Heidi's Haven

The purpose of this book, overall, is to pinpoint and examine the purpose and origin of anger. It is with this in mind that a person will then be able to control their anger.  Anger is defined as "a strong passion or emotion of displeasure, and usually antagonism, excited by a sense of injury of insult". This illustrates that anger is a response, fed by feelings of disappointment, hurt, rejection, and embarrassment. It is a response that causes us irritation, frustration, pain, and other displeasure. One common mistake that people make is trying not to be angry at all. We bottle it up, which just causes explosions later. However, Chapman emphasizes that anger comes from the very nature God, as God experiences anger 375 times in the Old Testament alone. Anger comes from our concern for justice and rightness.  Chapman uses examples from his own experiences and from what he has witnessed as a counselor. The main outcome of this book is for the reader to learn ho...

This book is a daily devotional. Each day, there is a Bible verse which is a quote of Jesus, with devotional material on the next page, starting with the book of Matthew. I actually really enjoyed reading through this. The verses that the picked are ones that I know and have read many times, but they really stood out to me and meant much more in this devotion with the lesson they included. I wrote down and journaled for almost every verse, and I recommend that other readers do the same. I also recommend reading just a page or two each day, and going through it slowly.  The physical book itself is gorgeous. It has a soft leathery cover, with engravings along the edges near the spine. The pages are soft and shiny, but sturdy.  The only thing that I didn't like is that is just kind of ends. There is an introduction at the beginning, but no kind of wrap up at the end, which I would have liked. Overall, I gave this 3/5 stars. I'd recommend it to anyone lookin...

"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 NIV True Images Bible is a Bible for teen girls. It is full of extra content designed to help teen girls with stuff like body image, decision making, friendships, and sex, more.  This Bible starts with helpful information for the reader about reading the Bible, whether they are very familiar with the Bible, or if this is the first time they've picked one up. The back of the book has guides for reading, study ideas, and Christianity basics. Included throughout are 52 profiles of women in the Bible, topic guides, "love notes" from God and space for reflection. Each book begins with the author, date, setting, verses to remember, themes to consider, and life lessons. This Bible relates the stories within to things a teen girl might experience. I would recommend this Bible for pre-teens (rather than teenagers) who have never read the Bible before, as the content is geared toward a younger audience. The physical Bible itself is very nice. It is a sturdy hardcov...

"God dwells where there is prayer." This book by Dutch Sheets, originally published as The Beginner's Guide to Intercessory Prayer , is all about the power and importance of intercessory prayer, praying for one another. Sheets stresses that we pray for others as part of the service Jesus has called us to, and also as a way of finding peace and getting closer to God. Prayer is how we maintain a relationship with love, so we should pray with the intention of building a loving relationship with Him, and everything in life flows from that relationship. Relationships based on love are the relationships that last. Most importantly, God works miracles through us on earth. However, we need to pray and allow God to use us to make it happen. We are God's link to activity on earth. Finally, we must always remember to persevere. Intercession is a marathon, not a sprint. It was really interesting reading about intercessory prayer. I have read many books on prayer, but...

Everyone deals with worry and stress. It's part of human life, but it isn't a part of God's plan for our lives. In this books, Dr. Winfred Neely gives his advice for overcoming worry in a worry-filled and anxiety-creating world.  First of all, concern and care for others and ourselves is healthy and biblical. However, it becomes unhealthy when it turns into worry. This is because, not only is it detrimental to our physical health, but also to our spiritual health, as worry and anxiety are rooted in unbelief that God is taking care of things. While Neely notes that there is no on/off switch for worry, he gives a bunch of Bible verses and tips for working past your worry and being able to put all of your trust in God. Foremost, Neely stresses the importance of prayer. Bringing all of your concerns to God allows you to talk through the problems with Him, and be able to give the problems over to Him. Prayer is the key to conquering worry. Prayer is supposed to have an ...

This book is all about using what means you have to change the world. Justin Dillon, founder of Slavery Footprint, argues that you don't need much to change the world, just your passion for a cause, and whatever resources may be available to you. Changing the world is for everyone. How to change the world...big question. Dillon suggests asking yourself: what bothers you? What do you  think is broken? Finding these issues that really tug your heartstrings and make you angry is the starting point. Dillon states, "When you say, 'I wish someone would just fix it,' there's a good chance that person is you." As I mentioned before, Justin Dillon created slaveryfootprint.org, a website where you can find out how many slaves it takes to provide the things you use everyday. As much as we like to think that it is a thing of the past, slavery is still rampant today, and Dillon is working to stop it.  Dillon also argues that changing the world is selfish, ...