* When Moms Pray Together *

When Moms Pray Together by Fern Nichols

Put out by: Tyndale

Price: $13.99

Book Info (as taken from the Tyndale site): Moms in Touch International is an organization that brings moms together to pray for their children and their children’s schools. As MITI prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary, Fern Nichols, the founder and president, has collected some of the most inspiring and encouraging stories of God’s work in answer to those prayers. When Moms Pray Together will inspire and equip mothers to pray more consistently and hopefully for their children while encouraging them through the stories from moms everywhere.

Disclosure: Mama Buzz- and reviewers -received a complimentary copy of this book for blog tour purposes. 

Melissa J's Thoughts 

  

I am a huge advocate of prayer, being someone who is a product of it. When I ran a private counseling center, and counseled wives and mothers, I often would remind them, "Don't underestimate the power of prayer."  In fact, I believe prayer is the number one tool we need as mothers, in conjunction with an intimate relationship with God.  When Moms Pray Together really brings that point home. 

The author, Fern Nichols, founded Moms in Touch International in 1984. The main goal of the organization is forming groups of women who pray for their children, whether they are sons and daughters, grandchildren, or children the women know.  The belief is, "prayer makes a difference".  When Moms Pray Together is a compilation of stories from women over the years, who saw firsthand, the difference prayer makes in a child's life.  


Each chapter begins with a verse and quote on prayer. Then, the story is told. Stories that will grip a Mama's heart. How prayer helped direct the strong will of a child into a positive lifestyle, prayer's ability to break the bondage of drug addiction, prayer releasing the learning potential in a child with learning disabilities, and how prayer carried a family through a child's open heart surgery. 


The stories include everything a Mama can face, from a child with sexual addiction to a child that is sexually traumatized. One Mama's prayer story comes from south Korea, another, from prison. Some prayers helped lay the foundation for a new high school and some helped the friends of a daughter. 


This book moved me as a mom. It moved me, it inspired me, and it made me long for other moms to pray with. . I'm not quite sure what to do with that longing yet but I sense something is moving in my heart regarding the issue. I can't just walk away from what I read in this book with no response. To read of such incredible answers to prayers makes my heart leap with the potential of what prayer can do in not only the lives of children, but their moms as well.


Mel's Thoughts:
Sometimes, as parents, prayer is the only thing that can get us through certain situations with our kids; actually, ditto that for life in general, not just as parents.  When Moms Pray Together, by Fern Nichols, is a book that every mom should read, in my opinion.  The book is published by Tyndale House with Focus on the Family. It's a book that is filled from cover to cover with inspirational stories of the power of prayer in the lives of 25 moms and their children.  

In my own prayer life, I sometimes struggle with how to pray.  Fern Nichols founded Moms In Touch International, an organization that gets moms together to pray for their children and their schools.  I like the concept of moms praying together.  It just makes complete sense.....it's a way for them to connect both with each other and with God.....it's a way for moms to form prayer alliances together for the sakes of their children.  

As I read through the stories, there were a few that really stuck out to me.  Here are just a few of the stories from the Table of Contents:
Ready for Anything
From Breaking the Law to Enforcing the Law
The Heartbreak of Bulimia
Life with a Drug-Addicted Teenager
A Divine Heart Transplant
My Heart Still Sings: A Mom Faces Her Child's Suicide   
The Legacy of a Praying Mom Impacts Korea
Taking MITI to Ethiopia
Hope for Moms of Prodigals
....and many more.

The very first story, Ready for Anything, really gripped my attention from the get-go.  Connie Halfaker, a mom in California, had two children, but her daughter was the focus of this particular story.  She told about how active her daughter was as a toddler, which I can totally relate to with Jaden, and how hard it was just keeping up with her, least of all everything else.  Dawn was a very strong-willed child and "bucked authority."  As Dawn came to school age, Connie joined one of the MITI prayer groups, and learned how effective prayer can be.  Dawn continued to be the subject of Connie's prayers through the years, as she faced certain situations.  After graduating high school, though, Dawn ended up attending West Point, the type of school that Connie would have never imagined for her strong-willed child.  Dawn went on to graduate and become an officer, she deployed to Iraq, and sacrificed her arm for her country, when her Humvee was attacked by a rocket-propelled grenade.  It was just such a moving story, that through all those years of anxiety and sometimes fear in the latter, God answered Connie's prayers.  He took care of her little girl. 

One other story that really was heart-wrenching but life-changing was My Heart Still Sings.  A mom struggles with her connection to God after her son takes his own life (due to a struggle with bipolar disorder).  I can't imagine going through something like this, but only by the grace of God. 

Each story begins with Scripture and a quote.  Then, the story is told by the mom who is the subject of that particular chapter.  At the end of each chapter is a prayer Scripture and a prayer.  Each mother in each story had joined a Moms In Touch group, which radically changed their prayer lives.  I do believe that prayer for our children is so essential.  This book has made me a little curious to see if I could maybe find a group in my area....or, as I've thought about doing before, start an online prayer group for moms.....hmmmm....anyway, I definitely recommend this book to anyone, especially moms.

* Jantsen's Gift: Review and Giveaway *

From page 111:
" . . . . I had once read in a  book called The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson, about a boy who had died alone:  It certainly cannot be God's will that any child die alone anad abondoned. Surely God placed a partciular set of itnerestes anda biltiites in one person, somewhere in the world, and put that person in a tim and place where great could happen -- should have happened -- for that boy."

When we were diagnosed with infertility a similar thought crossed my mind - and does almost every day that I breathe - - "The fact we can't have the biological children we wanted, means our home and arms are open for a child that needs us."  I long for these children as much as I long for biological children. Jantsen's Gift only increased that desire within me. 


I'm not a person who cries all that easily and it is a very rare book that can make me weep, but Jantsen's Gift was such a book. It was also a book that made me search deeper and ask what my life purpose is.

With a rare authenticity and honesty in today's world, Pam begins her book by speaking of a lifestyle that many would envy but the reality of a restless heart that felt there was more. While able to fulfill her material desires, something in her longed for purpose and meaning. Little did she dream that her teenage son's death would help her find it.

When fifteen year old Jantsen unexpectedly died of an unknown heart condition on spring morning, Pam's life was thrown into a tailspin of grief, depression, and empty void. She would have stayed there, had it not been for Jantsen's Memorial Fund. She had to find something to do with thousands of dollars.  She found that something in Vietnam, with an orphanage, where she also found her new son. Not a replacement son, but a child that needed love and family as much as she needed to come our of her pit of despair.

There, a journey of sacrifice (she eventually sold her own engagement ring) and purpose began. Vietnam turned into Cambodia and then, eventually ended in Ghana. Eventually Touch a Life rose from the ashes of loss. Touch a Life rescues children from slavery and human trafficking, and Jantsen's Gift provides those of us in the United States a first hand glimpse of some of those children.

You can't read Jantsen's Gift and not be touched profoundly. At the very least, it will give you facts and information about the horrors of child trafficking and sex slavery. At the very most, it will galavanize you into action, whether it is donating to Touch a Life, or changing your entire life and beginning the adoption process. As long as their are children being sold into slavery, there is no reason for us to live out our days feeling restless and as if we have little purpose - no matter what pain and grief we've experienced in life. Jantsen's Gift is a personal testimony to this fact.



Mel's Thoughts:

Jantsen's Gift is definitely a must-read book, in my opinion.  It is a book written straight from a Mama's heart.  It's a true story of how something so negative could be used for something so positive.  It's a story of how the worst kind of tragedy could truly be turned into triumph.  In my opinion, as a Mama, it's a hero Mama's story.  To me, the author is a hero because of how she's helped to impact so many children's lives.


Pam Cope takes the first couple of chapters to cover a pivotal point in her life, a tragedy.....the death of her son Jantsen.  After his death, a memorial fund was set up in his name, and Pam thought of her friends, who had been working in orphanages in Vietnam.  This was when her focus began to shift, as she began to hear the stories and see how these children lived.  Upon returning home, though, the grief for her son returned in full force.  With the adoption of a little boy from Vietnam, her heart finally began to heal.


As her heart began to heal, she began to research the awful reality of child trafficking.  She traveled to Cambodia, and she tells some of the history and the horror that went on there back in the  70's.  The stories of how people were tortured and killed were definitely eye-opening stories.  The stories of child trafficking, whether for sex, slave labor, etc., were also eye-opening stories.  With more adoptions in her future, Pam truly began to heal.....through her many travels, of which I could tell more, she began to touch many lives. Vietnam seems to be her main focus, until she later traveled to Ghana, where she also began to make a difference in many children's lives. 


Touch A Life is an organization that she started to help children from all over the world.  She has helped numerous children and has stood up for them, when noone else would.


Pam's story is so relateable and so deep and so moving and so full of humanity.  It was like seeing through a window into her soul, as she described life before her son's death and even after his death, just with all of the grief that she and her family experienced.  I don't know that I could be as strong as she truly was; it is a story that will cut to any Mama's heart.  I definitely recommend this book for anyone and everyone; I can see Pam's story changing many lives, if people will only just take the time to read it.  You can read an excerpt from the story on Hachette Book Group.  It is priced at $18.24 on Amazon. 

(Disclosure: We were provided with this book, free of charge, by Hachette Book Group, in association with MamaBuzz.)

* We have a copy of this book to giveaway. Simply leave your name and email address to enter. 

Additional entries:

~ Tweet this post

~ Facebook this post

~ Follow this site

~ Follow us on twitter  

* Mothering Heights: A Novel Approach for Christian Mothers *

Mothering Heights: A Novel Approach for Christian Mothers
by Keitha Smith and Susan Brereton.

Retail Value: $15.00

Book summary: This encouraging book uses the charm of timeless literary works and the wisdom of the Bible to reconsider what is seen today as a classic role. Using selected quotes from novels including Sense and Sensibility, Treasure Island, and Great Expectations, the authors offer encouragement and exhortation to women of all walks of life who struggle and strive to be intentional in their parenting choices.

Author Bios:

Susan Brereton is a former New Zealand resident currently living in England. She is a wife, mother of five children, and an interior designer. For many years, Susan has run a Bible study for mothers of preschool children, and has had a long association with the Navigators and Moms-in-Touch.

Keitha Smith lives in New Zealand with her husband and two children, including one with special needs. With a background in training and education, Keitha leads the women’s ministry group at her church and serves on the local school’s board of trustees.
Check out Keitha's fictional Mother's Prayer Blog ,The Jonah Tree. Also visit www.MotheringHeights.org.

A sample chapter is available for review on the Mothering Heights website.

*Disclosure: Mama Buzz and reviewers received a complimentary of Mothering Heights for review purposes



Mothering Heights by Keitha Smith and Susan Crereton has found it's niche on my bookshelf of favorite motherhood books. This is a book that contains though-provoking chapters. Chapters that give me so much food for thought, I could ponder one chapter for several days. I really appreciate that in a book.

The concept that Mothering Heights is built on is intriguing to an avid reader like me. Keitha and Susan took classics such as Pride and Prejudice, Portrait of a Lady, A Room with a View, and Great Expectations and built each of their chapters around the book. Using quotes from the book, they spun their chapter around each thought provoking theme.

For instance, Great Expectations set the stage for a discussion on what our own expectations as mothers are, as well as meeting the expectations of those around us, as we parent our children. My favorite chapter, based on the novel A Room with a View, centered around servanthood, which essentially, is another name for motherhood.

In addition to using quotes from the book, each chapter is also rounded out with verses, which only adds to the depth of the written words.

For those who are not avid readers, and who have not enjoyed classics through the years, this book may be too much for them. It isn't easy reading, though that is not necessarily a drawback. Sometimes we need books that will give us food for thought, and Mothering Heights provides that. 

Mel's Thoughts:
Mothering Heights could not have come at a better time for me.   Written by Keitha Smith and Susan Brereton, it is full of tidbits of wisdom and encouragement for all moms out there, whether stay-at-home moms or moms who work outside the home.  It is a book that really lays everything out on the line, including the misconceptions we had about motherhood before we had children, the expectations we face every day as mothers, and our role as mothers, with our children, within our individual families. 

The chapters in this book are titled after classic novels, such as Great Expectations, Pride and Prejudice, etc.  Just to quote from the book, These have been chosen not only because they succintly summarize the flavor of the chapter content, but also because, in a way, the notion of traditional motherhood has been relegated to that of a classic: something that once was commonplace but now is regarded as somewhat outmoded.  Yet just as some books remain timeless and very popular, there are aspects of being a mother that transcend time and culture because they are of God and God's truth.  Also included in each chapter are quotes from the different literary works that just go along with the chapter content or enhance the content.  At the end of each chapter are discussion questions for the reader to consider or that would make great discussion in a Bible study group/mothers' group.

Lately, I've often commented to my husband how, with all of the advice and topics covered in the world today, it almost feels like you have to be this Stepford wife, or else you're told your kids could grow up to be sociopaths or have behavioral issues, or whatever.  I felt myself relating to not only the authors and topics they covered, but to the other women in the book, whose thoughts they incorporated into each chapter.  There was one portion of the book that was dedicated to giving the reader inspirational examples of Biblical motherhood from the Bible.  Examples like Sarah, Rebekah, Mary, Hannah, and even Mordecai, who although he wasn't a mother, was still a parent.  It was easy to get the gist of much of the book, that clearly, God's expectations are the only ones that truly matter in this life, especially when it comes to being a mother.

I loved the chapter on Sense and Sensibility.  I think I loved it because I love lists.:)  Truly, though, it offered lists of suggestions on Your Relationship With God, Your Relationship With Your Husband, Parenting, Your Health and Well-Being, Managing Your Household, and Finances.  They weren't musts, but suggestions.

The role of Mother is very simply a servant role....and while we are bombarded with all kinds of media, advice, and tips on the subject, it always comes back to what God expects of us, as individuals and what He deems best for our own families....it's not about what the family next door is doing, and it's not even about what your mother did.  It's what is best for your family.  I recommend this book to any mother-to-be and every mother out there.....it is something I will probably keep going back to, especially on those tough days, when I see no light at the end of the tunnel.:)  You can get a copy of Mothering Heights for $12.00 on the Judson Press site. 

Girl Talk by Gigi Garner

Mel's Thoughts:
Girl Talk is a book, written by Gigi Garner (daughter of James Garner), for women.  It's absolutely filled to the brim with pieces and tidbits from the minds of several celebrities and "extraordinary women," including actresses like Lucie Arnaz, Melissa Rivers, Joan Rivers, and Naomi Judd.  Some of the other extraordinary women include dentists, doctors, tv anchors, wives and mothers, sales associates, etc.  It encompasses the opinions of a variety of women from all walks of life.  

The book has several different chapters on a variety of different topics pertaining to women.  The topics that are covered include Friend Talk, Career Talk, Clothes Talk, Beauty Talk, Health Talk, Home Talk, Kitchen Talk, Mommy Talk, Pet Talk, and Travel Talk.  Most of the excerpts from these women include a lot of personal anecdotes and stories, which really helps to make them feel much more personal.  Some of the excerpts are full of advice and encouragement.  There are humorous stories, life lessons, craft ideas, gift ideas, and even recipes included in this book, just to name a few.  It's a very easy read that will either produce a smile, or it could even produce a tear or two.  I especially liked the humorous story in the Mommy Talk section, called "The Secret Dish."  It made me giggle, thinking of my own two boys and trying to get them to eat their vegetables.  I might just have to try that sometime....  Another piece that really stuck out to me was "The Beauty of a Grandmother" in Beauty Talk.  It reminded me of my own grandmother and what she meant to me.  

At 148 pages long, you can get Girl Talk for $15.95.  Right now, Five Star Publications is having their 24th anniversary special, and if you order with Paypal, you can get it at the reduced rate of $12.12.  Would I recommend this book?  I'm not sure that I would pay $15 for this book, but I'd be more likely to add it to my ever growing library list.



Melissa J's Thoughts

I stand divided on Girl Talk. 

On the one hand, there were interesting and helpful tidbits contained within the book.  For instance, I love the idea of powdering your bed for every night freshness and finding out what Nature's Bleach is, was pretty neat. I enjoyed the pearls of wisdom from famous people like Babbie Mason and Kim Alexis. Marlee Matlin's cookies sound super yummy and the pet tips made my chuckle. 

That said, I wouldn't recommend this book for the price that it's listed at, $14.95. While I found it "interesting" it didn't captivate me, and it's not one that I feel the need to keep in my library and re-read like my other well-worn books that I have. 

If readers want a cute, fun little read, Girl Talk fits the bill. If you're looking for something with rich, deep nuggets of wisdom that make a lasting impact on your life, you may want to keep browsing the bookstore.  
 


(Disclosure: We were provided with this free book by Five Star Publications.)

* Mom Needs Chocolate: Review and Giveaway *

***Special thanks to Rebeca Seitz of Glass Road Public Relations, LLC for sending me a review copy.***

Mom Needs Chocolate: Hugs, Humor and Hope for Surviving Motherhood   by Deb Coty

Page rank	5

1. How did this book come to be?
   
   

I ran into ragged-out, frazzled women everywhere I went who, like me, cried out for a glimmer of light at the end of the motherhood tunnel. Mom Needs Chocolate is encouragement from a mom who’s been there to moms with their feet currently stuck in the muck of the joy-sucking dully-funks, that we can, indeed, crawl out the end of that tunnel with our faith (and humor) not only intact, but actually stronger than it was before.

   

2. You covered a LOT in this book. Any woman who reads this book will feel that you hit on something that she can relate to (many "somethings", in fact!)  Any chapters that are especially near and dear to your own heart?
   
   

When I’m asked to choose one chapter to share, I usually pick “Even Moses Started Out as a Basket Case.”  All moms can relate to the ridiculous situations their children get into, and how we can learn spiritual lessons in the most unexpected ways.

I’m currently working on a new book that will also cover A LOT: Too Stressed to Feel Blessed: And Other Feminine Fairy Tales. I’d love to invite your gal readers aged 18-65 to contribute data by jogging over to my website http://www.deboracoty.com/  and filling out a short time management survey. They’ll be entered in a drawing for a wonderful stress survival kit and their data will be included in the book!

3.  How do you balance motherhood with writing (and all the other demands on your schedule)?

I gave up sleep. You have to be careful what you pray for. I asked God for more hours in the day and He sent me early menopause. Now I have all night, too.

4.  I have to ask - - how in the world did you explain the lion-peeing incident to your work and your husband??? (I'm still laughing over that one!)

Thank you for your sympathy. That was a tough one. But thankfully most folks knew me well enough to not be shocked by anything. Even coming back from lunch dripping from head to toe with feline urine. 

5.  There are moms who will read this book, and see that one of the main themes is keeping a sense of humor in the midst of life. However, some of those moms are going to read this and say, "Debora, there is no humor in my life whatsoever. Only heartache. I just gave birth to a stillborn . . .  My husband recently left me for another woman . . .  My three year old has leukemia . . . I have post-partum depression that has me incapacitated . . . . I have terminal cancer and I have to leave my three children without a Mama . . . " Do you have any words of encouragement to these women, who feel hope and humor is beyond reach?

My heart truly goes out to women who, because of circumstances totally beyond their control, they feel they have no hope. That’s why, in my newest devotional, Everyday Hope, I point again and again to our only source of hope, a deep trust with roots that extend from the beginning of time to the infinite future. Our hope is not just the anticipation of heaven, but the expectation of a fulfilling life walking beside our Creator during our limited days on earth. 2 Thessalonians 2:16 (CEV): “God our Father loves us. He is kind and has given us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope”. Trust is clinging to that hope with your fingernails even when your heart is too weary to feel it.

6.  What is your favorite kind of chocolate.

I’m a nutty Cadbury girl. But I wouldn’t turn down any of that delightful, decadent, creamy stuff . . . after all, my motto is God, Godiva and girlfriends – what more do we need? 

To win a copy of this book, simply leave a comment, with your email address below!

TOS Crew- Sarah Books: Sarah's Wish

Mel participated in this review with the TOS Homeschool Crew.

Sarah Books is a series created by a grandfather of nine children, all of who are homeschooled.  Jim Baumgardner created this series specifically for his grandchildren, so that they could learn about our history and what we've been through.  He wanted them to have books that were full of moral values and empty of any profanity or other behaviors.  Recently, Jacob was reading a book, which I will leave unnamed here, and he came in and
told me that it had a bad word.  Sure enough, I got to looking, and a children's book was using profanity.  I just about died.....here I was letting him read a simple children's story, and it had that in it.  So, I was really glad when this book showed up in our mailbox, especially after reading why Mr. Baumgardner wrote this series.

Sarah's Wish is the first book in the series.  There are two other books, Sarah's Promise and Sarah's Escape.  The book starts out with a note to readers, concerning a glossary of words used in the nineteenth century.  This glossary helps young and old alike understand some of the words that were used back then, so that we can better understand the story.  Words like Apothecary, High-falutin', Underground Railroad, etc. appear in this glossary. 

The story starts out in a very dramatic and even traumatic way.  When I first read the beginning chapter to Jacob, I was thinking maybe I should have previewed it, because right away Sarah's mother is killed in a buggy accident.  The stories are geared more toward older children or young adults.  Sarah is left an orphan, but she is lovingly taken in by a family, until in steps Granny.  The story is full of   characters, and you can just see and hear them as you're reading: Mary, Granny, Brother Franklin, Running Fox, Doctor Baum, Graybeard, Charlie, etc.  As the story weaves on, the reader comes to realize that Sarah and her mother were part of the Underground Railroad, helping slaves regain their freedom.  It is full of action and suspense, as Sarah truly longs to keep this work going, even in the absence of her mother.  This would be a great book to use when you are studying this subject in history; it's a book that could honestly be read again and again.  I plan on coming back to it when we reach that point in our studies.

You can read excerpts of each book on the Sarah Books website.  My book actually came autographed with a bookmark, and yours can too, if you order from the website.  It just adds that personal touch.  Sarah's Wish is only $9.99, no shipping and handling.  It also comes with a free audiobook download in the back of the book, which makes it great for young readers, since they can read and follow along at the same time; or you can even put that on a cd and have it for in the car, on the run.  If you'd like to receive Sarah's Web Newsletter, you can email sarahbooks@cox.net with "Send Newsletter" in the subject line.  Don't miss out on this adventurous series of books for your children.

To read more reviews, head on over to the TOS Crew Blog.

(Disclosure: I was provided with this free book by Sarah Books, in association with the TOS Homeschool Crew.)

TOS Wee-books

Mel participated in this review for the TOS crew.
Today I was able to review three of the Wee-Books that are available at The Old Schoolhouse Store. Two great things about these books are that they are short and to the point, AND they are only $1.95. Oh, and they are completely downloadable, so you don't have to wait for them to ship to your house; the second you hit the Confirm Order button, they are ready and waiting for you to add to your many resources on your computer.

There are actually 39 Wee-Books available right now, ranging in topics from classical education to living naturally to building communication skills to deepening your walk with God. I actually chose 10 Big Reasons Not to Send Christian Kids to Public Schools Today, Simplifying Classical Education,and Play What You Mean- Creative Ways to Teach Communication Skills.One thing that impressed me was that the books were very efficient and stayed right on topic; even though each book had several points to cover, it all flowed together well. The authors also used Scripture throughout to give spiritual concepts and meaning to what they wrote. Seeing as the books are very short, I was left with the feeling of wanting more, wanting to know more about that specific topic; but each book ends with links to more resources and places to go to study and research more, which was really helpful.

For newer homeschoolers and those thinking about homeschooling, at the end of each book is a section on "How to Begin Homeschooling," which lists everything from the different approaches and styles of homeschooling to resources and support organizations, with links! I wish I had run across something like this when I first started homeschooling our son, honestly.

So, for $1.95, how can you go wrong? There's a topic for everyone, and each book is like a bite-sized piece....enjoy!

* Products for Mama *

Mom Needs Chocolate

Copper Bookmarks

Sarah Books: Sarah's Wish

Wee Books

Growing Healthy Homes - Nutrition 101