Another Absolute Must Read!!!!

The Resolution for Women by Priscilla Shirer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Like The Resolution for Men, I'm declaring this book an absolute must read for women and young women.



Today's culture has completely muddied the definitions of husband and wife, father and mother, which are completely contrary to the definitions the Bible lays out. As Christian moms and wives, we need to have these boundaries between the culture's definition and God's definition clearly set apart from one another--and choose to follow and implement and live out God's.



When we start making up our own rules, we open up a whole can of worms that can spell disaster for our children and our families.



Every woman, and every young woman who has visions of a glorious wedding and a healthy, happy household in her mind, needs to read this book to have God's desires for wifehood and motherhood clearly in our minds.



"God...has brought this book into your life for this particular season. He is calling you to make the hard yet necessary decision to face these chapters and the themes they present with a strong dose of courage, a prodigious amount of willingness to look inward, not outward, and a steady confidence in His Spirit to empower you to follow through on these resolves, regardless of how little your spouse or others may seem compelled to follow your example." (page 4)



I found the author's voice engaging and her stories and anecdotes poignant and vivid. Her focus being on the building up and encouraging of readers to view themselves and their roles as mothers and wives in a different light--in God's light--and strives to help us "stand as a living, walking, eating, breathing example of what God's grace can do with a woman He has set apart...."



I would have liked to have seen more Scriptural parallels and analogies to drive home the message of the Bible on these particular areas. The teaching is definitely there, but it would have been good to have more Scriptural back-up. I know she was trying to keep the lessons short, which was good, but I felt it would have helped tremendously with her overall message, if she took a passage (eg: 1 Peter 2:9-10 on page 53) and explored it in relation to the message of the chapter.



It's a completely eye-opening experience to look at value, self-worth, motherhood, wifehood...all the roles that God has called us to from His perspective rather than the one society claims is right.



Concepts like submission turn into issues of love and respect, rather than abuse and domination. There is no room for abuse and domination in God's version of family and marriage, and yet many in our culture, including many Christians still hold to this definition. God's message isn't based on domination and subjugation, but on love and grace. Many Christian denominations and world religions have taught for centuries that women are second-rate citizens not worthy of anything and use Scripture to back that up--when in fact Christ sets a completely different standard.



I believe both husbands and wives should read both books (The Resolution for Men and the Resolution for Women) so that they can be firmly grounded in God's purpose for that role in their lives, and so that they can keep each other accountable. The future of our marriage and our families depend on husbands and wives who are devoted to God and to each other, and to their God-given roles and purpose.



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An absolute MUST READ!!!

The Resolution for Men by Stephen Kendrick

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is an absolute MUST READ for any Christian father, father-to-be, husband or husband-to-be -- and for every mother, mother-to-be, wife and wife-to-be. Very rarely do I get this excited about a book - and I have many on my bookshelf!

As families continue to crumble and fall and ex-life partners struggle to figure out why, it is imperative that the Church reinforce the roles of husband and wife that are very clearly laid out in the Bible and that husbands and wives take up the challenge of those roles instead of trying to define and live out their own as based on what society deems right and popular.

I would very strongly recommend that both husbands and wives read both the Resolution for Men and the Resolution for Women so that each can hold the other partner accountable for actions, inactions and ways of thinking that are not in keeping with God's ways and teachings.

Our families and children need strong fathers more than ever. Fathers/husbands that know the difference between loving and respecting and cherishing and being dominating and abusive and manipulative. Fathers, contrary to popular opinion, are integral to raising healthy, well-rounded kids, and to keeping a marriage together. When fathers negate their God-ordained role or abuse that role for purposes that God never intended, then families suffer. "A man cannot be passive about what Scripture tells him to do for his family and expect to be found faithful to God in the end." (page 3)

This is a lesson that every man, and every young man who has visions of being a husband and father in his life needs to read.



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