Monday, March 14, 2016

On My Bookshelf this Month: Two Book Reviews


Yep. I couldn't resist this same type again. A godly children's board book just like Snuggle Time Prayers. And this one totally stole my heart as well. There are so many children's books out there with propaganda (relativism, gay marriage, etc.), I am so thankful and refreshed when I come upon one like this. It is absolutely adorable. 

A simple, serene, comforting book about getting ready for bedtime and how God is always watching over your little one. Through playtime and bathtime and snuggle time and finally bedtime, your child is reassured that God is watching over you. 

I feel like even as an adult, I would be reassured by this book before bedtime and sleep much more peacefully! I can't wait to add this to our baby's collection. Five stars. :)

[Thank you to Book Look Bloggers for sending me a complimentary copy for review! This post contains my honest and original thoughts.]


And now for my big girl book. :)

This one took me awhile to read and even now at the end, I'm not sure fully of my rating. There were things I really liked about this book and there were things I would want to improve. 

Dana Yeakley wrote this book to encourage us as women to not stop at simply being a disciple of Jesus Christ but to also disciple others to come to follow Him as well. My husband and I are both very interested in the concept of discipling/mentoring and feel that it's so important in our culture, especially with young adults. 

Here's where I struggle the most: am I competent and grounded enough in my own faith to disciple others? There's a part of me that feels the older I get, the less I know. As a teen, I was pretty confident (cocky?) in my faith and probably would have been more fearless about the idea of discipling someone newer in their faith. And while I still know the beliefs of my Faith and have a relationship with the Lord, I no longer feel like I 'know it all' and there's a part of me that wants a mentor myself rather than being one to a younger woman!! ;) 

However, the author assures us that we can both disciple others and be discipled ourselves through many seasons of life. While I may need discipled by an older woman, there are also things I can share with a younger woman or a woman newer in her faith. 

I like the way this book was written and organized. The author has a beautiful heart for the Lord and seems very authentic and encouraging. Despite my own wavering fears at the idea of discipling, Mrs. Yeakley gives practical and thoughtful ideas and topics on how to begin. I definitely would love this book even more if she were Catholic and could incorporate Catholic living into her mentoring plan for women. 

So there you have it. A beautiful woman with a beautiful mission wrote this book and definitely stirred my own heart on this issue, but I can't say I'm ready and raring to begin...perhaps not necessarily the fault of the book but rather something I need to take to prayer! If anything, this book challenged me to go ever deeper with our Lord so that I will be prepared should He bring an opportunity for discipleship into my life. 

[Thank you to Tyndale Publishing for sending me this complimentary copy for review. This post contains my honest and original thoughts.]

2 comments:

  1. That sounds like a super cute kids book. It's exciting to build up a few before baby arrives! :-)

    And I like your thoughts on the "big girl" one. I think it makes sense to be nervous about being capable of mentoring younger people. I totally get what you're saying about realizing how little we know as we get older too. So true. But I also have to say that I've very much appreciated being mentored by women who do NOT have it all together. It would intimidate me if I felt like she thought she knew that much. To me mentoring is more about walking together and accompanying someone else, another imperfect person. I bet you'd be great at it when the opportunity arises! And I love that you're open to it. Mentors have made a big difference in my life and it would be so awesome to see that happen for more people.

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    1. Good thoughts on mentoring. I like your point that you've appreciated when mentors admit they don't have it all together-- I realized I like that too...it shows humility and authenticity.

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