The
authors have provided inspirational thoughts based on Scripture. The
book is organized around the acronym,
G
– God
R
– Relationships
A
– Acceptance
C
– Challenge
E
– Emotions
Grace
is what makes it all possible. In this book the authors share
stories of how God has made a way by his grace. Their prayer is that
we will accept that grace to meet our own needs as well.
They
have provided 183 daily readings, enough to last six months. Each
reading has a Guilt Trip to avoid, a Scripture verse, a story, and a
way to Take a Joy Ride. Each reading is short so even busy women can
stay connected with God and grow spiritually – every day.
The
readings and suggestions are simple yet practical.
For
example, just as a squirrel builds a secret place high in a tree to
hide from the perceptive hawk, so do we need to build a hiding place
for our souls. “The Word of God forms its foundations. Prayer
builds its walls.” (6)
In
another example, Shirley writes about how welcoming her yard is to
birds, thanks to her husband's flower beds, pond, and bird feeders.
“So, too, we need to create an atmosphere that will attract God's
Spirit.” (23) The guilt trip to avoid is failing to sense God's
presence. The joy ride is determining how to conduct a spiritual
checkup on your self.
The
lessons comes from nature, from life, from emails. Choosing a tea
bag becomes a lesson on daily devotions (missing a blessing because
we're stuck in a rut). A drooping plant becomes a lesson in
ministering to others. A toaster oven manual is a lesson on the
importance of the Bible as our instruction manual. Billboards
advertising cars becomes a lesson on self-worth. A groundhog dining
on automobile wires becomes a lesson on sin. A wagon load of hay
bales becomes a lesson in emotions. A bush in need of clipping is a
lesson on what obscures our view of God. A perfectly made bed is a
lesson on going the extra mile as a response for what God has done
for us. Taking the elevator to the cruise ship's exercise room
(instead of the stairs) is a lesson in being a phoney. The view of
the Dominican Republic from an elaborate cruise ship is a reminder
that God asks us to act on behalf of the poor.
These
devotions are aimed at young married women (I think). I mean, they
must know what Vera Wang heels are. These devotions are not calls to
radical discipleship or to even give up any part of a comfortable
lifestyle. They are the thoughts of the women as they go about their
daily life, seeing God in it.
Shirley
Brosius, Janine Boyer, and Kim Messinger speak together as friends of
the heart. Their passion is to help women open their hearts and find
joy in Christ. All three are married with children and live in
Millersburg, Pennsylvania.
Shirley
is a former business education teacher and director of Christian
education. She has written several books and numerous magazine
articles.
Janine
works with her husband in a family business and serves as a youth and
prayer ministry leader.
Kim
is an elementary teacher and volunteer youth leader at her church.
Christ
drew these three women together for their first small group meeting
in 1998. Since
then they have drawn closer through life's joys and struggles and
found God to be sufficient for their every need. They call themselves
"Friends of the Heart" because their passion is to help
women open their hearts and find joy in Christ.
Westbow
Press (a division of Thomas Nelson),195 pages.
I
received a complimentary egalley of this book from LitFuse Publicity for the purpose of this review.
1 comment:
Thank you for your thoughtful comments, Joan. You have certainly captured the spirit of our book. We trust it will help Christian women enjoy life to a greater extent as they lose the guilt and find the joy of Christ.
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