100 Prayers God Loves to Hear, 100 Praise Songs

I'm a part of a program that will send me free books for a fair and honest review. The program is called Booksneeze and it is available to any blogger. I've been really enjoying their offerings lately. From time to time, they put up kids books and DVDs for review. They are possibly the books that are requested the fastest; I don't think any children's book is available for more than 2 days, whereas some of the others will be there all week.

I fortunately was able to request this one, 100 Prayers God Loves to Hear, 100 Praise Songs by Stephen Elkins. If your child is like mine are, they will enjoy this book! It is a hardcover book that comes with 2 CDs. My kids really love CDs and music so this was an instant hit. The songs and prayers are actually quite enjoyable to listen to, which I appreciate. I take it that this author has a whole series of books similar to this that looks intriguing.

This is a wonderful book that most preschoolers, kindergartners and lower elementary grades will enjoy and learn more about God, classic prayers, Bible verses on prayer, prayers from the Bible as well as prayers from famous people. A worthy book on any small child's bookshelf.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers. 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

What Spills Out

"..... the qualities of character which Jesus and his first followers insist on as the vital signs of healthy Christian life don't come automatically. You have to develop them. You have to work at them. You have to think about it, to make conscious choices to allow the Holy Spirit to form your character in ways that, to begin with, seem awkward and "unnatural." Only in that way can you become the sort of "character" who will react instantly to sudden challenges with wisdom and good judgment.

You can tell when this has happened - and when it hasn't. A familiar story makes the point. A famous preacher had a friend who was well known for his short temper. One day, at a party, he asked this friend to help him serve drinks. The preacher himself poured the drinks, deliberately filling several of the glasses a bit too full. He then passed the tray to his friend. As they walked into the room to distribute the drinks, he accidentally-on-purpose bumped into his friend, causing the tray to jiggle and some of the drinks to slosh over the brim and spill. "There you are, you see," said the preacher. "When you're jolted, what spills out is whatever is filling you." When you're suddenly put to the test and don't have time to think about how you're coming across, your true nature will come out That's why character needs to go all the way through: whatever fills you will spill out. And it's up to you to do something about it."

After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters by N.T. Wright, page 28

Too Much of a Good Thing?

I love books; love to read. This is my vacation so I perhaps over-indulged in reading this week. I thought I could read a book a day but it turns out i only read 4 this week. (so far)

i have a few I've still not read sitting on my bookshelf. Tuesday evening D and I hired a sitter so we could go to a movie and to dinner. The plan was to see "inception." Since we we'd be going in about 10 minutes late, we opted not to go at all. I had heard it was a film one had to pay careful attention to and thought it could be a film that if you did not see the beginning you'd be really lost. Even more lost than normal.

After dinner we spotted a bookstore and went in. I love the smell of bookstores, as long as they are not old and musty. (though i also loved an older bookstore called Elliot Bay in Seattle...... it had a very different feel and smell but it was a good smell, not an ugly, dark smell)

David went to the magazines while I journeyed over to several different areas. First Literature. I am contemplating buying a new copy of To Kill a Mockingbird and wanted to see and feel the book. I was surprised they did not have it specially highlighted; it being its 50th anniversary and all. Next to the Religious section. I was surprised; it was way bigger than the bookstores in my area and had a good assortment of books. You could tell which were the "popular" books because they had those well stocked: titles such as Purpose Driven Life, Wild at Heart and Captivating were all fully stocked, and they had many "lesser known" but excellent books too. There were a few that tempted me but..... I really dislike paying full price! So I go and look and feel and browse but in the past have done my shopping via Amazon. Plus, I talked myself out of buying any book because i still have books I have yet to read.

So..... why did I place an order at Westminster Bookstore for a few more books? Because I love a sale? Because I've been eying at least one of the collections for a few months now? Did I mention it was on sale? 45 % off? 50% off?

3 of the collections I ordered total 800 pages. EACH. Plus about 4 more "regular sized" books. i'll be set for a while!

it is a good feeling. Now I have to wait for them to be delivered, but I'm already excited because lately Amazon hasn't even been shipping my 'super saver" shipping qualified books for a whole week. These books from Westmister were ordered late Wednesday night and shipped the next day via UPS. (Amazon has been shipping mine USPS)

I am really liking this.

The Last Battle

"And as He [Aslan] spoke, He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all live happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no chapter is better than the one before."

C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle.

Beyond the Showroom

I just finished reading a book by Ed Stetzer and Thom Rainer called Transformational Church. It was good, not so different from many of my views and how I perceive the values of the church I attend to be, as it embraces many of the facets this book affirms and addresses: Discerning a Missional Mindset. Embracing Vibrant Leadership, Relational Intentionality and Prayerful Dependence. Engaging through Worship, Community and Mission. Much of the book was rather like a review, and yet it was affirming to me that I'm at the right church, a church committed to reaching out, loving others and making disciples.

One of the aspects that the book advocates is that both a large church gathering and a small-group gathering is important and beneficial. I liked that because I appreciate and value corporate gathering. I enjoy hearing a message that the pastor prepared. I enjoy singing with other folks. I don't see Sunday morning as "performance oriented" as some large church critics say. I think the focus could easily get that way, but I think most churches want to glorify God through excellence in their Sunday morning service.

The chapter in this book almost won me over to the importance of small groups, because if one is truly a committed Christian that wants others to know and grow in Christ, then one will want to be in a small group community. Here is an illustration from the book that made a lot of (scary) sense to me:

"By engaging in a small group or Sunday School class, the dynamic changes. Larger gatherings are like the showroom at your local car dealership. Tire kicking, curiosity, and the value of life with Christ are put on display for the crowd to see. But if the large gathering is the showroom, then the small group is the service department where we look under the hood of our lives and explore faith in Christ more deeply. Dialogue replaces monologue. Tough questions about God, the Bible and Jesus Christ are worked out in community. The smaller community also provides the platform to help others who are struggling. The community demonstrates how to merge Jesus Christ with everyday challenges by looking deeply into one another's lives and helping one anotehr engage Christ in the most difficult times. Small-group relationships provide the environment for transformation."

What do you think about small groups? Is a small group truly necessary to provide the growth, discipleship and outward focus that is needed to bring others to Christ? How important is community and "doing life together?" Is it even possible to "do life together" in the area I live in, when we are all so busy and have jobs, soccer practice, church and all kinds of other activities vying for attention? Or are those very activities and act of doing life together?

Vacation!

We're in Palm Desert and it is HOT but we like it. (or do we?) It is only Tuesday and we've stocked our condo with more food than we could ever eat in a week, (thank you costco) Actually, that was a mistake because part of the adventure is eating out and trying new places. We've been to the pool at least a dozen times. (did you know if you fail to return your towel it is automatically charged to your room..... at 10 dollars a towel? They must be making a fortune because most folks leave their towels on the chairs) We have seen Despicable Me at the movies and even bought popcorn and a diet coke. I should've taken a photo; the soda cup was almost bucket sized! We finally went out to dinner last night, to a Mexican restaurant where we were the only under 50 couple in the place, especially with kids. I was surprised to see how several of the older folks delighted in seeing my children. It is really sweet and reminds me of how (many) older folks really love children. My 2 boys are now the proud bearers of a year membership to the local skateboard park, run by the recreation center. (it was only 5 dollars each) They had a great time figuring out how to maneuver their boards in and around the cement area. I made the mistake of buying popsicles at costco so I am actually giving my kids 2 popsicles a day in an attempt to get rid of them by Friday. There is a Desert Cycling Club that has group rides Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday so David joined in Saturday and this morning. Had a great time riding with some really strong riders. We went to visit a church service Saturday night and my kids did not want to leave. Seriously, they are still asking if they can go to that church. Still on our list of things to do is the Soak City water park. We've never been. There is a free movie playing at 10 today and tomorrow we could go to at the movie theatre that is less than a mile away. David and the boys brought their golf clubs so I see at least a bucket of balls being hit this week.

In the past we've gone on the Aerial Tram up to the much cooler mountain air, the Air Museum, The Living Desert, to the River (shopping area with a movie theatre) and out to dinner at several locations. Oh, and the mall. And a bookstore. And Costco. (Is costco considered a "destination?")

Interspersed in this vacation, luckily, is a lot of time to relax. My kids all have composition books that I got at walmart for a quarter. (got to love back to school sales) I also picked up a few packs of crayola markers and crayons so they are having fun writing and drawing in their "journal." Each kid has a book, though Katie pointed out that she can't read. David has 2 books and I brought 12. (that is no exaggeration) Yet I still lustily perused the book section at costco, showing amazing restraint, reminding myself that I had a dozen books that I really should read first before purchasing any more.

Lazy but good vacation!

The Inner Chamber

Just a few days ago I posted about Oswald Chambers and my love/hate view of him. I have to say, it is mostly love and the "hate" I mentioned is mostly because his entries os My Utmost For His Highest is much like ripping off a band-aid..... good and necessary but it hurts! It smacks of an authority of BIblical truth. I'm not saying I finally agree 100% with some of what he says, but I have a deep respect for him and almost enjoy this daily wrestling with the insight I glean from his classic devotional. Usually when I think of "devotional" I think of reading a short one page thing in a book, reading a chapter of the Bible, mostly in an effort to check it off my list and never think of what the devotional said, it was just a tool to think of God first thing in the morning.

Yet, this devotional defies this expectation. Surprisingly, the daily readings are short, oftentimes shorter than many other devotional books, yet they are not easily forgotten or dismissed. I am usually challenged by them and think about what he had to say in relation to my life, my beliefs, my actions and my devotion to God.

I gave up on devotionals about 10 years ago, mostly because it was "going through the motions." The books I had were not compelling and seemed to add very little to my day. Now, this could be because I wasn't really trying to get anything out of it, but I do wonder if the books I chose really did not challenge or inspire thought. Much of the "devotionals" today are self-affirming, telling us how valuable we are, how God sees us as beautiful, how important we women are and not to be discouraged that we don't get things done, to trust and love Jesus who loves unconditionally. It is implied that God expects very little of us and that a 5 minute devotion time will be honored by God and change one's whole day.

Contrast the fluff to Mr. Chambers..... I have been pounded by him! There is no fluff. Yes, God loves us! Amazingly, he does even though there is nothing redeeming about us except Christ alone and it is in the cross that we find hope and comfort. He does have expectations of us, and yet.... it is not about following the rules or laws. It is deeper, more loftier than merely that.

I just finished reading a short article about Oswald Chambers in a book by Warren Wiersbe called 50 People Every Christian Should Know In it I learned quite a bit more about Mr. Chambers. Did you know that he did not author his books? They all bear his name, but it was his wife, who was an expert stenographer, that recorded his sermons and later compiled them into books.

In Warren Wiersbe's book, he writes that Mr. Chambers in "many respects was not in tune with the general spirit of evangelical Christianity in his day. On his way to Egypt, he wrote in his journal: "How unproselytizing God is! I feel the 'soul winning campaign' is often at the heart of the apotheosis [glorification] of commercialism, the desire to see so much result from so much expenditure. THe ordinary evangelical spirit is less and less congenial to my own soul." His writings are a good antidote to the success philosophy that has invaded the church in our own day. He said that "the 'soul saving passion' as an aim must cease and merge into the passion for Christ, revealing itself in holiness in all human relationships." In other words, soul-winning is not something we do, it is something we are, twenty-four hours a day, and we live for souls because we love Christ. No counting trophies in his ministry.

The book lists a few quotes, in hopes of intriguing readers to turn to the pagres of an Oswald Chambers book. Here are a few Mr. Wiersbe lists:

"You can never give another person that which you have found, but you can make him homesick for what you have."

If we are saved and sanctified, God guides us by your ordinary choices, and if we are going to choose what He does not want, He will check, and we must heed. "

"Every doctrine that is not imbedded in the cross of Jesus will lead astray."

"Stop having a measuring rod for other people. There is always one fact more in every man's case about which we know nothing."

"It takes a long time to realizing the danger of being an amateur providence, that is, interfering with God's order for others."

Our Lord's first obedience was to the will of His Father, not to the needs of men; the saving of men was the natural outcome of His obedience to the Father."

"Never make a principle out of your own experience; let God be as original with other people as He is with you."

Mr. Wiersbe also highlights this quote from Mr. Chambers," The snare in Christian work is to rejoice in successful service, to rejoice in the fact that God has used you.... If you make usefulness the test, then Jesus Christ was th greatest failure that ever lived. The lodestar of the Saint is God Himself, not estimated usefulness. It is the work that God does through us that countes, not what we can do for Him."

Truly, the reason I struggle with My Utmost For His Highest is because it is so hard-hitting. I completely feel I could read this devotioanal every year and never grow tired or bored with it, because it is truth and He challenges on so many levels.

Everyone should read My Utmost For His Highest, though even Mr. Wiersbe writes that when he recounted to a mature Christian friend he was getting nothing out of it, she replied, "Set it aside for a time.....It's something you have to grow into." But it is a delight to have such a book that challenges, provokes thoughts and questions and a book that can and should be re-read.