Quiet time in Focused 15 a day

Maybe our new year's resolutions have had enough time to start rusting; I've been hearing a lot of women around me lately talking about how they've hit a rough patch in their quiet time. Today my team leader at Do Not Depart, Katie Orr, is launching the first in a series of Bible Studies. Her goal is to help people study the Bible in 15 minutes a day. I know that, with Katie's love for studying God's word, this will be a resource worth embracing. Katie shares:

"In Focused15, I’ll show you how to look at scripture through a different lens each day. We’ll use tools already at our fingertips, with methods proven through history, with a structure that is easy to follow…
…all in fifteen minutes day."

If you're in a devotional slump or not sure which way to turn, join Katie in the first "Focused 15" study and get back on track. The first study starts with 1 Corinthians 13. In 5 days a week, she'll take you from using a "portrait lens" for study to an immersion, zoom, wide-angle, and then personal view.

You can get a free chapter or download the full copy on PDF or in a Kindle or Nook format. 
Click here to view more details

Marriage Mondays: Bottoms Up!

June traditionally has the most weddings, which means we're right on the doorstep of bridal shower season. I got TWELVE glass pitchers as wedding gifts! Isn't it strange that we spend so much time registering for, acquiring, and arranging things to make our "happily ever after" look good on top, but we don't do much to build its foundation? I don't think I've ever seen a single book on a gift list, and no one has EVER asked for $ towards a first marriage retreat. I shudder to think of the ratio of time spent on pre-marital counseling compared to time spent shopping, in showers, registering, and wedding planning. I could do a lot of pouring drinks when I got married, but I don't think I had much of a clue about how to refresh my husband's spirit. Why don't we invest more in the foundations of marriage?

Saturday night Jeff and I were invited over to our friends' home for a cookout. After dinner we toured the "man cave," where our Mr. Friend has just started building a boat (Mrs. Friend is totally supportive, so stay with me). When we opened the door to the shop, I expected to see a frame that said, "Boat." Instead, I saw some odd looking boards and architectural drawings. Closer inspection and lots of questions revealed that you build a boat from the bottom up. In fact, he'll build the bottom and then flip it to build top later. Turns out that the most important part of building a boat is the bottom, even though what we see is everything on top.

Our friends have invited us to come and go on a boat ride ... in 3 years when the boat is done. I'm really glad he's giving so much time and attention to the bottom, because even if a boat looks good on top, a weak bottomed boat is destined to sink. In the same way, a weak bottomed marriage is headed for a rough ride and possible sinking.

Is a wedding or a shower is on your calendar, leading up to the "most married month" of the year, I want to encourage you to give a gift that contributes to a strong bottom in the marriage. And if you feel like it doesn't look very "fun," wrap it in a glass pitcher. :)

Here are a few books I think make great gifts for engaged or newly married couples:


(I am linked as an Amazon affiliate, so if you make a purchase after clicking from Come Have a Peace, I do get a small % to help with blog costs.)

Marriage Mondays: What are You Waiting For?

It's not hard to figure out why a book titled What are You Waiting For? - The One Thing No One Ever Tells You About Sex intrigued me. After all, I'm the mother of two teenagers, and I'm always on the lookout for great resources. I'm also also keeping my eyes open for books to recommend in our Women's Ministry and to you, my lovely Come Have a Peace readers. I don't recommend books lightly. There's a lot of garbage out there.

When I read, I'm always looking for a book that: 

• is compatible with God's Word, not contradictory
• helps me know God better, not confuse me
• takes my thoughts to godly things, not worldly things
• makes me more like Jesus, not more like His enemy

I don't ever want to recommend a title here unless it meets that criteria. When I picked up this new title from Dannah Gresh, I was expecting a helpful book for my teens and for other moms of teens ... and I was right, in part. 


Dannah is the author of And the Bride Wore White and Lies Young Women Believe (co-authored w/Nancy Leigh DeMoss). In What Are You Waiting For Dannah really does share something no one ever told me about sex!  No kidding.  And it really does rock my marriage world.  NOOOOOO ... I'm not going to tell you and spoil it! :)   I want you to read it for yourself and be so moved, as I was. She also deals with topics like honest talk about pornography, lesbianism, dealing with sexual guilt, intimate boundaries before marriage, and what's behind the power of romantic bonds before we say "I do." Some writers address delicate topics that deserve to be approached with dignity in an undignified manner, but Dannah dealt with issues like masturbation and virginity with respect and truth.


I've already told my daughter she HAS to reach this asap. I can't wait to talk to her about it, and I want her to share it with her friends. But what I didn't expect was that I would want to share it with MY friends. Dannah did more than share meaningful statistics and practical advice (tho' that's in there, too), she presents deep Biblical teaching in a really accessible, unintimidating way. What she shares gave me insight that unlocked some understanding about "old things" in my dating past, my courtship with Jeff, and our 21+ years of marriage.  I had more than a few "ah ha" moments while reading What are You Waiting For. 


The time changed this weekend, and that means darkness comes a lot earlier and lasts a lot longer. If we're not careful, we can waste a winter of early evenings doing things like hopping around social media sites for hours on end or catching ever episode of Season 2 Ice Road Truckers.  Can I challenge you, blog friend, to pick up a good book and use the time to strengthen your spirit and use the cold season as a time to deepen your roots and grow? 


Dannah says, "My sexual desire is meant to draw me to my husband, and any act that does otherwise abuses and misuses that desire."  What are You Waiting For is a must read for teenagers looking to walk with God through years of romance readiness, but it would be a shame for college gals and adult women (and I told Jeff I want him to read it), single or married, to miss out on this enlightening read.


You can find out more about Dannah's ministry and What are You Waiting For here on her website.

It's going to get dark earlier tonight on this Marriage Monday .... what will you read to help you be a wife who is drawn to her husband?

Book Suggestion: What Matters Most

I am convinced it's getting harder to find books we can trust. Many writers today fill pages with their own thoughts and ideas, rather than presenting God's truth. One of the things I love about writing with the Scripture Dig team is that my teammates all share a common point of reference: God's Word.


Stephanie Shott has a powerful life's story that has hammered out God's truth in who she is, and when you're with her, it's obvious His story is the most important thing to her. I'm really proud of her and excited for her to share her first book, a study that addresses a burning question for people all around the world today: What matters most?

Let me give you a glimpse of this new 6 week study. It would be a wonderful study to do starting right after Christmas, through January, to get a new year started with the understanding of what matters most.

Do you sense the need to live for eternity but find yourself living like this life is all there is? Do you long to make your life count for more than a vapor but can't seem to escape the dailies of each day? "Understanding What Matters Most", will help you sift through the gamut of life experiences and learn to make everyday decision based on what truly matters most.

"Understanding What Matters Most" will:

*Help you define your life by what matters most
*Bring clarity to your circumstances
*Learn to make your eternity intentional

Join Stephanie on a six week adventure through this often avoided and misunderstood book of the Bible. Learn why she calls it a "Heavenly Sieve" and how you find significance to these days you are given under the sun.

My summer reads 2011

Today is the last day of summer on my calendar. One thing I love about summer is the great chance to read. Did you read any inspiring or helpful books this summer?

These are my top 7 reads from summer of 2011:

• One Million Arrows by Julie Ferwerda (Julie asks the question, "Will the world change your children ... or will your children change the world?)

• The iY Generation by Tim Elmore (Described as "the one book every parent, teacher, coach, and youth worker should read."  I agree!)

• 5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Son by Vicki Courtney (Every mom of a son should read it. Incidentally, Jeff read it too and loved it.)

• Hearing Jesus Speak Into Your Sorrow by Nancy Guthrie (Nancy knows first hand, "In times of deep sorrow and disappointment, everything we believe can be called into question.")

• Radical Together by David Platt (This is all about going from radical followers of Christ to radical communities of faith.")

• Friendship for Grown Ups by Lisa Whelchel (What a refreshing reminder of how valuable "grown up" friendships are and why we need to "make room" for them.)

• Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers (So inspiring! This combination of 5 stories of Biblical women reveals how "each took great personal risk to fulfill her calling, and each was destined to play a key role in the lineage of Jesus Christ."

What was your top read of the summer?

Marriage Mondays ~ Reading 2gether?

How much of your talk time with your spouse do you spend on things of this world? If you're like us, your answer is probably "most of it."  Recently our conversations included topics like:

• getting the house painted (must. do. this. asap.)
• taking the dog to the vet  (never like to do this ... dog doesn't either)
• the headlight out on my car (hate to spend time on things like this)
• where to eat out for our anniversary (or ... what coupons do we have?)
• how to pay for college (never ending conversation ......)
• the mountain we call the ironing basket (in denial about this one)

What's on your list? Paul addressed marriage in 1 Corinthians 7 and described lifestyle differences for those who remain unmarried and those marry. He wasn't "marriage bashing;"  he was being honest about how marriage adds to our worldly concerns.

"The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband."  1 Corinthians 7: 32b-34 (ESV)

If we aren't careful, all our conversation and companionship can center around temporary things and the "stuff" of this life, with the potential to become rather narrow and "all about us."  

One way to broaden what we share and care about is to read together. Shared reads inspire, inform, and enrich.  Long drives or times away provide "windows of opportunity" to read together.  Even being apart presents a chance to read the same book and then share thoughts and impressions when you're back together again. Reading together mixes fresh ideas into our relationships, challenging us together, helping us grow together, and broadening our world together. 

Jeff and I just finished two books that have done just that for us.We just finished reading:

• One Million Arrows by Julie Ferwerda  (I picked this one and gave it to Jeff.)
• Radical Together by David Platt  (Jeff picked this one and gave it to me.)

Paul is right in saying married people often become "anxious about worldly things," and too much of that distracts us from the bigger purposes of life and marriage as followers of God. Sharing a good read together gets the conversation started and reminds us of what lies beyond the laundry room, driveway, kids' backpacks, and bills. 

If you want to mix fresh ideas into your relationship, be challenged together, grow together, and broaden your world together, you might just start with a great book.

Jeff and I have just started to share our thoughts about our 2 great recent reads, and the Lord has planted common thoughts into our hearts and minds to use in our family. It doesn't just change us "individually," it changes "us" as "one."  


Pick a book you're excited about, and be flexible to embrace your spouse's idea and read their suggestion. Don't turn it down just because it's called something like "A Look at Life from a Deer Stand."  :)  In the pages of a book and in follow up conversations, you just might find hidden treasures in the heart and mind of your beloved!

Are you reading together? If there a book you've shared and been touched by together?

If you're posting about marriage today, I invite you to link up. If you receive this via your email inbox, be sure to click through to see the other links.

5 Questions to Choose a Book

Photo by 2daydesign via stock.xchng

Last week I did a giveaway related to our women's ministry retreat, after sharing the resource list from the Scripture Dig book table. You sent in excellent ideas on the Come Have a Peace Facebook page, with many books I haven't read yet.


This could give me gift ideas and late night/vacation reading for months/years to come! I hope you'll find something encouraging, refreshing, and challenging. :)

As I choose I book, I like to ask myself these 5 questions:

• Will it be a good way to redeem my time?
• Will it be in agreement with God's Word?
• Will it help me conform to the image of Christ?
• Will it help set my mind on things above?
• Will it lift me up or press me down?

Happy reading!

Come Have a Peace Reader Resources for April 2011

1. Mary Joy ~ Intimate Issues by Linda Dillow and Lorraine Pintus
2. Lauren ~ The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace & Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow
3. Natalie ~ Rocking the Roles by Robert Lewis and William Hendricks
4. Lola ~ The Wisdom of Tenderness by Brennan Manning
5. Lynn ~ Jesus Calling by Sarah Young
6. Bridgette ~ Becoming the Woman of His Dreams by Sharon Jaynes
7. Missy ~ Power of a Positive Woman by Karol Ladd
8. Angela ~ A Single Mom Life by Angela Thomas
9. Missy ~ Holding on to Hope by Nancy Guthrie
10. Julie & Mary ~ One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
11. Carla ~ The Green Letters by Miles J. Stanford
12. Kristi ~ The Gift of Church by Jim Samra
13. Angela ~ Comforts from the Cross by Elyse Fitzpatrick
14. Joanna ~ Tour of Duty by Sara Horn & Enjoy by Tianne Moon
15. Barbie ~ Made to Crave by Lysa terkeurst
16. Krista ~ The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
17. Tracy ~ It’s No Secret by Rachel Olsen
18. Debbie ~ Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas
19. Kalyn ~ Adopted for Life by Russell Moore and CJ Mahaney
20. Missional Mama ~ The Good News We Almost Forgot by Kevin DeYoung

Retreat Resource List

Tara and Katrina serving at the resource table

I know ... this is usually Tasty Tuesday, but I'm going to do Tasty Tuesday on WEDNESDAY this week. ;) Tomorrow, you'll see why I did.  (Tonight is going to be great fun!)

Today, I want to share with you a list of the resources shared at our book table this past weekend at our retreat. As the speaking team, the Scripture Dig team recommended titles related to our theme of what it means to be "in the Family." We incorporated the journeys of 2 of my Dig teammates and how physical adoption has been woven into their lives, so you'll see titles related to how adoption fits with Christians. We also discovered what it is to be adopted into God's family through spiritual adoption, and we considered our part in a local church family. It was a rich time together!

Maybe you'll find a book to tuck into an Easter basket, set aside for vacation reading, or as a study with a friend over the summer.

Recommended Retreat Resources shared by Scripture Dig

Adopted for Life by Russell Moore ~ Recommended by Sandra Peoples

Friendship for Grown-Ups by Lisa Whelchel ~ Recommended by Teri Lynne Underwood

Experiencing God’s Love in the Church by Tom Blackaby ~ Recommended by Kathy Howard

In My Father’s House: Women relating to God as Father by Mary Kassian ~ Recommended by Kathy Howard

Unshaken: Ruth By Francine Rivers ~ Recommended by Kristi Stephens

The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Pocket Edition) ~ Recommended by Stephanie (Her favorite is the big one, but we made the pocket editions available at the retreat.)

The Adoption of Sons (CD) by Pastor Sam Polson of my local church family. – This is a sermon including the story of their family’s adoption story of their son. ~ Recommended by Julie Sanders (yours truly)

The Answers Book for Kids (Vol. 3) by Ken Ham with Cindy Malott ~ Recommended by Kristi Stephens

Reclaiming Adoption by Dan Cruver, editor ~ Recommended by Sandra Peoples

Unshakeable Faith by Kathy Howard ~ Recommended by Julie Sanders

Sharing a study by Kathy Howard.

What are you reading or studying now that you would add to our book table?  Go share your recommended title on the Come Have a Peace Facebook page this week, and Saturday I'll choose a name with Random.org to receive a combo pack of several recommended resources. In short .... GIVEAWAY! :) Just enter by sharing your comment on the Facebook page.

Giving & Teaching for Love

I just added a link to follow Come Have a Peace on FACEBOOK or to follow on TWITTER.    I've been resisting ... ;) but maybe this will be a great tool for encouragement. I pray so. :)     You are invited to join me there, friends.  There is also a new button to share a post on Facebook or via Twitter.  If ever you want to pass on words you read here, I would be honored.

I lost something last week and have been searching for it everyday to no avail.  In the midst of all of my searching, I have discovered a lot of things in the "corners" of my closets and rooms that I do not use and do not need.

This Sunday our church is taking part in the "Corners of Your Field" project. Just like farmers like Boaz in the Old Testament, we are intentionally taking our excess and donating it to our Knox Area Rescue Mission as stock in their 2nd hand stores, so the poor may benefit from what we find in our own "corners."  Have you checked your corners? Giving out of our abundance is a great way to do something for love of God and love of people.


Have you ever had God give you an opportunity you felt too small to accept, yet you loved it and thanked Him for it? It has been like that for me in writing with 5 other women on the Scripture Dig website. The other five ladies (Teri Lynne, Sandra, Kristi, Stephanie, Kathy) are truly lovers of God and of His Word. They write out of that love. Today I want to share with you about Kathy's most recent book that is a labor of her love. It's a practical and realistic answer to the things in life that shake us and sometimes shake our faith.


My Scripture Dig sister, Kathy Howard, is a Bible study author and speaker who has been teaching the Bible for over 20 years. She’s taught a wide range of topics to an even wider range of students – everything from basic Bible stories at a middle school to teacher training for church leaders. Kathy particularly enjoys speaking at women’s events and retreats to encourage them in their faith. She has a Masters in Christian Education and serves on a church staff in West Texas.


Kathy and her husband have three children and one son-in-law. When the family gets together there are also four dogs in the mix. Kathy writes to have something to do while drinking coffee. :)  You can find out more about her Bible studies and speaking ministry and get discipleship tools and leader helps at her website: www.kathyhoward.org. Kathy will be teaching a session at our church's women's retreat on April 8 & 9 in Pigeon Forge, TN. Email me if you'd like more info.:)  You can come!!


Unshakeable Faith, Kathy's new 8-session Bible study for women, has just been released and helps readers apply 8 key “faith traits” found in the life of Peter so they can weather the harshest storms of life. It's written about "real applications," with examples from the lives of "real women." I feel like this is a very timely study for the lives of women today. Many of us deal with circumstances like life-threatening illness, divorce, death of a child, and financial hardship. Kathy has seen her own friends face these life shaking events and emerge with a stronger faith. She also juggles the everyday things of life – work, family, ministry, and home life – without too much difficulty. But sometimes, even in just a small crisis, Kathy's self-sufficiency is shaken. She asked herself, "Would I stand firm in really hard times or would these trials knock me flat?" She began to ask God to show her how her faith could be prepared.


Unshakeable focuses on the life of Peter and what made the difference in his faith. Unshakeable Faith looks closely at Peter’s life and teachings to discover the key characteristics God built into his faith that helped him stand firm. Kathy says, "Unshakeable Faith not only leads readers into learning God’s Word, but it also purposefully helps readers apply it." 


In addition to each week’s application section, there is a “Faith Shaker” story about real women who have faced a life trial with which many readers will relate. Readers get to see how their faith keeps them standing firm. A strong faith in Jesus Christ does work in real life!



You can get a copy of Unshakeable Faith at many bookstores or here.


Just like when the woman did the "Beautiful Thing" out of love, when we do beautiful things for love, God is glorified! I'm looking forward to giving the Corners of My Field to my local mission this Sunday, and I'm looking forward to working through Kathy's new book, Unshakeable Faith.

Tomorrow, I want you to be so encouraged and blessed by the story of one mother's beautiful act of love. The picture of her love will linger with you and encourage you this weekend and beyond.

Marriage Mondays~Book Review & Giveaway

I sat in Panera at a corner table with a sweeping view. Several tables away, I saw an elderly couple picking their way to a table. Both moved so cautiously it was hard to tell who was helping whom, as they worked together to get their tray to the table, adjust a walker, pull out chairs, and arrange themselves for lunch. They had a certain quiet manner as each looked out for the other, so the needs of both were cared for. While I sipped my French Onion Soup, I watched and admired the two lunching as one.

I overheard 2 women talking nearby. One woman was as loud as the older couple was quiet. I learned about her troubled marriage, inadequate husband, and big house they  bought to fix it all. Her friend said little, but nodded vigorously in sympathy. Loud lady said the bottom line is God really doesn't say specifics about how He feels about marriage. She said marriage is just a big gray area to God, and she should know, because she's a "church girl."

I was just praying about whether or not I should introduce myself  ;) when my phone rang, and I was called away ... I guess that was the Lord answering my prayer. I wanted to introduce Loud Lady to the elderly couple behind her ... since she was knows so much about "gray" things ;)


Marriage is no easier in the 21st century than it was in the first. There's a lot of bad marriage advice out there, but marriage is not a "gray" area, and God clearly makes His heart known about it.  Sometimes in church circles there is a lot of misinformation. One of the biggest areas of confusion is about the issue of SUBMISSION.

Does it arouse thoughts of you in an apron pulling a plow? You sitting silently while a distant husband counts towers of gold coins? The world doesn't paint an admirable or accurate picture of Biblical submission, but many church going girls don't have a clear image to hold up with confidence, either.


In her new book, Dancing with the One You Love, Cindy Easley tackles the question of what submission really is and how to release it in your marriage. Cindy deals with our desire to submit, the reality of how unnatural it is, and the nitty gritty of how to do it. Moody Publishers have been kind enough to provide a copy for me to give away today. (Details at the end)

I appreciate the way Cindy addresses being a strong woman, yet being a submissive woman. She has a candid approach to what it's like to make marriage work. God's principles of submission apply to the "gray areas" of life, such as when a wife is a believer and a husband is not, when a husband is absent often due to work/military duty, and to the increasingly common issue of employment inequality between a husband and wife. Cindy helps readers understand what it is for a wife to be a helper to her husband; she also addresses the fragile line of codependency in a relationship.

Throughout the book, Cindy Easley inserts real examples of Christian women who faced the submission question and unearthed truth. It isn't a gray area.  God is clear.  One example tells about a wife who loved her husband long and hard, and she discovered the bottom line truth: "'Do I trust God enough to take Him at His word and to believe that His word is not only the truth but the truth of my life?' If we do, then our responsibility as wives is to live it regardless of whether our husbands ever get it right or not.'"


Dancing with the One You Love - Living Out Submission in the Real Word paints a hopeful and inspiring picture of what God says about submission. Easley shares, "The journey to submission can be lonely, especially in a culture that offers no support. The modern woman would never embrace a choice to submit if left to it on her own ... Regardless, this is what we are called to do." It seems appropriate that Cindy ends Dancing with a tribute to Ruth Bell Graham, a woman who embraced submission and gained so much because of her willingness to lift up her husband and let God give them a broad influence together.

The submission picture Cindy paints is hardly gray; it is a bright, beautiful, and colorful portrait of God's heart for marriage!

To be entered to win a copy of Dancing with the One You Love, you don't have to follow me or "like me" (on Facebook) or dress like me or send me a Christmas card. ;) All you have to do is this:  Leave a comment and tell me one quality you appreciate about your spouse. Be sure to leave your email if you enter anonymously, so I can contact you.  I'll announce the winner on WEDNESDAY and request your mailing address by Friday, so Moody can mail your copy directly to you! This is a great book to absorb on a cold winter's night and an excellent message of encouragement to start the new year. I wish I could send one to every reader!

Praying your marriage is not the "gray" thing some think it is, but that you will experience the vibrant colors of marriage in the God's miracle of Two Becoming One. Merry Marriage Monday!

Book Review ~ What Good is God?

I haven't finished this book yet, but it's really drawn me in and made me eager to keep reading. It's been a little while since an event has captured the attention of the world, but the internet makes it possible for tragic images to travel around the globe and into our minds and hearts. Remember the first images out of Haiti?  Or watching the tsunami strike Thailand? Have you been tracking the progress of the Chilean government as they try to reach trapped miners? Remember seeing people climbing out of windows in Columbine? And how about when it's personal? Like finding out a friend lost her battle against cancer? Watching the death of a marriage?  Waiting for our own prodigal to return? Or seeing a widow leave a service in tears? Tragedy can wrap its arms around the world and draw us in as humanity, but it can also grab into the depths of our stomachs to overwhelm us with personal grief.

Philip Yancey deals with scenes like these in ten different true settings and circumstances, each time sharing the message of hope he gave in answer to the question, "What Good is God?"  In a world that largely sees "God" as something irrelevant to life, Yancey tackles this question at some of the hardest moments in recent history.

In each of the ten chapters, he first tells the story of the setting or the event.  Then, in the next segment, he shares the response he gave to the groups he addressed, messages of faith.  As a journalist, Yancey doesn't always describe the world in the same terms I would use; he has an edge I don't have, but he has been called to go and do things I haven't been called to do.  He answers the question of God's relevance to groups that would cause most of us to burst into tears or throw up our hands in confusion. Yancey says,

"What does religious faith offer peasants undergoing persecution, or students recovering from a campus massacre, or women who have spent years of virtual slavery in the sex trade?  What good is God in situations like these? "

But God DOES matter in every circumstance and in every life, and the hope He provides shines into the darkest of places. Philip shares untold details of events in such a way that, I admit, will grab your heart and bring you to tears. It should.  Sin and its ugliness should grieve us, but it also gives perspective to our own discouragement.  If you're needing to rise "Up From the Dumps," What Good is God will help you see your own life more clearly.

I was privileged to receive this as a pre-release copy, and it will be available starting Oct. 19. You can pre-order it here.  I receive no benefit from telling you this, other than the hope that if you read it, you'll be encouraged like I am, that if God is good in situations and lives like these, He is certainly good in my own "dumps." You'll come away more convinced God is great and sovereign and compassionate and faithful and that He loves people, and I'd call that a great read!

(If you're in my hometown and you don't have $ to buy a copy when it's released, I'm happy to loan you mine. I'll be done soon. :)  Just let me know ...)

Does the Church need to awaken?

Wasn't the first time the word "church" was used was when Jesus spoke to Peter?

Matt. 16:18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

The Church belongs to God, and nothing will overcome it. But this was not the first time people heard this word "church." The Greek word "eklesia" was actually used first in Athens, Greece to describe a meeting of citizens, individually responsible in the gathering. It was born in a society where a citizen's role was vital and well understood. Amazing, then, that Jesus said, "I will build MY church." This was a different kind of gathering from what people knew before; this was a gathering of citizens of heaven gathering for God's pleasure in His kingdom. This gathering is HIS. Wow!

In our 20+ years of serving in the Church, I have found 4 qualities that make a great church member:

Be Regular - people who are consistent to be part of the worship, the learning, the serving ... the Body life. There is no substitute for being present and involved. (Hebrews 10:24-26)

Be Responsible - people who are self feeders and grow independently, not expecting to be carried along on the spiritual shoulders of others. No one can be saved for me or grow for me. (1 Peter 2:2)

Be Respectful - people who pay attention to the authority of God's Word in their lives and the role of God's leaders in their lives. (1 Thess. 5:12-13)

Be Responsive - people who respond to what they learn about God by wanting to serve others and get the life saving gospel and its impact out to others. (Colossians 2:6-7)

We've been part of five churches since we were married. The church in America has been going through massive changes during those years. Chuck Swindoll says the Church has been "eroding." We've failed to be marked by the teaching, fellowship, worship, and prayer the first church was devoted to. People like Pastor Terry Jones in Florida, sponsoring the Burn a Koran Day, aren't helping to show the transforming power of God's love to the watching world. The Church surely needs an awakening.

TODAY I'm excited to share a new resource with you. I had the privilege of receiving a preview copy of Chuck Swindoll's newest book, released today, called the Church Awakening. This is a timely look at the organism that belongs to God and is the Bride for His Son, Jesus. Swindoll makes an honest evaluation of how the Church has changed and how it has suffered under postmodernism, saying it has eroded in its focus and practice. He considers the impact on the primary aim of the church: worship, and he reveals the distinctives of a contagious church. This book is insightful, scriptural, helpful, and direct.


This has been a challenging read, and I highly recommend it for serious believers in the church and, in particular, for pastors and leaders in the Body. Watch a short message from Pastor Swindoll here.

Let's be "awakened" as the Church of Christ, so we will be strong and blameless until He returns (1 Cor. 1:7-9). October 10th is Clergy Appreciation Sunday, and this would be an excellent book to give as a gift for your pastor. Or, read and respond to the Church Awakening as a citizen of the Church, also as a gift for your pastor. :)

Giveaway Winner!

What better way to celebrate getting back into the books (school!) and getting a year older (my birthday!) than to give away two books that I enjoyed this summer? Today I'm announcing the winner of my 5 Conversations You Must Have with Your Daughter, and Monday I'll announce the winner of the Voices Behind the Veil giveaway.

Congratulations to Chrissy who is the winner of the 5 Conversations book by Vicki Courtney. Chrissy was chosen by Random.org, and I hope she'll enjoy this book as her two little gals grow into beautiful young ladies. :)

If you have a hubby, don't forget to "Tell 5" this week!

I hope your Saturday is sweet. I started mine with a chocolate espresso hazelnut hand pie at our city farmer's market, along with a little people watching, veggie buying, and listening to a combination of a saxophone and accordion playing to my east and west. :) Looking forward to a little time to read this afternoon ... some new inspiration for a future giveaway!

Blessings,

Book Review ~ Voices Behind the Veil

Do you ever weep over what you read? This summer I read a book I pulled off my husband's bookshelf. I took it along to read in the car on the way to the beach, hoping to learn and understand Islamic women more. But as we drove, I wept. Before the summer is gone and before you pick out new books for your "gets dark early at night" collection, I want to share this title with you.

Voices Behind the Veil was compiled by a man who grew up as a devout Sunni Muslim. It is a collection of writings by Christian women ... journalists, missionaries, former Muslims. I DID learn, but my heart was so moved. In the first part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shared what we know as the "Beatitudes." Did you realize that they really build on each other? We have to be "poor in spirit" to come to know Christ as our Savior, and if we do then we will "mourn" the same things that grieve God's heart. The right response would be meekness, and so on and so on goes the flow of responses. You can read the whole passage here. As I read Voices, I felt compelled to mourn the things that God mourns.

Matthew 5:3-4

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

The writer of Voices has a perspective I can never claim, since he grew up in an Islamic home. Much of the first half of the book is devoted to developing knowledge about the Muslim faith, a faith which I really want to understand. As of October 2009 there were 1.57 billion Muslims in the world today, or 23% of the global population. These people live in 200 countries. Last year my daughter rode a bus home, seated by a very friendly girl who had just moved to our southern city; her parents came 1 mile away ... as Muslim missionaries.

Not only do the women writing help readers understand information and history, (such as the key women in Islamic history, the core texts in Islamic faith, and laws of the faith) but the women share personal accounts of how Islam looks in the lives of women. Chapters of personal testimony are included about daily life in specific countries that are Muslim majority nations, what it's like to be a daughter or wife in Islam, the challenges of reaching out to those of the Islamic faith, and how to pray for Islamic women.

It was no mistake that God drew my attention to read Voices when He did. Only a few weeks after learning and understanding and weeping as I read, Jeff and I were being served a meal while in Europe. The hosts seated guests next to someone in their language group. There were not many English speakers, but there was a family from a Muslim majority country who spoke English from their African country of origin. We were seated for lunch with the husband and wife and their daughter. My heart was overwhelmed, but God had prepared me through my reading to "see" them as a family and know what to talk about and how to reach out. As Jeff and I bowed our heads and prayed quietly over our lunch and then shared an hour of conversation with this precious family, I was so thankful to have heard the Voices Behind the Veil.

If you read earlier this week, you know I am giving away a copy of Vicki Courtney's 5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter here. The beginning of school seems like a great time to give books away, (LOVE free books!) and I would love to add this one to your nightstand for the coming fall/winter season. Here's how you enter to win this one ...

Leave a comment or send me an email telling me one of these:

• What has been your experience with a woman of another faith?
• Do you feel like you know how to interact with a woman of another faith? Of Islam?
• What faiths are most represented where you live?

You may know Islam is growing faster than Christianity around the world today. It would be time well spent to listen to the Voices Behind the Veil and to be ready for those divine appointments when God may seat you beside a women who has not yet had the veil lifted from her eyes to know salvation is a free gift offered to her from a Heavenly Father who loves her and gave His own Son for her. The wonderful thing about mourning over what God mourns over is that He promises that one day, comfort is coming!

I will post the winner of the book on Monday in Marriage Mondays.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Book Review ~ 5 Conversations

Yesterday was my birthday! My only "plan" was: wake up and feel sad my hubby had to be gone on a staff retreat. :) Imagine my surprise when, out of the darkness, the bedroom door cracked open as I lay negotiating with the snooze button, and I heard my sophomore daughter say, "Happy Birthday Mom!" She came in carrying a bright red tray with a woven napkin, hot tea in a pottery mug (tastes better that way), and a plate arranged with a fresh veggie omelette, Greek yogurt with honey, and an apple. My heart was full, and my "sorry for myself" feelings faded away with the joy of seeing my daughter growing into a young woman before my sleepy eyes. And to my "NOT A MORNING PERSON" heart, knowing she got up extra early to prepare breakfast really meant a lot to me. When I dropped her off for school forty-five minutes later, I left her with many prayers and faith that the Lord will watch over her as I send her out into the world. Mornings like that are gold.

Raising a daughter in today's world is not easy. When I watch hundreds of teenage girls flood out of the high school each afternoon, I am overwhelmed with all they face. Did you know that ....

"More than 40 % of young women in the United States become pregnant one or more times before they reach 20 years of age."

"Nearly 70 % of those who get married first live together."


25 % of teen girls have an STD (Sexually transmitted Disease), and almost 2/3 of girls are sorry for their decision to have sex and "wish they had waited."


One study found that 88 % of those who make virginity pledges break them.

"A recent study of popular television show found that nonmarital sex outpaced references to successful married sex by a ration of nearly 3 to 1 .... The 'family hour' - the first hour of prime-time TV, which draws the most young viewers - contained the highest ration of references to non-married sex."

In the "Dove Campaign" survey on beauty, only 2 % of the women said they think they are beautiful.

These quotes from Vicki Courtney's 5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter are evidence that raising a daughter well in today's world seems next to impossible. There is so much working against us. Ephesians 4:17-20 spells out the goal for godly daughters, even in today's world:

"Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to

their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!"

Even in a dark world, ESPECIALLY in a dark world, God calls us to raise daughters who don't walk like Gentiles, but daughters who have "learned Christ." We are striving to raise them not to have futile minds, to know God, to have soft hearts, to be sensitive to wisdom, to love purity. This is not easy in a world that loves sin.

5 Conversations is such a fantastic study; I wish every mom who has a daughter would work through the study. One week from today I will begin teaching a study group for 6 weeks here in Knoxville, using Vicki's book. It is relevant, current, Biblical, and practical. Responding to what I've read and studied is not an option, and Vicki makes it clear how to follow up with the challenges. She supports the 5 Conversations with proven facts and scriptural truth. Did I say I would highly recommend it? :)

In honor of my birthday (yesterday) I am giving away a copy of Vicki's 5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter - The Bible Study. It is my pleasure to send this to one you, my lovely readers. Here's what you need to do to enter the giveaway:

Leave a comment or send me an email, answering at least ONE of these questions:

1. If you have a daughter, what do you love about your relationship with her?
2. If you have a daughter, what was the last "meaningful" conversation you had with her about?
3. What do you wish your daughter knew about you?
   
4. When you were a teenage girl, who had the most impact on the direction your life took?
5. When you were a teenage girl, what helped you/would've helped you to want to know God?

I can't wait to hear your thoughts. I write a regular column for the new 2:21mag online magazine for teen girls, and your insights will be gems for me as I think and pray and write. And, hey, if you want to join our study here in town, you can sign up here.

I will announce the winner on Saturday!

Scripture Dig & Throne Time

If you're visiting from Scripture Dig today, welcome! Our team has spent the week introducing ourselves, and today is my day. If you've been there, you've had the chance to meet Teri Lynne, Kristi, and Kathy so far. We're excited about this new site meant to be thirst quencher for those who want to know God and His Word. Next week begins our first theme on Scripture Dig all about "Bible Basics." Until then ...

If summer is so relaxing, why do I feel worn out? Today I'm forcing myself to leave my list of things to do and go sit with my kids at the pool. Despite my best intentions, it looks like rain! Getting rest is hard work. :) Maybe because it isn't technically summer yet ... or maybe it's because I'm falling into the "not at the throne enough" category. Listen to this quote I read last night:

"Today there is new interest in prayer. Books on prayer - new and old - are selling, and sermons on prayer are popular. Despite this, the tide of prayer is very low. In many ways, it has reached a new low, both in the lives of individuals and in the united prayer meetings of our churches ... These days we are suffering from the barrenness of busyness, activity without accomplishment ... God's throne is the busiest place in all the universe because everything centers there. Yet, the lack of prayer on the earth keeps it from operating at full capacity."

~ Armin Gesswein

Nope, that isn't written by a 21st century author, but from 1965. I read it in a little book called "Prayer - The Christian's Number One Secret," recommended by Kay Arthur in her study "Lord, Teach Me to Pray." It seems the struggle to be still and spend time knowing God's Word and responding to Him in prayer is one that spans the ages. If you read some of my story on Scripture Dig today, you know where I grew up and that it wasn't in a place that highly valued knowing God. I really began to experience what it meant to know God through discovering His Word while I was in high school, with nothing but a spiral notebook, a Bible, and a pen. I wasn't even at a coffee shop with wi-fi ;) but I began to learn the wonders of Who God is for myself! I guess you could say I began to know the joy of digging.

Wondering when you're going to get some of those "good vibrations" of summer? Maybe it's a great time to "crack the Book" and go to the "busiest place in all the universe." Where are you going for your R&R?