Pray for Texas

Texas could sure use your prayers right now.  Hurricane Harvey has brought so much rain our way that many, many people need help.  I feel so fortunate that my family is safe but so many right now are not even in a place of safety.  Pray for those that need immediate help first, for those first responders risking their own lives to help others, and then pray for the huge clean up that awaits.  Harvey's wrath is not over.  I have lived in Texas all my life.  I have family in Galveston, Houston and in between and it is heartbreaking to see so many people in need.  Here are some article links with ways you can help!

Texas Monthly Ways to Help

Forbes Helping Out After Harvey

Let's Learn about the Lord's Prayer Book Review & Blog Tour

It has been awhile since I have been part of a Blog Tour but I am so happy to be a part of this one!  Let's Learn about the Lord's Prayer by Catherine DeVries is a delightful book that invites preschoolers and beyond on a playdate adventure to learn the Lord's Prayer.  This new resource from David C. Cook is a fabulous and fun tool to help your preschooler learn the Lord's prayer.

 E and F with our new book!

 Not only do they love the stories but the illustrations are great as well.

 Here is an example from inside the book!

We are huge fans of memorizing scripture in our home.  My kids usually have a weekly memory verse they are working on for church, co-op and our homeschool.  I love that this book just fits right in with our daily life.  It is encouraging, loving and educational - my kind of book.  I really love that the HeartSmart series is about filling children's hearts with God's Word and ultimately a greater love for Him.

Be sure to check out the complete Let's Learn about the Lord's Prayer Blog Tour.  And you can purchase your own copy of Let's Learn about the Lord's Prayer.  Read more about this book and the author below.

 More about Let's Learn about the Lord's Prayer (David C. Cook, September 2015)
In this first book of the HeartSmart series, preschoolers are invited on a playdate with Emma.  Together they learn the Lord's Prayer and practice "teaching" it to Emma's favorite teddy bear.

Introducing HeartSmart, a Scripture memory series designed to create opportunities for children to fill their heart with God's Word.  HeartSmart combines key Scriptures with songs, giving parents a spiritual formation path for building a strong foundation of faith.

The entire Lord's Prayer is included, along with a custom song (free download with access code.

Catherine DeVries

More about the author
Catherine DeVries has written twenty books for children, including the bestselling The Adventure Bible Storybook.  As associate publisher of Children's Resources at David C Cook, she leads product development for The Action Bible collection, which has sold over a million copies.  Catherine lives with her husband, their three children, and their big furry dog in the Colorado forest.

Disclosure:  Thanks so much to Litfuse Publicity Group for allowing me to be a part of this tour and providing me with this book to facilitate my review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Before Amen by Max Lucado Book Review

Disclosure: I am proud to be a Family Christian Blogger and Affiliate.  I was provided with my own copy of Before Amen by Max Lucado to facilitate my review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

 We have all heard the phrase, "Dance like no one is watching" but what if we changed that to "Pray like no one is listening" or better yet "Pray knowing the One is listening".  This is the freedom felt after reading Max Lucado's new book, Before Amen.  If you haven't figured it out, it is a book about prayer but it is much more than that as well.  It is a book that encourages a lifestyle of prayer.  It is more about one's heart and the need for prayer.  If you read my blog then you know that I am hoping 2015 is a year full of transformation for me personally.  In college I realized that God has gifted me with an intercessory calling but it has been far too long since I have really pressed into this or exercised that gift with intensity very much more than what Max calls PWA - Prayer Wimps Anonymous prayers.  I am praying that 2015 will bring about a change in my prayer life as I press into the Lord and free myself from having to say the perfect words during prayers and let go into the depths of my heart.

It was eye opening for me to be reminded that the first followers of Jesus asked for prayer guidance, not a million other things.  And what did Jesus give them?  He gave them a prayer.  As Max says, "a quotable, repeatable, portable prayer" found in Luke 11:1-4.

"Father,

you are good.  I need help.  Heal me and forgive me.  They need help.  Thank you.  In Jesus' name, amen"

Simple, right?  And easy to remember.  Max expands on each of the portable prayer elements and shows you how this prayer can become a cherished friend.

 

Relaxing...

I loved the chapter on gratitude and alphabetizing your blessings.  I feel as though I have been vulnerable to negativity lately and that can be poison to a person.  As Max states in his book, "gratitude is a dialysis of sorts, it flushes the self-pity out of our systems".   So, I am going to alphabetize my thankfulness right now.

I am thankful for...

Art, animals, and asparagus
Butterflies, belly laughs, and birthdays
Cats, cuddles, and crafts
Dish washers, dark chocolate, and David
Eyeglasses, elevators, and eggs
Fly swatters, funny jokes, and first moments
Giggles, guitars, and grapes
Hearts, health, and healing
Ice, Imaginations, and ice cream
Juggling, jars, and jewelry
Kids, kitchens, and kites
Ladybugs, lamps and letters
Mom, milk, and music
Nurses, nuts, and numbers
Oranges, onions, and origami
Parades, picnics, and personality
Quiche, quilts, and quarters
Roses, rainbows and rabbits
Sun, scissors, and sweaters
Tea, trees, and triangles
Underwear, umbrellas, and utensils
Vacations, visitors and vegetables
Water, women, and wind
X-rays, xylophones, and xtra
Yahtzee, yellow and you
Zippers, zig-zags, and zeroes

Wow, I feel better.  I want to be one with a grateful heart, one that prepares the way for the Lord.

I enjoy Max Lucado's work so much - Punchinello and Hermie and Friends are some of my kids favorites.  I love that Max is so simple with his writing and yet so profound.  This book is not just words, it is truly about life application and I really believe that it could help inspire a prayer movement!

Also, Before Amen is not intimidating: 100 pages, plus a 60 page study guide included.  It's no surprise to me that this book is Family Christian's book of the year.