On a side-note, I decided I need to refer you all to a GREAT book I finished reading this last weekend. It's for married women, technically, but to be honest - I wish I would have read it before marriage, for sure while engaged!!
I would say it's appropriate for any women that desires to be a godly wife for her husband someday, to honor him as her leader and to serve him because of her great love for God and her husband!
It's serious, funny, very conservative, and very very inspiring! Tears may or may not have been shed by the end of the book. It's seriously a game-changer. I will recommend this book to all the lovely women I know!!
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| Buy it here! |
You can buy it for only $6.00 on Amazon and it is totally worth it! I just had to throw this out there - if anyone buys it and reads it, let us know what you think!! :)
Have a beautiful day!
Cait
I read this book, too.
ReplyDeleteI have to be honest. I did not really enjoy this book. Although it did offer some insight and wisdom, and a Biblical interpretation that we are the helpmeet (a view that many churches have strayed from in different ways or not embraced), I thought the book was more legalistic than motivating. I also did not like the letters that Debi wrote to the women who wrote to her. She spoke the truth about how they were not living as a helpmeet, and I'm sure many of them needed to hear that law, but often she was harsh and failed to offer any empathy toward their situation. I guess I am 50/50 on the book. I'm glad there is a book like this, and I can't offer a better one at the moment to read, but I just thought it could have been more gospel-oriented.
ReplyDeleteDon't want to dissuade anybody from reading it, don't get me wrong. Like Caitlin said, it is a wake-up call book, and I think back to it from time to time. Just wanted to say that it needs to be taken with a grain of salt, like any other book. We're all different, so different books will appeal to different people (at different times). This book definitely got me thinking seriously about my role in a different light.
ReplyDeleteThanks Paula for that! I appreciate your honesty for sure! It's interesting, because I got the book reference from another married girlfriend who really liked it also but had a few different points of "uncertainty" also. I think the reason I had such an encouraging time in reading that book is that I mostly read it WITH Pete. We would read chunks of it before bed, or in the car on trips, times like that where we had plenty of time to discuss during and afterwards. It is very legalistic, if you will, but I was so happy to read it because I feel like so many of us women are just. so. stubborn. in our relationships with our husbands/men in our lives and yet complain, wonder, disdain certain aspects of life for being less than wonderful. I believe God has placed us as women in very pivotal roles that can bring great honor and/or dishonor to HIM and our men, and it was just so important to me to take this seriously - trust me, I had hard moments reading it also, feeling less than perfect in my role, realizing how I fall short so often! - but I knew this is one area where the more soft and easy the advice, the less easy it is to follow, especially in moments of temptation to stray. I grew up with marriage portrayed in a way I didn't always hope for in my own life, and I am so thrilled to see that someone is willing to be bold and say what no one wants to hear in the name of protecting God's best way for us in marriage.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I loved this book - Pete was GREAT about all of it as we read through - and there were times I read without him, but when we read together, it shed such light on the movements of BOTH of us in the dance of marriage. Having been through a little more than 3 years of heavy learning and not-always-easy times, I found God's grace in this book because he loves us His children enough to give us blessed marriages when we adhere to his Biblical plan. Our world is so far gone from that! And that's why I thought this book important. You do need a firm grip on God's grace and your faith because certain topics will rip you up. But that's okay, at least it was for me. :) Painful measures bring beautiful results! Like Paula said, not everything is for everybody. My mom's reading it now - and I can't wait to hear what she has to say!
P.S. Like there should be a P.S. to that long comment of mine! haha But I wanted to say I agree Paula about the letters and her responses! But at the same time I kept finding myself admiring her "get to the point" attitude, even though it was harsh at times - somehow, I wonder if those women needed that. I found it encouraging that she had just as many positive letters written in thanking her for what her advice has done in their marriages, too! Haha, this should be a book club book! Discussion topics galore!
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you read this book and gained from it. You should definitely call me and tell me what you've learned. I think I spotted it at one of the libraries we go to so maybe I will pick it back up and read it again. It was definitely very humbling and also encouraging to see someone valuing God's design for marriage in a world that so often does not. I read it a year ago (borrowed), so I'll bet I would read it differently now.I just wanted to warn people that it is heavy with law, in case they have not read many books like this. You're right--it would make a great book club book. I shared ideas with Brent, but maybe this time I will read it with him. Thanks for reminding me about this book. Now that it's spurred so much discussion just through our blog, I'll be you gals are super curious about it...:)
ReplyDeleteFor sure - I thank you for being the counter-weight to my excited book suggestion, because I'm still on a high from reading it! haha I talked some more with Pete about it last night and asked him why he thinks I didn't regard it as super "hard to read" and we agreed that it's because we read it mostly together. I think that's what I should have said to begin with. Read it with your husband, if he'll have it :) And/or read it as a group with some other strong Christian ladies who can remind each other of God's grace in our shortcomings, but also spur one another on toward love and good deeds/challenges! It definitely presents some challenges! Love you Paula - thanks for your presence in this conversation!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Caitlin, for understanding. In reflection on my comment about her writing the letters, I was humbled. I realized that I should have put myself in your shoes more, since you were just coming off of reading it and and really gained a lot from it. I should have been more celebratory with you. :) Brent said the same thing--it is best to read it with your husband. We can chat and spur one another on about the topics she wrote on soon. miss and love you! Sorry if you read a worried tone orginally. I need to put in a smile emoticon here and there, because sometimes it is hard to know if people are being conversational or not. haha. I was hasty in my post. Forgive me.
ReplyDeleteMe too - to everything you said. Love you! Have a marvelous day "off" - I hope you enjoyed a pajama morning :)
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