Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Passionate Housewives Desperate for God-Part 1-UPDATED

Several of the blogs I read, including Father Hollywood and CSPP, have recommended this book. While I was sick this weekend I read this book. I don't know quite what I expected, but it wasn't exactly what I expected. I think I expected it to be more like this book. PHDfG (my abbreviation since the title is so long) was an excellent book and an eye opener to me. (I will discuss the eye opener part in a later post.) I wish this book would have been published when I was in college because it would have been great to discuss it chapter by chapter with my college roommates. In this rural area I have no friends that are stay at home moms that I could get together with. I don't have time to talk on the phone with my friends far away. So I decided to have a little "book discussion" on my blog for the next few weeks. I marked several sections and quotes from the book and I plan to "talk" about them once a week on my blog.
"What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow." Martin Luther (quote from page 23 PHDfG)
This quote reminded me that my dad always said a thank you prayer when he changed my diaper or my sister's diaper and the messier the diaper was, the more thankful he was that the plumbing worked. You see, when the plumbing doesn't work, you have a very sick baby. I couldn't find an endnote saying where this quote was from. I think I'm going to write it out and post it in my kitchen as a reminder for myself. This quote was the very best part of the book for me. At this point in my life of changing diapers and having disgusting flies because I didn't do the housework and displining the Lambs multiple times for the same thing and potty training and attempting to homeschool and dealing with Lamb 2 not staying in bed all night and my list could continue...this quote is what I needed to hear.
"In serving as her husband's helper, a wife performs many valuable roles. She is to be his solitary lover, his counselor, and his closest friend. She has the unique honor of mothering his children and keeping their home. In all her tasks, she seeks to further him as a man. His work of dominion is her work; she embraces his vision as her own as she promotes and enhances his life pursuits." (PHDfG page 32 without Bible references)
"...the wife's primary role is that of mother and home-keeper. She is to diligently tend to the affairs of their home, even as she bears and cares for their children." (PHDfG page 33 without Bible references)
I am so thankful that where we live in this rural area, has forced Ram and I to be each other's closest friends. Not that girlfriends aren't important too, but it has been good for Ram and I to become best friends.
"Ladies, we have a great and glorious work before us. Keeping the home has been entrusted to us by God. Under the leadership of our husbands, we are to train up our children in the way they should go; we are to create beauty and comfort within our homes; and the work of our hands should reflect industry and productivity. We are to worship alongside our children, teaching them the laws of God night and day. We are commanded to practice hospitality to strangers and friends alike-sacrificing in love a portion of ourselves to those who enter our homes. Using our gifts and talents to glorify God in our role as helpers to our husbands, all within the well-choreographed dance of home life, imparts a quiet lesson to a watching world and communicates true contentment in the loveliness of womanhood. It declares 'His glory among the heathen, His wonders among all people' and multiple generations of those who love and glorify God. (PHDfG page 35 without Bible references)
This is my goal. Some days it won't seem like it is well-choreographed, it will seem more like pure chaos. But my goal is to help my Ram and teach my Lambs to worship God continually through the day. And I know the world really is watching us, especially the moms that are not SAHM. It doesn't matter whether you are a pastor's wife or not for the world to be watching. Even on the days that our household seems like pure chaos, we can be an example for the world by how we deal with the chaos.

I have lots more to quote and comment on from this book. Have you read this book yet? Any thoughts about what I posted here?

UPDATE: Here is the link for the CSPP post about this. It's actually not too favorable for PHDfG. Here is the link for Father Hollywood's post about this. It is very favorable for PHDfG.

1 comment:

The Mama said...

I have not yet read it, but now want to.