Book givaway- The life ready woman

Courtesy of the Life Ready Woman blog tour, I have one copy of the Life Ready Woman by Shaunti Feldhahn and Robert Lewis to give away. You can read my review here To enter, fill in the form below. The draw closes March 5.

If you would like to enter for another chance to win the book or other prizes, another draw is happening as part of the blog tour at MomLife today.

Sorry, the draw has already taken place


The fine print.....
1. The winner must respond within one week of being notified or a new winner will be chosen.
2. Information provided by entrants will not be used for any purpose other than conducting the draw and will be erased once the contest is over.

Book review: Shaunti Feldhahn and Robert Lewis- The Life Ready Woman

The Life Ready Woman
Shaunti Feldhahn and Robert Lewis

In The Life Ready Women, Shaunti Feldhahn and  Robert Lewis explain how women can live a balanced and God centred life in our modern world.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I suspected it would be a lot of self-help style strategies for doing more but it wasn’t. Instead there was a lot of interesting reflection on how what the bible say should shape how we think about being a women and the different stages of life we find ourselves in.

While no doubt some will dispute the finer details of how the book deals with gender roles, I think the authors did a good job of handling the issue in a sensitive and biblical manner. Some of what they have said about what submission looks like and how it matters would be worth pondering on for people of both genders.

One of the big ideas in the book is that you can’t do everything so you need to choose carefully. This is no doubt true and a much needed reminder for some people. I did sometimes wonder though if they sometimes overstated their case as to how much might need to be let go of.

Overall, this is a worthwhile read for Christian women of all ages and stages of life.


 Review copy courtesy of Litfuse group

Resource roundup 18 February 2011

Two free audiobooks this time.

Adopted for life by Russell Moore
Even if adopting a child is not something you are likely to pursue, this is a great book that can teach you a lot about God. It is free only until the end of this month.

Churched by Matthew Paul Turner.
I haven't listened to/read this one yet but it sounds quite interesting. Might be worth a look if you enjoy memoirs.

Book review: Sally Dyck and Sarah Ehrman- A Hopeful Earth

A Hopeful Earth
Sally Dyck and Sarah Ehrman

In A Hopeful Earth, Sally Dyck and Sarah Ehrman attempt to convince Christians that caring for the earth is an important part of loving God and loving others.

A strength of the book is the discussion of the environmental and social impact of everyday activities. The section on over-consumption was particularly convicting. The point they make about how our environmental carelessness can particularly hurt the poor whom we should be helping is something particularly worth pondering in light of all the bible says about the poor.

The book does have some flaws in its more spiritual content. I don’t at all disagree with their main premise that we should show respect and love for God by caring for what he has made. I did however have concerns about some of the ways they stretched scripture to support that point. One example is claiming that Jesus’ refusal to give into the devil’s suggestion to turn stones into bread teaches us that we are “called to love within the laws of nature in order to find a sustainable lifestyle for ourselves”

I do not know if this what the author’s intent or theological position, but particularly in the first few chapters I tended to get the impression of environmental stewardship being the litmus test for being a faithful Christian or church. This is a problem because the bible doesn’t teach that. Discussion of everything we should do without an equally strong discussion of what Jesus has done risks making the gospel seem like it is all about doing good. While such discussion is possibly outside the scope of this book, it is something to keep in mind.

This book is worth reading if you want to know how your choices might be impacting the environment and other people who depend on it. It is probably not your best choice for a sound explanation of what the bible teaches about the environment and our responsibilities towards it.


Review copy courtesy of Netgalley and Abingdon Press