Real Marriage: The Truth about Sex, Friendship and Life Together by Mark and Grace Driscoll

You'll either love it or hate it.  That's how I feel about this book after spending an evening with it.  Where do I come out?  Well, you'll have to keep reading to find out.
I was warned about this book and it didn't take me long to find out why.  By page 29, I was banging my head on a metaphorical wall, trying to figure out how I was going to make it through the rest of the book with an open mind.

Driscoll is fairly opinionated about specific gender roles and makes these opinions very clear.  In his chapter written to men, Driscoll tells men not to be "dumb" and to act like men.  Ok, fair enough.  Men should be men.  I agree.  But he also says that it is the man's job to provide enough income so that the woman does not have to work, but rather has everything she needs to stay at home with the children.  I quote, "A wife who finds a way to make money from home or without neglecting her first God-given responsibilities of Christian, wife, and mother is acceptable.  But men, you should make money.  You should feed your family."  He also tells men that if they want other men, their wives, and their children to respect them, they need to pay the bills.  Simple as that.  Well, life isn't always as simple as that.  This chapter is full of this and other "wake-up calls" to men that yes, are worth considering, but perhaps would do more harm than good to read.

Throughout the book, Driscoll includes Scripture references.  Wonderful!  I love when authors, pastors, TEACHERS back what they're saying with the Bible.  I took the time to look up many of the references on my trusty iPhone Bible app and was blown away by the interpretation of some of the passages.  Some of the verses were taken completely out of context and seemed to be stretched and twisted to somehow fit what Driscoll was trying to say.  I urge you to do your own research into the passages used and study the context surrounding them to understand what they are really saying.  Find a good commentary...

I noticed a few instances where something Driscoll writes contradicts with something earlier in the book.  For instance, Driscoll says that a marriage is about being mutually loving and then later in the book he says that a wife should submit to her husband because the husband is the head of the household (not SHOULD be the head, IS the head).  This gets quite concerning in sexual matters, as it isn't quite clear what this would mean when the husband and wife have different opinions on such topics.

I was cringing when I reached the "Sex" portion of the book, not really knowing what I would find inside.  I was pleasantly surprised, for the most part.  Driscoll's ideas about sex seemed fair and worth consideration.  At times he seemed to go a bit far, such as when he suggests that one should have sex with their spouse, despite not wanting to.  At the end of the book, there is a section that goes through various sexual acts and Driscoll lays out his thoughts (and "biblical" groundwork) on each.  I won't go into detail, but please, PLEASE read these with a grain of salt and talk to someone you trust such as a pastor or spiritual director if you are unclear or uncertain about anything that you see here.

Overall, I wouldn't say that this book was a COMPLETE waste of my evening, but I wouldn't say that it was the best use of my time either.  I found myself frustrated, annoyed, and disappointed that this book is getting all the press that it is.  With all of its contradictions, poor biblical interpretation, and unfair gender stereotypes, I find that even the good and helpful parts of this book get lost in the harmful and distinctly wrong ideas, leaving it doing more harm than good.  There are better options out there in terms of books on marriage (ask your pastor for suggesions), but if you want to read this book and see the "car crash" for yourself, by all means... 


"Advanced Reader's Copy of the book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson". 

Love You More by Jennifer Grant

Love You More by Jennifer Grant is a beautifully written book that tells the story of the author's personal walk through adoption.  Every adoption story is worth hearing and this one is no exception.  Grant starts at the point where she heard/felt God telling her that their family would be growing and walks through the process, highs AND lows, and continues through to having her daughter home in her arms. 

As someone who has considered adoption myself, I thoroughly enjoyed this "sneak peek" into someone else's adoption story but I would also recommend this book to those who have never considered adoption for themeselves.  While this book is not written as an "instruction manual" for adoption, it does have a few tips for navigating the process, but it is also just a beautiful, interesting story of a growing family.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys hearing other's stories.  It is well written, a good read.

I received this book from Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program but am under no obligation to provide a positive review.

Smack-Dab in the Middle of God's Love by Brennan Manning and John Blase

This book is all about letting kids know how very much they are loved by God.  Smack-Dab in the Middle of God's Love is a story about a middle aged couple who has children into their home and who tells the kids about how much God loves them though stories, their actions, and telling them about Jesus.  It is a fun little story that kids are sure to love.

Throughout the book, the phrase "smack-dab" is repeated in different ways, which I found a little awkward and annoying, but I imagine it is fun for kids.  It does drive home the point that you are right in the middle of God's love...he couldn't possibly love you more than he already does!

I received this book from Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze book review program and am under no obligation to give a positive review.

Money Secrets of the Amish by Lorilee Craker

First off, let me just cheer a little because this is the first book I've read, cover to cover, in over a year!  And in two days, no less!  This past year of being pregnant and then with a new baby, I've started many books and made it about halfway through before the books just seemed impractical and I would lose interest.  (What new mom has time/energy for anything less than practical?!)  Despite promising myself that I would not review any more books with more than 20 pages (aka nothing but kids books), when Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program was offering this one, I went back on my promise and requested it right away.  I was not disappointed.

To write this book, Lorilee Craker dives into Amish culture to see what she can learn about how the Amish deal with money.  She'd noticed that, when the rest of America was in a financial tailspin, the Amish were managing to thrive and her aim was to find out how.  Craker uncovers "secrets" of the Amish that can be pracitcal even in our "fancy" lives and that can help us put some money in the bank and live with less stress while doing it.

I found many of the secrets to be things I do already, but having grown up in a down-to-earth Mennonite home may have something to do with that.  I imagine not everyone would be doing these things already.  And despite some of these tricks not being new to  me, I still found the book inspiring and a helpful reminder to be intentional about where my money goes.

A downside to the book is that Craker is a journalist by trade and, as a result, I found there to be many "catch lines" and "hooks" that are so common in journalistic writing.  It does come across a bit cheesy at times.  It also seemed that there were a few repetitions of information in the book, almost as though Craker didn't have quite enough material to write a whole book rather than just an article on this topic.  That said, it didn't detract too much from the overall content of the book, which I found to be interesting and fun to read.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone hoping for a few tricks to help them save money, or even to anyone who just plain enjoys reading a bit about the Amish culture.

Adventures in BoogaBooga Land - Volume 2 DVD

Adventures in BoogaBooga Land is a children's DVD series with short "episodes" based on different parables.  Marty the Monkey and Gerard the Giraffe are humorous kids characters that help tell the stories.

While the idea is good (having cartoon animals sharing Jesus' Good News with children), I found that the quality is perhaps lacking - it's no Veggie Tales - and the story messages are perhaps a bit hidden.  I'm not sure that children would grasp the meaning behind the stories and may just view this as entertainment.  That is not necessarily a bad thing, but if you are looking for something that will be obviously biblical for your children, this is probably not it.

On a theological level, I wasn't sure about what I was watching.  The majority of it was fine, but the part of the story where they catapult a guest without an invitation ("sinner") to the Island of Losta Soula and have the God-character simply say "Splendid!" caught my attention.  Is God truly happy when he sees one of his children suffer?  I had a few questions rise to the surface as I watched this scene...

My son is only 7 months old, but I'm not sure this dvd will still be around when he is old enough to watch.  It wasn't terrible, but in my opinion, there are better options out there for children's spiritual entertainment.

I received this dvd free from the Thomas Nelson and am under no obligation to provide a positive review.

In Constant Prayer by Robert Benson

I have always been intrigued by the ancient spiritual practices.  The sense of depth and history within them draws me.  To pray without ceasing or "Never stop praying" (1 Thes 5:17) has always both interested me and intimidated me.  I knew a little about the daily office but wanted to learn more so I picked up this book.

I expected a technical or theological book (or both!) that was quite dry, that took some time to absorb but, hopefully, with very good content.  The read was easier than I'd anticipated.  Robert Benson writes as though he is speaking to a small group of people or, better yet, as though you are just sitting down with him, one-on-one, having coffee.  He is very down to earth.  I appreciated that the material presented in this book was easily accessible and actually fun to read.

Benson acknowledges that praying the daily office can be intimidating at first and suggests that you start one step at a time.  He outlines a few ways to do this and has a few recommended resources to get you started.  I found this helpful as, without these suggestions, I would probably have steered myself to the type of book that would have left me overwhelmed and discouraged with the practice.

Another point that Benson makes, one that truly stood out to me and that I have been trying to apply to my life in more areas than just prayer, is that we don't do it for ourselves.  We don't pray because of what we hope to get out of it just like we don't go to church for what we hope to receive.  Benson is quick to point our attention to the real reason why we are called by God to "never stop praying"...and it has nothing to do with us.

I found this book clearly written, entertaining to read, and an encouragement to my practice of prayer.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone, as all God's people are called to prayer.

I received this book from Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze blogger book review program and was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

Good Morning, Lord by Sheila Walsh

Good Morning, Lord by Sheila Walsh is a daily devotional book.  I began working through the book hesitantly because I often find devotional books quite basic and shallow with little to chew on and challenge me.  Initially when I wrote this review, I had been through a few weeks of devotionals and was pleasantly surprised.  I found this book to be simple enough for a new believer, yet challenging for someone who has been a believer for a while as well.  If you've been a Christian for a while and are looking for a book that will open your eyes to new truths daily, this is not the book for you.  But, if you give this book just a few minutes a day and take the time to apply it to your life, it can be a great encouragement for your daily walk with Christ. 

That said, since I posted this review initially, I did run into a few devotionals which O felt oversimplified common questions that Christians have about suffering and pain.  These are questions which I have been wrestling through personally lately and I felt that the book saying "everything happens for a reason" and "everything is part of God's ultimate plan" was a slap in the face.  I found that my questions went deeper than the book was willing to dig and it was enough to make me put this book on the shelf.

Initially I gave this book 4 stars out of 5, but after running into a few disappointing devotionals, I would now give it 1 or 2 stars.  Would I recommend this book?  Well...there are probably other devotional books I would recommend first.

I received this book, free, from the Thomas Nelson "Booksneeze" blogger book review program and am under no obligation to give a positive review.