Turn The Page ... Tuesday

Shooo weee! Is it June already. I can't believe it is time for another instalment of Turn the page ... Tuesday.

This month's review I hope will be uplifting and inspire you.

I had the pleasure to not only read Parenting in the Pew but to actually hear Robbie speak. She is a funny lady ... and her antidotes are right on. While reading I couldn't help but thinking "were you in church with us last week?". Her insightful observations/suggestions cover a wide range of topics from getting out the door on Sunday mornings to teenagers. One of the best gifts I received by reading this book regarded changing my attitude on Sunday mornings. We've gone from rush - cringe - rush - look for Bible - rush - frustrated race to church - to well ... OK - let's keep it real - giddy up - gather - go to worship. It actually begins Saturday night - lay out every ones clothes - Bibles by the door - offering ready (even for John - never to early to learn about tithing) - and remind the boys before we turn out the lights that tomorrow when they wake we get to go worship (which means no dilly dallying in the AM - up and at'em).

She also shares some wonderful suggestions not only for parents with children (of all ages) but also for those who happen to be so lucky to sit by us those families. Our church does have an amazing nursery where they are grouped by age and have instruction based on their level of comprehension. We also have a children's church for ages 4 - 1st grade which has made our experience a positive (and peaceful) one. Robbie's opinion is to have the children with you at all times (as opposed to seperate services) but when I heard her speak she was a bit more forgiving (for lack of a better word) of a segregated worship service.

I really enjoyed her sense of humor, understanding (she's raised two boys), and encouragment. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with children in their lives.

Edit: I forgot to mention that this book has been on my TBR list for some time. I was glad I pulled it down ... should have done that a long time ago!

I don't know what to say about these next two books except that I loved them and that I'll read them again. Oh, and now I subscribe to the author's blog.

From Amazon re: Blue Like Jazz

"I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve...I used to not like God because God didn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened." In Donald Miller's early years, he was vaguely familiar with a distant God. But when he came to know Jesus Christ, he pursued the Christian life with great zeal. Within a few years he had a successful ministry that ultimately left him feeling empty, burned out, and, once again, far away from God. In this intimate, soul-searching account, Miller describes his remarkable journey back to a culturally relevant, infinitely loving God.

From Miller's blog:

A Million Miles in A Thousand Years is about how Donald Miller learned to tell a better story with his life. Even after writing a best-selling book [Blue Like Jazz], he found his life was boring and felt meaningless. A couple filmmakers stepped in to create a screenplay about his memoir, and Don discovered the same elements that go into creating a great story can also work to create a great life. So he quit writing for a while and rode his bike across America. He started a mentoring program because he had become a selfish jerk, and he chased a girl and got his heart ripped open and run through a meat grinder. But he lived to tell about it. So the question is, when the credits roll in your life, are people going to think your story sucked? If there’s any chance of that happening, read this book and start living a better story.

And boy do I want to live a better story. I don't want to give the wrong impression here - I didn't feel terrible after reading these books - I felt empowered and loved (Romans ch 8 vs 28-30).

I actually read these books in the wrong order. If you decide that you too want to write a  better story read Blue Like Jazz first. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Now tell me ... what stories have you read?