This Week in Books: The Excellent Wife

My review this week is of the book, The Excellent Wife, by Martha Peace.

This is what the publisher says about the book:

Here is a scripturally based blueprint for the woman who really wants to be the wife God intended her to be. This book is based on Proverbs 31:10: An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels.

Thousands of women have already discovered the worth of this volume and testify to lives and marriages changed because of a commitment to the principles presented here. If this is a commitment you have made, or want to make, The Excellent Wife answers the difficult questions facing you today.

I haven't read too many books about being a wife yet, but this book has to be one of the very best available today. Mrs. Peace clearly spells out the biblical role of the excellent wife and gives practical advice for becoming the wife God desires for you to be.

The very beginning of the book is the author's testimony about her salvation, and subsequent pursuit of being a godly wife. The beginning chapters cover truths about God, sin, and marriage. After that, the focus of the book narrows down to the wife's responsibilities; first and foremost to Christ, and then to her home, and to her husband. The heart of the book deals with submission to Christ and your husband, as well as how to handle communication problems and conflicts in marriage. The end of the book also addresses issues such as dealing with your husband's sin, anger, fear, loneliness, and sorrow.

In each chapter, the author uses much scripture to lay out the role of a wife in an understandable way. One of my favorite things about the book was that Mrs. Peace gave biblical advice for learning to apply the principles she laid out. The focus of the book was not only on outward actions, but on the condition of the wife's heart. She wrote a lot about the importance of replacing ungodly thoughts with God-honoring thoughts. When she talked about this, she would also give specific examples of bad thoughts, and their good replacements. Also, her emphasis on genuine repentance before God and others was refreshing.

A couple of excerpts:

"The works that God has prepared for you to do include not only what you do in your relationship with your husband, but also your heart's motive or attitude. It will help you to have the right attitude if you focus on what you are supposed to be doing, not on what your husband is supposed to be doing. Certainly, it is easy to get caught up in seeing whether other people (especially your husband) are doing their jobs right. However, the issue for the Christian wife is "am I doing the good works that God intended for me?" (Excellent Wife, p.12)

"Your 'heart' is not some emotional part of you that you have no control over. What you think about is a choice that you make." (Excellent Wife, p. 188)

I know I have been guilty of blaming my bad reactions to things on my hormones and whatnot; this book was a nice reminder that that's no excuse. Another things she brought up that I thought was very interesting was not judging your husband based on what you think his intents are. I know I have also been guilty of that with Ben; I may think he is thinking something, when in reality, it's completely different, and I get all upset for no reason!

I'm very thankful for Martha Peace. She seems to be a true Titus 2 woman who women in our day can look to for wisdom. Her books are far from politically correct, and very much in line with scripture. I highly recommend this book to anyone striving to be a truly excellent wife.

I used the study guide with my study of this book, and it contained many thought-provoking questions. I recommend using it, should you read this book.

Giveaway

At Frugal Hacks, they are giving away two copies of the Tightwad Gazette...I've heard a lot of excellent things about this book but haven't ever read it! Head on over for your chance to win. :)

Menu Plan Monday

Hey, sorry for the lack of posts as of late. You can look for my first "This Week in Books" post tomorrow! :)

For now, here is my menu for the week.

Sunday~snacks
Monday~Italian chicken w/ steamed vegetables
Tuesday~bean soup
Wednesday~chili (Crock pot)
Thursday~pork scallopine w/ steamed vegetables
Friday~Turkey burgers
Saturday~chicken mole' w/ black beans and rice

Good article...

Peace, peace?

They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.

Jeremiah 6:14 (ESV)

A church in decline surrounds herself with peace-mongers who war against her soul. She suppresses uncomfortable truths of God’s holiness and righteous anger against sin. All the while, soothing words of peace, comfort and assurance drip from the lips of those commissioned to lead God’s people to lasting peace and joy.

In Jeremiah’s day, the spiritual leaders of the people had given up on their duty. The task of priests and prophets was to teach the truth that God had taught them. In Jeremiah’s case, he was to proclaim God’s judgment over His sinful people (1:9-10, 6:1-13), warning them to flee from idols and cast themselves on the mercy of God. This was not a time for peace in Israel. They had rejected their God. His wrath was upon them, and they faced armies of men enacting His righteous judgment (vv. 4-8). Only by repenting at God’s fearsome warning could they once again have peace.

However, owing to their greed for unjust gain (v. 13), Israel’s leaders had left God’s warnings behind. Rather than proclaiming wrath, they quickly announced,“Peace!” Over the mortal wounds of God’s people the prophets placed band-aids, soothing assurances: “It’s only a graze! No harm done.” Their bedside manner was impeccable, their diagnosis damnable.

How many of today’s pastors step out of the pulpit with blood-caked hands? Congregations leave for home in a haze of anodyne assurances, little knowing that the man charged with being the physician of their souls is content with their spiritual ruin, providing that his church “prospers,” and membership is up on the previous quarter. Some claim that talk of sin and wrath will discomfort those in need and cause lasting psychological damage to the fragile and the helpless. So they peddle therapeutic remedies that serve only to poison those they would claim to heal.

The Church is crying out for pastors who will declare, with Paul, “the whole counsel of God.” They are called to be fearless diagnosticians. However, bad news is not an end in itself. The prophet’s work is not done until he has shown the way of life. Yes, it is his solemn duty to expose the false “peace” of the charlatans. But it is his joyful privilege to also proclaim, “Peace, peace!” over the marvellous grace and work of Christ in the hearts of His transformed people.

http://www.kairosjournal.org/Document.aspx?QuadrantID=1&CategoryID=10&TopicID=18&DocumentID=5119&L=1

New Feature

I am going to (Lord willing) begin having a "This Week In Books" post each week...I am thinking the first one will be tomorrow! We'll see! :)

A name has been chosen...

No one took me up on the $10 gift card offer! But, a name has been thought of. I'll wait until the grand opening of the site to announce it though :)

Southwest Roll-up Recipe

Since a couple of people have asked for it, here is the recipe for Southwest Roll-ups. I got it from Crystal Paine's Simply Centsable Suppers eBook, which can be found here. It is a great eBook...I have used it countless times!

Combine 1 cup of chopped, cooked chicken, a can of refried beans, and 2 T of salsa (or however much you want). Divide mixture amongst flour tortillas (I use whole wheat ones...you can use 10-12 small ones or 4-6 regular sized ones), top with cheese, and place in a baking dish and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. I serve with sour cream and extra salsa. :)

Menu Plan Monday

Sunday: Southwest Roll-ups
Monday: Chicken Jambalaya
Tuesday: Black Bean Soup
Wednesday: Chili (crock pot)
Thursday: Spanish Tilapia
Friday: Steak w/ grilled tomato relish and roasted red pepper cauliflower
Saturday: Turkey swedish meatballs w/ whole wheat noodles and steamed veggie

God is so good!

I almost got in a car accident yesterday! It was truly one of the most horrifying experiences of my life. I was quite shaken up for the rest of the day, but so thankful for God's protection!

I was headed to my sewing lesson. I hadn't ever driven there by myself, but the route is fairly easy. Not far into my journey, I ended up behind a rather large and slow semi. Now, I do not speed. I stay right at the speed limit (much to the dismay of most of the drivers on the road!). Nonetheless, I am not a fan of driving below the speed limit. So I got in the left lane, but it ended up being a turn lane. Whoops! So, I set to get back in the right lane. There were two trucks and there seemed to be plenty of distance between the two, so I went to get between them...and just as I did, the one in front stopped, thus forcing me to stop. That wasn't part of the plan! So, the truck behind me had to slam on his breaks. As I watched in the rear view mirror, I braced myself as I prepared to be rear-ended by a HUGE truck...it got closer and closer until it felt like it was about to touch the car...and then it stopped (and honked really loud)! I pulled up as soon as I could, trying to leave the truck more room, and feeling quite shaken up. Then, traffic stopped again. I peered into the side view mirror and much to my horror (as if I hadn't been disturbed enough already!), the truck driver was headed towards my car! That was when I kind of panicked. He banged on my window, yelling and cursing, as I helplessly apologized over and over. Then he went away. I was quite shaken up. Literally, shaking. The rest of my ride was absolutely nerve wracking. When I arrived at my sewing teacher's home, I just had to sit down and take a few deep breaths, while holding back my tears (I was REALLY shaken up). Eventually, I calmed down and went on with my sewing lesson.

When it was time to head home, I wasn't really excited about driving again, so I had the brilliant idea of taking a different route. Anyway, I ended up getting on the wrong highway, unbeknowst to me. About 10 minutes into my drive, my surrounding was very rural. This is unusual, and certainly was not where I intended to be. So, I called my Mom. She didn't know where I was. So I called my Dad. He didn't know where I was either. And, on top of that, he couldn't get his laptop to work. In the mean time, I found out I was running out of gas! Dad told me to get off at the next exit to get gas...it just so happened that the next exit was Disney World..."Dad, I'm headed for Disney. Dad...I'm going to Disney World." Haha. So, after driving around the Disney complex, which is like a whole state in the middle of my state, I was headed the right direction.

After leaving my sewing lesson, I arrived home 1 hour later, all in one piece, though still somewhat rattled. Thank you, Lord, for protecting me!

Who doesn't love Vision Forum and Biblical Womanhood?

Crystal is hosting a great giveaway on her blog this week for a $25 gift certificate to vision forum, plus a few great CDs! Head on over and check it out :)

In addition to the giveaway, she's having a great end-of-summer sale. Everything in the Biblical Womanhood online store is marked down! Crystal has been such an encouragement to me through her blog, as well as the many resources she offers on her site. I highly recommend you purchase some of these wonderful items while they're discounted.

Giveaway!

Okay...

Ben and I are trying to think of a new business name for his high end birdhouse business. We want it to sound somewhat artsy and would like it to be a name that would draw people looking for higher end birdhouses. Here's the deal...if you suggest a name and we end up using it, I'll send you a $10 gift card to ChristianBook.com. Suggest as many names as you want, and be sure to leave me a valid e-mail address in case we use your suggestion! Suggest away!