The Better Mom by Ruth Schwenk

The Better Mom: Growing in Grace between Perfection and the Mess by Ruth Schwenk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a good book. It helped me breathe a deep breath in the chaos of mothering young children. It helped me clearly see that children are like a payment we can receive joyfully—and one we must handle wisely. No matter the struggles we face, our children are a reward.

“In God’s hands, our kids can grow up to fulfill God’s purpose of piercing the darkness of the world in which they live—they are like weapons of truth, life, and light in a broken hurting world.”

This book is akin to having an exceptional mentor. It hits on the topics Christian moms truly care about. We want to know how to care deeply for our children and keep alive ourselves. Ruth reminds us that God used suffering and pressure to help Paul learn to rely on God’s strength. God used hardship to teach him to focus on building up an eternal kingdom. This is what we yearn for in our own hearts and those of our children. She calls it the blessing of our own weakness.

This is a great read for navigating the mess of motherhood with grace. It will bless you and remind you that, like it says in Psalm 127, your children are arrows and a reward. May you be blessed in your mothering.

This book was graciously provided by Zondervan Publishers for review.


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42 Seconds by Carl Medearis

42 Seconds: The Jesus Model for Everyday Interactions by Carl Medearis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The thought that Jesus’ interactions were so short and intentional is fascinating. The average length of his talking with someone in scripture is 42 seconds. He didn’t give a bunch of long theological speeches to convince people to come to his kingdom. He simply saw into what was going on with people and spoke to their needs.

Carl did a great job writing a simple guide on how to have simple conversations that draw people to Christ. He encourages us to be normal. That something a lot of us over eager evangelists have trouble doing. We are so focused on our agenda that we miss the people we are talking to. This book is an invitation to take notice.

{As a side note that has nothing to do with the book, I immediately thought of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy when I saw this. The super smart computer told them the answer to everything was 42. Maybe they were on to something.} :)

This book was graciously provided by NavPress for review.


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