Made for More

I've been reading bits and pieces of Lisa Osteen Comes' book; Made for More. She is very inspiring. Even the introduction hits in a powerful way! Here is a quote:

"'You've encountered many struggles in life, so I can only think that God must have big plans for you.'

My father said this to me...He knew that just because I'd know tragedy I wasn't a tragic figure, that just because I had a marriage that failed I wasn't a failure, that even though I'd suffered loss I wasn't a loser. He knew the things that happened to me didn't define me by their harshness or ugliness, their disappointment and despair. No, he knew I was more than all that and, if anything, my circumstances made more clear my resilience and tenacity, my promise and hope -- all I was mad e for and all I am becoming.

My Heavenly Father knows that about you, too.

No matter what you are going through, he sees so much more than the circumstances.  He sees that you are made for more goodness and hope, a promise of more than what you are now or how others would limit you to be, because he made you for more, for his pleasure and his good."

Serving Leftovers

Busy people rarely give their best to the ones they love. They serve leftovers—the emotions and energy that remain after one’s primary attention has already been given to others. Too drained, too tired or too preoccupied, they fail to give their loved ones the attention they deserve. And a marriage cannot survive on leftovers forever.

Here’s a little trick we learned from our friend John Maxwell. He’s one of the most productive men we know, but he makes an effort to give his best time to his wife, Margaret.

“Years ago,” he told us, “when something exciting happened during the day, I’d share it with colleagues and friends. By the time I got home, I had little enthusiasm for sharing it with Margaret. [So] I purposely began keeping things to myself until I could share them with her first. That way, she never got the leftovers.”

Of course, this principle applies to more than just sharing the news from the day. We give our best to our spouses when we give them attention and energy for the things they’d like to talk about as well.

The excerpt above is by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott, authors of the book Your Time-Starved Marriage. I caught them in an interview on the radio last night. I was so intrigued, I thought I might add this book to my 2010 book list!

2009 Book List -Update

In this post I shared my 2009 Book List, which consisted of 5 books I wanted to read before the end of the year.

Here's what happened:

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin- (Read it. Loved it. If you plan on having a natural birth, this is the book for you!)

What the Bible Says About Child Training by J. Richard Fugate - (Bought it. Skimmed it twice. This book challenged me in various ways. So loaded with good information, I need to go back and take notes.)

Managers of Their Homes by Steve and Teri Maxwell - (Never got to it.)

Passionate Housewives Desperate for God by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald (Read it. Loved it. It was very helpful in my quest to renew mind on what it means to be a wife, mother, and homemaker. If you are interested in doing such things, read this book!)

Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World by Carolyn McCulley- (Didn't quite get to this one either.)


Okay, okay. So, I read 2 out of 5 and skimmed another. But, I'm not a total slacker because I actually read 2 other books this year that I had not planned on reading.

I received In Praise of Stay-At-Home-Moms by Dr. Laura Schlessinger as a birthday gift. - (Read it. Really liked it. This book is not necessarily a Christian book. You won't find many scriptures in it; nevertheless, I liked hearing a natural perspective. Tons of encouragement and practical reasons why being a STAHM is ideal.

Dr. Laura isn't against women making money (she even worked nights after her son went to bed); however, she makes a distinction between doing work that takes you away from being the primary caretaker of your children and doing work that does not. Also, she had many great things to say on marriage and how being a homemaker affects your relationship with you husband! Awesome book!)

On a Positive Note by CeCe Winans. - (Read it. Loved it. I went back and re-read many portions of it. She offers and great story of her experience growing up in a large family that believed in holiness. I wanted to read this book to learn more about what caused her parents and upbringing to be so successful in instilling a love for God in her and her siblings. Got what I was looking for, but I wish I could have gotten even more details. Overall, great book!)

Has anyone else read any of these books? What did you think?

Coming soon: My 2010 Book List!

{Image by:kennymatic}

A Fresh Spin on a Time-Honored Classic

Our librarian introduced us to this very comical, new version of Chicken Little by Rebecca and Ed Emberley.

The girls and I love the bold and colorful illustrations and even I have to laugh out loud at this book's sheer silliness!

If you're looking for a good "Thanksgiving read" for your little ones, you might want to check it out.

"Chicken Little was not the brightest chicken in the coop. He was very excitable and prone to foolishness.

One day he was doing nothing, his usual pastime, when an acorn fell from the sky and hit him on the head. BONK! EEP!" (pg.1)

The Differences In Girls & Boys

Many are embracing what they believe to be the innate, God-given differences between boys and girls.

Dr. Meg Meeker is a mother of four and a pediatrician who is supporting parents and others who are interested in building a better understanding of those differences.

In her books, Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know and Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons, Dr. Meeker uses clinical experience and data to present insight into the different needs of girls and boys and how parents can best address those needs.

On Family Life Today, Dr. Meeker spoke more specifically about boys. She explained that she asked the question, “Have they [boys] been victims of a war that has been fought culturally in the United States?” Are they sort of the casualties, in other words, of feminism?


She explains that with the feminist revolution, much of our focus has been put on girls, and boys are feeling marginalized. In fact, our school systems and society in general often devalue authentic "boyness." Boys are being misdiagnosed with learning disabilities, ADHD, and other behavioral and learning deficiencies as a result.

She argues,

....There is a real subtle sense in which we parents dislike boy activity. Boyness! It is not politically correct to let your five year old boy play with a squirt gun, or any kind of a gun, because he will be violent. But, if you allow him to play war-games, if you allow him to have sword fights, if you allow him to jump over couches…… We don’t want wild out of control violent boys! Of course not! But we have gone the other way. We want our boys to sit in classrooms and when the schools get budget cuts, what do they cut? P.E. ! When the boy acts up in class, what do they do? They keep him in from recess. YOU CAN’T DO THAT WITH A BOY! You must get him outside!...

Furthermore, Dr. Meeker suggest that as boys get older they differ in how they bond. Whereas girls tend to bond through talking, boys tend to bond through spending quality time doing physical activities. She says it is vital that boys have a relationship with their father and/or some male role-model from who they can see masculinity in action and then and internalize it.

I found Dr. Meeker's interview very interesting and I agree that there are innate, God-given differences between girls and boys. In fact, the broadcast made me think about what a difference having a father present makes in the lives of sons and daughters and how vital that relationship is! It is so sad that so many of us grow up without that.

As a mom, my prayer is that the Lord will continue to give my husband and I insight and wisdom as we are raising our children, when it comes to their gender-specific needs. I pray he will also help us know when we need to step-up or step-back as they mature and those needs change.

How has your family addressed this?

It is over...

...and I missed it.

Although Hubby and I enjoyed our anniversary weekend, we missed the 2009 Annual Illinois Christian Home Educators Convention.

Sigh. Not only that, but since we have quite a few friends who did attend, we had to hear all the wonderful details when we got to church on Sunday. Seems as if there were resources, fellowship, and information galore, and we missed it.

I really had to fight back the green-eyed monster as a few of my friends raved about the workshop Stacey McDonald (author of Passionate Housewives Desperate For God) facilitated. From what I hear, she touched on many of the points made in her book. This is the same book I added to My 2009 Book List months ago, and have been anxious to read. The same book I've been "googling" just so I could get some "sneak peaks" into its content before I actually started reading. Yeah, that book. She was there talking about it, and I missed it...Woe is me.

Alas, I'm disappointed that I missed the convention; however, there is a silver lining in my dark cloud! After hearing all of exciting convention details, a friend who just finished Passionate Housewives Desperate For God, passed it along to me!

I'm half-way done and except for the bible, it may just be the best book I've ever read! You can rest assured that you'll be reading more about it here in the near future!;)

Our Post Feminist Culture: Gains and Losses

This is the Book Promo for Carolyn McCulley's new book Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World. The book is on My 2009 Book List and I can't wait to read it!

My 2009 Book List

Last year, I came across a myriad of books that interested me, many of which I intended on reading. Nevertheless, somehow "life" just seemed to get in the way of that:) I figure that with a new baby on the way, this year will not afford me more time, energy, or resources than last year. Hence, it seemed right to make a "book list" for 2009 in order to hold myself accountable.

Now I don't want to overwhelm myself, so I am going to give myself about 2 months to read each book. Seeing as it is already February, I'll make my goal to read 5 books this year. Perhaps you already have or are intending to read some of the same books. If so, feel free to provide some feedback about them in the comments section!

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin

What the Bible Says About Child Training by J. Richard Fugate

Managers of Their Homes by Steve and Teri Maxwell

Passionate Housewives Desperate for God by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald

Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World by Carolyn McCulley

Because I love all things radical...

...I immediately thought: "I MUST read this!" After reading an excerpt from Carolyn McCulley's new book; "Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World," I was very much inspired about my role as a Christian wife and mother in today's society. I visited her blog and it also seems to be wellspring of inspiring support for a gal like me, always on the prowl for more info on virtuous living! Below is a small portion of the excerpt I read at www.boundless.org.

"...Ever since, Satan has labored to destroy the offspring of those who are made in the image of God. The real mommy wars are not against flesh and blood — other mothers and their parenting methods — but against the one who seeks to destroy the next generation of those who would rise up to praise God. We can debate all kinds of parenting philosophies, methods, and practices, but the real conflict is not with the proponents of opposite ideas. Most assuredly, there is a war and the price is high. Mothers (and fathers) are called to be strong warriors in this battle. But, as we've explored before in this book, Ephesians 6:12 tells us that our true opponents are not flesh and blood, but the spiritual forces of evil in this present darkness...

You may be a mother and in the thick of rearing children right now. Perhaps it took you many weeks to read this chapter, thanks to the constant interruptions of young children. Your daily life may consist of dozens of repetitive tasks that feel so mundane and irrelevant. You kiss boo-boos, you make dinner, you do dishes, you answer a homework question, you drive to soccer practice, you read a good night story, you do laundry, you make dinner again. Unglamorous daily tasks and unimportant in the big picture, you may think.

This is absolutely not true! You are engaged in spiritual warfare, battling against beliefs and philosophies that slander God's name and tarnish His gifts to us. You are standing against those who believe heinous lies, like "the most merciful thing that a large family does to one of its infant members is to kill it." By giving life and nurturing life, you are reflecting the life-giving characteristics of our holy God! Made in His image, you are reflecting Him when you care for the lives He has created.

I think it is very easy for mothers to lose sight of the big picture when they are consumed with the daily "ordinariness" of life. I hope that this chapter has helped you to see how relentless the assault against bearing and mothering children can be. I hope it has helped you to take the long view of what you are doing in training the next generation to be worshipers of God. None of us can make that happen — it is the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in each of us — but we are called to plant and water the seeds of the gospel and wait with expectant hope that God will give the growth..."