Remember, this appeared in a MOPS newsletter…
Oh ladies, I am so excited to review this book for you for several reasons. One, it is hot off the press! It just hit stores earlier this year, and we are privileged to give away one copy to a lucky MOPS Mom today. Two, I read Generation NeXt Parenting and reviewed it for last year’s newsletter, and I knew what author Tricia Goyer was capable of writing.
Sure enough, Goyer did not disappoint me. The book is such an easy read because of the format and the way she breaks up all the “heavy” material with stories from Moms just like us. Isn’t that what we all need; something to refresh our minds but not burden our schedule? We’ve talked about using Love Languages in marriage this year, and I think this book is a great companion to learning how to speak your spouse’s language, even though Goyer uses different terms.
Some of you ladies might not be labeled as “Generation Xers”, or those born between 1960 and 1981. Whether your birth date falls in this gap or not, this book is for you. You just might not remember all the song lyrics she uses as chapter and theme titles! (or, you might…) Whether you’ve been married for a year or for 20 years, whether this is your first marriage or your third, this book is for you.
You will love her life story – it is so unconventional. Her life work is even more dramatic. But most of all, you will love this book. Now, I think I’ll pick up some of Goyer’s fiction work…
April 23rd, 2008
Back to my reviewing stand. I’ve saved the best 2 reviews for last…
Who’s Mary? And why do I want to be like her? Allow me to tell you a part of their lives, the part of which Joanna Weaver pens her book:
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” – Luke 10:38-42
(I can picture Jesus saying “Martha, Martha” in Jan’s Brady Bunch tone – like, “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!” Everything had to be about her work, in her mind.) This concept sounds so simple, right? We should stop and listen to what the Lord has to say, instead of worrying about how clean our kitchens are or what wonderful dish we should prepare for dinner. Easy as shepherd’s pie? Not so much, for me at least.
I love Weaver’s subtitle for the book: “Finding Intimacy with God in the Busyness of Life”. We all know that life is busy. As a Mother of preschooler(s), you KNOW life is busy. But that shouldn’t be our excuse for sitting with our Savior and drinking in every word he speaks to our lives. The dishes and laundry can wait. The Lord cannot!
One of my favorite chapters in this book is when Weaver illustrates her life as being on a teeter-totter, going up and down and back up and down again. Many of you have heard this joke:
“To be is to do.” – Socrates
“To do is to be.” – Aristotle
“Doo be doo be doo.” – Frank Sinatra
I really think Old Frank had some truth to tell, whether he realized it or not. And Weaver reinforces this by saying we must find the balance point in our lives between “doing” and “being”. I hope you’ll pick up her book and find out exactly what she’s talking about.
This book really touched my heart and I hope it will touch yours.
April 23rd, 2008