After just completing “Becoming a Woman of Faith” by Cynthia Heald,  I thought her 30 day devotional on Intimacy with God would be a great follow-up.  Several of the stories she tells in her devotional are identical to ones she mentioned in “Becoming a Woman of Faith.”  I was disappointed that the question/answer sections were only one or two questions. 

Cynthia Heald is a good Bible study teacher and has followed a format in previous books that she deviates from in this one.  Maybe I’m not comfortable with change because other readers seemed to enjoy it.  If you are looking for a devotional that is not going to take a lot of time and still give you an indepth look at God and the Bible, you would not go wrong in reading this book.   Heald’s illustrations and insight are well thought out and filled with wisdom.  She is honest and open and reveals her heart. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress as part of their Book Review Blogger 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: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Lesley Stahl, 60 Minutes Correspondent, called this book “…vivid, absorbing and chilling.”  She was correct.  The descriptions are vivid, the story is absorbing and the fact it is true is chilling.   Roy Hallums was a contractor working in Iraq who was taken hostage and held captive for 311 days by a Sunni terrorist cell. 

My caveat before I continue is that I did enjoy reading the book and found it difficult to put  down.  It was interesting to me that Hallums could find humor in some of the events that took place during his captivity.  Without the humor in this book, it would have been a very difficult read.  I almost felt bad for laughing at some of the events he described.

Having said that, I was disappointed he did not explain his faith with the exception of mentioning praying that God would get him out and asking God to let it rain if he was going to make it out alive.  There was also a mention of  a prayer vigil held by his family and friends.  I am certain that Hallums attributes his rescue to answered prayer just as much as the military men and women who participated in his rescue.

I found this book to be worth reading.  There are still contractors and others being held hostage who have never been found.  The Hallums family has a good ending, but that is not always the case.  We need to pray for those still missing and their families.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Book Review Blogger 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: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Cynthia Heald has offered a fresh approach to the difficult topic of faith.  She tackles God’s faithfulness, our doubt, testing, the shield of faith and heroes of the faith.  She uses her own experiences combined with quotes from Scripture and great people of faith to demonstrate God’s love and faithfulness.

This 11-chapter study can be completed as an individual study or a group study.  You can complete it at your own pace and each chapter is filled with scripture references with examples of how faith was lived out in the Bible and quotes from people of faith used to inspire us and make us think about our faith.  She also includes her own experiences, short comings and successes.

I enjoyed this study.  It’s a great study on faith and one that will renew your faith and encourage you to keep seeking God and His words.  It takes about 30-45 minutes for each session depending on how in-depth you want to study.

I recommend this to any woman searching for a personal Bible study.  I would also recommend as an excellent small group study.  This is truly an enjoyable and thought-provoking study on the exercise of faith.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress as part of their Book Review Blogger 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: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I recently attended a women’s retreat and spent a week in prayer in preparation.  During this week of preparation, I felt like God was going to do something big in my life over the weekend.  I kept hearing over and over again that God was going to rock my world (an expression I never use).  The weekend was a  great time but I felt the something big did not happen during the retreat so I went to bed Sunday evening praying and asking God if I missed it or did I do something to prevent it. 

However, the big event was not something that could be contained in a single weekend. God is so amazing and awesome.  First, I had a dream Sunday night. My family and I were driving through town when I had the sense we needed to get out of the car and head for the church basement.  I was watching buildings crumble to the ground but had no idea why.  When we arrived in the church, a meeting of emergency personnel was taking place in the hallway.  My oldest daughter disappeared into the church.  My husband, youngest daughter and I headed out seeking shelter somewhere else when I saw the building where I work implode and come tumbling down.  We hid in a building and my husband was injured and had amnesia.  Without concern, my daughter and I headed back to the car.  It was at this point that I awakened realizing that God was trying to show me something.

I set out trying to analyze the dream because I thought all the answers were somewhere within the dream.  However, as the week passed, I realized God had so much for me to learn.  I do believe that God is about to rock my world and it’s going to affect every area of my life which is why my family, my church and my job was a prevalent force in my dream. 

On Thursday morning as I was trying to get to work I got behind a slow driver who was so slow I ran late.  However, if I hadn’t been behind that car I would never have heard the DJs read an email they had received from a missionary in Haiti talking about the earthquake, destruction and aftermath. It was at this time that I realized that my dream was about an earthquake coming in my life which is why I kept hearing the “rock my world” reference.    Now, when I hear or read a reference to rocks, I pay close attention.

On Sunday of the following week I had planned on going to the worship service and not going to Sunday School; however, because of my daughter’s temper tantrum I decided that was God’s way of telling me I needed to be in Sunday School.  It wasn’t until the class was almost over that I realized the lesson was of particular meaning to me. The teacher was talking about the obstacles we put between ourselves and God, referring to them as our rocks.  She discussed what we do with them–we either ignore them, decorate them or hide them.  (My previous blog was about the rocks we lean on).

As Christians, we are called to prepare the way of the Lord.  He is coming back and probably sooner than we realize.  The many current events tell us the birth pangs have started.  In Matthew 24:7-8 we read, ”For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in place after place; All this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.” (AMP)  I believe we will not only see and have seen literal earthquakes in various places, we will also see symbolic earthquakes such as the economic crisis affect our lives.  We will see our lives as Christians in turmoil and will have to make a choice.   I do not think this is a bad thing.  I think it’s time God rocked our world, particularly mine.  We need to decide now who we will serve because there will come a time when we will have to declare.  I am confident in my decision to follow and serve God through Jesus Christ who died for my sins and who lives in me and gives me strength.

God is about to do something big.  In two weeks, He has completely changed the way I look at my life and what is happening around me.   Now is not the time to put off what God is asking us to do.  It is not the time for complacency, nor is it a time for fear.  Today is the day we need to be  intentional about the way we live our life and committed to the God we serve.

Last week I had a dream.  That sounds cliche’, but it was actually a dream during the sleep process kind of dream.  It has completely changed my life.  I am in the midst of trying to decipher all the aspects of this dream because God has been showing me so much over the past week and a half. 

Every morning since that dream during my walk time, I ask God to show me what the dream meant and what He wants me to receive from it.  (I will have another blog about my dream soon, but this morning He showed me something amazing.)

I walk the same direction every day, clockwise around the park square.  In one direction I am walking toward a church. After I turn the corner, I am facing my office building and the courthouse and at the next corner I am walking toward attorney’s offices.  This may seem like a typical landscape for the downtown area of a relatively small city.  But today as I was praying I looked up and saw all of these places–places we turn to for our help–religion, occupation, government and sometimes when absolutely necessary, the legal profession.  God pointed these buildings out to me and said, “they can’t help you.” 

The realization of what He told me hit me immediately.  All of the things I hold onto for support could all be useless without God.  I can walk into a church, but if I don’t walk in seeking God it is pointless.  I can go to work every day and receive a regular paycheck, but other than that all my occupation does is take me away from my family.  The legal profession is a win or lose proposition and government does not exist to help people, not really.

God wants to be our Rock.  He doesn’t want us to seek out those things the world has told us will help us.  He wants to empty us of all the selfish notions and all of the worldly crutches we cling to for our security so we can be filled with Him.  The only way to have a life fulfilled is through Christ who saved us.  God is our Rock and our Salvation.  He wants to rock your world.  Will you let Him?

I spent the weekend with 68 women at a retreat where we savored time with God, fellowship and, of course, food.  As women of God, we add savory, spicy and sweet flavors to the body of Christ.  This retreat helped teach us how to release our burdens and those things that enslave us so that we can let God work through us to accomplish His tasks.

An additional lesson I learned this weekend through the lives of other women is how God has  created each of us in different shapes and sizes.  We need to conform to the shape God has made us because after all, a round peg will not fit in a square hole.  Some women are round, others are square or rectangle or even triangle shapes.  I’m sure there are others, but I will focus on these four.

Round women are those women who, although they have a particular gifting, can operate outside of that gifting when necessary.  These women go with the flow and often run circles around everyone else.  They are the motivators, the encouragers and the examples for others.  They work hard to make sure everyone is having a good time and are included in all of the activities.  They are often the ones who organize events and plan the activities. 

Square women are those women who typically need to stay in their gifting in order to function stress-free.  These women are needed to keep the round women on course.  They are the ones who keep the flow going in an orderly fashion. They usually have the gift of hospitality and are the ones who will jump in to help with the food, greeting everyone and are often the ones who can handle unforeseen circumstances with grace and originality.

Rectangle women are similar to the square women; however, they are often called to operate outside their gifting when necessary and they do it with style.  They are particularly good at arranging everything from furniture to food and are great at humor and finding the good in people.  They can make people laugh at uncomfortable situations and often have an optimistic outlook on life.  They can handle most any emergency that comes up with a calming voice.

Triangle women are those women with the ability to keep the conversation moving.  They are the ones who motivate others to be open and share their thoughts and experiences with the group.  They have an openness and vulnerability that attract people to them and to Christ.  They can handle impromptu speaking opportunities and will oftentimes be the life of the party.   

Of course, there are many other shapes, but I think the ones I met this weekend all fall into one of the above categories.  I don’t know where I fit in, but God is molding me into the shape He wants me to be.

I have read the story of Moses and the Burning Bush many times.  It is a story that mesmerizes and awes us as children, but after awhile we tend to accept it and move on.  This morning as I was reading the familiar story from Exodus 3 I stumbled upon two verses that caused me to marvel over the awesomeness of God.  

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. (Ex. 3:1)

And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” (Ex. 3:12)

First, I found it interesting that God called Horeb, the mountain of God (His mountain).  God, in His incredible plan, took Moses from the land of Egypt where he was treated as a prince living in luxury to a place in the wilderness where ultimately Moses would hear His voice out of a burning bush.  God brought him out of his familiar surroundings so he could hear Him.  Many times God has taken me out of the familiar and placed me in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable place where He knew I could hear Him. 

And then God tells Moses the proof won’t come until after he has led the Israelites out of Egypt.  How often do we ask for proof before we will do something we feel God is leading us to do? 

Something else struck me while reading this verse this morning.  As I often do, I read the Bible with the circumstances of my life in my mind.  I had already paused on Horeb being called the mountain of God.  According to Easton’s Bible Dictionary, “Horeb” means desert or mountain of the dried-up ground.  It seems like a lot of things in my life, including spiritually and financially, have been dried up.  My faith falters when I feel like God has promised me something and it doesn’t happen right away.  My confidence grows dim when I start doubting all of the things I’m sure I heard God say.

But today, I heard God say when He leads me out of my desert and into the land of promise, I will know it was Him because I will return to His mountain in victory where I will worship and serve Him.  I am waiting with anticipation when I can worship on that mountain because I know what happened to Moses on his return to that mountain.

I am anticipating all of the things God will do in 2010, are you?

The last decade may not have had a name, but the last year (at least for me) was the year of lost things.  The first thing to go was my daughter’s beloved Monk Monk, the lovie we took everywhere and who did everything with us and became an important part of our family.  He was so important that when we left him behind on a trip to Florida we had to turn around and go back to get him after we were half-way there.  (We did find someone to meet us half-way, thank goodness).  We are still grieving the loss of this precious member of our family.  My daughter doesn’t go to sleep as readily as she used to and still wishes for Monk Monk.  We have a replacement but he is NOT the same no matter how hard we tried and I can understand–he really isn’t especially since he hasn’t gone through the abuse.

The next item to lose was my camera I allowed my oldest daughter to take to a concert.  Of course, she and my husband blame each other.  The camera wasn’t so bad, but the pictures of the “best birthday my daughter ever had” were on the camera card left in the camera.  Being a scrapbooker, this is really heartbreaking.  

I had to go back to work during 2009 and so I lost my freedom, but I gained income which in this time of economic hardship is definitely a blessing.  Because of the economy, I couldn’t be picky about the job; however, God, in His awesomeness, provided a job that continually blesses me.

In God’s way, He caused me to realize the things we hold onto in this life are fleeting.  In 2009, we also lost four family members which taught me that no matter how tightly we grip our things there will come a day when we have to let go, and on that day those things will not matter.  We will look around at the people with whom we created relationships and realize that was what made sense in this life.  People are important and should never be taken for granted.  Invest yourself in the lives of someone else and have something you can take with you when you die.

God uses seemingly unimportant events as well as important life-changing ones to show us what is essential.  Don’t let a God lesson pass you by.

When I chose this book to review, I thought it was a paraphrased version of familiar Bible stories with children in mind.  However, I discovered that each story which includes familiar and not-so-familiar Bible stories from Genesis to Revelation are from the New King James Version with no paraphrasing.  If you are looking for a new family devotional for 2010 and beyond, you will definitely want to pick up Thomas Nelson’s The Greatest Stories of the Bible.  The stories are divided into chapters in a storybook format making it easy for all ages to read. 

 Each of the 250 Bible stories can enhance your family and personal devotions and will be a book your family will treasure.  It is sure to become an instant heirloom to pass along to your children and grandchildren and a fascinating and interesting way to get your family involved in Bible reading at a young age.

 I intend to include this book in our night time reading ritual because each story is only three to four pages long and you can skip around if you feel a certain story is needed for whatever happened that day.  I am excited to use this book to teach my daughter stories from the Bible that she will treasure and learn from each day.  I have learned much about the Bible from the way this book is presented and hope to discover many more treasures when seeing them through the eyes of a child. 

 I recommend this book to everyone as a way to connect with the people and places in the Bible and, most importantly, to God.   You will definitely see the Bible in a new and refreshing way. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Book Review Blogger 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: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

It never occurred to me to doubt the tweet about the drowning of a 2 year old yesterday.  Instead I immediately prayed for the outcome and re-tweeted for my followers to see and hopefully continue the prayer chain.  This is something I love about Twitter–the opportunity to see the need and, either fill that need (if possible) or pray for the results. 

Today, I am disheartened to see people, who obviously lack compassion particularly at this time of year, berate and criticize the mother for what they see as neglect and inattention to her child.  I am sure she already feels enough guilt that no one should feel the need to pack it on.  I have a 3 year old who is active and curious.  She loves to explore and her favorite activity is exerting her independence by trying to sneak away.  She does not know the dangers that lurk around her.  She has no fear.  I am sure @Military_Mom’s son was the same way.  Our children do not know fear.  They are naturally inquisitive and particularly if they know something is off-limits will push the envelope as far as it will go.

It’s easy for those of us who have not gone through the loss of a child or loved one to criticize the actions of another.  Put yourself in her shoes.  Feel her pain.  Ask God to comfort her as only He can.  Don’t sit on the other side and tell her she’s a bad mother or worse tweet all of your followers what you think really happened.  This mother needs our love.  She needs to know that people care about her.

When I first started seeing all of the negative tweets, the first thought that came into my head was Ebenezer Scrooge’s line “Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?”  Mr. Scrooge lacked compassion.  He lacked love.   At this time of the year, when our love should be most evident, we need to let @Military_Mom feel God’s love surround her with our words of comfort and mercy.