Category Archives: Books

Because I Want you to Read Along -A Book Giveaway-

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I don’t know if it’s only me, but I can hardly find blogs, books, or good articles to encourage women who, like me, are entering this new stage in life in which “all of a sudden” you are a mom of young adult children. Soemtimes Nancy Wilson at Femina, and Carolyn Mahaney at Girltalk have some pretty good -and challenging- stuff for us, but for the most part, what is written out there is directed towards young moms.

Yesterday I shared about a book I will start reading and, God willing, blogging about starting on February 5. This book, You Never Stop Being a Parent: Thriving in Relationship with Your Adult Children,  will certainly be a blessing to many women who are asking themselves many questions like how their role as a mom changes once their children become adults. So, today, and because I really want you to join me reading in along, and because I know some of my friends are purposely not buying any more books on 2014 (only after they finish the pile they already have at home!), I have decided to give away one copy of this book.

 

An invitation to read along

So if you want your name to be in the drawing, just leave a comment here. I will announce a winner next  Wednesday, January 22 (USA only).

And if you are not in this season of life yet, make sure to pass the voice among your friends, and don’t forget to enter your name in there; if you win, you can give the book to your friend, you know she will be very happy, right?

Under His sun and by His grace,

Becky

So, I am the Mom of Adult Children; What do I do Now? -And an Invitation to Read a Book among Friends-

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There comes a day when three of your children are in college, and right after that comes the day in which the oldest of them bows on his knee to propose marriage to a beautiful young lady. That day you know you are, without a doubt, in a different stage of life. So you smile, swallow hard, and give thanks.

Yes, that’s it. The tiny hands pulling from your skirt, the toys all over, the three-lines songs about chickens and cows are way past gone. No more diapers, no more hours trying to choose the best homeschool curriculum, no more multiplication tables or Latin chants. You are, finally, living in the days which, for the first months in the life of your oldest child, you were sure were never going to come. Yes, oh yes, children do grow up. Pretty fast. In front of our eyes. Eating our food -soul food and body food- And it doesn’t matter if at times we feel like we don’t even know when or how in the world that thing happened.

We believe we are, finally, in the stage in which the sleepless nights are gone…

Oh, wait.

Seriously?

No, not really. We now pray all night while they sleep.

Now, as I see my son and his fiancé planning their wedding; as I listen to my daughter’s deepest heart’s beats as she starts a courtship relationship; as I listen attentively to my youngest son’s dreams; and as I pay attention and watch the way he is building those dreams with his own hands, I find myself asking,  What do I do now? What am I suppose to do now, Lord?

Three words keep coming to my heart (my words for 2014) as I try to answer these questions:

Grow where you are. In this new stage of life, learn and grow.

Build bridges among them and towards them.

Edify their lives with words and deeds.

I know well that in order to grow I first need to learn. Learn new rhythms, new patterns; I must learn how to play on the stage of life the new roles God has assigned me. And just as I read dozens of books on parenting, and childrearing, and potty training, and the reproduction of brain cells in the early stages of life -listening to Mozart, of course-, I now need to sit down again and read to learn.

I want to learn how to be a faithful mom of adult children, a wise mother-in-law, and a good wife to my husband in this new and unknown season of our life together.

Perhaps you too are entering into this new season or maybe you are already changing the diapers of your grandchildren! It doesn’t really matter, I am thinking that we should read this one book along, and then come and sit together here, once a week, to discuss it and encourage one other to learn and grow so that we can effectively build relationships with our sons and daughters, as well as keep edifying their lives.

Will you join me?

Buy through Grace and Truth Books

The book: You Never Stop Being a Parent: Thriving in Relationship with Your Adult Children by Elise Fitzpatrick and Jim Newheiser

The plan: A chapter a week starting on February 5 (there are 10 chapters, a conclusion and four appendixes). I would love, ideally, to finish it on April 2.

You have enough time to order your book and get it before February 5. I really hope you can join me, I am sure it will be a blessing.

Grow, Build, and Edify in Him and through Him,

Becky

Welcoming Friends who Disagree with Us

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Canon Press

Steve Wilkins in his excellent book, Face to Face: Meditations on Friendship and Hospitality says about having friends with whom we may not always agree with theologically:

“If a believer were to surround himself only with those who agreed with on every particular of the faith, he would never grow in understanding. He would be “right” about everything, never knowing whether or not he held certain wrong or indefensible positions. Holy differences are means by which we grow in our understanding and discernment, clarifying and solidifying the understanding of our faith…Forbearance in these matters is essential. When this is lacking, it is impossible for biblical friendships to prosper. If you only want friends who will always agree with you, you will never have any true friends…We desire to learn the truth, and it is not helpful to avoid these differences. We must learn to see the good side of our differences.” (p.85)

Have a blessed week, dear Friends,

Becky

Declaring War on Anxiety -A Meditation on Job-

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Canon Press

Continuing with more wise words from Toby J. Sumpter’s book, A Son for Glory (the context is Job 2-3):

 

 “Paul himself disagrees with a stoic passivity to every event in our lives, and he does not contradict himself. He says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7). Paul does not say that we should not be anxious because God is in control and does whatever he pleases (though there is a sense in which that is true). Paul says that we should not be anxious because we are constantly pouring out our anxieties to God. Paul instructs the Philippians about how to fight anxiety through prayer. This is the same exhortation that Peter gives his readers. They ought to cast all their anxieties on God, because He cares for them (1 Peter 5:7). Paul is making the same point. There is to be thanksgiving, but faithful prayer does not ignore anxieties and pain. Faithful people will let their requests be made known to God; they will cast their anxieties upon Him. Also notice the goal of voicing these fears and pains and anxieties to God: the peace of God… Crying out to in anguish and fear to the God of heaven is not giving in to anxiety; it is declaring war on that anxiety. It is refusing to give up the fight.

Job is going to go on fighting for the rest of the book. Job is a warrior… Faith looks to God in hope, but faith is not blind, and faith is not lifeless. Faith doesn’t pretend it doesn’t hurt, and faith isn’t apathetic about the gifts -friends, family, health- that God has given us. Faith loves those gifts of God, and when they are threatened or taken away, faith cries out to God, “Why are you doing this?” Faith is hungry for goodness and justice and mercy. Faith is the woman who won’t stop bringing her requests to the master, because he is the master and because he is the Lord.”

Praying without ceasing and giving thanks…

Becky

Job Consecrated His Children Daily to God- A Meditation-

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“His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.” Job 1: 4-5


Jim LePage Art and Design

Toby J.Sumpter in his book, Job through New Eyes: A Son for Glory says,

” [S]in is also a directional thing, a geographical reality, a sort of teleology. Literally, the verb in the Hebrew means “to sin” means “to miss the mark”; it means you’ve veered off the path. To sin is to be going in the wrong direction, to be in the wrong place.


So what does Job do? Job is saying, God, I’m not sure what my sons have been doing, but want to reorient them to you again. I’m not sure where they’ve been , I’m not sure what they’ve said. I’m not sure what’s going on their hearts, so I’m offering them back to you again. This one for my firstborn son, this one for my secondborn son, this one for my thirdborn, and I am offering them up to you. I remind you of them. Consider my sons, and draw them into your presence…Job did this regularly.”


And so do I.


Amen.

Becky

From My Reading Corner – The One Wrong Thing to Say-

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Reformation Heritage Books

What a great book Jessalyn chose this month for the book club at Desiring Virtue. I don’t want to put it down!

Here is a good quote that got me thinking…

“We live in an age where the one wrong thing to say is that somebody else is wrong. One of the impacts of postmodern epistemology is that we all have our own independent points of view, and we look at things from the perspective of our own small interpretive communities. What is sin to one group is not sin to another group. But not only does the Bible insist that there is such a thing as sin, it insists that the heart of its ugly offensiveness is its horrible odiousness to God—how it offends God.”

And this other one is powerful too:

 “The cross spectacularly displays God’s love, but it also displays God’s wrath against sin; it massively underscores God’s condemnation of sin…We are all guilty before God, and the cross is our only hope.”

Maybe you would like to join us at the book club this month as we dig deeper into the powerful message of the Cross and the Resurrection of our Lord. We would love to see you there.

Under His sun and by His grace,

Becky