24 Apr 2017

Using Your Home For Ministry

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As a mom of preschoolers, even ones who like to get out and roam the city every day, we also like to use our home as a place of ministry. But, it can be hard to figure out schedules ways to do ministry.

Hospitality is one way we can be like God to the world and to our family.  The Simplest Way to Change the World is a helpful little book that starts with the theology of God being hospitable to us and then gives helpful ways to be hospitable.

My favorite part of the book was their chapter on how hospitality is a part of God’s nature. How he gave extravagantly to those who were his enemies.  How he would go to great lengths.

When we are trying to start practicing hospitality, let’s not turn to Southern Living or Instagram to know how to be hospitable, but look to the Word at how God is hospitable to us.  Then we can pray that we can live out our relationship with God to our neighbors, families, and friends.  That doesn’t mean we have to tell everyone the full Gospel outline every time they walk in the door.  But, it does mean we can learn how to use our homes to glorify God, teach our children how to be hospitable, and welcome those unlike us into our home.

The authors share great recommendations on how to do this as well, but you can simply use these as ideas – and start your own ministry in your home to your people.

Thanks Moody for this book and all thoughts are my own.

20 Apr 2017

Still Waiting (a review)

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Do you often feel like your whole life is one entire lesson in patience?

You wait in your mommy’s belly to be born.

You wait to take your first steps, to go potty all by yourself, to have your first day of school, to ride your bike without training wheels.

My big can’t wait to turn 5 because he wants to chew gum.

You wait for the day you get your driver’s license.  Till you graduate.  Till you turn 21.  Until you get married.  Until you have kids.  Until you buy a house.  Until you are an empty-nester.

My life has definitely been a long waiting period.  Let’s just speed things up till my 30s.  I had gotten my dream admin job.  Then I got my dream writing/creative job.  Then, shortly into my dream job, I met my husband.  I was 34.  Most of my friends were married.  I still wasn’t.  And I’d quit praying those prayers about finding my spouse.  I was enjoying being single.

Thankfully, we didn’t need to wait long to get married or to have kids.  But, already, I want them to be older so we can travel more, to be potty trained, or to be in school – without losing the swing time at the local park.

We are also in a time of waiting for restoration and news on a job.  I’ve learned a lot in waiting.  I can’t speed it up.  I can’t do anything by worrying about it.  Some would say I’ve gotten cynical and jaded, and may be I’ve in some ways about some things.  But, I also know that life is out of my hands, and God has bigger, perfect hands.

Ann Swindell, in her book Still Waiting, does a masterful job of sharing with us not only her journey in waiting for healing, but also uses her sanctified imagination to bring the story of the bleeding woman (in the gospels) to life.  I will never read that short narrative about her the same again.

When I was telling my husband about her book I was crying by the time I finished telling him of all the inner turmoil that the woman must have known.  How her life was eaten up with shame and loneliness.

So, let me encourage you, no matter what stage of waiting you are in, you can learn truths about others and the gospel and yourself in this book.  Ann is a skilled writer and storyteller and is authentic and real about boasting in the Gospel.

Thanks Tyndale for the book.  All opinions are my own.

19 Apr 2017

Is the Bible Good for Women (a review)

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People who name the titles of books need to have a marketing degree.  There would be several ways you could market this book by Wendy Alsup, but I don’t think any would be as catchy without being condescending as this one.

Is the Bible Good for Women?  Well, we would say of course it is.  The author uses her upbringing and her theological worldview to answer so many questions that women especially have about the Bible.  She wants to help her readers develop a Jesus (gospel) view of Scripture.

In her book she covers everything from Creation, submission, the Fall, how Jesus models “women’s issues” and how Paul advised the new church to work in regards to women, and everything in between.  She engages hew audience, which could both be women who grew up in the church and are solid conservative women, or these women who are reading her book could be feminist believers (or unbelievers).

She overs her topics well, and always points to Jesus.  So, whether you agree with her completely or not, it is up to you.  But, I do think this book would be a good start in the topic of women and the church.

Thanks to Blogging for Books for the book.  All opinions are my own.  amazon

11 Apr 2017

Unsinkable Faith (a review)

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One of the best things we can teach our children is to be children of faith.  That may seem like a strange thing to say, because faith is a gift, but we can train them in that way.

Faith, saving faith, is indeed a gift from God.  But, throughout Scripture we are encouraged to be faith-filled, faithful, and men and women of faith.

In her book, Unsinkable Faith, Tracie Miles encourages us as women to develop a game plan to be women of faith.  For me, most of it has to do with a combination of mind and heart – especially when things aren’t going exactly the way that I would like.  When we combine how we feel and how we think – it will change the way we live.

Romans 12:1-2 is a popular verse to use about how we live our lives for God.  And not for this world.  And really it starts with two things: worshiping God (knowing that we aren’t everything in this life) and training our minds by reading the Word of God.

Belief is an active process.  We need to read what the Bible says about us, God himself, and the world around us. Actively believe it – repeating it to ourselves, memorizing it, embarking on a journey to apply it, and then acting upon it.

When this world doesn’t go exactly like we want it to, when our instagram pages don’t look as perfect as others, then we tend to start going down in our belief of the Word.  Did God really say something and is that really true?

This book is a good read to encourage you to build your faith on something solid – the only unchanging thing in this world – God.

29 Mar 2017

Mondays Are Not As Bad As They Seem

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Mondays are typically the day of the week that gets a bad rap.  I mean, just because its the start of the week and most people are coming off a fabulous weekend.

This past Monday our apartment complex booted us out of our parking lot for the day.  So, instead of sitting inside all day, we ventured to Senioa, a little town south of Atlanta.  We stopped by the Varsity on our way down there, eating chicken nuggets with paper hats on, and talking with the car hops.

Then we drove about 35 minutes and had the greatest afternoon.  We played with puzzles at the local library, we chased the ducks on the boys scooters, we threw pinecones in the lake, we played King of the Mountain.  It was finished off by some Baskin Robbins and dancing in our local store after eating Hulk ice cream!

This past month has been difficult for our preschoolers because we have moved yet again and they don’t always handle the unknown well.  I mean, they are 3 and 4.  Adults don’t often handle change well, much less kids.  We’ve tried to keep much of their lives the same, but still, we have had some difficulties.

I was first introduced to David Thomas and Sissy Goff on Surviving Sarah.  They are so practical in their counsel to parents.  I love them.  They have been super helpful in what I’ve heard.  I got their new book (along with Melissa Travathan) from Bethany House to review.  It is ideally for older children, but I found some of the topics still helpful for parenting my boys.

There are no SET guidelines for parenting – man, I wish there were.  But, as the perfect Creator God has designed every child perfect and unique – every one will develop differently. My boys are no exception.

Are My Kids on Track is a tool to help parents know how their children are doing in the areas of social, emotional, and spiritual growth.  Maybe you are wondering why your child is behaving a certain way in school, or why they don’t want to sit down and listen to family devotions.

Some parents would chalk this up to sin and discipline them.  Maybe in some cases it is.  But, the authors get to the why your kids might be acting in the ways they are.

Definitely a good practical read for parents!

13 Mar 2017

The Elusive Miss Ellison (review)

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I need to learn some things about reading.  You think I’ve been reading for decades, I’d have it down, but my reading brain needs to be retrained.

For about 10 years now, post seminary, I’ve been reading mostly for review purposes, so it is hard for me to read for fun.  I’ve read books that I love and adore, but most of those aren’t the ones I’m reviewing (there are exceptions of course).  And when I read for review, it is hard for me to read for enjoyment.

And it is hard for me to read fiction, because it is hard for me to think that this will affect my heart and life.

Insert: why I don’t read much fiction anymore.  I don’t know why it is so difficult.

Carolyn Miller, in her new book The Elusive Miss Ellison, has so many important things about life.

“But although she prayed and tried to believe things would somehow work out for good, the mortification continued to ebb and flow, the questions whirled, and heaviness of heart made sleep impossible.” – Carolyn Miller

Pride, love, family troubles, societal obstacles – you’ll find them all in this book.

Thanks Litfuse for this book.  All opinions are my own.

13 Mar 2017

Parenting with Grace and Truth (review and giveaway)

by | posted in: Books, parenting | 2

I’ve never counted them, but I would assume the parenting section at your local bookstore is probably one of the largest sections on the floor.  You can easily find a parenting book to help you through and part of the parenting journey.  From attempting to conceive, finding out your pregnant, how to birth the baby, how to swaddle your baby, how to get your baby to nap, get on a schedule, eat solid food, potty train, learn their ABCs.  All of these books can be helpful to some degree.

When reading parenting books, I often say read whatever you can get your hands on, write down some notes that seem likely to work in your given situation, with your kids, or ones that you would like to try, talk it over with your husband or the people who help you parent, maybe run it by a group of other moms that you meet with or hang out with, and then try it. If it doesn’t work, move on.  Don’t get so flustered.  Not everything you read in every parenting book is going to be the right thing for your particular child or family.

Parenting with Grace and Truth, a new book by Dan Seaborn (I always think of West Wing when I hear the word Seaborn), is filled with practical help.  To me, though, I felt it leaned more toward behavior and actions, rather than to the heart of your children, growing them with hearts that were pleasing to God.  I know that there needs to be right actions.  And at any stage of parenting you are working to get your kids to act right (we are working on manners right now, as well as many other things.

“Forgiveness was at the heart of Jesus, and as such, it is the foundation of the entire Gospel.  God sacrificed His only Son for the forgiveness of our sins – past, present, and future.”  – Dan Seaborn

He helps families work through many different things likes crises or trying to become a healthy blended family.  He wants to help you discover what your kids talents and abilities are – it is helpful to know what drives them and what makes them tick and what they are good at.  I did appreciate the questions that he gave his readers to think through at the end of each chapter.  When reading any book, if you are given questions, at least take the time to think through them – it will help as you digest the book and try to implement what you are reading.

If you would liked to find some great tips in this book, just leave me a comment.  I’ll be choosing a winner soon – and thanks to SideDoor Communications, you can get a copy of it!

Thanks to SideDoor Communications for the book.  All thoughts are my own.

11 Mar 2017

Finding Balance

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I have learned one thing in the last few years: there is no such thing as balance in life.  If you are doing one thing – then you aren’t doing another thing.  And so many of us women try to spin about 1000 plates.

Whether we are mommying and working, or mommying many, or doing a ministry at our church or teaching bible studies in our home, or being involved in creative communities, balance is hard to get right.

When I was younger I wasn’t very good at the balance beam in elementary school PE, but now that I’m older I have gotten better at the tree pose in my yoga practice.

Lisa Pennington gets the life of balance.  In her book, Tightropes and Teeter-totters, she doesn’t appear to have it altogether, but instead, through humor and great tips, she helps us all maybe not fall completely off.

She hits on marriage, parenting, having a peaceful and clean home, all done with humor, personal illustrations, and biblical truth.  Its a quick read and one you can for sure pull some tips from.

Thanks to Litfuse for this book.  All opinions are my own.

 

4 Mar 2017

My Affection for Amish Lit

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I remember making my first trip to Amish country.  I was attending a wedding of some friend’s in college…and the bride lived in Amish country of Indiana.  It was neat to see a culture within a culture.  One so different from normal American culture, yet nestled in the quaint neighborhoods outside of the city.  The food was spectacular and the people were friendly.  The horse and buggies were iconic.

Now, I read Amish lit because it is fun.  Most of the books are filled with a culture I don’t know very well and are in some form religious.  Most of them are about romances.  Most of them have some form of “coming of age” story.

I think as I get older though, I’m realizing that I’m more removed from young adult fiction.  I love a good story, don’t get me wrong.  But, I have sensed that most YA fiction is filled with a little drama, but not much.  So much of it doesn’t tend to hit on the real hard stuff that hits most of American families.

Home to Paradise was slightly different: stories of God’s acceptance, forgiveness, family, heartbreak, and friendships.  Troubled hearts are clearly in this book. If you like Amish lit, you will like this third book in a series by Barbara Cameron and you don’t even have needed to read the first two books.  It draws you in and gives you enough of the backstory.  Hey, it might even make you go back and the first two.

Cultures are always intriguing.

Litfuse is hosting a giveaway (and thanks for the book).  If you would like a chance to win, enter here.

10 Feb 2017

Liked – at any age

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I don’t know of a single person who loves rejection.  We may learn from rejection, but it isn’t fun to go through.

I remember having to wear army green orthodic shoes in 3rd grade.  Yeah, that’s cool.

I remember being heavier than everyone in my class.  Another cool factor.

I remember not making the music group in high school that I wanted to make.  Tears for days.

Then I didn’t make the cheerleading squad the second year or the JV Volleyball team – more tears.

Then came guys.  Not being the one your favorite guy (at the time) ends up marrying.  Not having a real date all the way through college.  Not being the one the cool kids want to hang out with when doing youth ministry.

And let me tell you, at the age of 40, it doesn’t get any easier.  The rejections are just different.  Sure, you may be more confident in who you are or you may be able to get over the rejection easier, but rejection still hurts.

Kari Kampakis writes a great book that would be ideal for mothers to go through with their pre-teen or teen daughters.  You need to be talking about these things with your daughters.  Know the biblical heart that they need to hear.  They will find their worth somewhere and you need to teach them, lovingly, with full compassion, that their worth is set.

She gives you a great tool here.  And you can win a copy of this book – just leave me a message telling me one thing you like about yourself! 🙂 . Thanks to Tommy Nelson Mommies for this giveaway opportunity and the book.  All opinons are my own.