Yada Yada
7 primary works • 9 total works
Book 1
What do an ex-con, a former drug addict, a real estate broker, a college student, and a married mother of two have in common?
Nothing, or so I thought. Who would have imagined that God would make a prayer group as mismatched as ours the closest of friends? I almost didn't even go to the Chicago Women's Conference--after all, being thrown together with five hundred strangers wasn't exactly my "comfort zone." But something happened that weekend to make us realize we had to hang together, and the "Yada Yada Prayer Group" was born! When I faced the biggest crisis of my life, God used my newfound Sisters to show me what it means to be just a sinner saved by grace.
Book 2
For the Yada prayer sisters, gettin' caught up in troubles isn't the problem; it's how to get free.
Ruth and Ben are caught up in an unplanned pregnancy-in their fifties! Chanda is deluded by the glitter of her lottery dream come true. Florida wants to move her family, hoping to leave trouble behind, but it looks like it may catch up with her anyway. Avis is torn between honoring her new husband and helping her abused adult daughter, who keeps running home to Mama.
If there's an upside, it's that all this trouble reveals the subtle lies the Yadas believe about God, themselves, each other, and life.
Book 3
The sisters of the Yada Yada Prayer Group are learning how to be real-with each other and with God.
After a particularly exhausting year with the Yada Yada Prayer Group, all Jodi Baxter wants is a break. She even asks God for a little "dull and boring" in the new year. Instead she finds that when you're open to His plans, life is unpredictable-in the best and hardest ways.
Jodi's life is suddenly full of changes, and they can be described as anything but boring. Out of all the Yada Yadas, God has Leslie "Stu" Stuart move into the Baxter's upstairs flat, which requires a lot of patience-and tongue-biting-on Jodi's part. She's continually unnerved by guilt stemming from the accident and dreads the day when she comes face-to-face with Hakim's mother. Plus, Bandana Woman, who was safely locked up in prison, has returned. Phew!
Through prayer and friendship, the Yada Yadas are getting real. Dull and boring? Not a chance.
Book 4
Book 5
For the Yada Yadas, gettin' caught up in troubles isn't the problem; it's how to get free.
Only weeks ago, we Yadas toughened our prayer knees when one of our own was the victim of a vicious racial attack. Now it seems each household is being thrown into even bigger and badder circumstances. It especially worries me, Jodi Baxter, because I'm a fixer by nature, and the prayer list is getting out of control . . .
Ruth and Ben are caught up in an unplanned pregnancy--in their fifties! Chanda is deluded by the glitter of her lottery dream come true. Florida wants to move her family, hoping to leave trouble behind, but it looks like it may catch up to her anyway. And I'm finding that even good things like prayer group can consume me in no time flat.
If there is an upside, it's that all this trouble is revealing the subtle lies we Yadas believe about God, ourselves, each other, and life. Maybe our best hope is to catch on to what God's doing--and catch on quick!--before the enemy can take any prisoners. That'd be a freedom worth celebrating. And celebrating is what my spiritual sisters and I do best.
Book 6
Just when the Yada Yadas want to get comfy, they realize God is on the move. It’s time for the sisters to let go . . . and let God take the lead.
These aren’t easy times for the Yada Yadas: a devastating fi re, an HIV diagnosis, loss of loved ones, and possible prison time loom over the sisters’ heads. More than once, they dissolve into tears and worry. But when so much seems to be going wrong, the sisters know where to turn . . . prayer.
And as Jodi Baxter’s prayer life continues to be revolutionized by the Yada Yada Prayer Group, she begins to recognize God’s voice. It’s still, it’s small, and she often confuses it with her own feelings. But it’s there.
When Jodi works up the courage to open herself to God’s plan, it propels her into a world completely outside her comfort zone: prison ministry.
But as the sisters follow God’s lead, something happens—something that knocks their socks off. Reaching out in ways that are startling to others, they surprise even themselves. Because when this eccentric group of friends gets rolling, miracles will happen.
Book 7
In the thick of the holiday season, God gives the Yada Yadas an unforgettable celebration.
It's that time of year, and the holidays are just around the corner. The Yada Yada Prayer Group is in a tizzy of excitement-kids home from college, turkeys to be roasted, gifts to buy, trees to decorate . . . not to mention getting decked out for a huge New Year's Eve party to welcome back a few Yada Yada sisters who've been away too long.
But when Jodi Baxter is thrown into a series of events that include a frenzied wedding, a newborn baby, and some strange encounters with a former student, the holiday season suddenly becomes just a jumble of chaos.
As Jodi slows down long enough to look at each unexpected event from God's point of view, she discovers what it means to be a part of God's upside-down kingdom, decked out in compassion, kindness, and a huge willingness to let go of control. This will be a holiday that Jodi, her family, and her prayer-group sisters will never forget as they don their most festive outfits and raise the roof in a celebration of prayer and praise.
2-In-1 Yada Yada: Yada Yada Prayer Group, Yada Yada Gets Down
by Neta Jackson
