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My Fall Reading Goals (Family Worship, Busyness of Life, & Making Babies)

on November 4, 2014 by Jami Balmet 0 comments

I’m doing my Fall reading goals a little late. Ideally I should have made this list in August, but it’s been a chaotic few months (I launched an online homemaking conference in October) and so I’m just wrapping up my Summer reading goals.

My Fall Reading List

In my last reading goals, I shared my heart and why I think reading is so important to every woman (even the young mom although our reading time will probably look very different than women in other season of life). So as we head into this even busier season with Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, my reading list for Fall is shorter and contains smaller books.

At the same time, I look at November and December as a time to relax a bit more, leave the sink full of dishes, and enjoy some time cuddling on the couch with my kids and reading.

I’m not sure if I’ll get through all of these books since this reading list was supposed to start in October. But it’s good to set high goals 🙂

My Reading List for November & December

 Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will

Just do something Sometimes “discovering” God’s will for our lives and making decisions can be daunting and hard work. Kevin DeYoung wrote this quick, easy to read book to share with believers that God has already given us what we need to figure out his Will for our lives. “He’s already revealed His plan for our lives: to love Him with our whole hearts, to obey His Word, and after that, to do what we like. No need for hocus-pocus. No reason to be directionally challenged. Just do something.”

Why I picked up this book: This book is a quick, short read that I’ve heard wonderful things about. I’ve had this book recommended to me from so many people. I’ve felt lost, confused, and totally frazzled before trying to figure out what direction God is leading our family in. Find it here in Print & on Kindle.

Family Worship

Family WorshipThis is another quick read (which is good this time of year) and provides a concise and clear call to return to Biblical worship with the family. Written as a practical manual for families, Beeke provides the Biblical basis for family worship as well as everyday that ideas you can implement in your family.

Why I picked up this book: As my boys turn two next month and rapidly are turning into toddlers instead of babies, discussions of family worship are really becoming important to my husband and I. We want to get into habits of daily worship within our family and we are excited to dive into this short guide. Find it here in print (it’s not available on Kindle right now).

Crazy Busy: A Mercifully Short Book  About a Really Big Problem

DeYoungI’ve been hearing great things about this book for such a long time. Finally this year my husband picked up a copy at a conference he went to and I can’t wait to read it! I love that’s a quick read and solution to the big problem of living in chaos – Being too busy to even sit down and read a book! Instead of approaching this subject with time management tools, DeYoung approaches your over-crowded schedule and life from the Bible and gets right to the root of the problem.

Why I picked up this book: In the last two years, I’m not sure how many times I’ve answered the question of “How are you?” with “Busy”. Busy, busy, busy…I feel like this is my life sometimes – crazy busy. I’m excited to jump into this short book and see what God’s Word has to say on the subject. Find it here in print and kindle.

The Disciplines of Grace: God’s Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness

1576839893The Discipline of Grace offers a clear and thorough explanation of the gospel and what it means to be a believer. Written by Navigator author Jerry Bridges, this book explores how the same grace that brings us to faith in Christ also disciplines us in Christ. In learning more about grace, you also will learn about God’s character, His forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit.”

Why I picked up this book: Jerry Bridges is one of my favorite authors. When I was deeply struggling with anxiety, his book Trusting God was the Biblical wisdom that I needed to really start to overcome that struggle. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to pick up this book. But I’m really excited to read it. You can find it here in print and on kindle.

Unglued: Make Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions

177350 “God gave us emotions to experience life, not destroy it! Lysa TerKeurst admits that she, like most women, has had experiences where others bump into her happy and she comes emotionally unglued. We stuff, we explode, or we react somewhere in between. What do we do with these raw emotions? Is it really possible to make emotions work for us instead of against us? Yes, and in her usual inspiring and practical way, Lysa will show you how. Filled with gut-honest personal examples and biblical teaching, Unglued will equip you to: Know with confidence how to resolve conflict in your important relationships.”

Why I picked up this book: I’ve never experienced such raw, strong emotions as a I do as a mom. There is just something about being sleep deprived, hormonal, and always skipping lunch that makes those strong emotions come out. I’m excited to read this mom’s experience and wisdom on dealing with this. Find it here in print and kindle.

Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate

9781600061400

In the modern church, it’s really easy to ignore a lot of these sins that we see as being more “respectable”. Sins such as anxiety, pride, unthankfulness, selfishness, anger, etc. We tend to turn a blind eye to these sins and as a result, they are running rampant in our churches. But sin is still sin in God’s eyes. I’ve heard that this book will rip you apart and deeply convict you about these sins that we all become all to comfortable with.

Why I picked up this book: As a classic theological book, I can’t believe I haven’t read it yet! Just reading through the chapter titles is already convicting me about God’s holiness, his stance towards sin, and what true repentance means. I don’t want to be comfortable in my sin and so I can’t wait to read this! You can get it here in print and on kindle.

Idols of the Heart: Learning to Long for God Alone

idols

“Many people desire to live godly lives but feel trapped in habitual sins. They trip over the same bad habit, embarrassing weakness, or sinful slavery they wanted to be free of years ago.” Idols are things that we place as more important that God in our lives. I think this book is such an important one to read, because in our modern church, we don’t think of idols as being all that relevant. But all of us have idols in our heart, taking the place of God.

Why I picked up this book: I know that many good things in my life can turn into idols: my family, ministry, church, friends, my husband, my blog, etc. Storing up idols in my heart is a very real temptation for all of us. I want to be able to speak truth to myself about these idols and be able to recognize them. You can find it here in print (they don’t appear to have it on Kindle).

Making Babies: Fertility, Pregnancy and Birth the Natural Way

MakingBabiesSetThis funny titled book and DVD series from Bulk Herb Store is my go-to resource on conceiving, pregnancy, and new born care! I got the book and DVD set when I was pregnant with my twins over 2 years ago and I’m digging these out again to review good recipes and resources on conceiving and pregnancy again.

This set is a little pricey, but it’s well worth it in my opinion! You can by just the book if you want, but I love having the DVD companion as Shoshanna shows you how to make all the recipes, tinctures, and more! You can find it on Bulk Herb Store or from Amazon: the book and the DVDs.

What are you currently reading? Leave a comment and let us all know! 

My Fall Reading List H

Get instant free access to my Finding Joy in Your Home video course.

  • Do you want to discover more joy, peace, & tranquility within your home?
  • Do you feel overwhelmed and like your house is out of control?
  • Join my free course and learn the essential habits for Christian homemakers

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