I had read this book years ago at the time in my life where I was working on a commitment to God. I say working on because for me it was a process~ not a one day conversion. I look back on that season and clearly see how God was pursuing me. It was a relief that my rebellious nature didn't thwart God; my mother can attest to the fact that rebellion was engrained in me from day 1. I received what I'm sure was a God-given eagerness to learn and understand that Christianity was more than church attendance. Loving God is a great book for Christians & non-Christians alike who seek to understand that faith is about having a personal relationship with God. I love this book for two reasons. For one, Colson outlines basic principles of following God. He includes obedience, repentance, belief that the word of God is inerrant, desire for holy living, and membership in the body of believers. Do I sense you are mentally checking out because this sounds dull? I can assure you that this is no bland theology book. The second reason I love it is because he illustrates each of these principles with a wide variety of testimonies. If you have ever read or heard someone's testimony, you know firsthand that it has a powerful effect. A testimony can encourage faith to grow. It can draw people to the Lord who have believed they are too inadequate or broken to become a Christian. It has the power to unite us with other believers who share the same struggles and triumphs in the faith. The beauty of sharing godly principles through personal stories is that it illustrates how God calls everyone not to be perfect but to accept his loving ability to make us perfect in spite of our sinful nature.
Some of the stories which stood out to me belonged to Augustine, a Hollywood gangster, a Russian prisoner, an elderly widow, and a corrupt politician (who also happens to be the author). It might interest you to know that Charles Colson came to Christ while he was serving a sentence in prison for his participation in Nixon's Watergate scandal. Once released from incarceration, he began Prison Fellowship, a ministry that leads inmates to Christ. While speaking in a prison chapel, Colson reflects on his, "...scholarships and honors earned, cases argued and won, great decisions made from lofty government offices. [His] life had been the perfect success story, the great American dream fulfilled. But all at once [he] realized that it was not [his]success God had used to enable [him] to help those in this prison... No, the real legacy of [his] life was [his] biggest failure-- that [he] was an ex-convict. [His] greatest humiliation-- being sent to prison-- was the beginning of God's greatest use of [his] life; He chose the one experience in which [he] could not glory for His glory." I don't know how to explain it, but these words resonated with me deeply. In my own life, it has been my lowest points that God has used to transform my life for the better. Don't worry; I'm not going to spill my testimony beans in this book review. I just wanted to convey how meaningful this book was to me as a seeker and still is to this day.
I will tell you that this book was written nearly 30 years ago (before I was even born) and may seem dated to some. I think there are some timeless qualities to each story in spite of when they took place. I'm glad I reread it because I was having a hard time remembering why it was so important to me. I'd recommend it to anyone. Colson's writing style is easy; it feels like a conversation. You can tell by the references he makes to other great Christian thinkers that he is enthusiastic about learning theology and the history of our faith. It's also a pretty quick read because the stories aren't terribly long. If you'd like to borrow a copy, I'd gladly lend you mine.
8.13.2011
8.10.2011
What To Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff
How does one write a book review on the encyclopedia of pregnancy? This book is a must-have for first time moms-to-be. It outlines month by month the baby's development, changes in your body, tests and exams to expect from your physician, and frequently asked questions. There are sections about high risk pregnancies, tips for dads, postpartum and recovery, and multiples. Throughout the book, you'll find tips on nutrition, exercise, and various ways to care for yourself and your baby in this season.
My husband and I would read the weekly development updates together on Sunday nights. It was something we really enjoyed sharing and talking about on a weekly basis (like when baby's heart started beating, when he opened his eyes for the first time, etc). If you are looking to get this book, I'd recommend a newer edition (mine is 4th edition). I flipped through a ten year old copy and didn't like the format nearly as much. It has been so helpful in confirming symptoms for me and teaching us about our baby that we went out and got What To Expect The First Year.
My husband and I would read the weekly development updates together on Sunday nights. It was something we really enjoyed sharing and talking about on a weekly basis (like when baby's heart started beating, when he opened his eyes for the first time, etc). If you are looking to get this book, I'd recommend a newer edition (mine is 4th edition). I flipped through a ten year old copy and didn't like the format nearly as much. It has been so helpful in confirming symptoms for me and teaching us about our baby that we went out and got What To Expect The First Year.
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
In a mere matter of days I will experience the gift of childbirth. My son is due on Sunday, and in preparation for his arrival I read this book. It was recommended to me by a number of women who are into natural birthing (re: minimal/limited medical intervention). Ina May is a midwife who lives in a community in Tennessee called the Farm where women from all over the country come to prepare and enjoy labor and delivery. The first half of the book consists of testimonies from the women who had children on the Farm. The second half of the book Ina May discusses her philosophy on childbirth including techniques and research to promote minimal intervention in labor.
I'd like to start with the second section of the book for reviewing. I found it highly informative and interesting to learn about natural birth from such an expert. She walks the reader through the connection between the mind and body during labor (if you're stressed or scared, your muscles tighten up and you may slow the dilation process). Unassisted by painkillers, it is important to remember to relax throughout labor. Gaskin also discusses female anatomy~ not going as far to say we were designed to give birth, but certainly that can be inferred from what she writes. She approaches the female body by describing that it is capable and ready to do the task at hand (or bottom rather). She also encourages healthy and intuitive (though not always conventional) ways to encourage the baby out of the womb. These range from walking (using gravity to help you) to manipulating a laboring woman's bosom to speed up labor (like with nursing, this promotes the body to release oxytocin which causes uterine contractions). Some of it was super odd and made my modest self blush, but I suppose I was glad to learn all this new information.
Ina May often seems to be refuting the assumption that pregnancy is an illness (according to her, medical students are taught pregnancy in terms of pathology). At times I think she is too critical of obstetricians and hospitals, and I dislike how she tells the worst case scenarios with medical interventions. She says it is for the reader's sake to be informed, but I think it instills a bit more fear than there needs to be. After all, the majority of women must rely on doctors and nurses for their care; couldn't she approach the topic without instilling fear or distrust in qualified and educated physicians? That's really my only serious complaint about Gaskin's philosophy. Otherwise, I'd recommend part 2 of this book for any woman considering natural childbirth.
Part 1 provided dozens of accounts of childbirth including hospital stories (typically negative), home births, and births on the Farm. It should be noted before reading this that the accounts are exhaustive providing lots of detail about labors. Perhaps that's self-evident and need not be mentioned, but between descriptions and photos, I felt like I was exposed to some very graphic material. Call me a prude, but I think I could have garnered the same information with less detail. Some stories were helpful (especially those related to shoulder dystocia). I will say that what kept creeping up in my mind was how uncomfortable I was with a number of the stories. I guess I should put the disclaimer out there that everything I read is filtered through my Christian beliefs. This material may not be offensive to many readers. First, many of the women labor completely nude in a room with their husband and midwives. While I know many will see private parts in delivery (hello, the baby comes out the same was he came in), it seemed immodest. In just a few stories, midwives were massaging body parts that I would consider infidelity to my husband. One particular story has a laboring woman lying in bed naked with another naked woman with their bodies pressed together. Though there was a purpose in sharing this story, I was troubled by behaviors that seemed to cross some serious sexual boundaries for me.
Another element that I didn't love was how many women characterized their birth experience as spiritual. I truly believe that becoming pregnant and delivering a healthy baby is miraculous, and it is by the grace of God that it occurs (see my Miracles book review below to read more about this). I also believe accomplishing a huge physical feat like labor and delivery can give one the sense of great accomplishment and pride. There is a blending in these women's perspectives that I think is encouraged on the Farm. That is, the high these women feel after giving birth is given the label "spiritual", but they are really just making an idol out of the experience and sometimes themselves. Only once in all the stories did I encounter a woman who associated the spiritual nature of delivery with God. I include this in my review because it is tempting to believe we are responsible for the amazing things our bodies can do. I believe only God can receive the credit for the spiritual nature of birth. For one, only he knows the hour at which our labor will begin~ he ordains it. Second, he designed our bodies to have contractions (I certainly cannot choose or even try to contract my uterus). Third, it's those unconscious & self-regulated contractions that do most of the work. I only get to participate at the very end with pushing after (what I assume will be) hours of enduring my body's pre-programmed work. The only way a birth can be defined as spiritual to me is in believing that God designed my body to birth a baby (which is easy to believe after conceiving and growing this baby by no effort of my own) and that he'll permit it to do what he has designed and sustain me while it happens. I think the folks at the Farm's idea must be spiritual in a mind-body-spirit kind of way. Ina May has also written a book called Spiritual Midwifery (which I haven't read); if it implies the same sort of spirituality, I believe it's misleading.
There's no doubt in my mind that Ina May is an expert in childbirth and supports her methods with both empirical evidence, wide collaboration, and profound research (studying birthing methods from around the world as well as reading the journals of various midwives and physicians from the Western world over the last two to three hundred years). She knows what she is talking about. I would give this book out to my pregnant peers if only it were written from a Christian perspective. I wish there were a book that incorporated this amount of knowledge with Christianity. Some of the things I read in this book seemed downright sinful so I couldn't in good conscience say that it is for everyone. I would be more willing to tell you to skip the testimonies for the wisdom in part 2 (but beware of the pervasive negative attitude towards doctors). I'm glad I read it before having my own natural birth. If you can or choose to have an epidural during birth, you should probably skip this read.
I'd like to start with the second section of the book for reviewing. I found it highly informative and interesting to learn about natural birth from such an expert. She walks the reader through the connection between the mind and body during labor (if you're stressed or scared, your muscles tighten up and you may slow the dilation process). Unassisted by painkillers, it is important to remember to relax throughout labor. Gaskin also discusses female anatomy~ not going as far to say we were designed to give birth, but certainly that can be inferred from what she writes. She approaches the female body by describing that it is capable and ready to do the task at hand (or bottom rather). She also encourages healthy and intuitive (though not always conventional) ways to encourage the baby out of the womb. These range from walking (using gravity to help you) to manipulating a laboring woman's bosom to speed up labor (like with nursing, this promotes the body to release oxytocin which causes uterine contractions). Some of it was super odd and made my modest self blush, but I suppose I was glad to learn all this new information.
Ina May often seems to be refuting the assumption that pregnancy is an illness (according to her, medical students are taught pregnancy in terms of pathology). At times I think she is too critical of obstetricians and hospitals, and I dislike how she tells the worst case scenarios with medical interventions. She says it is for the reader's sake to be informed, but I think it instills a bit more fear than there needs to be. After all, the majority of women must rely on doctors and nurses for their care; couldn't she approach the topic without instilling fear or distrust in qualified and educated physicians? That's really my only serious complaint about Gaskin's philosophy. Otherwise, I'd recommend part 2 of this book for any woman considering natural childbirth.
Part 1 provided dozens of accounts of childbirth including hospital stories (typically negative), home births, and births on the Farm. It should be noted before reading this that the accounts are exhaustive providing lots of detail about labors. Perhaps that's self-evident and need not be mentioned, but between descriptions and photos, I felt like I was exposed to some very graphic material. Call me a prude, but I think I could have garnered the same information with less detail. Some stories were helpful (especially those related to shoulder dystocia). I will say that what kept creeping up in my mind was how uncomfortable I was with a number of the stories. I guess I should put the disclaimer out there that everything I read is filtered through my Christian beliefs. This material may not be offensive to many readers. First, many of the women labor completely nude in a room with their husband and midwives. While I know many will see private parts in delivery (hello, the baby comes out the same was he came in), it seemed immodest. In just a few stories, midwives were massaging body parts that I would consider infidelity to my husband. One particular story has a laboring woman lying in bed naked with another naked woman with their bodies pressed together. Though there was a purpose in sharing this story, I was troubled by behaviors that seemed to cross some serious sexual boundaries for me.
Another element that I didn't love was how many women characterized their birth experience as spiritual. I truly believe that becoming pregnant and delivering a healthy baby is miraculous, and it is by the grace of God that it occurs (see my Miracles book review below to read more about this). I also believe accomplishing a huge physical feat like labor and delivery can give one the sense of great accomplishment and pride. There is a blending in these women's perspectives that I think is encouraged on the Farm. That is, the high these women feel after giving birth is given the label "spiritual", but they are really just making an idol out of the experience and sometimes themselves. Only once in all the stories did I encounter a woman who associated the spiritual nature of delivery with God. I include this in my review because it is tempting to believe we are responsible for the amazing things our bodies can do. I believe only God can receive the credit for the spiritual nature of birth. For one, only he knows the hour at which our labor will begin~ he ordains it. Second, he designed our bodies to have contractions (I certainly cannot choose or even try to contract my uterus). Third, it's those unconscious & self-regulated contractions that do most of the work. I only get to participate at the very end with pushing after (what I assume will be) hours of enduring my body's pre-programmed work. The only way a birth can be defined as spiritual to me is in believing that God designed my body to birth a baby (which is easy to believe after conceiving and growing this baby by no effort of my own) and that he'll permit it to do what he has designed and sustain me while it happens. I think the folks at the Farm's idea must be spiritual in a mind-body-spirit kind of way. Ina May has also written a book called Spiritual Midwifery (which I haven't read); if it implies the same sort of spirituality, I believe it's misleading.
There's no doubt in my mind that Ina May is an expert in childbirth and supports her methods with both empirical evidence, wide collaboration, and profound research (studying birthing methods from around the world as well as reading the journals of various midwives and physicians from the Western world over the last two to three hundred years). She knows what she is talking about. I would give this book out to my pregnant peers if only it were written from a Christian perspective. I wish there were a book that incorporated this amount of knowledge with Christianity. Some of the things I read in this book seemed downright sinful so I couldn't in good conscience say that it is for everyone. I would be more willing to tell you to skip the testimonies for the wisdom in part 2 (but beware of the pervasive negative attitude towards doctors). I'm glad I read it before having my own natural birth. If you can or choose to have an epidural during birth, you should probably skip this read.
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