Sites to See

It’s been quite some time since I’ve done a post like this, but I came across a few goodies online yesterday that I wanted to share with you. I think you’ll enjoy checking them out…

Dear Moms, Jesus Wants You to Chill Out — Stephen Altrogge reminds moms that they don’t have to sew their kids’ clothing or maintain organic gardens to be godly mothers. Our calling as moms is really very simple.

Jesus Understands Loneliness — Feeling totally out of place and misunderstood in the world? In an article for Desiring God, Jon Bloom points out that no one understands loneliness better than Jesus does.

Why Abortion Is the Most Important Issue This Election — Denny Burk writes a compelling argument for why Christians should keep the sanctity of human life at the forefront of their minds as they cast their votes on November 6. If God’s children won’t take a stand for the unborn, who will?

A Year of Biblical Womanhood: A Review — I have been greatly disturbed by Thomas Nelson’s decision to publish Rachel Held Evans’s book on “biblical” womanhood. As Trilla Newbell reviews the book for Desiring God, she points out some of the major flaws present in Evans’s perspective on the Word of God and womanhood.

Cancer—Joni’s Journey — October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In a new episode of Joni and Friends, Joni Eareckson Tada talks about her recent battle against stage 3 breast cancer: “Within minutes Dr. Polan came into the room with Ken and me and announced that this was a suspicious-looking mass with irregular edges and she thought I should move right away to have it further examined. That was pretty scary.” As always, Joni’s steadfast faith in God in the midst of suffering is an incredible encouragement.

Image: Svilen Milev

Beauty Supplements

Your daily dose of true beauty advice…

What memories are you making in your domestic domain? Each home has its own distinct environment. Does yours speak of the Creator of the universe?

Are peace and beauty and comfort and welcome to be found there? Is communication clear and kind, leaving room for criticism without allowing anyone to be crushed through cruel or angry outbursts? When hurt and resentment flare up, are there legitimate ways to express it while still keeping a guard over one’s mouth (Psalm 141:3)? Can people be honest without injuring one another unfairly (Ephesians 4:25-27)?

The fearlessly feminine woman sets an example for her household to follow. She knows there are some things that must never be said no matter what the level of frustration or anger. What memories are being formed in the environment of your home? Children should learn kindness, compassion, and self-control at home. When they don’t, schools and communities are forced to pick up the pieces of their cruel, selfish, and uncontrolled behavior…

Don’t make your home just another item on your “to do” list. God calls you to devote yourself to your home above any career. If you are too busy to manage it well, who will do it?

~Jani Ortlund in Fearlessly Feminine

Photo: OBMonkey

Beauty Supplements

Your daily dose of true beauty advice…

When women—sometimes well-meaning, earnest, truth seeking ones say “Get out of the house and do something creative, find something meaningful, something with more direct access to reality,” it is a dead giveaway that they have missed the deepest definition of creation, of meaning, of reality. And when you start seeing the world as opaque, that is, as an end in itself instead of as transparent, when you ignore the Other World where this one ultimately finds its meaning, of course housekeeping (and any other kind of work if you do it long enough) becomes tedious and empty…

The routines of housework and of mothering may be seen as a kind of death, and it is appropriate that they should be, for they offer the chance, day after day, to lay down one’s life for others. Then they are no longer routines. By being done with love and offered up to God with praise, they are thereby hallowed as the vessels of the tabernacle were hallowed—not because they were different from other vessels in quality or function, but because they were offered to God.

A mother’s part in sustaining the life of her children and making it pleasant and comfortable is no triviality. It calls for self-sacrifice and humility, but it is the route, as was the humiliation of Jesus, to glory.

~Elisabeth Elliot in “On Motherhood and Profanity“

Photo: OBMonkey

Book Review: Beyond Bath Time by Erin Davis

I had every intention of posting this review last Saturday, and if I weren’t a mom, I’m sure I would have done it. My 14 month-old daughter, however, had other plans for me, plans that kept me revolving around her from sunup to sundown.

By the time she finally went to sleep that night, I still hadn’t produced the first word of a book review, and I was completely drained. Apart from keeping my daughter clean and fed, I felt I had accomplished nothing else of significance that day. 

Moms have lots of days like that—days that seem so filled with the menial and mundane you can’t help but wonder if they even matter at all.

In her book Beyond Bath Time: Embracing Motherhood as a Sacred Role, author Erin Davis encourages frazzled moms to remember that, yes! It all matters!

A Corrected View of Ministry

Last week in my review of the book Missional Mom, I expressed the disappointment I felt when I realized that the majority of the book appeared to equate “ministry” with activities that took place outside the home. As it turns out, Erin Davis once had a similar mindset.

Davis explains in Beyond Bath Time that she and her husband actually put off having children because they thought little ones would hinder their ability to do “ministry.” She later came to see such thinking as entirely misguided:

We had been lied to. It’s a lie that has been whispered into many ears.

More and more women are choosing childlessness…Motherhood is not revered as a sacred role. Career is king. The modern equation leaves little room for children.

I believe this is one of the greatest tragedies of our time.

Davis goes on in the rest of the book to explain why she believes Christian women should “stand up to the culture and reclaim motherhood as a high and holy calling.”

A Big Message in a Small Package

At just under 150 pages, Beyond Bath Time is a great size for busy moms. Davis looks at how motherhood has been damaged by the feminist movement, by lies that women commonly believe, and by the trend of choosing childlessness.

She then moves to focus on what the Scripture has to say about the role of motherhood and encourages women to see the eternal impact they can have as they daily nurture the souls of their children…

What you’re doing might seem small…But God multiplies your efforts. Your small tasks point to a very big God if you are determined to do it all for His glory. 

Just as our definitions of blessing and burden have gotten jumbled, so have our concepts of big and small stuff for the kingdom. If a woman surrendered her life to share Bible stories with children in unreached people groups overseas, we would consider that big, and rightfully so.

But your children are also an unreached people group. They don’t come into the world with a knowledge and heart for God. It’s your job to teach them, and it’s a big job.

That’s a message we need to hear far more frequently within the church today, and I appreciate Erin Davis for sharing it.

A Wealth of Encouragement for Weary Moms

Whether you’re a brand new mom or one with years of experience, I believe you’ll find valuable encouragement in this little book on how to make your mothering count for the Kingdom of God.

Another plus is that Beyond Bath Time is one of the first books to carry the new True Woman publishing imprint, which means that the content has been approved by Revive Our Hearts and The True Woman Movement. If you know anything about the biblically-grounded nature of those ministries, then you’ll understand why that’s a very good thing.  

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through a blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 

Beauty Supplements

Your daily dose of true beauty advice…

Teenagers! Ugh!” Have you heard someone say something like this? I have. But the Proverbs 31 mother “opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness” (verse 26).

We communicate volumes about our homes and our hearts every time we broadcast harmful criticism or attitudes about our children. My friend Betty taught me a lesson I’ll never forget. She’d say, “Elizabeth, how old are the girls now?” When I answered, “Nine and ten,” she’d exclaim, “Oh I remember when my boys were nine and ten. What wonderful years!”

As the years rolled by and my girls’ ages advanced, Betty’s joy and enthusiasm was the same. She loved her kids, and she loved being a mom. What an encouragement to me! Betty was a mother whose heart was filled with motherly affection. Her heart was positive about God’s job assignment for her and her lips were respectfully quiet about any difficulties.

As Titus 2:4 [says], “Love your children.”

~Elizabeth George in “Love Your Children“

Photo: OBMonkey

Beauty Supplements

Your daily dose of true beauty advice…

Loving our children is not always natural, nor is it always easy. But it is absolutely essential. Mothers must love their children. A mother’s constant love becomes the bedrock of security for her children. Before they leave home, there will be many times in their lives when it will seem to them that no one else loves them. Though they might wish for someone else’s love, their mother’s love will provide a North Star of security and hope in the midst of difficult days.

A favorite prayer (that I have prayed far more often than I ever imagined I would) goes like this:

Lord, help me to love my children as You do. Help me to see them as You do, to understand their needs as You do, to feel what they are feeling as You do. I cannot love my children as they need to be loved on my own. My children need Your love. I ask You to love my children through me.

I have prayed this prayer most often for the sake of my teenagers—that they might not ever experience even a hint of rejection, disdain, or indifference from their mother.

~Barbara Rainey in “A Mother’s Legacy“

Photo: OBMonkey

Beauty Supplements

Your daily dose of true beauty advice…

Before I was a Christian I focused my time and energy on pursuing a counseling license to help other families. Unfortunately, I was neglecting my own. I was happy being my own woman and pursuing my own dreams. But one night I was invited to a women’s Bible study. There I heard comments about “the joy of loving my children,” “the privilege of motherhood,” and the “awesome responsibility” of raising children for God. I discovered that one of my God-given roles was to train and nurture my kids.

I praise God He opened my eyes to what it means to be a wise and loving mom—a mom after God’s own heart! If you’ve got kids, there’s no greater ministry than that of being a mother. As Titus 2:4 exhorts, moms are to “love their children.”

~Elizabeth George in “Being a Wise Mom“

Photo: OBMonkey

Thanks for the Thoughts!

Wow. You ladies should write a book or something. I was totally impressed with all of the great advice you offered me yesterday!

It’s not often you see that much wisdom packed into one comment thread, and I just want to say thank you for taking the time to share what you’ve learned with me. I’ve already read through each of your comments twice, and I’m sure I’ll be returning to them to refresh my memory more than once in the coming months!

In return for your kindness in passing on such great motherly wisdom, I’m going to have a little giveaway featuring two gifts that moms love…

A copy of Rachel Jankovic’s book on motherhood Loving the Little Years 

I’ve given it away before, but I think it’s good enough for multiple giveaways!

A $20 Starbucks gift card

I know how much you ladies love your caffeine.  

To enter today’s giveaway, simply add a comment telling me what your favorite drink at Starbucks is, or what color your shoes are, or what color toenail polish you’re wearing if you don’t have shoes on, or any other vital piece of information that comes to mind.

You may enter whether you’re a mom or not.

As always, make sure you include your email in the appropriate field. It will not appear publicly (if you enter it in the appropriate field, that is) and will ensure that I can contact you if God has ordained that you should win this inspiring and highly-caffeinated prize package.

At midnight tonight (EST), I’ll use Random.org to choose a winner. 

It’s just my little way of saying thanks.

The Secret to Being a Great Mom

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your might.”

Deuteronomy 6:5

If you’re reading this post in hopes of finding tips on breastfeeding, making your own baby food, attachment parenting, planning playdates, homeschooling, green living, or any other of the thousands of issues we often believe hold the secret to great mothering, I must apologize. You’ll find nothing quite so complex or controversial here.

Although motherhood is certainly a challenging, and at times, complicated endeavor, in her new book Raising a Daughter After God’s Own Heart, Elizabeth George urges Christian women to remember that the secret to being a good mom is really quite simple… 

On a recent Christmas Sunday, my husband, Jim, and I and our family of 14 arrived at a church service early…With my bulletin in hand and several minutes to spare before the service started, I opened my Bible and looked up the Scripture passage the pastor would focus on during his message. Then I read through some additional teaching notes and commentary in the margin of my Bible. One article was entitled “The Bell Sheep.”

The bell sheep? What in the world is that? I wondered. I read on. The article explained that when a shepherd noticed a sheep who willingly followed him and stayed near him, he hung a bell around the neck of that sheep so the flock would follow the bell sheep…who, in turn, was following the shepherd.

Knowing I would begin writing Raising a Daughter After God’s Own Heart as soon as the Christmas holiday was over, I almost jumped out of my seat when I read this. I was shouting in my mind, “That’s It! That’s It! A mom should be the bell sheep for her daughter!”

And it’s true! When we as mothers stay close to Jesus—as close as close can be, and when we love Him with all our heart just the way Jesus said to, and when we willingly follow Him and His Word, guess what? We become His bell sheep for our daughters to follow. Our girls observe—and copy—our behavior. They can—and will—follow our example. We become their very own personal walking, living, real flesh and blood, visual example of what it means to be a child, girl, tween, teen, and woman after God’s own heart…

From the split second we know a baby is on the way, all our thoughts dreams, prayers, and goals are channeled toward that little one. We are completely consumed and preoccupied by this tiny being. As the baby grows within us, our love blossoms and our commitment to it grows right along with our expanding body…

But as much as we obsess and focus on an approaching child, God wants us to obsess and focus even more on Him. That’s because the more we love Him, the more we will know about love. And the more we know about love, the more we will know about how to love. And the more we know about how to love, the more we will love our baby, our child, our daughter. I like what C.S. Lewis wrote about his love for God and how it affected his relationship with his wife: “When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now.”
Mom, your love for God will prepare you to love your child. The more you love the Lord, the better you shall love your earthly dearest daughter.

So…God’s first assignment to any and every mother is to love Him above all else. If you are a sold-out, on-fire, hot-hearted, committed-to-God woman, you will be infinitely further down the road to being the kind of mom who, by His grace, can raise a daughter after God’s own heart. Because all your love centers upon God, and because you follow Him with all your heart, you will qualify to lead your daughter to follow God too—to be…well…God’s bell sheep for her.

[Raising a Daughter After God's Own Heart, pp. 11-12,14-15]

Loving Jesus—it’s the mark of every great mom. 

Photo: Heriberto Herrera

Balancing the Boxes of Motherhood

As the mother of three boys, Priscilla Shirer knows what it’s like to feel as though the to-do list will never get done. Moms today are pressured to juggle so many responsibilities that they can easily become exhausted by the constant battle to keep life from toppling down around them. Recently in an interview on MomLife Today, Priscilla shared some wise advice on how to view priorities, agendas, and balance from a more biblical perspective…

 

Photo: Tory Byrne

Beauty Supplements

Your daily dose of true beauty advice…

Mothers, don’t let anyone ever dupe you into thinking there’s anything ignoble or disgraceful about remaining at home and raising your family. Don’t buy the lie that you’re repressed if you’re a worker in the home instead of in the world’s workplace. Devoting yourself fully to your role as wife and mother is not repression; it is true liberation. Multitudes of women have bought the world’s lie, put on a suit, picked up a briefcase, dropped their children off for someone else to raise, and gone into the workplace, only to realize after fifteen years that they and their children have a hollow void in their hearts. Many such career women now say they wish they had devoted themselves to motherhood and the home instead.

~John MacArthur in Successful Christian Parenting

Photo: OBMonkey