Sunshine Days
Favorites
Along with being a short month, February opens with 2 birthdays in one week for our family. I was able to finish up a few books that I started in January & grab a few others that have been on my TBR list for way too long. And thanks to an all-day event for my oldest, I was able to get a few more hours of reading done than usual!
Have I mentioned before how much I enjoy & appreciate Nany Guthrie?! I am just so thankful that God has equipped her with gifts that she is using to build up the Church. (I was even recently talking to a pastor at my church about her writing!) This particular book traces themes that start in Genesis & flow throughout the story of Scripture, ultimately finding fulfillment in Jesus' ultimate redemption & return. The connections & insights she makes are encouraging & challenging. I know Genesis can feel like we've already read it all, but it is so important that we study the themes found in those opening chapters of God's Word. I cannot recommend anything by Guthrie enough. Seriously! Go read something by her or find some of her teaching online! So good!
I think I started this back in December but had to return it to the library & wait for my turn again before I could finish it. I didn't want to rush it because this author thinks very differently from me. I wanted to take my time & think critically. The premise of the book is that humans aren't so bad. We're all actually quite nice when given the chance. This runs counter to my frame of reference as an evangelical Christian who believes that each person is born a sinner. This is why I wanted to give the book the time to read thoughtfully. Despite many encouraging & optimistic examples, the author cannot escape that people are not always kind, selfless, charitable, peaceful, etc. They are very often at war, selfishly grasping for more power or wealth or land or prestige. They can be gullible, lulled into following some pretty evil people & committing some pretty atrocious acts. If humans are mostly good, then why is there so much hatred & war? I also found it interesting that Bregman mentions his atheistic beliefs. If you don't believe there's a God, then I can understand why you are digging around in humanity to find something good. Also, if you don't believe in God, particularly the God of the Bible, then why cite verses from the Bible to bolster your argument? Anyways, there are some inspirational stories (that have been cherrypicked, of course) that would be awesome to see more of. And we will see humans living in peace with one another when Jesus comes back & makes all things new! It is a good thing to long for those things & to work toward them! But we are limited while sin is still at work in our hearts.
My daughter & I are almost done with these books! We have one more left now, & this one was very different from where the series started. Betsy is off to Europe on a grand tour & she changes from one "chaperone" to another as she sails across the Atlantic & travels around in Germany, Italy, Paris, & London. She also meets a guy or 2 though none of them can dislodge her beloved Joe from her heart. As her journey nears the end in London, war breaks out. She must quickly make her way home as reality intrudes her carefree way of living.
Our most recent lunchtime read-aloud, Edward Tulane is a fancy china rabbit who thinks very highly of himself. Through circumstances outside of his control, he is lost & then found by a variety of characters. The kids enjoyed keeping track of all the names Edward is called by the various people who enter Edward's world. It's a sweet story that explores poverty, death, grief, loss, & a longing for home. While Edward is an inanimate object, he does change through the course of his journey & learns what it means to love.
I started listening to this book without realizing that it was intended as a book for a mentor/mentee to read together. Despite that (& a less-than-stellar narrator), I found it quite helpful. I have long given up hope of having an older woman who would mentor me. (It seems women just don't do that anymore?) Anyways, I hope to feel equipped to mentor ladies younger than myself, especially since that population keeps growing as I age! This book is a great starting point for conversations in such a setting. I will keep it in mind for that time when I might be asked to walk alongside someone in this way.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I didn't know much about the author before reading, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The chapters are short, making it easy to pick up & read a bit in the margins of a busy homeschool day. The message is Gospel-centered & the author's voice is never judgmental or overbearing. She comes across as authentically on your side. She shares her failures along with her successes. And she is always pointing to God's Word. This is the kind of book that young homeschool moms need (& just about middle-aged ones like me).
You need to read this book! It is an absolute necessity to understand the monumental problem that young people face in this arena. Pornography, masturbation, sexting, social media, smart phones--Greta addresses it all with grace & respect. Greta is a force in this battle. Her passion is to see a generation of well-equipped parents raise a generation of well-equipped kids. We don't naturally want to talk about these things. They're uncomfortable topics, but we need to talk about them. Our kids need us to get past the discomfort & be safe adults. "Conversation is the number one tool in protecting our kids from pornography," Greta says. This book offers tools for those conversations and hope for families that feel like this is a insurmountable task. Please read this book & recommend it to your friends & ask your church leaders to read it, too!
I started reading this book based on the title. I am always longing for deeper connections in my church community & with other believers I meet along the way. And I also see the importance of branching out beyond the four walls of my comfort zone. As I read this book, there was so much that I appreciated about the author. He is passionate about reaching the "unreachables." He sees those who others might leave on the fringe & invited them in. He has seen the importance of having church communities that aren't afraid to address tough topics like addiction. However, as I read, I realized that his theology is a bit different from traditional, orthodox Christian doctrines. Upon doing a little digging, I found that he is a member of a progressive denomination. That explained why he described baptism as putting to death your false self & embracing your true self. He also doesn't really mention sin & his explanation of the Gospel is false without it. I so wished that I could recommend this book, but it misses the mark theologically. There are much better books on this topic than this one.
These ladies started the Risen Motherhood ministry & it was a lifeline when I was first starting out as a young mom. Having grown up in a legalistic environment where the Gospel was for salvation but not much else, the message of the Gospel applied to my mothering was life-giving. I didn't even know what I needed, but God did. As this ministry winds down in order for the Emily & Laura to move on to other ministry ventures, they're publishing this book. It's short little readings for all the little moments when you need a reminder of the Gospel. Whether it's a personal struggle or something your family is walking through, they've compiled many of their blog posts & social media posts into this helpful book. I hope you will find it as encouraging as I did.
A couple of these books are coming out at the beginning of March, and you have a few days to preorder!
Cheering you on!
Enter your email to join the list and be among the first to hear about new shop items, special offers and blog posts.
Comments