My Prayer Journal by Ralph Spiller

Prayer girds human weakness with divine strength, turns human folly into heavenly wisdom, and gives to troubled mortals the peace of God. We know not what prayer can do.  ~ Charles Spurgeon

I'm really passionate about prayer...you know... the kind of passion that makes you feel like your heart is going to burst wide open if you don't do it... the kind of passion that possesses you and makes you look at people like they're crazy because they don't hold the same passions as you.  Really.  It's true.  Sometimes when I'm trying to impress on another wife and mother the importance of consistently and diligently praying God's Word over her husband and children and she's standing there giving me that look like, 'oh yeah, that's a nice thought', I really just want to grab ahold of her and shake the daylights out of her and yell at her to WAKE UP!!!!

All that to say, I was really excited to have the opportunity to review Ralph Spiller's My Prayer Journal: A 90-Day Journey to a More Fulfilled Prayer Life.  Most Christians have heard of the ACTS method to prayer: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication.  My Prayer Journal uses a similar method to help people keep their prayers focused with the acronym P-R-A-Y-E-R.  Praise and Thanksgiving, Repentance through Confession, Ask (for the needs of others and self), Yield to the Father, Examine, and Reflect. 

With Scripture woven throughout, this journal is more than merely praying for one's self, it also incorporates prayer from our church pastors and leaders to our government leaders, from the physically ill to those with relationship problems, from personal needs to salvation prayer for others. 

A blessing to anyone who desires to deepen their prayer life and relationship with the Lord, My Prayer Journal is a must-have.

I know of no better thermometer to your spiritual temperature than this,the measure of the intensity of your prayer.  ~Charles Spurgeon

** I received this book free from Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze blogger program.  There was no compensation received for a favorable review of this book. **

A Just Man

As a Christ-following mother of two pre-teen boys, I am constantly on the lookout for good books that will point them to their Father in Heaven and toward their Savior, Christ Jesus.  So, when I picked this book, 'A Just Man' by Helen Daniel, I felt like I hit the jackpot!

Perfect for a nine-year-old who reads confidently by himself, the story follows the life of Billy Jones who comes from a dysfunctional family with an abusive, alcoholic father.  Throughout the story, the author consistently weaves in the story of God's amazing grace and redemption through His Son, and the miraculous change that happens when we receive our new life in Him.  Whether you have younger children, or teens, I would highly recommend either using this as a read-aloud or having your children read it on their own.

From the back:

At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, a father and son struggle to trust in and follow God’s will. Farmers, preachers, and shipbuilders, generations of the Matthews family struggle to live according to God’s will. Through the Revolutionary War, droughts, and floods, they strive to hold firm to their belief in the love and forgiveness of their Creator, but will the outsiders they take into their homes and hearts reaffirm or destroy their faith? In this engrossing historical novel, set during the American Revolutionary War, readers will find a wholesome and detailed look at life and faith in the late 1700s.

*I received this book through Thomas Nelson Publishers free through their Booksneeze blogger program.  I was in no way compensated for a good review.

Wild Grace

"Wild Grace:  What Happens When Grace Happens" is a great devotional book by Max Lucado for teens struggling to figure out what this thing called Grace is all about... what it looks like in a practical sense. 

From the back cover:

Today’s teens are being shaped by the pressures and disappointments of the world. But Max Lucado encourages them to take a close look at what can shape their hearts and their futures from the inside out—God’s grace.

As Max explains, "God’s grace has a drenching about it. A wildness about it. A whitewater, riptide, turn-you-upside-downness about it. Grace comes after you." Wild Grace gives teens an understanding of how grace can change their lives in powerful ways, even when those lives are messed up, off track, or in trouble. Each chapter describes another miracle that happens when we allow God’s grace to work on us and through us:

“Grace is God’s decision to change everything. Good-bye, earthly labels. Stupid. Unpopular. Ugly. Failure. No longer. You aren’t who they say you are. You are who He says you are. Spiritually alive. Connected to God. Amazing.”

Teens will be convinced that God knew what He was doing when He made them and His grace is always there, ready to work wonders that are bigger than anything this world has to offer.

Organized into three sections (1-God, Grace, and You, 2-Grace in Action, and 3-The Road Home) and ten chapters, Lucado incorporates real-life stories and testimonials into each chapter, and the part I love the most is the 'Your Story' section, which encourages teens to dig deep into their own hearts and discover for themselves the personal blessings of God's grace and how to extend that to others.

All in all, I'm looking forward to my own boys reading this book as they learn to live out the Wild Grace challenge.

*I received a free copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publisher's Booksneeze program.  No compensation for a positive review of this book was received.

Blessings

Wendy

Happy New Year!

The snow is gently falling as I gaze out the window, our neighborhood quiet on this first day of 2013.  Thinking about what the Lord may have in store for me, for our family in the year to come, how we'll handle some of the changes certain to come our way this summer, I realize I need to do some simplifying.   De-cluttering of the soul and mind', as Sally Clarkson would say (read her blog post on de-cluttering http://www.itakejoy.com/a-new-years-tradition-de-cluttering-your-soul/ ).  It seems that as the boys get older there is more to consider in our schedules...one loves soccer, the other loves basketball.  One loves piano lessons...one wants to learn guitar.  One wants to learn German...the other wants to learn French.  One loves to get together (often) with large groups of friends...the other would just prefer to get together with one good friend.  Enter home education, church and ministry and here we are. 

Finding time to just rest in the Lord each day...to listen to Him who gives me the strength to take the next breath, take the next step, do the next thing, and know that He is sufficient in the midst of the craziness that characterizes many of our days.  I often find myself longing for the days when our schedule was formed around naptimes and meals-it was so much simpler then.  The rest of this week finds us still on our Christmas break from our formal lessons as we look forward to spending time with extended family in celebrating together this weekend.  We'll be de-cluttering our home, setting things back to normal (whatever that means...our normal I guess) and playing together a LOT.

Looking ahead to how I desire 2013 to characterize our lives, our home, I desire it to be flooded with Grace and Kindness, Patience and Joy, Love and Peace.  Our oldest son (11 y/o) told me the other day that I was the best Mom (which I never tire of hearing, though always feel humbled as my many inadequacies race through my brain at such times).  So I asked him, what makes me the 'best Mom'?  His answer, 'you let us have extra sweets during the holidays'.  Never being one to just let things go, I sought to dig a little deeper, so I asked, 'Tell me what are those things that make me a good Mom?  What are those things that I do that make you know I love you?'  So he said, 'you're patient and kind and gentle with us.'  Really????  I don't often feel that those Fruits of the Spirit characterize my heart, though you can be sure that during my quiet time, I'll be praying more on each of these to permeate my heart and the hearts of my husband and boys as well... 

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas...An Important Reminder from a Child

The music is playing softly in the background, the lights are twinkling, the boys' laughter rings throughout the house as the last few preparations are made before our celebration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ officially begins.  In the midst of the gift exchanges, food, and carols, parties and the like I was reminded yesterday of what is really important.

After our church service yesterday morning I gathered up my Bible, church bulletin, purse, etc., put away my pen, coat on, and stood up only to see our older son plop down on a chair across the isle to 'have a little chat' with an elderly lady.  She has no husband, no children or grandchildren.  She has no family nearby with which to share in holiday festivities.  In those moments, it is the child who teaches the adults, for with that one act of reaching out, one heart to another, a soul was blessed, a heart a little less lonely.  The woman called my mother later in the day yesterday to tell her how she had been blessed by my son and had then bought a small gift for him and his younger brother. 

A powerful reminder of what is important during the Christmas season (and all through the year as well)... being Jesus with feet... reaching out to others in divine appointment, as our Father in Heaven reached down to us all those years ago...

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord ~Luke 2:11

Winds of Change

The winds of change have begun to blow here... 

The winds of change, when they come, begin ever so softly... you barely notice the caress against your cheek as they begin to rise.  A heart-tug here.  A fleeting thought, 'what if...' there.  A stir deep within... a whisper: 'It's time...' He says.  The stir gives way to a restlessness as He unfolds His plan before you.  Fear creeps in at the changes ahead.  'I Am sufficient...' He says...

Tough Guys and Drama Queens...

My oldest son is quickly approaching those years that most parents dread:  the Teen Years.  There are days when I feel confident that his 'teen years' are going to be great and I'm looking forward to watching God work in his life and experiencing life with him.  Then there are the other days when I wonder 'how are we ever going to survive'?  Hence, I was very excited to have the opportunity to read and review the book, "Tough Guys and Drama Queens:  How Not to Get Blindsided by Your Child's Teen Years" by Mark Gregston.

From the back of the book:
'Parents of preteens and teens can move from scared to prepared with a new approach to parenting their adolescents. 

Parents of preteens intuitively know that no matter how good their kids are, there is turbulence ahead. Many feel lost and unprepared as they watch the damaging effects of culture collide with their child's growing pains and raging hormones.

For the past 35 years Mark Gregston has lived and worked with struggling teens and knows what it takes to reach them. He says, "A parent's success has little to do with either the validity of their words or their intent as messengers, it's more about how they approach their child and engage with them."

The book is divided into three sections:

*What's so different about today's culture *Why traditional parenting no longer works *A new model for parenting teens

Foundational and practical, and written from the crucible of experience, Tough Guys and Drama Queens answers the questions that parents are asking, helping them become the parents their children need them to be.'

The prevailing message throughout the book is this:  Relationship Relationship Relationship.
"If they don't get wisdom from you (the parents), they'll search for it somewhere else." pp.102
"It's all about relationship.  If they don't have a relationship with you, they'll have one with someone else." pp. 103

Though there was nothing completely earth-shattering in his book, Gregston, through his book, has increased the burden I have for keeping my own children's hearts, and has reminded me of the importance of intentionally building and strengthening the relationships I have w/ my children.  I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who's children are coming into the 'Tween & Teen' years.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”


Though I don't agree 100% with the perspective from which Gregston has written his book, it's definitely applicable to today's parenting/teen culture, and is definitely worth reading.