2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Little Book That's Big On Hope and Hard-Won Wisdom, April 5, 2006
This review is from: Pray for Today (Just Try This) (Paperback)
"When we become able to live in the moment, to turn our will and our lives over to a God of our understanding each day, there comes a knowing that things are not always what they seem." - From the book
Author Barb Rogers has survived poverty, abuse, the death of her children, addiction, and a life threatening illness. One day, she visited a Christian woman who worked for the church, who seemed to have her act together, as if she was oh-so-tight with God. This woman surprised Barb by saying I day, "I wish I believed in God like you do." This woman confided that she only thought of God on Sundays and Wednesdays-while at church.
However, for years, Barb had depended upon God for her very survival. She realized that individuals who coast through life virtually unscathed aren't the "lucky ones" as she once thought. No, their faith had never been challenged. Barb, on the other hand, had to walk through the anguish, fear, and uncertainty of multiple tragedies.
Pray for Today is a small book, only 114 pages long. Yet, hard-won wisdom, moving anecdotes, and profound observations about the nature and power of prayer fill this little tome.
According to the author, the most effective prayer we can pray is "help!" At one time, she abandoned the idea of a God that cared, choosing to relegate him as the one to blame when things went wrong. But it was the simple prayer of "help!"-of surrender-that changed Barb's life. Where there was bitterness, was now hope. Where there was despair, was now lightheartedness. Where there was self-pity, was now openness to others and the Universe.
As one who has experienced tragedy, as well, including the loss of my first husband to leukemia, I had to learn many lessons the hard way-including what prayer was...and was not. Barb echoes these lessons, which if heeded, can save individuals heartaches, headaches, and frustration. Refusing to accept what is and to neglect a connection with the Divine compounds our suffering. With gentle humor and wry observations, Barb shows us how we can pray every day-and how the life that is waiting for us is grander that we can imagine.
Here are some of my favorite passages from Pray for Today:
"It comes down to this: if you are walking into brick walls, feeling as if you have to tear down buildings to get where you are going, it's probably not where you need to be."
"Praying isn't asking for what we want, the way we want it, when we want it. It's about believing that God will lead us and give us what we need, put us where we need to be. It's about being involved in life and taking responsibility for the choices we make every day."
"Faith is a sense of knowing without understanding. When you think about it, we practice faith every day without even realizing it. When we walk into a room and flip the light switch, we have faith that the bulb will light up. There is no need to understand the mechanics of electricity for the light to enhance our life. What if spirituality could be that simple? And what if the light switch is prayer?"
"The only thing we can change in life is ourselves."
"I believe God reveals the answer to us in a frame of reference that we can understand."
As Barb says, it all starts with a need and a willingness to try something new. If you feel life isn't working or that you've lost your connection with the Divine, Pray for Today is an honest, warm, and insightful book that will give you hope and encouragement that better days are ahead.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely beautiful!, September 4, 2007
This review is from: Pray for Today (Just Try This) (Paperback)
This book is quite small, but the profound beauty of the words of Barb Rogers lies in it's simplicity.This little book is amazing. It's written in such a beautiful, down to earth way; not at all preachy or evangelical. I think anyone of any denomination could read this book and get something from it. As she explains how her life was changed by prayer, you can't help thinking, "let me try this". This woman suffered terrible events in her life. So why not learn from someone who clearly changed her life through prayer. I plan to buy a copy of this book for some of my dearest friends, as it's the kind of book you can carry in your bag and open at any page for comfort. I can only equate her writing too sitting on the sofa with your best friend, and listening to what she has to say whilst you both sit in front of a roaring fire sipping hot chocolate. That's the best way I can describe the comforting essence of this book.
As the cover of this book says "Just Try This"!
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