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.

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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!