Review of Married Mom, Solo Parent by Carla Anne Coroy

I have a few friends who are married to men who are gone nearly all the time. They have children together and that's about all that they have in common anymore. It's so sad. It takes a toll on the children. They feel a tension between the "world" and the "church". The world tells them to file for divorce. The church tells them to tough it out, be the gentle guidance that their husband needs. A few of my friends don't feel freedom to discuss this problem. This topic, within many Christian circles, is taboo. 

Carla Anne Coroy tackled the issue in her book "Married Mom, Solo Parent". I am impressed with her openness in this book. She discusses with honesty her emotions, her thoughts, her struggles. For a mother (or even a father) going through this struggle, this would be an invaluable resource of encouragement and edification. 

With chapters that lean to the practical side (ie, keeping the house clean, keeping mealtime a great experience for the kids, attending events and special occasions alone), Carla is lending a hand, teaching her coping skills. She is saying, in these chapters, that it is possible to physically survive this time of life. 

Carla also writes about the emotions, the grief, of being in this Married Mom, Solo Parent position. She writes about honoring the husband who is absent, the need for a break, the price that the kids pay in this situation. I can't imagine that these were easy chapters for her to write. However, they are sure to help another woman to know that she isn't alone in these painful emotions. 

The very last chapter of this book was written by her husband. Now, let's just say, that takes some humility. I found his ideas for talking to an absent husband to be very enlightening. And, in writing that chapter, he truly showed his willingness to be the supportive, present father he needs to be.

This book would be fantastic for a woman who is living in this kind of marriage, for family ministries at a church, for counseling situations, for friends hoping to understand the struggles of a friend. 

I highly recommend this book.

Please note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review of I Peter: Finding Encouragement in Troubling Times. Week Three

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light."

~I Peter 2:9 (NIV)

In college my sister started calling me "Puppy". Just out of the blue. Apparently she saw it on "My Best Friend's Wedding" and she thought it was such a cute nickname that she wanted to use it on me. And it stuck. Truth? I hated it at first. But after a short time, I loved it. Why? Because that name came at just the right time. I was going through some personal struggles and dealing with the death of both my grandmothers. "Puppy" was just a way for my sister to acknowledge that our relationship is special. 

Nearly 15 years later, she still calls me "Puppy". 

God has called us "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession." 

But isn't He the Creator of all things? Yes. And He has chosen me? Yes. And He has called me to a holy priesthood, a consecrated ministry? Yes. He calls me a part of a holy nation? Yes. And I am special? Yes.

I have to tell you, being called a "special possession" of God sinks deeply within me. It acknowledges the intimate relationship that God desires to have with me. Not a controlling, abusive relationship. Not a special, lovingly jealous one. We are His portion. We are the Bride that He desires to lift up and make holy.

Now that, THAT, is a great nickname.

*Note: I received a free copy of this Bible study in exchange for an honest review

Review of I Peter: Finding Encouragement in Troubling Times. Week Two.

"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." 

1 Peter 1:22 and 23

During this week's study, I was contemplating love. Love that is defined in the above verses. It made me think of something that happened almost 2 years ago. 

I was reading a book that detailed human evil. I read a particular story that disturbed me so greatly that I slapped the book closed and hid it under several other books. I couldn't even look at the book anymore. Anger, that I hope was righteous, and sorrow overtook me. 

Days later I was driving. A song about God's love played on the radio. 

"Thank You, God, for loving me," I prayed. 

"I love them, too," I felt Him say. I knew He meant the people in that book that did all of those terrible, evil things. 

"That isn't fair," I thought. "It isn't right and it isn't fair."

"But I do love them," I felt His words again. "And you need to, as well."

That was it. Well, until I heard that song again. And I realized that the evil, the pain that those people inflicted on others hurt the heart of God. Because of the victim and because of the perpetrator. 

As much as I didn't want to, I prayed that God would help me to love them. Not accept their deeds. No. Never that. But to love them. Sometimes being purified by obeying the truth is painful, laborious and all together unpleasant. 

But as I tried to obey, I realized something that broke my heart. I'd never worked that hard to love in all my life. Not even my brothers and sisters in Christ. There were some Christians that I just did not love deeply. Parts of the imperishable seed, the image of God made me angry or hurt me. And I didn't fight to maintain my love for them. 

This realization made me fall flat. I repented. Then God asked me to reconcile with specific people. It was terrifying. It made me physically ill from the anxiety of it. But the obedience was purifying. Some of the relationships were not restored. Forgiveness was reached. Then other relationships were saved. Renewed. Better than ever before. 

And that's the purifying. Sincere love brings us to a tiny bit better understanding of the incomprehensible love of our Heavenly Father. 

Review of I Peter: Finding Encouragement in Troubling Times. Week One.

Each Friday I'll be reviewing a Bible study lesson from this Sue Edward study of I Peter. 

When a Bible study starts with "Do you ever wonder if you would deny Christ if faced with prison, poverty or pain?" (page 10), well, you know that you're in for a deep study. 

A Bible study that will delve into your heart and bring about great introspection. 

This is my kind of Bible study.

In the introduction, she brings up the possibility of persecution. She encourages us to be ready, because we never know if it will happen to us, our children or our grand children. And she reminds us that persecution is happening in nations around the world. 

This made me reflect. Have I ever been persecuted for my faith?

No. I haven't.

I've been called ignorant. Stupid. Weak. Naive.

But never persecuted. 

Nothing like the early Church faced in the arenas of Rome. Nothing like a woman who is honor killed by her family member in modern nations. 

I guess the word that really applies to what I've experienced is opposition. People who want to debate their views against mine. I've lost friends because of my faith. It hurts. Sure. It's awful. 

So many times I've seen Christians react in two ways to this kind of opposition. Some hold firm and get angry and argue and scream. Others fun from their beliefs, back peddling to avoid a fight.  Both are problematic for obvious reasons. And I've been guilty for both responses.

And I think that neither of those reactions are full of hope. "Hope for the heaven bound", as Sue Edwards says at the end of the introduction. Hope doesn't get angry and spout off arguments. Hope doesn't deny what it knows to be true. Hope is faithful. Hope is gentle. Hope is loving. And those reactions, when faced with opposition or even persecution, are full of the Fruit of the Spirit. And God will equip us to display these Fruits when faced with hard times. Or even horrible times.

This study is packed. It is a big beef steak of wisdom and instruction. And I am so excited that I get to go through this faith building study.

Check back next week for my review of Lesson 2.

Note: I received a copy of this study in exchange of an honest review.

Review of Dance of the Dandelion

Dance of the Dandelion by Dina Sleiman is an unusual book. It's set in the Medieval times. The character, Dandelion, makes major mistakes. She gets herself into scrapes and dangerous situations...and then, guess what? There's redemption. I don't want to tell you about the redemption. I want you to be surprised. But I can tell you this, it wasn't what I expected. 

So, why is this unusual? Well, let me tell you!

Very few Medieval books are being published in the modern market. Why not? I don't know. But I am very glad that White-Fire Publishing did take on this book. It is beautifully written and the setting is perfect. Dina did her research and truly understood the time period. 

Dandelion gets herself into lots of trouble. Man trouble. Several times. She falters. Falls into temptation. And because of her sins, she experiences major destruction in her life. The Christian market is sometimes wary of these topics. But Dina certainly charted some territory that is often hedged. The great thing? She doesn't glorify any of it. In fact, the consequences occur quickly after Dandelion falls. 

Dandelion's redemption is nothing short of moving. She learns the deep, strong, never-ending love of God. Her redemption isn't found in a man (like all too many novels). Instead, it is because of the work that God had been doing in her all along. Absolutely uplifting.

Christian fiction is all about a story that uplifts, convicts and directs us to the abundant life to be found in Christ (which usually has nothing to do with money). I was delighted by Dance of the Dandelion. From the cover to the story to the author herself, this is a beautiful novel. I highly recommend this. 

To learn more about Dina Sleiman, visit her website here. To order this book, check out Amazon (this book is available as an ebook and a paperback).

** Please note: I received nothing in exchange for this review. I just loved the book and wanted to share it with you!  

Review of Baby's Little Bible

One of my very favorite things is to read the Bible with my kids. This is something we've done ever since they were tiny. I wish that we would have had Baby's Little Bible when our kids were babies! 

This storybook Bible comes in either pink or blue (we received the pink...which my daughter loved). I suppose my only thought about the color is that a neutral one would have been nice as well. The cover is smooth and has a little bit of padding to it. Nice for a baby. The pictures are colorful and beautiful. One issue I've had with other children's Bible illustrations is that they are often culturally inaccurate (making the characters look Anglo-Saxon). I appreciate how this illustrator gave Jesus darker skin and hair. 

The storytelling is well done. Even though this book is intended for babies, my kids (5 and 3) still enjoyed having it read to them. This isn't only a great baby Bible, it's a great Family Bible Time read! 

I think this book would be great for a baby shower gift, as a Christmas present for a young baby or even used as an "easy reader" book for older children who are learning to read.

Book Review of "The Three Trees"

We are a family that reads together daily (often several times a day). So, when given the opportunity to share this book with my kids, I was very excited. 

The art work is beautiful. I'm a fan of folk art. All of the colors and details...there's just a lot to catch the eye! My younger kids (the ones who can't read yet), enjoyed flipping through the pages, letting their eyes move across the page to take in all the art and color and beauty. They could identify what the book communicated through the stories that the pictures told. 

The story is told in that familiar folk story voice. It uses easily understood language. Yet it wasn't at such a low level that my kids were bored. They were moved by the reading of the story. I let my husband read it aloud so that I could watch the faces of my kids. They were caught within the telling and pinched their little eyebrows together in concentration. 

The Three Trees is a traditional folktale. I've heard it before. However, coupled with the beautiful artwork, this story had more power than just through the spoken word. 

This book is a great gift. Christmas is just around the corner, and this would be a great one to give as a gift to children, art-lovers, your Church library. It would also be a great baby shower gift (books were some of my favorite from when I had my babies). 

Note: Kregal Publications provided this book in exchange for my honest review.