Book Review: This Little Prayer of Mine, by Anthony DeStefano

I thought since today was the National Day of Prayer, it would be a good day to highlight a cute little book I was recently sent for review.

"I know you're up in heaven, God,
and can hear my voice from there.
I'm just a little child.
Will you answer my short prayer?"

Author Anthony DeStefano opens This Little Prayer of Mine with this short, but meaningful line. I know we as adults have so many times in our lives when prayer is the only thing that pulls us through. It is important to teach our children the power of prayer from a young age. Though, sometimes its hard to come up with the right words to explain how to pray and what to ask for.

This Little Prayer of Mine is written from a child's perspective. The picture on the front shows a little boy and girl kneeling at their bed, so this could be the prayer of one or both of these children.

Their prayer covers many parts of life, from being scared of the dark, to feeling left out at school, and even to praying for the future that God holds for them. The language in the story says that we need to trust in the Lord for His answers and know that He is looking out for us.

My children and I enjoyed reading this book together, and it did bring up a conversation about prayer as I had hoped. The beautiful pictures captivated them, and the wording was simple enough for them to understand at the ages of 3 and 5.

Overall, I would recommend this sweet little book for children ages 3-8, and maybe a bit older as a conversation starter. The only thing I would have changed would be to have had the children in the book be thankful for the things God has given before asking for things. This Little Prayer of Mine would make an excellent gift for any little one in your life, or a great addition to your family library.

This Little Prayer of Mine is written by Anthony DeStefano, illustrated by Mark Elliott and published by Waterbrook Press. It is endorsed by The National Day of Prayer. It retails for 12.99 and can be purchased in hardback or eBook format. It can be purchased through the Waterbrook Multnomah online store, or where ever Christian books are sold.

God Bless! And be prayerful for our country on this National Day of Prayer!

This is a Blogging For Books review. Thank you to the Waterbrook Multnomah publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book for my review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Prayer Warriors Urgently Needed

I came across a blog post today that has really hit home. A mommy of 10 in Nebraska needs our prayers. Her name is Mary Anaya. She and her husband are missionaries to the poor and needy. She is pregnant with their 11th child. She has advanced lung cancer. You can read her story on Getting Down with Jesus. The doctors are giving her little hope. But I believe in a God who is able to do more then we can ask or even imagine. Would you keep Mary Anaya in your prayers tonight?

**Sadly, Mary went home to be with the Lord on October 22. Her sweet baby went home on the 20th. Please pray for her family.**

God's Perfect Timing

We have had a tire in need of replacing. It apparently had a bump on it. Not sure how it got there, but for the last few weeks it has made this terrible vibration when we drove, not to mention a lot of noise! We knew it was on its last leg and planned to have it replaced this evening before we left for the farm.

Well, this afternoon the kids and I had to go make a house payment. The bank is about a 20 minute drive each way. So we rumbled our way down and back again. I really needed a few things for our trip and debated on our way back whether I would run to Walmart or give my list to DH when he went for a tire. I decided to go ahead and go.

I took the Wal-mart exit and stopped at the light at the bottom of the ramp. When I pulled away from the light, I knew something had changed. The rumble had gotten MUCH louder, and the vibration much stronger. I drove about 1/2 mile and heard a pop. The sound and vibration went away, but it didnt feel like it was flat.

I pulled off the road and inspected the tire. It looked a bit different on the back, but wasnt flat or even low. I called DH and told him to meet us at Walmart, because I knew the tire was on its last trip. I pulled back on the road and headed to Walmart.

I told Mustang we should pray, and we said a very short prayer asking God to please get us there. The drive was just under a mile and the speed limit is only 30, so I was able to drive slowly and carefully without annoying other drivers.

When I pulled away from the stop light at the entrance to Walmart, I knew my tire was flat. I was just about a football field's length from the automotive department, so I went ahead and drove the distance, praying the wheel would be okay. I parked in the only open spot by the automotive department and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Obviously, that could have gone very differently at any point, and I am very thankful that God worked everything out for us.