More Than Candy: Family Advent Activities

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Sarah Mae, author of such great books as 31 Days to Clean and Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe (with Sally Clarkson), has put together a wonderful eBook for Advent. More Than Candy is a wonderful, service filled countdown to the celebration of Christ and His coming to earth as a baby in a manger.

More Than Candy is a resource for a family journey of service during Advent. With 25 days of ideas and "serves" for everyone to join, it will keep your family focused on Who the season is really about. With activities from a family scripture memorization, writing a letter to your children, serving at a food bank, caroling, and making a family service plan for the whole year, you will remain engaged and joyfully thinking of others throughout the holiday season.

There are scriptures woven throughout and Sarah Mae recommends reading the Christmas story every day together. From baking goodies for neighbors to feeding a family across the globe, the suggestions are real, doable, and are meant to truly bring out the servant heart in each of us as we give of ourselves, the only gift the Christ child ever asked of us. More Than Candy is a wonderful way to keep your family from becoming engrossed in the "me, me, me" culture that can overtake the real meaning of Christmas for Christians.

If you are looking to begin a family tradition of service and love, or perhaps to reclaim Christmas for your family, this is an excellent book filled with wonderful ideas, suggestions and links to many great resources. Sarah Mae has blessed us with a sweet look into her family's tradition and offered to let us make that tradition our own.

Because we still have toddlers, we will be incorporating these ideas with The Christmas Angel , a super wonderful alternative to Elf on a Shelf, though we know people that use both. We are also big fans of Truth in the Tinsel for little ones, this will be Mr. T's 2nd year and Mr. F's first! I can't wait! What are ways you keep Christ in Christmas at your home?

I was given a copy of More Than Candy in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed are my own. Not other compensation was received.

Don't Miss The Boat: Facts to Keep Your Faith Afloat review

As a young earth Creationist, I love finding new materials I can use to back up my beliefs. Don't Miss the Boat from Master Books by Paul Taylor is an excellent resource and I am so glad I was able to review it!

Mr. Taylor has a master's degree in science education and a degree in chemistry, so it is no surprise that Don't Miss the Boat is extremely scientific and detailed in it's explanations of different dating methods, Ice Age, flood topography and the like. The book is broken down into 5 sections: Exposition of scripture, History, Science, Fictional monologues from pre-flood viewpoints, and an exposition titled The Gospel According to Noah. The end of the book contains a study guide that is a great addition if you choose to do a small group study of this book. There is also a DVD that contains a complete small group study curriculum that can be purchased to use with the book.

Mr. Taylor has made accessible to more people the science behind the Creationist view of the flood. He has broken down the complexities into easy to understand language which is a great bonus if you are trying to help yourself, or your young teenager who doesn't have the science background yet, to  understand and better defend your beliefs against skeptics with solid, accurate information and science. There are explanations and examples coupled with scriptures throughout the book. Mr. Taylor is also very clear on his beliefs and how he interprets Scripture.

Why is the flood so important? "Learning about the state of the world immediately before the Flood is, therefore, a good training ground for getting ready for Jesus' Second Coming. His Second Coming will be a one-of-a-kind event, and it hasn't happened yet. But the Flood has already happened and, because Jesus Himself made the comparison, we would do well to study what happened the first time God decided to end the world." (p.11-12) The end article, The Gospel according to Noah, presents the gospel and salvation in a wonderful parallel between the Flood and Jesus, a perspective I had never seen presented. It is an excellent comparison.

Don't Miss The Boat's different sections make it very easy to skip around the book and to skim parts you don't care for as much, if you like history but are not into the science part, or if you are really into the scripture part and love narratives you won't be lost if you read those parts first. I do recommend reading the entire book, and I will be reading it again.

Several of the arguments I have heard (how do you explain fossils, what about carbon dating, etc.) and was always afraid to respond to from "progressive" Christians, non-believers, evolution and intelligent design believers, etc. have all been tackled in a reasonable and scientific method so I am now much more confident in my ability to defend what I believe to be the Biblical truth as it is recorded in Genesis. If you are looking for a wonderful addition to your Creationist resources, this is it! Don't Miss the Boat is sure to engage and enlighten.

*Order the book Don't Miss The Boat
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I was given a copy of Don't Miss the Boat by New Leaf Publishers for review purposes. The opinions expressed are my own and no other compensation was received. Please see the disclosure page for more information.

The Good Wife's Guide : Review

I am thrilled to be able to present you with a review of The Good Wife's Guide. This lovely devotion filled guide is by Darlene Schacht, the author of one of my favorite blogs, Time-Warp Wife.

I love so many things about this book. It is based on Biblical passages and ideas that are so often tossed to the side as archaic and passe. As a reformed "feminist" , I found the book insightful and uplifting. It is not just a book for stay at home moms, either. It is about applying the basic principle of God first and family second. Everything else falls into place after those two, just as God appointed it to be.

I love that the submission issue is tackled in the chapter Biblical Submission Defined:  

Wives, submit unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Colossians 3:18. 

Darlene goes on to say, "the ideal picture of submission is that of two people loving and serving each other." I read that with a hearty Amen! It isn't about being beaten down or "losing yourself" and your ideas to become your husbands "yes man". It is disheartening to see so many young girls and women losing the real meaning in these verses because of so much hyperbole. The way Darlene presents these ideas is Biblically sound and beautiful.

One of the things that stood out to me was how Darlene wrapped every aspect of the home into this basic principle. If God is first and family is second everything you do for the family brings glory to God. If your house is clean because you are thankful to God that you have a home, your family also benefits and it becomes a haven for them. The Good Wife's Guide presents all the little things we neglect or take for granted as blessings we have right at our fingertips if we will just open our hearts to our role as help-meet.

The chapters are wonderfully insightful and short. Both requirements for this busy mom. I've also found it helpful when I need to go back and review or look for a quote to add to my inspirational/encouraging collection. The practical application guides in part 2 of the book are awesome! I am working my way through them now. I would share pictures of the mounds of clutter I am/have gotten rid of, but I've been too busy to take pictures! I can't wait to get going on the organizational part.  The daily cleaning schedule and the deep clean ideas are realistic and even if they don't work for you as they are, they are a great spring board for designing your own schedule.

Having so many great reassurances that as long as God is my first priority and my family is my second, then "all I can do" is good enough and is a blessing to them and to me, I can rest in the comfort of my Father's hands and embrace each new day as the blessing and gift that is is. Even with a house full of responsibilities :)

Darlene has given us all an uplifting and encouraging reminder that our role is important. Unbelievably important. And we are so blessed to have been called as wives and mothers. I recommend this book to all ladies, married, engaged, or preparing their hearts for the mate they haven't met. Enjoy!


So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

I received a complimentary copy of The Good Wife's Guide for reviewing purposes. I have not been compensated in any other way. All the opinions expressed are my own. Thank you! Please see the Disclosure page for more information.