Overcoming unforgiveness, what a relief.

I'm not a grudge-holder. I don't do silent treatments or blacklists and I can't stand it when people do that to me. I rarely get offended or angry and certainly can't stay that way. It's just not the way I'm wired. So, it was quite a surprise to me when I got to the chapter on Overcoming Unforgiveness in Beth Moore's book, Praying God's Word. I honestly thought I could skip over the chapter because, like I implied, I'd rather have a root canal than be in disagreement with someone. I thought I could skip it, of course, until I started reading it. Isn't it always the way? Satan seems to go after us in the areas we think we're strongest. I may not be one to huff and puff, but after reading Beth's words, I have learned that I'm good at holding grudges in my heart. I've allowed plenty of past hurts to take residence there and creep back out in bitter words and thoughts from time to time. I have allowed these things to make me feel worthy of basking in self-pity when I was having a "woe is me" kind of day. I really wasn't the super-forgiver I thought I was.

I didn't realize that this spirit of unforgiveness that I was harboring was really a stronghold between God and I. He wants us to forgive; after-all, we aren't the judge of others wrong-doings, He is. Beth Moore says it better than I ever could in the following paragraph taken from Praying God's Word (pg. 220),

"Innumerable strongholds are connected to an unwillingness to forgive. Left untreated, unforgiveness becomes spiritual cancer. Bitterness takes root, and since the root feeds the rest of the tree, every branch of our lives and every fruit on each limb ultimately become poisoned. Beloved sister or brother, the bottom line is...unforgiveness makes us sick. Always spiritually. Often emotionally. And, surprisingly often, physically." 

Beth goes on to describe forgiveness as "letting something go to God" as opposed to the "feeling" we think it is. She says, "[f]orgiveness is the ongoing act by which we agree with God over the matter, practice the mercy He's extended to us, and surrender the situation, the repercussions, and the hurtful person to Him."

Let me tell you something, friends. Since reading this chapter, I've put her definition of forgiveness into practice and it works. Of course, I do catch myself trying to harbor things from time to time, but now I'm quick(er) to cast them out. It's somewhat therapeutic to carry burdens around only to hash and re-hash. Sadly, that kind of therapy is about as effective as scarfing down some ice cream sundaes to cast away hurt. Neither way works. The best way to forgive is to surrender the situation, as Beth said. It will show Christlikeness and open space in your heart for more virtues, fewer strongholds.

What a relief.
^---

^{This post is listed on the Time Warp Wife's Titus2sday blog link-up. Please head over to Darlene's site to check out all of the awesome blogs linked up today!}

PinFTW: Child Training Bible

From the second I saw this pin for the Child Training Bible, I knew it was a must-have for our family. What I didn't know, however, is how much it would be a must-have for mommy as well. This thoughtful Bible-centered guide for child discipline was created by a homeschooling mom of four in an effort to speak the words of truth to her own children. From what I can tell, her creation has been wildly popular. I see it popping up on pins, blogs, and Facebook almost every day.

I ordered the supplies needed to put this Bible together right away and got to work soon after it arrived. Not only has this project been helpful for me as a mom, it's been helpful for me as a Christian. Going through each area of discipline, highlighting and reading the related verses has been really enlightening. I've learned a lot of great verses and started thinking critically about how to apply some of the ones I already knew.  Putting the complete Training Bible together is simple, even for this non-crafter. All you have to do is follow the directions that come with the laminated reference cards, then highlight and post-it your heart out.

I would not only recommend this affordable, color-coded masterpiece to parents, but also to anyone who's looking for counsel within the Word of God. It's a very easy way to find scriptural direction easily to many areas of discipline - great for those just learning about the Bible and those who have read it cover to cover many times over. I encourage you to check it out and get started on your own. :)

Interested? 
Check out the Child Training Bible website by clicking here.
Link up with Child Training Bible on Facebook by clicking here.

These Bibles make great gifts - especially for new parents!!! If you've used one, I'd love to know what you think. Leave your feedback in the comment box below. Feel free to ask any questions as well and I'll do my best to answer. :)

(PS. I highly recommend ordering your highlighters and post-its from the Amazon links shown on the site - you need to make sure all of the colors match those on the laminated cards. The pew Bible shown is nice, too).

(PPS. This post is linked up with Jenny & Emily's PinFTW blog carnival at Mommin' it Up. Go check 'em out and see all that's Pinteresting today). 

Embracing Your Role as Help Meet and an eBook Giveaway from Time Warp Wife!

I know I've written before about my personal attachment to Proverbs 31 and Titus 2. These references are used a lot in Christian circles and it's my hope that you (and I) never get over the commandments and truths produced in these beautiful works of scripture as they are critical pieces to our daily operation as women of God.

The ink was still wet on my college diploma when my husband and I went to the altar at age 22. I had the husband I always wanted, the beautiful wedding I always wanted, the charming little first house I always wanted, and the power job I always wanted. What else did I really need to know or do? It was time to just...live life. Right? Wrong. I remember hearing a lot about I Cor 13 around the time of our nuptials, but I can't remember ever hearing the first word about Proverbs 31 or Titus 2 - explicit instruction given to wives and mothers. And, that's really unfortunate. I Cor 13 tells us what love is and isn't, but Proverbs 31 and Titus 2 tells us how to live out that love and how it manifests through a Christlike heart. During the early years of marriage and for the majority of my life as mom, I was still seeking fulfillment in a career. I was trying to do it all, but being so over-committed, I really didn't do much at all.

I began looking at all of my responsibilities like a flower garden. I was tending each area enough to allow it to survive, but none were really flourishing. Some areas (my home, family, and relationship with Christ) needed water, fertilizer and attention. Other areas just needed to be pruned a little. Some areas (my career) needed to be ripped up and sent to the compost pile. Once I took care of the pruning and composting, I immediately went to work at home as a full-time mom and wife - using the conviction and direction of Christ to help the garden grow. Without the other distractions, I've been able to enjoy this time with a happy heart more than I ever imagined. Some people say it takes a special person to stay home with children; I say it takes a special God. Without influence from the Lord, I wouldn't have come to realize my inadequacies and where my true responsibilities needed to be. All of that said, I absolutely do not condemn any woman that works outside the home. I know that sometimes it's a necessity and Proverbs 31 instructs us to be hard workers, that's clear. This is all I beg of you...evaluate your priorities regularly. Make sure that the value of your soul is in Christ alone who drives you to take care of your family and home first, and not in the value of your annual salary.

Shortly after I joined the ranks of stay-at-home-momdom, I realized there was still a lot I didn't know, that's where one of my new favorite books comes in. The Good Wife's Guide: Embracing Your Role as a Help Meet (By Darlene Schacht) really gave me wise and practical counsel during those early days back at home. She breaks down the heart work involved with caring for your family as a woman of God (the whys) and then the hard work (the hows). In the first section, Darlene is quick to identify with readers, sharing her own challenges as unnatural housekeeper turned domestic diva only by God's grace. She's extremely relatable and candid in her writing; many parts of her book read like a heart-to-heart with a good friend. The second section is a practical guide for keeping house. As someone who's also domestically challenged (and has also been known to have more clothes on the floor than in drawers) this is just what I needed to direct my actions. She provides many lists for chores, frugality, upkeep, and simplifying homemaking. I would buy and recommend the book for this section alone.

Because Darlene (aka Time Warp Wife) is such a sweet lady who desperately wants to serves others and share the truth of what God commands us to do as wives and moms, she's agreed to give away The Good Wife's Guide, in eBook form to two of my readers. If you'd like to register to win a copy of this awesome ebook, you can do so via the no-fuss Rafflecopter widget below. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Books on Tape...er...CD...your iPod!

A week or so I shared my thoughts on e-readers; but, this week, I have even more bookworm news for you! Remember when you were a little person traveling in the car for hours and hours with your parents and they pulled out the "books on tape." I went a while...maybe 15 years or so...without thinking about books on tape. I guess I didn't really have time or a reason to use them, but I recently got reacquainted with being read to via my iPod when I was pursuing music on iTunes. There are SO many books that I want to read; and, even though I have my Kindle in tow all the time, I still can't speed read at the rate I'd like to.

These re-formed books on tape are a bajillion times better than when we were little kids - there's no rewinding and you can download an audio file in seconds. There's also a ton of *good* titles available. I think it's a great way to get through that book you really, really, want to read, but can't find the time for. Now, I know what you're thinking, "Hey, crazy lady, when do I have time to sit and listen to a WHOLE audio book?" I bet you have time if you think about it. Ever ride in the car alone? Wait to pick up kids somewhere? Sit in a waiting room? Grocery shop by yourself? Nearly pass out from silence while you're matching socks? Need something else to do while using the treadmill (besides think of reasons to hurry up and hop off the treadmill)? Upload the book to your iPod (or other MP3 player), get yourself some comfy earbuds, and "read" away. One major bonus is, you don't have to listen to the whole thing in one sitting. You can put it down and come back to it as you have time. I've been through books and books and books this way. I'm not gonna lie, I feel like I've learned a lot from these books by just listening. Hmm, too bad I didn't have this skill in school.  I've listened to some great titles from Beth Moore, J.I. Packer, Martha Peace, and others. You can also get some awesome audio books from the library, too. F R E E. You just have to remember to take those back on time...I'm working on that one.

Have you listened to any good audio books lately? Any good recommendations for audio books for kids? If so, let me know in the comment box below.

What do you mean I didn't know how to read when I was born?

I love to read and write so much that I just assumed my kids would be born doing both by way of my abundant love for both subjects...or, you know, something like that.

With our oldest at the learn-to-read age, I'm remembering something I must have put out of my head...learning to read and write is a lot of hard work! It's also quite frustrating if you're one of the younger kids in class and everyone else seems to be "getting it." We see definite progress with our sweet girl's reading, but there's still a lot of frustration, too. I honestly just through I'd keep keep reinforcing lessons learned at school, but I've seen quite a few mommies Facebooking it up at about this book, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons lately. I felt a little peer pressured into seeing what it was about. On Amazon, this book has over 700 reviews and nearly 5 stars. That's always a good sign! I picked up my copy today and the lessons look straight-forward and easy. From what I've seen, also, the book teaches you how to teach the child. I need that! Aside from sounding out letters, which is the only thing I remember about learning how to read, I don't know any other reading tricks. I can't wait to get started on them this weekend. I'll be sure to report back and let you know how it's going - good, bad, or otherwise.

If you've tried this book, let me know! I'd love to hear your feedback. Everything I've seen posted on Facebook looks good. I hope we'll be off green eggs and hamming it it up in no time!

Want your own copy? Click here to buy from Amazon.com. 

What's holding you back?

I've been hearing about this Beth Moore lady for quite a few years, but I never imagined the Lord would use one of her books to change my life. If you haven't read any of Beth Moore's books, pick one...any one. You won't be disappointed. I love reading, I really do, but I prefer books that are quick, conversational, and filled with wit and substance. Beth's books are like that. She has an amazing gift of writing and teaching. She's the kind of person you'd love to have coffee and scones with and call your friend. 

About the same time I was trying to make a break from Corporate America, a friend of mine was pouring over Beth Moore's books and her Bible studies. I decided to check them out and found that Praying God's Word: Breaking Free from Spiritual Strongholds looked like the perfect book for this girl who who has had stronghold after stronghold for what seems like forever (one of my strongholds has been FOOD, shown stage right there, though I didn't realize it). 

I didn't know what "spiritual bondage" or "spiritual strongholds" were, not to mention that I had a bundle of them. I didn't realize that things I saw as "personality quirks" were really strongholds keeping me from Christ - fear, pride, bitterness, food, and addiction to name a few. This book is packed full of scripture and kept leading me back to God's Word; it showed me how to overcome these things through deep-seated prayer and the Word - thus drawing me closer to Him and helping me trust Him more. I recommend this book to ALL women, Christian or not, new believer, seasoned believer, questioning believer.... It's an excellent read and I wouldn't hesitate to say that it changed my life. 

Here it is on Amazon.

If you read it, let me know what you think.