Embraced - Devotional Review

I was looking for a new devotional ... and This one popped up on my feed to get to review.  I always enjoy hearing Lysa speak and have enjoyed her other books so this one was a no brainer.

On the back of the book this line really caught my attention ... "God doesnt pull back from your sharp edges. He pulls you close. The best kind of embrace is when someone who deeply loves us flings their arms wide open and pulls us close. Our hearts were made for this kind of love and security but many of us know more about the pain of heartbreak and fear."

Most people and churches will push away when life gets hard. They cant handle the hardness that some people will go through. Maybe it is due to their own stupidity or maybe life just dealt a hard blow. Some people may get an embrace for a moment but later get shunned or pushed away .... so the thought of being embraced was intriguing to me.

This book is filled with 100 devotions, daily scriptures and prayer prompts for each day. Each day is a quick read but will get you to thinking about struggles that may be holding on to you or the tension of wondering where God is. Lysa's goal is to help you surrender your hurts by processing them in a healthy way and to hear the Lord speak to your heart by learning to seek him.

This is a great guide to help you if you need structure or a devotional for your daily times with God.

Book Description

Embraced is the beautiful new devotional from Lysa TerKeurst, the president of Proverbs 31 Ministries and the New York Times bestselling author of Uninvited, The Best Yes, Unglued, and Made to Crave. Embraced features 100 devotions that will resonate with women in all stages of life by giving them a godly perspective on the issues they face each day.

A real embrace indicates an intimate level of closeness. It’s not a high five or a casual handshake. The best kind of embrace is when someone we know deeply loves us flings their arms wide open and pulls us in close.

Our hearts were made for this kind of love and security but for many of us, we know more about the pain of heartbreak and fear than the unconditional love for which we were created.In Embraced, Lysa shares her own struggles, doubts, and heartbreaks while pointing to the Ultimate Embrace: God opening His arms wide on Calvary through Jesus so that He could pull us close for all of eternity. Welcoming us into the safety and hope of His grace and His love.

And because we have been fully embraced by Him, we can spend our lives held securely by Him and trust all of His ways

With an exquisite cloth cover, highly designed interior, ribbon marker, and stained page edges, Embraced will be a treasured keepsake for you as well as a meaningful gift for those you love.

I can Learn the Bible - A review

Last week I received this book to review. We have used it with our kids twice now and I've actually looked through the entire book.

This is a great way to help kids learn 52 verses in a year, Or 52 weeks depending on when you begin the book. My kids were so excited when the book came in. we have our nightly traditions and devotions have always been first in those readings.  The book is very easy to follow. Each week / verse comes with a devotional that will go along with it. It's great for younger kids and I believe this is how it was written for.

The only suggestion / con I have is that I would love for them to have more devotions to go along with each verse. To break down the verse more for older kids to help them with the verse and to develop a love for wanting to memorize it. Otherwise it is a fantastic resource and one that I know my kids will grow and benefit from.

The BUSY Mom's Devotional

I was given the chance to review this book by Lisa T. Bergren and am so thankful for the opportunity. How many of you as moms feel that you simply cannot find the time to put one more thing in your day, week? You may or may not feel guilty for the time you spend or don't spend in the Word with the Lord. You must give this book a try. It's not meant to put a guilt trip on you nor does it place stress on you to begin and finish in a certain order. This book was written to give us as moms a few minutes to be alone with God. You can spend 10 minutes a day or a week. That's the beauty - it is on your pace and it's you with God!

There are a couple sections to each devotion that I REALLY liked. The first is at the very beginning of the devotion called Things on my mind. This allows me to get all my concerns and things weighing on my mind out before I begin my time. I was able to write down all the things flowing through my mind - grocery list, ideas, things to do , etc. - Before beginning my time with the Lord. This kept my mind from wandering during my time with God.

The second part was a chance to make the devotion personal through What is God saying to me. This gave me an opportunity to sit (un-cluttered) before my maker and take the scripture deeper by asking Him to reveal How I can make application - just He and I - no one else's thoughts telling me how to apply this scripture other than my maker Himself.

I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed this devotional. There are 52 devotions and you can either do one a week or you can do them daily. They literally take 10 to 15 minutes to do.

Here is a bit about the Author: LISA T. BERGREN is the author of twenty-eight books that have sold many more than she ever believed. She writes a lot from the heart and in whatever category that currently interests her–from gift and children’s books to medieval fiction and Bible studies. She is a wife to Tim, an artist, and mother to three phenomenal children–Olivia, Emma and Jack. The Bergrens live in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and worship at Trinity Lutheran Church in Monument. For more specifics on Lisa, see her Web site Here.

YOU CAN WIN a copy of this book. All you have to do is sign-up for Lisa's newsletter HERE And then send Lisa a quick email with "I just enrolled" in the subject line. You can send the email right from the contact page. Lisa will draw names from those who sign up. She'll be giving away three books. Good luck and let me know if you win one!

Good Devotion....

I get a daily devotion by Proverbs 31 ministries. You can go Here if you would like to receive them as well. The one from the 16th of this month really struck a cord with me and also another friend who receives it as she forwarded it to several of us moms. If you have time ... read this if you haven't already it is worth your time ...

January 16, 2008

Real Resolutions for Moms
By Karen Ehman

“… But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:13b-14 (ESV)

Devotion:
It’s that time when many of us are making New Year’s resolutions, so how about some resolutions for mothers? Here are mine:

I will put my Bible before the television, the radio, the telephone, and even before good Christian books, for my children will know my priorities by the way they see me spend my free time.

I will make my prayer requests known before God and my children, enlisting their help in the process and informing them of the outcome, for by letting them help when I petition our Lord will they learn of a living God who still answers prayer.

When times of crisis, conflict or confusion arise, I will hit my knees before I hit the phone knowing that by my example my children will discover that although friends are important, God alone is the one who holds the solution to life’s every problem.

I will erase the words “luck” and “lucky” from my vocabulary and will instead by my speech point my children toward the One who orchestrates every detail of our lives and brings all good things to pass, for by this my children will learn of an omniscient God.

When bad things happen, I’ll neither grumble nor complain, but will instead help my children see that in the scope of our lives even the bad times are allowed for a reason, for by this my children will learn quiet trust in their Maker.

When normal childhood mishaps occur, I will remember that although difficult, it is still easier to remove grape juice from off-white carpet than to erase harsh and unloving words hurled at a child whose chubby little fingers have failed her, for by this my children will see a God who understands when our best efforts fall short.

When my children have witnessed something ugly in me - unkind words, an angry temper, “harmless” gossip, biting sarcasm or even my infamous “mommy pout” when things don’t go my way - I will confess it as sin before them seeking their forgiveness, for by this my children will develop the much needed habit of wiping their spiritual slate clean before God and man.

I will teach my children the importance of cleanliness and order while at the same time remain sensitive to the fact that a skinned knee or hurt feeling is more crucial than a spotless floor or uncluttered counter, for by this my children will learn to value people above things.

I will make time for the lonely, the sick, the elderly, the difficult to love, and will bring my children along, for with each afternoon visit, each ride to the doctor, each raked lawn or washed window they will have opportunity to serve Jesus by serving the “least of these.”

I will make our home a haven of rest and retreat from the outside world and a welcomed place for my children’s friends, for with each impromptu backyard soccer game, each video viewed on a rainy day, each cup of hot cocoa or chocolate chip cookie, my children will have opportunity to practice the art of Christian hospitality thereby learning to share all God has given them.

I will by my actions and my speech let my children see a mom love their dad, for by this will my children sense family stability at a time when marriages all around them are crumbling.

I will not require of my children obedience, honesty, patience or kindness without first being willing to submit to the same rules whether in speed limit, in miscounted change from the grocery store or when answering a toddler for the fourteenth time, for by this my children will see a mother who is also learning and not a perfect parent to whom they’ll never measure up.

In all things will I remember that more is caught than is taught.

There are little eyes upon you, mom. You are the first Bible your children will ever read.

Dear Lord, may my goals this year spring from a right relationship with You and may carrying them out point others heavenward. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.


Application Steps:
Pick just one or two resolutions that have to do with your role as a wife or mother. Tell a friend and have her hold you accountable for carrying them out.

Reflections:
Of the above resolutions, which are the most difficult for you? Why?

Do any of the things mentioned come more naturally for you? Have they always? Or have you seen growth in your life in these areas?

Power Verses:
I Timothy 4:12, “Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” (NIV)

II Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (NIV)