The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands

The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands is a must read for wives. I've read it before, probably right before I was married, but I'd forgotten how good it is. Dr. Laura Schlessinger takes a no-holds-barred look at what being a committed wife really means, and basically it boils down to "your marriage is what you make it."

A driving point throughout the book is that men are simple creatures with simple needs that any woman, regardless of looks, is capable of meeting. The problem is that most of the time, we women don't really want to meet those needs. We prefer to focus on whether our own needs are being met, and dish out "punishments" when they aren't. This is not the recipe for a happy (or healthy)  marriage.

Although this is not a Christian book, I was amazed to find how much practical Biblical application is in the pages. I mentioned this to my husband, and he commented that truth is truth, whether you have a Biblical frame of reference or not.

As mentioned earlier, this book is a must read for wives. It's a "should read" for anyone looking at marriage in the near future. I probably will also recommend portions to some of my single friends--just because Dr. Laura gets so "into the heads" of men. I'll definitely be reading this book again in the future.

Matched Pearls

Matched Pearls, by Grace Livingston Hill, is about Constance, a well-to-do college student, who is completely focused on the world. Constance was raised in a nominally Christian home, but is completely ignorant of the basic tenets of the Christian faith. Then Constance finds out that her grandmother, who owns a very expensive string of heirloom pearls, will only give them to her when she joins the church. Constance does not want to make a public profession she does not intend to keep, but the thought of her poor country cousin (who is a Christian) being given the pearls instead is too much for her to bear. She decides to take the vows to get the pearls. Although seemingly insignificant, this act changed the course of Constance's life.

The basic story was about what I would expect from Grace Livingston Hill, or her aunt, Isabella Alden. Unmistakably Christian. I like that in my books, especially fiction books. The best fiction books revolve around Christ to the point that the story would not make sense if He was removed from the story.

On the flip side, this book was definitely a romance, and I believe it took the romance too far. While there was very little physical romance, throughout the story Constance is either with a worldly suitor, with a godly suitor, or thinking about one of the suitors (mostly the godly one). This intense emotional focus on romance isn't something I believe is healthy--especially for single young ladies.

Overall, while the story did revolve around Christ to the point that it wouldn't make sense without him, I still would not be able to recommend this book to others--particularly not single young women.

Ask the Men, part 2

Teachers of Good things is a series of interviews we will be conducting on Tuesdays and Thursdays here at Ruby in the Rough. It is our goal with these interviews to follow the instructions found in Titus 2:3-5 for the "older women" to teach the younger women good things such as: loving their husbands, keeping their home, and conducting themselves with all purity both before and after marriage.  

Most of the interview questions for Teachers of Good Things came from conversations and emails between myself and the young ladies at my church. As we talked I realized that there were a few questions that could only be answered by men. So, in a slight departure from our norm, this week and last week I had two men who agreed to share their thoughts on these questions.

This week Been Feehan will be joining us. Ben is a close friend of my husband's, and a regular contributor to my husbands website The Gentleman Adventurer.  He and his wife are expecting their first little one, Erin Elisabeth, in early April.

Ben and Jessica

What was the first thing that attracted your attention to your future wife?

Spring flowers

It's been an eventful week. Sitting down to write this I know there were several ideas I'd had for today's Thousand Gift post. I can't remember any of them. Either because this week was too brimful, or because I'm pregnant and now struggle to remember basic things (like my own age...).

One of the things that really brought joy to my heart this week was visiting the gardening center of Wal-Mart after I went grocery shopping. Spring is definitely my favorite season, and it has come early to Texas this year.

I am absolutely in love with spring flowers. The vibrant, cheerful colors make the whole world feel fresh and new.  The flowers also make me think of my wedding, because although I was married in late summer, I'd determined long before the date was set that regardless of what time of year our wedding ended up being, the feel would be Spring. I took the color scheme for the wedding from Snapdragons (which, sadly, weren't in season) and alstromera. Can you see the resemblance?

# 265

Apathy

Walking With the Lord is a weekly pause we take here at Ruby in the Rough to focus on the things of the Lord. Sometimes it will be a devotional, a poem, or a lesson from our church that stood out as being particularly applicable.

I know the name of my enemy

It seeks my life, it is Apathy.

It says that what will be will soon be,

So there's no point to fight my enemy.

It says that I will be only one,

And will not matter in the long run.

If I will fight, or if I will sit--

Why decide now? Decide in a bit.

Yes, I know it, and I know it well,

This enemy is from the pit of Hell.

It would make me un-armoured and weak,

And leave me with no honor to seek.

I will not turn, and shall not be moved,

Will not be lax, or restfully soothed.

I'm a soldier and cannot be brought

Into a sleep while the battle's fought.

I'm no warrior of ordinary mould--

I'm a Christian, both brave and bold.

And so I say now to Apathy

I won't be tricked to think but of me.

Nor will you find my sword to be slow

Or my shield weak against you, my foe.

To my brothers and sisters in Christ

Let not yourselves weary in this fight.

When you stand firm other Christians will see

That they too can stand against Apathy.

Then they will join and rally around

Their fight will start as the trumpets sound.

And so it is that though you are one,

By one warrior the fight can be won.

You cannot know what difference might make

When you will give Battle for Christ's sake.

© 2006 Sophia Rohlin

February Reading Challenge update

It's the beginning of March, which means that it is time for a checkup on the Reading Challenge 2012.

 My goal for this year is to read a total of 30 books. That means 2-3 books a month. January I was just a wee bit behind that goal, though only if you count finished books. I had multiple books that were almost finished.

February, on the other hand, was a stunning success. I didn't finish just three or four books in the month of February. In fact, I finished....

*drumroll*

Bitter sweet life

Linking up again with The Gypsy Mama with her 5 minute Fridays for a bit of fun!!

Around here we write for five minutes flat on Fridays. We write because we love words and the relief it is to just write them without worrying if they’re just right or not. So we take five minutes on Friday and write like we used to run when we were kids.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking

2. Link back here and invite others to join in.

3. Please visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments.

OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes on: Ache

Mama and daddy's hands, Christians memorial, and Baby #2

I look at this picture, and it is bitter sweet. The picture with my two babies. One kicking, alive (though I couldn't feel it at the time) and the other with Jesus, the bracelet with me as a memory of his short life. It was an accident that the stones facing out in that picture are garnet, January, my baby's birth month. It's a beautiful picture, with more meaning than meets the eye. But it isn't an easy picture.

Is that the way life is, though? The sweet and the bitter mixed together in a single cup. It's a good drink, but a hard drink. The way that when Jesus died on the cross for my sins, taking my own punishment on himself, it was both sweet and bitter. Sweet, because his great love for me, to choose to do such a thing for a complete, ugly sinner. Bitter, because the death, the torture, was hard and ugly. And he, God, hung there.

It must be life is that way, with those moments so mixed together. The joy and the heartbreak captured in a single moment, a single breath, a single picture, so that it is hard to see where one begins and the other ends. I'm sure I'll feel that way when I see my little one; the joy of moments with my baby and the eagerness to see what comes next, but the bitter sweet knowledge that the only thing I'll have left of the moments as they pass is a beautiful memory and pictures.