Disciplines of a Godly Woman

Rating:
Summary: Practical Book in Training Women for Godliness
Review: Discipline. For many of us, the word causes us to recoil. It seems hard and challenging. But this book not only inspired and encouraged me; it's also filled with practical advice. The apostle Paul encourages us to discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness (1 Tim. 7:4-8). I'm learning through the book that the disciplines of a godly woman is about submitting every single area of her life to God. It's about bringing our will in submission to God's will and surrendering every single area of our life to His lordship. This book shows us how to train our spiritual muscles through the spiritual disciplines of the Gospel, submission, prayer, worship, mind, contentment, propriety, perseverance, church, singleness (for those who're single), marriage (to the married), nurturing, good deeds, witness, and giving.

One of my favorite chapters is on the discipline of the mind. It exhorts us to "be transformed by the renewing of our mind" (Rom. 12:1-2). Barbara Hughes emphasizes the importance of programming our mind by the regular reading of God's word so that as we begin to think God's thoughts after Him, they become the dominant influence in our mind and heart. She also encourages us to read other good Christian literature.

This book is written for both single and married Christian women. Throughout each chapter, the author not only provides practical steps in how we can put the disciplines into action, but also real-life stories and examples of disciplined godly women in action. Very inspiring! Another thing I appreciate and am grateful for is the author's depth in knowledge and understanding of the Scripture. She clearly has a God-given gift of teaching and exhortation.

I truly love the "Resources" section placed toward the end of the book! They've proven to be helpful for me in exercising the disciplines. Some of the resources include: A daily Bible-reading plan for one year, a list of praise Psalms for our devotional time, a recommended reading list (in addition to the Bible) of Christian classics, devotional, theology, biographies, fiction, etc. A page on "Opportunities For Good Deeds" lists ministries, suggestions, and ideas for us to get involved and invest in others' lives.

This is a book not only on the "what" and "why" of spiritual disciplines, but also the "how". An inspiring, encouraging, and practical book.

[A complementary book for men, "Disciplines of a Godly Man", is written by Kent Hughes].

Rating:
Summary: A staple among Christian living books
Review: I bought Disciplines of a Godly Man, and gave Disciplines of a Godly Woman to my girlfriend. She's been continually raving about various chapters in it over the past month, and in an email to me she says:

"I was reading a GREAT chapter in the book you gave me... I looove it! I think it will become a very important resource manual for me to always keep around. It's got such great meditation in it! But it was about discipline of the mind. It gave me so much to challenge myself with... "

Thanks, Kent and Barbara! Five Stars!