great read!

I was given this book  The Fruit of Her Hands: Respect and the Christian Woman by my discipler and friend, Danelle Bancroft before she moved a few years ago. It was super helpful and convicting to me at a time that I was trying balance being a wife, mom, and business owner. It helped give me a clear picture of my biblical priorities and pointed me to love the Lord and know his word better. But having my brain in a million places, I never finished the book! Lame! And stuck it back on the shelf, only to forget about it.

But last week, we had some friends over for dinner and one of the wives mentioned this book. She raved about how her and her sisters read it and how eye opening and helpful it was. As she talked about it, I knew I had to find it the next morning! There it was on the shelf, I pulled it down and started to read. So encouraged, convicted and challenged. It is such a helpful reminder of who we are to be not only as women, but as Christians. It's rooted in scripture and so simply points us to the Savior and to the simplicity of our salvation, and the simplicity of the Christian life. It was also such a marriage refresher on loving and respecting my husband, reminding me of why and how to be a helper and joy to my husband.

I love these quotes:

" We have to know more than how to be a good wife, We have to know how to be good Christians, and if we are good Christians we will be good wives and mothers"

"I many situations, it is no wonder we don't know what to do- we aren't in the Word. How can we know what God requires if we are not reading what He has written (Deut 8:3)?"

If you're looking for a new read to challenge your soul, or need a reminder of your biblical priorities, this book will do it! I know...the cover and title aren't the most intriguing :) but I promise the content is! I hope you Enjoy it as much as I am! 

Cj

( p.s. Thank you Danelle for giving me this book, you disciple me still, as I read this book I'm reminded of your love for Christ, your love and respect for your husband, your faithful example as a godly mother and homemaker, and your faithfulness to serve and love the church

and Courtney, thank you for reminding me that I had this book, and that I needed to read it :)

good reads

Sorry, I left you with sidewalk paint for a week. Things have been busy around here and I haven't had a chance to post. Pics are still being weird, so here's another not my photos post :) 

We were asked for some Christmas ideas for us and the kids. So this week I've been racking my brain to make Christmas idea lists for the boys and I.  I finally came up with a few ideas for the boys, and a few little things I'd enjoy... a new peeler, a zester, and a few new books. But as of now, that's about all I've got.

But I do have Christmas ideas for you! Yes, I'm talking to my computer :) I've shared about a few of these before but must share again. These books are life changers. If you haven't already read them, they would be wonderful gifts to receive for Christmas. They would truly be gifts that not only change your life but those around you. The Lord has taught  and is teaching me so much through these books. Thank you again to the people who gave these to me, or recommended them.  Heres 6 reads I love :) and a few old posts about a few of them...

1.Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy

brannonpeople: buy this book...

brannonpeople: wow

2.Gospel-Powered Parenting: How the Gospel Shapes and Transforms Parenting

3.The Pursuit of God with Study Guide

4.How To Worship Jesus Christ

5.Created to Be His Help Meet: Discover How God Can Make Your Marriage Glorious

6.Shopping for Time: How to Do It All and NOT Be Overwhelmed

brannonpeople: Just do it!

What are some of your favorite reads? Any recommendations for me to add to MY Christmas list?

Great Questions

Here's a copy/paste of an email I sent to some friends tonight. I thought I'd share it here too ;)

Hey Gals! 

Here's a few questions I came across tonight in an email I got that were so helpful to me. Just great reminders to think through to make sure we are making the most of our time for the Lord  and doing what HE wants us to be doing. I know for me every few weeks it seems that life is changing and new circumstances or challenges arise. It's SO helpful to STOP and bring it all before the Lord, check my heart and mind and make sure that I'm being intentional and purposeful, not just going on auto pilot. I love the book that they came from, "Shopping for Time", it has radically changed my thinking and convicted me deeply. I think most of you have read it. But if you haven't it's wonderful and I highly recommend it. I hope these questions are helpful for you and may be helpful to pass along in your ministry too! 

Much love, Carly

Questions on Time Management

Posted: 29 Jun 2010 03:51 AM PDT

Here are some good questions from Shopping for Time: How to Do It All and Not Be Overwhelmed:

Do you plan ahead to maximize your fruitfulness each day, or do you simply let life happen?

Do you make choices based on Scripture or on what feels good at the moment?

Do you strategize to use your talents to bless your family and church, or do you employ them primarily for your own personal fulfillment?

Do you evaluate every opportunity in light of biblical priorities, or do you do whatever it takes to get ahead?

Do you consider whom God would have you serve, or do you try to please everyone all the time?

buy this book...

Your probably thinking... am I at the right blog? No pictures ? More than ten sentences? What happened? :) I promise this long read is worth your time... I promise.

 This book is changing my life. Changing my perspective and changing my attitude. If you would have asked me if I was a thankful person a few weeks ago I quickly would have said yes! But after the first few pages of this book, I realized how far from grateful I am. The book is
"Choosing Gratitude"by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. She is so helpful to highlight scripture after scripture, digging in to what God's word says and teaching what true biblical gratitude really is. I was reading this part yesterday that was so convicting. I never thought of myself as much of a worrier? But recently noticed, It's really something I struggle with. It may not be overt or written all over my face, but so often my heart is not at peace.

" 3. GRATITUDE IS A SURE PATHWAY TO PEACE...

I know a lot of women who suffer from a noticeable deficiency of peace. I'm one of them sometimes. I'm not talking about peace that equates to having a day with nothing on the calendar, plopping on the sofa with a cup of hot tea and a good book. Not that this doesn't sound inviting, but let's be honest that's a rare occasion for most of us. The peace I'm talking about doesn't require a mountain cabin or a getaway weekend. It can happen anywhere, even in the most hectic moments and places of your life.

But only because gratitude knows where to look for it. If we were sitting across the table from each other, you could tell me what's stealing your peace right now without having to think hard. You may be grieving a loss that never settles far from your conscious thoughts. You may be crying yourself to sleep at night over a situation over a son or daughter that is beyond your ability to control-a failing marriage, a little one undergoing diagnostic medical tests, perhaps open rebellion against God and against your parenting decisions. Maybe you're facing some health issues of your own, or your income just isn't meeting your monthly expenses, or your church is in turmoil over some hot-button issue.

We know that we can and should pray about these matters. But praying is not all that we can and should do. " Do not be anxious about anything" the apostle Paul wrote. "but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7)

To put it even more simply: In every situation... prayer + thanksgiving = peace

When prayer teams up with gratitude, when we open our eyes wide enough to see God's mercies even in the midst of our pain, and when we exercise faith and we give Him thanks even when we can't see those mercies, He meets us with His indescribable peace. It's a promise.

Oh, we can try it the other way. Without thanksgiving. Author and Bible teacher Beth Moore describes the way most people live, by substituting the familiar phrases from Pilippians 4:6-7 with their polar opposites:

Do not be calm about anything, but in everything, by dwelling on it constantly and feeling picked on by God, with thoughts like" And this is what I get," present your aggravations to everyone you know but Him. And the acid in your stomach, which transcends all milk products will cause you an ulcer, and the doctor bills will cause you a heart attack, and you will lose your mind. (3)

Prayer is vital-but to really experience His peace, we must come to Him with gratitude. Hard gratitude. Costly gratitude. The kind that trusts He is working for our good even in unpleasant circumstances... the kind that garrisons our troubled hearts and minds with His unexplainable peace.

Are you facing one or more chaotic, unsettled situations? Is your soul weary from striving, stress, and strain? There is peace, my friend-God's peace-waiting for you just beyond the doors of deliberate gratitude. But the only way to find it is to go there and see for yourself. God's peace is one of the many blessings that live on the other side of gratitude."

(pages 65-66; Choosing Gratitude"by Nancy Leigh DeMoss 2009)

I want to be a Christian, a wife, a mom, and whatever extra hat :), who joyfully gives thanks in all circumstances, and constantly has the peace of God... wouldn't life be so much sweeter!

Enjoying this read, Cj