Ironic Adventures
   

The Respect Dare {A Review}

respect dare imgWhat is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the words “respect” and “your husband” in the same sentence? Yeah. I thought so.

But this is not a book about submission. And quiet oddly, I could readily argue that this is not even a book about respecting your husband.

This is a book about realizing and respecting the woman God has called you to be - despite your past and present challenges. By looking deeper into your self and what makes you who you are (how you think, how you grew up, your dreams, your relationship with God) The Respect Dare challenges and helps you to become a woman of Godly character who loves, supports, and respects her husband. Because you cannot truly love or respect your husband without first loving and respecting your Savior. 

I will admit – I felt a bit silly to start reading this book: The Geek and I have an awesome marraige at the moment. A few normal lumps now and again, but overall, I believe we are truly blessed in our marital relationship thus far (almost 9 years, if you’re interested).

But, about 3 chapters in, the initial ”I-don’t-need-a-self-help-book” skepticism wore off, and I began to really see this was more than a book about respecting my husband. It was a book about respecting my Savior. It was a book about growing my relationship with God and assessing my motives in all aspects of my marriage, my motherhood, and my life. By looking at my true intentions and motives, I realized that while I can easily say “yeah, I do respect my husband” – the real truth is that I could do a whole lot better at understand what the word “respect” actually means and what it looks like on a daily and non-self-serving basis.

I have been challenged to watch my actions and words. Words to him…and words to other wives about him. Rather than only picking out the bad and unwanted actions I see in my husband, I am trying to choose words of encouragement and support. Not that a wife cannot disagree with her husband. Not that by reading this book I now see The Geek as being perfect (hardly, he is human and so am I).

…But, it is just that, so often, I find myself drawn to point out that which displeases me in him or about him, rather than that which is Godly and amazing. And I so often find myself upset when something he does (or doesn’t do) doesn’t live up to my expectations or illusions of what a husband should do. So I am challegnged to look more for the times when he does things I would have never expected but am so wordlessly thankful for. All the things I take for granted and never say thank you for.

The Respect Dare isn’t lite “self-help” reading. If you go into it thinking this, you’ll miss the point. Even with a good marriage I found I am not always treating my husband with the respect and love he needs and desires. This book has challenged me to deepen my relationship with God, assess myself, and ultimately enjoy being a wife – even in the times (and there have a few been times!) when I am not quiet sure what I was thinking. I am trying to intentionally respect The Geek daily. Does he notice? I don’t know. I hope so. Maybe some days I do better than others (for sure!). But I do know one thing – I have certainly begun to change the way I think about and approach the respect issue within my marriage.

Yes, this was a review copy of the book. No, I was not paid to say nice things about it. That’s not how I roll. I’m real. All my thoughts and the personal realizations and reflections I have shared are real. Do with them what you will. 

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Just What I Needed

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I’m not usually a big fan of the page-a-day devotionals. Why? Because I have done many over the years and while they start out as new and exciting…they would become old and stale in as little as a month. The writing and words and truths are so simple and I know them all already! Boring – right? So I went out and got myself a “real” and “meaty” bible study.

But let’s face it…as a mom of two energy-fill little boys, how much time do I have for a meaty cross-referencing bible study? None. Honestly – none! The Kay Arthur Bible study {on the book of Matthew} I purchased…that was over  a year ago now. Guess what? It still sits unfinished in a binder – I managed to keep up with the rigorous study for two whole weeks. Fail.

So, when I saw Kay’s little one-a-day devotional book was up for review: YES! Perfect. I knew I liked her writing style – and the format is much, much shorter.

Here’s the back-of-the-book preview:

“In this power-packed daily devotional, Kay Arthur beckons you to a deeper relationship with God, helping you discover for yourself the life-changing power of His unshakeable love. As each brief reading draws you into the Bible and leads you into purposeful prayer, you’ll be equipped to greet each day with bold faith, confident in God’s faithfulness, strength, and transforming grace.”

Do I feel equipped? Yes. Does this simple and short page-a-day style get me deeper into the Word? Yes. Under Kay’s advice I read a psalm each day along with her devotional note.

Is it simple? Sure. And that is exactly what I need right now!

Do I feel my faith changed, challenged, and strengthened  Surprisingly, yes. Life has been through some tough stuff at our family lately. I can’t tell you how many times over the past month this little book has slapped  me in the face. With God’s love. With God’s power. With God’s forgiveness. I’ve been convicted with those “simple” words I know in my head, but have forgotten in my heart. This little book has been a true blessing of release for me. I can manage a page a day. this book is helping me open my day with God – asking Him to take my hurts and worries and be in control of the coming day – in those few minutes before the chaos of the day begins.

{I was given this book for my honest review from Blogging for Books.}

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Bible Stories that End with a Hug!

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Bible Stories that End with a Hug is an adorably illustrated children’s Bible story book that encourages hugs at the end of each lesson. The stories are very short and very simplified. They are almost like little devotionals. Each story is followed by application questions that give simple answers for any child to understand.

My boys are 3 and 5, and when I first paged through the book, I did think it was a little young for them…but Bible Stories that End with a Hug was a hit with my boys. They LOVE it and always ask for more than one story at a time.


The best part? Hugs! I think this is what brought my boys back to the book day after day: they liked waiting to hear who the would hug at the end of the story. After each story, it says to give a big hug to someone who…”loves God” or “someone who God made special.” Things like this are perfect for little kids, especially kids who like to get up and move around. Hugs got pretty wild at our house this week. :-)

Were the stories too simple? Maybe. The stories might be too simple if you’re looking for more “meaty” bible stories for kids. The book does gloss over some things. For example, the story of Cain and Able doesn’t really tell the real story – it states that the brothers were very different, and that one brother was good and one brother was bad. While my first impression was to be bothered at the simplicity…I think it makes sense for ages under 3 or 4.

I think Bible Stories that End with a Hug would be the perfect baby shower or baptism gift. I think it is simple enough for kids under age 2. What a wonderful way to introduce God’s love to young kids – with hugs and snuggles!

(I was given this book to review by Tyndale House Publishers. All opinions are my own and honest. I would not recommend a book unless I would buy it myself.)

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One Month to Live, by Kerry & Chris Shook

I have to say I was disappointed in this book. The premise sounds good, but I did not find it to be the “life changing” challenge the cover claims.

As a Christian wife and mom there were many thinking points within the 30 days that I found interesting or insightful. However, the entire book felt like one giant motivational speech, which is not really my kind of thing. Yes – having motivation and encouragement to change our lives to live more purposefully and Godly IS important and good. However, the approach -I felt- was stale and routine. The book is divided into 4 “principles,” and I believe each section could have been half as short and still effective in its purpose. Each chapter of a section kept REPEATING itself, using a different metaphor or story. I found this tiresome and completely un-motivational!

I did glean some WONDERFUL reminders – such as the need to let go of past regrets and grievances; telling God how I -really- feel; and this book reminded me to speak to Him throughout the day because HE does care about the “little things.” But as I said before – much of the book is a repeat of itself, so the reading and journaling got very stale and went in circles simply because no real “new” insights were being introduced on a daily basis.

Perhaps this book has been really great for some people, there have been raving reviews about how it really changed a person’s outlook on life. I cannot deny their claims because we are all different people. I would say it IS worth a read. Even if it is slow and repetitive, there are gems of insight to be picked out and put to use.

***I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review, all views and opinions are my own.

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Evil is all around us, looking for a crack in our Armor.

The Canary List gives a very powerful and very real warning: Evil is all around us, looking for a crack in our Armor.

Having never picked up a Sigmund Brouwer novel, I found myself interested purely by the recommendation of his book by another of my favorite authors, Tosca Lee. I thought if a writer I loved was praising the book, then it MUST be worth reading…

…BINGO! I was hooked from the Prologue, only putting it down after about half-way through because as a mom of 2 busy boys, I rarely get a whole afternoon to myself for finishing a novel.

Brouwer’s book gave me the chills I get from reading a Frank Perretti book (this is a good thing!). The Canary List gives a powerful and very real warning: Evil is all around us, looking for a crack in our Armor. Jamie is a 12-year-old girl who has the daunting “gift” to sense the evil (the presence of demons) in others. Crockett Grey is just a normal guy and Jamie’s school teacher. Because of her decision to turn to him for safety one night, he becomes entwined in a labyrinth of secrets, cover-ups, Satanism, and genetic mysteries – all pointing Crockett to the Vatican and decades of deadly secrets.

The best part of this book was that I could not predict what would happen next. I was unsure until the last pages if one of the main players, Cardinal O’Hare, was good or evil. This was the case with many of the characters – with such great writing and such twisted secrets, it was a joy to see the plot unfold in a way I did not expect! A fascinating look into the realm of supernatural spiritual warfare – and the part that very real war plays in our everyday lives. I would highly recommend The Canary List to those who enjoy authors like Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker.

The scary part of this masterfully woven tale, is that it is not merely speculative. C.S. Lewis said it best:

“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. The themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”

Read the First Chapter of The Canary List HERE – oh, and make sure to have your wallet handy, because you’re going to want to buy the rest of the book by chapters end!

***I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.***

 

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