Tag: Bible study

Mom Essentials:  For Women of All Seasons

Mom Essentials: For Women of All Seasons

ReviewDisclaimer
2420533The church ladies and I recently finished our latest Wednesday night Bible study via the Mom Essentials, 10 Words Successful Mothers Live By by Kasey Johnson. When I received the book as a member of Beacon Hill Press’ Off the Shelf Bloggers, I suggested it as a group study and the gals, while not all moms, jumped on board. Of course, since it was my suggestion I was elected to facilitate the 11-session study and the fun began.

There were about six to 10 of us that took part in the study each week and, as I said, not everyone was a mom. We had grandmothers, great-grandmothers, single moms, married moms and even one lady whom had never had children; but this wonderful mix of Christians had one big thing in common — we were all women. It quickly became clear that while this study was specifically directed to moms, it also spoke to the heart of women in varied seasons of life.

In this study,  Kasey emphasizes the need for balance in our lives and to support this balance she addresses how we can learn to be “Put Together,” “Shaped Up,” and “Equipped” through Christ to face the challenges of motherhood and life. In the first session, Kasey writes, “During this time of caring for our family, we need to remember we are investing in something bigger than ourselves and God is working everything together to help us enjoy this season while preparing for seasons to come.” Throughout the study Kasey addresses fears, weaknesses, preparation and perspective among other aspects of a woman’s life. She touches on the need to prioritize our time, shape our own identity, beef up our discipline, create a support system and even unplug from time to time.

There are so many great lessons in this study, that I would recommend it to any women’s group looking for a new venture. My only criticism of the Mom Essentials is that the lessons were a bit disjointed. Each session, standing on its own, contained great Biblical truths, wonderful points and valuable insight, but they didn’t all seem to complement the whole in a fluid manner. Of course In my book, if that’s the only problem, it’s pretty much a winner.

As facilitator, I found the supporting opening and closing videos and leader’s guide to be wonderful resources. They can be downloaded free of charge by clicking here. It was quick and easy to prepare for each lesson and I had ample material to engage the group and generate discussion. There is at-home work to be done between each session, but the length of said “homework” is easily manageable, even for a busy mom.

Perhaps one of my favorite parts of the study was the personal prayers at the end of each chapter. Kasey is definitely grounded in scripture and has a way with words and insight into a mother’s heart. As a group, the church ladies agreed this was a worthwhile study for women of almost any season and we enjoyed the opportunity to really get to know one another in ways some previous Bible studies have not allowed. On a more personal basis and as a mother, I appreciated the opportunity to take a closer look at my life, put away some of the mommy guilt and strengthen my walk with God (of course, that super easy-to-use leader’s guide made me look like one of those moms that has it all together, which wasn’t half bad either).

Off the Shelf — Live Inspired Book 2

Off the Shelf — Live Inspired Book 2

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest and personal opinions.

LiveInspired2I’m finally getting the chance to pass along my thoughts and opinions of Live Inspired Book 2 as a member of the Beacon Hill Press Off the Shelf Bloggers. I’m really excited to be a part of this group of book reviewers and hope that you find this critique helpful for your future book selections. I haven’t read Book 1 of this series, so I won’t be comparing the two, but I did evaluate Book 2 on it’s own merit and content.

Live Inspired Book 2 is a 90-day devotional for students that teaches Biblical life lessons through a variety of activities, prompts, discussions and challenges. The book was designed to be an interactive journal for teens and the opening remarks encourage students to think and “draw outside the lines.” Live Inspired is more than just a topical study for teenagers, it’s a catalyst for putting faith in motion. It outlines topics related to student life and connects the teaching with introspective activities and specific challenges to promote an active Christian life. The book encourages learners to think outside the box, explore new ideas and look at Biblical principles in a new way.

Readers are empowered in many different ways to choose and use specific activities, such as the “Pick Two and Do” pages and various other activities that include writing, listening to music, drawing, painting and origami. In addition, there are a lot of prompts for personal reflection and prayer time, but there are also “Conversation Circle” activities throughout the book where students are encouraged to discuss specific ideas and opinions in small groups.

While I thought the lessons were Biblically sound and many of the activities to be intriguing for a variety of different types of learners, I was a bit perplexed by the basic composition of the book. For example, some activities require the learner to tear out pages and create something with them, but the next lesson is on the other side of that page. Maybe it’s just the former teacher in me, but how are students suppose to take part in the next lesson if that page is now a soggy origami cup sitting in the bottom of a trashcan?

In my opinion, the lessons and activities in Live Inspired Book 2 seem to be appropriately geared toward the suggested audience, but the basic design of the book is not conducive to teaching and absorbing all of the lessons being offered. invariably some lessons will have to be skipped or read out of order to get everything this book has to offer.