Prayer

Just A Minute

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

A minute doesn’t seem like a big deal. After all, it’s just 60 seconds. It goes by in the amount of time that the average heart beats 80 times… or for the average lungs to breathe 20 times. A minute is fairly insignificant if you think about it. We really don’t focus on the single minutes of our life. They are not accounted for in big plan of our life. They tick away and before we know it, all 2400 minutes of this day are done and we are starting on the next 2400 minutes.clock

So what can happen during one minute?

  • 25 Americans will get a passport
  • 58 Airplanes will take off around the world.
  • 116 People will get married
  • 11,319 UPS packages will be delivered
  • 243,000 photos will be uploaded to Facebook
  • 250 Babies will be born
  • 106 People will die
  • 360 Lightening strikes will hit somewhere on the earth
  • 7,295,000,000 human hearts will beat 582,800,000,000 Continue reading →

Praying God’s Promises

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

Praying God's Promises: The Life-Changing Power of Praying the ScripturesPraying God’s Promises: The Life-Changing Power of Praying the Scriptures by Linda Evans Shepherd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Prayer changes things. Praying God’s promises changes everything. The Scriptures tell us that when we pray the will of God, he delights to answer our prayers. But what is God’s will in any given situation? How can we know it? And if we don’t know it, how can we pray it?

In this inspiring book, Linda Evans Shepherd reveals that God’s will is not a mystery–it’s clearly laid out in his Word through his many promises. Through stories, practical application, examples of prayers, and guided reflection, she leads you toward a more powerful prayer life. Arranged by topic for ease of use, this book shows how to pray God’s promises of peace, for health, for relationships, for our children, and so much more.” Continue reading →

Prayer Journaling

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

I don’t know about men, but most of the women that I know will tell you that we live in our heads. We typically have so many seemingly random thoughts running around, that if you were to take a peak… well let’s just say it might be a bit scary in there. We carry everything from what’s for dinner, did we take something out of the freezer, when does the dog go to the vet, did I take my medicine, when can I get to the gym, remember to pick up daughter for lessons, don’t forget son needs help with project, and oh yes, I am married and he needs me to do thus and such… and usually all of that takes place before the second cup of coffee.

Add to that the chatter and self talk that we’ve carried around with us for so many years. You know those voices, those condemning, hateful voices that work so well at reminding us just what a mess we are. And don’t forget the voices of past friends, relationships – professional and personal- that continue to remind us of other not so wonderful times in our lives.

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Every Season Prayer

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Every Season Prayers: Gospel-Centered Prayers for the Whole of LifeEvery Season Prayers: Gospel-Centered Prayers for the Whole of Life by Scotty Smith

“Are you ever at a loss when it comes to what to say in your prayers? Every Season Prayers offers a treasure trove of prayers that will lead you into a more intimate relationship with God. Topically arranged so you can easily find the sentiments that match your needs, this delightful book includes prayers for: • everyday concerns, from health and relationship issues to expressing gratitude; voicing our feelings, stories, and struggles to God; listening to the heart of God; congregational confession and worship; Advent, Lent, and Passion Week and more.”

Every Season Prayers by Scotty Smith is a wonderful resource that you will want to keep close at hand – not just for those times when you just don’t have the words to pray, but also for the times when you just need to hear soothing words for your heart. This book blessed me over and over as I read it. It is over 300 pages of straight from the heart prayers for so many different topics and occasions.
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Intercessory Prayer

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Intercessory Prayer: How God Can Use Your Prayers to Move Heaven and EarthIntercessory Prayer: How God Can Use Your Prayers to Move Heaven and Earth by Dutch Sheets
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Prayer for the Impossible. Called foundational, revolutionary, illuminating, and motivating, Intercessory Prayer continues to be a classic work after more than 20 years. This rich, biblical teaching is full of fresh insights showing how vital our prayers are and how God has always planned to work in partnership with us through prayer. As Dutch explains the nuts and bolts of prayer with wisdom, gentleness, and humor, readers will find inspiration and courage to pray for the impossible–and the persistence to see prayers to completion.”

I did not realize when I asked to review this book that it had been around for so many years (original year of first publication – 1996). In all these years, the message is as relevant today as it was 20 years ago – if not more so. I had a hard time putting this book down once I started.
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The Cross Starts Here

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish by have eternal life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.  Whoever believes in  Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”  John 3:16-18

Are you whoever?

Some people are turned off by the idea of an eternal life because their current lives are so miserable.  But eternal life is not an extension of a person’s miserable mortal life.  Eternal life is God’s life embodied in Christ given to all believers now as a guarantee they will live forever.  In eternal life there is no death, sickness, enemy, evil or sin.

When we don’t know Christ, we make choices as thought this life is all we have .  In reality, this life is just the introduction to eternity.  Ask God into your heart and receive  this new life by faith.

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Called to Pray

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ 1 Comment

Called to PrayCalled to Pray by Linda Evans Shepherd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Most of us have felt it: that unexplained prompting in our hearts to stop and pray for a friend, a loved one, or even a stranger. Sometimes we dismiss the feeling as a stray thought about friends, families, or situations. Sometimes we are even awakened from a deep sleep with an even deeper need to go to God in prayer. Where do those urges come from? Are they truly from God? And do those prayers have any effect on the one we’re praying for?

In Called to Pray, Linda Evans Shepherd dozens of inspiring true stories of people who have felt God’s call to pray–and the astonishing results of those impromptu prayers. For those who wonder if prayer has any effect or doubt that God communicates with us personally, this heart-stirring book will amaze, inspire, and equip them to respond to those holy promptings”

This author, Linda Evan Shepherd knows prayer. Her life is a prayer. I have been a fan of Ms. Shepherd since I first read one of her books a few years back. This book, Called to Pray, is another in a long line of wonderfully written testaments to the power of prayer. This book in particular will fill your heart with hope and joy in all that our Creator sees and does in the lives of His children. Thank you, Ms Shepherd. I am so looking forward to future titles from you.
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Fervent Prayer

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Fervent: A Woman's Battle Plan to Serious, Specific and Strategic PrayerFervent: A Woman’s Battle Plan to Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer by Priscilla Shirer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“You have an enemy . . . and he’s dead set on destroying all you hold dear and keeping you from experiencing abundant life in Christ. What’s more, his approach to disrupting your life and discrediting your faith isn’t general or generic, not a one-size-fits-all. It’s specific. Personalized. Targeted.

So this book is your chance to strike back. With prayer. With a weapon that really works. Each chapter will guide you in crafting prayer strategies that hit the enemy where it hurts, letting him know you’re on to him and that you won’t back down. Because with every new strategy you build, you’re turning the fiercest battles of life into precise strikes against him and his handiwork, each one infused with the power of God’s Spirit.”
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90 Minutes in Heaven

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ 1 Comment

90 Minutes in Heaven90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Pastor Don Piper died January 18, 1989 when a semi-tractor truck crushed his car. Declared dead by the first rescue workers to arrive on the scene, Don’s body lay under a tarp for the next 90 minutes. Don’s soul, meanwhile, was experiencing love, joy, and life like he’d never known before. Don was in Heaven.

When another pastor’s prayers helped bring Don back to life, he became a living miracle! Yet this is one miracle Don wished never happened. Heaven’s bliss was replaced by excruciating pain and emotional turmoil. With the support and prayers of his beloved Eva, their three kids, and friends near and far, Don clings to his faith in God and fights to regain a semblance of his previous life. The Piper family’s incredible true story of perseverance and overcoming the challenges of life – and death – will bring hope and encouragement to all who see it.”
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The Battle Plan for Prayer

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ 2 Comments

The Battle Plan for Prayer: Attacking Life's Struggles Through PrayerThe Battle Plan for Prayer: Attacking Life’s Struggles Through Prayer by Stephen Kendrick

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Inspired by the Kendrick Brothers’ new movie, War Room, this exciting new resource from the #1 best-selling author team behind The Love Dare and The Resolution for Men is designed to help anyone learn how to become a powerful person of prayer. The Battle Plan for Prayer begins with prayer’s core purpose, its biblical design, and its impact throughout history. Readers will be guided scripturally through the fundamentals of how effective prayer works, inspired towards a closer, more intimate relationship with God, and shown how to develop specific prayer strategies for each area of life.

Prayer can accomplish what a willing God can accomplish. It should be your first plan of attack in all of life’s battles, not your last resort. If you want to experience the joy of mightily answered prayer, then it’s time to engage with God at another level.”
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