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There’s an exciting new book for Christian parents I want to tell you about! “The Christian Parenting Handbook: 50 Heart-Based Strategies for All the Stages of Your Child’s Life” by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller comes out today.

I’m going to share a bit about the book with you and then tell you how to get $400 of FREE (and great) Christian parenting resources if you buy the book this week. It’s not a lottery or raffle – every single person who buys The Christian Parenting Handbook this week and provides proof of purchase receives the bonus package! It’s really a no-brainer. But first let me tell you why you would even want this book.

The premise of the The Christian Parenting Handbook is that parents focus too much on external behavior management, at the expense of helping their kids develop a truly transformed heart. Parenting in a way that changes a child’s heart rather than simply his/her behavior, however, requires some guidance because behavior modification tends to be our default approach. If our kids are doing something bad, we naturally gravitate to discipline that will make them stop behaving badly. But this book calls us to more than that. It calls us to do the tougher (but more important) work of changing the heart.

The Christian Parenting Handbook is an extremely easy read; it’s 50 very short chapters (3-4 pages each), each of which tackles a narrow topic. These small chapters are quick to digest, but filled with practical and biblically-based wisdom. The concepts are applicable for parents with kids of any age. Here’s a peek at the the first 10 chapters, to give you an idea of content:Continue reading

Last Wednesday night, I woke up with a little tickle in my chest, coupled with the feeling of 2,000 pounds on top of me. As I wrestled with going back to sleep, I heard several little coughs echoing down the hallway from the kids’ rooms.

I’m sure many of you can relate to the sinking feeling that happens when you realize the next few days of your life will be consumed with wiping noses, dispensing medicine and dealing with crankiness. Sigh.

When morning came, I took every conceivable medicine and miserably dragged myself down the hall. Sure enough, all three kids were sick too. It was hard to imagine the day ahead.

So what did we do? We all grabbed a pillow and blanket and positioned ourselves in the living room for a rare morning of movie watching. The kids took turns snuggling with me. I comforted them by rubbing their heads. Every half hour or so, I asked them how they were feeling. I quickly caught dripping noses with a wad of prepared tissues. I kissed their foreheads. I allowed us to all lie around and watch TV for 3 hours…something that never happens.

This may sound like a pretty normal scene given the circumstances. But, I have to admit, I’m not much of a nurturer by nature. If the kids were sick and I was not, it would have played out differently. I probably would have positioned them on the couch with a stuffed animal and worked in the kitchen or on my computer while they relaxed, periodically checking in on them to see if they needed anything.

Everything was different because I was in the same boat. Being right there with them in our mutually sick state gave me an empathy which completely transformed how I related to them. Since I was feeling what they were feeling, I was fundamentally more attentive to their needs.Continue reading

At the end of last year, I read a book called “Getting to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction,” by Bryan M. Litfin. It was a wonderful introduction to the lives, beliefs and struggles of early Christians who had a hugely significant impact on the development of the church. Aside from learning a lot, there was one story that absolutely shook me. I literally thought about it for weeks. Each time it came to mind, there was a little earthquake in my soul.

I find this story incredibly convicting, and I want to share it with you today as we approach Easter.

***

The year was 203 AD. It was a time that Christians were severely persecuted by the Romans and a countless number were killed for their beliefs. Perpetua and her handmaiden, Felicity, were two of these early martyrs.

Perpetua was a young woman with a nursing infant. When she was accused of being a Christian, authorities threw her into a filthy, dark prison, and took away her baby. Some of Perpetua’s writings have been preserved, and she noted during that time that she was “extremely distressed” with anxiety for her infant. Some Christian deacons bribed the guards to move her to a better part of the prison, where she finally nursed her son. He had grown faint with hunger.

When Perpetua appeared before the local governor for her trial, her father pulled her aside, holding out her son, and cried, “Have pity on your baby!” The governor added, “Spare the infancy of your boy, and offer sacrifice for the well-being of the emperors.” The governor then asked Perpetua the final question for conviction:

“Are you a Christian?”

Perpetua resolutely replied, “Yes. I am a Christian.”

It was official: she would be devoured by wild beasts for her beliefs. She was removed to await her penalty and that was the last time she ever saw her baby.Continue reading

I’ve always been baffled by the fact that Kenna, my 4-year-old, gets incredibly frustrated about everything at home, but when she’s at preschool, gymnastics or ballet classes, she has no trouble “keeping it together.” That changed at Friday’s gymnastics class.

She was learning a new skill on the balance beam and kept falling. After one too many falls she screamed, “I can’t do it! I don’t want to do gymnastics ANY MORE!” I was one part embarrassed (“oh my gosh, my kid just flamed out in front of everyone”), one part scared (“she’s going to start getting frustrated in public now like she does at home”) and one part sad (“she’s going to be cursed by perfectionism, like me, for the rest of her life”).

If Kenna can’t do something perfectly, she doesn’t want to do it at all. I’m exactly like that, and I regularly think about stopping blogging because of it – this blog is so far from the “perfect” blog I would like to have. For example:

I don’t write enough blog posts, and my frequency of posting is inconsistent.

Theoretically, I would love to publish the same number of posts every week and on the same days so readers know what to expect. But I have three kids under five (who are not in school during the day) and I work part time. I write during their nap time or after a long day when they are tucked into bed. Sometimes I can post twice in a week, but usually it’s only once, and I can’t even get myself to consistently post on the same day(s)…my blog is terribly imperfect because of it.Continue reading

(Today is the third of three book reviews and giveaways I’m doing this week! Check out the first one here and the second one here. I’ve received these three books from publishers in exchange for my honest review. I have a copy of each to give away to one of my blog readers. Check out the review below, and then read the instructions for the giveaway that follow.)

Today I’m reviewing Love in the Balance by Regina Jennings. Love in the Balance is a Christian historical romance set in 1879 in Caldwell County, Texas.

Here’s the back cover copy to give you an overview of the plot:

Molly Lovelace dreams of a life without cares in Lockhart, Texas. She also dreams of handsome wrangler Bailey Garner, her ardent but inconsistent beau. The problem is, with Bailey’s poor prospects, she just can’t fit the two dreams together.

Then mysterious stranger Edward Pierrepont sweeps into town–and her life–and for the first time Molly wonders if she’s met the man who can give her everything. But he won’t be in Lockhart long and while it certainly seems like he talks about their glorious future together, she can’t quite get Bailey out of her mind.

What’s a girl to do with all these decisions when love is in the balance?

At first glance, this sounds like a common “girl caught between two loves” story. But the beauty of this book is that it turns out to be anything but common. I couldn’t put it down once I started – here’s why. Continue reading

(Today is the second of three book reviews and giveaways I’m doing this week! Check out the first one here. I’ve received these three books from publishers in exchange for my honest review. I have a copy of each to give away to one of my blog readers. Check out the review below, and then read the instructions for the giveaway that follow.)

Today I’m reviewing Hopes and Fears: Everyday Theology for New Parents and Other Tired, Anxious People by two women pastors, Bromleigh McCleneghan and Lee Hull Moses (of the United Methodist Church and the First Christian Church, respectively).

If you’re tired of “how to” books or traditional devotionals, but want to read something that will spiritually encourage you through the mundane day-to-day parenting of babies and small children, this one’s for you. The chapters are individual essays that could be read at any time, in any order – making it a light, easy read that is perfect for weary parents who only have a few minutes to pick up a book.

The 14 chapters alternate by author. Both authors are highly relatable, insightful and quite funny! I laughed out loud throughout the book. They make you feel as though you’re hanging out with one of those friends who makes you laugh, cry, and think a little more deeply about life. Their status as working moms/pastors is an encouragement especially for those who find the balance of work and parenthood challenging.Continue reading