Official Review: Prayers and Life Notes by Chaplain Ellen

[Cecilia_L]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Prayers and Life Notes" by Chaplain Ellen.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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In Prayers and Life Notes: From Someone Who's Found A Better Way, Chaplain Ellen shares experiences from her painful childhood, troubled marriage, and Christian journey. She offers encouraging words and uplifting prayers for readers struggling with heartache, abuse, and discouragement. Ellen grew up with an abusive father and a grandmother who practiced witchcraft, but her mother sent her to church. Initially, she felt she didn't know how to love God, but she viewed Him as a safe place. As Ellen's love for God deepened, her life was transformed, and she became a chaplain.

I finished this short 52-page book in one sitting. In the first portion, Chaplain Ellen shares her background, faith in God, and prayers for specific topics, including salvation, healing, addiction, marriage, parenting, and relationships. In the latter section, she shares details about her personal journey, such as getting pregnant before graduating from college, marriage to an unfaithful spouse, her suicide attempt, and caring for her husband before he died. Throughout the book, she quotes many scriptures and shares how her faith in God carried her through the worst of circumstances.

I particularly like Chaplain Ellen's ability to convey a heartfelt desire to share her faith and help others. She illustrates God's love for us despite our shortcomings by humbly highlighting her own mistakes. Readers will likely appreciate the suggestions she shares regarding specific issues. For instance, she mentions overcoming negative thoughts by typing scriptures, declaring them, and even playing recorded versions during her sleep.

On the other hand, segments near the beginning of the book come across as preachy, which I dislike. Although this is a personal preference, it bears noting, because the tone may have a polarizing effect on some readers. Additionally, the book has several editing issues. First, all of the text is bold type, which defeats the purpose of emphasizing key points. Also, the book is rife with grammatical and punctuation errors. The overuse of commas repeatedly breaks the sentence flow: "Accept this free, gift of salvation, by believing, He is God's son, supernaturally born of a Virgin, who came as a baby, grew up in a family with a step-father, and became a carpenter." While the commas in the latter portion of the previous sentence are justified, the first three interrupt the natural flow of the sentence. Incorrect capitalizations are also prevalent throughout the book. Given the book's brevity, the errors stand out all the more.

For all of the above reasons, I rate Prayers and Life Notes 2 out of 4 stars. Despite the editorial issues, it is an uplifting book that will appeal to those who enjoy reading about prayer and faith. Readers who dislike reading about God and the Bible will probably prefer to pass on this one.

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Prayers and Life Notes
View: on Bookshelves

[Chevygirlash1988]

This Book of prayers and life notes seems very good and something that i would read.I am a Christian and this is her journey through stuff she's experienced so basically it's about her helping others and just having faith and gods love that she will make it in life.

[Splendour0606]

Despite the flaws, this book is a good book for spiritual upliftment. Ellen really went through a lot but I am encouraged by her tenacity. Thanks for the review.

[Adanna Inya]

My mama always says, if we will ever fail at anything in life, we should never fail at choosing a spouse. We need to be intentional about it, else we expose our kids to untold hardship. Ellen's problems started from the home. But I'm grateful that at every point, God came through for her. This is a very good book for anyone whose faith is shaken.

[Rachel_Emmanuel]

Reading her story would also help me too. I find myself in her experience.

[JKO]

I love reading about prayer and faith and so I look forward to reading this one. This is an excellent review. Thanks!

[Cecilia_L]

This Book of prayers and life notes seems very good and something that i would read.I am a Christian and this is her journey through stuff she's experienced so basically it's about her helping others and just having faith and gods love that she will make it in life.

Thanks for your comment.

[Cecilia_L]

Despite the flaws, this book is a good book for spiritual upliftment. Ellen really went through a lot but I am encouraged by her tenacity. Thanks for the review.

You're welcome. I appreciate your comment.

[Cecilia_L]

My mama always says, if we will ever fail at anything in life, we should never fail at choosing a spouse. We need to be intentional about it, else we expose our kids to untold hardship. Ellen's problems started from the home. But I'm grateful that at every point, God came through for her. This is a very good book for anyone whose faith is shaken.

Thanks for sharing.

[Cecilia_L]

Reading her story would also help me too. I find myself in her experience.

I hope you find the book encouraging, Rachel.

[Cecilia_L]

I love reading about prayer and faith and so I look forward to reading this one. This is an excellent review. Thanks!

Thank you!

[Damis Seres Rodriguez]

This one looks like a quite interesting read. It is a shame it didn't get the editorial work it deserved. Great review!

[Edwin Amah]

Quite a story. Growing up and living with such difficult people; grandmother doing witchcraft, an abusive father and and a troubled family but still ending up building an amazing relationship with God and having reasons to pray for others passing through such situations is just a proof that God's love is always there for us and all we need.