Burge02

Ok, so when I read the book Give them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick and her daughter Jessica Thompson, this is the message I thought I was getting... a book about treasuring the Gospel and embracing it in everyday life. Well, that wasn't exactly the case, instead THIS book is just that-encouragement on how daily doses of grace may look and wisdom straight from God's word about His grace in the completed work of Jesus Christ. I don't know about you, but I have recently come to the realization that I have lived much of my Christian with the whole idea of "works righteousness." I'll explain for those of you who need a definition. Works righteousness is basically doing instead of resting in God , it is striving instead of dwelling with God , it is comparing instead of mimicking Jesus Christ . So, once again this was a great book for me personally and my struggle to "treasure the Gospel" and as a friend put it, "preach the Gospel to myself everyday

This book was written by a young mother who at the time of the writing had five little ones, including a set of twins. She admits she doesn't have all the answers, but point readers to God at every opportunity-which I appreciated and encouraged self-reflection. I picked it up because it was recommended by Tedd Trip (Shepherding a Child's Heart) and R.C. Sproul, Jr. I enjoyed it because 1) the chapters were short, which meant I could pick it up at a moment's notice and finish a chapter and 2) it was filled with real-life stories and struggles to which I could relate. It was a parenting book in a way, also aimed at mothers of young children who need a pick-me-up and encouragement along the journey. I admit it is a little jumbly and each chapter stands alone, but she shares some great strategies that I have not tried. I think it would be best understood by moms with multiple children, but I'm sure it will provide encouragement to most moms. She has since written another bo

I'm really not quite sure why this book struck my fancy nor why I ordered it, yet it was more than I anticipated. Based on the back cover, it is a book about the struggles of motherhood and the  occasional feeling of being overwhelmed by it all; it boasted answers to honest questions that many moms have and sounded intriguing...so I picked it up while on vacation last month. And as with any book that has not come personally recommended, I read with a wary eye checking for biblical accuracy, etc. The main author, Sarah Mae, is a Christian, wife, homemaker, mother to three little ones, homeschooler and a popular blogger. She blogs at:  http://sarahmae.com The secondary author, Sally Clarkson, is a Christian, wife and mother of four adult children with a passion for Christian motherhood and parenting. She and her husband started Whole Heart Ministries http://www.wholeheart.org  after spending time on the mission field. I am currently reading one of her other books, The Ministry of

Confession Time: The first time I picked up this book, I only read two chapters and put it down thinking that I must have gotten some things wrong in my parenting.  What I perceived was that we (my husband and I) had missed the mark in incorporating the Gospel into our discipline routine. I will also admit that I actually expected a different message, one about imparting grace to our kids in our everyday lived, but rather this was a book focusing on bringing attention to the Gospel during our every conversation, especially discipline. After attending a conference in March and listening to one of the authors (Jessica), I decided she was so honest in admitting failure in her own presentation and implementation of the material to her kids; I picked it up again. Jessica said that the book was not written to be used as a manual with scripts to be read, but rather a Biblical basis for holding high the Gospel during our interactions with our children. Several close friends, including my sist

*Food for thought for all parents,  encouragement for homeschool moms* This book creates the case that ALL Christian parents are called to homeschool their children and that parents are fully equipped to do the job. First, it must be determined if education is a function of the state, the church or the family. After all, education cannot be "neutral" according to John Milton, a puritan poet. Second, we must apply the discipleship process in our homes. Sproul, Jr. uses  Deuteronomy 6 to show that God has called parents to be teachers of their children. Education IS the function of the family and it takes place in the form of discipleship. The goal of which it to create children and grandchildren who are Christlike. On the other hand, p ublic education is an arm of the government who is an enemy of the gospel (we hear it more now than ever) and have banned even a mention of Christ's name. Their goal is to raise responsible adults who, bottom line: do well, earn mo