Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children: A book review

If you know me, you know that my son is not quite an adult yet (although he *thinks* he is sometimes!), but I figured it's never too early (or too late) to start praying Scripture over your child.  I freak out a little (okay a lot) over thinking about Jacob as an adult, quite frankly.  So I thought I better get started now.

Jodie Berndt has a real winner here.  In a practical, personal way, the author gives us varied situations in which we might need specific prayer for our adult children. These categories cover their health and well-being, their future relationships, jobs, and more.  Ms. Berndt gives examples of praying Scripture, one of THE most powerful prayers anyone can pray over another. 

Because I have suffered from depression and anxiety, I can relate to praying for emotional and mental health both for myself and my family.  A HUGE part of dealing with mental illness is dealing with the stigma of it.  Sometimes it's very difficult to share with others the *real* reason we need prayer, whether it's for ourselves or others.  But in chapter 13, for example, one of the author's prayer principles says this:  "When you pray your child through a mental or emotional illness, don't let shame or fear keep you from enlisting trusted prayer partners to help carry your burden." pg 195, Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children.

Then you could specifically pray 2 Timothy 1:12 (paraphrased to fit your situation)..."When our family suffers, let us not be ashamed. Instead, let us be confident in your ability to guard whatever we entrust to you, including our child's emotional health." (pg. 205)

When I got sick, my mom immediately started praying.  She has a group of precious women she has been meeting with for nearly 30 years!! Whenever I needed prayer for *anything*, physical OR mental, I would call my mom and ask "her ladies" to pray.  Never, ever underestimate the power of praying God's word!

I would recommend this book for anyone with children in their teens or later.  Although as I said, it's never too early to start praying over your children.

You can purchase the book at Christianbook.com by clicking here.
Disclaimer: I received this book at no cost in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Probably Not A Popular Post

*I wrote this post a few weeks ago, but I was so emotionally charged I wanted to wait until I could re-read it with a calm mind.  Nothing in my opinion has changed, so I'm posting it.

Guns.  Gun control.  Joe Biden.  Barack Hussein Obama.  I am SO disgusted by our "Commander In Chief."

Before I continue, let me make one thing very clear:  what happened at Sandy Hook was the most tragic, devastating event that could possibly happen at an elementary school.  Anywhere for that matter.  I grieve with the parents, sisters, brothers, and friends of the people who lost their lives there.  It was horrific. There is NOTHING I wouldn't do to be able to change what happened.

Wednesday, Obama held a press conference regarding the Sandy Hook tragedy and gun control.  In the audience were parents and family members of some of the victims.  On STAGE were 4 children who had written letters to the president about "wanting to be safe" and  being "worried about their siblings in school." (Which I think is both precious and gut-wrenching at the same time.)

As he quoted each child's letter, he asked them to wave.  Each child was a different ethnicity.  And after he mentioned all these darling children, and their letters, he said that it was "our number one priority to ensure the safety of our children."

Really.  This from a man who said about his own children: "I have two precious daughters - they are miracles... Look, I got two daughters - 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first about values and morals, {not sure how you can teach something you don't understand...} but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby. I don't want them punished with an STD at age 16, so it doesn't make sense to not give them information." {stuff in brackets, mine}
http://www.thepoliticalguide.com/Profiles/President/US/Barack_Obama/Views/Abortion/ (emphasis mine)

This same website had this information:  "On January 22, 2012, the White House issued a press statement noting the 39th anniversary of the Roe vs Wade decision. That statement asserts that abortion is a "fundamental constitutional right", and abortion is a private family matter, and that we must ensure that our daughters have the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams. These statements were heavily criticized by pro-life groups as similar to previous remarks in which a baby was seen as punishment." (emphasis mine)

So he means the safety of children that are OUTSIDE the womb.  M'kay.  Just wanted to clarify.  Since he clearly stated that America's NUMBER ONE priority was the safety of our children.

And then he went on to talk about guns.  I just couldn't help but feel that this was just a dog and pony show.  It was SO staged, SO dramatic, SO "politically correct."  I about wanted to puke.  All the media had to do was put the "halo" lens on.

How dare he use such a horrific incident to make himself look good?!?!  Disgusting!  And I'm surprised I'm the only person calling him on the carpet for it!

Gun control will always be a hot button issue.  People are either for or against, and they probably won't switch sides.  But you know what?  Guns don't kill people.  Sick people kill people.

Instead of all this talk of gun control, how about raising awareness of mental illness?  How about parents actually paying attention the the signs their children are exhibiting?  If Johnny starts wearing all black, buys a trench coat and starts talking about blowing up his school, maybe we ought to take him seriously!   Or at least ask a few questions.  If you look at all the people who have committed past mass shootings, I guarantee 90% or more have or have had some altered mental status.  Normal people do not go into public places and blast people away.

I know this probably will tick a few people off, and I'm okay with that.  I mean, think about it:  How many crimes are committed with guns registered to the offender?  According to Jeffrey A. Roth, criminologist and associate director for research at the University of Pennsylvania's Jerry Lee Center of Criminology. "According to the latest available data, those who use guns in violent crimes rarely purchase them directly from licensed dealers; most guns used in crime have been stolen or transferred between individuals after the original purchase."

So how is "gun control" going to do anything but take guns away from honest citizens who use them to defend themselves?

I guess all I'm saying is that there's so much more to violent crime than the weapon used.  

And that the president should be ashamed of himself for using something as heinous as Sandy Hook to try to make himself look good.