"In this House We Will Giggle" by Courtney Defeo

I am so excited to tell you about this book I just finished. Now, I'm going to be honest the first thing that drew me to this book was the cover design and title. The book was so bright and and cheerful and it just screamed "open me!!" I know I'm not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I just couldn't help it.

Courtney DeFeo is a well known blogger who continuously reminds us moms to not play the comparison game. She encourages moms to embrace who they are. This book is broken down into twelve chapters that each discuss a different virtue and how to teach it to our children. The plan for the book is that you focus on one virtue a month for a year.

The virtues that she covers are Joy, Love, Forgiveness, Faith, Patience, Perseverance, Respect, Responsibility, Service, Humility, Gratitude, and Generosity. In each chapter she defines the virtue in very simple terms that a child can understand. This was so incredible to me because I often struggle with finding a way to explain these important character traits to my children. At the end of each chapter she gives you a devotional that you can do with your family on the virtue. It includes a memory verse and a Bible passage to read together. She even has some suggested activities to really help solidify the meaning of each virtue and how each child can embrace the virtues in a tangible way.

I found this book to be extremely encouraging to me as a mother. I have always wanted to instill these virtues into my children's hearts, but have often felt overwhelmed and confused with all the "super moms" out there who seem to have all these amazing and complicated tricks up their sleeves. I am definitely guilty of comparing myself and this book helped me to see that. As I was reading through the chapters I realized that I could do this. This is so simple and yet so important. Focusing on one virtue a month will give my kiddos time to really embrace and understand each concept. I have decided that I will definitely be going through this with my kids starting in January.

I recommend this book to all moms. Courtney focuses on laughter, fun and love. She even includes simple activities that will just make your family laugh and play together. It isn't the kind of book that will make you feel bad about what you're not doing. Instead it is a book that will encourage you to put Christ first in your family and cheer you on to be the best mom God created you to be.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Finding Rest... What in the world does that look like?

I've mentioned before that my husband and I moved to Chico, CA to plant a church 6 years ago. When we chose to follow that call, I had no idea the path that lay ahead. I knew it would be hard, but I never imagined it would be as difficult as it has become.

We knew we were being obedient to God when we moved here. We had peace, joy, and excitement as we embarked on this journey. Looking back I realize that I had expectations of what the church would look like 6 years in. I expected it to be a thriving, self supporting ministry where my husband could work full time a a pastor while I was the loving, joyful and enthusiastic stay at home mother. Reading that last sentence I can't help but chuckle. Boy did I get that wrong.

Fast forward to the actual reality of the church 6 years later. We have a small, yet devoted, congregation of people. My husband is a part time pastor that still receives his salary from outside supporters. And me... well I am a loving, joyful and enthusiastic stay at home mom who always works part time to help support our family and allow my husband to focus on the church and this city that God has given him a heart to reach.

I don't always feel loving, joyful, and enthusiastic however. I have to CHOOSE to feel that way on days where I just want to throw in the towel. It's those days when I want my husband to find a normal 9-5 well paying job that he can close the door on at the end of the day. These are the moments when the exhaustion of the last 6 years really starts to set in.

I really believed that at this point in our ministry it would be easy. But then I am reminded that God never promised us it would be easy. He never promised we wouldn't get tired or discouraged or disappointed. He never promised I wouldn't get frustrated and angry at times. He actually promised that when I was feeling all of these things I could lean on HIM for support. He would always be there to help me CHOOSE joy. He would be there to lift me up and show me that He knows what he is doing. He reminds me that He actually did know that this is where we would be at this exact moment. And that He would help us through it.

Which brings me to the topic of rest. God's perfect design for our lives included a day of rest. It's the Sabbath. As a family in ministry it is hard to find time for Sabbath. What does that even look like when your week is gearing up for the weekend? We spend the week preparing for our gatherings, while most jobs spend the week working and then look forward to the weekend as a time of rest. Over the last 6 years we have quietly ignored the importance of a Sabbath rest.

This last week we were blessed with a week of rest. We were given a week away at a place called Genesee Home. A beautiful retreat location where we could leave everything behind and focus on just being restful. 5 days and 5 nights of no expectations placed upon us. No meals to be prepared, chores to be done, or toys to be put away. No TV's to watch or smart phones or computers to distract us.

If you are anything like me, this at first sounded a little bit like a nightmare. But I knew I needed rest and time away with my husband. So we kissed our kids goodbye and stepped out of our comfort zone and left. And it was the best!! In the beautiful setting of Genesee home, we met God together. We prayed together more than we ever had. We were quiet together and we talked together. We hiked together and even went on a 10 mile mountain bike ride together. We were refreshed and renewed and for possibly the first time in 6 years, we rested.

We learned that taking our Sabbath rest is the only way we are going to make it through this. We need rest or we will burn out and shrivel up. We are thrilled to practice the truths that God taught us in our during our time away in our everyday lives. If you, like us, find that rest seems impossible I encourage you to make the time. It may not be in a valley far away from home, but you can find rest with your children, with your spouse, and by yourself. It is imperative to our spiritual mental and physical health.

If you are a Pastor who is looking for a place of rest you should check out Genesee Home. You will be so glad you did!  www.geneseehome.org