REAL SOLUTIONS FOR BUSY MOMS
by Kathy Ireland

Moms are super busy these days, whether they have one child or twelve, and if you have to balance a career with children and a home, then you need help! You need real solutions right now. Ms. Ireland understands. She is the parent of three children, a wife, and the CEO of an international business, so she draws on personal experience, research, and conversations with other moms across the nation to offer hope and powerful, practical answers.

Ms. Ireland’s advice doesn’t center around beauty tips or how to dress. Rather, she discusses important things such as finances, budgets, raising children, managing a household or career or both, and finding time to take care of themselves.

Ms. Ireland shares stories of her own life and wisdom to bring across the important message “You can do it all, just not all at once.”

I enjoyed reading through REAL SOLUTIONS FOR BUSY MOMS, especially the question and answer sections included in each chapter. Plus at the end of each chapter, Ms. Ireland includes a checklist for you to follow to see how well you are doing and where you need to give extra attention.

I am a homeschooling mom of five, and I found most of the advice kind of common sense, but everyone can gleam a bit of wisdom—and reminders of common sense that might be evading them. REAL SOLUTIONS FOR BUSY MOMS is filled with wisdom, and some of the advice might be exactly what you need to solve a problem that you are struggling with right now. $23.99 hardcover. 221 pages.

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PRAY BIG FOR YOUR CHILD 
by Will Davis Jr.

Talking to your kids is important. Talking to God about them is critical. Sometimes kids are causes of great concern. But even when they aren’t there are still all matters of things that need God’s hand…choosing a vocation, accepting the gift of salvation, their friends, and grades…every step in your child’s life matters to you—and to God. PRAY BIG FOR YOUR CHILD shows you examples, and promises from the Bible that are just waiting to be fulfilled on the behalf of your child. Using the Bible as a guide, PRAY BIG FOR YOUR CHILD will teach you how to confidently and powerfully apply scripture as a prayer basis for your child.

This book teaches you how to pray “Big, Audacious Prayers” for any stage or circumstance in your child’s life. There is a book that I would dearly love to get my hands on; it is one titled Praying through Scriptures. PRAY BIG FOR YOUR CHILD reminded me of that premise, as it used specific scriptures to jumpstart your prayers for your child. I feel that I picked this book up on a timely day as I woke up with my husband and family heavy on my heart, and I was praying for them off and on all day, then as I started reading this book and praying the verses mentioned in the book, I wondered, why can’t I pray big for my husband as well as my children? So down on my knees I went, re-praying all the verses for my husband – in addition to my children.

PRAY BIG FOR YOUR CHILD is a fantastic book that will take you beyond the “dear God, please be with my child” prayers to the prayers that are boldly taking you to the throne where you can ‘audaciously” request what is really on your heart—and use the Bible to back it up. PRAY BIG FOR YOUR CHILD includes a powerful thirty-one day prayer guide and twelve around the clock reminders to help you pray throughout the day.

This book is going on my keeper shelf. An invaluable tool for all parents, whether your child is toddling around, learning to walk and talk, or if your child is married with kids of his own, or if your child is on the brink of highschool graduation, facing…things yet unknown. Available from www.amazon.com or your favorite family bookstore. $12.99. 186 pages.

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What’s a Mother (in-law) To Do?
by Jane Angelich

There’s a big difference between the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom. This book is written from the perspective of the mother of the groom, trying to do what she can to develop a good relationship with her new daughter-in-law.

The author starts the book describing how she herself became a mother-in-law and the relationship she had with her own mother-in-law.
She then goes on to establish five different steps that she found helpful to develop a relationship with her daughter-in-law. The steps that she’s developed are "Hold Your Tongue," "Embrace Her!" "Keep Out," "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell," and "Be a Role Model." She then ends by encouraging her readers. She knows that building a relationship takes time so encourages her readers not to get discouraged.

She ends each chapter the same way: "The Experts Weigh in," "Why You Might Be Behaving This Way," "Why Change," "Seven Simple Suggestions for Success," and "One Final Tip." She uses these to tie up what she’s said and gives the reader suggestions how to implement the suggestions that she’s made. She ends the book in a unique way, she asks specific types of readers to write in so that she can gather information for her next book.

If you have sons, and they’re near marrying age, I would suggest that you read this book to help you build a better relationship with the love of your son’s life! If you have daughters, what she says is useful but needs to be applied in a different way.

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RAISING GODLY CHILDREN IN AN UNGODLY WORLD
by Ken Ham and Steve Ham

Ken and Steve Ham are siblings raised by a educator/missionary father in Queensland, Australia, a far from Christian environment. However, their parents were so on fire for the Lord, that Ken and Steve couldn’t help but soak up some of their teaching, even though they are first to admit that their parents were far from perfect.

Now, both Ken and Steve are parents of grown children, and grandparents to a whole new generation of Hams. And they feel they’ve learned something about raising children that love the Lord. Now the United States is extremely hostile toward Christian values, and parents are searching for answers and strategies to be more effective. Young people are leaving the church in droves, and parents want their children to have a strong biblical faith and understanding.

Inside the pages of RAISING GODLY CHILDREN IN AN UNGODLY WORLD, Ken and Steve Ham will address questions as:

1. Why is the family disintegrating?
2. What is a godly legacy and why is it vital to our families and our society?
3. How do we know God’s word is an all-sufficient parenting guide?
4. How do you create a family environment for spiritual growth?
5. Are Christian children meant to be salt and light in the public schools?
6. How are we to implement godly discipline and teach our children discernment

And many more questions will be answered.

Punctuated with pictures of the Ham family from infanthood to adulthood, this book is a pleasure to read. Plus, each chapter contains sections entitled: Key thoughts from this chapter, Building blocks, and Questions to consider, making this book ideal to study as a group or individual. Plus, to make this book a keepsake, there is a space in the back for your faith family tree and faith memories. This book in a “intensely personal and practical guide” for parents.  $12.99. 236 pages.

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GET OUTTA MY FACE!
by  Rick Horne

Dr. Rick Horne is somewhat an expert in dealing with teens, as the father of six children, and a guidance counselor of a school. So one would be able to assume he knows what he talking about.

The facts that Dr. Horne presents in this book are undisputed. Such as:

Angry, unmotivated, and disinterested teens….are confused., insecure, and blind to everything except what they want right now.

Angry, unmotivated, and disinterested teens….are made in the image of God.

There are three parts in the book.

Part 1 – What you must understand to connect with your teen.

Part 2 – What you must do to help your teen.

Part 3 – How to make the changes stick.

GET OUTTA MY FACE is kind of a timely book for me right now as I have three children in the teen years right now. Of course, one has already survived the worst of it, he is almost twenty. Still this book is a God-send when I consider that sometimes he does act like an angry, unmotivated teen and this offers practical Biblical counsel in reaching them (while, hopefully, diffusing the anger.)  I haven’t had a chance to put the principles into play yet, so whether it will work with my teens yet remains to be seen. Still, I feel confident that Dr. Horne knows his stuff.

If you work with teens in any capacity, such as youth leader, teacher, parent… you will want to read GET OUTTA MY FACE.  This book will help you reach their hearts. 176 pages.

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Christian Bookworm Podcast is delighted to present to you Christian fiction and nonfiction authors this summer. The participating authors will read selected excerpts from their latest book releases. We hope you enjoy the readings and will add the books to your summer reading list.

Ann Kroeker is a speaker and author of Not So Fast: Slow-Down Solutions for Frenzied Families (August 2009, David C. Cook) and The Contemplative Mom (2000, Shaw Books), Ann Kroeker’s articles have appeared in a variety of publications including The Indianapolis Star newspaper, and magazines such as Decision, The Student, Christian Home and School, and Indianapolis Woman. She contributed to several books including the award-winning Experiencing the Passion of Jesus, by Lee Strobel and Garry Poole. Married for 18 years and mother of four children, Ann is committed to encouraging and inspiring families as they face the demands of daily living.

About the Book

Frenzied families find themselves fragmented in this high-speed, fast-paced, goal-oriented society. Even while racing to second jobs, appointments, lessons, practices, games and clubs, we crave an antidote. How do we counteract the effects of our over-committed culture? Replenish our depleted selves? Restore our rushed relationships?

Not So Fast: Slow-Down Solutions for Frenzied Families explores the jarring effects of our high-speed, high-pressured, highly-scheduled lives and offers refreshing alternatives. Author Ann Kroeker relates her own story of how embracing a slower everyday pace has resulted in a richer, fuller, and more meaningful life.

Practical ideas and insight will spark creativity and personal reflection. Plus, ponder real-life stories from parents who put the brakes on the high-speed lifestyle and reaped the rewards of richer relationships. Not So Fast offers hope that families struggling with hurried hearts and frantic souls can discover the rejuvenating power of an unrushed life.

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THE MISSION MINDED FAMILY
by Ann Dunagan

In a mission-minded family, there seems to be a God-infused energy. A passion for the lost. And a spiritual depth and hunger that reaches into the heart of the culture. A family that is called for missions need to have an attitude of self-sacrifice, and a total submission to God’s will.

In THE MISSION-MINDED FAMILY Ms. Dunagan shows us what the concept really means. She includes activities for the family to participate in as well as resources to help those who are not mission-focused to become so. She also discusses the need for balancing and prioritizing your everyday life as well as going into what a mission-minded family’s finances might look like if they were focused on missions.

This book contains the following features:

• Hymns and Poems
• From a child’s perspective
• Mini Missionary Biographies
• Mission stories
• Teaching opportunities

There are also startling facts scattered through the book, such as:

• more money is spent each year on chewing gum than on missions
• every fifty-two days more money is spent on pet food than is spent annually on missions

World Maps, resources, and other notes are included at the end of the book.  If you are in a small church trying to reach the community, or a mission church, or even just want to expand your churches missionary base at home or abroad, then THE MISSION-MINDED FAMILY is a great way to start. It is chock-full of advice and stories that will inspire you. 230 pages.

Reviewed by Laura Hilton

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EXPECTING: Praying for Your Child’s Development—Body and Soul
by Marla Taviano

Expecting? Wrap your new baby in prayer…

EXPECTING takes us from the two weeks before conception through the entire pregnancy, until you hold your little bundle of joy in your arms. This book will help you surround your baby with prayer as his/her little heart begins to beat and ears begin to form, and will guide you into praying for the child’s development, physically and spiritually.

The entire time of pregnancy will become even more special as you pray for your child. There are also beautifully depicted illustrations showing each stage of your baby’s development.

There are forty weeks in this devotional, and each one includes:

• a prayer for your child’s body and soul
• a devotional message
• a carefully selected scripture
• an inspirational quote
• a “body and soul” reflection for mom
• a space for you to journal your own thoughts and prayers

This book will be much more than just a devotional for your forty weeks of pregnancy, but it will become a keepsake that you will cherish. $14.00 hardcover. 200 pages.

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How To Really Love Your Grandchild … in an Ever-Changing World
by D. Ross Campbell, M.D.

There are different types of grandparents. Some want to have nothing to do with their grandchildren. That group wouldn’t be interested in even reading this book.

Other grandparents have to grandparent from a distance. Families are separated by miles more these days than ever before. There is a special section of the book full of ideas no matter what has caused the distance.

Then there are grandparents who live close to their grandchildren and have an active part in their lives. Some might wonder why there’s a need to even write about this. How hard can it be to be a grandparent?

But the family dynamic in the world today is much more complex. Inter-family relationships are complex. In-law relationships are complex! So the author gives a lot of advice covering many different concepts. His goal is to help grandparents know how not to cross the line between helping and interfering. He helps grandparents to learn how to strengthen their relationship with their children and their grandchildren.

At the end of the book the author has a section entitled “Five Ways to Get the Most from this Book.” These include such ideas as getting together with other grandparents who live in your area, to going through it with your spouse. He even includes a study guide at the end which covers every chapter.

I would recommend this book for those who are already grandparents. It’s never too late to learn. But I would also recommend the book for those who are getting close to being grandparents. It’s so much easier to start out on the right foot than to have to correct things later on.

Reviewed by Lynn Worley

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