Sleep, Or Rather the Lack of It

Psalm 127:2 ESV 
"It is in vain that you rise up early
   and go late to rest, 

eating the bread of anxious toil;
   for he gives to his beloved sleep.

My husband has left for a few days and I was anticipating doing many long put off house projects, meeting with friends I usually don't have time to meet with, and generally being pretty busy.  Along with all of that toil was likely to come much less sleep.  I struggle with sleep anyways.  I haven't slept through the night for more than a night or two since I was pregnant with my oldest daughter eight years ago.  

This morning in my Bible study, Becoming a Woman of Simplicity, Ms. Heald wrote about rest.  The first verses were about resting on the seventh day that we might be refreshed no matter the time of year--Exodus 23:12 and 34:21.  I knew these verses, but the next question and verse took me by surprise.  It was Psalm 127:2 that I've quoted at the beginning of this post.  Ms. Heald shared that "It is hard for me to be patient or calm when I am tired.  If we are to be women with a gentle and quiet spirit, we need to be good stewards of our bodies by getting enough sleep." p.123

I sat and cried, thankful for the Lord's encouragement.  I know that I take things into my own hands feeling like I must continue toiling till all that could possibly be done is done.  Rather, I need to stop, rest, and start again the next day.  Resting is part of trusting God to order my day.  I hadn't quite seen it that way until this morning.  

I just finished this study this morning.  I am thankful for its encouragement and all of the lessons God has taught me through it.  Like the other studies in this series, Ms. Heald encourages the reader to dig into God's Word and sit with them.  In this book, she expounds a bit more than she does in other books, but I enjoyed all the stories she shared.  From the beginning, this study encouraged me because it didn't call me to shun the world or become something I don't think is even possible.  In a search for simplicity, many people shun the world and think that that will bring a sense of peace and rest.  I suppose for some it might.  But, I realize now that a sense of peace and rest comes more from trusting the Lord with our days rather than from simply "doing less".  Ms. Heald explains that the busyness of our world is never going to go away--so how can we live and rest in the Lord each day?  That is the question this study is about.  If you find yourself struggling to find peace with the Lord, I'd definitely recommend this study.  I've loved it.

Please note that I did receive a complimentary copy of this book from NavPress for review.

God's Working on Me...

I started Becoming a Woman of Purpose this week (my own purchase) and I came across this quote this morning that I just wanted to share in hopes that it might encourage others the way it did me...

from p. 24

"...I'm not a real baby person!  I think that God looked at me and said, "If I am ever going to begin to get any fruit of the Spirit into this woman, she needs to have all these children at once!" What better way for me to learn patience, self-control, gentleness, kindness, love, joy, faithfulness, and goodness.  (Notice I didn't mention peace.)  It was in the midst of these child-raising years that I realized my great need to fully surrender my life to God and allow Him to begin to transform my life according to His plan.
     This is what God is after--as our Father, He wants us to have a strong family resemblance to Him.  He uses all sorts of ways to mold us and to bring us to dependence upon Him.  For some, this sanctifying process may involve not having children, not being married.  For others it is marriage, children, parents, and jobs that God will use to conform us to the image of Christ."

I love Cynthia Heald's honesty in her studies.  I thought this quote encapsulated sanctification and what it means. Later she says...  "In the process of sanctification, the Spirit of God will strip me down until there is nothing left but myslef, and that is the place of death...Am I willing and determined to hand over my simple naked self to God?" p. 24

As I honestly answered the question afterwards, I realize that I have been turning to the world--whether it be the computer or video to avoid the emptiness that I feel when I am absolutely worn out from caring for my family and those around me.  And yet, this is exactly where God wants me.  Stripped down and empty.  All I have left is Him.

Awesome Bible Study About Love!

Often books about love address one aspect of loving--the act itself, but not what is behind the love. It is the heart that is behind the love that matters and this is what Cynthia Heald digs into in this study. She addresses what love is, what it looks like, what it means to love one another, forgiving one another and reconciling, as well as how to speak to one another in love. I was blessed by this study as I have been by the others studies I have done by her. Her studies point you to the Word not to yourself or to popular psychology. This study would be a wonderful one to do to by yourself or with a Bible study. Often I find that small groups actually do "book" studies with questions attached that point people to the Word and to their own hearts and experiences. I would describe this book as one that points you to the heart of God--a loving heart. This study focuses much more on reading the Word than Ms. Heald's words. There are wonderful quotes and short stories which she shares, but the majority of the study is questions and reading the Bible to see what it says. 

I use Cynthia Heald's Becoming a Woman of series as part of my morning devotionals and I highly recommend them. They are biblical and don't read into the Word and infer things. It is hard to find good Bible studies that don't ask you to infer how the people in the Bible are feeling or expand what the Bible says. But, Cynthia Heald doesn't do that in her studies. She points you to the Word and has you read a lot of passages in the Bible (sometimes singular verses, but also a lot of passages).   This one did include a lot more verses than passages, whereas the other books I've gone through had me look up a lot more passages.

I enjoyed this study and I hope it will encourage you if you go through it!  I know I've written about this series before and it has been a blessing to me =)  So far, I've gone through the books on Prayer, Faith, Grace, and now Love.  And I've really enjoyed each one of them.

Please note that I recieved a complimentary copy of this book for review from NavPress.

Connecting the Dots

God has been connecting the dots in my head today.


The dots began with my Bible study this morning.  I'm working my way through the study Becoming a Woman of Prayer by Cynthia Heald.  The question that really struck me this morning was about several verses that said we need to pray with thanksgiving (one of them being Philipians 4:6-7).  The question was--why do we need to pray with a thankful heart?  I immediately thought about what a wise question it was.  I think we need to pray with a thankful heart because it helps us see God not with the eyes of a taker (I deserve/need such and such), but as a giver (one who does not expect or demand of others).  When we come with a thankful heart, we have no sense of entitlement.  Rather, we have a sense of how much we do not deserve and have been blessed with.


Next, I read the forward and first chapter of Growing Grateful Kids.  Gary Chapman wrote the forward and he wrote something that blew me away!  I'm going to paraphrase a little, but basically, he noted that when kids are simply given whatever they want and grow up without boundaries, they eventually become adults who are "takers" rather than "givers" and they will never be able to have healthy adult relationships.  As takers, their friends and spouses will never be able to give them enough to satisfy them.  Givers enjoy loving others and do not demand or feel entitled.  They are able to be satisfied in their relationships because they recognize that the relationship is not all about them.  


In the first chapter of her book, Susie Larson talks about how we cannot give our children something we do not ourselves possess.  In desiring our children to grow grateful hearts, we must first have grateful hearts ourselves.  We need to model for our children what it looks like to have a grateful heart and what that means.  


I do desire my children to have grateful hearts and I've always articulated it to myself as struggling with the entitlement mentality.   The way Gary Chapman articulated it hit me hard.  When he identified what being a taker means in relationships, it made complete sense to me.  That is one of the consequences of having an entitlement mentality.  


I am looking forward to reading more of Growing Grateful Kids tomorrow =)

Solid, Encouraging Devotional

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 like to be in them, and then look to the Lord for wisdom and truth. I will say that I know I would have gotten a lot more out of this devotional if I had spent more time with the Lord in prayer at the end of each devotional. That is my weakness right now (with 3 little kids, homeschooling, and a puppy) that I'm not very good at sitting quietly with the Lord. But, I feel Him prompting me more and more in how I can pursue that... I think the next study for me to do is Ms. Heald's Becoming a woman of Simplicity Bible study...

If you enjoy devotionals, this is a wonderful one that is easy to read! I hope you will enjoy it! I think this devotional would be wonderful for any Christian woman--whether you've been walking with the Lord for many years or have just recently come to know Him.

I did realize in reading this book, that I'm not a big devotional reader. I prefer Bible Studies and books--like the one I'm reading now which I love! But, I know many people, like my mother in law love devotionals. I'm not quite sure why I don't gravitate to them as much or why I prefer other books...

Please note that I did receive a complimentary copy of this book from Navpress for review.

Becoming a Woman of Faith

I just finished this Bible Study this morning. It is the second one that I've done by Cynthia Heald in recent months. I was so excited to begin it. And I know why. Cynthia Heald is a wise woman. This Bible Study is similar to the Becoming a Woman of Grace study. It is more focused on God's Word than on Mrs. Heald giving her thoughts about the Word. And I appreciate that. But, I love what she has to share. Her thoughts are candid and honest and encouraging. The quotes she includes are worth remembering and contemplating. This study addresses doubt, testing, walking by faith, and staying strong in our faith.

The chapter on doubt was especially good. I'd like to include a sample of how she writes...

"After many years of walking with the Lord, I have experienced countless testings. I can say that with every test came the way of escape--a whispered Scripture in my heart to guide or encourage me or a check in my spirit to turn away from what I was about to do. I was given a way out, but it was always my choice whether or not to take it. If you find yourself telling God that the testing is too great or it's overwhelming you, perhaps it's a signal that you are trying to face it in your own strength instead of His. In God's mysterious way, He sets a limit on the test--God will allow only what will strengthen your faith, not tear it down, if you turn to Him for help." p.65 I like how she puts things. It's straight to the point, but not watered down.

"I become so focused on myself and the strength I need to live daily that I forget that "He will cover you with his feathers...His faithful promises are your armor and protection." Psalm 91:4 NLT"" p.56 She is honest about her own heart and her own struggles.

And I loved these quotes from the chapter about doubt...

"In dealing with the arrogant asserter of doubt, it is not the right method to tell him to stop doubting. It is rather the right method to tell him to go on doubting, to doubt a little more, to doubt every day newer and wilder things in the universe, until at last, by some strange enlightenment, he may begin to doubt himself. G.K. Chesterton " p.25

"A doubting temper, fond of dwelling on difficulties and objections, is fatal to unity of mind, heart, and will. doubts, if they assail you, are neither to be timidly shrunk from nor idly played with, but honestly faced and fought. But the grand secret of conviction is to dwell first and constantly on the positive evidence of truth. E.R. Conder and W. Clarkson" p.21

This Bible study has encouraged me so much this past month and challenged me to remember the truths I know about what it means to walk by faith--to live out my faith--and to seek to glorify God daily by having faith in Him.

The only thing that puzzled me is why she chose to quote from the NLT when she quoted from scripture. It seems that a lot of studies are quoting it these days and it isn't the translation I usually read because the NLT did go the way of gender neutral language (from what I understand--I don't have a copy of it) and it is much more of a paraphrase than other versions of the Bible. It doesn't take away from this study for me though because she only quotes scripture once in a while. Almost all of the time, it is for the reader to look up the scripture for herself.

I do highly recommend this study. It is the best Bible study series for women that I've done in a long time. I did receive this book as a complimentary copy from Navpress, but I would have purchased it myself.

Several things on my heart, but...

My kids are all sick, so I can't write all that I had hoped to today.

There were 2 main things that struck me today. The first is from my Bible study this morning. I just started Becoming a Woman of Faith by Cynthia Heald and it was interesting the connection that the passages I was to read helped me realize. The passages were from the Gospels and were about how Peter saw Jesus walking on the water and walked out to him, but then doubted when the wind came up, the second was about Thomas refusing to believe Jesus was alive unless he saw Him himself, and the third was when Jesus was in the boat sleeping and the disciples woke him because of the storm. The question about the passages was what did the disciples do and what was the consequence/result of that. I struggled with the consequence part, but then I realized as I reflected on the third passage that the disciples were putting their trust in Jesus--who they could see and not God. So, they cried out to Jesus to save them instead of having faith that God would. And Jesus speaks to Thomas about how those who believe but have not seen will be blessed.

I realized that perhaps the disciples in each story were putting faith in what they could see rather than what they could not. I kept thinking about this. In their case, it was putting their faith in Jesus who they could see, rather than God the father--who they could not. In my case, I can put my faith in myself who I can see rather than God's faithfulness. Often, I rely on myself rather than trusting God. It can be easier to trust myself or others that I can see rather than God who I cannot. This was eyeopening to me this morning when I realized what the disciples had done and what it means to have faith.

Cynthia Heald includes several quotes which were wonderful and one of the other readings was Psalm 77 (I think) in which Asaph cries out to the Lord in his distress and then remembers and contemplates God's faithfulness in the past and all that He had done. It is by focusing on the truth of our convictions and the things we know to be true that we dispel doubt.

The second thing I've been thinking about today has been a much sadder part of life... This part is a bit of sensitive matter.

I reviewed a book for Amazon yesterday called Great Answers to Difficult Questions about Sex http://www.amazon.com/Great-Answers-Difficult-Questions-About/dp/1849058040/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262138760&sr=8-1 I write my reviews as Anne from Baltimore. If you have time, would you read my review and affirm what I wrote if you agree with me? The more I thought about this book, the more it concerned me and the things that are taught in this book.

People ask me a lot why we homeschool and one of the reasons is what is taught in the schools. This book brought all of that back to me. The book didn't take a stand in any way that kids shouldn't have sex--simply that they can once they hit puberty. I would understand if this was a science book, but it isn't valueless. There are morals being advocated in this book.

There was something I read in a great book by Dr. Paul McHugh in his book called The Mind Has Mountains. He was relating the story of a doctor who discussed with him his job--which was to take out perfectly good body parts that people didn't want because they wanted to be the other sex. The doctor told Dr. McHugh something that I have come to feel is more and more wise--that "Just because we can do something (in this case medically) doesn't mean we should".

I think that definitely applies to a lot of things talked about in this book.

For example, just because 11 year olds can have sex, doesn't mean they should.
Just because two five year old boys want to undress and play doctor doesn't mean they should.
Just because a 7 year old girl wants to touch her doll inappropriately doesn't mean she should.
I could go on, but I don't think I need to. I think that pretty much gives you the idea of the perspective of the author of this book.

What makes me most concerned about all of this is that at first I read it and it didn't seem so bad. But, then as I mulled it over, it was like big red flashing warning lights started going off. I thought about the authors definition that good touches are touches you like and bad touches are ones you don't and realized that that's a dangerous definition--especially putting those in light of the stories from the book that I just mentioned.

Well, it is time to go to bed. I have 3 sick kids and I'm low on sleep, but these things were burdening my heart.

Feeling God's Grace

There are moments when I can feel the tender love of God's grace for me in my life because He knows exactly what I need. This week has been hard for me emotionally as I've sorted through some things in my heart and head. But, at the same time, I've been working my way through Becoming a Woman of Grace by Cynthia Heald (the Bible study I reviewed a few days ago). I saw God's grace for me in this study. It encouraged and blessed me as it drew me to God's Word. The quotes she included were thought provoking and wise. The study was filled with wisdom, rather than simply knowledge. And that wisdom was extended graciously without strings or criticism.

If I had the chance to thank Ms. Heald for writing this study and seeking the Lord--and extending grace to me through this book, I would. I wish I could.

Wonderful Bible Study

I've written several times before about how I've had a hard time finding Bible studies that I really feel I can trust (and not be cynical about). I am really thankful for the one I'm doing right now for that reason. I am only half way through this study and I felt compelled to leave this review even before finishing.

Every day, I look forward to doing this Bible study for my quiet times. Every day it challenges me to dig into the scriptures. A few years ago, I tried to do one of Cynthia Heald's studies and I set it down. Honestly, I think I was young and I wanted to be spoon fed. I put more stock in feeling and dwelling on my feelings as a woman. I used to do a lot of studies that encouraged me to infer into the Word and only ask you to look up single verses. But, over the years, I've learned a few things about not taking verses out of context, not inferring into the Word, and not being misled by how an author tells a story (take it to the Word). =) Remembering these things is my way to fight cynicism about Bible Studies.

This Bible study is so good. Heald primarily looks to the Word and includes very wise quotes from other authors. (I have shared several with our small group and everyone has loved them.) She shares from her own experiences--but they are brief. Much more time is spent in the study with the reader digging into the word. She directs the reader to look up passages (most of the time) rather than a verse or two. In my selfish heart, I want to check the box and be given one or two verses to read, but that's why I know this study is so good for me to do--I have to look up passages (5-10 verses) at a time.

This study is about God's grace and how we love one another. The study delves into God's grace for us (His covenants with us), legalism vs. grace, love and grace, and what it means to live out our lives in God's grace. The chapter about legalism was especially good, but all of the chapters have been challenging and encouraging. I haven't found a Bible study in a very long time written for women that I would recommend--but now I have!

One last note...if you are a woman and you enjoy John Piper's, Jerry Bridge's, or Tim Keller's books and studies, I think you would particularly enjoy this study.