Today marks the start of a new Read. Write. Pray. feature. Since much of my work involves young adults (teens and above), I’ve decided to focus Friday posts on their needs and interests. I’ll go for “occasional” right now and work toward “regular” as we go. Extra shoutouts and hugs to my Awe Star and Never the Same/SUSIE Magazine friends! My inaugural post is a READ review of an amazing new book by two of my favorite authors: Robin Jones Gunn and Tricia Goyer. I chose to receive a free review copy of their latest title. Although I’d love to keep it, I want to share it. (See my note below to find out how.) Moms, dad, grandparents, and friends of either sex—this book makes a delightful graduation, engagement, birthday, or end-of-the-school-year gift. Check it out! Praying for Your Future Husband: Preparing Your Heart for His (Multnomah, 2011) presents a unique look at a crucial topic. Thousands of young women, including my four daughters, have grown up on Robin Jones Gunn’s novels. Imperfect-but-real characters like Todd and Christy, Sierra, and Katie have drawn many to relationships that reflect the purity of Christ. So why a nonfiction book with this subject? Because it’s needed. Because it’s necessary. And because Robin and Tricia present it in a way no one else could.  Both authors share their personal stories—including Tricia’s heartbreaking one of teen pregnancy—as a part of the prayer journey they travel alongside their readers. The adventure comes in short, reader-friendly bursts that explore the background for each of twelve prayer topics. Chapters such as “Pray He Will Be a God Lover” and “Pray for Protection” emphasize application to readers’ lives along with a sample prayer to match each topic.  I especially loved the book’s bonus features: chapter-ending questions suitable for journaling or small group discussion and a selection of Scriptures to pray for your future husband. Young friends, I believe in you. Your generation, surrendered to Christ, has the passion to change the world. This kind of transformation starts at home and in your heart. Buy and read this powerful book, but move beyond reading to prayer. You (and your future marriage) will never be the same. WIN  THE REVIEW COPY: Leave a comment on this review (or, if you have trouble commenting, via email through the “contact” link to the right) by midnight Sunday, May 15, and I’ll enter your name in a drawing to win the book. US addresses only,...

During this Mother’s Day week, as I find my way back out of the land of deadlines, I have a special blog to share. It’s written by an author who, like me, has an adopted daughter and who, like me, prays for her adopted daughter’s birth mom especially at this time.  I hope you’ll enjoy Tricia’s insightful words and check out the Pearl Girls™ contest information as well. Blessings! Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother’s Day blog series. The series is a weeklong celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today’s best writers (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you’ll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother’s Day. AND … do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will be announced on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother’s Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls. And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother’s Day! Adoption, a Mother’s Greatest Gift by Tricia Goyer I held the small baby in my arms, wrapped up in a receiving blanket to keep her warm from the chill of the delivery room, and a voice spoke to me. “Congratulations, Mom.” The congratulations came from an unlikely source—the grandmother of this child, the mother of the sweet birth mother who chose adoption for her baby girl. To say I was overwhelmed is an understatement. Thankfulness filled my heart—to God who’d answered my prayers and to the birth mom who’d chosen our family for her daughter. I also ached that my joy would be another’s heartache. Working with teen moms for ten years, I was often an advocate for the young mother. I knew that while the weeks and months ahead would be a time of celebration for our family, they would be ones of heartache and grieving for this woman. Adoption is a wonder and the beauty, and the sacrifice of it is never so clear as on Mother’s Day. My new daughter is one year old now, and she is a huge part of my heart. Her life is a...