• Book: “You Were Born for This” by Bruce Wilkinson

    I recently finished the book “You Were Born for This”  Seven Keys to a Life of Predictable Miracles by Bruce Wilkinson.  In his book Bruce shares several stories of how God was able to use him to encourage believers as well as lead others to Christ.  He goes through ways that you can be guided by the Holy Spirit to deliver a miracle to another person.  There are four main parts to the book:

    • Welcome to Everyday Miracle Territory
    • Four Keys to a Life of Miracles
    • How to Deliver a Miracle
    • Three Keys to Special Delivery Miracles

    Bruce Wilkinson puts in a number of examples and stories of how he was used to deliver a miracle.  Included in the back of the book is a Epilogue with more stories from readers of his book.  If you want to go through the book with a group he provides discussion questions for either a four week or seven week study.

    I thought the book had a lot of great reminders of how important prayer is in our life and to be in tune with the Holy Spirit because you never know when you have the opportunity to share with someone.  Bruce also addresses that we often fear speaking directly to a stranger about something personal and will question the prompting we feel or justify a reason for not stepping up with excuses such as “Who Me?” or “Do What?” or “What Will They Think?”

    The author gives several step by step ways to learn how to act on these miracle missions from prayer, having the heart for people, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you, and taking risks of faith.  I think we all have those moments when out of the blue we think of someone and fail to act on that prompting only to find out later that the person was going through a tough time; what an amazing blessing of encouragement we could have been if we had just called, written that letter, emailed or stopped by to see them.  Wouldn’t it be great living a life full of sharing blessings with those around you.  We do not know what the person next to us is going through at the moment.  A simple question like “I really want to help you.  What can I do for you?” can open the door for you to encourage someone.

    A handful of my favorite  quotes from the book:

    “I’ve noticed something reassuring. When we ask to be sent by God, He matches each of us with people we can help.”

    “A nudge is an inner push that directs us toward a person, a place, or an action.”

    “During a God arranged encounter you will know what God wants”

    “Knowing that we are sent, we take deliberate risks that place us in complete dependence on God for a miracle.”

    Rate my review & be entered into a giveaway: I reviewed this book for “Blogging for Books.”   By rating my review, it allows me to choose another book and enters you in a GIVEAWAY!   The rating is a two step process.

    Step 1:  Rate my review below (select the number of stars, enter your email, and hit submit).

    Step 2:  Check your email account for a message from Blogging for Books and click their link to verify your email.

    Once you rated my review AND confirmed your email, you will automatically entered in a giveaway for this book by WaterBrook Multnomah!!!  They will pick one person to receive a copy of the book for themselves!  WaterBrook Multnomah will contact the winner directly.

    Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes from the publisher through the Waterhouse Multnomah.  The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

  • Book: “Living in Love” by James & Betty Robison

    I recently read the book “Living in Love” by James and Betty Robison who are Co-Hosts on TV’s “Life Today”.  Having a healthy marriage is important to me so I thought this book would give new insights or provide great reminders on ways to strengthen our marriage relationship. I enjoy having a chance to read a chapter or two of a book each day and was excited to check this one out.

    James and Betty Robison grew up in very different family environments, James was the son of a single Mom and Betty grew up in a church going family.  In the book they discussed their backgrounds and how they met.  The book has a unique layout and more conversational.  It shows Betty’s insights and James’ viewpoints by putting a headline at the top of each section.

    Although I have never watched their show I appreciated that they encouraged couples to work on their own hearts first and stop trying to “fix” their spouses.  Both James and Betty recommended praying for your spouse, marriage and family.  Each family member brings a variety of dynamics to the relationship.  They discuss topics that we don’t hear a lot about in our culture when it comes to marriage – selfishness, commitment, trust, communication, and confrontation.  When married couples have solid God centered foundations in place we have more opportunities to grow and work together as a cohesive team.  James and Betty do not claim to know everything but are thankful for God’s hand working in their lives as individuals and as a couple.

    A couple of my favorite quotes from the book:

    “An unhealthy self-focus can show up in marriage in many ways, but the one I observed most frequently is people trying to shape their spouses according to their own expectations.  This is always a mistake.  Instead of trying to change your mate it is best to allow God to shape you.”

    “Trust is built on the foundation of commitment – first and ultimately, to God and then to each other.”

    At the end of each chapter they added a few questions for each couple to answer separately or together.  Overall the book is a great resource to read for those going into marriage or for couples wanting a gentle reminder of ways to build a healthy foundation in their marriage.  If you cannot purchase the book I would recommend checking it out at your local church or community library.  It is a pretty quick read and it never hurts to be reminded of ways to keep the communication open between you and your spouse.

    Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes from the publisher through the Waterhouse Multnomah.  The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”