Book Review: Leaving Ordinary

Experience a deeper prayer life by reading Leaving Ordinary: Encounter God through Extraordinary Prayer by Donna Gaines! This book is one of the Inscribed Collection of Women's Studies.

Overview:
The deepest longing of the human heart is to know and be known by God.  God longs for an intimate relationship with us as well.  But how do we develop that kind of relationship with a holy God? It is one thing to long for such a relationship, but quite another to experience intimacy with Him. In Leaving Ordinary, Donna Gaines shares from her personal experience how prayer can become the channel that links the believer’s heart to the heart of God.

God gave the pattern of the tabernacle to the Israelites. It was a temporary and portable dwelling for His glory. Through it God taught them how to approach and worship Him before He led them to their reward—the promised land. Using the tabernacle and its articles as a guide, Donna teaches readers how to interact with God in that secret place of true intimacy that leads to worship. Your ordinary daily practice of prayer can become an extraordinary encounter with the living Lord. Leaving Ordinary is essential reading for anyone who desires to enter into and experience the reality of God’s presence.

Dawn's Recommendation: 5 of 5 Stars!

 

What I liked:

*The inside cover bookmark flaps (I know...weird, right?!). Each Inscribed book in this collection has a front flap has a note and Scripture in the author's handwriting. I love that! I got to start to know the author even before I read! Also, the book flaps are great bookmarks!

*The personal stories like Ms. Gaines' fear of public speaking, the story of her husband's surgery, and of Henry being saved.

*Relating items of the tabernacle to prayer as a way to deepen reader's prayer life.

*The opening Scripture verses and encouragement from the author to memorize them.

*The wonderful quotes throughout the book like "prayer is our power line" that enrich the teaching. Some were so good that I shared them with friends.

*The book is God-breathed. It is evident that God has blessed Donna Gaines and her writings. And I am blessed because she has been faithful to teach on prayer. It is fantastic to see how God is working. At one point, a few days ago, God had been inspiring me to read many verses relating to Jesus being the Bread of Life. As I contemplated this, I opened to where I had left off. I was amazed to see it was about the Table of Showbread and The Bread of Life! It was exactly what I needed and exactly what God had been sharing with me in the previous days.   

*The questions at the end of each chapter are great and they help you go deeper in your faith and prayer life.

"Leaving Ordinary" is just that. It is a step toward God. I am very blessed to have read it.

What I Didn't Like: Nothing.

Disclaimer:
I received this book free from BookLook Bloggers, HarpersCollins Christian Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

I will have more reviews on the other books in the Inscribed Collection as I read them:
Living "So That" by Wendy Blight
Amazed and Confused by Heather Zempel
Dive Deeper by Jennifer Jernigan