Wednesday Worship: Take My Life

Take my heart and form it,
Take my mind, transform it
Take my will, conform it
To Yours, to Yours, oh Lord

I heard another version of this recently on my local gospel station. It took me back to an earlier time in my life. I was struck by how easy it is to sing the words, and how tough it can be at times to live them.

Have you given Him your entire life to form, to transform, to conform?

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Featured Book: Sistergirl Devotions by Carol M. Mackey

For some Christians, navigating their faith in the secular corporate world is tricky. Can I talk about Jesus? If I mention church, will I suddenly by on the no-invite list for secular functions? When I order water at happy hour, will they look at me funny? If I pray for a colleague in need, will I be written up?

So a book like Sistergirl Devotions by Carol Mackey is a welcomed example of how a believer might live out her faith in the workplace. In addition to insight into topics like the ones above, it also deals with approaching one's work with excellence, avoiding stress, and when and how to take a stand.  Although the book is directed toward African-American women, I think Carol speaks to all Christian women.

Carol is like family, the wife of a childhood friend. She's also a sorority sister of mine, so I'm doubly pleased to present this timely and timeless collection of devotions, one for each day of the month, inspired by her own experiences in corporate America.

The devotions are short, perfect for a busy woman on the go, and end with a "Power Move" action step as well as a "My Confession" affirmation.  Sistergirl Devotions is a book that you read and reference again and again for pointers on living one's faith with grace, wisdom and humility and most of all, unashamedly. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Inspiration for African-American Women:  Keeping Jesus in the Mix on the Job

As the editor-in-chief of the esteemed Black Expressions Book Club, Carol M. Mackey has her pulse on  African-American women and what they’re reading, thinking about and their search for information that  speaks to their daily lives and struggles.

Struggles especially crop up at the place where most women spend the bulk of their time: at work. With  workplace stresses ranging from bad bosses to gossipy coworkers to a lack of passion for what you’re  getting paid to do, what’s a Christian woman to do? Sometimes it can feel like your faith is putting in overtime, too, just to get you through the week.

Through her book, Sistergirl Devotions, Mackey speaks to these and other hurdles that working women face  through a collection of 90 insightful and inspiring readings. Using Scripture, conventional wisdom and stories  from her own experiences, Mackey teaches readers how their faith provides timeless and trusting answers to  these daily struggles. Each devotion also offers a “Power Move,” which gives readers actionable tips for  applying these principles to their own lives and careers.

Topics that Mackey addresses through these devotions include:
o Making the most of your opportunities at work
o Establishing your identity at work
o How to serve your way to greatness
o Standing up for what’s right
o Managing conflicts and toxic coworkers
o Confronting painful situations with grace
o Bouncing back after a setback
o Keys to managing others
o Striking a healthy work-life balance
o Discipleship on and off the job
o Watch God multiply your talents and gifts
o Remain humble as you achieve success

Click to read an excerpt of Chapter 1, "Use What You Got to Get What You Want:  Making the Most of Your Opportunities".

Sistergirl Devotions
by Carol M. Mackey
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3397-1
Available May 2010; $12.99

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carol M. Mackey is editor-in-chief of Black Expressions Book Club, an award-winning book club and the  largest African American club in the nation. She has been named among the 50 Most Powerful African-Americans In Publishing by Black Issues Book Review and has been featured in Literary Divas: The Top  100+ Most Admired African American Women in Literature. Widely recognized as a leading expert on  African-American book buyers, Mackey sits on the Board for the National Book Club Conference. She has  appeared on CBS-TV’s morning news show in New York and is often interviewed by other media outlets on the state of African American publishing. She lives in New York with her family.

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday  life. They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with  MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet.

For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review purposes.

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Wednesday Worship: Grace

What would we do without His grace?

Wednesday Worship: Love Never Fails

Love never fails you...

From Brandon Heath's CD, What If We

Peace & Blessings,

Patricia

Wednesday Worship: I'll Trust You

Desmond Pringle singing a Richard Smallwood favorite, taken from Psalm 91...

When I call you,
You'll answer
In times of trouble.
When I call you,
You'll answer,
You will deliver.
Lord, I'll trust You
For I will,
Dwell under Your shadow,
I won't dread,
The terror by night,
For angels are all around me
So I will not fear

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Wednesday Worship: Justified

No matter how crazy life may get, it's helpful to remember...

Justified me,
Glorified me,
Paid my ransom and I've been redeemed by his blood
Go to Calvary,
I've been made free,
Despite my enemy,
I thank God I'm justified

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Featured Book: You Can Still Wear Cute Shoes by Lisa McKay

Encouraging advice on being a pastor’s wife - from a woman who never thought she’d be one!

ABOUT THE BOOK

When most women think of a “pastor’s wife,” certain images come to mind: either a woman who is so holy she doesn’t seem human or someone sentenced to a life without fun, fashion, or friends. The sad truth is that pastor’s wives often walk a lonely road littered with impossible expectations and inconceivable identity crises. They’re the object of hallway conversations and sermon illustrations, but they rarely have the opportunity to be fully and freely transparent and unique.

Lisa McKay’s You Can Still Wear Cute Shoes is an utterly honest, charmingly witty, and biblically-insightful guide for every minister’s wife who wants to serve the church and support her husband without losing herself along the way. You will feel an instant sisterhood with Lisa, a senior pastor’s wife happily serving in the trenches. She understands the challenges of a life lived before a congregation, from finding friends and coping with criticism to saying goodbye and starting all over again.

Through Lisa’s engaging style and fresh perspective, you’ll be encouraged to fully embrace being “married to the ministry”! In this book you’ll find answers to questions like:

* How can I effectively support my husband?
* What are my responsibilities within the church?
* Will ministry destroy my family? Am I doomed to a life of solitude?

The questions haven’t changed much over the years but the answers certainly have. Twenty-first century technology has introduced avenues to connect ministry wives in ways never before possible. Among other things, You Can Still Wear Cute Shoes demonstrates how to use online connectivity as a lifeline when isolation threatens to take over.

You Can Still Wear Cute Shoes is a must-have guide for every woman who wants to do the ministry wife “thing” well. Dealing with relationships between ministry wives, ministry families, and church congregations can be rewarding, confusing, and painful. With that in mind, Lisa uncovers insights from pastor’s wives and lay people as to how we can serve one another and Christ with faithfulness and humility.

REVIEW

Where was this book two decades ago, when I was a relative newlywed and my husband was entering the ministry? Where was it some ten years later when we branched out to launch our own ministry and church?

The good news is that minister's and pastor's wives today don't need to look far for the solid, grounded advice that so many crave, but most forego...in silence. No more do these women need to operate shrouded in self-doubt, confusion, trepidation, and worse, anger and resentment.

Lisa McKay has authored the book that every woman "married to the ministry" should read. You Can Still Wear Cute Shoes (And Other Advice from an Unlikely Preacher's Wife) provides answers, encouragement and resources for minister's wives, with humor and grace. She knows from what she speaks, as she so richly shares on her blog.

In my own journey, thankfully, I eventually figured out that my husband never asked me to conform or change to fit some stereotypical mold of a preacher's wife. More thankfully, while he was actively pastoring, we were willing to move according to the leading of the Holy Spirit, which in our case, meant leaving behind some denominational and cultural constraints, thereby removing some invisible chains off me and my children, enabling us to reach out in nontraditional ways, and drawing us closer to God.

Reading this book was like having a girlfriend down in the trenches with me. I could relate to Lisa's stories based on personal experiences--or those of other women in ministry that I know. Even after all those years in ministry, it also shined a light on areas in my life where God's not quite finished with me yet.


For those who are interested in some real conversation on the issues that Lisa presents-- --check out her blog, The Preacher's Wife, where she's leading a chapter-by-chapter discussion with women from all over the world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lisa McKay and her husband, Luke, serve at a thriving church in Alabama. Lisa also is the wrangler of three rowdy boys, and shopping companion to one princess-in-training. She has followed God's call and Luke's U-Haul across five states for fifteen years. Visit Lisa online at www.apreacherswife.com

You Can Still Wear Cute Shoes by Lisa McKay

David C Cook   February 1, 2010

ISBN: 978-1-4347-6726-4/208 pages/softcover/$12.99

www.davidccook.com

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by TBB Media and David C. Cook for review purposes.