On My Kids’ Bookshelf

A few weeks ago, my husband and I celebrated Easter with our Ministry Team at Mountain Lake Church.  The weekend before Easter (since the weekend of Easter would be FAR too busy) we enjoyed a beautiful lunch after our worship services, a glow-in-the-dark Easter egg hunt (yes, we believe in Jesus and still hunt eggs), and several games for the kiddos. The adults, of course, had a great time, too.  A buffet of ham, mac and cheese, green beans, bread, and a strawberry and spinach salad kept us busy.  Did I mention a table of desserts that would put pounds on your hips by just looking at it?  It was great to connect in an unhurried way with the people we love and partner with.

But, my favorite part was a gift my husband gave to each of the kids of our Team.  The Story of God and All Of Us, the bible in novel form based on The Bible mini-series.  If you are looking for a good book for your young reader, I highly recommend this one.  Using common language in story form, The Story of God and All Of Us is a page-turner.  My kids have been reading it each night, and I hear them talking about the stories they’ve read.  One night, I crawled in bed with my youngest two kids and read the book to them, getting caught up in the narrative and reading far longer than I intended.  They kids didn’t mind….they were thrilled to stay up later.

So, that’s what’s on my kids’ bookshelf.  Hope my recommendation helps some of you.  And, for you more advanced readers, it comes in an adult version, too!  Happy reading!

Help Fill My Bookshelf

Do you like to read? Fiction? Non-fiction? Books on marriage or relationships? Books on leadership or ministry life?

I’m looking to restock my bookshelf with some page-turners and helpful resources, and I’d love your suggestions!

So, if you’ve read a book that has rocked your world, I want to hear about it. The sky’s the limit….I’m open to anything. Let me hear what mind-candy you’re reading, what leadership guru’s are pouring into your life, or what book is challenging you spiritually.

My latest reads? Here you go:

Mind-candy: The Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins

Marriage: Heart to Heart About Men, Nancy Groom

Next up for me is UnChristian, by David Kinnaman (it’s been patiently waiting on my nightstand for several months).

And, on May 1st, my hubby’s book will be released, The Measure of our Success, An Impassioned Plea to Pastors. (shameless plug, really, since I’ve already read it) If you serve in ministry leadership, this is a must-read.

Ok, your turn. WHAT ARE YOU READING?

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On My Nightstand…..

My favorite church is currently in a teaching series called VOWS, and since we’re discussing all-things-marriage, I decided to read a book that go along with it.  Heart To Heart About Men is an oldie, but goodie.  God is using it to:

* make adjustments in the way I respond to my husband

* admit sins I didn’t recognize

* and, draw me closer to Himself.

I don’t know about you, but there are times that I’m not motivated to be the best wife I can be.  My selfish motives get in the way, or I wrongly interpret the intentions of my hubby.  Even if I’ve been offended, however, God still wants me to respond in honor and grace.

The author, Nancy Groom, has a wonderful way of paralleling the marriage relationship to our Heavenly relationship, which motivates me to change the way I act and respond to my hubby.

Want to know one of my favorite challenges from the book?  Here you go:

“Are we willing to listen to God’s voice so that what we speak comes only from what He is whispering in our ear?”

Geez Louise, that’s hard. (Yes, I say geez louise from time to time.)  I’ll admit I have a quick tongue.  Not with everyone, mind you.  Just with those that I love the most.  Quick to defend my actions or feelings.  Quick to respond before I think.  Quick to say the first thoughts that come to mind.  Yep, I’m quick-tongued.  And, that’s not a good thing.  Quick wit, yes.  Quick tongue, not so much.

Do you bear the same burden of a tongue that leaps into action before you’ve even had time to think?  I want to learn to listen to what God is whispering in my ear and speak only what He tells me to.  Who knows? I might just save myself needless arguments, hurt feelings, and damage to my hubby…..whom I love endlessly.

What about you?  Would you challenge yourself today to listen to what God is whispering in your ear and speak only His words? I’m going to.

Healing Your Marriage When Trust Has Been Broken

Is it possible?  Can a marriage that has been broken by betrayal actually be restored?  Can a couple divided be reunited?  Can adultery really be forgiven?  Can trust be rebuilt?

The short answer is yes.  But, the short answer might take quite a while.  Months.  Even years.  Trust is difficult to earn when adultery has ripped a couple in two, but it IS possible.

My friend, Cindy Beall, knows.  She’s lived it.  She has the scars, but she also has a renewed marriage….a renewed love…..and even a renewed understanding of confession and forgiveness.

Cindy’s book, Healing Your Marriage When Trust Has Been Broken, is a heart-wrenching, gut-level honest look at the lowest point in her marriage: the adulterous affairs (yes, that means more than one) of her husband, who just happened to be a pastor.

In the book, Cindy shares the intimate details of her reactions, private thoughts, inner struggles, anger, depression, and fears as she walked through the process of allowing God to heal her marriage.  Even more compelling is the portrayal of her husband’s willingness to earn trust.

Twice in the past week, God has allowed me to counsel ladies who have recently found themselves in the same situation as Cindy.  Their worlds have crumbled down around them as their husbands confessed to affairs.  I am so thankful that I had resources I could offer them:

1. A Christian marriage counselor right here on Mountain Lake Church’s campus.

2. Cindy’s book.

When a person’s entire life falls apart with one conversation, they need help to process the emotions and relationship minefield that surround them.  Counseling just might save the relationship.  And, hey, counseling isn’t just for the problem areas of our lives.  Regular “tune-ups” can heighten the value of all of our relationships.

If you find yourself in the same boat as my friends, click the link above and check out Cindy’s book.  The insight God gave her is priceless.  Allow her pain to help you heal.  And, find a Christian counselor.  Don’t try to navigate your pain alone.

Thanks, Cindy, for sharing your story with the world.  May God use it to heal many, many marriages for His glory.

Book Club: So Long Insecurity

The Pastor’s wives at Mountain Lake are no slouchers.  They serve our church and community.  They give of their time and resources.  They pastor the people of our church with their love and counsel.  And, they are incredible friends, wives, and mothers.  But, you know what?  They couldn’t successfully do any of that without filling their own tanks first.  That’s one reason I challenge our group to read through various books together each year.  We stretch our faith and sharpen our skills as we soak up devotional thoughts, leadership lessons, and best of all, as we share our journey with each other. 

Last week, we kicked off our latest book selection, So Long Insecurity by Beth Moore.  I sent an email to my PW’s with my thoughts for the first chapter, and since insecurity is something every person deals with at some point, I thought I’d share them with my blog friends, too. 

In the first chapter, Beth writes, “Are we honestly going to insist on drawing our security from people – men or women – who are oblivious to the inordinate amount of weight we give to their estimation of us?  Seriously?  Maybe others in our lives are not so clueless.  Maybe they revel in the power they hold over us.  Either way, are we just going to live our lives hurt and offended?  They thought is exhausting.  The reality is ultimately debilitating.”

I don’t know about you, but I have always tended to be a people-pleaser.  I come from a family of people-pleasers.  So, I give a lot of weight to what others think about me.  After all, I want to make them happy; to have them like me.  I clearly recognized this many years ago when I experienced a permanent fracture in a friendship.  I played no part in the demise of the relationship.  The break wasn’t due to an offense committed by either of us.  The other person simply didn’t like me.  End of story.  But, the fact that someone didn’t like me did a doozy on me!  Everything within me wanted to do something – anything – to make this person like me.  To gain their approval.  To win their friendship. I was giving such weight to their estimation of me that without their approval I felt defeated.  Thankfully, God broke through the haze clouding my thinking.  I knew in my head that winning the approval of men and women should never be my goal, but God helped that nugget of Truth sink into my heart.  And, let me tell you, there is freedom in releasing my people-pleasing grip on life!

I’ll be honest enough to say that I still want people to like me and that I still innately enjoy making people happy, but I’ve learned (am learning) that my value doesn’t lie in their estimation of me (or my house, or my skills, or my life, or my way of doing things, or my personality, or my….anything!).  I certainly don’t thumb my nose at others’ opinions, though.  Constructive criticism and wise advice can be invaluable to a successful life.  But, allowing those opinions affect how I feel about myself is off-limits for me now. 

What about you?  Do you sometimes struggle with the “pleasing disease”?  If so, let the words of Paul motivate you to change the way you think:

Galatians 1:10 “Obviously, I’m not trying to be a people pleaser!  No, I am trying to please God.  If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ’s servant.”

SharpenHer Bookshelf

Yesterday, I asked what books you had on your night stand, and thanks to your comments, I now have some great suggestions for future purchases.  I love a good book – fiction and non-fiction.  So, what’s sitting on MY nightstand?  Here you go:

Say Yes To God, by Kay Warren  This is an inspiring book to challenge your view of total surrender to God.  Whether you need to surrender parts of your character or your total world view, Kay will encourage you to seek God’s ways instead of your own.

So Long Insecurity, by Beth Moore  I’m reading through Beth’s book with the Pastor’s wives on my Team.  We typically read a chapter each week and share our thoughts with each other via email.  It’s a great method for staying connected with each other while growing in faith.  We actually kick this one off on April 4th.

God’s Armor Bearer, by Terry Nance  One of my PW’s loaned this one to me.  I haven’t tackled it, yet, but it looks intriguing.  Definitely on my to-read list.

And, on my Kindle App for my iPhone:

Immanuel’s Veins, by Ted Dekker  This one is fiction.  I always have a little mind-candy ready to go.  I love Dekker’s symbolism and story-telling.  If you like mystery, sci-fi, action, and romance, you’ll like Dekker.  Oh, and he always has a Christian theme in his books.  He weaves a masterful parallel of the Christian faith in all of his books. 

Ok, so that’s my nightstand…..or the SharpenHer bookshelf.  If you’ve read any of these, I’d love your thoughts.  Drop me a line!  Have a wonderful Wednesday!

What’s On Your Nightstand?

Today, I’ll be speaking at a community Bible study at another church in our area.  I’m looking forward to meeting some new people and making new connections.  These ladies come together each month to listen to a different speaker and then divide into small groups to continue their ongoing book study.  Currently, they are working through the book of Luke.  When they finish, they plan to tackle Acts.

So, it made me wonder what you guys are studying?   Are you reading through a book of the Bible or a devotional book?  So, let me hear from you…..what’s sitting on your nightstand?

Rescued

When it comes to reading, the only thing I like better than finding a good book is reading it with someone….or a group of someones!  The MLC Pastor’s Wives (PW’s) and I enjoy reading together and then sharing our thoughts via email.  If you struggle finding time to get together in some sort of study group, this might be a viable option for you, too.  We are just finishing Twelve Extraordinary Women, by John MacArthur, and this week we read about Mary Magdalene.

Now, if you don’t know much about Mary Magdalene, let me give you a quick bio:

-She is mentioned in all 4 Gospels

-She had a dark past; she is the same woman out of whom Jesus cast 7 demons

-As a demoniac, Mary probably led an extremely isolated life.  Most demoniacs were treated as outcasts by polite society and led miserable lives.

-And, she is the first one to whom Jesus revealed Himself after His resurrection.  Pretty cool.

My mind has been swimming with Shawn’s message this past Sunday about God’s generous love, so reading about Mary Magdalene was fitting. She was delivered from much affliction – demonic bondage. She must have led a friendless, isolated, lonely life. Can you imagine how liberated she must have felt when Jesus commanded the demons out of her? Can you fathom the love she must have felt for her Savior? I can’t. When I put myself in her shoes, tears easily come to my eyes. To finally have a friend…to be found worthy of attention….to be chosen by Christ…..to be rescued from a life of literal hell….well, it’s absolutely overwhelming, isn’t it? I mean, really, let your mind go there. Mary Magdalene was rescued, delivered, loved, and made new by Jesus!

I may not have been rescued from demonic possession, but Jesus rescued me nonetheless. He absolutely rescued me.  He brought people into my life to teach me about His generous love for me.  He protected me when I made so many unwise choices.  He pursued me even when I was running in the opposite direction.  He rescued me from a life with no purpose.  Left to my own devices, I would have likely followed in the footsteps of so many and lived an empty life. But, my Savior didn’t just save me from eternal separation from Him, He saved me from a life of wandering! He set my feet on a firm foundation and lavished His love on me and gave my heart all it needed – security, purpose, worth, and esteem. How great is my our God!

What about you, my friend? How has God lavished His love on you? How has He rescued you? That’s today’s challenge: to reflect and celebrate on God’s unwarranted, generous love. And, of course, you KNOW I’d love to hear from you. I’m energized by hearing what God is teaching you, so leave me a comment and share your thoughts.

SharpenHer Book Shelf

I’m a reader.   I always have a book or two on my nightstand.  Or, more recently, on my Kindle app on my Iphone.   I tend to read leadership/devotional (SharpenHer-ing) books in the morning and mind candy (suspense, mystery) at night.  At the end of a busy day, there’s nothing better than crawling under some warm blankets and reading a great story until I fall asleep – which I do almost every time I read at night.  Back in the day, my hubby would have to ease the book out of my hand and turn off my lamp.  Now, I’m all “2010″ and my Iphone just cuts off after I starting making zzzz’s.  Ahh, the benefits of technology.

Want to know what’s on my shelf?  Well, here you go:

Just finished:

Christian Atheist, by Craig Groeschel I read this one along with the other Pastor’s Wives on my Ministry Team.  It was a tool for sharpening our thinking as leaders.

The Girl Who Played with Fire, by Stieg Larrsson Ok, I wanted to know what all the buzz was about.  Some scenes were far too explicit for me.

Currently reading:

12 Extraordinary Women, by John MacArthur Interesting read combining historical context of a few of the women of the Bible  with modern day application.

Tortured for Christ, by Richard Wumbrand Recommended by my friend, Amy Groeschel.  Has blown my mind on what suffering really is….and what a true follower of Jesus looks like.

So, what’s next?  That’s where you come in.  What’s on your book shelf?  Mind candy?  Leadership?  Devotional?  I read it all, so give me your recommendations!