Thursday, April 22, 2010

Rocking the Roles

Rocking the Roles: Building a Win-Win MarriageWe bought the book Rocking the Roles by Robert Lewis and William Hendricks at a Weekend to Remember marriage conference. It was one of the marriage books recommended. 

Unlike many marital role books, Lewis and Hendricks differentiate the difference between traditional marriage and Biblical marriage and examine how men and women are naturally different. Anyone who has been in a relationship with someone of the opposite sex knows men and women are different. Yet many in our modern society lean toward everything being equal and leave no room for males and females to be different. Rocking the Roles explores the Biblical core roles of husbands and wives. For example the husband’s core role is to be a Servant Leader and a wife’s core role is to be a Helper Lover. 

The authors break down how to fulfill marital roles the godly way not the traditional way that many are raised to believe. They explain how to be a Servant Leader and what it means to be a Helper Lover. The best thing about learning your role is that the “core” roles do not limit choices. Rather they help prioritize your time, energy, and commitments. If you are looking to strengthen your marriage, I recommend this book.

Friday, April 9, 2010

The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness

The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial FitnessIn Dave Ramsey's book, The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness, he helps readers learn how to get out of debt and reach full financial freedom.  A friend in college gave me this book because it changed his life.  After reading it I have loaned it out to several people and have even bought it for a gift.

Ramsey's financial advice really changed mine and my husband's view of money.  After college we had a lot of debt and decided to followed Ramsey's 7 simple baby steps, as he calls them, and have paid most of our debt off. We pay cash for everything except purchases online, which goes against Ramey's philosophy but we pay the balance in full before it's due.  We even sold one of our cars so we could pay off our debt faster.  Many of our friends and family thought we were crazy when we only had one car.  Small "sacrifices" now can change your financial future in ways you cannot even imagine.  Since following Ramsey's baby steps we have had more financial freedom than we ever thought possible.  When you live within your means you are able to give and enjoy life so much more than living pay check to pay check. 

Although I didn't agree with everything in the book, for instance we paid off our highest interest loans first and are paying more extra on our mortgage than my student loan because my student loan has such a small interest, I did find the book very helpful.  A few things that I found encouraging were all the testimonies in his book.  Money is a sensitive topic for many people that it was refreshing to read stories of how people went from being in a lot of debt to having more than they ever thought possible.   This is one of my favorite financial books.  Ramsey's steps to financial freedom are simple enough that anyone can do them.  This is a great book for anyone who wants to learn how to get on the road to financial freedom.

Dave Ramsey's Seven Baby Steps:
1. Save $1,000 to start your emergency fund;
2. Pay off all debt using the debt snowball (everything but your mortgage);
3. Save 3-6 months of expenses in savings;
4. Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement;
5. Start saving for your children's college fund;
6. Pay off home early; and
7. Build wealth and give.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

What Every Child Needs

What Every Child Needs
What Every Child Needs by Elisa Morgan and Carol Kuykendall was given to me at one of my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meetings.  This book is mainly written to new mothers, although fathers could learn from it too.  

This book reads like a parenting manual.  It emphasizes the nine basic needs each child has for love and how to give and show these kinds of love to your child.  The nine basic needs mentioned in the book are: Security, Belonging, Guidance, Play, Affirmation, Discipline, Respect, Independence, and Hope.  As a new mom, I am constantly searching for direction.  This book helped break down motherhood and gave a lot of examples of how I can be a great mom just by being myself.  Not only does the book give examples of how to love your child it also gives ideas if you are having difficulty showing your child love. I now have more confidence and know-how on showing and giving my child the love he needs.  I highly recommend this book.

Monday, April 5, 2010

My Musings

Welcome!  I hope you find my blog useful as you are considering reading certain books. I will mainly be reviewing books published by Thomas Nelson but will accept other books to review as well. Please leave a comment if you have read the book or if you have any questions about it.  Happy reading!