Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer Book Tour

MYSTERIES OF THE JESUS PRAYER

Experiencing the Presence of God and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of an Ancient Spirituality

By Norris J. Chumley

For nearly two millennia, the holy men and women of Eastern Christianity have built lives of reflection, humility, and constant connection to God around a simple sentence, the Jesus Prayer. Now, Norris J. Chumley—a documentarian and professor—reveals the history, practices, and abiding wisdom of this mystical tradition to the rest of the world.
Chumley traveled to some of the early Church’s holiest sites with the Very Reverend Dr. John A. McGuckin, a priest and professor—to St. Anthony’s Monastery in the Egyptian desert and St. Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai, to convents in Transylvania and to monasteries in Russia, the Ukraine, and Greece—in search of Christianity’s first mystical tradition and its modern-day practitioners. The monks and nuns he met taught him how to move through the stages of the Jesus Prayer, and how it can foster an unceasing, and everdeepening, conversation with God.
Enriched with stunning color photographs of these holy sites, where photography is rarely allowed, Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer reveals the powerful theology packed into this prayer’s few words.

This book functions as a sort of companion guide to the movie Chumley made about the Jesus prayer.  Have you watched it?  Because I haven't and after reading this book I really really want to and intend on doing so.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

This is the Jesus Prayer, known and prayed most commonly in the Orthodox Church.

When I was asked if I would be interested in participating in this book tour, I was a little hesitant, I wasn't really sure that the material would satisfy me, that it would keep me interested and reading.  First thought I had was "ancient prayers, icons, etc etc....do I really want to know?".

I'm so glad I said yes because this book has touched me and has taught me SO much.

I've said many times on my blog that I'm a visual person, I am instantly drawn to beautiful book covers and if there's photographs inside the pages, even better and this books is chock full of those.  The cover itself is stunning but the inside is littered with amazing photography of holy sites where photography is normally prohibited.

Prayer.  We all know how to pray and honestly I don't think there is a right or wrong way, but I'm one of those people have struggled with prayer for as long as I can remember.  I had this idea that it should be this extravagant and amazing speech made to God, using these big words and fancy dialogue and all it ever did for me was make me fall short because the minute I started praying, I drew a blank.  I didn't know what to say.

Just talk to God as if he is the room with you.  That's pretty easy isn't it?  Not really, because then I started getting the obstacles of starting to pray and becoming distracted, my mouth would say one thing and my mind would go to a totally different place and start thinking about other stuff, so bad that I would completely forget that I was in the middle of prayer.

This book just brought to light the fact that prayer is not about getting my way, it’s about growing more like Christ. AMEN!

Eye opener right there.

I can't say enough good things about this book and I fully intend to catch up on the documentary which is scheduled to show on local PBS stations, most of them this Easter Weekend.  You can check out the list of stations here to see when it plays for you.

To follow along with the rest of the tour, check out these awesome reviews:

Tuesday, April 12th: Joy in this Journey
Wednesday, April 13th: Oh Mandie
Thursday, April 14th: Naptime diaries
Monday, April 18th: Elizabeth Esther
Tuesday, April 19th: Mom’s Mustard Seeds
Wednesday, April 20th: O me of little faith
Thursday, April 21st: The Pilot’s Wife
Friday, April 22nd: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
Monday, April 25th: Walking in His Grace
Tuesday, April 26th: In the Heart of My Home
Wednesday, April 27th: In a Mirror Dimly
Thursday, April 28th: My Heart’s Desire
Friday, April 29th: A Minute Captured

 TLC Book Tours provided a proof copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions are mine alone.

{ Cooking Thursday - April 21 }

 

I'm down with a cold and not well at all, so I apologize for this being late, but I guess better late than never right?

Here's today's recipe.

Febras the Cebolada - Pork Chops with Tomatoes and Onions

1 lb pork tenderloins
1 medium onion, sliced
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bay leaf
paprika to taste
1 large can of tomato sauce
white wine or beer (I used a little beer this time, but if you don't want to use any alcohol drink, you can just add water)

In a large saucepan, add a little bit of olive oil and a layer of sliced onions, place the pork chops on top and season with salt and pepper, a bay leaf, paprika and the chopped garlic.  Add another layer of onions and pour the tomato sauce over it all.  Pour on about 1/4 cup or so of beer/wine/water.  Cover and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes or so until the pork chops are cooked through.

That's it.  Super simple and you'll love the gravy that it makes.  Serve with rice or mashed potatoes or fries or whatever you wish, just be sure to drizzle that gravy over everything....Yum.

Body Confidence Book Review

Weight Loss.  How to do it, how to achieve it the right way and how to maintain it.  It's something that I have struggled with my whole life and for the most part I try to eat right and watch my calories, but let's face it, it's not easy, I LOVE food.  Plain and Simple!

When I was asked if I wanted to participate in the Body Confidence TLC Book Tour, I immediately said yes, I could use all the help I can and not just that but my hubby is once again training for his PT test next month so he's trying to lose weight and eat right and this was the perfect time.

Body Confidence is a revolutionary approach based on three key nutrition factors that stabilize your blood sugar and keep your body in balance:
• Eating at consistent meal intervals
• Absolute certainty in essential nutrient ratio of protein, fat, and carbohydrates
• Identifying and consuming the right amount of calories per meal 

 I don't like diets, I loathe diets, my body REJECTS diets.  The minute I say I can't have this or that, is the minute that I'm inhaling ludicrous amounts of said forbidden food.  I have to be extremely careful how I approach weight loss.

What I enjoyed about the book is that it teaches you to eat right, when to eat, how to eat and even better, it gives you recipes, it even gives you sample meals for 250 calories or 400 calories depending on whether you're male or female and how much you want to eat worth of calories.

It explains blood sugar stabilization, he gives you a progress checklist, he explains how lack of sleep and stress all play into weight gain and how to minimize it.

Overall I enjoyed the book, some things I already knew about so I found a little boring but I have yet to learn a lot about weight loss, like I said in the beginning it's all a learning process for me and something with which I've struggled for many years, I don't think I'll find the magic cure of what works for me overnight....and frankly, I've never had the energy or patience to really look into it and research it either.  I think this book is a good first step for me, I'll take it slow and see how that goes.

 TLC Book Tours provided a proof copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions are mine alone.

A little under the weather

I should have known that Miss Jasmine was not one to keep her little cold to herself, honestly I didn't even think about me getting sick, I was so busy last week that the thought didn't enter my mind.

But here I sit.

I've been spending the past two days deep in reading, Jane Austen of course.  Though I've read all her books so many times I never get sick of them and reading them again and again is just like reading them for the first time.

I think there's nothing better for the body and soul than an afternoon of comfort with a good book and a pot of hot tea.....

Especially when you're under the weather like I am.

A sore throat and I mean, really sore like somebody done jammed a knife up in there and left it dangling. Goodness, is there anything more irritating than a sore throat?

I know what it is, it's my sinus acting up because I'm congested and I have a headache and it's one of those where if you sniffle just a little too hard you feel like your brain is blowing up like a balloon.....and if you talk a little loud or if you stomp on the floor a little harder than usual, you are left wondering who are the imaginary people hammering away at your noggin.

I'm slowly getting my housework done, teaching the kiddos their school work and trying to drink lots of water and tea and take some breaks in between.

This afternoon, right now, we're all done for the day so while they play on the computer, I'm sitting here on my bed with a blanket around me, my pugs and a new series to watch.

Have you heard of or watched Land Girls from BBC???

Land Girls is set in the English countryside during World War Two. Four different girls arrive at the Hoxley Estate to begin their new working lives at the Pasture Farm owned by Frederick Finch (Mark Benton) and the opulent manor occupied by Lord (Nathaniel Parker) and Lady Hoxley (Sophie Ward). The girls, Nancy Morrell (Summer Strallen), Joyce Fisher (Becci Gemmell), Bea Holloway (Jo Woodcock) and Annie Barratt (Christine Bottomley), have joined the Women's Land Army for very different reasons, but they all share the same goal – to help serve their country and to help win the war. Nancy is forced into joining the Women's Land Army, when female conscription begins. Joyce wants to serve her country, just like her husband is doing. Annie signs herself and her younger sister, Bea, up, so they can escape their abusive father. As the girls adapt to their new surroundings and begin the hard work, their lives begin to change. Six months later, Bea is married to Billy (Liam Boyle) and Joyce is still working at the farm. The brash Connie Carter (Seline Hizli) arrives to do her duty and American industrialist, Jack Gillespie (Clive Wood), comes to the Hoxley Estate on business.

I just got my hands on the first Season and I think that is what I'm going to watch this afternoon.  As always though when I find something that I think my readers will enjoy, I have to share here on my little blog.  So there you go, something to add to your list of wonderful BBC dramas to watch :)

I'm off to shove some vicks on my nose, sip a little more tea and enjoy some good tv.  Hope you're having a wonderful day :)

The Note Project - Review and Giveaway

Have you heard of the Note Project???

Well I hadn't either until Kathleen O'Mary contacted me to let me know about The Note Project and what it was about, asking me if I would be interested in reviewing it and offering a wonderful giveaway to my readers :)

Let me tell you a little about it.

Mike O'Mary is the publisher of Everything I never wanted to be by Dina Cucera and has written a book called The Note. 

The Note is a book about the power of appreciation and how a simple note of appreciation can change a person's life. This is the book and the story that inspired the Note Project, a global movement to make the world a million times better by insipiring 1 million people to write notes of appreciation, and by supporting literacy projects around the world.
The first half of this beautiful, full-color hardback gift book with more than 50 photos focuses on the story behind a note of appreciation that the author received from his youngest sister. Separated from his siblings due to their parents' divorce, the author never knew what his brothers and sisters thought of his annual visits and of his attempts to do something special on those visits -- until one day many years later when he received a note from his youngest sister thanking him for one of those visits and the special memories they gave her. The story behind the note will break your heart, but by the time you finish reading, your heart will be mended and filled with warmth.
The second half of the book explores the importance of appreciation, why people don't do it (and why they should!), and provides very practical step-by-step advice on how to write a heartfelt note of appreciation -- all based on the author's experience from teaching workshops on writing notes of appreciation. The book also includes helpful examples of short but meaningful notes of appreciation to help readers with their own notes, and to inspire people to make appreciation a part of their lives.
The powerful and ultimately uplifting message of The Note is that a simple note of appreciation can change a person's life. Equally important, writing a note of appreciation can change your life. The positive feelings you create by sharing appreciation will ripple outwards to your family and friends, and to their family and friends, and so on, like ever-expanding ripples across the global pond.

************************************************

I had the opportunity of reviewing the book and let me tell you, not only is it filled with wonderful words but stunning pictures, it's a very visual book and I love that :)

The message of the book is simple, giving thanks, showing appreciation to those who have touched your lives in some way. 

I sat back and thought, do I really take the time to thank everyone that has done something for me?  I mean I do say Thank You on a daily basis, whether it's to my husband or children for doing something for me, or to a random stranger at the grocery store who let me through, or the kind soldier who opened the door for me at the base hospital.  But those are the ones I see face to face.

What about those that take the time to send me something through the mail, or even say a kind word on my blog?  I don't think I do a good enough job of really letting them know how thankful I am and how much I appreciate them.

I'm making a pledge over at The Note Project website, it doesn't cost anything, all you are doing is pledging to send a sincere note of appreciation to someone who has made a difference in your life.  That's it, simple but I bet you it will make the world of difference to someone out there :)

Kathleen and Mike O'Mary are generously donating a Note Project Starter Kit as a giveaway. The kit includes: 1) a hardback edition of The Note, 2) a DVD video based on the book, and 3) a set of three premium-quality thank you cards.

--- Simply leave a comment and make sure you have your email address attached to it.

The contest is open to US and Canada residents only. 

I will draw a random winner next week Tuesday the 26th.  Good Luck!

Happy Homemaker Monday - #13 - 2011

The weather in my neck of the woods:
It's going to be another hot one, it's 7am and already 92 degrees.


Things that make me happy:
Enjoying life with my family


Book I'm reading:
The Rebellion of Jane Clarke by Sally Gunning


What's on my TV today:


Paranormal State New Season
Edwardian Farm
Game of Thrones 


On the menu for dinner:
Pork Chops

On my To Do List:
Homeschool
Laundry


New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:
Not new to me, but one of my favorites that I made this weekend.  Bitoque (Portuguese Steak)

In the craft basket:

Mini Hexagon pillow
Crochet Flower Pictures


Looking forward to this week:
Getting homeschooling done and almost finished for the year.  As it stands, we'll be completely finished by the end of April :)


Tips and Tricks:
To remove those tough stains from the bottom of a glass vase, just fill with water and add two Alka-Seltzer tablets!



My favorite blog post this week:
I got semi caught up on my blog reading, but honestly, I can't remember a single one that stood out, or maybe it's because there were so many that I just can't remember what I read LOL


Blog Hopping (a new discovered blog you would like to share with the readers):
Shining Egg



No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):

Lesson learned the past few days:
That I'm getting old LOL  No really, I used to laugh at my parents and grandparents when they would sit on the ground and attempt to get up again, the grunts and moans, I thought it was funny.  Now, not so much.  Ridiculous really the amount of work it takes for me to get up from the ground once I've sat down....come on one, I'm only turning 37 in August, I should not be having these issues LOL


On my mind:
Just family, still praying for my father and stepmother's situation and for my brothers during this time.


Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. – John 12:25-26 (NIV)

Such is the life of a mommy....

Sitting at the Holiday Inn, waiting for my girl to do her AIMS testing.

Today is the final day of testing and that's great because yesterday she started feeling sick, sore throat and just not feeling very well.

Woke up this morning with a slight temperature, sore throat and her body aching but here's the thing, we can't skip AIMS testing, so we got some breakfast in her, gave her some medicine and slowly made our way here to the testing location.  I spoke to one of the teachers and they are keeping an eye on her.  They moved her to the desk closest to the door in case she felt unwell.

I just checked on her and the teacher said she is doing well and they were about to begin the second and last part of the test.  Thank Goodness.

It's a waiting game.

So here I sit, at the hotel's restaurant with my hubby and little one, we're passing time by just chatting, playing on the computer, drawing etc.

Such is the life of a mommy, sometimes you're all go go go go.....and other times you're stuck for a couple of hours doing nothing and THAT is when you realize, hey, I actually prefer the busy busy of housework and errands to the quiet time of doing nothing.

Or maybe that's just me???

Who knows, I'm off to read the Mustard and Ketchup bottle labels for the umpteenth time, maybe I missed something the other gazillion times I read them?  HA!

Anya's War by Andrea Alban - Book Review

Anya Rosen and her family have left their home in Odessa for Shanghai, believing that China will be a safe haven from Hitler's forces. At first, Anya's life in the Jewish Quarter of Shanghai is privileged and relatively carefree: she has crushes on boys, fights with her mother, and longs to defy expectations just like her hero, Amelia Earhart.

Then Anya finds a baby--a newborn abandoned on the street. Amelia Earhart goes missing. And it becomes dangerously clear that no place is safe--not for Jewish families like the Rosens, not for Shanghai's poor, not for adventurous women pilots.

Based on a true story, here is a rich, transcendent novel about a little-known time in Holocaust history.

 My thoughts:

Oh how I love a good book that not only is written well but teaches me something.   One of the things that most captivates me about books, is the ability to be transported all over the world and all throughout different eras, making it seem like I'm right there with the characters, seeing what they're seeing and feeling what they're feeling.

The book focuses on Anya and her daily life in Shanghai....portraying a horrific time and place but seeing through the eyes of a child.

You get a real good look into a Jewish refugee community in China, the ups and downs, the daily going ons from a simple trip to the Kosher butcher, to Sabbath.

The fact that the author based the book on her own family historical events, is a huge plus for me.  I felt like I got a bit of everything, definitely historical fiction but mixed in with a bit of biography and romance.  

I loved the book.  Thumbs up!!!

Thank you to Nina Lesowitz, author of The Courage Companion for the review copy of Anya's War.

{ Cooking Thursday - April 14 }

 

Sorry it's late going up. I feel like I'm always apologizing for this but truly, life is just a little on the crazy side right now.

BTW, this is NOT my recipe, it comes from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures, which I love.  If you haven't checked out her blog you don't know what you're missing.  I've tried many of her recipes and they're always delicious and simple, which is a big bonus for me :)

Slow Cooked Sticky Chicken

Credit:  Lynn's Kitchen Adventures

* 3/4 cup brown sugar
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons of minced ginger ( I did not have any ginger, so I used 1 teaspoon of ground ginger)
* 4 cloves of garlic, minced
* 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne or red pepper
* 3 lbs chicken, breast, thighs, legs, etc.
* 1/4 cup water
* 1/4 cup tomato paste

Combine 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoon soy sauce , ginger, garlic, and cayenne pepper.

Add chicken and toss to coat.

Place in a slow cooker and cook on low for about 4 hours or until done.

When done place chicken in a broiler proof dish.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar, water, and tomato paste, and remaining soy sauce.

Brush on chicken and cook under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until chicken is slightly crisp.

But keep in eye on this while it is cooking under the broiler, things can cook quickly when broiling. (You may be tempted to skip the broiling, but it really does help give this a nice sticky and good texture.)

This is how I like serving mine, with a cute little mound of rice. The kids think it's the coolest thing on earth.

Just scoop the rice into a little bowl or whatever shape you want to use, press it in well, then invert it onto the plate nice and slow. Tada!!! Nothing to it :)

Now drizzle a little of the sauce on top....

HALO SleepSack Winner

Thank you all for entering!

I used Random.org to pick a winner and the number that came up was:

#11 - Jana


Congratulations Jana, I will contacting you shortly to get your address so I can get this out to you :)