when people all over the world, young and old, take up their crosses and let Jesus lead them closer to the Father as they pray, sacrifice and help others more.

That’s our path, the one we’re learning to walk on. There are bad habits to turn from and good habits to embrace. We’re not alone on this journey. We’re with each other; we’re with Jesus.

Let’s get ready.

Pray Together:

Jesus, we are on our way, bringing our hearts to you. Amen.

Grow Together:

For the rest of this week, think and talk about some good habits of praying, fasting and giving that you can try to develop during Lent, individually and as a family.”

I highlighted a number of sections my first time through this volume, some of them are:

“Over the next few weeks, we’re going to take a journey. We won’t be in a car or an airplane. We won’t ride the bus or our bikes. This will be a journey of our hearts. It’s Lent, and we’re on our way to Jesus! Of course, Jesus is already with us. Always! But even though the Lord is a part of our lives, do we always listen to him? Are we as close to him as we could be? Do we know his peace and mercy all the time? Are we present to Jesus with our whole heart?”

“Our Lenten journey is a special time to learn and grow with Jesus, walking with him to the fullness of life at Easter. Every week of Lent, the devotions of this booklet will focus on habits that help—or hurt—us on this journey. We’ll try to break habits that keep our whole hearts from Jesus and build good ones that open our hearts to him.”

“Week 1: Practicing habits of self-examination

Week 2: Practicing habits of prayer

Week 3: Practicing habits of fasting

Week 4: Practicing habits of charitable giving

Week 5: Practicing habits of gratitude

Week 6: Practicing habits of sacrificial love”

“Today, the first day of Lent, is called Ash Wednesday. Many people celebrate this beginning by going to church and receiving ashes, usually in the form of a cross, on their foreheads. These ashes are a sign of being sorry for our sins. They’re a sign that we want to be in communion with Jesus, who carried his cross because he loves us.”

“For the rest of this week, think and talk about some good habits of praying, fasting and giving that you can try to develop during Lent, individually and as a family.”

“Becoming a joyful friend of Jesus is like that. His way is one of self-giving love. But that just doesn’t happen. That’s why we “give something up for Lent.” Practicing the habit of saying no to even small pleasures and saying yes to small crosses that come our way helps make us stronger. When those heavier crosses come our way, we’ll be ready.”

“Creator God, you made me and you love me. Help me to be honest about myself. Amen.”

“This week, individually and as a family, work on deepening habits and giving opportunities for self-examination: of embracing gifts and talents as well as admitting weaknesses.”

“God made each of us on purpose because he loves us. It’s a good habit to get into—to remember that God made us and loves us—every single day.”

“God, you created each one of us. Thank you for each special person here. Thank you! Amen.”

“These are all gifts too! In a way, they are much more important gifts than sports, school or the arts. Kindness and compassion are ways that we love—and God is love.”

“Every day, especially when we get discouraged, it’s good to thank God for something special about ourselves. Then, knowing how important that is, we turn around and, every day, make a habit of letting someone else know how special they are!”

“We’re made for the happy times, both here on earth and forever in heaven. That’s why we want to take some time every day—maybe in the evening before we fall asleep—to be honest about ourselves. In the quiet of our own rooms, we can go over and review our day, admit what we’ve done wrong to God, and ask him for mercy. He’s always ready to give that!”

“We hurt each other. We make mistakes. We ignore each other. We’re selfish. It sometimes seems easier to try to ignore that hurt, but Jesus tells us here that we can’t do that. It’s our whole heart we’re bringing to him, honest and true. No secrets. No hidden anger.”

“Highlight(aqua) - Page 26 · Location 163

This week, help one another explore and develop habits of prayer, both individually and as a family.”

“We want to get into the habit of praying all the time, wherever we are. But it also helps us to find special times and places to talk to and listen to Jesus. And Jesus did this himself! During Lent, we’re following Jesus. We’re walking with him. What’s your mountain? Where can you go by yourself to take time to pray every day?”

“Jesus, thank you for quiet times and places to praise and thank you. Amen.”

“Lord, every minute of every day is a gift from you. We praise you and bless you for this gift in all we do. Amen.”

“This week, support each other in acts of fasting and sacrifice. Think and talk about how these habits can help us tell God we’re sorry for our sins, live in solidarity with the poor and learn to depend on him, more than anything else, for our peace and happiness.”

“Lord, in fasting, may I learn to base my peace and happiness on your love. You are my rock. Amen.”

“We set the things of the world aside—even good things that don’t hurt us—because we want to focus on God. He’s speaking to us too. Every day that we build those habits of setting aside the world for even a minute, we’re learning to listen to God first, who is always with us, right here.”

“We remember your cross. We thank you for your love. May we share that love and give joyfully. Amen.”

“Jesus, may I recognize you and serve you today. Amen.”

“This week, practice habits of gratitude every day. Say thank you to God through words and deeds of love and sacrifice. Say thank you to others in your family for who they are. Leave notes and gifts and give hugs. Practice gratitude in small ways.

Monday, Fifth Week of Lent

“Life can be hard. We all have bad days. We make mistakes, we do the wrong thing, we suffer accidents. We have to work hard when we feel like playing. But have you noticed something about those hard times? Have you noticed that the ways you’ve grown and become stronger, wiser and more understanding are often because of the difficulties and challenges, even suffering? No one likes hard times. We don’t wish for suffering. We don’t seek it, and we surely don’t want to cause it.”

“That’s a good habit, isn’t it? No matter what happens, offer a little prayer of thanks. Even when something isn’t going my way and I’m a little unhappy with another person, I can take a deep breath and, instead of complaining, start by praying, “Thank you, Lord.”

“Every person we meet is, in some way, on a journey to Jerusalem themselves, getting ready to face a cross, great or small. Suffering is a part of every person’s life. We can be a help to them or not. The habits we form—of listening, of not being quick to judge, of being willing to cheerfully sacrifice our time even in small ways—will shape our lives into a welcoming “home,” the kind that Jesus found with his friends.”

I hope that sample day and those quotes give you a feel for this volume. This was a book I am very thankful I have worked through and look forward to reading it again during Lent. I really appreciated many of the reflections and almost all the prayers at the ends of specific days.

This is an excellent Lenten resource, a great volume. I can easily recommend it. This is a wonderful volume that will inspire and challenge. I encourage you to pick it up and give it a try!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2026 Catholic Reading Plan!

Books by Amy Welborn: