Review: A Woman's Call to Prayer

-
I am reading this book at the moment called A Woman's Call to Prayer by Elizabeth George. It is not a great read as far as books go, but there are still some good morsels to chew on.

One really good thing about the book is that it has a prayer calendar that you can copy and print out, which is quite helpful, and the other useful information I found in the book so far are the four questions you need to ask when praying about a decision you need to make.

The four questions are:
Why would I do that?
Why wouldn't I do that?
Why should I do that?
Why shouldn't I do that?

I tried to apply it to my possible move to Thailand:

Why would I do that?
Silke did it, and she highly recommended Thailand. Secondly I wanted to go to the East before I settle. Thirdly, I translated a travel guide about Bangkok, so I am already familiar with it. Fourthly, it is a great photo opportunity. Fifthly, what an adventure!

Why wouldn't I do that?
I am scared of the busyness of Bangkok, I am afraid of change and the culture shock, I am not that interested to learn the Thai language that much (prefer Spanish), and I could be very lonely there.

Why should I do that?
For the experience, the photography, the job itself, for God's glory (if it will glorify Him).

Why shouldn't I do that?
If God does not want me to, and for personal reasons

These four questions check your motivation, most importantly, which is what God is concerned with.

The other reason I like the book is because it discusses in more detail how to live out God's plan, similar to a lot of self-help books about time management (set a goal, break it up into smaller bits, etc). In a nutshell she says:
1. pray over your priorities
2. plan through your priorities
3. prepare a schedule based on your priorities
4. proceed to implement your priorities
5. purpose to check your progress
6. prepare for tomorrow
7. praise God at the end of the day

When it comes to goal-setting, I think of Brian Tracy's book Eat that Frog as well as the Deming Cycle  (Plan, Do, Study, Act). I take out my weekly planner, write down 5 things I want to achieve the following day, prioritize them, and then I complete them the next day. The difference between them and Elizabeth George's approach is that she brings her plans to God, and He is the one who makes victory sure.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Farmer And His Sons

-
Taken from Headway's Intermediate Student's Book: The Farmer And His Sons There was once an old, dying farmer who had worked hard in his vineyard all his life.  Before he died he wanted to teach his three sons how to be good farmers.  So he called them to his bedside and said, 'My boys, I have an important secret to tell you: there is a great treasure buried in the vineyard.  Promise me that you will look for it when I am dead.' The sons gave their promise and as soon as their father had died they began looking for the treasure.  They worked very hard in the hot sun and while they were working they thought about what their father had said.  They pictured boxes of cold coins, diamond necklaces, and other such things.  Soon they had dug up every inch of the vineyard but they found not a single penny.  They were very upset because they felt that all their hard work had been for nothing.   However, a few months later the grapes started to appear on the vines.  Their grapes ...
Read more

Speech technique No.2 - the Unifying Metaphor

-
The Unifying Metaphor: As opposed to a simile which compares two objects using a specific linguistic form, eg. the man was as brave as a lion, a metaphor compares two objects by equating the one with the other, eg. he was a brave lion.   Literally the man was not a lion, but figuratively he was.   This figure of speech is used in literary works of all kinds, including poems and news articles. The Unifying Metaphor aims to unify people.   An example of an American metaphor is the Camel man.   He is healthy, strong and tanned, and he can survive in the wild bushveld with merely a pocketknife and a piece of string.   He drives a 4x4, and he works hard all day.   This is the image of the Camel man – please correct me if I’m wrong.   The logic and truth behind this image may elude us, but what unifies us is what Elgin (1980: p. 227) calls the consensus perception . As a unity, we have reached consensus about the perception of the Camel man.   The theory reminds of the Jung’s colle...
Read more

Bevor ich geboren bin, bin ich gestorben.

-
Image
Bevor ich geboren bin, bin ich gestorben. Warum bleiben dann Gefühle meines eigenen Gewissens? Warum bleiben die Gedanken und die Träume meines eigenen Lebens, wenn mich doch Gott neu geschaffen hat, mir neues Blut gegeben hat, mich in eine neue Familie hat gebracht? Ich will nicht mehr traurig sein, dass mein Leben mir wie nichts vorkommt, dass ich mir so unglaublich wertlos vorkomme, und stattdessen will ich den Glauben fassen, dass Gott mich tatsächlich in Seinen Händen trägt, und mich wirklich beschützt vom Bösen. Ich will mich vergessen, mich verlieben, und dann für andere leben, für einen Sinn außerhalb meiner Wünsche, eine Gnade und Liebe erfahren, die nicht aus dieser Welt stammt, sondern ganz weit entfernt und doch so nah. Ich freue mich auf keinen Tod, doch meiner ist schon vergangen, und mein neues Leben hat schon begonnen, jedoch sieht es manchmal nicht danach aus, und ich schäme mich, dass ich mich nicht mehr hab vertraut an den Herrn, den lieben ...
Read more