What Does Your Home Say About You?

I saw a great quote at a "Sword of the Lord" ministry page.  Here it is:

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G. Campbell Morgan said: 'My father came into my house soon after I was married and looked around into every room, and then he said to me, 'Yes, it is very nice, but nobody will know, walking through here, whether you belong to God or the Devil.' I went through and looked at the rooms again, and I thought: 'He is right.' So we made up our minds straightway that there should be no room in our house, henceforth, that had not some message, by picture or wall text, for every corner should tell that we serve the King."


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I love this!  We ought to have beautiful, cheerful things in our home that show we belong to the Lord.  What does your home say about you?

Sacred Privilege by Kay Warren

Book:  "Sacred Privilege:  Your Life and Ministry as a Pastor's Wife"

Author:  Kay Warren

Publisher: Revell

264 pages, hardcover

I was expecting this book to be a guide to how to be a good wife to a husband in the ministry. I thought it would be like a cheerleader to the readers for doing good work in the home and in the church.  But I could not get past the first chapter.

 The author explains in the preface that she is going to be "raw" and "transparent."  I didn't realize she was going to describe some of the sins and terrible experiences in her own life.  This is not what I thought the book was going to be about. Perhaps others will find help in reading this, but I found it discouraging and depressing.  I was looking for rest and peace and sweet holiness.  There was none of that in the first chapter. I cannot get past that. The title is a bit misleading.


*  Disclosure - This book was provided for review purposes. *

Never Give Up by John Mason

Book:  "Never Give Up: You're Stronger Than You Think"

Author:  John Mason

Publisher: Revell

166 pages, paperback

This is a self-help book designed to motivate and encourage.  There are three short parts (or sections) which direct the reader to look "inward, outward, and upward." Each section of the book holds chapters which are called "nuggets."  These are short devotional type messages with a bit of common wisdom and sometimes brief word-illustration- stories to get you thinking.

Some quotes include:

"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?" (p. 113) 

"Rising above mediocrity never just happens; it's always a result of faith combined with works. Want to be unhappy? Do nothing."  (p. 75)

It would be a good book for those who need a daily dose of encouragement to get up and do important things.

*  Disclosure - This book was provided for review purposes. *

The Ebb Tide by Beverly Lewis

Book:  "The Ebb Tide"

Author:  Beverly Lewis

Publisher:  Bethany House

328 pages, paperback.

I wanted to read this book because it had a focus on the beach and a vacation theme.  It is about Sallie who is struggling with finding time to join the Amish church and finally be settled in her family life and community. The problem is that she wants to travel. She craves adventure.  We read about her working in a restaurant which is owned by the "English." She then gets a summer job as a Nanny where she gets to live in a beautiful, wealthy home at the beach.  I enjoyed reading about the vacation type days she had.

There was an Amish young man, back home, who was interested in her. She also met a young man while she was a Nanny.  She could have married either one and had a good life.  However, it was a choice of either remaining Amish or becoming "worldly."  Honestly, I was very upset with her decision, but as the story came to an end, I understood better why it worked out that way, even though I didn't agree with her.

There was something else in the story that I didn't particularly like.  There were details of marine life presented in a sort of scholarly way - as if we, the readers, were taking a class in the subject. I found it boring and didn't care for it.  For me, it took away from the enjoyment of the book. 


*  Disclosure - This book was provided for review purposes. *