| Title | : | Missional Motherhood: The Everyday Ministry of Motherhood in the Grand Plan of God (The Gospel Coalition) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1433552272 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781433552274 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 215 |
| Publication | : | First published May 31, 2016 |
Despite the routine tasks and mundane to-do lists, motherhood is anything but insignificant. God has designed motherhood as part of his greater plan to draw people to himself--instilling all women, whether called to traditional mothering or not, with an eternal purpose in nurturing others.
In this book, Gloria Furman searches the Scriptures for the mission of God in motherhood. She opens our eyes to God's life-giving promises--promises intended to empower each and every woman as she makes disciples in her home, in her neighborhood, and around the world.
Missional Motherhood: The Everyday Ministry of Motherhood in the Grand Plan of God (The Gospel Coalition) Reviews
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In her book Missional Motherhood, Gloria Furman says there's never such a thing as "just" a mom. She writes about how God has designed motherhood as part of his greater plan to draw people to himself.
I was so excited to read this book! I was expecting perhaps a study on motherhood in Scripture, perhaps even specific moms who effectively pointed their children to the gospel, salvation and Christ. She could have studied Hannah and her prayers for her child, or Mary's love of Scripture, or Lois and Eunice passing on a heritage of faith. Or, I thought perhaps she would give a reminder of the spiritual importance of motherhood and then give biblical and practical ways to build into our children spiritually, to do so much more than meet their physical needs and make it through the day with our sanity more or less intact. Any of these would have been such a great book idea, so needed, so powerful, so encouraging!
But that's not what this book is at all. And, if like me, you expected this book to really dig deep into motherhood itself, you might be surprised by it also. The first half of this book is simply a metanarrative of Scripture. Now, if you really are interested and looking for a brief overview of the Old Testament, go for it! This book is exactly what you're looking for !
I wasn't expecting or wanting a biblical survey, though,and I didn't need an overview of the Old Testament. I would have been okay with it if the overview was particularly insightful or fresh or if she made incredible connections to mothering in Scripture and God's big design (like the book title implies). But that wasn't true here. To be clear, I was not expecting "fluff" or a meaningless pep talk about being a good mom and how what I do has value. I was looking for so much more than that. As I was reading and feeling disappointed, though, I kept thinking, "maybe I just don't understand her point..." but I did understand it! She wanted to fit motherhood into the grand vision of Scripture, but she got so wrapped up in the grand story of Scripture that she failed to connect the motherhood part. She made occasional, brief mentions of parenting and periodic asides with some quick thoughts that ended up feeling disjointed and like an awkward fit.
Also, while giving her "flyover" (as she calls it) of the Old Testament narrative, she would occasionally begin an account and then say, "You know the rest of the story." Well, actually, yes, I did know the rest of the story and was happy she cut it short. But that's because I didn't really need an Old Testament overview and would have been quite happy if she'd cut the entire first part of the book. On the other hand, women who would need an Old Testament review and might like her Part I, would actually need to be told the whole story. I've heard readers complain often about authors who say things like, "You know how the story goes..." and make assumptions that aren't fair and leave the reader feeling judged and confused. It's really a matter of identifying your audience and making sure the book content fits what the audience needs. Either her audience needed to be told the biblical stories (in which case they needed the whole story) or they didn't need the overview at all (in which case Part I was unnecessary).
I also didn't love how she constantly writes, "I'll talk about that in Part II" or "In Part I, I'm writing about..." Personally, I prefer a writer to just write with clarity and power and let the language and the organization of the content stand on its own.
How you feel about this book probably depends so much on what you are expecting. I would have preferred if her editor helped the author a bit by suggesting that Part I either needed to point more consistently to mothering or it needed to be left out. Then she could have worked on digging deeper on the content in Part II and actually connecting it more with everyday motherhood as the title suggests. She could have gotten practical. She could have shown what missional motherhood actually looks like. She could have studied mothers in Scripture. In the introduction, Furman tells the reader that she's not going to provide practical application. She leaves that up to the reader. Maybe if she had focused more on the book's suggested topic instead of surveying the Old Testament, she could have built the application into the book that I felt it truly needed.
Plenty of other books tell you straight out that they are connecting the dots of Scripture's story and do that well ( Seamless by Angie Smith comes to mind). If that's what Furman wanted to do, then the book's title and marketing could have reflected that better so readers would know what to expect. On the other hand, there are so many other books that give motherhood a biblical context and give you practical and spiritually-rooted ideas and encouragements (I'm thinking any book by Sally Clarkson, for example). So many other books can remind moms of their powerful mission to root their children in the gospel and then send them out to share Christ with the world. This book isn't that.
I think the best advice about this book is just to know what to expect. Looking for an overview of the Old Testament? Great! Read this book! Looking for a study on God's design for motherhood and how we can effectively parent with the gospel in mind? Maybe find another book to read.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” -
Can I just say first of all that I love Gloria Furman's heart? This girl knows and loves the word of God and her zeal is apparent on every page. I heard her speak at TGC Women's Conference 3 years ago, and she spoke with passion and brought new life to old texts of scripture. I've thoroughly enjoyed her shorter essays posted on various blogs around the web.
But this is my first experience with her book-length material, and this book is just plain over-written. I have a feeling if she did not already have a name and a platform, her editor would have held her to a higher standard of clarity in her writing because she breaks every rule about clarity and concision on almost every page. Her ideas lack focus and lose the main thread (which is, according to the title, supposed to be motherhood.) I lost the thread several times and took to skimming over vast portions of material to get to the next point. I fear she may have lost sight of her audience in her enthusiasm.
I generally underline or mark lines that I want to keep, but in this book I kept marking entire paragraphs because it often took her several sentences to fully work out an idea. Her writing is not filled with those maximum-impact, unforgettable phrases that beg to be shared. I liken these passages to seeds--once planted, they must bear fruit and in that fruit contain more seeds, perfectly compact packages of information without any excess that can then be planted somewhere else and bear fruit. I hope she will give herself more time between books to let her ideas ripen and produce those perfectly compact ideas that will be seeds that ripen in her reader's imaginations. -
I was excited to review the audiobook of Gloria Furman's Missional Motherhood. This is Furman's newest book, and though I haven't read through an entire book of hers before now, I have heard people speak so highly of her.
This book was not what I was expecting, and I have mixed feelings. However, I will tell you what I do not have mixed feelings about - the doctrine presented in this book is all sound, with a solid biblical foundation that is clearly explained. That is not always easy to find these days, and I loved that this book was chock-full of Scripture!
What I didn't love about this book was the title. That may sound trite at first, but from the title I was expecting a book of encouragement about how being a mom is also being a missionary to these little lives that God has given us to steward. Maybe I shouldn't have assumed, but I thought the book would be about the "mission work" of teaching our children about the Lord.
Instead, I would say this book is mainly a theological overview that is slightly geared toward moms. Slightly. It almost felt like the motherhood element was thrown into the chapters as an afterthought.
The first half of the book was a recap of the Old Testament - I was not expecting this, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! Furman does a beautiful job of giving you an overview of God's grand story from the Fall to Jesus. It was at this point I was very glad I was listening to the audio instead of reading the book - these chapters could have gotten a bit tedious since I have already read through the actual Old Testament several times, but I enjoyed the narrator and getting the whole picture all at once.
However, I have to admit, the fact that the book was entitled "Missional Motherhood" made me a bit impatient to get to the parts about...you know, mothering.
Finally in the last five chapters Furman actually speaks to how the gospel affects how we do our jobs as moms. However, I don't think I was able to enjoy these chapters as much as I could have, because the writing seemed wordy and a bit redundant. I felt like Furman could have gotten the point across in half the chapters. I honestly think after reading this book that Furman's writing style is just not for me. Her train of thought sometimes seemed disorganized and I had to remind myself what the main point of the chapter, or book, was. I like books that have a clear outline, and her style is too messy for me.
Though I thought the narrator did a wonderful job and was a great fit for this book, it was in these final chapters that the narration style also started to get to me. The narrator reads in a tone that imparts the importance of each sentence - but I find that when each sentence is emphasized with such gravity, I start to get emotionally drained through the listening. I would have taken this book more in pieces, but I had to finish it in one chunk for this review, and I was just tired by the time it was over.
Overall, I think the book ultimately got the point across, to view our mothering in light of God's grand plan of Salvation - but the point was made in a very round-about way, through the overview, and then reviewing the gospel again with a slant toward motherhood. I think this book would have been more appropriately titled "An Overview Of Theology And The Gospel For Mothers". I would have been more prepared for the way the content of this book was presented if that was the title - but it's not as catchy. I would recommend it, but I would recommend taking it in pieces (and ideally listening to the first half of the book on audio, and reading the second half). Each chapter made more sense to me individually than the book did as a whole.
Note: I received the audio version of Missional Motherhood from christianaudio in exchange for a review. This is my honest opinion. -
I was so excited to read this book and came away really disappointed. It was split into two parts, the first being a meta narrative of the entire Old Testament. Furman writes that she's trying to give the reader a flyover of the grand plan of God and how it connects to Motherhood. That connection, however, was lost on me. There was a TON about God and the reason for missional living. Not much, if anything at all, about how that relates to practical motherhood.
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This book was more theological than practical and the first half of the book is a retelling of almost the whole Bible, which I guess would help if you weren’t familiar with it. I was expecting more, however the last few pages were the best and she had some great things to say. Like mothers get so wrapped up in feeding healthy food to little tummies, feeding knowledge to growing minds, but how much are we feeding their souls with the truth of the Gospel? And being a mother is truly being a discipler of a young heart whether towards Christ or away from. Some good thoughts, but took too long to get to the meat of the book.
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Not just for moms. I found this book to be packed with gospel truths, cultural observations, and Biblical helps on womanhood.
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It's all about Christ. Our mothering (and discipling) is because of and for Him. Gloria Furman digs into the Scriptures - specifically the Old Testament - to find the mission God has laid out for our nurturing. This needs to be read and digested in short segments. There is a lot packed into this little book.
2018 - A book of theology -
For God to be the supreme deity, he MUST value his glory above all things. For him to do otherwise would be idolatrous. God does this by satisfying us with himself forever. He wants us to see that he is the supreme beauty to admire and the supreme person to love. And he doesn't want us just to see these things, but also to taste these truths. What good is it only look at honey? You have to eat to fully enjoy it.
What does the above statement have to do with motherhood? I am glad you asked...It has to do with the gospel. As a mother that nurtures her children and others, we display this statement when we live out the gospel. Jesus invites us to a missional motherhood - to follow his pattern, to trust his promises and to nurture others by the power he provides. It is in this mission, that our selfishness is exposed and the hope of real gospel of not what we can obtain and do but who God is. Our need for a right relationship with God becomes our priority and all other needs become secondary that we are compelled by grace to nurture those that God puts in our path. Our children or anyone we disciple. This book is not just for mothers but for women who desire to nurture others in faith because of who God is and what he has done. God has given this gift to women with our emotions good and bad. The opposite of course, is we can become self-serving and fearful.
Gloria Furman is one of the most gifted in teaching the gospel. She is different in her teaching than some of the popular women teachers that she always puts God attributes in balance. She does not pit one attribute to another.
This study comes in two parts. Motherhood in the Grand plan of God. Where she invites the reader to the Old Testament and the looking forward to the hope of Jesus. Part two is the ministry of motherhood. Where Christ is center in motherhood. Christ the Creator, Christ the Redeemer, Christ the Prophet, Christ the Priest, and Christ the King. How each of Christ role brings life to what we do.
I encourage you that the reminders of the Gospel is what we need in the people God has given us to love. It keeps us from being the center to Christ who satisfies in perfection.
A Special Thank you to Crossway and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review. -
I LOVED this book! It gives the details of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! It explains how we, as women, are nurturers of the Gospel. It’s for all women, not just women with children. It’s so full of the “why” God created us in these specific ways of loving and nurturing others.
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I read this book years ago and it will forever sit on my shelf as one of the best books I’ve ever read on motherhood. You’ll be encouraged that your mothering is nurturing life in the face of death, your homemaking is shaking the gates of hell, your infertile womb is a vessel to show His glory, and so much more in this Christ-centered, scripture-drenched treasure of a book. Can’t recommend it enough.
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Mother or not, everyone should read this book. Reminds us of the plan God has to reconcile sinners to Himself and how our daily lives fit into that plan.
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I think I was supposed to like this book. It has all the elements that myself, a new mother, who wants to share the gospel with her children, should want to read about. And yet I had the hardest time pushing through it. It was really hard for me to nail down the points she was trying to make, and felt that it didn't follow through on much practical advice on how to be a "missional mother."
I'm giving it three stars because I appreciate the author's heart and obvious love for the gospel and making disciples. Also, her theology is very good though I had some small disagreements, especially with her interpretation of 2 Tim. 3. Otherwise, very solid theologically. I would recommend to a new believer who has little foundation in theology. -
Okay. I rate this four stars, but I’ll be honest, this really isn’t my favorite book, and I really didn’t “love” reading it all the time. The last few chapters I really was having to drag myself through, but I think that could be affected by the season of life I’m in right now.
I rate this book 4 stars because I think this battles women “Christian”-self-help-self-focused books so well. The entire first half of the book focuses solely on God working through the people of the Old Testament, with nuggets of goodness for mothering. And the entire second half of the book solely focuses on Jesus’s redemptive work, with nuggets of goodness for mothering. This book is firstly directed on a focus of the Lord, secondly directed on a focus of mothering. Which, again, battles very strongly against your popular books that are targeted and marketed toward Christian women today.
I praise the Lord that I belong to a local church body that does focus and point to the importance of the full narrative of scripture, and seeing Christ displayed through all aspects of life, and I think this book would be much more powerful for a woman/mother who has never seen these things before. But, no believer can complain about being reminded of the goodness of the Lord and being reminded of the redemptive work that God has began since the dawn of time. Which, is why I can’t really rate this book less than 4 stars.
(Also, what Forman does say about mothering is awesome. It’s just only about 20% of the book.)
Personal enjoyment of the book alone, I would probably give a 3 star. But seeing the potential impact of the book for someone other than myself, I would give it a 4 star. -
I won’t lie - I have the mildly addled brain of a mother with small children. Maybe if I was sharper this wouldn’t have seemed quiet so in-concise and meandering. But, arguably, I am one of the target audiences for this book and had a hard time working my way through it. I believe Furman had a lot of great thoughts and everything seemed theologically sound, but (especially in Part 2) I’d find myself wondering where the chapter was going even though the chapter name told me “where it was going”. It was good to meditate on the points she made, but I felt there often lacked a profound or solid conclusion. I enjoyed Part 1 more, just from a “I never mind someone giving me a high level overview of the Old Testament to remind me of God’s character” perspective, but it still felt like each chapter could have come to a more settled point. I think Furman has a lot of wisdom and a fun writing style, but it seems like the book would have benefited from a more assertive editor.
Not bad, but just ok. -
Had some trouble following her train of thought at times. But was able to get some nuggets that will stick with me. "We need to know that our home is not a projection of our image but a space in which we work to display the image of Christ."
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This wasn't really what I hoped it would be when I picked it up to read, but I agreed with what she said! I love her emphasis that women are designed to nurture regardless of what that looks like: from babies at home to lost people in foreign lands and everything in between.
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The theology of this book was solid and rich, but I found it hard to get engaged with the book. The section on OT theology at the beginning was good, but just too long and the connection to motherhood wasn’t always clear to me. I prefer her other book, Treasuring Christ When Your Hands are Full.
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Excellent all the way through. Saved many quotes I want to look back on.
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I really wanted to love this book. Another one of her books, Treasuring Christ When Your Hands are Full, changed motherhood for me altogether. I feel like I have to explain why I didn't rate it well because of that.
While the overview of the OT was excellent, it took up half of the book, and I had a hard time finding its ties to the topic. Which leads me to the fact that I had a hard time seeing the focus of the book. By the end I felt desperate to be done, and I hate that feeling (especially since the theology is wonderful). I took away one star for the lack of focus/distinct topic and another star because I probably won't read it again and would recommend a different book of hers instead. -
First half of the book (on motherhood in the grand plan of God) was so sweet, so helpful. Second half (on the everyday ministry of motherhood) fell a little flat for me.. but maybe that will change if I read it again later... when I’ve been a mom for more than 3 months.
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Read this book for the first time last summer and now rereading it with a group of ladies at church! Highly recommend to all my fellow mom friends
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This will be a book I look back at for years to come. There were many phrases I had to go back and read again just to really let it sink it.
One thing about this book, though, is it wasn't quite what I expected. The first half is a high flyover view of the Old Testament. The second half of the book deals more with the mission of motherhood and how we can serve God as moms, which is what I had expected.
Overall, I would recommend this book to any woman who is looking for some encouragement and needs help looking past the mundane tasks of motherhood into the bigger picture.
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"In cultures where Christ's intentions for motherhood are not valued, they believe either that motherhood is to be avoided at all costs or that motherhood is to be worshipped."
"Here are two big questions for us who believe that Christ created motherhood: 1) Do I live out the idea that "image is everything" in my mothering? 2) Does my mothering demonstrate that the imaged One is everything?"
"No amount of ignorance can absolve you, your children, your next-door neighbor, or your neighbor in the farthest reaches of the globe. No maternal glory, missional ministry, or nurturing accomplishment can bear the burden of cleansing your sin. We are all without excuse for our sin. If we are not blameless in God's presence, we will be consumed by His wrath. This is our eternal need, but our everyday needs confuse us. It feels like our biggest need is a car that runs better, or a child who obeys fully, or a friend we can confide in, or a husband who appreciates us, or a church that values our gifting, or a ministry that fulfills us, or a body we are proud of, or a bank account that doesn't worry us. Any one of those things may feel like the biggest, most pressing need we have. But they all pale in comparison to our need to stand in the presence of God, to Whom all glory, majesty, dominion, and authority belong forever. We may feel justified or empowered before our friends if we follow our mom-made rules, but not before a holy God Who requires that we be perfect "as He is perfect". Our biggest problem: our sin (not somebody else's sin). The only solution: Christ."
"We are free from saving ourselves or pretending we are strong. We are free from mothering our children in certain ways in order to obtain approval from other women. Our children are free from the unfair burden of becoming our saviors or proving our worth. And the elect among the nation's are free to see and savor the sufficiency of Christ, not the imperialism of the physically, economically, or socially privileged women."
"I need to have a renewed vision of who runs our family. I need to see Jesus. Is He worthy of our adoration when one or many of us are physically unhealthy? Is sharing His gospel worth staying in a place where we receive less than perfect health care? When I think of training my children, do I first look to bloggers or to the Bible? Is Jesus worth the sideways glances I will receive from the people around me when I parent my children in a way that honors Him? Am I more concerned with the food my children eat rather than what their souls consume? Do I point my children to worldly success as their big goal or to the mission of God as their reason for being? Do I believe that Jesus is willing to guard and guide our lives as we sojourn in this world filled with uncertainty and risk? Do I remind my children, by my words and actions, that God loves us enough to take care of all the "what ifs" in our future? Do my kids think I serve the almighty dollar or the Almighty God? Do we nurture our children with radical self-abandon, as though we are expecting deliverance from another world? Because we are."
"If there is such a thing as being "just a mom," then, sure, our purpose can be summed up in things such as potty training, working toward an illness-free childhood, or supporting children academically so they can be honor students or "make a difference in society" someday. But if salvation belongs to the Lord, which it does, then our motherhood is missional. Evangelism is mom's work, but the giving of faith is God's work. We exist to point people to the King in all our mothering moments as we nurture life according to Christ's pattern and hold onto His promises." -
This was a seemingly simple and straightforward read, but once I allowed myself to pause and dwell upon the words, the gravity of the truth hit deeply. This book zoomed me out of my day-to-day mundane activities that easily become routine and tiresome. Motherhood is not merely a role and a title. It's a mission and it's a calling. It's a mantle God has given for every moment of nurturing - whether it is your biological children or your small group members. It is a mission for the Great Commission.
"Jesus invites women to missional motherhood: to follow his pattern, to trust his promises, and to nurture others by the power he provides."
"So our missional motherhood is not all about what we do or don't put into our bodies or homes, but by living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God and bearing spiritual fruit that testifies to the reality of the gospel."
"1. Do i live out the idea that "image is everything" in my mothering? 2. Does my mothering demonstrate that the imaged One is everything?"
"Our corporate, missional, priestly motherhood is to everyone and in every place that Jesus sends us. Jesus is having mercy on your kids, for he put a priest in the next bedroom whose prayers ascend like incense before him as you boldly approach the throne of grace and plead for your children's souls."
"We pass on the gospel because we know it is the only thing that will give our children the strength and motive to give their own lives in making disciples."
"What I need to address first, then, is not the rules and cultural norms of mothering where I live. I need to have a renewed vision of who rules our family. I need to see Jesus."
"We exist to point people to the King in all our mothering moments as we nurture life according to Christ's pattern and hold onto his promises."
"In his Great Commission, Jesus called you and every disciple to go and send, even if the farthest you go is to the nursery and back."
"The world says that you are JUST a mom and that your mothering ministry is not newsworthy. The world says your work is mundane, but every mothering and discipling moment in your life is actually unique - unprecedented in history and never to be repeated. Your work in evangelism and discipleship done through the power of the Spirit gives Jesus praise that echoes in eternity. And this moves heaven to rejoice." -
While I truly appreciate Gloria Furman’s heart for Scripture and for the Lord, this book title was very misleading. The first 75 percent of the book was really a survey of the Old Testament — a great topic of study but not what this book claims to be. I understand why and appreciate that Gloria sought to produce biblical background (it is after all the root of everything in the life of the Christian), but in her attempt to provide context, the approach was strictly Bible summary with very little focus on the topic of motherhood at all.
If you’re like me and was looking for a biblical look on motherhood (whether based on what the Bible has to say about being a mother, reflections on mothering as presented through the gospel, examples of godly mothers of the Bible ... or really anything that speaks on the daily act of spiritual mothering), I wouldn’t recommend this book.
This is not to say that anything Gloria Furman said was unbiblical or wrong (which is why I still gave it three stars). This book was simply misfocused, and it exhausted a topic I would have sought out elsewhere. If I had wanted to read a survey of the Bible, I would have found a book titled, “Survey of the Bible.” Or just read the Bible (which I do and value).
This brings me to my second point — Gloria didn’t consider her audience. The majority of women picking up a book with this title 1. Already have an understanding of or at least deep interest in the gospel and a biblical worldview 2. Are not in need of conversion but encouragement and discipleship on this specific topic. So much of this book felt like an evangelism session for an almost-believer or a “basics to Christianity” course. To speak for myself, this is not what I needed or was looking for when I read/listened to this book.
As I said in the beginning of my review, I do appreciate Gloria’s heart, and this is not in any way meant to condemn her as a sister in Christ. Her doctrine was solid, and her content was true. But as a whole, this was not a book about motherhood. -
Gloria Furman does an excellent job of explaining and analyzing first the mission of what God has done through Christ and second how that mission continues into today by grace through faith in him, especially for mothers in particular. She does careful work see motherhood from a heavenly perspective and to apply this reformed understanding to true and proper motherhood as rooted in Scripture.
I have recently become wary of this genre since a proliferation of “Christian motherhood” books have been marketed toward Christian women which are often shallow, ephemeral, and lacking substance. What these books often fail to connect is the primary importance of who God is and what God has done through Christ, and how mothers can flourish only when they are an instantiation and furtherance of God’s mission. Thankfully, Furman (and gospel-centered books like hers) redeem this genre as she makes this connection clearly and precisely when she sets out to write foremost about God’s grace and his salvation history from the OT to the NT before turning to motherhood and how mothers find their purpose in that mission.
Granted, this work is not a handbook on motherhood offering practical advice for Christian moms to see God’s hand in their important motherly work. As many lower-starred reviews state, this work seems focused solely on the gospel and how Christ is the prophet, priest, and king for all people with mothers highlighted in particular throughout. But what Furman understands is that no practical advice can truly help if the grace of the gospel and the work of Christ does not joyfully fill each aspect of the busy day mothers live day in and day out. Her work establishes and explains this fundamental need for mothers; if mothers get this right, the rest will follow.
Furman writes scholastically yet accessibly with diligent Scriptural citations that encourage mothers to know God and live faithfully according to his purposes. I am pleased to know my wife is reading and being nourished by this work for her edification and God’s glory. We highly recommend this book to any and all women considering or in the midst of motherhood. -
This wasn’t at all what I expected it to be. I wanted to love it, partly because it was recommended by Rosario Butterfield in her latest book and partly because the cover design was excellent.
Almost the entire first half of the book is a blow-by-blow historical overview of God’s covenant with his people from Adam to Christ. The second part of the book, I thought, meant to deal with how we live out our reality as God’s covenant people. Alas (for me it was an alas anyway), more theoretical and Biblical basis for our calling.
There was nothing I disagreed with — indeed, much was clear and well-communicated. It was more that I didn’t come to the book for a primer on the tenets of our faith and why we should care what the Bible says about our calling. At this stage in my Christian life, I am already convinced of the call to live as Biblical women and submit our lives to the authority of Christ — my interest is in reading women who are ready to put a little flesh on those ideas and show us what it can look like lived out, a la Elisabeth Elliott, Nancy Wilson, or Edith Schaeffer.
So this isn’t a bad book, and may be exactly right for some... but for me, it was disappointing as a book “on motherhood.” -
Can I give 10 stars? Can I say this is the only necessary book on motherhood besides the Bible? Can I say I’ll reread this every year? Can I say every woman—not just every mother—should read it? Yes.
Gloria Furman takes broad strokes of the story of the Bible to demonstrate how women are called to nurture in the face of sin and death in this world. This is for mothers of children biological and adoptive, this is for women discipling other women, this is for women nurturing their community. This is a message for all women. I’d say her perspective and story-telling was transformational for me. The first half summarizes all of Old Testament Israel, giving a 10,000 foot view of God’s plan for history. The second half focuses on Jesus as prophet, priest and king, and how that will transform our work as women.
What is beautiful and helpful about Furman’s book is that there is not a single place where she tells her readers how the truths of the gospel should play out in individual lives. In fact, some may say that she doesn't apply enough to motherhood. Rather, she lays out what is true and scriptural and lets her readers take it through the grid in their lives. The truth of the word will give every woman a vision for her calling to nurture disciples. -
The first half of the book is a summary of the entire Bible. It was really lovely and I enjoyed it. However, as a Christian author, writing to a Christian audience, I think she could have safely assumed we have a working knowledge of the Bible or left that responsibility to us.
If every Christian book started with a 6 chapter summary of the Bible... Well, I guess it wouldn't be a bad thing at all. But it did make me feel like the second half was rushed and it didn't have as much content as I was expecting. But as I said, I enjoyed it, regardless. Her summary was really beautiful so I couldn't be disappointed.
The second half had some wise words and reminders. I will probably listen to it again, because the sweet reminders of who we are working for and how vital our role is in the family and home as mothers was really encouraging.
I definitely recommend it.
