book review Archives - Lauren Sparks

Friends, after finishing the book Taken at Birth: Stolen Babies, Hidden Lies, and My Journey to Finding Home by Jane Blasio, I can still hardly believe the content. A fellow reader described the book as “mind-boggling”, and I concur. Though only 215 pages, the author packs enough outrageous details to satisfy an investigative journalist.

Imagine learning that, not only were you adopted, but that your adoptive parents illegally “bought” you. And then you discover that more than 300 babies were sold out of the back door of a country clinic. Jane Blasio has spent much of her life in the details of this exact scenario.

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She spent years searching for answers. How could this happen? Who was to blame? Who actually gave birth to her and her sister as well?

No spoilers here. I won’t tell you what exactly she found. But I will tell you that her journey perpetually surprised and horrified her. And you will feel the same. Without divulging the details that I promise you want to read for yourself, I share instead a profound piece of the peace she found: “Home is when, not where. It’s when you accept that love is kind and it’s almost always imperfect. Finding home is when you reject the judgment, the hate, and the same, and you embrace the laughter, the frailty, the dance, and ultimately the love.”

But make no mistake, I liken this experience to reading an extended episode of 20/20 investigates. You will not want to put this book down. And thanks to the publisher, you may soon pick it up for free. Revell generously provided a hardback copy for me to give away to one lucky reader. Here’s how to enter. Either subscribe to my blog over on the right hand side of this page, or follow me on instagram and comment below that you did! Want two entries? Do both. The winner will be selected by random drawing and notified on Thursday August 26th! Don’t want to wait until then? Purchase Taken at Birth right now!

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

Since trust is my word for the year, I had to dig deep into Fully Trusting God without Hesitation by Karen Girl Friday. Lots of great encouragement here! Thank you, Karen.

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
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LAUREN SPARKS
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LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
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Now Let’s Link Up!

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A few weeks ago, my blogger friend Patsy Burnette posted about her new resource Hey Mama! Pray: Praying Proverbs Over Your Child. I couldn’t believe how perfectly this complements our Wednesday prayer series. And I know Patsy puts out quality content (see this book I got to contribute to). So I asked her to share about this prayer aid here for you, my praying friends.

Welcome our guest blogger today!

3 Ways We Can Effectively Pray For Our Children

Even when I know the importance of praying for my children, I often become distracted from the task. Sometimes, I become discouraged when I don’t see answers to my prayers. Do you ever feel that way, friend?

I want to be a mama that prays with effectiveness.
I want the next generation to be transformed by the power of prayer.
I want to make a difference in the lives of my children by lifting them up in prayer.

You surely want those same things for your children. Whether they are still toddling around at home or adults out on their own, we can pray for them effectively. We can pray for them with the transforming power of prayer and make a difference in their lives!

Let me share with you today 3 ways we can effectively pray for our children:

Remember Who they belong to. Your children first belong to God and they are on loan to you, placed in your care. In fact, it may be difficult to believe, but God’s love for them is far greater even than your love for them. Remember, the Holy Spirit has a significant influence over your children. His influence is much more than you will ever have. Remember your own dependence on God to fulfill the calling He has given you as a Christian parent. (John 15:5)
Let them know you are praying for them. Be an example of godly parenting to your children by allowing them to see and know you are praying for them. Make yourself available to pray with them as well. Be what you desire them to be – a model of Christ-likeness. Remember, Paul tells us to be imitators of Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1)
Pray without ceasing! Consistency in any part of parenting is key. Be consistent in your prayer life as well. Don’t give in and don’t give up! Allow your consistency to characterize your prayers for them as well as your love and care of them. Consider journaling your prayers. I love writing my request out because then it is easier for me to see answers to specific requests. Don’t allow the behavior of your children to draw you away from praying. They will see and feel your consistency, or lack of consistency, in your prayers for them. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”

YES! We need to trust Him.

YES! We need to rely on Him.

YES! We need to acknowledge Him.

YES! He will make our paths straight!

How do we do those things? Through prayer. We show our trust by remembering Who our children belong to. We don’t rely on our own understanding and let our children know we’re praying for them. Acknowledge Him by praying without ceasing.

And what does this passage say He will do when we do those things? “…He will make straight your paths.” (3:6)

It’s really just that simple!

Remember Who they belong to. Let them know you are praying for them, and pray without ceasing. Sounds easy enough, right? Simple and yet at the same time I find it so very challenging.

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Parenting can be so complicated. How sad it is to know so many have forgotten the simple blessing of prayer. As we pursue effective parenting techniques, we must remember the basic call to pray.

Check out this resource for effectively praying for our children!

As Christian parents, it is our responsibility to teach our children to be more like Christ. We need help with this daunting task. We need a resource for effectively praying for them!

There are a lot of books written on child-rearing. Let me introduce you to the best child-rearing book ever written—the book of Proverbs. Proverbs is God’s textbook for raising children that become adults who strive to be more like Him. Read it, study it, meditate on it, teach it to your children, and PRAY IT OVER THEM!

There is no greater calling or obligation given to us as parents than that of raising godly children. You will find that the book of Proverbs covers almost every situation that could arise in your child’s life.

As I wrote Hey Mama! PRAY, I found that many of the topics covered in the Bible study pertained as much to me, personally, as they did to my children. I often found myself not only praying over my children but also praying for myself.

In Hey Mama! PRAY, you’ll find spaces to write out Scripture, create prayer lists, and journal your prayers.

Patsy is a wife, mother of four, and grandmother. She is a Christian lifestyle blogger and content manager at InstaEncouragements.com. She has a heart for encouraging women to grow in their knowledge and love of Jesus Christ. She drinks more coffee and eats more dark chocolate than the average person. Patsy lives in Atlanta, Georgia USA with her husband and Ellie the cat.