a reading update

Completed:
January
Moonlight on the Amazon by Don Best

February
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
The Birth House by Ami McKay

March
Birth Matters by Ina May Gaskin
The Duggars: Twenty and Counting by Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar

April
A Love that Multiplies by Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar 

May
Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years with a Midwife in Mali by Kris Holloway

um, yeah... apparently I didn't actually read all summer.  Weird!

October
Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife by Peggy Vincent 

November/December
Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin



So, in the course of 2012, I managed to read 9 books.  Not quite the 12 that I aspired to, but still not bad.  Especially given the two young children that I care for 24/7.  Somehow reading is not at the top of my list of things to do these days!

12 books in 2012

One of my goals this year is to read twelve books.  I'm doing good so far!  It's mid-March and I've read five books already.  I think I'm going to make it!  You may notice that my 2012 Reading List (below) totals 13 books.  I kind of figured I should include the book that my brother just wrote (The Hero).  How could I not?  At the rate I'm going, I'll have to come up with several more...  Suggestions?

Completed:
January
Moonlight on the Amazon by Don Best


February
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
The Birth House by Ami McKay

March
Birth Matters by Ina May Gaskin
The Duggars: Twenty and Counting by Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar

Want to Read:
A Love that Multiplies by Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar 
Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife by Peggy Vincent
Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches by Russell MooreA Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family by Mary Ostyn
Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches by Rachel Jankovic
Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years with a Midwife in Mali by Kris Holloway
Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin
The Hero by Steve Kroeker

a sort of providential osmosis

I am still slowly reading Elisabeth Elliot's "The Shaping of a Christian Family" and still loving it.  And I still have a few more quotes bookmarked to share with y'all eventually.  But since I have a quote bookmarked from almost every chapter, may I suggest that you pick up a copy and read it yourself?  :)

But just in case you don't get your own copy... here's another quote:

"No one can make a child love anything, from spinach to sparrows to Scripture, but the parents' love for things exerts a powerful thrust in that direction (and I for one learned to love all of the above).  It works both ways--a son whose father loves sports is likely to love sports; a son whose father hates work is likely to hate work.  Because we heard the majestic cadences of the Authorized Version of the Bible read to us day after day, year in and year out, at home and in church and Sunday school and the Christian institutions we all attended, we learned, finally, to love the Bible, in spite of all the years when we shrugged and sighed and rolled our eyes and poked each other under the table and generally appeared to ignore what was supposed to be going on.  Much more than what we or our parents knew sank in by a sort of providential osmosis.  Like other children, we learned radio commercials too ('Use Ajax, bump-bum, the foaming cleanser, bump-bum, floats the dirt, bumpa-bum, right down the drain, bumpa-bumpa-bumpa-bum,' and 'I'm Chiquita Banana and I--come to say--bananas have to ripen in a--certain way'), but Scripture occupies by far the larger share of the territory of our minds today."
       -Elisabeth Elliot, The Shaping of a Christian Family, p. 83

I find it encouraging to hear even someone who I consider to be such an amazing, godly woman say that she too was a child who poked her siblings under the table during family devotions!  That gives me hope not only for me, but for children everywhere.

It is encouraging to know that although I can’t make Micah love Scripture, I can cultivate an environment that encourages him in that direction, and pray for “a sort of providential osmosis” to take place.

who is sufficient for these things?

   "The future looms before many a new father in a new light, with the sometimes terrifying realization that this job may very well shut out the fulfillment of cherished ambitions.  How will be climb the professional ladder now with so many other demands on his time and strength?  Worse yet, can he even keep chin above water, manage to bring in enough to house, clothe, and feed these small people who have such big needs?  And what about . . . and what if . . . ?
   "A true man will certainly be brought to his knees in contrition and helplessness as he looks into the face of his newborn child, a human soul for whom he is now to answer to God.  Who is sufficient for these things?  An honest man knows he is not ready.  Everything depends on the attitude with which he receives his burden from God--with resentment and a desire to evade it as much as possible, or with gratitude, accompanied by a frank confession of fear, reluctance, or whatever negative feelings may arise, then prayer for help to do the job right, for grace to do what he cannot do without it.  He has God's promise, 'He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge' (Prov. 14:26 NIV)."

               -Elisabeth Elliot in her book The Shaping of a Christian Family, pp. 132-133.

there is no nobler career

"There is no nobler career than that of motherhood at its best. There are no possibilities greater, and in no other sphere does failure bring more serious penalties. With what diligence then should she prepare herself for such a task. If the mechanic who is to work with 'things' must study at technical school, if the doctor into whose skilled hands will be entrusted human lives, must go through medical school . . . how much more should the mother who is fashioning the souls of the men and women of tomorrow, learn at the highest of all schools and from the Master-Sculptor Himself, God. To attempt this task, unprepared and untrained is tragic, and its results affect generations to come. On the other hand there is no higher height to which humanity can attain than that occupied by a converted, heaven-inspired, praying mother."

-anonymous, quoted by Elisabeth Elliot in The Shaping of a Christian Family, p. 122

the life of grace in children

The spirit of faith and piety of the parents should be regarded as the most powerful means for the preservation, upbringing, and strengthening of the life of grace in children.

-Theophan the Recluse

silly houseplants

I've struggled for a long time with fear. There. Now you all know. :)

So, these past few days I've been reading through a book on biblical womanhood called Fearlessly Feminine, by Jani Ortlund. I've read a lot of similar material, so truth be told, I'm skipping around a lot and really skimming. But I came across chapter three, where she deals with the issue of fear. Again, I've heard a lot of her points before; I know I need to trust God and leave it all in His hands. I know. But it's still hard.

Then I came across this illustration, which helped put it in perspective for me:

"Imagine going into my child's room to kiss him goodnight only to find him crying fitfully into his pillow. When I question him, he tells me that he's afraid he'll be thirsty tomorrow. I almost laugh at his worry, but instead I calmly assure him that if I water our houseplants--silly houseplants that sometimes die after only a few months--then of course I will make sure that my precious, darling, beloved child has enough water to drink. A loving parent delights in providing for his child. Even so, our heavenly Father knows our needs, and He will take care of them according to His good and wise will" (pp 64-5).

This isn't new information (it's based on Jesus' teaching in Matthew 6). But this little parable really brought Jesus' teaching to life for me. Of course God will care and provide for me. I'm His daughter, whom He cherishes. It's silly to doubt and fear, and question "will God provide?" or "what if _____ happens?". As Jani puts it, God's will is "good and wise".

Just as I will take care of Micah, making sure he has what he needs, I can rest in the truth that God is taking care of me. But unlike me, who is often confused as to what Micah needs (like this morning when he was crying... clean bum? check. well fed? check. tired? nope. teething? already gave him medicine. what could be wrong??), the best part is that God knows what I need better than even I do. He's not sitting in heaven, trying to figure out what I could need. He knows me. His will is good and wise. And I can rest in it.


(I think I just defeated the whole "Wordless Wednesday" thing...)

Blogs of Note: girltalk

If you don't already read the girltalk blog, you should. Carolyn Mahaney and her three daughters, Nicole, Janelle, and Kristin, blog together about biblical femininity, and its practical outworkings.

I'm loving their current feature - 52home. Each day they post a new photo of their everyday lives. They write, "Our hope is that you’ll see your own ordinary, yet glorious life in these pictures. That you’ll glimpse the faithfulness of God that undergirds his faithful ones. That you’ll see reflections of the eternal in the everyday."

Visit their blog here.

Raising Baby Green: Book Review

I recently came across the book Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care by Alan Greene, M.D.

Of course each person needs to decide to what extent they want to, and/or can afford to “go green”, but whatever your interest level, this book is full of suggestions.

Chapter one (my favourite chapter -- quite possibly because it’s most relevant to me right now) opens with this:

“The first room your baby lives in is the pear-shaped organ called the uterus, which we know as the nurturing womb--that safe enclosure in the mother’s body that separates the developing fetus from the outer world. In many ways, if you make the right choices, the womb can be the greenest room on the planet” (p. 9).

He asserts that your pregnancy provides you with “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to give your baby a strong and healthy foundation on which to grow. In fact, at no other time in your child’s life will you have this degree of control over the way her environment influences her development” (p. 9).

The rest of chapter one proceeds to explain the importance of eating healthy, eating organic, staying hydrated, getting exercise, etc. Compared to the other pregnancy books I’ve read, this one contained much more detailed information about what foods are and are not wise choices while you’re pregnant--and it explained why.

I give Raising Baby Green a two-thumbs up!

(You can buy it from Amazon.ca by clicking here.)