What I'm reading...

So, I've been reading a lot of good stuff lately and learning a lot.  I'm so thankful for the local library here in our town.  I'm even more thankful for God's word, which has definitely been teaching me so much!

Here is what I read this morning, and I hope it can encourage you!  It's from Ephesians chapter 3.

Paul writes "I pray that out of His (God's) glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's people, to  grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."   Ephesians 3:16-19 (NIV)

Isn't that beautiful?  God loves us with a love that is so wide, long, high and deep, that it covers all of our sin when we put our faith in Christ.  Often times, we think that we aren't good enough to come to Him, or that we have to clean up our lives first.  I tried that, and it didn't work.  God wants us to come to Him as we are and His love will cover our sins! When we put our trust in Him, He gives us the peace of a right relationship with Him. 


I'm also reading a wonderful  book,  Simplicity Parenting,  by Kim John Payne.  It's a wonderful book so far! The subtitle is "Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids".  Here's a few excerpts:

"A protected childhood allows for the slow development of identity, well-being, and resiliency" p. 12

"Too much stuff leads to too little time and too little depth in the way kids see and explore their worlds." p. 22

"As you decrease the quantity of your child's toys and clutter, you increase their attention and their capacity for deep play" p. 62

It's not all about decreasing the number of toys, but he says that's a good place to start in simplifying a child's life.  His book challenges parents to reclaim the simplicity of childhood for the kids by decluttering children's rooms, protecting them from the complexities of the adult worries and media, and providing a rhythm to their day and a schedule for their lives.  He encourages taking family get-a-ways to reconnect and give your child time away from the busy pace of life in our modern world.   All of these things will help children get the maximum benefit from their childhood.  Interesting right?

More about that to come!

Other books I'm skimming reading:
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth, M.D. - this is helping with getting Anna back in a grove after she had a cold.  Now that she is on the move, nap time has become more difficult, but is getting better thanks to some tips in the book.

You Cant Make Me by Cynthia Ulrich Tobais - it's about strong willed children and raising healthy ones.  Not sure if Anna is strong willed or not, but I find the topic very interesting! She says that strong willed children can be more difficult to raise as kids, but often have the most potential for leadership, character development, and creativity.  I like the positive tone she uses in her book.