AH! Sorry, I’m slackin’ again with the posts.  I do have a reason- you can read it here.  As for the giveaway the winner was: Miss Jocelyn!  I will need your contact info ASAP to get the giveaway DVD on its way to you.  So, be looking for an email.

Jen

So, the book update with a few reviews and our Family Spiritual Goals:

UPDATE:

Already Read in 2009:

*Mother by Kathleen Norris

*The 15 Minute Organizer by Emilie Barnes

*Simply Organized by Emilie Barnes

*Real-Life Homeschooling by Rhonda Barfield

*The Home Schooling Father by Michael Farris (I know I am not a father but it was still an interesting read)

*Parenting from the Heart by Marilyn Boyer

*The Family Worship Book by Teri Johnson

*The Fruit of Her Hands by Nancy Wilson

In the Process of Reading:

*Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem ( I may be crazy for adding a 1167 page book to my 2009 reading list but I started out using it for reference as I was reading the book of Isaiah and was so interested that I started reading straight through it. I am currently reading through Part 6 on The Doctrine of the Church. Interesting stuff.)

*Keeping Our Children’s Hearts by Steven and Teri Maxwell

Books Supposedly in the Mail on Their Way to Me:

*An Excellent Wife by Martha Peace. Nancy- I am looking forward to working through this one with you.

Still on the List to Read this Year:

*Becoming a Woman of Discretion: Cultivating a Pure Heart in a Sensual World by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

*Dumbing Down our Kids: Why American Children Feel Good About Themselves but Can’t Read, Write or Add by Charles Sykes

*Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God by Noel Piper

*Family Integrated Church by J. Mark Fox

*Marriage to a Difficult Man: The Uncommon Union of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards by Elizabeth Dodds

*Proverbs for Parenting: A Topical Guide for Child Raising from the Book of Proverbs by Barbara Decker

*Raising Maidens of Virtue by Stacy McDonald

*Teach them Diligently: How to Use Scriptures in Child Training by Louis Paul Priolo

*The Ever-Loving Truth: Can Faith Thrive in a Post-Christian Culture by Voddie Bauchaum Jr.

*The Marketing of Evil: How Radicals, Elitists, and Pseudo-Experts Sell Us Corruption Disguised as Freedom by David Kupelian

*The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

*The Voice of Matthew by Lauren F. Winner

*When You Rise Up: A Covenantal Approach to Homeschooling by RC Sproul

I highly recommend the latest books I have read. I wish that I owned many of them for reference instead of just borrowing them from the library but lest you think that I am complaining- I AM SO HAPPY TO HAVE A CHRISTIAN LENDING LIBRARY from which to borrow them!

In the last week I have worked my way through Parenting from the Heart (wonderful!), Mother (a wonderfully surprising read seeing as I didn’t realize it was a piece of fiction until I started in on it. It was a quick read and delightful), The Family Worship Book (amazing, wish I had it at home as a reference), The Fruit of her Hands (I highly recommend this book both for its scriptural basis and practicality), and now am in the process of working through Keeping our Children’s Hearts. Reading in Keeping our Children’s Hearts the chapter about setting Family Spiritual Goals, Paul and I have come up with our list stealing some from the examples given in the book because we felt they were solid scriptural goals and adding a few of our own.

Family Goals

That each member of the family would have a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and serve Him (John 3:16, Hebrews 9:14) and:

1. Be obedient to parents and the prompting of the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 6:1-2, John 14:15)

2. Joyfully serve others. (Galatians 5:13, Colossians 3:17, Romans 12:1)

3. Be self disciplined. (Galatians 5:23)

4. Pursue holiness (Romans 12:1, Titus 1:8, 1 Peter 1:15)

5. Seek God’s will in everything. (James 4:15, Psalm 40:8)

6. Live as ambassadors for Christ, including:

a.speaking, writing, and dressing appropriately. (Colossians 3:17)

b.learning to edify rather than criticize. (Romans 14:19)

c.being content. (Philippians 4:11)

d.giving Him glory in all things. (Psalm 86:12)

7. Love God’s Word, have a good understanding of the Bible and its doctrine. (2 Timothy 2:15)

8. Love others and Christ loved us. (John 15:12-13)

Side Note: Send some prayers up for my little girl today who has the nasty stomach flu. She is peacefully sleeping as I type this and I am praying the worst of this virus has left us.