There were several recipes from this book that I want to try. So far we've enjoyed simple roasted pork tenderloin.
*****
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Dairy-Free Eating, written by Scott H. Sicherer and Liz Scott
We're cutting back on dairy around here, so I found some recipes in this book to try. The only one we've tried so far is maple pecan granola, which we liked, but we have more waiting.
*****
Good News for Weary Women: Escaping the Bondage of To-Do Lists, Steps, and Bad Advice, written by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick
Good News for Weary Women: Escaping the Bondage of To-Do Lists, Steps, and Bad Advice, written by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick
Beep and I read this for our Skyble study and it had a lot of great stuff in it. The nutshell is that God's love for and acceptance of us has absolutely nothing to do with us obediently working our way down a checklist of cultural rules (with cultural meaning the country we live in, the church we attend, or whatever). He chose to love us. Our identity is not based on the good or bad things we've done or following man-made rules that we or others have elevated to the level of scripture. Our identity comes from acknowledging we are sinners who can never get our act completely together on our own and resting in the grace of God, who obeyed perfectly, sacrificed willingly, and loves freely. There were tons of quotes I liked from this book, but I'll try to choose a few highlights.
p. 16, Motherhood is not a woman's only calling, nor is it her highest calling, just as fatherhood is not a man's highest or only calling. The Bible never makes such a claim, and shaming women who want to work in the marketplace (or have to) is unkind, unwise, and unbiblical.
Soapbox alert - I was so, so, so grateful to read this! I could not possibly agree more. I've always been bothered by the ignorance and arrogance this belief conveys, even though I know that, at least among my friends, it comes from a sincere love for one's kid(s) and a deep desire to do the best possible job at parenting that one can do. Being a mom is a privilege and responsibility that carries so much weight and value, however motherhood is not the supreme role in life and staying at home full-time is not the indicator of holiness or successful parenting. I feel the same way about the belief that homeschooling is the best choice for educating one's kids, but that's another soapbox for another day. For now, back to quotes I like.
p. 42, We've been given everything our souls ever needed in Christ - and not because we earned it or because we're really good. It's because He is really good. That's really great news, isn't it?
p. 61, Failure to live up to human additions to God's rules always produces guilt, and guilt never produces grateful obedience. < snip > True obedience must be fueled by love, and love occurs only in hearts that have been warmed by the knowledge of God's love for lawbreakers like us.
p. 69, In addition, if we remember that God's law has already been fulfilled by Jesus Christ, who obeyed in our place and then died for all our disobedience, we will grow in our desire to love Him and live for Him - not out of obligation but out of gratitude for his mercy.
p. 114, Jesus never tells us seventeen things we need to do to be better people. He simply tells us to believe in Him.
p. 119, We do not earn God's smile by our own works after we are saved any more than we did before we were saved.
p. 132, If we don't take the good news of the gospel as the only antidote to our weaknesses, sin, and slavery to self-approval - if the grace of God doesn't flood and satiate our souls - then stupid rules about how to make ourselves better will take over.
p. 148, The cross of Christ, that bloodied wood, is the surest sign any of us will ever need. Have our sins been forgiven? Are we loved? Will He care for us? We need no more proof than to look to Golgotha and fall down in worship.
*****
Make It Mighty Ugly: Exercises & Advice For Getting Creative Even When It Ain't Pretty, written by Kim Piper Werker and illustrated by Kate Bingaman-Burt
Desiree read this and thought it may be good for me to read. It's like she knows I'm wound tightly or something. The book addresses the fears that keep us from creating, helps identify our strengths, encourages imperfection, includes interviews with various people and interesting links to check out, and has several exercises for those who want to dig a little deeper. Not life-changing, but an easy read that has me thinking about some ideas I may try.
p. 63, I can't stand it when people attribute their successes to luck - it's unfair to themselves, and it's falsely humble. At the same time, I do think it's important to acknowledge the role that privilege and happenstance play in our successes. Taking an honest look at what contributes to our successes can be just as difficult as doing the same for our failures, and it's just as important for our growing ability to handle both in stride.
*****
Anne Marie recommended this fictional story of a 104 year old woman, an 11 year old boy, and the people in their lives. It's a book about love and grief, family and friends, chasing dreams and taking responsibility, hearts breaking and healing. A bittersweet story that I really enjoyed.
*****
I don't like fantasy books with elves, magic, dragons, time warp stuff, and so on, but Devon does. He's enjoyed the Adventurers Wanted series and asked me to give the first book a try. I love him more than I dislike that genre, so I read all 382 pages of this book. It wasn't my favorite, which was no surprise, but there were good things about it - loyalty, honor, friendship, and bravery.
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1 comment:
It's so fun that you read it. I always enjoy seeing what books you read.
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