28 Jan 2013

Grace Transforming – Phil Ryken (Crossway)

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One of my favorite types of books is sermons-made-into-books.  I can’t be in every church on Sundays or every chapel service (in this case) in every good education location in the country.  I don’t have to take notes to hectically when they make the sermons into books – just take a pen and do some underlining.

Phil Ryken is one of my favorite thinkers and writers right now – gospel-based writing and life-application that can be put to use by almost anyone.

He charged these sermons to his students at Wheaton College where he serves as President.  What better place to pray a series of sermons on grace than a college, right?  Well, I found a new place: mommy-hood!

I never knew the demands of being a wife and mom could make you crave grace as much as it does.  And in this world of social media – we live under scrutiny of so many others, if we allow ourselves.  Do you eat organic?  Do you have a weekly date night?  Do your kids sleep through the night at 2 weeks old?  Have you gotten back in your skinny jeans yet?  Is your house like the latest style blog or lifestyle blog out there?  The list continues into every realm of life.

I need grace.  I loved these sermons by Ryken to remind me of the fact that I can do nothing without the grace of Christ!  In his first chapter, he says that we must come to a humble conclusion that we absolutely NEED grace.  We can’t do it all.  Grace is all-sufficient though.

Grace is also sanctifying – but we will never be perfect in this life.  We daily are being sanctified (Romans 8) but are daily in need of more sanctification.  Grace does that.

Where do you need grace?  This book might apply to whatever need you have – and supply it with the Truth that God offers you grace!  And it far exceeds our performance!

3 Nov 2012

Book Review: 52 Creative Family Time Experiences (Smith/Randall House)

by | posted in: Books, parenting, Uncategorized | 0

Do you ever hear the term “Family Worship” and think how in the world am I as a parent supposed to do this?  I ask myself this as I have a newborn – only 6 weeks old.  For me, right now, it looks like praying with him while I’m feeding him or talking to him about patience when he is screaming for food or for his diaper to be changed.  But, I know as he gets older, my husband and I have the primary responsibility to lead this little treasure to Christ and to help him grow to be a man of God and to have a heart for God.

Timothy Smith’s new book, 52 Creative Family Time Experiences, helps parents succeed in their role as their child’s primary Christian influence.  This book is a great jumping off point for parents who really need help and direction with leading Family Worship.

Here are some great points about this new tool you can use:

1.  It is adaptable.  If you have kids of varying ages, you can use this book with all of them.  It gives you ideas to make the lesson more applicable to older children and younger ones alike!

2.  It is organized.  Everything from the opening activity to the closing prayer, this book gives you 52 weeks of creative ways to teach the Bible to your children.

3.  The main point is there.  Smith definitely gets that it is the parent’s role to be their child’s main discipler. It is not the church’s.  I’m thankful that he gets it!  I wish every writer writing for families and for youth/children would get that main point.  That is clearly what the Bible teaches.

4.  It is varied.  Smith understands that all children (and adults) do not learn the same way.  He has examples and activities that hit in every learning style: auditory, smell, vision, touch, doing, etc.  This helps when all of your children learn different ways.

My only hesitation for this book is that it is not gospel-centered enough for me.  I would want to teach the explicit Gospel of Jesus in every lesson.  Take just one lesson – the one for Thanksgiving.  It says we need to thank God because He is good and blesses us.  We need to be thankful.  It doesn’t mention that we need to be thankful for the cross of Christ because it is the only way our sins are forgiven.  There are some that teach that and have it written in the lesson, but not all of them.

All in all, this is a “get book” – especially for parents who are striving to teach their children about the Bible and have no clue where to start!

18 Oct 2012

31Days: New Book (day 18)

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I haven’t had a lot of time to read since having Elijah, but definitely wanted to read this one.  I love everything Kevin DeYoung.  I know, call me a groupy or what have you.  But, I forward many of his blogs to my husband who is a worship pastor.  One of our goal trips is to go to his church for a Sunday to see how they do reformed worship.  Just not in the winter, because its cold in Michigan.  But, maybe when I go there I can hook up with Pretties By Meg who is a great blogger/jewelry designer!

Anyway…this book called The Hole in our Holiness  is much along the lines of Pursuing Godliness or Respectable Sins or Holiness.  All good books and all hard books to read because reading it makes you examine your life and how you live.

I remember reading Mortification of Sin by Owen back in 2007 and a pastor friend of mine said I wasn’t allowed to read any more puritans till I read a book on grace and the cross.

I think Kevin DeYoung does a good job here of combining the two.  Not wanting us to rely on works for our salvation – he reassures us of our place in Christ.  But, also not wanting us to err on the side of lawlessness, he reminds us that the Bible says to be like God for He is holy.

One sentence toward the beginning of the book sets the tone of the work required for the rest of the book: “holiness is plain hard work and we are often lazy.” (pg 19)

Throughout the book he reminds us of grace but also that we have imperatives that we will obey if we abide in Christ.  Powerful reading if you want to examine your life.

13 Sep 2012

Book Review: Boyhood and Beyond

by | posted in: Books, mothering, parenting | 0

The day this post goes live will be my first son’s due date.  As most of you Moms know out there in blogland – due dates rarely mean anything.  I think it is a ploy for women to get all worked up and having something to plan for – then it comes and goes with little fanfare.  But, we shall see.

As soon as I found out we we were having a boy, I wanted to start praying specifically for him to be a man after God’s own heart.  I already was praying for his daddy that he would continue to press in and love Jesus – and that is what I want our son to model as well.

The first book I was recommended has been a wonderful tool for me to use to know things to pray for Baby about: Boyhood and Beyond by Bob Schults.  This is actually a book written for boys, probably between the age of 10-12.  And that means it was great for this pregnant mom and her attention span.  Short chapters, not difficult theology, and very practical.

Covering such topics as: wisdom, letter writing, loving your sister, obedience, serving, working hard, preparing for a wife and children and a myriad of other topics, Bob writes courageously for young boys but not treating them as kids – treating them as young men.

I want to train my son early to be man after God’s own heart.  Yes, there is plenty of time to have fun, play games, etc – but I want to raise him to be a man.  Teach him the characteristics of what a man should be: gentle, kind, humble, meek, protector, provider, and leader – whether it is in the classroom, at home, or on the baseball field.

“God creates boy to become men.” – pg 40

I didn’t mark a lot in this book, because I will probably be praying it again for him and then giving it to Baby when he is old enough to read it and learn from its wisdom. 

What do you or how are you praying for your children?

12 Sep 2012

Book Review: Giada at Home

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I’ve recently been given two Giada cookbooks, and I found this one more tantalizing then the other one, Everyday Italian.  This one had more original recipes and recipes that actually needed recipes.  🙂

Here are some of the ones I want to try…

Lemon Chicken Soup with Spaghetti

Nonna Luna’s Rice (to make one night when my husband isn’t home – he is not a shrimp fan) – We can have a girl’s night!

Grilled Tuscan Steak with Fried Egg and Goat Cheese (another one I would have to cook differently – my husband doesn’t like runny eggs) – but I like pleasing him with what I cook

Vegetable Parm – baked veggies and cheese – does it get much better?

Cranberry Cornmeal Cake – would be great for the Fall!

Chocolate Rice Pudding – oh goodness comfort food and chocolate

Should be making some of these once we move!

8 Sep 2012

Book Review: Remember Me

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This was my first choice of fiction for this month’s reading selections from Crossway.  I knew I was taking a risk with fiction and not knowing anything about the series or the author.  And honestly, this is the first Crossway Book that has disappointed me.  The medieval language was tough to get through and it was a long drawn out beginning.  Others may like it – especially if you are a fiction person.  I would rather non-fiction, and I know I can always count Crossway to deliver in that genre.

 

6 Sep 2012

September Reading

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Ok – I know I may be wishful thinking, especially with a due date sometime this month, but what do you think nap time and feeding time is for?  I know, staring into my newborn’s face, but I can read too – and know many that do.  Or those nights when I can’t get back to sleep (like last night when I couldn’t fall asleep) – this is what I can do (or play Angry Birds)

Devo Books: These are ones I use to pray for my hubs and baby or as a Bible help or just short devotional reading: Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons, Boyhood and Beyond, Keep a Quiet Heart, and Psalms by Boice

Reading Books: James (for writing purposes), Hobbit (not shown, but we are getting it to read to baby), Godliness, and The Fruitful Wife.  This is a new book coming from Crossway – and I’ve read a couple of DiMarco’s books for teen girls and they are really good and relevant.  So, I expect nothing less from this one.

What are you reading?

14 Aug 2012

Book Review: Everyday Italian (Giada)

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I was given two of Giada’s cookbooks and am almost done reading both of them – and salivating at the contents.  Here is one of them – the easier recipes of the two cookbooks.  This would be a good cookbook for a beginner, with some of the recipes not really needing to be in there because they only have like 4 ingredients or something and most cooks with any experience could put combinations together. 

Here are the recipes that I look forward to trying in Everyday Italian:

Marinara Sauce (though I’ve come to love mine, maybe I can comine the recipes to make a perfect batch)

Vodka Sauce (so yummy and simple)

Lemon Spaghetti (because it is perfect for this summer weather)

Pizza di Spaghetti (baked pasta – does it get any better?)

Chicken Cacciatore (to see how it compares to my favorite)

Stuffed Mushrooms (actually, I made these for a wedding reception recently: they were a hit and quick and easy)

Verdure al Forno (basically, baked veggies and cheese)

Grilled Pineapple with Nutella (perfect late pregnancy treat)!

What I’ve learned about Italian cooking: 3 key ingredients are really expensive: proscuitto, mascarpone cheese, and pine nuts.

Enjoy cooking fresh!

1 Aug 2012

August Book List

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July was one month of much traveling and tiredness due to pregnancy.  August will be one of tiredness as I wait for baby to arrive (so might as well have some easy reads).

Two Cookbooks:

Everyday Italian and Giada at Home – Giada DeLaurentiis – both of these were given to me and I’m making my way through them.  So far I really like her writing style.  Thankful for free cookbooks!

Two Fiction:

Remember Me – Wilcock – this is my Crossway book of the month to review

The Covenant – Beverly Lewis – picked up this book at Goodwill

Christian Living/Ministry

Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons – T. Anyabwile – I am reading this so I can better pray for my husband as he is an Elder in the the church he serves in and also he is called to be a servant in our home (Eph 5).

16 Jul 2012

Book Review: A Woman’s Wisdom (Brownback)

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Are you ever at a point in your life where you don’t need any wisdom?  I would venture to say the answer is probably “Kim, you are so funny, I always need more wisdom!”  Whether it is in how to live in your relationships, serve in your home or ministry positions, how to get along with your boss, how to parent your children, how to manage conflict which seems to creep up, etc.  There is always room for more wisdom in your life.

The reason I chose Lydia Brownback’s book A Woman’s Wisdom for my Crossway book to review was because my hubs and I are going through James – which some people say is the NT book of Wisdom (matching Proverbs).  This book is definitely that, as her subtitle says “how the book of Proverbs speaks to everything.”

This handy guide to everything in life is chocked full of Scripture that has the power to change and mold your life to what Christ would want it to be – more like Him.  Chapters include such topics as words, financaes, sexuality, friendships and more.  The book of Proverbs (as well as the rest of the Bible) speaks to EVERY area of our life.  I love how Lydia writes directly to women and doesn’t just spout off her own life advice (like so many secular authors do), but points her readers back to the TRUTH of God’s Word.

Here are some fave quotes from it:

“Wisdom is the realization that He is everything.” (pg 23)

“Wise women are governed by the principles of God’s Word, not by their feelings, hormones, or enjoyments.” (pg 28) – I loved this one because it is SO pivotal in my life right now, being in my third trimester and its the middle of the summer!

She helps us guard against pride by saying this: “Each one of us is, in some way, a foolish woman.” (pg 51)

As I had the chance the meet Lydia at the TGCW Conference in June, I found her to be delightful and personable, welcoming conversation by us “normal folk”.  And she has to be into health because she was eating a granola bar! 🙂