Linda Evans Shepherd

Experiencing God's Presence is a bold and life-transforming book that will help readers develop a vibrant relationship with God. Linda Evans Shepherd tells readers that a fulfilling prayer life is more than just regularly talking to God or checking items off a prayer list. God loves us so much that he wants us to draw close enough not only to talk but also to listen.

With all that has been written on the subject of prayer and intimacy with God, my first thought was, What else needs to be show more said? But I am so glad that I took advantage of the opportunity to review this book, because I've discovered another great author when it comes to the spiritual discipline of prayer - an author who is almost unique in her approach. Linda writes in a very down-to-earth, conversational style and her voice is one of passion birthed out of personal experience - and that's a winning combination.

Whether you're a seasoned prayer warrior, a new Christian desiring to learn about prayer, or a committed follower too busy working for the Lord to take time to really know Him, Experiencing God's Presence will speak to you. Linda successfully blends Scripture, insightful telling of some Bible stories, personal accounts, and actual prayers as a guide. Each chapter also has a "listening prayer" exercise and reflective questions.

I liked Linda's idea of conversation starters, such as "prayer ABCs" . . .
1) Acknowledge him - Let him know you're thinking about him.
2) Bring it - Tell him your concerns or needs.
3) Chat - Tell God whatever is on your mind.

Experiencing God's Presence is packed with powerful quotes, and I like that because they often get to the heart of an issue and people tend to remember them. For example . . .

-- "Building intimacy with God is a choice we make."
-- "When we tempt the devil to tempt us, it's like we've left a ladder next to an open window with a sign that says, 'Come on in.'"
-- "Hope is a choice. It's something you can give up or something you can cling to."
-- "When you behold the risen Lord, or notice that he's with you in the darkest of circumstances, there's no force in the universe that can stop the joy that will flood your heart."

Though we're familiar with God's "be still" command, I suspect most of us struggle to put it into practice, but Experiencing God's Presence encourages growth in that area with practical ideas. I believe this book will increase your desire to listen as your prayer life grows, and I highly recommend it. This book works well for personal use, and discussion questions for a group setting are provided at the end.

This book was provided by BookFun.org and Revell in exchange for my honest review. show less

Even the "Holier than thou's" see that they may not be acting as Christ-like as they should be in this story of friendship, family and faith. The characters in this book were well-developed, you had good sense of who they were and while some of the characters had some serious problems there was enough fun that the story didn't get bogged down, by being too serious at any rate. I mentioned at the beginning the Holier than thou' s that's where I wished the authors would have moved the story show more along. But those moments did help the character work through those attitudes I just wish in places they could have gotten there quicker. I enjoyed the faith shown, that it wasn't static, that these women (and the men) had doubts and crisis of faith. It was a good first book in a series and I'll be interested to read the rest. And I didn't even mention the recipes at the end of the book which is the place to have them in a work of fiction. show less

The power of prayer has such a far reaching influence, yet it is one of the most overlooked resources in a Christian’s life. How many times have you felt the prompting to pray for a person or situation and ignore it? What blessing or need went unfulfilled because you didn’t? This book will certainly make you think about those times and being obedient to urging of the Holy Spirit.
I found this book very encouraging, as it reminded me once again of how God is always watching over and caring show more for us. I found it inspiring and exciting to see how He uses our prayers to bring about wonderful and amazing events. These are true stories of how the Lord guided others to pray unbeknownst to them how important that prayer was to the care and protection of the person He brought to mind.
I am remembered of one such time in my life. My husband was 37 and had suffered a heart attack. They were bypassing 3 bypasses he had done at 25. The surgery was long and a large number of people were in the waiting room with me. Everyone was visiting. Suddenly I had a powerful need to pray for him. I asked everyone to join me. I looked at the clock to see what time it was. Finally the doctor came out and told me my husband was fine and the outcome was far better than he had expected. Then he said, “Oh, there was one thing. When we took him off of the heart lung machine and shocked his heart, it wouldn’t start. We tried 3 times and were very worried, then the 3rd time it started.” I asked him what time that happened. And the time he shared was the exact time I had been felt the overpowering need to pray for him.
This book is such a blessing. It made me happy to read the stories of God’s miraculous provision, and to always remember He does the same for me.
I received a copy of this book free from Revell Publications. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. show less

If you are like me, you are always wanting to make your prayer life an important part of your daily life. It's not always easy to pray or to know how to pray but this book is an excellent resource on being a prayer warrior.

I like that the author brings a personal note to this book. She shares about her own prayers and when they were answered and when they weren't answered in the way she thought best. She addresses the fact that God will not always answer our prayers the way we want and how show more we can deal with this. She also brings many stories from the Bible to show how important prayer is and how Jesus implores us to pray.

The chapters cover different subjects of prayer such as praying for our families, our nation, for healing, for provision and more. I love the sample prayers as it gives you a spring board on which to start your prayers if you're unsure of how to start your prayers.

Over all, I really liked this book and felt like I came away from it with a great understanding of prayer and a deeper desire to pray in all things. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 stars.

*This book was provided to me by Revell. I received a copy of this book to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this book. show less