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I appreciated Mel's comment and I started writing a comment, but realized it was becoming a very long one! So, here is my comment as a post instead... Question: What about Christian Romance novels? Janette Oke? Karen Kingsbury? When I wrote my last post, I was speaking specifically about Christian romance novels. I actually avoid secular romance novels altogether. I look back on when I was a teen and some of the adult romances I read and my stomach plummets. I realize now that they really took my mind places it shouldn't have gone. Most secular romance novels now have graphic sex scenes. They did even when I was a teen. Someone once said that romance novels can become like pornography to women. I know that sounds extreme, but I was taken by surprise a few years ago when I read a book by an author who used to write Christian books and now publishes with a secular publisher. There was a very graphic sexual scene between two women in her book. I don't really want ...

I was talking with my mom this morning and my husband at different times about the benefits and harms of reading romance novels. Is it a good thing or not to read them? I think this is like most things. Please know that this is just my opinion--one that I've thought a lot about. Anyways, for me, I've come to believe that i t's okay to read a few, but if someone was to read them all the time it could be harmful. It is one of those things that may cause struggle for some, but not for all. It makes me think of the Word... 23 "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive. I Cor. 10:23 and 5 One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he w...

I thought I'd learned! I think I've taken on too many books again--at least they're all good ones. I just started In Harm's Way this morning by Irene Hannon and I'm already hooked. I really didn't wish I had a vet appointment and homeschooling today =) I'd love to just sit and read! I'm almost done with the Silent Seduction of Self (it's taken me 3 months to read). =) I think it is going to be near the top of my very favorite book list. It has been so convicting and encouraging. I'm also reading Unashamed of the Gospel by MacArthur and Intimacy Ignited by Dillow and Pintus. I don't know why, but I do read several books at one time. I've been picking up and setting down Unashamed of the Gospel for 3 months. It isn't one of those books I've been able to read right through. Next on my list will be How do You Tuck in a Superhero?, Doctrine by Mark Driscoll, a princess story by Lois Lowery, Prayer Saturated Kids, and Practi...

Disclaimer: When I read an average or bad book, I don't usually feel inadequate in writing a review about them. But, when I read a very good book like the one I'm reviewing here, I am very humbled by my own attempts to convey what a good book it is. Reading so many books this past year and a half has often taken from me my joy of reading. (I've read some bad books.) But, there are so many other times when reading the books that I have the opportunity to review engage my mind and heart. A few weeks ago, I received a book by accident--I hadn't requested it (at least I don't think I did). But, I took its arrival to mean that that I was meant to read it--that it was one of those books God has brought into my life for some reason that I didn't know. I usually don't choose to read science fiction or fantasy novels. I have a few favorites that I've enjoyed over the years and they have typically fallen in the category of dystopia fiction: The Giver a...

Yesterday, I got to pick up my husband after his long trip. I am so thankful he's home. It's interesting, but it feels like this trip has given me more of a taste than his other trips of what a long deployment would really be like. I had so many crises come up that I had to tackle on my own during this time. It was strange easing back into things and attaching myself emotionally again. I hadn't realized how much I had detached myself emotionally. I had to. --I had to cope with everything going on here. I saw in that moment why deployments can spur on so many divorces. My husband and I were at peace with our relationship and each other when he came home. Whenever we've had conflicts during our phone calls, we've talked it through and not let things be. I worked hard not to resent him not being here to help me through all the stuff I had to tackle these past 2 1/2 months (between the blizzards, sickness, family issues, water in the basement, etc.), but remi...

Tonight I picked up Intimacy Ignited by Dillow and Pintus. The wives wrote the book with input from their husbands. (They wrote a book called Intimate Issues which I highly recommend. It is a book with questions women struggle with about sex and their answers and explanations are very wise.) But, back to what I was reading tonight =) It was funny to say outloud that I chose this book to review and that I would be reviewing it after I read it. It is a book that walks through Song of Solomon and what it says about sex and God's design for relations between man and wife. They take a literal view of the book rather than an allegorical one (which would mean the book is talking about Christ and the church). I'm not sure what I think about that. I've never felt strongly one way or the other. Even so, it is a good book. The first chapter was very dry =s , but after that the tone changed and it got a lot better. The chapter I just finished is what I want to write really ...

It's amazing to realize that my husband has now been gone almost 11 weeks. He will return in 2 days! So, for me, that means back to cooking a lot... But also back to eating good food =) It means cleaning regularly... But it means having a cleaner house =) It means going to bed at 10 p.m.... But it also means that I'll be getting the sleep I really need =) It means getting up at 5 am... But that means I'll have enough time in the am for my quiet times and working out =) It means that my husband will be back and I won't be alone with 3 kids and a dog anymore! Yay!

"Will we do it perfectly? No, we won't. I've never met parents who didn't wish they had done at least a few things differently. But the Lord knows you and each of your children intimately. He planned your particular family from the foundation of the world. He gave you the particular children you have for His purposes, and He doesn't make mistakes." from Homeschooling at the Speed of Life by Marilyn Rockett, p. 80 I thought this was a really good quote to share. I've been reminded of this often--and I believe it to be true. We will make mistakes. I will mistakes. I already have today. But, I apologized to my children and will try and do better =)

On Thursday night at small group, I asked for prayer that no more crises would come up between then and when my husband gets home in a week. The next day a family issue arose. Tonight at church, again I asked the same request--that no more crises would come up for the next 7 days. Minutes later, Eli went poop. Monster poop! It went on his pants and his shirt--but worse than that, I had no spare clothes because he's almost 2 and I haven't carried spare clothes with me for a long time. Maybe God's trying to tell me something--maybe I should be praying for strength and a calm spirit and wisdom to cope with whatever comes up =)

Last night I had a horrible dream, but the crux of it was that I was rejected and at the end I stood up to the person and said no, that's not okay and stood up for myself. Then, this morning a friend emailed a quote in reply to a quote I'd sent her that basically said (in my words)-- Don't hold onto something that you can't have in the first place. It was interesting to put the two together. I think there have been times when I try to hold onto something or hold onto a relationship that isn't desired by the other party--essentially, I was trying to hold onto something that I couldn't have to begin with. When we hear that message that we are unloveable from others, we try to continually fight that lie by proving to ourselves that we won't lose other relationships. I say we, though I really mean me. I don't know if you're in that same boat with me. But, I've done this. And that's what the dream was about last night. A few years before ...

Tonight I have been reading Homeschooling at the Speed of Life by Marilyn Rockett. I am enjoying it. What I really wanted to share was a quote from her book that hit me tonight... "Being a wife and mother, keeping a God-honoring home, and homeschooling your children will teach you to trust solely in the Lord more than any book or seminar. When you commit to persevere, He will honor that commitment and lift you up to fulfill your mission." p. 36 Right before that, Ms. Rockett includes this quote from Keep a Quiet heart by Elisabeth Elliot: "God is not all we would ask for (if we were honest), but it is precisely when we do not have what we would ask for, and only then, that we can clearly perceive His all-sufficiency. It is when the sea is moonless and the Lord has become my light." I know that I am not very good at truly trusting the Lord. I get frazzled by all I need to get done and the weight of all of these things--they are weighty because I'm not takin...

As I finished this book this morning, I thought about what I wanted to write in this review. I realized that I had begun reading this book looking for a Bible Study rather than a Devotional (since I had just finished two of her Bible studies). So, my expectations weren't met. But, they shouldn't have been. I realized this morning that devotionals are different--they are intended to share a few thoughts with you, maybe a verse or two, and a matter for prayer. That is exactly what Cynthia Heald does in this study. Often devotionals have a theme and the theme of this study is to draw a woman closer to the Lord. I loved what she shared and appreciated her honesty and openness about things she's struggled with and which God has taught her through. One of the things that I appreciate most about Ms. Heald is that she points people to the Lord, not to herself or others. Her heart is not to get mired down in the tragedy or struggles, but to acknowledge them, understand what it feels...

I know you'll laugh at me, but I think that today is the first day my kids have played in the mud. And yes, I actually mean first time ever. Pretty crazy, huh? We went over to a new friend's house and her kids are quite used to playing in the mud and making mud pies. They had a wonderful tree house that had a very fast slide (Eli went up and down until he almost toppled and then he refrained from wanting to do it again. He didn't topple off, he just bobbled a bit going down.) Anyways, it made me smile to see them so comfortable with mud and getting dirty and me comfortable with letting them get dirty =) I'm glad they had such fun! Maybe I should make a mud puddle at our house for them! Sometimes I just need the good example of friends to help me be comfortable with not being in control and being neat =)

Last night and the night before, I spent time reading a book that grieved my heart. At first, all I could think was "I don't like this book." But, then a friend reminded me of the book Honey for a Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt. I went to my bookshelf and picked up Honey for a Woman's Heart. I turned first to Ms. Hunt's discussion fiction and then of autobiographies and memoirs. Both sections gave me much to think about. The book I read is called Never Tell Our Business to Strangers by Jennifer Mascia. It is her memoir of her life. She is 3 years younger than me. The first half is the story of her life with her parents. The second is the story of her years discovering who her parents really were and her father's connections to the mob. Ms. Mascia's writing is good, though the conversations she relates are very long. The world she lived in is very foreign to me, though we both grew up in Southern California at the same time. But, does her book ...

The last book I reviewed got a mixed review from me. I said I like it--and I do. I like it because I think there's a lot of really good stuff in it. Is it the first book I would recommend? No. Definitely not. If that is the kind of book you like and Sheila Walsh is an author you have enjoyed in the past, you will probably really like it. I like her style of writing because it is easy to read. But, if I were to recommend a book about trusting God, I would first point someone to Trusting God by Jerry Bridges because I think it explains what it means to trust God better--both theologically and practically. It is deeper though and a lot more to chew on. I think Fearless by Max Lucado had a very similar message and I would also recommend it over Sheila Walsh's book. It was more scriptural and didn't read into the Word. In reading so many books recently, I have come to realize that people are encouraged by different books and that people have different reading levels...

I am reading a book right now that I am very puzzled about. It is a good, easy book to read that has been written in very conversational writing. But, my issue that I'm struggling with is one that I struggle with often lately. Is it okay to read into the scriptures? Is this wise? What does it do for the reader and do the reader? The book I've been reading right now is Sheila Walsh's latest book about trusting God, titled Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God . Obviously, it's very different than Jerry Bridge's book. I expected it to be. To me, Sheila Walsh's books can be compared to Max Lucado's books--except that they are specifically for women. Walsh looks at trust from a much simpler perspective and doesn't define what trusting God means. She assumes that--like most authors I've read--that trusting God is defined by what it looks like. I wanted to read this book because the publicity said that she talks about her struggles wit...

I grew up Quaker--yes, Quaker! As a liberal Quaker, actually. I never heard about reformed theology, covenant theology, predestination and the likes. The first I heard of all of this was when we lived in Georgia and began attending a PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) church. We felt the Lord challenging us to know what we believed and why. My husband and I sought the Lord in His Word and sorted through what we thought and felt convicted of. We joined that church and have held to reformed theology since. I've had many people ask me what that means. I usually answer that it means that I am saved by God's grace alone--not by anything that I did of myself. It was God's working in my heart that brought me to salvation--not my own efforts (free will). "For by GRACE you have been saved through FAITH; and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; not as result of WORKS, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for GOOD WORKS...

I'm excited. Francine Rivers is my favorite fiction author and a new book by her is being released in 2 weeks. It's called Her Mother's Hope. I haven't enjoyed her Bible stories as much and I didn't read any of the ones she wrote about men in the Bible. But, I have enjoyed her fictional books so much. Honestly, I've been a bit burnt out on reading lately so I haven't had the heart to pick up any books. I am still excited to read a few books, but I think I chose too many non-fiction books at one time! Lesson learned =)

It's been a doozy of a week. But, what I want to write about today feels a little off the beaten path. I've had three children and one who is with the Lord (3 full-term pregnancies and 1 miscarriage). After the birth of each of my children, my post partum depression was a little more. The first two times I didn't recognize it as that, but now I would say that I did struggle. The third time I struggled even more. I never took medication, but I wish I had the third time around. After I weaned Eli, I noticed a huge improvement in my moods. But, now, one full week a month (9 days really), I have noticed that I become very weepy. Most times it's only a day or even a few days that I feel really weepy. But, this past week, I was weepy the whole week. I think it was because I was under so much stress. The week started off stressful and only progressed upward from there with my basement. Monday morning when my time of the month was over, I noticed a huge (!) improve...