A Read for the Stressed, Overwhelmed or Burnt Out Soul (Book Review)

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Relief from overwhelm, freedom from stress, the end of burn out, the elimination of hurry. Does that sound like something you need?

John Mark Comer has written detailing how we need to overcome hurry in our lives and how to start the process. His book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry is rightly subtitled, How to Stay Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World.

This book contains truth and practices of crucial need in our modern lives. The author begins by sharing his own story of burn out which I found of great encouragement and help. The book then goes on to speak on the dangers of hurry and technology alongside the importance of being emotionally and spiritually healthy.

Technology has helped us and yet also challenged us with constant notifications that make us reachable 24/7. Hurry, busyness and productivity have become near gods in our lives, controlling us in ways that can quickly lead to burn out. One could even say they have begun to control many of us.

I believe this book is a critical message for our general. Hurry is presented as the enemy of our spiritual lives, and rightfully so. Hurry is uncovered as an issue affecting even the depths of our souls. Addiction to technology is shown as the controlling idol it has become.

The question is, will we let this knowledge spur us to action or not?

This book explains how certain spiritual disciplines and life-altering practices can help alleviate the toxicity of hurry in our lives. These practices include silence and solitude, sabbath-keeping and rest, simplicity and slowing down.

By employing these spiritual practices in our lives, we will find hurry and distraction no longer keeping us from living life as we should live it. We can begin to find ourselves truly present in every moment.

A review copy of this book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Debunking the Myths About Hearing God (Book Review)

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Many of us have confusing ideas regarding what it means to hear from God. We think of audible voices or outlandish experiences. We think we’ll hear Him as obviously as if fireworks had been set off and doubts will not exist when He speaks.

We all know what really happens though: We doubt, we hear subtle things we aren’t sure are God. Meanwhile, another Christian seems to have those fireworks encounters and we feel like something must be wrong with us. Perhaps we just aren’t as spiritual as the people around us. Continue reading →

Effective Prayer: Praying God’s Word by His Spirit

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One of my passions is prayer and helping others grow in prayer. I want to share two keys to effective prayer.

There are many resources such as prayer journals to help us pray more. But with these resources in hand, how do we pray effectively? How do we engage in prayer that is also enjoyable? After all, a simple “save Richard” or “help Susie not to doubt” gets repetitive and even boring after awhile. We want to pray specifically and with our hearts all in.

Beyond any other tool, our greatest resources for prayer are God’s Spirit and God’s Word.

We must pray in agreement with God. We want to avoid praying our own opinions, agendas or ideas. Instead, we must follow the leadership of God’s Spirit and seek His Word.

It says in 1 John 5:14-15 that we have confidence in God if we ask according to His will. We can actually know that He hears our prayers and that He will answer them. So how can we learn to pray His will? Continue reading →

The Importance of Worship and Prayer

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Everything we do must be saturated in worship and prayer. We worship our God because He is worthy of it. Christ Jesus is worthy of worship-filled hearts given fully in relationship with Him. We are called to make Him the priority in whatever sphere of influence He calls us, living a lifestyle of intimacy with Jesus.

All else is secondary to this relationship, whether intercessory prayer, good deeds or His Kingdom’s expansion. Truly all else we do for God that has any life must flow from intimacy with Him and exalting Him to the highest place in our worship. Continue reading →

Seven Free Apps for Your Walk with God

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We seem to spend a lot of time on our phones or tablets these days. We grab our phones to check the weather forecast only to realize several minutes later our focus has been hijacked. Suddenly we realize we’ve been scrolling Instagram and lost track of time. We may have even forgotten to check the weather at all!

Installing apps to help our spiritual life may seem like a stretch, but this can be an incentive to spend some time with God, in prayer or in the Bible rather than browsing the web or Facebook. But how?

Instead of vegging on social media or Youtube, we can go for our Bible app or another spiritual app when we grab for our phones. Then we can redeem the time by giving that time to Jesus and our spiritual growth instead.

Tip: “Hide” the apps that distract you most! Put them in folders or on a home screen view several swipes away. Then move a faith app or two to the first screen you see instead.


Below are seven free apps I have used and recommend for your walk with God. Continue reading →