Be Encouraged!

One of the blogs I read regularly is “Hearts In Service” by Terri Groh, who lives north of New York City, and works alongside her husband Dan, who is a Pastor in the Christian and Missionary Alliance. She tutors children with reading difficulties and loves baking and crafts.

So you can see we have a fair bit in common. Terri also finds time to run a craft business, and now she has written a book [Now I am feeling quite lazy] Terri has sent me a copy of her new book and asked me to review it.

“Words of Encouragement for a Discouraged World”

This is a set of 52 Christian ‘meditations’ for women. Terri uses many examples from her life as a wife and mother. She’s clearly American, but don’t let the occasional ‘faucet’ put you off! Each meditation begins with a passage of scripture, then Terri shares a few thoughts, and finally there is a question to answer [and space to write it down, plus any other thoughts]

I liked the brevity of each meditation – ideal for ‘Mums on The Run’ who don’t have the time they would like to sit and study Scripture, or for people who perhaps want a weekly addition to their regular daily Bible study. I appreciated Terri’s candour about her own spiritual struggles. The meditations aren’t dated – you can start at any time. You could, I suppose, read them on a daily basis – so then the book would only last 7 weeks or so. However I think that if you did that, you might find some themes repeated too quickly [Who should I forgive? How do I let my light shine?]– it is better weekly.

Who would I give it to?

· Someone like my best friend, a mature Christian, busy serving her church, who might find these weekly encouragements a blessing and help

· Someone like another friend who is newer in her faith, and a busy working Mum, for whom the meditations would be a ‘pick me up’ when she is tired

· Someone who has been a Christian a while, and has wondered about ‘spiritual journaling’ – this would be a good gentle introduction to the discipline of reading, meditating and writing

· Someone who occasionally has to produce a 2-minute ‘devotional slot’ for her women’s group – these meditations are ideal for that. Concise, scriptural and challenging!

This is not deep theology – but it is exactly what it says on the label – words of encouragement. A simple thought to take you through the day and help deepen your faith and strengthen your witness. Terri has worked hard to produce this little book, and I hope it will be well received and well read. I am sure it will be a blessing to many.***