Tag: A Praying Life

My Top 10 Books of 2012

~ K ~ Leave a comment

It’s no surprise that as a person who works at a library that I love to read. And I’ve read more than 80 books this year. Here’s a list of the top 10 books (in no particular order) that I absolutely loved and would recommend to others:

  1. Knuffle Bunny (children’s book): A heartwarming book by Mo Willems about a toddler who loves her stuffed bunny.
  2. Help, Thanks, Wow (non-fiction/religious): Anne Lamott (my new favorite writer) discusses three words she believes comprise essential prayers. Although Ms. Lamott is a Christian, the book is not limited to Christian thought.
  3. We Are in a Book! (children’s book): Another book by Mo Willems about an elephant and a pig who discover they are in a book! It’s clever, well-written, and funny.
  4. A Discovery of Witches (paranormal romance): Liked Fifty Shades of Grey and Twilight? Then A Discovery of Witches is for you. I thought it was a Harry Potter-like story for women.
  5. Jack 1939 (mystery): An alternate historical fiction reality set in 1939, this book explores what might have happened if FDR sent out JFK as a spy during the rise of the Third Reich.
  6. Mr. Churchill’s Secretary (mystery): The World War II era is my favorite time period in history to study (hence my recommendation of book #5), and Mr. Churchill’s Secretary does not disappoint with the main character, Maggie Hope, interacting with Winston Churchill.
  7. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (non-fiction): A gripping true story about Henrietta Lacks and her family, and what became of the HeLa cells that were taken without Lacks’s permission.
  8. Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson (non-fiction): This book explored Michael Jackson beyond the media circus and the allegations of child molestation—it explored his life as it should have been about: his music.
  9. The Search for Significance (non-fiction/Christian): This book emphasizes finding worth and significance in God rather than in people.
  10. A Praying Life (non-fiction/Christian): A down-to-earth book about prayer the includes personal anecdotes by the author and helpful tips on establishing an effective prayer life.

Jesus Prayed and God Said “No”

~ K ~ 8 Comments

I’ve been bitter lately because I haven’t been blessed with a child while I’ve watched others conceive and give birth during that time frame. I have not only prayed for a child, but I’ve cried, pleaded, beseeched, begged, and bargained in the hopes that I might be a mom. Alas, that has not been the case. I get bitter and upset with God, not because He’s not answering my prayer—on the contrary, He is answering my prayer—I am dismayed because He is saying no.

I have been praying for various people who have been out of work to obtain full-time jobs. Again, God has been saying no.

In Paul E. Miller’s A Praying Life, he contrasts asking selfishly in prayer against not asking at all.

Jesus’ prayer at Gethsemane demonstrates perfect balance. He avoids the Not Asking cliff, saying, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me” (Mark 14:36).

. . . In the next breath, Jesus avoids the Asking Selfishly cliff by surrendering completely: “Yet not what I will, but what you will” (14:36). Jesus is real about his feelings, but they don’t control him, nor does he try to control God with them. He doesn’t use his ability to communicate with his Father as a means of doing his own will. He submits to the story that his Father is weaving in his life.

And most of us know what happens after Jesus prayed: he was unjustly crucified by the Pharisees and Roman authorities.

Reading that prayer through the lens of A Praying Life struck me with a view I’d never had before: God denied Jesus’ request. Jesus must submit to the Father’s will and not follow his own. If God can say no to his own son, how can I expect a “yes” answer to all of my prayers? This realization is a game-changer for me because I now know in these things I must submit myself to God’s will. God’s will is not for me to have children right now. It is a painful answer as I’m sure temporary separation from the Father was a painful answer for Jesus. It’s a painful answer for God to tell dear friends that they will remain unemployed for several years.

Not that submitting to the will of God will be easy; in fact, it will be even harder knowing I must do it willingly.