Reading, Writing & Pondering

    Does your prayer life feel stale? Like all you do is ask God for stuff? A Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving by Wendy Speake is a 30-Day devotional and ask fast that just may rejuvenate your prayer life.  I know people who like to do a gratitude journal during the month of November to go along with Thanksgiving. This is a good devotional to go along with Thanksgiving too, although it can be done any time of the year. The book is based on Psalm 100. Each day there is a verse to focus on, a reading, and ends with a prayer and some journaling that you could do. From the publisher:  When life is bright and blessings abound, are you quick to feel grateful and lift a song of thanks to God? What about the seasons when heartache and hopelessness overwhelm, and deep soul-sadness threatens? When life feels awful, do you find it awfully hard to persevere in praise and rejoice in God’s goodness? Discover strength and renewal in times when praise feels more like a sacrific...

  I truly believe life is better when lived with an attitude of gratitude. Thank You, Mama by Linda Meeker encourages children to say, Thank you. As a foodie, I also love that Thank You, Mama talks about different foods. Thank you, Mama is aimed at three to seven year olds. It measures about 9.25 inches square and is full of bright, colorful illustrations. This book also models respect, good manners and offering gratitude. I wasn't familiar with this author's work on TikTok as I am not on that platform but I think the book is adorable. I also like how it offers children a glimpse into other people's cultures and foods. I think it also encourages children to like those who are different and the different foods that they eat for various meals. By including an Aunt and Grandma in the story, it also shows are families can include different people that are close to them. Thank you, Mama also teaches young readers new words and helps them build their vocabulary. They can even...

  The Power of Thank You: Discover the Joy of Gratitude by Joyce Meyer is a relatively short and easy to read book with a powerful message and reminder to be grateful for the things in your life.  In The  Power of Thank You , Meyer shares both personal stories and stories from the Bible to encourage readers to be grateful for both the little things and the big things in their lives. Even when life isn't going the way that you hoped, Meyer encourages readers to find something to be thankful for. This book is easy to read and understand. While I didn't really learn anything new in this book, it was a good reminder to me to be thankful for so many things. I think it would be an especially good book to give a new Christian that is struggling. One of the features I especially liked about this book is the appendix that has thirty days of things to thank God for based on various Scriptures throughout the Bible. I like to use a gratitude journal every day.  Along with this ...