Praising Storms: Book Review + $25 Giveaway

(Please note: This has been updated to reflect a PayPal giveway.)

Praising Storms: Through Faith, Hope, and Love by Patricia Markus and Debbie Leuzzi is the devotional you didn't know you needed. Diving deep into the pain that no mother should ever have to endure, Patricia Markus relates to anyone going through any storm on a personal level. This 100-page easy read hits the ground running with a chapter called Stripes Through Storms. Setting the stage for what is to come—hope that there is a purpose for the storms in our lives.

The mid-90s was a significant turning point in so many arenas. At this time, “email” was called electronic mail and was predominately limited to those who worked for large corporations. Most teens did not even think about obtaining one but if they could receive access to their parent's account, they did! The allure was there but none of us knew where that would lead. It was for businesses (and tech nerds), and that's it. Then Yahoo! came on the scene. By 1995, the Fairport High School library, where I attended, had one single computer that students could use the World Wide Web, but what would you look up? Many of us did not consider the potential and just viewed it as a glorified encyclopedia. Attached to the library was the most advanced technology of the day—a video chat room. Literally, a room. If you had a special assignment or project, you could go and interview or communicate with someone in another state or country on a huge screen that took up the entire meeting room. This was a big deal, and I will never forget the first time I was able to talk to students in Ireland face-to-face on a big screen in real-time. 

High school was a time of constant change—especially for our school in November 1996, my senior year. One Monday, I went to school, and the girl who sat in front of me in English was no longer there. She was in the hospital. In a coma. The week before I remember her dressed in her cheerleading uniform, full of smiles, hope, and kindness. Now all that remained was an empty chair. As a high school student, we were extremely different, I hung out with the grunge crowd, and she was a cheerleader, but the typical high school social structures never got in the way of her giving everyone a smile, sharing in small talk, or even standing up against bullies. 

It's true. One time a young man was picking on my clothing choice of the day and this girl, Megan, told him to quit picking on me. What might seem like a simple small act at the time can mean the world to someone years later—as it did for me. 

Rewind to elementary school and I remember she was one of the friendly kids that I looked up to. She had a unique hairstyle that was trendy back in the 80s, with her hair in a ponytail with a row of hair ties from top to bottom. It was super cute, and I immediately went home and asked my mom to style my hair the same way! Megan was a trendsetter—in a good way. I remember occasional sleepovers, after-school bus rides to each other's homes, and a signed photo of Fred Savage and the cast of The Wonder Years in her room. Little did I know that one day that home, and Megan's life would be used to bring glory to God, drawing so many people to Him!

Praising Storms: Through Faith, Hope and Love by Patricia Markus and Debbie Leuzzi is written through the eyes of the mother of Megan, who, after a terrible car accident with her friends, was in a coma. Though no longer in a coma, the brain damage has led her to need continuous care. She immediately draws from the strength of Jesus and continues to do so to this day almost 30 years later as she continues to care for Megan. 

When the disciples saw a boy that was blind from birth they immediately asked if it was because the boy sinned, or the parents. There were no other options in their mind—but there was for Jesus! In the Old Testament you did find in Judism that children were punished for the sins of their parents and extreme punishment for the sins of the child (death if they hit a parent), but Jesus came to fulfill the law and his response was not of judgment and wrath but of love and mercy. His response:

Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him, (John 9:3).

When we look at our trials and storms as an opportunity for the works of God to be made manifest it no longer becomes about us but about the one who is control of all things! How freeing to know that the terrible things in our lives are not a direct result of our personal sin, but help is available in spite of our sin. He has mercy daily. He loves us and wants to help us through. This book helps us to see God's powerful hand working in the life of a family broken by the pain of this world.

Praising Storms: Through Faith, Hope and Love by Patricia Markus and Debbie Leuzzi begins each chapter with an inspiring Bible verse and ends with thought-provoking reflection questions, a relevant praise song, and a Bible verse to meditate on. Each chapter unveils this mother's experience of having her life turned upside down when her daughter was involved in a terrible car wreck leaving everyone else unharmed and her precious daughter changed. God truly uses the weak things of the world to confound the wise. Purchase your copy today for yourself or a friend trying to navigate the unexpected turns of motherhood, life, or marriage. This is a relatable book that will bless anyone who is longing for God to turn their storms into something beautiful. 

Order your copy today!

To celebrate the release of this book, I am hosting a $25 PayPal cash giveaway! Extra points are rewarded to those who purchase a copy of the book. Anyone may enter, no purchase necessary. Click the Rafflecopter below for more details. US only.

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