Book Review--"Girl, Wash Your Face" & "Girl, Stop Apologizing"

     Hey, everyone!  Hope you are enjoying your first few days of spring...and that you have gotten a break from winter weather for at least a couple of days!

     How many of you have heard of the two books I mentioned in the title?  I admit, I hadn't heard of them (or the author, Rachel Hollis) until about a year ago.  This is about the same time I became involved in my side hustle (which you can check out here, if you don't know about that.)  Anyway, if you've spent any time in DS, or any type of networking type business (or even just work in an office environment) you know there's a lot of "you can do it" positive thinking books and resources out there.  I have read several of them.  (I have an affinity for self-help/time management books.  I get it from my Dad.  No joke.  Who knew that could be genetic?!)

    These fall into that category for me.  I enjoyed reading them for that purpose.  She has some good ideas about time management, some better ideas about getting big things accomplished in life, and she isn't afraid to be pretty real about her story and her circumstances.  (I mean, it's her book...she could have left the parts about majorly embarrassing things that happened to her out, but she didn't.  Kudos for that!)

      Then, as I'm reading them, and doing a little research into her and her books and biz, I start hearing these rumblings from other websites and bloggers about how terrible the books are and how they are a personification of everything that's wrong with Christianity today.  Wait, what?!  Who is reading time management/self help books for Bible study?  Do people do that?!

     Apparently, they do.  Or they know other people who do.  Whatever.  (And maybe that is part of what's wrong with Christianity today...)   Um, no where that I could find are these books classified as a Bible study, y'all.  So, first of all, stop freaking out.  If your church is doing a Bible study on them, and you have an issue with that, yeah...go talk to your pastor.  (Nicely!)  Because that's not what they were meant for.  (And it's not really fair to attack a book or an author for something that she didn't even intend...just saying.)  And *news flash*  just because a book is published by Thomas Nelson or is sold at LifeWay DOESN'T make it appropriate for a Bible study or a personal devotion guide.   If you are wondering if these books are good for that, they answer is no.  They are good as what they are: time management/ self-help books written by a woman who has built a very successful lifestyle business from literally nothing.  If you are looking for that, then by all means, check them out.

    If you are looking for a Bible study book, maybe look for the ones who actually say "Bible Study" on them. (Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, and Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth or Francie Taylor are just a few names to start with in that category.)  Just saying.  Or just study the actual Bible.  Be discerning, people.  It's your job to do that.  Not the internet, a Christian article from that website you read, or your friends.  It's your job to search the Scriptures "to see if these things are so."

     So, to sum up, if you have a thing for rah-rah, you-can-do-it books, then you might want to check these out.  You'll definitely get a laugh, if nothing else!  If you are looking for your next devotional book, these aren't it.  And that's okay.  There are plenty of great ones out there to choose from!  (Also, the Bible...in case you didn't hear me before...)  But most of all, discern!  Take the good, filter out the not-so-good, and stay away from the bad.  Practice.  Because I'm pretty sure no one wants to be one of those "silly women" Paul referred to in 2 Timothy 3.  So, go wash your face and read your Bible!  :)





   

   

Life Lessons from Mister Rogers

     So, I have been asked to do more book reviews on the blog.  If you know me at all, you know that I am a reader.  Reading is not just a hobby to me...it is more of a compulsion.  I can barely remember a time that I could not and did not read.  However, book reviewing is something I haven't done much of at all.

    So, here goes an attempt to review a book that I read recently.  I got it at my local library (my happy place) a few weeks ago.  The name of the book is "The Good Neighbor: the Life and Work of Fred Rogers" by Maxwell King.  I found it to be a truthful and touching account of the life of a well-known figure who played an essential role in the childhood of millions of Americans during the '70s, '80s, and into the '90s.

     The book is biographical, telling the story of Mister Rogers from his birth, upbringing, education, and his passion for the children he ministered to in his life.  And "ministered" is the right word.  He believed with his whole heart that God had called him to be a light in the lives of the children he came in contact with, and also the ones he visited with on a daily basis in his "television neighborhood."  He actually was an ordained minister in the Presbyterian church, with the special dispensation that his ministry was to children through the medium of television.  He had to convince the board of ordination of the fact that this was a legitimate ministry, and it worked.  After some wrangling with the Presbytery, he was ordained, and his official congregation was the children he loved.

     And that is one of the main truths that I took away from this book.  Page after page, his love for his fellow man, especially children, shone through.  In one of the most impacting parts of the book, the author quotes several people who knew Mister Rogers talking about what made him different than other people.  And every person in this particular section said the same thing.  "What would Christ be like?" said one of his teachers from theological school.  "He would be like Fred Rogers.  He would encourage you to do right and help other people."  Another long-time acquaintance said, "He was the most Christ-like person I ever knew."

     What a testimony!  Isn't that what we all want as Christians?  Isn't that exactly what Jesus said to us in John 13:35?  "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."  It seems pretty clear that Mister Rogers lived this out.  Was he perfect?  No.  But the driving theme of this book was his authenticity.  He truly did his best to live what he believed in a way that had an impact on those around him.  Certainly something we can all aspire to.

     As a parent and teacher, I like Mister Rogers for another reason.  He told children the truth... even when the truth was unpleasant.  He didn't believe in shielding children from the scary things in this world, but preparing them to face  by those things by giving them the tools they needed to do so.

     When the goldfish dies, he doesn't stop rolling to replace it.  He calmly removes the fish, talking about what "dead" means, and simply wraps it up in a paper towel and walks to the backyard and quietly buries the fish.  He didn't shy away from hard topics that little children had to face like divorce (something that became more and more common as the years went on), death, fear, national tragedy, or just meanness.  He simply explained in his calm, quiet way that these things are, and that they are scary or sad, but that if you have people in your life that love you, you can face them.

     I find it interesting that there has been a bit of a revival of interest in Mister Rogers.  There has been this book, published this year, a couple of movies about his life made in the last two years, and even a Google Doodle a couple of days ago.  (Watch it here if you didn't get to see it... it was great!) 

     So, why this interest?  Well, I've been giving it some thought, and I think it might come down to the two pillars that Mister Rogers held dear: love and truth.  People are searching for these two qualities, and Mister Rogers shows us what it can look like in our everyday life.  He gives us examples of how to show these two things in tangible ways, like drawing a picture for a sick friend, or sharing something we learned that was interesting to us with someone else, or inviting our friend to put his feet in a pool of water with us on a hot day.  ( Go to 5:50 to see this example of neighborliness.) 

     So, do I recommend this book? Yes.  And I encourage you to take a lesson or two from Mister Rogers.  I know after I read it, it made me think about my own life, and what kind of impact I am having on the little people in my life.  And I think we can all show a little more love to our neighbors. :)


     

   

   

There's This Book I've Been Reading...

   So, we have a new store here in Birmingham.  It has quickly become a place that I must stay away from, unless I have money to spend.  Because I can't go in without spending money on something; usually several somethings.  It is probably the best store in the world, at least to me.  It's called "2nd & Charles", and it is a used book store.  That sounds like no big deal, right?  Most people think dingy paperbacks, old textbooks, and things you're never going to read when they think of used book stores.  Not this place.  Thinks Barnes & Nobles minus the coffee shop and high prices.  Actually, it was started by Barnes & Nobles in an attempt to meet a need of exchanging books you've read, and getting new books for them, I think.  Anyway, suffice it to say, the store is awesome.  You can take used books, DVDs, CDs, and video games, and turn them in at the store.  They price them while you look around, and then offer you cash or store credit for your items.  Then you can SHOP!!  The store is huge.  I could move in there with no problem and spend the rest of my life reading.  I don't think I could read all the books they have...ever.  Not to mention DVDs & video games. 

   But I digress.  I didn't really start this post to advertise, but to tell you about this book I've been reading.  I have been wanting my own copy for a while.  Someone gave one to our family as a gift when I was a kid, and I really enjoyed reading it then.  It's called "The Book of Virtues" and it is edited & compiled by William J. Bennett.  Basically, he takes several virtues like 'Self-Discipline', 'Responsibility', Friendship', and so on, and then compiles poems, stories (both fiction & non-fiction), fables, and essays that bring out different aspects of the particular virtue.  I found a copy at 2nd & Charles a few weeks ago, and I've been reading it off and on to the boys, and on my own.

   So, under the section on "Responsibility", I found this really great little poem about personal responsibility.  I read it out loud to the boys and asked them what they thought it meant.  Without missing a beat, our little Lawyer said "Do your own business!"  (This is something we've been working with him on of late, so the idea was fresh in his mind!)  I thought I'd copy it over into this post.  I am considering making the boys memorize it, especially the oldest one! (We 'oldest's have a hard time with not forcing helping others make sure they are doing what they're supposed to be doing!)

                                                      If You Were

                    If you were busy being kind,
                    Before you knew it, you would find
                    You'd soon forget to think 'twas true
                    That someone was unkind to you.

                    If you were busy being glad,
                    And cheering people who are sad,
                    Although your heart might ache a bit,
                    You'd soon forget to notice it.

                    If you were busy being good,
                    And doing just the best you could,
                    You'd not have time to blame some man
                    Who's doing just the best he can.

                    If you were busy being right,
                    You'd find yourself too busy quite
                    To criticize your neighbor long
                    Because he's busy being wrong.

   Hope this helps you, like it helped me, to remember and practice I Thess. 4:11! :)