Heidi's Haven

"When our heart ceases to pray, we are not praying." -Bill Thrasher A Journey to Victorious Praying  by Bill Thrasher was written to give readers a revival and reawakening in their prayer lives. You know that your prayer life has died when you pray without expectancy of any outcome, and I feel safe in saying that we all eventually reach that point. When this happens, we have to ask, "Why pray?" That is where this book comes in. We need to let the Holy Spirit move us, and guide and empower us in prayer. True prayer starts with God and the prayer burden He places on our heart. Also, it is thanksgiving (not just prayer and supplication) that truly brings us to peace. Finally, do not forget to share your real concerns, burdens, and desires with God. He already knows all of them, but getting them out in the open with God will lighten our burden. The book is split into sections for daily reading, perfect for those who want to focus on smaller sections at ...

The Dawn of Christianity: How God Used Simple Fishermen, Soldiers, and Prostitutes to Transform the World  by Robert J. Hutchinson gives a detailed history of the early Jesus Movement, starting just before Jesus' death and ending with the apostles.  The book went very in depth and informative, yet was written simply enough so it was very easy to understand. It was filled with pictures of the places and things that were being discussed. Everything was explained so clearly, and events in the Bible made a lot more sense to me after. Surprisingly, it did not read at all like a textbook, and I found myself immersed and unable to put the book down.  This book was so interested, I really loved it. I have it 5/5 stars and I'd definitely recommend it.  *I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Hitler's Cross , written by Erwin W. Lutzer, outlines the ways in which, during the Second World War, Adolf Hitler used and twisted both the cross and Christianity to promote himself and further the Nazi agenda. This book seeks to explain "the 'hows' and 'whys' and 'what ifs' of this tragedy". The primary focus of this book is to teach readers how Hitler crushed the church in Germany during his time of power, and to explain where God was in the middle of all of this.  First of all, it is important to understand that nothing happens without God's consent. Therefore, He allowed the Holocaust to happen. Trust me, I know how hard this is to accept and understand. Lutzer explains that God uses even things He hates to direct the world to an appointed end. Satan does have an influence in this world, but only to the extent that God allows.  Secondly, this book describes in great detail Hitler's personal religious beliefs and how they ...

"Discipling as Jesus Discipled" is a workbook by Dann Spader and published by Moody Publishers. It aims to make disciples who will go out and make disciples who will, in turn, make more disciples. Spader uses this workbook to teach Christians how to create disciples who make disciples. The focus is all about relationships, with each other and with non-Christians (or future disciples). When Jesus made disciples, he loved them and cared for them, he maintained relationships. This is how we should be discipling, too.  This is a workbook designed for a 10-12 week small group study. Unfortunately, since I received this for review, I just worked through it quickly on my own. I think that it would be much more beneficial to go through this workbook in a group study and be able to have discussions about the content. I would love to go through this again in a group study in the future. The questions are very challenging and thought provoking. I highly recommend this f...

The Story: 365 Devotions  is a daily devotional from Zondervan with the purpose of helping you discover your role in God's story. Each day shares a short Bible verse, which an explanation and a connection to the reader's life. I started this on January 1, and I will continue to read a page each day until the end of the year. So far, I have really enjoyed the devotionals. It only takes a minute or two to read the devotion of the day, and each day comes with an impactful personal take-away. The publishers created this book to help the reader find their place in God's epic story and to help them understand how God's plan works.  It slowly goes through the Bible and is split into Old and New Testament. On Day 45, I'm still in Genesis, so it's a very in depth study.  The book itself is a small paperback. I really like the size, and it's really good quality. I haven't finished it yet, but I am loving going though it a day at a time, and ...

I recently finished reading How to Live in Fear  by Lance Hahn.  This book discusses living with panic, anxiety, and fear disorders. The author, Lance Hahn, deals with severe anxiety and fear himself. As our temporary pastor while we read his book, Hahn talks about his own experiences with anxiety, as well as gives advice for living and thriving despite the disorder. I selected this book to review because I suffer from anxiety and panic disorders myself, and I thought it might be helpful (it was). Mental health issues such as depression and anxiety are topics that are too often shamed and avoided in the Christian faith. Those who do come out with their anxiety or depression are told that if they just had more faith or were better Christians, they would be fine, which just is not the case. Unfortunately, way too many people are completely ignorant when it comes to mental health, and they end up doing more harm than good. The difficulty comes in because our problems...

Hello! I've done this sort of review post before and enjoyed writing it, so I thought I'd do another. The product I'll be reviewing today is SPLAT hair dye. The colors I've used and will be talking about are Pink Fetish, Lusty Lavender, and Blue Envy. I am beyond pleased with this product! The instructions were easy to follow, the dye didn't stain my skin, and it really lasts! Also, my hair still felt soft and healthy. Depending on how long you want the color to last, you can leave the dye in for 10-30 minutes. I left the dye for about 20 minutes. I did this in February, and there is still some color left six months later! The first time I washed my hair after dying, it only bled a little, and didn't bleed at all after that. There is bleach that you can use to lighten your hair so the color stands out better, but I didn't use it, as my hair is already very light. Last year, I got the same thing done in a salon. This was more expens...

I've been using this for a while, and I absolutely love it! It is very inexpensive, and Avon products are very easy to get a hold of. It's only $4.00, but I recently saw it on the Avon website for only $0.99! I use this daily to take off my eye makeup, but it especially comes in handy when I have eyeliner wings or designs.  Put just a dab of the lotion on a cotton ball and spread it around with your fingers. It doesn't take much to get the makeup off, so it is very long lasting! Rub the cotton ball over your eye makeup, and it comes right off! I can usually take of the wings I make with liquid eyeliner in one swipe. Since it's a lotion, it can make your skin feel a little oily if you use too much, which is easy to do. I recommend using this product to take off your eye make up and then washing your face with the face wash you normally use.  Pros inexpensive long  lasting works really well Cons oily feeling