Book Reviews - Dancing With My Father

Six Words that Modeled Chivalry (#chivalrymovement)

admin — Wed, 31 May 2017 00:36:02 +0000

Six little words. “Can I help you with that?” He coupled them with a welcoming smile, and a hand reached out to grab a door handle, on the way into the coffee shop where he was training to be a barista. The ladies he spoke them to were so taken aback, they were nearly speechless. Now, my second-born is 19. He’s got tattoos and a motorcycle and he was wearing a black leather jacket. This might have caused the reaction, or it might be (as he believed) a sign of the stark lack of gentlemanly behavior that exists (or doesn’t) in our current culture. But when that young man spoke words of kindness to two women in a coffee shop, he crossed a cultural line of expectation and opened a door for genuine conversation, real connection, and sharing the love of God. I’m raising five arrows – four young men and a lady, and we value honoring others with our words and actions. We’re all broken people and sometimes we shock ourselves with our ability to be impatient or rude when we’re inconvenienced, but overall, I see my children intentional about courteous behavior, because it’s something we expect, and […]

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No Fear (Christian Young Adult Book Review)

admin — Fri, 23 Sep 2016 01:39:35 +0000

“The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.” – Oswald Chambers Recently, my kids and I traveled to our state capitol to join thousands of others who gathered to pray for our country. I am very focused, as a parent, on equipping my children to impact their world positively, in ways that call them to courage and integrity. As Franklin Graham spoke, he encouraged Americans to pray, as Nehemiah prayed, with humility and passion. I stood a few feet back from my children, and I watched them join hands with people of different races, age, and walks of life. I was moved by the gift they were given in connecting for a cause that is bigger than they are. I was also struck with just how dark much of our culture has become, and how increasingly difficult it will be for my children to live faithfully according to their God-given convictions, if our nation continues on the road it’s on. Recently, I read a book called No Fear, what I would call largely a Christian young adult book, which encouraged me […]

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BeFriend (Building Christ-like Relationships)

Angela Sackett — Sat, 10 Sep 2016 20:50:27 +0000

In short: the book BeFriend, by Scott Sauls, is rocking my world. I’ve shared often about how transforming a cross-country move has been for our family. In particular, going from a season of rich, deep friendships, to a season of comparative relational desert, has challenged each member of my family and brought incredible spiritual and personal growth. Leaving behind one type of relationship (rich in spiritual connection and similar life season/purpose), for both a new location and a new type of relationship-building, has stretched us in ways I didn’t imagine. Forming new types of relationships has been good-hard, and I’m grateful for it. But building Christ-like relationships in an increasingly antagonistic culture can be scary and challenging. Recently, I was given an advance copy of BeFriend, by Scott Sauls. Scott is a Presbyterian pastor and our theological views are likely similar, so I was intrigued to read his thoughts on creating “belonging in an age of judgment, isolation, and fear.” At the same time, so much of what is being written and proposed in modern living, even by seeming like-minded people, strays far from not just what is traditional (which isn’t what matters most), but from what is Truth, […]

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