Summer Series (Challenge) Post 1

     "School's Out for Summer!"  Tomorrow that statement will be officially true and while I am excited about summer and the time off from work, I am also a little anxious.  Why anxious?  Well, because I have been notorious for wasting my summers away.  I always have great plans and goals for my summer, but I always seem to come up short.  Well, this summer I am determined with God's help to not waste my summer, my weeks, my days and my minutes ( actually, I will probably waste some minutes :).


     Things have been pretty quiet here on my blog, but with my "Summer Series" posts I hope to change things.  Today I heard a wonderful message from David Jeremiah and in his message he talked about goal setting (how appropriate for today's post).  He said something about how the "URGENT" things of life seem to edge out the "IMPORTANT" things in life.  I really agree with what he said, as everyday I am faced with things that seem so urgent and must be done, and the important things that I know I need to do take a backseat to those other lesser things.  I don't want that to happen this summer, or ever actually.


 So here on my blog I am going to make a list of my Important Things that I need to accomplish this summer, as well as my Urgent things that I want to accomplish, but with the goal of making sure the important things get done first. 

IMPORTANT THINGS (FIRST THINGS)
-Wake up no later than a certain time everyday (I don't want to share my specific time so you won't make a judgment on if it is too late or not :)  Trust me it is early for me, as I can really sleep in...
-Read the Bible with my boys every morning  (I want my boys to develop their own personal quiet times, but I need to model it for them)
-Have my own personal "Quiet Time" with God everyday.  Goal is to make sure I do this before I start doing the other tasks or fun things of my day.  This includes prayer and bible reading or study.
-Teach and model household chores for each of my boys
-Surrender my Fear to God
-Surrender my Food Addiction to God


URGENT THINGS (SECONDARY THINGS)
-Clean and organize my bedroom (my hubby would put this on my important list :)
-Keep my house clean
-Organize, decorate, and set up my oldest son's room
-Exercise
-Spend quality time with my friends alone and with their kids
-Invite neighbors over for a BBQ
-Read some good books
-Make contact more often with my family in Florida
-Get ladies together for bible study or a ladies night


 I think I could write a few other things on my lists, but I don't want to write too much so I don't get overwhelmed.  I know that in my own strength  I won't really have a chance of accomplishing these goals, but I know if I trust in God and seek Him to help me I will be able to achieve my goals. 

SO, HERE IS WHERE I INVITE YOU TO JOIN ME.  WE WON'T BE AN OFFICIAL GROUP, BUT WE CAN OFFER EACH OTHER A LITTLE ACCOUNTABILITY.  LET ME KNOW WHAT YOUR IMPORTANT AND URGENT THINGS ARE, AND  IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS WE CAN CHECK IN AND SEE HOW EACH OTHER ARE DOING.  BLESSINGS!!!

Book Sneeze Book Review: Momaholic...

  My most recent book review is of the book "Momaholic (Crazy Confessions of a Helicopter Parent)" by Dena Higley.  To be honest I normally would not have chosen this book to review, but I was intrigued by the description of the book.  It is about a mom who was the head writer for the Soap Opera "Days of Our Lives", who has four children; one of them with autism.  Two of her children were adopted, and one of them had special needs.  So needless to say, I was curious about the story of this particular mother. 

   I did enjoy this book, and throughout the book Dena talks about her faith.  I would have loved to hear her talk more about how her faith actually helped her through her difficult circumstances.  I love how Dena was honest about her struggles as a mom and wife.  She talks about her journey of learning about her son's Autism and how she dealt with that, as well as finding out her daughter was pregnant outside of marriage and how she dealt with that as well.  She goes onto explain how all of these experiences and more, caused her to have a complete breakdown.  However, in the end she would share how things would turn around with the help of God and others He put in her life.

  One of the major themes of the book in my opinion is the idea of being a "helicopter mom", and how that can be destructive to your children. "Helicopter parenting is "the act of hovering over one's children, anticipating and meeting their every need: may or may not include cleaning up after said children, "helping" with homework, and presiding over numerous social activities: this method of childrearing is often defined by grumpy, needy children and overworked, exhausted moms: declared a national epidemic by The Association for Tired Parents" (Taken from the back of the book).  Dena shares in great detail how her own "helicopter parenting" affected her children, and how after coming to grips with what she was doing she decided to make changes.  I think she hopes that by sharing her experiences she can help other moms learn from her mistakes.  I think that is exactly what could happen when a reader reads Dena's book.

I was given this complimentary copy of this book by Book Sneeze in return for writing this review. 

 

Tyndale Book Review: "Named by God"

      My latest book review is a book from author, Kasey Van Norman titled "Named by God (overcoming your past, transforming your present, embracing your future)."   Kasey Van Norman is the founder and president of Kasey Van Norman Ministries, and is a respected Bible teacher in Texas.  I had never heard of her before, but thought the description of her book was interesting and so I wanted to review the book. 

    This book is a blend of Kasey's personal life testimony and teachings she has learned from the scriptures. As to not give away too much information from the book, it begins with Kasey sharing memories from her childhood, including a tragic and devastating experience that marked her for life.  Kasey then goes on to share how her childhood affected her future, and how that led her to a personal failure that took her life in another direction.  It would seem that all would end sadly for Kasey, but God intervened in her life in a powerful way and redeemed her to serve and live her life fully devoted to Him. 

   "In Named by God, Kasey shows what it means to find our true identity in Christ, to live the surrendered life of the redeemed, and to find life by losing it. (previous sentence taken from the back of the book)."  I did enjoy this book and I am always encouraged by reading others' personal testimonies of how they overcame life's obstacles by trusting in God.  Kasey does a great job of encouraging her readers to not give up, and she reminds them that God can use anyone, even those with tainted and dark pasts.  Just from reading her book, I can tell that she is in love with God and has dedicated her life to serving Him no matter the cost. 

    I think this would be a good book for anyone to read, especially women and those that have been hurt in their past.  This would also be a good book to read with a group of women, as it has many different topics that could be discussed in a group setting. 

 Thank you Tyndale for providing me with this complimentary copy of this book.  (I in turn agreed to post this review)