Adopted For Life ~ Book Review

Adopted for Life by Russell D. Moore was a book I read last year and loved it so much, I bought one, so I could highlight my favorite passages. It is about the priority of adoption for Christian families and churches. Besides being about adopting children, it is also about us being adopted by God. So, it is not just a book for couples who are thinking of, are or have adopted, but any Christian. One thing it is not is an informative, how to book about adoption. Here is a quote that sums up the book:

The gospel of Jesus Christ means our families and churches ought to be at the forefront of the adoption of orphans close to home and around the world.

One of my favorite parts in the book is when Moore tells a story of an adopting white family that was told by a relative that he wouldn't have a black child in his family tree. In addition to relating that this was sinful behavior, the couple explained that Heaven wasn't going to be just white people. Perhaps if our churches reflected the true diversity of Heaven, perhaps people would understand the beauty of various races in the church body or in a family. Actually, during a conversation about adoption with a family member, they whispered in my ear, "You are going to get a white baby, right?" I am serious. Coolly, I replied that we are very open in the matter of race. Adding, "they are all the same inside." She sweetly agreed and was very pleasant with me. We are all so good at being politically correct, or maybe not so correct, but this adoption has really opened up a hole new view of people's feelings about race.

While I have no idea what our baby will look like, we will have to deal with the unpleasant reality of people's opinions. However, after reading this book and with the support of my friends, I no longer feel that I am selfish. I had felt that in my deep desire for another baby, that it might not be fair to adopt child of "color," if they were placed with white parents because of society's strong feelings on race. This book help me realize that I have God on my side, and all children are a blessing. It is not selfish at all, but completely biblical.

Finally, I would just like to add that the book does a good job of painting a realistic picture of adoption. It is not all roses. It is not charity. It is a reflection of God's adoption of us as his children.

Here is one final quote:

When we protect and welcome children, we're announcing something about Jesus and his kingdom.

Oh, and by the way, we have handed in our paperwork, and are officially onto the homestudy phase!

Improvement Reading

Being a stay at home mom, books offer "a peace offering to a hungry mind." I need more than just laundry and wiping noses. Maybe that is why I like homeschooling, because I am using my brain and diving into great books with the kids. Not that there is anything wrong with wiping noises or washing clothes, I am happy to do it. What I am saying is that I personally need more then just those things.

The Well-Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer is a treasure trove for me. I actually found myself salivating over her book lists in the second part of her book. Looking forward to reading them, as well as, remembering those I have read. Sometimes we tell ourselves, that this is not our season for such things, but that is not really true. It is just like all the other things in our lives, we have to carve out the time to do it.

I have always struggled with the "nose wiper" job description, leaving my honors behind me. Would my professors be disappointed in me for choosing full time motherhood? It is not that I think it unimportant, but that I miss the intellectualism of a university and motherhood is not usually cast in that sort of light. I suppose that is why I found The Well-Educated Mind's theme of self-education so encouraging. Of course, always remembering that I serve God, not man, helps me to sustain my mom post too. In God's eye's, it is probably one of the best uses of my education and a good reason to continue it in self-study. My faith gives me liberty from the world's good opinion, and lets me focus on the parts of life that have eternal significance, like disciplining my children.

While my faith gives me great purpose in motherhood and homeschooling, I still have to fill that need for intellectualism. For one, finding like-minded moms has helped. In homeschooling circles, I do not have to look far to find another mom who is listening to A Tale of Two Cities while working around the house too. I can find the intellectualism I long for where I am now, if I look for it.

Besides all the "great" books that Bauer suggests, there is the greatest book of all times - the Bible. While wanting to read the works of Charles Dickens is great, studying my Bible must be a higher priority. If I have the yearning for well written works, then I need to seek out books that will increase my knowledge of God. There is such a desire to roll up my sleeves and deeply study His Word. I should remember to make time for it. It will not happen other wise.

The Ultimate Meaning of True Womanhood - Chapter 1

Hi Ladies,

John Piper's goal in the first chapter is to clarify the ultimate meaning of true womanhood, and to motivate us to embrace it as our highest calling.

What shapes you?

We are constantly bombarded by various messages on womanhood each day.  Who or what shapes you, your values, and the way you understand the world?  What voices do you listen to?  TV?  The internet?  Magazines?  Friends and family?  Are you, like Eve, being seduced by lies?  Are you being led astray from what is good and wise?  Or do you look to God for truth and bend your ear toward His voice of Wisdom?  Do you believe that He is full of grace and truth and that His ways are truly best even when they don't make sense to us?  Are you God-centered or self-centered?

The most important thing about a person is what they believe about God.  We should look to God's truth to shape our beliefs and values.  We should not do the opposite and look to our culture to shape our view of God!  As John Piper says in the first chapter, "Wimpy theology makes wimpy women.  Wimpy theology simply does not give a woman a God that is big enough, strong enough, wise enough, and good enough to handle the realities of life in a way that magnifies the infinite worth of Jesus Christ."  (p. 21)


Ultimate Purpose
When God created the universe and everything in it, His design was intentional, deliberate, purposeful, and beautiful.  Everything was made according to His plan, His idea, and His purposes.  Masculinity and femininity were not created as an afterthought.  They were created to teach us more about God.

Consider how marriage portrays a beautiful picture of Christ's sacrificial love:
"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her... that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5:25-27)

Again, we get a glimpse of Christ's relationship to the church, His bride.
"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.  This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church." (Ephesians 5:31)

Piper says that marriage is "meant to display the covenant-keeping love between Christ and His church... Marriage will display, as in a mirror dimly, something of the glory of the sacrificial love of Christ for His bride and the lavish reverence and admiration of the bride for her husband.

Intentional Design

Piper concludes that God made us male and female to more fully display the glory of Jesus.  If we were just genderless people, there would be aspects of Christ's nature that would not be known.  The very reason why males and females exist, why we're given in marriage at all, is because it points to something much bigger than gender and marital status.  If you thought your marriage was about you and your husband, it's not.  It actually points to Christ, the cross, and His relationship to the church!   Piper doesn't believe that God simply looked around and decided that marriage would be a good analogy to describe Jesus' relationship to the church.  It was all preplanned from the beginning of time.

Finding Fulfillment

If God was so intentional about manhood and womanhood, and if He uses it to describe something about Jesus, it's definitely a very important topic.  As we go through the rest of the series, I believe we will be most satisfied and most fulfilled in our roles as women when we trust the One who designed us this way.

Is your theology wimpy or do you believe He is all knowing, completely wise, and thoroughly intentional about the way He created us?  Believing the truth about God and who He is will help you see the beauty in His plan for you as a woman.

My next post will be on Chapter 2: From Him, through Him, to Him by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

Love,
Catherine

Voices of the True Woman Movement - Intro

Hi Ladies,

God has placed a powerful vision on my heart for myself and other women.  To sum it up I desperately want to be a godly wife and mother and to spread the message of God's true design for us as women.  I consider it such a precious gift that He has revealed the true worth and value of womanhood and motherhood to me, for I did not always feel this way.  There was a time when I embraced the world's view of these roles, yet God has graciously allowed me to see the emptiness of the path centered on Self.  I have a desire to connect with like-minded women and a burden for those who are still trying to navigate through life the world's way.  I pray my next series of posts will encourage us to see the beauty in God's design for women.

I've wanted to blog about this subject for some time now, but I felt unqualified because I'm still learning and growing in these areas myself!  That is why I am so thankful for the wonderful folks at Revive Our Hearts.  They sent me a free copy of Nancy Leigh DeMoss' new release - Voices of the True Woman Movement: A Call to the Counter-Revolution.  The book is a collection of Christ-centered messages from the first True Woman Conference by John Piper, Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Mary Kassian, Janet Parshall, Joni Eareckson Tada, Karen Lorritts, and Fern Nichols.  I'm so thankful to have a resource full of wisdom from these wonderful people!  I have agreed to blog about each of the nine chapters in the book.

Here is a sneak peak of the topics I'll be discussing on my blog, but I'll be reposting them here too:

PART ONE

Foundations of True Womanhood
Chapter 1: The Ultimate Meaning of True Womanhood - John Piper
Chapter 2: From Him, through Him, to Him - Nancy Leigh DeMoss

PART TWO

The Battle for True Womanhood
Chapter 3: You've Come a Long Way, Baby! - Mary A. Kassian
Chapter 4: For Such a Time as This - Nancy Leigh DeMoss

PART THREE

The Refining of True Womanhood
Chapter 5: A Woman after God's Own Heart - Janet Parshall
Chapter 6: Choosing Faith in Seasons of Change - Karen Loritts
Chapter 7: God's Jewels - Joni Eareckson Tada

PART FOUR

Reclaiming True Womanhood
Chapter 8: Leaving a Lasting Legacy through Prayer - Fern Nichols
Chapter 9: A Call to the Counter-Revolution - Nancy Leigh DeMoss

I hope you'll join me for this series and share your thoughts and comments! :)

Love,
Catherine

YWAM: A Resource for the Mission Minded

When we receive a Youth with a Mission catalog in the mail, I want to staple the whole thing to my reading list. This is one of those things I found on my homeschooling journey. They are not just for homeschoolers, but you will find them at some homeschool conferences. Many curriculums use their Christian Heroes: Then and Now. They make wonderful read alouds. They whole catalog is a wonderful resource for the mission minded family.

For 5 and up they have illustrated rhyming Heroes for Young Readers, which we have been working our way through and have really enjoyed. We have used the activity books, which I would highly recommend using with the books. They have various fun activities to reinforce the lesson learned by that hero. For every hero you construct a remembrance craft to put in a shoe box to remind you of the Godly character that person lived in their life. The books are long for a bouncy child, so either brake it up or give them the coloring page to color while they listen to the story.

It is very important to read the story first, as the reality the missionaries faced is included. So when Nate Saint or Jim Elliot get speared, you may what to be ready to deal with that, especially if you have a deep thinker and/or a sensitive child. When I have used this books with a group of children, I just skip those parts. My children are sensitive, deep thinkers types, but I have left the stories intact for them, and it has been fine. There is always the balance of exposing them to the reality of life, while maintaining their childhood innocence, only the parent can make that call. Since some of my children have experience the fragility of life that thankfully had a positive outcome, I feel that in some ways it has equip them a little better to stomach "life." Since we do not know what our future holds, it is a good idea to not to keep "life" too distant from your child. This will help them in their future trials. Of course, you do not want to terrorize a child either.

There are some great books for adults also, from missionary biographies to missions in your own life. They also carry fiction, Spanish, American heroes , readers, bible studies, curriculum, parenting and homeschooling books as well. Oh, I just want one of everything. Great stuff, hope you find it helpful. Please comment if you have used YWAM before.

FYI the website is found both by .com and .org

One Hundred and One Titles

There a lot of books I want to read, especially before my kids grow up - since their purpose is to educated my on parenting or homeschooling. There are also a lot of other books I want to about Christianity and my walk with God. And on it goes.

Recently I have been watching the latest movie version of Jane Austin's book Emma, and there is a part where Emma, in an effort to improve herself, makes a list of 101 titles of books she intends to read. I want to make a list for myself, so I do not miss a book piled under all the other books around here.

From you, I would like to recommend some titles to add to my list. What are some books you want to read? What books have you read that were excellent, that have impacted your life? Have you read any good books lately that would be helpful to a Christian, homeschooler or mom? They can be fiction or non-fiction. The Bible is an obvious answer, of course, and I have read all of Austin's works - so do not be a smarty and list Emma as one :-)