Review: Stepping Out in Faith

One of my favorite memories of our two years at Grace Community Church was the new experience of hearing the testimonies of new converts who were being baptized. It was such a sweet time, so encouraging and refreshing. It was remarkable to me that so many of those being baptized were former Catholics. And I loved hearing how other members of the Grace Community had been so faithful to build relationships with these folks, diligently sharing the only truth that leads to salvation.

Stepping Out in Faith: Former Catholics Tell Their Stories (edited by Mark Gilbert) reminded me of those baptismal services. As each of the 11 stories unfolded, I couldn't wait to see how the Lord had intervened in each person's life. Each story is unique. Some were Catholic in name only; others remained Catholic for a time after being saved, leaving once they grew to see the extent of doctrinal error. Some were slowly drawn by the Lord in the course of everyday life; others became open due to traumatic events in their life or the life of a family member. These testimonies are diverse because people are diverse.

But most of these stories had something in common: the importance of the local Christian church. So many of these former Catholics found their way out of their comfort zone and into a healthy, gospel church. There they discovered two things: people who lived out Christ's love, and pastors who taught from God's Word.

I read this book to evaluate whether or not it would be a good book to pass along to Catholic friends at the right time (and it is that), but I found it challenging me, as well. How willing am I to invest time, energy, and genuine friendship in unbelievers who I encounter in my daily life? How prepared am I to listen, to get to know them, to serve them, to share the hope that they so desperate need? This is my challenge; this is our Lord's command.

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:5-6)

Cross Focused Reviews provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for a review; however, the views stated here are my own. This review has also been posted on Amazon.com and Goodreads. This post contains affiliate links.    

Review: Seasons of the Heart

On our recent flight home from Arizona, I found myself with nothing to read. For some reason, this was a low-tech flight: no media screens or headphone jacks. After reading the in-flight magazine, browsed the catalog of unique and overpriced items, I remembered that I had downloaded a book by a popular Christian author to my laptop. This author promised to remind me that I'm deeply loved, accepted, and celebrated by God. As I read for the next half hour, it was clear to me that the author could weave a beautiful story, really trying to connect with the reader. And yet, I found myself longing for more -- more substance, more unpacking of Scripture, more focus on God and His glory.

When we returned home, I found another book waiting for me. Seasons of the Heart: A Year of Devotions from One Generation of Women to Another is a unique compilation of writings from women of the past. These women are from varied backgrounds and seasons of life; many endured hardships and sufferings beyond what most of us might experience. But the common element, the common thread, is their enduring faith in God. And their focus, even in the midst of their own struggles? Encouraging others to draw near to Christ, look to Him, abide in Him, and glorify Him.

I'm not a huge fan of devotional books, as a rule, but I'm drawn to this book. Because many of the writings are taken from personal letters and journals, composed with no thought of being published, an informal and personal tone is maintained. I found myself connecting with these women, especially after reading through the brief biographies at the back of the book (I'd encourage you to read these first). 

During our trip to Arizona, we took advantage of the great Mexican food and, of course, In-N-Out Burger every chance we had. As much as I enjoyed it, by the time we were heading home my body was telling me it needed something different, some nutrients I'd been lacking. When I read my first page of Seasons of the Heart: A Year of Devotions from One Generation of Women to Another, I felt like it was providing me with the substance that the earlier book had lacked. I think I devoured about ten devotions that night, wondering if I'll ever attempt to finish that other book.

Seasons of the Heart is a book you'll want to keep on your nightstand, and it would make a great gift for a woman in any season of life, wherever she might be in her walk of faith.



Cross Focused Reviews provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for a review; however, the views stated here are my own. This review has also been posted on Amazon.com and Goodreads. This post contains affiliate links.  

Where are the older women?

Every now and then, I come across something on another blog that's just too good not to share. When I saw Brian Croft's post on Practical Shepherding this morning, I knew that those who might benefit most from what he had written might not even see it since Brian's target audience is pastors.

Here's the post -- read it first then come back here for just a little more on subject.

Our family has visited the church Brian pastors, and it's full of young moms -- moms eager to serve, grow, and teach their children the importance of faith and the local church. It's easy to see why this subject would be on Brian's mind.

And his post brought to my mind a question that I've been asked so often in the churches where my husband has served: Where are the older women? This was asked by younger women who desired to be mentored, but often found the older women to be either disengaged or disinterested.

Ladies, here are some women with so much to teach, so much to share... but chances are, no one is asking them. These are women with so much left to give, and such a need to receive. These are often the forgotten saints in our churches, offered fellowship only with those in their own age group.

Recently, our family had the opportunity for a lengthy time of fellowship with an older congregation in the Highlands of Scotland. One of the members, a 93-year-old woman, fascinated us with impromptu stories of God's working in her life through faith-building tragedies. And yet, as she stood before us, the joy of the Lord clearly lit her face. We were challenged in our own faith even as we joined in her joy.

I hope you'll take this pastor's exhortation to heart. And when you do, I believe you'll not only bless someone, but you and your children will be blessed, as well.

Update: Brian followed up with a post on how to practically reach out to these older women. I hope you'll check it out and give it a try!

Review: Three Decades of Fertility

When I received my Kindle copy of Three Decades of Fertility: Ten Ordinary Women Surrender to the Creator and Embrace Life for review, I really had no expectations. As a woman at the tail-end of three decades of fertility, I simply thought it might be an interesting read.

The main body of the book consists of the first-person stories of ten different Christian women, ranging in age from forty-three to fifty-five. As each story unfolds, we learn how marriage, family, and love for the Lord transformed these woman. After telling her story, each woman's answers to a survey on childbearing are shared.

The book closes with two bonus chapters on keeping our bodies healthy during the childbearing years. One is written by a doctor and deals with maintaining the physical structure of the body, the other is written by a an amateur herbalist and deals with nutrition.

The positives:

• As a mother, I found myself drawn into many of these women's lives as they dealt with various aspects of pregnancy and motherhood, including miscarriage and adoption. 
• It was obvious that each woman desired to honor God through her testimony, even as she shared her struggles and failures along the way.
• The bonus chapters include numerous links for further information, including tips that even a woman in my stage of life might find helpful.

The negatives:

• This book is written from a "full quiver" perspective. While I realize the book was not intended to explain this perspective, I did find myself desiring a more complete biblical explanation of this presupposition since it was an integral part of each woman's story.
• In one woman's story, her life seemed to be transformed when she began attending church and a ladies' group, but I did not read any mention of salvation. I felt a gospel opportunity may have been missed here.
• I was a bit troubled by the perspective on miscarriage shared in one chapter, "What if miscarriage was God's means of showing mercy and love on a human soul, and if He chose you to be the honored vehicle to usher that child into eternity?" (Quote by Doug Phillips, shared by Carmon.)
• I have to admit that I was somewhat disappointed to find that the chapter on nutrition was written by a 32-year-old amateur herbalist. She provides lots of information, but most of the references she provides point you to her own blog or book.

I think this is a book that will be enjoyed immensely by those sharing a full quiver viewpoint. For many of the rest of us, while we may enjoy sharing in the sisterhood of maternity with these women through these stories, questions will be raised and remain unanswered.


Cross Focused Reviews provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for a review; however, the views stated here are my own. This review has also been posted on Amazon.com and Goodreads. This post contains affiliate links. 

Review: Woolzies

Since I'm doing a bit of traveling in Scotland over the next two weeks (can you picture the huge grin on my face?), I thought it was a great time to share a new-to-me product with you -- through a review AND actually giving the product to one of my readers!

Several months ago, I started seeing reviews and giveaways of Woolzies popping up all over blogdom. About this same time, my daughter was becoming more interested in natural products, so I thought I should see what the Woolzies rage was all about.

What are Woolzies Dryer Balls ? The company website gives this description:

Woolzies are pure handmade New Zealand wool dryer balls that soften your laundry naturally without any of the chemicals of conventional fabric softeners. Unlike the plastic dryer balls, they are PVC free and won't fall apart or melt on you. Woolzies save time and energy by cutting down on drying time by an average of 25% per load. They also help reduce static and wrinkles.

The men in my house tend to have dry, sensitive skin, so I was happy that Woolzies are 100% hypoallergenic. And unlike dryer sheets and fabric softener, Woolzies don't leave a residue on your clothes or in your dryer and dryer filter. I'd already stopped using dryer sheets and fabric softener for the most part, substituting a vinegar rinse in the washer instead (which I still do, even when using Woolzies). I never liked using liquid fabric softener anyway -- I find it a bit messy.

Using Woolzies Dryer Balls is so simple. Just throw the six balls in on top of your clothes and turn on the dryer. While the clothes are drying, you may hear a soft thumping of the Woolzies doing their job.

I've been using my Woolzies for about a month, and here are my observations so far:

• Our clothes are coming out quite soft and with no static -- even my fleece throw blankets.
• My loads seem to be drying a bit faster and definitely more evenly.
• The laundry feels cleaner to me than when I used softener or dryer sheets, and I enjoy the lack of scent.
• My Woolzies continue to get softer with each use, and seem to work even better over time.
• Woolzies make me smile. Really, they do! It's just a little bit more fun to do laundry with them, especially when I find them in funny places like a sleeve or pant leg. But then, I might just be easily amused.

Would I recommend Woolzies? Absolutely! At less than $35 for at least 1,000 loads,Woolzies are cheaper than dryer sheets and are chemical free. And they may just make you smile, too.

Woolzies provided me with a set of Woolzies Dryer Balls to try -- and they want to give a set of Woolzies Dryer Balls to one of my readers, too!
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is now closed -- congratulations to our winner, Lori J!
 
Disclaimer: While a free sample was provided by Woolzies, all views stated here are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

Review: Palooza Packs

About ten years ago, I had the privilege of meeting one of the most contagiously energetic and upbeat women I've ever known. At that time, she was a newlywed working hard on getting a brand new business off the ground (which she did, with great success). Over the years, I watched as she worked hard, feathered her nest, encouraged women, and began raising children. But the one thing that continually drew me to Ann Marie was her genuine joy and love for the Lord. Everything in her life seemed to be an outpouring of that.

Now, all these years and five kids later, she and her family are launching another business together. When I found out what she was doing, I asked her if I could see it for myself and share it with some little friends. Here's the low-down.

First, here's a description of the concept, taken from Palooza Package's Facebook Page:   FUN, Educational SCIENCE and ART Packages integrated with Biblical Truth! For kids ages 4-10 complete with all supplies included for hours of engaging, creative fun! Themes Change EVERY month! Come Discover, Explore, Believe and Create with us! Each month, the company offers a different seasonal or theme based kits with lots of projects. The kit comes with everything you need, as well as teaching guides that will help you make this much more than just another crafty project for your child.

I received April's Spring into Motion Palooza Packet, which arrived in a box. When I opened the box, I found what reminded me of a party bag -- it was a large plastic bag lined with bright tissue paper, tied with colorful ribbon (like those in the picture above).  I love this packaging -- it's not only fun, but it keeps the kids from immediately seeing all the goodies inside (and digging right in)!

I opened that bag to find another bag containing a set of color-and-number-coded Learn Cards with matching project bags.

It's easy to locate the exact supplies for each project, as they are separately bagged and labeled with the appropriate project number and color.

My friend, Kathy, agreed to test-drive the Spring In Motion Palooza package with her kids. She's only made it through a few of the projects so far -- there are so many! -- but she and the kids had a great time.

Josiah and Sarah enjoyed working their projects, and Kathy appreciated that all of the supplies were right there for her, including instructions and a biblical truth to teach.

And they enjoyed using their projects, too -- I don't think they even realized that they were continuing to learn!

Here's what Kathy had to say about her Palooza Package:

Spring into Motion Palooza Package has been a blast! It has been so handy to reach in the bag and pick a project for the day as well as helping this busy Mom stay on task of enriching/teaching my kiddos during these busy Spring days! The kids come to ME asking what they can do next! My favorite part of the packs is how every project teaches us something about our Wonderful God...it is a Win-Win!!

The Palooza Package website will be up soon, but in the meantime you can get more info at the Palooza Package Facebook page -- check out them out on Pinterest, too!   To place an order or ask a question, contact Ann Marie here.

Book Review: Touching the Hem (A Biblical Response to Physical Suffering)

When we were expecting our first child, I also experienced my first kidney stone episode. I ended up in the hospital for about a week and began a journey of learning about medullary sponge kidney, stone removal procedures, spinal blocks, pain medication, and God's faithfulness. Almost 27 years, several hospitalizations, two more pregnancies, and innumerable stone episodes later, I'm still working on developing a biblical response to physical suffering.

So when I learned that Elizabeth Johnson of Dogfur and Dandelions was going to write this book, I was intrigued. And when the opportunity to review it came open, I jumped at the chance.

The seeds for this book were planted when Elizabeth faced her own serious illness several years ago, at a time when she was planning her wedding and a new life with her love, James. Suddenly, "the question of healing became extremely personal." Over the past six years, as Elizabeth has come to terms with her illness and its effects, her faith has driven her to God's Word to gain wisdom about dealing with daily, chronic illness and how to think about healing today. This book is the result of that study.

The book starts with a look at God's character. This is so important because, whether or not we like to admit it, pain can often lead to a questioning of God's character. Why is God allowing this? Does He love me? Is God punishing me? Does He not have enough power to change this? I appreciated the heavy dependence on Scripture rather than personal opinion or experience to sketch God's character. And even as Elizabeth encouraged ongoing Bible study to know God's character, she emphasized that a head knowledge is not enough. "Knowing and walking with Him daily teaches us His character better than anything else."

Next, the book discusses God's works, specifically through Christ. During the years of His earthly ministry, Christ did heal many of their physical ailments. Yet His ultimate purpose was that of ultimate healing -- atonement and salvation for man. Without an understanding of this, the gospel, the rest of this God's purposes (and this book) will not make sense. In this section, I especially appreciated the emphasis on using sound, contextual methods to interpret the Bible.

The book then addresses the circumstances of our suffering -- why is suffering a part of life? -- in order to lay the groundwork for the next section, which deals with our response to suffering. This section addresses the subject of healing, from scriptural principles to biblical examples to prayer and stewarding the care of our bodies. The issue of faith healers is also addressed with discernment.

It's worth noting that you can download a free study guide here. I think it would be helpful for individual or group study.

Touching the Hem's strength lies in directing us to look at the issue of physical suffering through a biblical lens. And by helping me better understand God's character and work, it has helped me be in a better position to respond biblically to my own suffering.

{If you'd like read more about the book from Elizabeth, check out her recent guest post.)



Ambassador International provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for a review; however, the views stated here are my own. This review has also been posted on Amazon.com and Goodreads.

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