by Kimberly | Apr 15, 2015 | Books, Uncategorized, Women
I feel like the title of the book should be a country song – but I won’t venture there.
This is a more serious book with a serious message, not appropriate for a country song.
Megan Cox has become a friend of mine through another friend, and she has such a heart for ministering to women who have come from situations that no woman would desire. She shares much of her story in Give Her Wings, and that is one of the reasons that Give Her Wings is such a powerful book. When women share their story, where God met them, how God brought them new life from death, created a new heart where only death lived, it is a miraculous story.
She shares her story in this book and offers hope and counseling to women who might be struggling in similar situations. She ministers to women with God’s truth on her lips and understanding in her heart. This book speaks of that understanding and also can be used as a guide in how to minister to hurting women.
One of the best things I’ve read in this book is the following:
“Speak God’s truth into her life. She Scriptures that encourage and comfort. Remind her she is not alone. Bless her with the Word. If she heads condemnation, her crisis of faith may very well tip to the wrong direction.” (pg 89)
There is a spot of time that women who are coming out of hurting relationships are open to hearing God’s truth. Relationships can be redeemed by God’s Love and Justice. He can bring healing. And it is books like this that offer that Love, hope, and truth to hurting women.
by Kimberly | Apr 6, 2015 | Books, Kids r Readers 2, mothering, parenting, Shepherding Children
Do you remember what it was like to go to bed when you were younger? Did you ask for 20 glasses of water or want to read the longest book over and over again?
As my boys get older, I’m (usually) loving bedtime routines. I usually put the younger one to bed, and then get the older one ready. He likes to sit and read one or two books in the chair in his room. He gets really calm with his paci and sits in my lap and I read it quietly (with expression and voices) in his ear. We pray while holding hands. Then he hops down and goes to bed. I know this won’t last forever, but I think it is the sweetest thing and one of my favorite times with him during the day.
One of the books I’ve enjoyed recently with him is Really Woolly Lullabies by Tommy Nelson. Tommy Nelson sent them to me for a review, but all opinions are my own. We’ve enjoyed the Scripture on every page, the sentence prayer that helps me pray specific things for my toddlers as I’m putting him to bed.
Nighttime routines are important. They set a peace for the night that is crucial to my children, and probably yours. Enjoy this time with them, when you can. It doesn’t always work perfectly in our home, but it is getting better.
If you would like to win your very own copy of these lullabies, just leave a comment on here or on social media and tell me what your favorite song to sing with your children is.
by Kimberly | Mar 23, 2015 | Books, parenting, Shepherding Children
(This post is sponsored by Tommy Nelson Mommies: they give me free books – and allow you to win them – in exchange for my review of them. All opinions are my own.)
One of the first things we learn as believers (or are taught in Christian learning) is “God created everything.” I already teach that truth to my boys. We love the verses that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” and “created in God’s image”
But, somehow, I think it is a very easy truth to learn and put into belief the older we get. I remember being a pre-teen girl. I was overweight, wore glasses, didn’t have great hair, had zits, wasn’t all the cool, wanted to be cool, had a crush on the cool guy, started my period, looked different than most of the girls in my class, it wasn’t easy.
I believed lies. I desired popularity. I earnestly tried so hard to fit in. But, one of the things I don’t remember reminding myself of is that God created me perfectly in his image and has a plan for my life.
Then, I graduated high school and started college. I taught 7th grade co-ed Sunday School for 3 straight years. I still keep in touch with some of those girls. There were (and still are) so many battles pre-teen and teen girls face. But, there is only one answer. God’s truth.
My first devotional when I was in 10th grade was Spirit Wings by Ken Burns. I loved it at the time. I was just learning how to have a quiet time thanks to my youth pastor and youth workers. Quiet time material has come a long way. I think it is an important discipline for kids of any age to learn. Taking time each day to talk with God, read His Word, and listen to Him.
You, as a parent to them, have a vital role in this. You can not only model this for them, but also teach them how to do it for themselves, and engage with them after their quiet time. Ask them what they learned. Ask them what they read. Ask them important questions of how they might apply it to their heart that God is in the process of making new and making to look like Christ’s.
Tommy Nelson has put out resources for quiet times for pre-teen or young teen girls called Brave Girls. The two I have for the purpose of this blog is Faithful Friends (on friendships and relationships) and Better Than Perfect (on self-image and how to relate to this world in light of the Word). Each day is a 1-2 page read. Starts out with Scripture, then there is a story, lesson, truth, completely applicable to this time in their lives, and finishes with questions and prayers.
One way I think it could be better would be to bring everything in every story under the Cross of Christ – but I do think these are really really good and can be a great help to you as a parent in giving your daughter some solid material. And, as you talk with your daughter and engage with her in what she is reading, you can tie everything back to the Gospel.
So, if you would like a chance to win these books, please comment with the answer to one of these two questions.
1. What was the first devotional book you read (besides the Bible)?
2. How do you train your children to have their own quiet time?
by Kimberly | Mar 20, 2015 | Books, parenting
I’ve learned a lot about parenting. I’ve learned a lot about my relationship with God the Father as I am his child.
Every time I share love or love through discipline to my two boys, I hear my Father saying the same thing. Here are some examples:
“Why don’t you ever listen?”
“I love you, you are my son (daughter).”
“I can never love you any less, no matter what you did.”
“I can’t wait for you to wake up so we can talk!”
You probably have some statements of your own.
I got a book in the mail to review and while I loved the concept and examples in the book, I didn’t like the very little Scripture that was used in it.
Rachael Carman wrote a devotional to Moms entitled How Many Times Do I Have to Tell You? She uses personal examples of some of the statement I’ve listed above. Some include: “We don’t act like that.” and “Turn down the music.” I love her heart. She gives some good and useful insights. She writes in such a relational way.
However, I would want a devotional to have more basis in Scripture. She does use some and she definitely speaks from a Christian point of view. But, she doesn’t point you to the one True Source as much as I would like.
If there is anything I’ve learned in parenting, it is that I need God more than I ever thought I would. The one place that I find his Truth for help in life and parenting (and everything else), is His Word. And I want to point other moms to that (not only my experiences) and I want to point my boys to that as well.
Disclaimer: Litfuse Publishing gave me this book for the purpose of doing the book review. All opinion are my own.
by Kimberly | Feb 21, 2015 | Books, hearthopejustice, Women, World Events
Sex. God created it. Blessed it. He saw that it was good.
Then sin destroyed it. Sin distorts and kills everything.
There is only one hope for sin: Jesus.
In the Fall, I heard Dr. Albert Mohler give a talk at my church. He shared the trauma and results of living in a sexually-broken world. How far and wide its affects are. This one area touches so many other avenues in the churches, our homes, our societies, and our world.
Allow me to explain what I mean when I say a “sexually-broken”: anything outside of God’s amazing plan for a hope-filled, Christ-exalting sex life within a marriage of two people: a man and a woman, for life. Everything else is sin. And that leads to a sexually-broken world.
This brokenness can come in the form of physical/sexual abuse, pornography, lust, rape, addictions (think 50 Shades of Gray), homosexuality, sex-trafficking, prostitution…the list could go on.
Some of you might not be aware of how pervasive this brokenness is. But, look that the Super Bowl for example: one of the highest profiting days for selling sex.
Some of you might not think that this brokenness affects you. But, I assure it does. Sexual sin affected me starting in college. Not my own, but someone else’s. This still affects my thought life to some degree. Then my own sexual sin left scars of guilt in my heart that I still carry now (and I fight with the truth of forgiveness and the power of the Gospel). You probably know friends who have been raped, abused, who are addicted to pornography, who struggle with lust, who have had sex before marriage, who do not have wonderfully fulfilling sexual relations in marriage, or who bring sexual scars into their marriage and suffer mentally and physically from them.
Now, that we know a little of the problem, how we do fix our sexual-brokenness? Hownestly – we can’t. We need a Fixer. That’s why Jesus came. During His time on earth, he did ministry in the life of at last three women who were sexually broken: Mary Magdelene, the woman at the well in John 4, and the woman who was caught in adultery. His blood on the cross covered all of our sins – not just our sexual sinfulness.
You may be the cause of your own brokenness (your sinful addictions, etc), or the brokenness may come from the outside (rape, abuse, bondage, etc). Once we have that relationship with Jesus, there are a few things that will offer hope in Christ and the Gospel:
- First, if you are in a dangerous, life-threatening, abusive relationships, get help now. Exit the situation. Cry for intervention.
- Realize your own brokenness. This is something that has been helpful for me in the past year: admitting my failures and admitting how I am feeling. Know that sin is sin. If God would mark iniquity who of us could stand (Psalm 130:3)? Here is an example: I am angry or hurt. How often are we encouraged to hide our hurt or made to feel ashamed of it? This admittance is helpful and not a sign of weakness. We can confess our brokenness and engage our feelings with the Lord. The Holy Spirit dwells in us and helps us in our weakness.
- Seek counseling. I personally would recommend a biblical counselor (See ACBC for help). Another go to would be a Christ-exalting pastor/wife you know. One of my sweet friends recently suggested this to me. Find someone whom you can confide and who will weep with you and feed you truth (not let you continue in sin).
- Journal. This is a form of meditation which is definitely recommended from the Psalmists. This has been a huge help to me this year. My friend and also a pastor friend of mine encouraged me in this and it has been a tremendous blessing. The Psalms are a great place to start! There are so many trials, blessings, Godward-cries, even sexual sin in this gem (Psalm 51). Its answers are the very healing words of God.
- Seek repentance. He is faithful to forgive (1 John 1.8) If you are the committing the sexual sin then turn from it. Keep turning from it. My husband mentioned the idea of starving your sinful appetites. They will diminish if you starve them. Satan may have you in a snare but Christ is the chain-breaker.
- Forgive. Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting. Truely forgiving means not holding it against that person for the rest of his/her life. Christ can and wants to bring healing. In the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6), Jesus instructs his followers to pray that God would forgive their debts as we forgive our debtors.
- Believe God at his Word. There is hope! He is the deliverer. He is the chain-breaker. He is the Healer. He wants your good! Love protects. God wins. Heaven is real. You are precious and beautiful and bought with the blood of Christ. I loved this quote in Megan Cox’s book Give Her Wings: “Hard men believe that Jesus is a hard man. Which means they do not really know him. Believe if you know Jesus you understand His mercies.” (p 100)
Please know that there is no easy answer for sexual brokenness. Healing is hard. Jesus brings freedom and healing and hope and love. That doesn’t mean we still don’t live in a sin-plagued world that wreaks of death. We will have the consequences of sin.
Jesus offers hope.
Jesus’ love protects and is faithful.
You can be victorious in Jesus.
(This post is sponsored by heart.hope.justice and Give Her Wings. Megan Cox has just written this new book as a devotional for those who have been affected by abuse. In is she shares her own story, or years of counseling, and Gospel-focused hope. What I found helpful in this book is the Christ-exalting message on so many of its pages. Counseling won’t solve all your problems. Jesus is the answer for everything. heart.hope.justice is a dream of mine. Its partial goal is to bring healing and financial help in the area of sexual brokenness by an artwork that I did – and the proceeds will go to help some sex-trafficking end it movements.)
by Kimberly | Feb 8, 2015 | Books, parenting
(Thanks to Litfuse Publicity Group for allowing me to be a part of the blog tour for this new parenting book and giving me a copy in exchange. All blog content in my own opinion.)
Can I just tell you that parenting is the hardest job…EVER. I keep telling people that now that I have two toddlers of my own (whom I love very much and would do anything for) – I wouldn’t be a nanny for a million dollars for the rest of my life. Every day I am challenged in my sanity, patience, grace, and knowledge and experience of the gospel in loving on these two littles.
Michelle Anthony, who has many years of parenting and ministry in her pocket, has written a helpful and engaging book for parents. If you live in this world, you must think that everyone is dysfunctional – and basically, we all are. Sin is a problem with all of us. And now that I am a parent, I definitely see my sin patterns and struggles and strongholds coming out in my parenting.
Do I desire to be in control? Do I want to be liked? Do I want everything my way?
Dr. Anthony takes these and many more thoughts and scenarios and helps us as parents think through them. Not only does she help us think through them, she also helps us identify answers to strengthen our parenting.
And the best news of all: we are not the Director. I’m so glad Michelle started out with this truth because it is one of the most discouraging and encouraging truths to hold on to as a parent. It is discouraging because as person who likes to be in control, I can’t do much about it. But it is infinitely encouraging because the Director I know (God, the Father) is a perfect Director who has a marvelous plan and He never needs a “take 2”.
The best I can see using Michelle’s book Becoming a Spiritually Healthy Family is getting together and reading it with your spouse and reading it, talk about it, answer the questions at the end of each chapter – and then discuss it with a small group. This even might be a great evangelistic tool to use in engaging especially single moms who are struggling to do this parenting thing solo. This book is written for the average parent – you don’t have to be seminary trained to understand her terminology.
Either way, read this, identify yourself in this book, and find hope in the Gospel. I’m thankful Michelle wrote this and I look forward to re-reading this at each stage of parenthood that I am in.
