Parenting while joyful can sometimes be painful. How you respond to the the little people God has given you can shine light on your innermost thoughts. I have leaned that how I react and respond to my children when they are disobeying can directly reflect at times my idolatrous thinking. It has and will continue to be an opportunity for me to grow in sanctification and self control. I am thankful for books like Parenting with Loving Correction: Practical Help for Raising Young Children by Sam Crabtree that point me back towards the gospel and away from my own sinful nature. In doing this I am a more effective parent because I realize that God gave me the four children I have for their good and for mine as well as to glorify God. Below are just a few highlights from this book. I highly recommend it if you are in need of encouragement or new strategies to deal with disciplining your child. It is a short read and will be well worth your time and money! I received a copy of this … [Read more...]
Parenting with Loving Correction: Practical Help for Raising Young Children
Thinking More About the Third Commandment
The third commandment reads: You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Several years ago our pastor preached a sermon about using the phrases "Oh my God!" or "OMG" while speaking. And while I personally had made it a point not to say "Oh my God!" saying "OMG" or even "Oh my gosh!" was not something that I censored coming out my mouth. I figured if I wasn't actually saying God's name in this manner I was doing ok. When someone is yelling in frustration "Jesus Christ!" I knew that they weren't honoring the Lord but didn't really think about the bigger message of the third commandment until this sermon. The third commandment has been discussed numerous times over the last few months in our home. And then I recently read the book Christian Ethics by Dr. Wayne Grudem and felt even more convicted by this verse. I received a copy of this book from Crossway to review. All opinions are my … [Read more...]
Walking through Infertility
I received a copy of this book from Crossway to review. All opinions are my own. Source: Crossway I recently came across Proverbs 30:16 which speaks of four things in life that never say 'Enough!': the grave, the barren womb, land which is never satisfied with water, and fire. This verse jumped out of the text during my bible reading because it made me stop and contemplate the agony for those who have dealt and are dealing with infertility. I have friends who have miscarried and also friends who have experienced the monthly frustration of not being able to conceive a child. And it is heartbreaking. When I came across Walking Though Infertility by Matthew Arbo I was very intrigued to read about infertility from a biblical perspective and to hopefully gain more insight on how to support those I know who are walking this journey. While this book was written for those who are struggling with infertility any Chrisitan who wants to better understand this subject in light of who God … [Read more...]
In His Image
I received a copy of this book from Crossway to review. All opinions are my own. Source: Crossway Have you ever wondered what God's will is for your life? In His Image by Jen Wilkin reflects on 10 communicable attributes of God: Holy Good Loving Merciful Just Graceful Faithful Patient Truthful Wise This list describes how we be conformed to the image of Christ. The overarching theme of the book is to show that when we "focus on our actions without addressing our hearts, we may end up merely as better behaved lovers of self." Biblical truths and scripture flood this book making it a great read for new believers as well as those who have spent numerous years studying and reading God's word. With the truths of scripture jumping off every page it is easy to see that God doesn't want us to be conformed to who we were. Instead he wants us to be re-formed to who we should be by the power of the Holy Spirit. The more we grow in holiness the more we … [Read more...]
