"A Call to Discipleship" Book Review

"A Call to Discipleship" is the second book by Susan Heck I have had the privilege of reading and encourage you to do the same. Just Like "A Call to Scripture Memory" it is a short easy read packed full of goodness.

In this book Susan tackles the issue of discipleship specifically as it relates to women in the church. Which seems to me to be something that is lacking in majority of churches. 

Why is that?

 I believe that the "me-centered" lifestyles the world encourages have seeped into our churches, leaving attendees void of accountability,and biblical discipleship...i.e. be a disciple and make disciples ( Matthew 28:18-20)

Susan addresses the questions:

-What is discipleship?  -Why should we disciple?  -Who should we disciple?  -What do we teach to those we disciple?  --And when, where, and how do we disciple?

Using Titus 2 to find the answers to these questions, we find the biblical model for women disciplehip:

"But as for you, teach what accords with psound1 doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, psound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 qOlder women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, rnot slanderers sor slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, tpure, uworking at home, kind, and vsubmissive to their own husbands, wthat the word of God may not be reviled."

Of course the book goes into greater detail breaking down what the verses mean but I wanted to give a quick overview of some points that really stood out to me regarding disciplining women on how to treat their husbands:

We are commanded to love our husbands 
-it is a Privilege to love them not a burden
-we are to love them physically, emotionally,& spiritually 
-you are to recognize importance of taking time to listen to husband even when what they are talking about doesn't interest us.
-greet him at the door cheerfully not with a list of things to do
- (do not nitpick) our focus should be on what he does do, not what he doesn't do. We should be grateful that we even have a husband."

 

So I hope you get this book and may it challenge you to go out and make disciples and learn ways to encourage women in your church to be more like Christ

Matthew 28:18-20

 "And Jesus came and said to them, h“All authority iin heaven and on earth has been given to me.19 jGo therefore and kmake disciples of lall nations, jbaptizing them min2nthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20 teaching them oto observe all that pI have commanded you. And behold, qI am with you always, to rthe end of the age.”)

"Jesus What A Wonderful Name" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

This is a great recitation of scripture given by Nancy Leigh DeMoss titled:

"Jesus What A Wonderful Name"

for transcript click HERE

"A Call to Scripture Memory" by Susan Heck

A friend of mine recommended Susan Heck to me because I was looking for female teachers who presented the Word of God without fluff, presented the Word of God accurately and encouraged women to live a life worthy of the Lord in all that they do. I can say that Susan definitely exhibits all three characteristics I just mentioned.

This past Christmas my parents gifted me with three of Susan's books - "A Call to Discipleship", "With The Master:In Fullness of Joy", and the book I want to tell you about today called "A Call to Scripture Memory."

This is a quick easy to read book pamphlet that you can finish within an hour since it is only 21 pages. Although Short it is packed full of reasons why women specifically should memorize scripture and why we should memorize full passages. This is a description taken from Susan's website: With The Master :

This is a women's challenge and a methodology to memorize large portions of God's Word. It answers the questions: Who should memorize Scripture? Why should we memorize Scripture?What Scripture should we memorize? Where should we memorize Scripture? How does one memorize Scripture? Also within this booklet you will find 11 reasons why you should memorize Scriptrue, and valuable tools to teach you how, what, and when.

One of the most interesting reasons Susan gives for memorizing scripture is that if God allows us to reach an old age what do we want coming out of our mouths? She says "How we act as we get older is really who we were when we were younger, but that we can't mask it any more." She goes on to say "So, you better start transforming your mind now." 

Memorizing Scripture is one of the only ways to constantly keep our minds stayed on Christ and encourage others, especially in times were we don't have access to a physical bible.

So go get the book and be sure to check out these links for more on memorizing scripture

Top Four Ways to Memorize Scripture

John Piper: If my words abide Sermon

Beautiful Life by Trip Lee feat V.Rose

I came across this song while looking up the artist V.Rose on YouTube. It is now one of my favorite songs mainly because it showcases the beauty of Life that God gives in children. This is the best pro life song that I have ever heard and now want to share with you.

 Be sure to stay up to date with Trip Lee and V.Rose on FaceBook and support them by purchasing the song on iTunes

                                  

                                                  "Beautiful Life"
                                                                 (feat. V. Rose)

Beautiful life inside
Living, moving, breathing
So let hope arise
God knew what he was doing when He gave
Beautiful, beautiful life

Dear sister, I hear the place you at
I know there ain't nothing easy about going through that
There's a baby in your womb
But you wasn't trying to do that
You'd take it all back if you knew that
But you ain't have a clue that
That time with your boyfriend, that late night
When you thought you was making love that you would make life
And now it's feeling unfair
Man, it ain't like you ain't got a life
Shoot, the time, it really ain't right
Can't quite tell you that I understand your pain
But I know you shouldn't feel discouraged and ashamed
And I know that baby in your stomach ain't a game
It's got a heartbeat
He's about to grow a little brain
He's dependent on his mama
God already knows his name
You're made in God's image and that baby is the same
Give him life

Beautiful life inside
Living, moving, breathing
So let hope arise
God knew what he was doing when He gave
Beautiful, beautiful life
Let it live

Brother, I bet you were caught off guard by that seed in her stomach
So your heart aches hard
Feeling trapped like prisoners behind those bars
The hand's been dealt, but you don't wanna take those cards
Homie, stop and think about the choice
That baby in her womb, she ain't really got a voice
So she really needs her daddy to love her and rejoice
She's a blessing from the Lord
She don't need to be destroyed
Don't abandon her mama
Love her and support her
She's in pain now, too
She needs someone there for her
But don't let her hurt you
Baby girl alive in the womb
Cause homie, you'll be looking in her eyes pretty soon
Hey, don't get me wrong
Look, I agree that we should give women rights
That goes for unborn women, too
Give them life

Beautiful life inside
Living, moving, breathing
So let hope arise
God knew what he was doing when He gave
Beautiful, beautiful life
Let it live

Dear friends, I know this probably hurts
For those of you who wish you would have gave that baby birth,
But it's too late now 'cause you're child ain't around
I know it hurts to your core, that guilt that's weighing you down
But I've got good news and some healing for your hurts
Christ Jesus came
He descended to the Earth
But he ain't come for good people, or even the just
He came into the world just for sinners like us
So yeah, he's really grieved when we take a baby's life
'Cause he made 'em, but he came to save us from our plight
He came shining light that he could save us from our night
Erases all our shame, homie
He can make us right
Confess it and believe it on the one who paid the cost
He died in your place
There's forgiveness at the cross
So you could give them life

Beautiful life
Don't be afraid
God himself gave you life
Beautiful life
He'll be right there

Potty Training Our 20 month old

Ok so I was a little skeptical of the "potty training in 3 days" blogs I have seen but let me tell you it has definitely worked for us for the most part. I told myself get through 3 days of really focusing on potty training and if she has no interest try again another time.

We started Tuesday and since yesterday we have had no accidents.
I will give a brief outline of what happened the last few days.

My daughter is 20 months. We stayed home most of the first 3 days to focus on pt.

Tuesday 1st day of pt:
Many accidents all day long, only peed on her toilet when she woke up in the morning and after her mid day nap, had towels and cleaning spray all over the house, left her naked from waist down. only put diaper on during nap and bedtime.

Wednesday 2nd day of pt:
Peed in toilet when she woke and after nap, same amount of accidents but they were in bathroom on floor next to toilet instead of all over the house, she would mid way stop peeing/pooping on floor to get on toilet and finish there. we went out to a bible study put her in diaper and she didn't go in that at all. Again while at home she was naked from waist down.

Thursday 3rd day of pt:
About the same as day 2, although toda-y was first time she actually pooped in toilet, she cried at first trying to poop while sitting but she did it.

Friday 4th day of pt:
No accidents at home , got up and went straight to potty to pee, I put her in pull ups went to park, took her to bathroom there but she did not go. As soon as we got home she went in her potty, took a nap and when she woke up went back to potty to pee, The rest of the day she went to bathroom if she had to go. We went out to a b-day dinner for a friend she had a pull up on and peed in that mainly because I forgot to take her to use bathroom when we got there.

Saturday day 5 (today):
No accidents.  Wore pull ups when we went to store and park, been going poop and pee in her potty all day, and now trying out underwear while we are home to see how she does.

Side notes:
-Now every-time she goes to potty she wants a high five and gets all excited
-She takes a small piece of toilet paper and trys to wipe, I then go ahead and use wipe to really clean her
-At first to get her to sit down on potty long enough i let her watch a show on my phone, now she is going fast without having to sit there long.
-When she had accidents on floor id take her to bathroom show her toilet and explain this is where you go potty
-She sometimes gives me cues when she has to poop like whining and doing a "poop" dance as I like to call it, most times though i have to ask her if she has to go, or ill take her when I have to go and she goes too.
-She has has not gone pee/poop in public bathrooms yet, but she willl go in her potty soon as we get home.

So that is our journey so far Potty Training

Hope this helps some other mommies as you start the process.

Here is the Potty my daughter currently uses:

We currently use white Cloud Training pants from Walmart.

Remember Potty Training can be frustrating and tiresome, but hang in there, your child will become a pro at it soon enough. Until then May the Lord use this area in parenting to grow your patience and endurance.


P.s. As I am finishing this blog My daughter had an accident on me.....I must get better at remembering to take her to bathroom every so often......and the journey continues.


Much Love and Happy Potting Training


Galations 5:23 esv
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Update: We just ordered the Potette potty on the go to use while were out and about since she is not ready to use big toilet

Because Gluttony is a sin I struggle with more often than anything else I want to share a part of this article I found on DesiringGod.org (to read the whole article click on link below)

To read more of my journey and struggle with this sin go Here, Here and Here.

America’s Most Tolerated Sin

Johnathon Bowers is Instructor of Theology and Christian Worldview at Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, MN.

Gluttony is perhaps the most tolerated sin in American Christianity. I say this, not as someone who is immune from the attractions of the buffet line, but as someone who needs all the help he can get. And I think if we’re honest with ourselves, most — if not all — of us have a dysfunctional relationship with food. We love it, and we hate it. We often find ourselves careening between stuffed stomachs and crash diets. Or perhaps we’ve given up altogether, watching with resignation as our waistlines expand into the distant horizon.

And then there’s that pesky issue of guilt. Restaurants use it like forbidden fruit to get us to save room for dessert. Fitness programs use it like a cat o’ nine tails to whip us into a lifestyle overhaul. Our own conscience, even, can rebuke us with how often we fall short of glorifying God with our stomachs. Guilt is powerful. Like the lawyers of Jesus’s day, it loads people with burdens hard to bear, and yet it will not lift a finger to help (Luke 11:46).

So as we consider the issue of gluttony, my aim is not to shame you into injecting more kale chips and chia seeds into your diet. My aim, to use the language of Hebrews, is to strengthen your hearts with grace (Hebrews 13:9). Gluttony, after all, is food worship. It’s table idolatry. It’s more about the direction of our loves than it is about the contents of our cupboards. How, then, do we discipline our appetites? One answer — and the one I want to explore here — is to quite literally turn the tables on gluttony by coming to the Lord’s Table with fresh resolve and fresh hope. In other words, I want to encourage you to see the Lord’s Table, not simply as a weekly or monthly or quarterly ritual, but instead as a training ground for self-control.

Gluttony is more about the direction of our loves than the contents of our cupboards.Tweet

Here are eight ways the Lord’s Table helps us in the fight against gluttony..........

.....................Read The Rest of The Article 

20 Week Pregnancy Update

ITS A GIRL!

Her name will be Trinity, and we cant wait to meet her. So far this pregnancy has been uneventful until now. At the 20 week ultrasound we found I currently have Placenta previa. It is not complete previa so there is a chance it might resolve itself in a few weeks. I have been scheduled for another ultrasound at 28 weeks to see if anything changes. So until than I have been put on "pelvic rest" and have to take it easy as far as lifting anything,and no more running to help prevent any bleeding from happening.

I am at peace with all this and praying God uses this to help me trust Him through whatever happens.
I will post an update after my next ultrasound.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.