Title Tuesday: Dear Daughters

Welcome to  Title Tuesday, my favorite day of the week! This day is dedicated to book suggestions, news, cartoons, and reviews. I write this portion of my blog because I am a big believer in the motivational speaker Charlie Jones' quote which says, "You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” I try to meet as many new people as possible and to read everything I can. This is my way of sharing that information with you. You can see a visual summary of the books I have reviewed for both adults and children over on my Facebook page. If you are interested in understanding my rating system for books you can read my Book Review Explanation here and What I Believe here. If you want to check out what I am currently reading or what I want to read next, friend me on Goodreads!

So, I am so incredibly excited about today's book. I have been waiting for almost a WEEK to share this book with you... are you ready? The book is Dear Daughters: Love Letters to the Next Generation by Susie Davis.

Let me start by saying that Dear Daughters: Love Letters to the Next Generation is a beautiful book just physically. It has a lovely cover and the colors are soft and feminine. It has a page where you can write who presented this book and the date. The end of each chapter has pages lined softly so that the reader can take notes on the feelings that each chapter created and the action steps that you need to take.

For the overall content? I could not get enough.

If you are a frequent reader of Title Tuesday then you know that I don't usually care for devotional style books, but this book truly isn't like that. Dear Daughters actually feels like Susie Davis sat down at her kitchen counter and jotted down a letter of her thoughts to me about our last phone conversation. (No, I have never met her, but I SWEAR she makes it feel like I hang out at her house every day!) She tackles real life issues in an honest and no-nonsense manner. She writes like a true Titus 2 Woman to another woman and it was all theologically sound without any fluff.

Overall, I have to give this book an A+ and then some extra sparkle points. Dear Daughters: Love Letters to the Next Generation by Susie Davis is probably the best book I have read in 2019. I literally CRIED while reading some of the chapters. I would STRONGLY recommend it for any military spouse that is away from home and family. (She doesn't discuss military things, it just speaks to the military wife's heart REALLY WELL.) I will be purchasing multiple copies of this book to give to my friends. If you are female, you need this book. If you work with or love a female, read this book to understand the struggles that women are facing and how to care for them. Susie Davis knocked this one out of the park!

Wife to Wife Wednesday: Getting Mentorship

Good morning! Welcome to Wife to Wife Wednesday, the day that we discuss any and all issues relating to marriage. 

Today I want to encourage you to look for a Titus 2 Woman to help you in your walk with Christ and as a godly wife.  However, if you are a military spouse (like me) this can sometimes be VERY difficult. With TDYs, deployments, and overseas moves, it isn't always easy to meet with godly Christian women. 

So what can you do? 

Blog Hops can be a great place to find godly Christian women that are actively moving the ball down the field for Christ.

Books are a great resource to find inspiration and helpful tips in your Christian walk. 

Christian Facebook groups can help you connect with people all across the world from all stages of life. 

Just a reminder, if you want to learn from wiser women, you have to be ready to put yourself out there a little bit! DO that by commenting on their posts, post questions of your own, and ask for advice. Even if you are on the other side of the world, Christian community is available. You just have to know where to find it!

Scripture Saturday: Titus 2:3-5

Do you have those things that just nag at you? Things that really irk you? 

I have recently found that one of my greatest irritants is Christian women. 

Wait... What? 

Isn't this blog all about biblical womanhood?

Yes, and I want to clarify that there is a HUGE difference between being just a Christian woman and living out biblical womanhood. 

If you are a woman and you take Christ as your Lord and savior, then you are a Christian woman. That is it. But living out biblical womanhood takes work and effort. One of the best descriptions of biblical womanhood can be found in Titus 2:3-5 which says,  

"...the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed."

That makes it pretty clear doesn't it? 

So here is the part that gets me... 

WHERE ARE THESE WOMEN? 

I see SO many Christian women being bogged down by the daily grid that they are completely out of the battlefield. They are failing to practice these things much less teach them to other women. These women are struggling with holding it all together when God has called us to thrive and pursue Him. I think that is due in large part to the abdication of older women from their roles as teachers. 

Now, please hear me, I am not saying OLD WOMEN are failing. I am saying if you are further along in your spiritual journey than another person, YOU are the older woman, even if you are 14 years old. 

So this is where I challenge you and myself. 

We as the body of Christ need to do better.

Be the one to reach out your hand and say I am here. Let the struggling women know that they are not alone. You can do that in two ways, physically and spiritually.  

Physically, you can be the person to:

volunteer to babysit her children (for free!)
volunteer to help her catch up on housework

volunteer to host her family in your home for a meal

Spiritually you can be the person to drive the conversation toward God by: 

asking about her time in the word

asking how you can pray for them, 

asking how God is working in her life right now 

These are so simple, and yet we have entire congregations filled with women that are so overwhelmed by everyday life that they aren't in the battle for God's kingdom. 

We should be outraged by that!  

I for one refuse to sit on the sideline. I want to see godly women living out biblical womanhood every single day. I want Titus 2 women working for God's glory the way that HE called us to. 

So join me. 

Think about the women in your church, Bible study, mommy group, or office. Is there someone there that you can reach out to? 

If so, DO IT. 

If not, look again. I bet they are there. 

Making 2018 My Best Year So Far...

Hello y'all!

Happy New Year and welcome to 2018. As I posted yesterday, today I will be sharing with you how I plan to lean heavily on God this year to allow myself to become who HE wants me to be.

The way that I am going to do that is by making 2018 my best year so far!

So, in order to do that, I had to put a plan in place and I needed some resources. I will be putting links in to all of my resources (keep in mind that the ones that link to Amazon are affiliate links which means that if you purchase something through that link I get a small commission off of that purchase) in the text so that you can easily get them if you are interested in joining me in any of my missions!

The first thing I had to do is decide what Bible reading plan to follow this year and when I am going to do it. I decided to use a Bible with 365 readings in chronological order because I really like reading the Bible in the order that it happened. For some reason that just makes all the parts and pieces fall in place in my mind. I chose to use the The Daily Bible from Harvest House Publishers. I like this Bible for several reasons:

• It is dated so you can easily see where you are supposed to be. 
• It has devotional topics scattered throughout that really help inspire deeper thought and questions. 
• It has a cross-reference index in the back. 
• it comes in hardback. 

The second thing that I decided to do was organize my quiet time caddy. I purchased this caddy because it is very sturdy and it has sections that aren't going to bend under the weight of my supplies. Really you could use a basket or an organizing bin, it really doesn't matter what you're using as long as it works for you.

In my caddy I have:
Crayola Fine Tip Markers,
Crayola Broad-Line Markers,
12 count of Crayola Colored Pencils,
The Daily Bible,
The 52 Lists Project,
the 52 Lists for Happiness book.  

I use the markers and colored pencils for marking in my Bible. I have a very specific way of marking that helps me to focus on the words and understand what is going on in the text. It also makes it so that I can easily glance at any portion of my Bible and tell you what the main themes are simply because of the colors and symbols used.

The list books are something new that I am adding in this year to help me be more mindful, focusing on what God is doing in my life. The books are broken down into 52 lists with specific prompts. I plan to write out each of my lists in my notebook and make it a reminder to pray for the things, people, activities, and events that I list out each week. My husband and I will be doing the 52 Lists Project together and I have added in the 52 Lists for Happiness just for myself.

The last thing that I decided to incorporate this year was the Homemaking Ministries 2018 Reading Challenge for Women. There are two options for the challenge: 13 books (1 every 4 weeks) or 12 books total (1 every 2 weeks). I am not going to post up the challenge specifics because if you are interested you need to sign up for the emails and information here. Since it wasn't my idea it feels a little bit skeezy to post the specifics of the plan on my blog. (But, I can tell you that each time I finish a book I will be reviewing it on my Title Tuesday posts, so be sure to come back and check it out! ) I have already started the first book and so far it is just fabulous and I can't wait to share about it later this month. I am super excited to get to the rest of the books on the list, and maybe some of the ones on the men's list too!

In order to make 2018 my best year so far, these are the things that I decided to do. I am going to post pictures and updates periodically about what I am learning and how I am growing. If you are joining me for any (or all!) of the parts of my plan please let me know. I would love to be praying for and with you as you work to draw closer to God in 2018.

Happy New Year!

Final Post of 2017!

Hey y'all!

Welcome to the very last Forgiven Former Feminist post of 2017. I am so incredibly grateful for this year and the opportunity to continue serving God through writing, ministry, and our interactions!

As many of you know, I like to pick a word of the year to focus on during the everyday trials of life. At the start of each new year it is super easy to get caught up in making resolutions, plans, and goals that aren't realistic or frankly even heartfelt. So rather than a bunch of resolutions, I choose a word to focus my life around for the year.

For 2017, my word was intentional. I spent most of the 2017 year focusing on being diligent in my interactions with my husband, sons, and friends. It was a great exercise for me and I believe it made me more outgoing and braver in the topics that I addressed both on the blog and in real life. In light of attempting to be more intentional, I wanted to share what I am going to be focusing on for 2018.

The word of the year for me in 2018 is... 

I know what your thinking. What a strange word, right? Let me explain a little bit. My husband is an active duty soldier, I have two (100% all boy) sons, and we run a Christian gym ministry out of our home that focuses largely on lifting heavy objects repeatedly.

When I asked my 10 closest friends to give me their top five words to describe me I got words like: strong, capable, organized, disciplined, structured, intentional, and tough. None of those words are bad things, at all. But I feel like I have spent a great deal of time learning to be tough and not enough time learning to be what God designed me to be. God designed me to be a partner for my husband, a helpmate. He has the strong and capable thing down, so I want to focus more on being the other side of that, the part that he can't be.

In Proverbs 11:16 it says, "A kindhearted woman gains honor but ruthless men gain only wealth".  I want to be a kindhearted woman. The dictionary explains tenderness as being soft or delicate in substance, not hard or tough, and easily moved to sympathy or compassion. Those are the qualities that I want to foster in myself this next year. I want to draw closer to the Lord, allowing myself to be soft and gentle because I know that I have El Shaddai being my strength, my toughness, my fortress. So tomorrow I will share with you how I am drawing closer to God and being more tender in daily life.

See you then! 

Title Tuesday: Praying for Girls

Welcome to  Title Tuesday, my favorite day of the week! This day is dedicated to book suggestions and reviews. I write this portion of my blog because I am a big believer in the motivational speaker Charlie Jones' quote which says, "You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” I try to meet as many new people as possible and to read everything I can. This is my way of sharing that information with you. If you are interested in understanding my rating system for books you can read my Book Review Explanation here and What I Believe here. If you want to check out what I am currently reading or what I want to read next, friend me on Goodreads! With all that being said, lets jump in!

I was given this book by the Cross Focused Reviews 
program in exchange for my honest review. 

All thoughts and opinions expressed 
in this review are purely my own.
You can find more of my reviews 
on Goodreads and Amazon. 

If you are looking to have a book reviewed, 
please contact me here. 

Today I am reviewing Praying for Girls by Teri Lynne Underwood. Let me start this review by saying, I am a boy mom. ‏I have two very robust, loud, rough-and-tumble, boys. Reviewing this book was a stretch for me at first. I couldn't understand why God had brought this book in to my life, honestly I was a little irritated that this book fell into my lap. 

Then I realized, I have two very robust, loud, rough-and-tumble, boys... 
...that will someday take wives. 

My boys are one and two years old so their wives may not have even been born yet. However, I can be in prayer for these girls right now, every single day. With that, I jumped in tackled Teri Lynne Underwood's Praying for Girls. 

On the plus side:
This book is definitely written for women to pray about and for their girls. Underwood breaks her book into five parts: her identity, her heart, her mind, her relationships, and her purpose. Each part breaks down in to smaller more bite-sized chapters. Each chapter has listed out prayers to pray as well as specific activities to begin conversations with your daughters. 

On the negative side:
While Praying for Girls  is a very "feel good" book, it isn't particularly deep. The theology is things that you would have heard before. 

I also, really do wish that the book didn't start with the girl's image, which is her very first real chapter. I feel like that really should have been the absolute LAST chapter. While the author specifically says that image shouldn't be put above all else, that was the very first thing that she really addresses. I feel that her editors failed her in that respect.  

All in all, I give Praying for Girls a B. Underwood is relational in her writing style. It almost feels like you are sitting across from her at a coffee shop, discussing your spiritual life. It could be very helpful for someone first starting out with praying for her daughters. It could be a good place to start for someone beginning to disciple a younger woman, as well. 

Female Christian Role Model: Amy Charmichael

Welcome to my celebration of Women's History Month!

Today's Female Christian Role Model is.... Amy Charmichael!

Amy Charmicheal was a very spirited child, born to Christian parents, in Ireland in 1867. She attended several schools and was quie the trouble maker as a young girl. Prior to becoming a missonary, Amy created and taught classes for over 300 of the poor and orphaned children in her hometown.  Amy served as a missionary in Japan and India despite never marrying. Amy's mother taught her from a very early age to listen to God and be ready for His answer, even when the answer is no. These teachings from her mother fueld her thinking for many years to come.

So why is Amy Charmicheal on our list of noteable Chrisitan role models? Amy served despite having a desiease that caused her entire body to be in excruciating pain. Many people thought that she wouldn't be able to be a missionary because of the condition. Amy istened to God's call and went to India anyways.  Despite the fact that many other missionaries in Japan told Amy to slow down and not reach for so many converts, Amy persisted. She went on winning more people to the goespel in one day than many missionaries reached in an entire year. Due to her failing health in the cold climate of Japan, Amy was forced to return to England where she immediately started looking for opportunities to serve again. Warm and sunny India allowd Amy to work in missions wihout being very ill due to her desease. Once in India, Amy heard of the plight of children being sex slaves in the temples. Amy had to dress in a sari and paint her skin to be able to enter the temple and see what was happening to these children. Other missionaries told her not to get involved because it aggitated local leaders and made things difficult for everyone. Amy didn't care about the difficulty. Once God placed it on her heart to help these children, she did not stop and she could not be deterred.

Suggested reading:
Great Women in Christian History: 37 Women Who Changed Their World
50 Christian Woomen Every Christian Should Know: Learning From Heroines of the Faith
With Daring Faith: A Biography of Amy Charmichael

Female Christian Role Models: Intro

Welcome to the start of Women's History Month! 

Each year during the month of March I focus my time and energy on helping women to see strong Christian role models.since there are so few godly Christian role models in mainstream media.  As I wrote the first year,  my original plan to celebrate Women's History Month was to give a couple of links for female role models. However, when I typed female role models in the search engine, I got everything from Katy Perry to Mother Theresa. Typing Christina female role models in the search bar didn't produce much fruit either. I was so disappointed!

So, I decided to tackle the issue myself! I wrote one post per day in March (Women's History Month) dedicated to a godly female role model. You can read last years posts here! Since it was SUCH a success last year, I have decided to do it again this year! 

I will be writing a short biography of notable female Christian role models (past and present) each day.

I will be writing about two main things in these posts:

1.) Who the woman is/was and what she does/did
2.) Why it matters to the world
If possible I will attach a picture of the woman and any links to her websites or biographical information. 

We will start with our first female Christian role model tomorrow.

I hope that you enjoy this exploration of Christian women past and present!

Wife to Wife Wednesday: Mentors and Link-Ups

Good morning! Welcome to Wife to Wife Wednesday, the day that we discuss issues relating to marriage. Today I want to talk to you about mentors. 

I want to take a minute to encourage you to check out the tab at the top of the page labeled "link-ups". This is a list of all the places where Christian women are hosting blog linkup parties. There is SO much wisdom that can be found in talking with and getting to know other women. That is what being a Titus 2 woman is all about! So what do the link-ups have to do with mentors? Sometimes it is not possible to find mentors close by; there can be geographical issues, a lack of transportation, or any number of other problems that arise. 

I find a great deal of encouragement and development through my online friendships with Christian women all over the world. The link-ups are just one way of getting in touch with the women whose blogs and writings you admire. To find places to link up you can click the tab at the top of the page or you can click right here! I encourage you to reach out to the women that inspire you, the women whose words touch your heart. Ask them questions, pray for them, ask them to pray for you. Christian life is all about community and fellowship, don't let the challenges of everyday life get in your way! 

Christian Female Role Model of the Day: Darby Dugger

Welcome to my celebration of Women's History Month! You can read more about this month and why I am writing about admirable Christian women here. For now, let's jump in!

The Forgiven Former Feminist's Female Christian Role Model of the Day is...  Darby Dugger!

Darby Dugger is a Christian "mommy-blogger" that I discovered when researching Christian marriage resources before I got married. Dugger studied at the University of Louisville and majored in Political Science. She married her husband in 2004 and they currently have four children. She has been blogging about marriage and family life since 2007. Her blog is encouraging and uplifting, her twitter posts are quirky and eye-catching. She recently wrote and published a book titled For the Love of Our Husbands. I am dying to get my hands on a copy  to review for Title Tuesdays! 

So why did Darby Dugger make my list? I included Dugger on my list because I think it is important for people to see that the every-day-normal people have an impact too. Darby's continually uplifting posts brighten my day and encourage me to work harder in my marriage. I believe that she is a great example of using the internet to be a Titus 2:3-5 woman. 

Here are the rest of my Female Christian Role Models:

Candace Cameron Bure
Fanny Crosby
Jane Haining
Laura Bush
Mother Teresa

Queen Elizabeth I

Judi Dench

Vittoria Colonna
Joan of Arc
Carrie Underwood

Elizabeth Bunyan
Darby Dugger
Sanya Richard-Ross

Anne Askew

Rebecca St. James

Lucy Webb Hayes
Kay Yow

Edith Stein

Lisa Daltirus
Shelley Lubben

Juli Slattery

Katie Luther

Carolyn Custis James

Elisabeth Elliot

Bethany Hamilton

Helena Augusta

Condoleezza Rice 

Nancy Sleeth 

Mavis Staples

Kylie Bisutti

Why we need Female Christian Role Models

My Titus 2 Sister

I am feeling a bit homesick this week. When I say that, I don't mean for a place, but rather for a person. Moving to Killeen and marrying B has been wonderful. He is an AMAZING man, and I am so thankful that God brought us together. At the same time, I find myself missing my sister Conner a great deal. I started going through photographs (online and print) to get started scrapbooking our wedding. In doing so I came across a TON of pictures of my sister. I miss her a lot, so I thought I'd write a little about her and see if that helps. 

And yes, I am going to use a ridiculous amount of pictures. 

It all started when I held her
the very first time.

I got to be a big sister August 23, 1991. Conner Jade was/is the greatest gift I have ever received. My world would have been totally different without my little shadow following me around. 

We pretty much did everything
together as children.

My sister is incredible. She was a very talented gymnast who won competitions all over the state. She went to nationals and placed well. She played in the band and she was a cheerleader. She took French and speaks it VERY well. In our young lives we survived losing homes to a tornado, a flood, and a house-fire. Non of that set her back. 

Throughout her adolescence Conner had to have several operations. These surgeries were to remove tumors that would grow in random places. These tumors restricted her airway and caused her a great deal of pain. But that didn't slow her down. 

Despite having to miss a huge amount of school because of her illnesses and surgeries, Conner graduated high school and joined me at Texas A&M in College Station. She added fun to my world, and reminded me to enjoy what I was doing. 

Always willing to go to a game with me.

She can be quite goofy.

She can even make me be goofy... not an easy thing to do!

Best Friends

We succeed and failed, always together.

My little mini-me

She adds spice to my world, even at the zoo.

At one of my many jobs during college.

Outside the building I spent most of my time at during my college days, the library.
Conner always went with me, even if she didn't need to study.

She would help me to stay focused and continue on to get my degree, pushing me to be better. When I graduated from Texas A&M University, Conner was there cheering me on in the stands.

Elephant Walk in Aggieland \
(it is a tradition, just go with it!)

The day I ordered my Aggie ring.

Conner presented me with my Aggie ring,
since she was there for every step of the journey.

The day we worked so hard for, we celebrated together.

After college, Conner supported me while I taught my first year of school and prepared for graduate school. Conner graduated from college a full semester early. She then bought a small business in our home town and is doing great!My little sister is amazing and I am so proud of the young woman that she has become. I cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for her.

This summer I married B and moved to Killeen. My sister was there through it all. She was my maid of honor and she walked me down the aisle to give me away.  

When we were leaving for our honeymoon, I got to have just a minute to say goodbye to my sister.
The photographer caught the moment.

In conclusion, I completely recognize that this article has NOTHING to do with feminism. But, it does have something to do with biblical womanhood. Titus 2:3-5 says, "Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." There are times where I have taught her, and there were time when she taught me. I didn't set out a time to teach my sister things, she learned them by living with me. She didn't set out to teach me strength, I learned it by watching her face each surgery with bravery. Titus 2 is not as intimidating as it seems. More often than not, these opportunities are right in front of you, and happen every day. Be on the watch for them, and be ready for the incredible journey that follows.