Books 7 and 8 /13

Hey y'all, I'm back! I can't believe it's been over a month since I've blogged. I don't know about you, but our summer flew by.

i must be getting old!

Just because you haven't heard from me doesn't mean that we've been lying around doing nothin'. I have managed to add two more books toward my 13 book goal for 2010.

I basically read these books at the same time. Our Wednesday night Ladies Bible Study group read through the book, "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World". It has a great little study guide in the back of the book so that you can have a discussion about each chapter. Finding intimacy with God in the busyness of life is what this book is all about. Sometimes we get so busy (in the kitchen) that we miss Jesus sitting in the living room, waiting for us to come and rest with Him.

The Lord used this book to really speak to me about how I was living. Recently, I had taken on some extra responsibilities.(ministry) It was good stuff! I really enjoyed it at first and it made me feel like I was doing something important for God. As time went on though, I began to feel more and more overwhelmed and burdened by this new responsibility. As I prayed I felt the Lord was telling me to pull back, or at least that's what I thought I was hearing. Or was it that I was tired of the extra work and knew that I could excuse myself out of it easily? I was really confused. I didn't know what I was supposed to do. Finally, one day I stopped everything, grabbed my bible, and headed for seclusion. I needed time to pray, read the Word and hear from God as to what He wanted me to do.

I specifically prayed for God to show me if I was to give this ministry position up and just focus on the boys or keep things as is. Sometimes when you pray and seek God's will, it takes time to clearly see the answer. That was not the case this time. After praying I decided to start reading the next chapter of this book (Mary/Martha) and surprisingly there before me was my answer.

The chapter title was "The Cure" and the scripture under the title was, "You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed." Luke 10:41-42 The chapter starts out with this fictional story of a man that meets with God in the valley. The man asks God if he can do anything for Him. God replies with a "yes" and says He has a wagon with three stones in it and asks the man if he would be willing to pull it up the hill for Him to the top of the mountain. The man eagerly agrees and begins his journey with the map God gave him that showed the way to the mountain. The man walked with ease. The wagon was light. He was cheerful about his work.

Along his journey, the man passes by a small town and stops for food. While there someone stopped him and asked him what he was doing. When he told them the story, they were elated, because they too needed to get something to the top of the mountain and didn't know until now how they were going to accomplish their task. They quickly asked the man if he would be willing to help them and take their pebbles up to the mountain. Excitedly the man agrees. On and on the man goes along his journey stopping at each little town. With every stop someone added some small something to his wagon to take to the mountain for God. Little by little the wagon began to tug more and more. It was not so light anymore. He was not so cheerful either. By the time the man reached the base of the mountain he no longer could pull the wagon up the hill. He cried out to the Lord and asked Him why He had given him such a heavy burden that he couldn't possible accomplish the task entrusted to him. There the man sat frustrated and over burdened.

Then God looked at the overflowing wagon and began pulling the items out one by one. He told the man that he should have let the others take responsibility of their own burdens. He told him that if he was busy with all those other cares that he would not be able to care for the belongings he had entrusted him to care for. God said to the man that all he told him to take to the mountain were THREE stones! The man suddenly realized the freedom God had just given him and he rejoiced knowing that God's burden really is light. WOW!

I had my answer. I cried as I read that story. I have always felt that raising my THREE boys to be godly men was to be my main focus, but somehow I let my focus get divided. Also references to stones in the bible has always stuck out to me and meant a lot to me. They were used as memorials to remind God's people of His faithfulness and the things/places He had brought them through. So a story about THREE STONES could not have been better written to get my attention. I'm so glad to have a Heavenly Father that cares enough to make Himself known to little ol me!

okay, so that was one book!!!

The second book "Home Education 101" By Vicki Bentley is actually a small group study for new homeschoolers. A sweet friend of mine asked me to lead this small group study... GULP!... to help families who were thinking about home schooling or were new to home schooling... DOUBLE GULP! Reluctantly, I agree. I'm so thankful I did. I learned so much through that study, not only from the bookwork, but also through the wonderful discussion we had as a group. Because there was a lot of reading, I'm counting it as one of my books for the year.

and i don't feel guilty 'bout it one bit... really!

This study verified the message I heard from the Mary/Martha study. It turned my focus right around to where it needed to be.

Book 6/13

I finished another book, Yeah!

This is one of my favorite authors. Elizabeth George has great resources for women who want to be closer to the Lord. You can check them out at her website elizabethgeorge.com I've read several of her books and I've done one of her bible studies. It was great!

This book caught my attention because of the title. It's all about setting priorities and management of your...

spiritual life
physical life
home life
financial life
social life
mental life
ministry life
time

It's a pretty quick read and full of practical tips for a busy lifestyle.

since it took me three weeks to find the time to do this post... i'd say i still have a lot of work to do!

Book 4/13

About two weeks ago I finished another book. Things have been ridiculously busy around here, so I am just now posting about this book.

Raising Motivated Kids By Cheri Fuller was a much needed read. I learned a lot about my role in modeling good motivation. This is key. The best way kids learn is by imitation. Set good examples! Your behavior says more about you than your words. You send powerful messages through your actions. Your kids are always watching what you do. Walking your talk!

Start paying attention to what interest your child and encourage them in that area instead of trying to make them fit into a mold God didn't intend for them. I can say that this has been a big one for me. I have 3 totally different boys. One who has a laid-back comedian type of personality who loves to work with kids. Another son, who loves music, art and cooking. He is not driven when it comes to sports, unlike my third son who is very competitive with sports. And quite good at it, if say so myself! I would never be able to get my first son to excel in art, just as I would never dream of making my second son do something sports related and expect him to be the team star. Find what interest them.

When it comes to motivation, instead of always pointing out the negative focus on little improvements. This will give your child the confidence to try harder. If they always here negative they WILL give up. Make sure your expectations are realistic for their age. In the book the author suggest you make a list and evaluate each expectation.

For older children talk to them about their ambitions. I know in our family we talk a lot about the future and about their future wives. We try to get them to think about what kind of husband and dad they want to be. Focus on learning not strictly on grades. It's learning that matters. Well... and Godly character that matters most!! Encourage your child to ask questions and take the time to answer their questions. This can be hard. I have one son who ask A LOT! of questions and sometimes I have to admit I lose patients and give them a short "I'm too busy" answer.

i'm workin on it!

The most important thing is to be patient. Waiting is not a passive action. It's active. It take a great deal of energy to restrain the impulse to push, shove, insist, and suggest when you see a lack of progress. The bottom line is to encourage the little victories while guiding them when they are heading the wrong way without making them feel like a failure. Your optimism in them can overcome their feelings of failure. Failure is temporary if you have the courage to get up and try it again!

Book 3/13

I just finished another book. Yea!



The book is titled JUST COURAGE: God's Great Expedition for the Restless Christian, by Gary A. Haugen. I found out about this book while I was at the Encouragement Extreme Event.

I became aware of the author, who is the president of International Justice Mission (IJM), from an attendee (Helen), who wrote a song dedicated to this ministry. She sang her song during the event. It was extremely powerful! IJM was created to seek justice for people caught in slavery and to help free them.

yes slavery still exist today!

Just Courage, is not so much about IJM as it is about having the courage to step out of your comfort zone and pursue the adventure God has for you. Stepping out in faith is usually not safe, comfortable or easy.

We Christians can live our lives all wrapped up in our cozy homes, comfortable churches and familiar friends... yeah, we're on the trip, but if we are not stepping out in faith, taking risks and doing what seems impossible then we are missing the adventure.

If we choose to follow Jesus beyond what we can control, beyond our own strength and beyond the norm, we will experience His power, wisdom and amazing love.

I encourage you to visit the IJM website to find out more about this ministry.

Book 2/13

I just finished book 2/13 for 2010. "Family Driven Faith" By one of my favorite authors Voddie Baucham Jr.

This was a fast read, but not because it was full of fluff. It was so good I could hardly put it down. I have read two books by this author and I have loved both of them. We think alike on many issues, especially when it comes to the family.

Voddie really challenges parents to prioritize the spiritual development of their children.

IT IS NOT THE CHURCH'S JOB TO DISCIPLE YOUR CHILDREN!

The church is suppose to be a great resource for families, supporting them in their journey. Making sure your children are growing spiritually is the job of the family. It takes commitment and lots of time. It is hard, but all your hard work will pay off. You will see great rewards for investing in your children. There is no greater reward or responsibility than raising godly children.

i pray often for the Lord to show me areas that i need to work on in order to be a better mom to our boys.

We have to be people of the Word, not just Sunday morning and Wednesday night attendees. We have to live the Word at home and at work. I highly recommend you reading this book and putting the wisdom gathered from it into practice with your family.

On another note...

Seth had a loose tooth for a week or so and was getting pretty aggravated with it. So he decided to take matters into his own hands. As you can see in the picture above he meant business. Unfortunately the tooth was very stubborn and did not want to cooperate. A few days later it decided to come out while Seth was eating a chocolate chip cookie and he swallowed it right down. Later, Seth said, "I thought that was a hard chocolate chip."

so now you know that if you ever bite into a hard chocolate chip spit it out don't swallow!

2010 Goals

Below is part of a devotional I recently wrote for Encouragement Cafe'. It goes along with setting goals for a new year...

What Are You Aiming For?

"Commit to the LORD whatever you do and your plans will succeed." Proverbs 16:3

I love this time of year. The busyness of the holidays are over and life starts to get back to normal. The first week of the new year I like to spend a little extra time reflecting on the past year and planning for the new year. This helps me to be a good steward of the time/talents that God has given me. Our time belongs to Him.

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17

I use this time to look back at the past year not to have regrets about what I didn’t accomplish, but rather to encourage myself for the things I did do well. I also spend time in prayer about the new year, and ask God to show me the goals He would have for me. Someone once said that if you aim at nothing, you will hit your target every time!

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

After some time in prayer I pick three main goals to focus on for the new year. I then write each of these goals on an index card. On the back of each card I write little sub-goals. For example one of my main goals might be for my home to be a place of refuge for my family, so I would title one card, “Home: A place of refuge”. On the back of that card I might have three small goals that work together to accomplish that one main goal. My three small goals might look something like…

1. Keeping the house clean by cleaning a specific room for 15mins every day.
2. Planning a weekly menu/grocery list so meal time is not chaotic.
3. Character training in kindness, love and patience through family devotions.

When I finish this process with all three of my index cards, I then pick a place to keep my cards so they will be a visual reminder of my goals for the year. I choose to keep mine in my bible. I separate the cards through my bible and periodically as I come across one I will then take the time to review that card. This process has been a tremendous help and encouragement to me.

So how did I do in 2009? Pretty good. I definitely have more work to do, but the good thing is I can see the goals I did accomplish and the ones I still need to work on.

Now on to 2010. Here is a sneak-peak at my 2010 goals.

Even though I didn't make my goal of reading 12 books in 2009 I am bumping my goal up to 13 books for 2010. I really think I can do this. I just need to be more diligent about it.

So here is book 1/13... "Don't Waste Your Life" by John Piper

This is a good read, but a hard one. Hard in two ways. One, Johns writing style is deep. It's kinda like you read a paragraph and then you have to chew on it for a minute and then maybe you even have to read it again for it to sink in. It took me December and half of January to get though the book.

The second reason it is a hard read is because he really challenges you to not waste your life. So he describes what a wasted life looks like (something about watching TV every evening and just focusing on your own family) and how to change.

It really made me think about how I live my life and it spurred me on to improve the way I show the love of Christ to others. It just wasn't a happy read.

no warm fuzzies here.

That being said, I do think it was worth the time and effort it took to get through it. Just be prepared to have your mind stretched and your toes stepped on.

Book 9/12

Yea! I finished another book. The book is "What He Must Be... if he wants to marry my daughter" by Voddie Baucham Jr. When Mike borrowed this book from our youth pastor I kinda gave him a weird look.

i was a little confused since well... like... we don't have any girls.

So I decided to check it out and see what it was about. I started reading it and couldn't put it down. Excellent book for you, your spouse, your daughters, and your sons. It is awesome! Joshua has already began to read it and I'm tempted to buy a copy so he can read it again in a year or two.

it is that good!

I was going to list a few things that I really liked about the book, but I'm having trouble figuring out what NOT to talk about. Every chapter is packed full of useful information. I have heard a few sermons from Voddie Baucham Jr. and I have enjoyed everyone of them, but his writing is even better. He doesn't hold anything back and he is very confident in his beliefs.

that's my kinda guy!

Voddie has also written "The Family Driven Faith" which I plan to read in the near future. I highly recommend "What He Must Be..." if you have kids or you just want to know how to be a better husband/wife. I wish I had more time to tell you about it...

but you're just gonna have to read it for yourself.

BOOK 8/12

Yeah! I just finish book 8 of my 12 books in 2009 goal.

Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World is all about using God's word to deal with the everyday issues we as parents face when it comes to raising children. As we rely on God and His infallible word we create a godly heritage, a legacy,that can make a difference for generations to come.

Some of the important topics in this book are...

• Surviving the culture wars as a family
• Educating children- the Bible offers guidance
• Practical tips for raising spiritually-healthy children
• Solutions to the root cause of dysfunctional families
• Discovering biblical authority as a parent
• Discipline - necessary and lovingly administered

The main message is believing ALL of God's word as truth, applying it to our everyday lives and impressing/teaching those truths to our children.

If the only book you had was the bible would it be enough? YOUBETCHA!

Book 7/12

Yeah! I finished another book. The end of the year is quickly approaching. I'm not sure if I can squeeze 5 more book in by then, but I will not give up. I will keep pressing on and do the best I can.

Okay, so I don't usually read fiction books, but this one is great. We ended up getting "The Vision", which is the first book in the series, free with an online purchase we made. It's an end-times kinda book, but it has real facts intertwined in the story. Within the book there is an underlying theme of good vs. evil. It is packed with mystery, suspense, and an unfolding love story. Many times I caught myself wondering..."Could something like this really happen?". With stories like this it's comforting to know we have a God who does know the future. He's always there to care for us no matter what we are going through. When we cry out to Him, He hears us and delivers us from all our trouble. (Psalm 34:17) and that is real security!

To find out more about "The Vision" series and the many other books written by Mike and Debbie Pearl check out their websites here and here.

Book 6/12

Okay, so I've finished with book 6. I know you probably thought I had decided to give up on my reading goal for the year, but I didn't. I started reading a book that I got halfway thru and decided that I really did agree with it or like it very much so I ditched it and moved on.


The book I switched to is "A Place of Quiet Rest" by, Nancy Leigh DeMoss. I really enjoy this author. She is extremely full of wisdom. This book basically is about the importance of having a daily quiet time with the Lord. Some topics in the book are... The priority, purpose, pattern, problems and practice of a devotional life. There are some great ideas of how to refresh your daily quiet time, how to dig deeper in the word and how to strengthen your walk with the Lord.

We were made for intimacy with others but more importantly with Him. (Our Creator) He longs to have that intimate relationship with us and patiently He waits for us to come to Him. We have the grand opportunity to meet with our GOD whenever we want, but how often we let the busyness of life crowd Him out. Maybe this book could give you some good ideas of how to start that relationship anew, or better yet just jump right into the word. Pray and ask Him to show Himself to you and He will. "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you declares the Lord and will bring you back from captivity." Jeremiah 29:12-14

Book 5/12

I found this book when I went to a parenting conference about a year ago. I wanted to buy the book, (mainly because I L-O-V-E-D the title!! Weird, I know!) but I didn't really want to pay full price for it. A few months ago I was at Lifeway and they had it on their bargain bookshelf for $4.99!

Dr. John Trent has some great books on parenting, spiritual growth and strengthening marriages. The first book I read this year was co-authored by Dr. John Trent titled "The Blessing". Review here. He is also a great speaker. You can find more information about him and his ministry at Strongfamilies.com.

This is a good book about not letting things/people distract you from your goals in life. Many things can lure us from the path that God has for us, but the good thing is we can learn to detect a skinny rabbit before it takes us down the skinny rabbit trail. If you're spinning your wheels and most of the time feeling emotionally, physically, and spiritually exhausted then you are probably chasing a skinny rabbit! Or worse yet, you could be a skinny rabbit leading others down the skinny rabbit trail.

Book 4/12

The Yeast Connection and Women's Health

I just finished another book. This book has some eye opening information in it about the effects of an over growth of yeast in our bodies. I would recommend reading this book if you are struggling with any health issues as they may result from an over growth of yeast. Although, be prepared to make a pretty big lifestyle change to follow their advice/eating habits. I did learn some valuable information and plan to slowly implement some of it but, as of now I do not feel the need to be as restrictive as they suggest. At anytime I were to develop a life threatening illness I would immediately change my eating habits. They have a great informational website here.

Book 3/12

I just finished reading another book...

The funny thing about this is I thought I was ordering a different book by the same author. (Beyond Survival) Anyway this ended up being a great read. This book is about having abundant-life while homeschooling teenagers. I just so happen to have a teenager!!!

"A harvest takes time... and effort and patience and sun and rain and diligence and love. So does raising children" Diana Waring

Part One: Tilling The Ground

• Teenagers can be the greatest blessing in your life or the greatest curse in your life. The difference between whether your child will be the greatest blessing in your life or the greatest curse is... what you do with them from here on out... how you raise them everyday from now on.

• Spending time together as a family is absolutely without a doubt one of the most important parts of this journey.

• Really listen to them and show them that their opinions count.

• Create an atmosphere and an attitude where hearts, dreams, and concerns can safely be revealed.

"God has been at work in them, in the deep and hidden places of their hearts, and we will never know anything about it if we don't shut our mouths and quit directing their EVERY step, and just listen to them." (p. 16)

Proverbs 14:1, The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. (This is one of my favorite verses.)

Part Two: Sowing The Seed

• A Young person's guide to self-motivation. (This is meant to read with your teen.)

• How to eat an elephant! One bite at a time, of course. (my personal favorite saying.)
  

There are many sections in this part that would make great family devotions to read to all of your kids.

Part Three: Reaping The Harvest

The earth is the LORD'S and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Psalm 24:1

• "So, if the entire world belongs to God, if our God is the Lord over heaven and earth, how does that impact our hoeschooling endeavors? For me, it has put everything into perspective. The really important subjects are no longer math, science, history, literature... but humility, obedience, faithfulness... before the Lord. This is not a case of "either/or". This is "both/and," though in the right order! It's not a case of academics OR character. It is both academics AND character, but character changes position and takes the lead: character AND academics." (p. 159)

• "The really important goals of homeschooling are no longer an impressive university, a high-paying job, or an ability to impress people with big words used correctly but God-breathed Christianity lived out in a life of service to the Lord." (p. 160)

• "It is through education that we can either open students up to the wonder of God's world and His personal care, or close them up in a meaningless, mechanistic universe. It is through education that we can display the reality of a student's worth and value by teaching them in a way they can understand, or manipulate and destroy them by rigid, unyielding methods that leave them feeling stupid. It is through education that we can broaden a student's horizon and inspire them to greatness, or train them to do mindless work with no questions asked. Education is powerful." (p. 182)

Okay... I think you get it... I love this book and will be referring to it often. I leave you with just one more quote from Diana

WINGS
To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven.
A time to change diapers, A time to give diplomas;
A time to chauffeur, A time to hand over the car keys;
A time to call them in for a nap, A time to take a nap yourself;
A time to discipline, A time to let the Lord correct them;
A time to hold on, A time to let go;
A time to give roots, A time to grant wings.

~Diana Waring, 2001

Boy, do I have a lot to learn!

book 2/12

I just finished reading my second book for this year. To see my reading goals look here.

"SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen foods That Will Change Your Life" by Steven G. Pratt, M.D., and Kathy Matthews. (See my bookshelf for a picture of the cover.)

This book talks about 14 different foods that are considered super foods, the list includes...beans, blueberries, broccoli, oats, oranges, pumpkin, wild salmon, soy, spinach, tea, tomatoes, turkey, walnuts, and yogurt. You can improve your health by knowing the right foods (and the right serving size) to add to your diet. There is a chapter dedicated to each of the 14 super foods that outlines the health benefits of that food. There are simple suggestions on how to get more of the super foods in your daily meals. In the back of the book there are fifty recipes and a shopping list of where you can find the food he talks about in the book. I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in having healthier eating habits.

Check out my bookshelf to see what I'm reading next.

2009 Goals

For the past few years, at the beginning of a new year, I take time to set a few goals for the year. I started this after reading a book that was talking about how important it is to have goals. The Author said, "If you aim at nothing you will hit your target every time." That really got me to thinking, "What am I aiming at? Where does God want me aiming?" So, this is how I make sure I'm not aiming at nothing. I begin with prayer and ask God to show me the things I need to work on then I take three index cards and on one side of each card I write one goal. Then on the other side I write the steps of how I can achieve that goal. So for example the main goal could be... to live a more Christ centered life.(That would go on one side of the index card) Then on the other side of the index card I would flesh out how I will live a more Christ centered life. This is kind of how it looks...

1. Spend more time in the word...

a. get up 15mins earlier to read the bible
b. get involved in a bible study

I keep these index cards in my bible to review periodically. At the beginning of the next year I look back at my goals and see the areas that still need some work but, best of all I see the goals I did accomplish that year.

One of my goals this year is to read at least 12 books. This may not sound like a huge goal, but between homeschooling and taking care of my family this is a good challenge for me. I plan to read at least 15mins a day. My 12 book goal does not include the books I read to the boys. Most days we read a chapter a day after lunch, while snuggling on the couch. (That is my favorite part of homeschooling!) So...I thought I would write a review of the books when I finish them. The first book is....

I really liked this book. It talks about how important it is to bless those we love and equally important to receive a blessing from those who love us. The unconditional love and approval that come with the blessing shapes our self-esteem and emotional well-being. There are chapters on what happens when we don't receive the blessing and how we can make sure our loved ones receive the blessing from us. In the back of the book there are ideas for ceremonies of "Blessings" that can be done for your parents, a spouse, or a child. I wish I had read this book about a year ago. It would have helped with the planning of the celebration we had when Joshua turned 13. He invited a few friends over for a sleep over. At one point during the evening we gathered the boys together and Mike gave a short speech and read some scriptures. We went around the room and had everyone say some words of affirmation to Joshua. Then we presented Joshua with his gift. We gave him a purity ring.(We had discussed this prior to the event and he wanted to make a commitment to purity.) It is a woman's wedding band. He will wear it until he puts it on his brides finger. (If she wants to use it as her band, of course!) It ended up being a very special night. We plan to do this again with Seth and Noah when they turn 13.

Joshua receiving his ring.