"Say a Little Prayer" (Joanne Redmond)

TITLE: Say a Little Prayer
AUTHOR: Joanne Redmond
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Our Daily Bread Publishing, 2023, (176 pages). 
 

The Bible teaches us to pray without ceasing. How can we do that in a busy world? Is there an effective way we can pray especially in a world of short attentiveness and an increasingly attention-deficit world? How is it possible to pray all day? According to author Joanne Redmond, one way is to learn to pray short prayers throughout the day. She helps us expand our repertoire of prayer opportunities throughout the day with her "101 everyday ways to pray." It could be the start of the morning or the end of the day. It could be making a payment at a kiosk, reacting to a tense situation,  typing on a computer, reading about troubles in this world, having a coffee, or just about anything that we encounter or do on a day-to-day basis. Each day has a specific idea for us to consider and practice throughout the day. Each short prayer idea is accompanied by an illustration, a prayer, a quote, a template, a Bible verse, or a prayer from selected spiritual practitioners. In fact, the brevity of the idea makes it an ideal pick-up prayer moment(s) each day. It is not meant to be skimmed through, but to be pondered and remembered throughout the day. When Redmond says it is a "little prayer," it literally is. After giving us a short idea, the length of prayer is really up to us. We can pray one long prayer from that idea, or we can have multiple moments of prayer throughout the day. We can also call these moments where the Spirit leads. 

"Refresh Your Hope" (Lori Hatcher)

TITLE: Refresh Your Hope: 60 Devotions for Trusting God with All Your Heart
AUTHOR: Lori Hatcher
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Our Daily Bread Publishing, 2023, (272 pages).
 

We all need hope. Like a train going through a long dark tunnel, we all want to see light sooner rather than later. Journeying through dark times can be scary and suffocating. Hope carries the confidence that the journey will not end in the dark but pull one through toward the light. Yet, in a world of ups and downs, hope is not always present. That is why we need to have hope refreshed and this book shows us 60 devotions to help keep up our hope and trust in God. These devotions are classified under three parts:

1. God's Nature (20 devotions)
2. God's Work (20 devotions)
3. God's Word (20 devotions)

Each devotion begins with a passage for meditation on the theme of Hope. This is followed by a story, illustration, or observation about the verse. We learn about the many dimensions of Hope, especially biblical hope. This includes knowing that God never forgets us. God is ever-present and faithful. God's Presence is Peace. God who has created the world knows best about what the world truly needs. Author Lori Hatcher probes the theme of Hope through reflections on the world we live in, the work of God in this world, and the Word of God. Each chapter concludes with encouragement and prayer. As a devotion, the chapters of this book take us back to the Word of God, showing us the Source of all Hope. There are many different aspects of life that readers can relate to. In "He Remembers Our Sin No More," Hatcher relates her experience as a dental hygiene student, how in the midst of great discouragement, she was able to shirk off criticisms and press on. In "Every Gift Matters," we learn not to let our hopes diminish in the light of others' gifts. Instead, we let God shine a light on the gifts we already have. In "God Will Sustain Us in our Old Age," we see how the same God who showered grace on others can also do the same for us. These and many more forms the bedrock of devotions to direct us to the Giver of Hope. 

Readers wanting to inculcate a greater sense of Hope can use this book to guide their thoughts and hearts to trust the providence and faithfulness of God. It is not so much about us trying to believe but more about encountering God in our everyday lives. The short chapters are highly suitable for those of us with busy lifestyles who have very little time to read. Hopefully, consistent and disciplined reading will not only give us the discipline to develop a regular reading habit, but it can also build up in our hearts a greater knowledge and deeper love for God.

Lori Hatcher is an author, blogger, pastor's wife, and women's ministry speaker. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications including Our Daily Bread, Guideposts, Revive Our Hearts, and Crosswalk.com. A contest-winning Toastmasters International speaker, Lori uses high-impact stories to impart transformational truth. Find out more about Lori and her well-loved 5-minute devotions at LoriHatcher.com. 

Rating: 4 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of Our Daily Bread Publishing and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

"The Lands of the Bible Today" (Dave Branon)

TITLE: The Lands of the Bible Today: Experience 44 Places in Scripture and Photos
AUTHOR: Dave Branon
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: ODB Publishing, 2020, (192 pages).

The Bible is the bestselling book of all time. It is also ancient with many names, places, and cultures totally foreign to many modern readers. One of the best ways to get a feel of the Bible context is to physically go visit the Holy Land. For various reasons, not many people would be able to visit the places. It could be physically demanding or financially limiting. For the rest of us, the best way is remotely or through the print medium. This book is a powerful version of the latter. With beautiful and captivating pictures of 44 places in the land of Israel and beyond, readers are able to get a glimpse of the biblical terrains. The purpose of this book is two-fold: Firstly to help readers be more familiar with the knowledge of these places. Secondly, to make our reading of the Bible a little more personal and also to bring the physical locations alive to us when we read Scripture. For each of the 44 locations, one to two pages have been allocated to provide salient information for Christians interested to know more about the physical locations. Some of the features include:

• Name of the city or place and where is it on the map;
• Events that occurred there;
• Bible passages that referred or alluded to the specific place;
• Key passages that show us the significance of the location;
• Where we can find the location now;
• Some attractions that visitors can see;
• Beautiful photographs and maps;
• Buildings and monuments; as well as scenery;
• Historical background of the place;
• Favourite Site Reflection;
• and much more.

My Thoughts
As I was reading this book, I felt that the book could benefit three groups of people. First, for those who have been to the places mentioned, it would trigger memories of what they had seen or heard. There are times in which the tour guides give us so much information that we are unable to remember everything. We might also be so in awe of the places that we didn't pay attention to what the guide was saying. At the same time, the tour guide might not be familiar with how Christians read and study the Bible. They might not even be believers at all! Thus, the book helps one to link what they remember with the spiritual significance of the place.

The second group of people are the tourists or visitors wanting to make a trip there. While there are many other guide books to help us navigate the terrain, this book is a compact volume that provides brief and concise notes for us. Usually, we depend on the guide to do all the talking. However, not all guides are equally knowledgeable. With this resource, we can easily use it to supplement what we have heard or to ask more questions based on the knowledge in this book. Books like the "Christian Traveler's Guide to the Holy Land" would give us more information. This book is a good companion to that. We can even map out our own itinerary!

Finally, this book is for the rest of us who had never visited or not intending to go to the Holy Land. They would find this book a welcome guide to bring the holy land scenes to them. Not everybody have the privilege or the financial means to travel to such a distant place. It is also useful for professors, preachers, pastors, and teachers of the Bible, where they could use information in the book to teach their students or their congregation. My favourite part of the book is the many references to help me connect the place to the Bible, and to help my audience visualize the physical place. This would make this book a helpful teaching resource.

Dave Branon is a freelance writer for many years. For 18 years, he served as managing editor of Sports Spectrum magazine. Now he is an editor for Discovery House. He loves going on ministry trips with students.

Rating: 4.25 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of Our Daily Bread Publishing and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

"How Sweet the Sound" (Laura L. Smith)

TITLE: How Sweet the Sound: The Power and Promise of 30 Beloved Hymns
AUTHOR: Laura L. Smith
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Our Daily Bread Publishing, 2020, (256 pages).

Music has a strange power to move us. It helps us remember thoughts and words written way back in the past. It also brings back memories of our experiences of old. It also creates new experiences as the music connects our being with words that reflect how we feel. Hymns are one of the most visible and audible signs of a Christian community. Regardless of the traditional vs contemporary worship wars, most of us would recognize the unique place of hymns. We may not sing them as often in some modern churches, but we do appreciate how they have impacted Christian communities but also society at large. Hymns such as "Amazing Grace," "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," and "Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee" have been used even in secular places and situations such as funerals and weddings. If you want to know the stories behind these popular hymns, how the hymn speaks to people then and to us now, and the reasons why the hymns are considered "beloved," this book answers all of that curiosity. The "Doxology" is a hymn of unity. Praises help us express gratitude. Hymns are infused with Scripture to point us back to God through the Word. Singing hymns enable us to declare our hope and security in Christ. They stir us to action. They give us words and music to express our emotions. They bring us peace and joy; hope and humility; assurance; and many more. 

"Eyewitness to Crucifixion" (Stephen M. Miller)

TITLE: Eyewitness to Crucifixion: The Romans, the Cross, and the Sacrifice of Jesus
AUTHOR: Stephen M. Miller
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: ODB Publishing, 2020, (208 pages).

Christians all over the world regularly proclaim the great reality of the faith: "Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again." Author Stephen Miller focuses on three angles of the crucifixion: 1) What the Romans say about crucifixion; 2) What they say about Jesus' crucifixion; and 3) what the Bible says about Jesus' death on the cross. The Bible does not say a lot about the nature and the exacting details of the crucifixion. Thus, the author goes back to several Roman characters to give us an eyewitness account of the terrible nature of the crucifixion. Seneca the Younger calls it the "worst torture of all." Cicero says that crucifixion is almost like killing one's father or brother. Horace lists some of the frivolous reasons used to send people to be crucified. Plutarch talks about criminals being asked to carry the cross enroute to their own execution. There was even a case 250 years before Christ was born where Hannibal the commanding officer of the ship was crucified by his own sailors after leading them to another defeat. Lactantius, advisor to Emperor Constantine teaches Christians not to resist death, even if it means the threat of crucifixion. With a large segment of the book devoted to the description of what crucifixion means to the Roman world, Miller aims to show us the cruelty, the humiliation, the senselessness, and inhumane nature of the execution.