Book Review: "What He Must Be…if he wants to marry my daughter"
I was very excited to read What He Must Be…If He Wants to Marry My Daughter by Voddie Baucham Jr., because I’ve read an excellent book by Dr. Baucham before (Family Driven Faith), and I was curious to see what he had to say about helping your daughter find a good, Christian man to marry (even though I’m no where near ready to think about my two little girls ever getting married!).
I thought that this was another excellent book by Dr. Baucham. It’s a topic that I think a lot of parents either don’t think about or are afraid to approach. In a culture of “falling in love” and “if it feels good, do it,” fathers and mothers have to make a deliberate effort in guiding their children as they look at potential spouses, at instilling in their children what kind of qualities to look for before they marry, and in helping (their sons, particularly), cultivate these qualities in themselves.
I did feel that this book would be especially beneficial for fathers to read, although mothers can gain much from it as well. I also think that fathers and mothers would take away different things from their reading. I’m sure that my perspective on the book is much different from what my husband’s perspective would be were he to read it.
I especially liked the chapter entitled “He Must Be Committed to Children.” When dating or even newly engaged, I’m sure that the topic of children is far from many couple’s minds, and yet a man’s feelings about children, the way he treats them, and his ability to interact with them speak volumes for the kind of man he is, and are a good indicator of the future of the relationship. While it may not be a comfortable thing to consider or discuss, it is a crucial topic, and parents need to be encouraging their daughters to consider it, and raise their sons to care for children.
The only part of the book that really puzzled me was the conclusion. It seemed to focus entirely on race issues, and while I understand that that can be a very important discussion for some families, it seemed like it would have been better discussed in it’s own chapter, instead of a wrap-up to the whole book. It felt a little awkward having the conclusion focused so much on one topic.
You can read more about What He Must Be If He Wants to Marry My Daughter at http://www.crossway.org/blog
The Seventy Dollar Bill
I had to stop by the grocery store this morning. Just a quick trip–I needed some cinnamon chips to bake blondies. So I grab my one item and get in the express lane. I’m not really paying attention to the guy in front of me, but I notice the cashier handing him his money back, so I look closer, and in his hand is a bill that looks like normal money, but it has *70* printed on it. Total double take situation, because I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
The guy tried to pass it off as a joke, but I’m fairly sure he was trying to con this poor cashier. For starters, when he dug in his pocket to get his “real” money, he couldn’t come up with enough to pay for his 20 ounce drink. He was eight cents short, and actually had the nerve to yell at *me* when I told him I didn’t have any cash (whether or not what I told him was true is irrelevant!).
The cashier seemed pretty young and naive, and didn’t call for her manager or the cops (which I sure would have). Based on my few years in retail (and I certainly never saw a “$70″), I’m guessing he hoped she was stupid enough to fall for it, and then he would get back $68 plus change of actual money, instead of his fake bill. He was really quite belligerent after that, so things obviously did not go according to plan.
I wonder how many other stores he tried to con today. If I see anything in the newspaper about it later, I’ll know who it was!
Enjoying Vacation
No, we haven’t actually gone anywhere, but the children and I have been enjoying our vacation from school. We did have our two-week summer school space unit, but that was more fun than school (not that school isn’t fun) for them and me.
So, I haven’t been around much lately, largely due to the fact that I haven’t had any school experiences to report on in over a month. I’m sure once we start up again in a few weeks, I’ll be back to more frequent blogging, but until then, we’re just enjoying taking a break!
Unexpected Joys
Moose has really been trying to talk a lot more lately. Not just single words, not just repeating words we tell him to say, but spontaneously stringing together a few words at a time. I don’t understand what he’s saying half the time, but still! That in and of itself is a great joy. But I’ve discovered that I’ve found joy in something else I wasn’t really expecting.
I’m finally getting an idea of what his voice sounds like! I know to most people, this wouldn’t be a big deal, and for most parents of almost-four-year-olds, it probably wouldn’t even make sense. How can you not know, after all that time, what your own child’s voice sounds like?
But, when all you get is one word at a time, and not on any kind of regular basis, and when even that word is a struggle to get out, you don’t know. You wonder what a normal speaking voice sounds like for your child. Sure, I’m well acquainted with his shrieks, because that’s been his only really way to express negative emotions outside of crying, and I know (kind of) what his babbling voice sounds like. But now I’m learning what his speaking voice sounds like. And I’m even learning that he often purses his lips in a very certain way when he’s really trying to talk. And I’ve found a great deal of joy in these discoveries. As much as I feel like autism has taken from him (and us), I also know I never would have found this kind of elation in something so simple if autism wasn’t a part of our lives.
I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, and let me tell you, it is a beautiful sound!
"Blue Like Play Dough" Blog Book Tour
Blue Like Play Dough is a great book for mothers, because it really meets you where you’re at. The author, Tricia Goyer, shares her experiences from the time she was a pregnant teen, to now, a more settled, yet still occasionally struggling, adult.
As she shared her joys and sorrows in parenting, I found that I could relate to much of what she was saying. Being a mother can be a lonely, demanding job. There are times when you feel like you are drowning, even though there are also times when you feel like you’re on top of the world. You often wonder if you’re doing things right, or if you’re screwing your kids up for life. I think every mother has dealt with these doubts, questions, and feelings of inadequacy at one time or another.
And yet, in the midst of all that, God is always there, guiding you, preparing you for great things. And even if you do make a mess of things, He is there to help you clean it up. And, if you finally let go of *your* plans, you can be open to the wonderful plans God has in store for you!
I found this to be a very uplifting, encouraging book that takes a real, honest look at motherhood, and how God can give us so much more joy in our job than we ever imagined!
Book Review: "Rick and Bubba's Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage"
I had never heard of authors Rick Burgess and Bill “Bubba” Bussey before reading this book, but now I wish I had! Rick and Bubba’s Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage is the funniest book I’ve read in quite awhile. It’s like a combination of Chris Fabry (the Christian aspect, as well as the humorous look at marriage and the difference between the two sexes) and Jeff Foxworthy (the whole redneck thing), and that combination makes for some hilarious, yet clean, reading.
Even with the hilarity, there is some truth that can be found in this book, as far as how men and women are different, and what can make a marriage work (or not!). Even while laughing at the stories Rick and Bubba relate from their own marriages, I often found myself thinking: “I do that, too!” or “I think we’ve had that conversation before.” Humor and hyperbole can make the truth easier to see and admit to, and even though I could see myself and my marriage in some of their stories, the way the truth was delivered left me feeling like we’re not alone in how we interact, instead of feeling angry or ashamed that I’ve been found out!
Blog Book Tour: "The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn"
I recently read The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn, which is a “Love Inspired” Suspense novel. I don’t usually read books that can be purchased in the grocery store, but I thought this one was pretty good.
Kenzie Thorn (granddaughter of the state governor) teaches a GED course in a prison. She can’t help but be intrigued by her new student, Myles Parsons, but her curiosity turns to fear when he abducts her. His explanation? He’s an undercover FBI agent working to protect Kenzie, and to do so, he needs to hide her.
Can Kenzie trust Myles? Who is the real threat to her? And what kind of relationship can she have with the man sent to keep her out of harm’s way?
There was a twist to this story (which I obviously won’t share) that prevented this book from becoming a formulaic romance novel. I appreciated the Christian slant to the book, which prevented it from becoming a trashy romance novel. Certainly light reading, but not a bad way to spend time.
The verdict? Good for summer reading by the pool.
Quote of the Day
“I sometimes catch myself looking up at the Moon, remembering the changes of fortune in our long voyage, thinking of the thousands of people who worked to bring the three of us home. I look up at the Moon and wonder, when will we be going back, and who will that be?” Tom Hanks as Jim Lovell in Apollo 13
Quote of the Day–Part Two
“That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind” Neil Armstrong
Quote of the Day
“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.” John F. Kennedy
