Lauren Sparks: The Sparks Notes

Praying God’s Word Wednesday #37

ByLauren February 23, 2022February 9, 2022 Bible reading, Christian, family, mothers, obedience, parenting, prayer

Today my youngest daughter turns 17. She gets the credit for my current love affair with praying scripture, so I couldn’t help but think of her for today’s Praying God’s Word Wednesday. I had used scripture to pray before (big fan of Stormie O’Martian’s books early in my marriage), but my girl Allie holds the distinction of being the first person I texted a scripture and prayer to.

Now, I weekly text many people I care about with scriptures and prayers. I also pray for me and my immediate family using whatever passage I happen to be reading (from a bible study, sermon notes from Sunday, a book, etc.). But I digress.

When thinking about my girl on the day of her birth, this scripture came to mind:

Behold, children are a ^[a]gift of the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Psalm 127:3 NASB

God gifts and rewards us in many ways. Children are only one of them. And parenting is far from sunshine and rainbows all the time. I have said often, and stand by, that my children are simultaneously the reason for some of my deepest joys and biggest frustrations. But today, when thinking about Allie, the following prayer flowed.

Replace the name and pronouns with the appropriate ones for the person (or yourself) that you are praying for.

Praying for you in this. And don’t forget to share on social media or with a friend who could benefit. It would mean so much to me. And if you don’t want to miss a Praying God’s Word Wednesday, subscribe over on the right hand side of this page.

10 Spiritually Impactful Books

ByLauren February 18, 2022February 15, 2022 Bible reading, book review, Christian, Grace & Truth Link Up

20 Comments

Did you know that Valentine’s Day is also Library Lover’s Day? I didn’t or I might have celebrated with a trip to my local branch. There are so many digital options that are cheap, easy and convenient for reading these days. But I still love a library (and a librarian – Hi, Mom!). I don’t know if it is the sheer volume of potentially impactful books or the memories I have with libraries, but they hold a certain romance for me.

Someone asked me a very intriguing book related question recently that I now want to ask you. “Besides the Bible, what other books have made the most impact on your spiritual life?”

I confess that I went threw a stage a few years back when I had so many “spiritual” books I wanted to read that I relied on them almost exclusively for scripture. The Holy Spirit convicted me of the danger of only ever reading an author-selected verse without context and the writer’s commentary on said verse.

But God has truly gifted some people to teach the Bible, and many do it well in book form. So I didn’t throw out all books on biblical matters. There is too much wisdom to be gleaned there. But I make sure to take a more balanced approach to how much time I spend reading ABOUT God’s Word and reading God’s actual word.

There is a lot of hooey out there. And no less hooey labeled as “Christian”. We must be discerning in what we choose to influence us. So I thought we could help each other. I want to share my list of spiritually impactful books. And I hope you will help me by commenting with at least one book you would recommend to me.

So here is my list:

Spiritually Impactful Books

Your Future Self Will Thank You: Secrets to Self-Control from the Bible and Brain Science by Drew Dyck
The Louder Song: Listening for Hope in the Midst of Lament by Aubrey Sampson
Is the Bible Good for Women?: Seeking Clarity and Confidence Through a Jesus-Centered Understanding of Scripture by Wendy Alsup
Braving Sorrow Together: The Transformative Power of Faith and Community When Life is Hard by Ashleigh Slater
Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds by Jen Wilkin
The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: And English Professor’s Journey Into Christian Faith by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp
I Beg to Differ: Navigating Difficult Conversations with Truth and Love by Tim Muehlhoff
It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way: Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered by Lysa TerKeurst

Happy reading! And don’t forget to share your recommendations with us!

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

Nylse from lifenotesencouragement.com shared her thoughts on Black History Month and educated me on Black Love Day. Learn more by reading Black is Love.

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

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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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TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
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