S Club Mama

I have to be honest that I wanted to read this book because I'm a fan of Alistair Begg. I've listened to him on podcasts and LOVE his accent (you guys, I'm a sucker for accents). I do realize you cannot listen to a paperback but I knew of Begg enough to realize this content was going to be GOOD! "Made for His Pleasure: Ten Benchmarks of a Vital Faith" by Alistair Begg is a fantastic book! image via AmazonSmile Even the two forewords were great, written by John MacArthur and R.C. Sproul - admonishing us as readers to "rejoice in the treasure you are holding in your hands, because it's richness will provide a clear path to follow...to that monumental face-to-face meeting with the Lord Jesus Christ." "Made for His Pleasure" itself was a joy to read. A humble urging to help us align our lives with Christ. I want to share some of the takeaways I wrote as I read: In regards to spiritual fitness, Begg says that "our commitment to o...

Several years ago, my husband did this Bible study called "Lord, Change My Attitude Before It's Too Late" by James MacDonald . It was so good that he recommended for me and my Bible study group. What a convicting study!! I've struggled with complaining, covetous, and critical attitudes which are replaced with thankful, contented, and loving attitudes. I don't think I deal as much with a doubting attitude (replaced with an attitude of faith) but the three wilderness attitudes are enough to deal with.  While the study was so good and I learned a whole lot, I still find myself struggling with those same attitudes probably 4- 5 years later . And sometimes struggles seem to cycle them selves. So, I decided to read "Lord, Change My Attitude Before It's Too Late" by James MacDonald in book form.  image via amazon.com You really find the same material in book form as you do on the video and study guide so it's not like I was delving into ...

A few months ago at my moms group, a few lovely ladies told me that I seem like a very patient and calm mom. Let me be the first to say, that is unfortunately not true. I struggle so very much with yelling and being angry with my children and my husband. Usually, it is over things that are not important. Mountains out of molehills. So this year, I decided to fight against it. I have read other books about anger, including "The Orange Rhino," and studies on Bible verses that speak of anger and patience. I started to read "Anger: taming a powerful emotion" by Gary Chapman because the author is someone that I have grown to trust through his other publications (The 5 Love Languages). I don't know if you are a yeller or if you struggle with anger (passive-aggressive is also anger), but I will say that this book has helped me so greatly. I will say it is a divine intervention for me. image via amazon.com Chapman introduces his book with a reminder in t...

I read "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman about 10 years ago, freshly married and wanting to love my spouse well. It helped me to know my primary love language (words of affirmation) and his (physical touch). That truly has helped our marriage this past decade. image via amazon.com When I had children "The Five Love Languages for Children" by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell , I was hoping to end the book with knowing their love languages. I know I won't have that knowledge for my 16 month old for quite some time but for my 7 and 9 year olds, yes. The most unfortunate part of this book is that there is no finite way to find out their love languages. The book recommends observation and experimentation (trying one language for several weeks, then another for other week) to determine love languages. I'm not saying these are not valid ways to find the primary love languages of your children (in fact, through observation and talking with my husband h...

My MOMS (Mothers on a Mission) group is gearing up and I feel like "Better Together" by Jill Savage with Anne McClane should be our theme book. There are so many good things about this book, but I think just the overall message is my favorite: "Because You're Not Meant to Mom Alone." Motherhood can be a really lonely time for so many moms. I remember when my boys were very small and we lived in communities that just weren't friendly. Not that they were mean but just isolating and lonely. I feel so blessed to be raising them in a community where there are more chances at relationship for me, but I still feel isolated at times (especially with it being summer and I have a baby who naps most of the day). image via Amazon.com Jill Savage and her daughter Anne McClane wrote this book together, and one of the opening questions is "Why are Mom Friends so Important?" I wish I could read this at my church to encourage women to come to our MOMS group...

I really like to talk. It can alleviate awkwardness, draw people closer, find common ground. However much I like to talk, I'm not great at starting a conversation or holding one on my own. Therefore, I appreciate books like "101 Conversation Starters for Families" by Gary Chapman and Ramon Presson . image via amazon.com I've tried to use these questions at supper time when conversation beyond "how was your day" or highs/lows wanes. Which, at our house, is often, to be honest. We have one who is not much of a conversationalist most times and one who is more often than not pouting and one who is still learning the art of babbling. I really like questions that dig into people - who are they, what do they love. There are some of those questions in here and some other, fluffy ones that also can help look into one's being: - If you had a magic wand and could change anything in your life right now, what would it be? (our pouty guy actually said his bad...

A year or so ago, I went through the James MacDonald DVD Bible study "Lord, Change My Attitude." It was wonderful, very thorough and deep set in Scripture. I have known for awhile that I need to deal with my selfishness, so I thought reading James MacDonald's book "Lord  Change Me" would help me like the Bible study did. This book was not what I expected. image via Amazon "Lord, Change Me" is a great starting point for someone who doesn't know the Lord but knows he/she needs a change. It has a great outline of the gospel - Christ came as fully-God, fully man and died on the cross in payment for our sins and rose again from the dead. Very great news; best ever. Just not a Bible study on the changes that occur afterward; how to change your heart or sins like selfishness. The fonts in "Lord, Change Me" had bold and regular and italics. It was really distracting for me. Allowed me to scan more than I like to in a book. Fonts should ...

A long time ago, I read "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman. I learned my love language is (or was, at least) Words of Affirmation and my then-boyfriend's (now husband's) is Physical Touch. It's perfect that our boys are so sweet to their mama and they love to wrestle with their daddy. I've waited a good long while to learn my children's love languages and " A Perfect Pet for Peyton " by Rick Osborne and Gary Chapman is a great opportunity to learn more about their love languages. image via Amazon The book was a little wordy for us; we don't usually read such long picture books, but we took it a few pages at a time and I'm certainly glad we did. It was a great little story about a set of twins having a birthday party at Mr. Chapman's Perfect Pet Emporium. I sure wish there was such a place filled with awesome animals and adventures for kids (I can't imagine the cost of that though! Do I sound like a parent enough?). ...

Big A and I have a soft spot for orphans. We've always talked about adopting some day and we currently sponsor three children from foreign countries. Now these children have families but we want to help them to NOT become orphans by helpfully hoping out their families. " The Global Orphan Crisis " by Diane Lynn Elliot talks about this preventative measure to take before children become orphans in developing or under developed countries. This book is chalk full of information on orphans (who are not just kids without parents but could be from single-parent families. In developing countries these are considered orphans because of the difficulties of being single-parent). image via Amazon The statistics are overwhelming (and can become so many in this book that you find yourself just reading over them, unfortunately): "153 million children have lost one or both parents and are, by definition, considered orphaned." That's not including the street kids or...

After 7 years of marriage, I still don't know everything about Big A. Amazing, isn't it, how much we can know about someone but still they have so much to tell us. I thought I would gain some help with getting to know him more with " 101 Conversation Starters for Couples " by Gary Chapman and Ramon Presson. It's really been helpful to ask these questions to learn more about Big A. Some of the questions that we've discussed so far are: image via Amazon What are two things that happened today and how did you feel about them? He started off the day with no new emails and felt good about that; then work really picked up around 4:00 and a few people needed a few things at the same time so he was downhearted about that. If you could hire Martha Stewart for a day, what would you have her do? Buy our groceries with her money. What nonbiblical historical event would you like to have witnessed? No answer because I asked a really deep question too late at nigh...

I read a lot of parenting books, hoping to gain some insight so I don't mess my kids up. :) "Parenting with Scripture" by Kara Durbin tops my list of must-haves for parents. It's a "topical guide for teachable moments." I'm in the throes of discipline with my kids. A few more years and Moose will need less and less (as I'm praying), then Squirt will follow suit. I can't tell you how many times in the last year I've written in my journal about how hard this parenting stuff is. Well, I could tell you but I don't want to go back and count. Anyway, parenting isn't an easy gig - it's super hard, and harder if you take it seriously. And I take it very seriously. These two little boys are mine to mold - their hearts, souls, and minds. Yikes that's a big responsibility. And the one that keeps me working hard is their souls. Soul-shaping is tough and the biggest of big responsibilities. "Parenting with Scriptures" has alr...

I have been aware of my Facebook/email/internet addiction for awhile. I've had the internet since before high school; probably before many of my friends because my dad is really tech savvy. I remember dial-up (ugh). I've been familiar with computers since at least 4th grade. This technology starts younger now; my children know how to use iPads better than I do. I've seen 1-year-olds on their parents' phones playing games or whatnot. This technological overload takes its toll, doesn't it? I know several friends who have fasted from Facebook (and other social media sites, but mostly that one) because they, too, are aware of the drastic pull this mediator holds over them. That's what "Unfriend Yourself" by Kyle Tennant is really about. It's more "should the church use social media" but it applies to individuals as well. Along with reading this short book (91 pages including the notes and such), Tennant suggests to do a 3-day fast from yo...