August's Favorites - To Encourage your walk with the Lord

I am very excited to be starting a new monthly favorites feature on my blog!  My hope is that the favorites I highlight will be a blessing and encouragement to your own walk of Faith.

So without further delay, here are my favorites for August!

PROVERBS 31 MINISTRIES FIRST 5 APP

This app was literally an answer to prayer!!  As I have shared in previous blog posts, this season of my life finds it very hard for me to spend devoted time with the Lord - in His Word and in prayer.   I was ecstatic when I received an email from Proverbs 31 Ministries describing this new app:

"The vision for First 5 was developed by Proverbs 31 Ministries in order to connect your heart to God's Word the First 5 mintues of your day. First 5 will wake you up with a short teaching first thing in the morning, so you can exchange whispers with God before shouts with the world.

First 5 Writing Team:

Lysa TerKeurst
Wendy Blight
Whitney Capps
Leah DiPascal
Wendy Pope
Krista Williams"

As described in First 5's intro, they are looking to connect your heart to God's Word the First 5 minutes of your day, and they certainly provided a way - an alarm feature!   You can set your morning's alarm through the First 5 app which will wake you up to the day's morning devotion - the very first thing you'll see on your phone each day!  What a wonderful wake-up focus rather than a social media account!

First 5 systematically goes through a book of the Bible.  First 5 just finished up the book of John and will be starting the book of Genesis next.  First 5 goes through a chapter a day with a short related devotional. Within the devotional are links to additional relevant Scriptures and a section called "More Moments" where a further expansion of the day's devotion is provided.  There is a section called "My Moments" where answers to a few short pertinent questions related to the devotion text can be recorded.  I LOVE this aspect because it leaves a history of how the Lord spoke to you during each devotional.  The devotion ends with a prayer to reflect upon.  The First 5 app also gives an option to purchase a corresponding "Experience Guide" which is "designed to compliment each days' teaching as you grow your faith and reflect and respond to what you are learning."

From the very first day I began using First 5, I have noticed a difference in my walk with the Lord.  I trust it will be a blessing to the first 5 minutes of your day too.  :-)

HYMNS RADIO APP

As you know, I LOVE the old hymns!  The richness of the words, which are usually Scripture filled, offer encouragement, comfort and even conviction - all so edifying.

My husband recently told me about an app that he discovered called Hymns Radio.

While he was sharing with me how he enjoys listening to hymns while he takes his Saturday morning walks or while at work, I was quickly downloading the app!  lol.

The Hymns Radio app also has an alarm clock feature.  What a glorious way to wake up - listening to hymns!  And there is still more!  The app has a sleep timer so that you can fall sleep listening to hymns as well!  Such wonderful ways to absorb the Word of God and its tenets.  

THE FRAGRANCE OF GERANIUMS

Author, Alicia Ruggieri

A dear, sweet friend and sister in the Lord, Alicia Ruggieri, has been blessed with a tremendous gift for writing. She has authored several Christian fiction books one of which is called The Fragrance of Geraniums.    

The book's description reads as follows: 

 "In brokeness she found grace...  Told from multiple perspectives, this is a powerful story of three women - of the threads of mercy that connect them - and of heart-wrenching sorrows alchemized by the Heavenly Father's overwhelming redeeming grace."

This was a book I could not put down!  I loved how Alicia weaved a beautiful story depicting how the Lord orders our paths and life situations for His purposes and for our good.  The Gospel message is clearly spelled out through the lives and situations of the characters making this book a very edifying read.  I highly recommend it!

Alicia is just finishing up the sequel to Fragrance of Geraniums called All Our Empty Places.  I am very much looking forward to the book's release.

If you would like to learn more about Alicia, you can visit her blog at A Brighter Destiny.  

THE WOMEN OF DUCK COMMANDER

Author's:  Kay, Korie, Missy, Jessica and Lisa Roberson

I enjoy reading about Godly people's lives.  I call these books, "mentoring books".  I consider The Women of Duck Commander one of those books.

As I began reading, I was convicted by their testimonies of lives wholly, humbly and purposefully lived for Christ.  My walk seemed to pale in comparison to how they live and breathe Christ.  

It was interesting to read about each one of their spiritual journeys and the circumstances the Heavenly Father used to draw them to Himself.  I was most taken with the fact that each one of the women of Duck Commander had someone in their lives that was a strong believer whose Godly heritage ultimately shaped each one of their own lives.

This book was a very easy read.  I highly recommend it!  You will be spurred on in your Faith.

KINDLE APP 

As I've written about in a previous blog post, I believed myself to be a hardcore, hardcover book reader and couldn't imagine reading books on a Kindle.

Well...  After a month of using the Kindle App on my Iphone, I must confess, I LOVE IT!   My number one reason for loving the Kindle App, the fact that I can "steal moments" to read a chapter or two at random times in random places, like waiting at an appointment for example.  In doing so,  I will increase the number of books I read - more books like the ones I described above.  :-)

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I hope you will be blessed and benefited in the same way I have been by these favorites I have shared.

Blessed to be a blessing

Blessed to live Your love

Blessed to share with others every blessing from above.

A stanza from a song written for St. John's Lutheran School in Napa, California to be their theme song for the 2001-2002 school year.  

Let me know if you try out any of the apps or read the books I have shared about, I'd love to hear how you like them. :-)

You might find me on these link-ups:
Grace & Truth Link-up, Woman to Woman Ministries,  Growing in Grace Link-up, 3DLessonsLif4e, Livefree Thursday,Everyday Jesus, SDG Gathering, Inspire Me Monday Titus 2 Tuesday, A Wise Women Builds Her Home, A Look at the Book,  Sunday Stillness, The Weekend Brew, Spiritual Sundays, Soul Survival,  Give Me Grace, A Little R&R, Testimony Tuesday, Women with Intention Wednesdays, Still Saturday, Good Morning Mondays, Tell His Story, Blessings Counter Link-up Party,Faith & Fellowship Blog Hop, Motivate and Rejuvenate Mondays, Be Salty, Monday's Musings, The Art of Home-Making Monday, Tuesday Talk, Waiting on Wednesday,Dance with Jesus,Looking Up Link-Up, Reflect His Love and Glory Friend Sharpens Friend Link-Up, Words of Comfort Link-up, Wholehearted Wednesdays. Tell it to Me Tuesday, Faithful at Home Fridays, So Much At Home Link-Up, Literacy Musing Mondays