God Is Able ~ Priscilla Shirer

YES HE IS!!!!

This is my first encounter with a Priscilla Shirer study, book, article.  One of the groups at church that I tried out one night was reading this book.  I picked up my copy then.  That would have been back in November maybe.  I have struggled with this book ever since.  I made myself finish it this week.  I put it in my pile of daily work, and forced myself to read a chapter each day until I was done.  YEA!!! I'm done.  

Ms. Shirer has taken two verses, Ephesians 3:20-21 and spent a whole book breaking these two verses down.  This book, obviously, was really hard for me to read.  For the first four chapters I kept asking, "when are you going to get to the point".  It was Chapter 5 before I got anything out of the book that I could use.  Chapter 5 asks, "Is there anything you are not vocalizing to God in prayer because you think it's too insignificant to bring up? Is there any issue you feel would be too big a waste of His time to request?"  This was a light bulb moment for me.  We are supposed to be strengthening our relationship with God when we pray, and what could do this better, than by sharing the little things with Him too.  YES, He is already aware of them all.  But conversation with Him, requires you to be open about all things, even those itty bitty minute things that only you think you care about.  Share it all with Him, thank Him for it all, praise Him for it all, and ask Him anything, He won't say no, unless you ask, and He might just say Yes!!

Later on in the book, Ms. Shirer explains that God will only give you what you can handle.  This was a great visual for me.  If you only have the capacity to store a thimbles worth of God, then He will only give you a thimbles worth of Himself.  If you can only handle a bucket load, then you will only get a bucket load.  So come to Him with the capacity for more of Him, and He will give you more of Himself!!!!

There are a few more good nuggets in this book.  So the book is worth the $9.  And I do have to admit that I had just finished teaching a class on the Full Armor of God by Dr. Larry Richard, in which he totally breaks down Ephesians for us, so I am probably not "open" to the dragging of the two verses in this book.  It came across more as a novel, and not like what I expected.  I suspect that the right brain's would like this book, much more than my left brain did.  

So, overall, for me, I have to say, I'm neutral on this one.  Not a bad book, but not a great one either.  

The Full Armor of God ~ Larry Richards

The Full Armor of God:  Defending your life from Satan's Schemes.

Yes I was intent on reading the Old Testament first.  But as you know I keep coming across books on my journey that reach out and grab me.  I went shopping for my mother's birthday present, and while at Wal Mart of all places this book said "buy me".  I don't like purple much.  I am not real keen on the "Knight in Shining Armor" theme much anymore.  But yet I could not walk away from this book.  There is NOTHING about this cover that appeals to  me.

When I got home, with the book, I decided to add it to my pile of "books to read" when I get a chance.  And haphazardly threw it in my bag one day, so I'd have something to read while waiting in the car line to pick the kids up from school.

I couldn't put it down.  I raced the kids home, so I could get back to the book.  No one had ever said these words to me "Armor of God".  I had no idea what Ephesians was, nor what it was about.  Yet I read with the sole determination of learning more, more, MORE.

This book absolutely without a doubt hit me right where I needed to be hit.  It opened up my eyes in so many ways that I never thought possible.  I have so much respect for the Apostle Paul.  His words just came alive when I read the scripture for myself.  And Larry Richards, THANK YOU for writing this book.  I needed it.

I read it, I loved it, I recommended it to my women's group at church.  I'm now going through it with another lady at church, digging the treasures out of it, and she loves it as much as I do.  I wish that everyone would read this book.  I so much love this book that I ordered 5 more copies yesterday.  One for my mom, and one for each of my kids.

I don't want to spoil this one, or entice you not to buy it with the notes I share, but I do want to share the Armor!!!

The Helmet of Salvation:  who we are in God's eyes.
The Shield of Faith:  God's faithfulness to us.
The Sandals of Peace:  The gospel of Jesus' love.
The Breastplate of Righteousness:  We are created to be like God.
The Belt of Truth:  God's truth is the key to wearing all the other pieces.
The Sword of the Spirit:  God's Word to us all.

Arm yourself with the Armor of God, the Full Armor of God, and Satan will not stand a chance!!

You read this book, I mean REALLY READ this book, and you will be a different person when you are done!!!  You will know without a doubt that you are special, and loved, and you are God's!!!

Life Change Series: Ephesians

Quite honestly this study has a LOT of information in it.  But it wasn't quite complete on it's own.  I recommend this book as a supplement to The Full Armor of God by Larry Richards.  The questions that Life Change provides, gives you another way of looking at the information in Ephesians.  It also helped me to actually dig into the text of the Letter, and dissect it for myself.  I recommend this text for any study group, but suggest that you incorporate it into a larger study, one that focuses more on the Armor, and the schemes of Satan in our lives.