Upside Down Prayers for Parents

This book was very challenging to read.  As a mother, I want to pray prayers of protection over my children.  Prayers for health, wisdom, drawing closer to the Lord, keeping safe, learning well.  I will continue to pray those prayers for my children.  However, I liked the different angle that the author approached praying for our children.
In some situations I can see praying these upside down prayers.  Hard situations.
The entire book put a different light on praying for your children.  Although some of the prayers I could never bring myself to pray for my children, the message behind each one that she shares is definitely something I could pray.
I could pray for them to know forgiveness and be able to forgive...but I do not think I could pray for them to HAVE to have done something that needed forgiving.  For one thing, I know we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God...so I don't have to pray that they will! :)
I did think the book was very different from any other parenting devotional book I read, and I think it has much value if taken in the right spirit.

The Briarpatch Gospel : Fearlessly Following Jesus into the Thorny Places

When I read the first chapter of this book The Briarpatch Gospel:  Fearlessly Following Jesus Into the Thorny Places...I put it down.  It came close to offending me but I recognized that the offense was in me and not in the Holy Spirit that was in me.  I read a part of it to my husband, knowing him pretty well, expecting him to be be offended.  But he didn't say a word for a while...then he said, I think he's right.
I do too.  I think Shayne Wheeler has written a book that is really about following Jesus, not just saying the words and acting the part.  This is one of those books that you have to re-read. One of those that you move slowly through because you have to stop and pray just about after every chapter.
You will either put it down after the first chapter, or you will keep reading and keep praying on bended knee for Jesus to give you the strength to follow Him where it isn't easy to follow.
Well-written, honest, easy to read as far as reading level...but challenging to the heart.  It took me longer to get through this book because I had to stop and think and pray so much.
I would highly recommend this book, especially if you are seeking a deeper walk with Jesus.
Mr. Wheeler has a website for his book as well that you can visit http://briarpatchgospel.com/.  The website has discussion guides and helps for the book.
If you would like to read the first chapter, you can do so but visiting this link:  http://files.tyndale.com/thpdata/FirstChapters/978-1-4143-7230-3.pdf

Me??? Emotional???

Unglued was a book I chose to read and review because I needed a devotional book.  As I read the first few days worth of devotions, I thought how great it was...for those women who tend to be a little emotional.  Not me, of course.
My husband asked me what the book was about.  I told him it was about dealing with your raw emotions and that I thought  it was a great book for women who had to deal with that kind of problem, but it really didn't apply to me.
The look on his face said otherwise.  It was one of disbelief.  This was followed by hilarious laughter. 
"Not apply to you ?"  he asked in between guffaws.

Well, when something triggers that response in my husband I take a second look.  As I continued reading, I realized that maybe...just maybe...I DID need such a book. 

Women tend to be emotional creations of the Lord.  It is a good thing...as long as it is under His control. 

Unglued is a great way to start recognizing how and why you tend to come unglued.  What to do about it.  How to handle those raw emotions. 

After finishing the book, I am being led to do a small group study with other women in my church using this book.  I thought it fantastic! 

I liked the website that goes along with the book because the author offers the first two chapters of the book Unglued for free to readers (the book is different than the devotional book...I read the devotional book).   She also has a video up that is the entire first video of the DVD/ book study combination.  This is a valuable tool to help decide if this study is right for your group.
 Check out the video (first link) and the chapters (second link) and see if you don't come away helped!


http://lysaterkeurst.com/unglued-dvd-and-participants-guide/


Download Chapters 1 & 2 by clicking here. (PDF)

Call of a Coward

I love reviewing books for Christian publishers.  Each time I get to browse the covers and the blurbs for the books, I feel as if I am choosing an adventure to live.   With this book, I definitely received an adventure!! 
Call of a Coward  attracted my attention because...well, I am a coward.  Let me back up a bit and say, I have been a coward and am trying to live a fearless life because the Lord has told me "Let not your heart be troubled...".  So I try.  I also do anything I can to find out how other people deal with fear, anxiety, worry.
The subtitle to this book is "The God of Moses and the Middle-Class Housewife".   Here again, I was drawn because I am an average housewife and I love the God of Moses.  See how this book just sort of drew me in?
The book is about the author's experience of obeying God's call for her husband and her family as they become missionaries to the Guatemalan people.  Mrs. Moston writes in a friendly, descriptive style and her sense of humor had me smiling by the second page of the first chapter. 
I thoroughly enjoyed this story because it was presented with candor and transparency.  The fears she experienced moving to a foreign country, thinking about her future and the future of her family, and wondering how she would survive without the things she had been accustomed to.
Throughout the book, Mrs. Moston continually points to the Lord, giving Him the praise for how He provided for them.  She honestly deals with the times in life when she wondered if there had been a reason for all they did in Guatemala. It is as if she is a friend sitting with me, telling me about her life. 
I loved reading about how the Lord gave them the strength and courage to deal with so much.  How He did not answer all their questions yet never let them feel abandoned.  How He gave them patience to see how He works things in His own timing. 
This book was such an encouragement to me as a Christian because when other members of the body of Christ share how God is at work in their lives, it encourages the rest of the members.  And Mrs. Moston has done that! 
As someone who has never been on a mission trip but has a desire to go, this book also gave me ...not a nudge really...just another piece of information that could be filling in the gaps of what I need to know. 
I would recommend this book to any wife (because it has much wisdom about being a godly wife within its pages...although Mrs. Moston probably did not write it specifically for that reason...the beauty of a godly wife shines through the story).  I would recommend it to anyone who has been or is considering going on a mission trip because it is stirring.  I would recommend it to anyone in ministry who has had times when they wonder if they are in the right place, if they are doing what God wants them to do.  I would recommend it to people who live fearfully, because it shows once again that we serve a God who is in control and we have no need to fear. 
I am glad the Lord led me to choose this book to read!  I pray that He continues to use this couple in their obedience to Him to serve Him in whatever ways He has in mind. 

GlobeQuake by Wallace Henley

I began reading this book in hopes for learning some specific Biblical advice for living in this day and time.  As I read I realized the book is not written for that purpose.  It is more of a book that describes the times we are living in and how they affect the various spheres of life.  Yes, there is Biblical advice...mostly a spur to be prepared spiritually...more of a general nature. 
The book was well- written and accurate.  I believe anyone concerned with the nature of the world, the politics, the changing value system would enjoy reading this book.  It is not an easy read.  Many times it reads almost like a history text.  It could very well be used for a book study or to stimulate intellectual discussion.  Also, the book is not a stirring, emotional read.  Very matter of fact and practical.
The author covers the sphere of person, church, family, education, government and business-marketplace.  He ends the book  with a chapter on Hope.  Our Hope is in Jesus Christ because He is the ruler of all nations and our Savior.
To be honest, it was difficult reading for me because it just seemed very slow and , as I mentioned before, more like a textbook. Nothing wrong with the writing. ..just the style.
I was provided this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion of the book. 

Help My Unbelief...

Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal

By Michael Kelley

This book has a subtitle …a boy, cancer, and God. Right away, I want to state…this is not a depressing book.

  It is a book of hope and truth. When I first looked at the cover, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go into this author’s world. So much sadness, sickness, hardships are around in my own area, my own circle of friends and family, I wasn’t sure I could read about a little boy with cancer.

   I am glad that I did read this book. In fact, this is one of those books that will stay on my shelf to be pulled out and reread again and again. Usually I skip over the recommendations at the front of the book…the blurbs. But this book had 6 ½ pages of blurbs…that is quite a few. So I started reading those, curious as to why there were so many. They were written by fellow authors, professors at divinity schools, pastors at well-known churches, famous singer/songwriters, CEOs of Christian companies, vice presidents of corporations, editors. I will share a few sentences from the blurbs that also describe my thoughts about the book.

  “Reader, please listen to me: If you have ever suffered, struggled, doubted, wrestled with a God who allows hunger and disease and two-year-old boys to get cancer, if you have attempted to believe God in the midst of devastation and fear, please devour this book like the gift it is.” - Jen Hatmart, author of 7

“The relational and spiritual insights you’ll read about are hard earned and precious. Michael pulls back the curtain on faith and hope during times of difficulty.” - Thom S. Rainer, CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources

“There are countless wildernesses: from depression to divorce, from brokenness to bankruptcy. ..I am deeply thankful that they did not waste their sorrow, and I am deeply thankful that Michael wrote this book.” - Michael Card, Christian singer/songwriter

This father writes about his son, Joshua, and their journey through leukemia. He tells more than just this journey through illness…he describes his journey in faith, in learning what faith really is. I like his honesty and his transparency. For Christians when adversity comes, sometimes we try to act brave and believing …when inside we are asking questions like , Why, God? Or, Is this punishment for something we have done? Or, Are You even real? How could You let this happen? His journey becomes one that he says “forces long-held ideals and beliefs from the comfort of intellectualism into the discomfort of reality and tries to square with them there.”

The author looks at Scriptures through the eyes of suffering and showed me things I had never thought of concerning passages I have read and reread in my life. For instance, the story of the father with the son who was sick and the disciples could not help the boy. They brought him to Jesus and Jesus turned to the father who had said to Him, If you can do something then please help us. Jesus then asked the father, Do you really believe that I can? The father answered Him with “I do believe; help my unbelief.” The doubts that come at times even with our belief in the Lord are not new to God. The author writes more about this Biblical father , insights that could only come from having been in the situation himself.

  He writes , “Maybe the difference between this guy and most of us is not the state of circumstances around us; we all have cancer or car wrecks or poverty or whatever. Maybe the difference is that this dad had the faith to doubt. Can that be right? This father had the faith to doubt? We have this idea of what faith must be, and that definition of faith has no room for doubt; no room for questioning. Who can blame us? After all, faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see, according to Hebrews 11:1. That’s the definition of faith in Scripture…What if our definition of faith is wrong? What if we have been putting faith in our own ability to HAVE faith? What if real faith is not necessarily absent of questions and doubt; what if real faith is more about what we do with doubt than whether we have it?” Interesting concept and one I have thought much about myself.

  This book is not just for people with sick children. It is for Christians who question, Christians who do not understand why things happen the way they do. It is for Christians who love Jesus with all their hearts and yet do not know why He allows things to occur sometimes in our lives. It is for those who want to hold onto their faith in difficult times…and do not know how.

  The author writes about Job and his three friends…and how good people, kind friends can sometimes be the worst at encouragement. He tells what really means the most in being a friend to those walking through adversity. Being there…not necessarily talking or advising. Just being there. He tells of the changes that come when you face adversity, how it colors who you are, and then coming out on the other side…fearful, clinging to that new identity you had…the one forged in the fires of suffering. He tells how to let go of who you think you are and just become who Jesus knows you are. What freedom!

This book is one I will recommend over and over again to those I know facing struggles without answers. If you have to choose one book on suffering this year to read, I would suggest this be the book. It is a blessing. It is filled with hope. It does not hold all the answers but it brings comfort to the heart and mind. Thank you, Mr. Kelley, for sharing your life and your walk with the Lord with us. I received this book for free in return for an honest review, which I have written here.

  WATCH THE BOOK TRAILER MOVIE BELOW:

More Than A Bucket List

More Than A Bucket List

By Toni Birdsong

 

This is a cozy sized hardback book that includes short one page devotionals or positive writings among the many lists that inhabit its pages.  List lovers will probably go crazy over this one.

My favorite parts were the devotionals that focused on God and the Real Life Challenges scattered throughout the book. 

For those unfamiliar with the term “bucket list”, it is intended to be a list of things you hope to do before you “kick the bucket”. 

To me, many of the writings and the lists of things to do were directed towards people who have been financially blessed.  It seemed to be written without consideration for the fact that some people may never have the means to enjoy traveling the world and fulfilling their every wish.  Not to say that all the lists were unrealistic.  But most focused on travel, expensive visits, expensive foods, expensive hobbies.

I still liked the book because it is full of lists …and I love lists.  My favorite part out of the whole book was the suggestion to make an “unbucket” list.   The author describes this as a list of things you have already done in life.  To me, this would bring more contentment than focusing on all I have NOT been able to do in life. 

I was given this book to review for free in exchange for an honest review, which I have provided here.