Saturday, March 30, 2013

Prayer Circles, draw the circle


Draw the CircleThe 40 Day Prayer Challenge

By Mark Batterson
Published by Zondervan




Book Description

Do you pray as often and as boldly as you want to? There is a way to experience a deeper, more passionate, persistent, and intimate prayer life.
Drawing from forty days of true stories, Mark Batterson applies the principles of his New York Timesbestselling book The Circle Maker to teach us a new way to pray. As thousands of readers quickly became many tens of thousands, true stories of miraculous and inspiring answers to prayer began to pour in, and as those stories were shared, others were bolstered in their faith to pray with even more boldness.
In Draw the Circle, through forty true, faith-building stories of God’s answers to prayer, daily scriptures and prayer prompts, Batterson inspires you to pray and keep praying like never before. Begin a lifetime of watching God work. Believe in the God who can do all things. Experience the power of bold prayer and even bolder faith in Draw the Circle.
My Thoughts: 


This book drew me in, I found myself reading more than one chapter at a sitting. The short concise chapters made it an easy read. I was encouraged and challenged by the faith of the people in the stories the author shared. This book can challenge your prayer habits and perhaps help you change up your devotional time to become more productive and powerful. At times, I found myself rooting for the prayers that were prayed and found myself excited to hear how God answered those prayers, even it it was a not now answer. I too prayed a prayer and God answered with a challenge. The challenge is shared here on my other blog, 42kmfromhere

While I have not read Batterson's Book "The Circle Maker" Which this book is a spin-off devotional. Overall, I would recommend this book to someone looking at strengthening their prayer life and perhaps their faith.
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.”


Sunday, March 17, 2013

Discover who your Jesus Is...

Jesus Is
Find a New Way to Be Human
By Judah Smith
Published by Thomas Nelson

Book Description
Jesus is ____. How would you finish that sentence?
The subject is there, and so is the verb, but what comes next? Your answer could shed light on the path to becoming who you were made to be.
In these pages, Judah Smith fills out that sentence again and again, each time further revealing the character of Jesus. He writes as if to a friend, illustrating the importance of Christ’s message to modern men and women. This is a book for new believers, for lifelong followers, and for the merely curious. Judah Smith shows us the Jesus that somber paintings and hymns fail to capture. With passion, humor, and conviction, he shows that Jesus is life. Jesus is grace. Jesus is your friend. Jesus is a new and better way to be human.

My Thoughts
The words Jesus, Grace, Faith... conjure up different meanings and feelings to everyone. Jack Hayford an American Pastor defines Grace as:  “Grace is God meeting us at our point of need in the Person of Jesus Christ.” 
In his Book, Judah Smith focuses on how Jesus Is your friend, is Grace, is Happy, is Here and is Alive. This book served as a great reminder that Jesus is a friend, is grace and so many other things. It also serves as an encouragement to look at Jesus and seek Jesus more.
I enjoyed this book and it was an easy read over the course of a weekend. I found myself laughing out loud numerous times as Judah shared some comical stories, while other moments found myself in tears has he shared touching stories.

Some of my favourite quotes from the book Judah Smith wrote:
(forgive the lack of page references, I read this book my iPad and page references change depending on the size of the font.
-  “I wonder what Jesus said in one short afternoon that changed a lifelong taker into a lavish giver.”
-  “Don’t allow the opinions of other people to shape your concept of him.”
-  “Get to know him for yourself, and let the goodness of God change you from the inside out.”
-  “The common denominator is that we all need help.”
-  “When we meet grace, it becomes the fuel of our faith.”
-  “Grace focuses on the abundant life Jesus freely gives us.”

Next Steps:
- Check out your local bookseller to find  the book for yourself, you may find yourself singing Michael Jackson’s song “Human Nature” as you read it. 
- Join the conversation online. Fill in the blank of what/who you think Jesus is on the book's website.
 - Or follow the conversation on twitter with #JesusIs. 
  
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.”