Wow. What an amazing book. I had read this book back in 2008 before I was married, or was even thinking about raising children, and it was an amazing read then. Now, I'm married and expecting a little one and it's even more amazing! I seriously took 13 pages of notes on it in my journal!!!! I know, a bit overboard, but it's one of those books that you gain so much wisdom and little tidbits from you just want to have them in one place where you can check often. This book has helped me rethink my priorities as a woman (I always feel old when I refer to myself as a woman, anyone else? no just me? ok...), using the Bible as a guide (which it should be for all things) and highlighting things I can do daily to live a fuller life in every area. I don't want to go into SOO much detail because I know people don't read long posts--but just come along with me for a bit...she relates our fullness in life to that of the Seven Sacred Pools in Hawaii (like a waterfall). This describes the huge impact we can have for our own life, but also in the lives of countless others when we get these things right. Let me try to explain the picture to you. There's a pool way at the top of the mountain, which no one can see, and that is like your relationship with God, your prayer life, your deep connection with Him and His Word. He fills us and replenishes us when we seek him first in our life and are filled with his Holy Spirit. 

When we are full from that pool we are overflowing into our next pool, our husbands. God gives us the ability to tend to nurture and grow in servitude to our most important human relationship. Soon this pool overflows to that of our children. Children are gifts to us from God and He entrusts them to our care to love them, to train them and teach them about his ways. Soon that pool too will overflow and flow abundantly into our homes and filling it with God's love. Whether it be by the spiritual life of your family, the feeding, and the love that you give to them to make a home a retreat and a beautiful place until it soon overflows into our dreams and plans and how God wants us to serve others. "Having been filled from the pools higher up the mountain, we now plunge in. WE submerge ourselves in this fresh pool of knowledge, discipline , and training" and soon that too overflows pouring into an ocean of ministry and service that God will use to build His people up--you never know where that pool may end or who it may reach because it has not limits. But you see the key is, that each pool can only be filled if the one above it is overflowing. Do we make is so that our hearts of overflowing for God, our husband, and our children, our home, and then into other areas of ministry? Do we take the time to nurture each of those priorities first and let God fill us to overflowing? I find that sometimes I think that the top pools don't need to be filled and I busy myself with the maybe not most important areas, even if it is a church event, or a ministry-but it doesn't prove to be helpful because the other pools aren't full. It's hard to serve my husband and have a good relationship with him when I don't have a good relationship with the Lord. There is a quote she uses often in the book and it this: "Good, better, best, never let it rest, until your good is better and your better best." You can apply that little childhood quote to soo many areas in your life, especially when making decisions, choosing your attitude, how you schedule your time etc. If you aren't married or don't have children you might not have these pools yet, but it's still crucial to understand your priories and fill up the time in your life from the top pool down. 

There were so many amazing quotes and so many references to the Bible and other great books by numerous authors have really just made me LOVE this book. The book isn't just about the imagery of the pools,  in fact thats only one section in a chapter! But I feel that it describes what she focuses on in the other chapters--devoting most of it to a woman after God's heart. It's one of those "back to the Bible basics" for woman, and can be applied to a woman anywhere in life--from young and single, to newly weds to wives of many years, to single moms, to working moms, to say at home moms, from biblical scholars to new in the faith. I hope you woman will pick it up and not just read it, but see how you can use it to grow  and become a woman after God's own heart. 

Tedd Tripp goes through the most important parts of what it means to be a Christian parent. He discusses the importance of discipline and communication with your children at every level of their growth, and the most important factor of having goals for your "child rearing." Spouses need to come together discuss and pray about what their goals are for their children. Here are some common goals parents have that Tripp listed: Is it to have the most athletic kid? To have a psychologically balanced child? To have the smartest best educated kid? To have the most well behaved child? To have a "saved" child? To have control over your child?  He walks through many of these goals and helps point out the good--and also the not so good in them. Do you have goals for your children? Are they God oriented goals? or are they goals that are self serving and worldly? OH my, I'm not even there yet, but I can tell that parenting is going to be a difficult task and this book definitely made me think a lot about what some of the most important things are when raising kids. I'm so glad someone gave me this book now so I can start to think about these principles before it's too late! 
What will my goals be for raising my children? How do I shepherd my child's heart? How do I help them see the sin in their heart which leads to their actions? Who am I trying to serve? Is what I'm doing pleasing and honoring God? Those are some of the questions that I am now thinking about and most are what this book goes through--from every stage of childhood; infancy to teenage years. 

I wont go into to much more because I really think it is so crucial for every parent to read this book for themselves if they are interested in shepherding a child's heart for the Lord.  And if you never read it--at least be in search through the Bible, the most important book for life, and for raising children. I believe, if you are a parent, it is probably one of the most important roles God has called you to, you probably don't want to go into it blind or neglect what he says about it. All other books on the subject are just helpful and practical (if they come from a biblical perspective), but the Bible should always be where we start and finish. Best wishes to all you parents out there, I know we will need your prayers as we start this exciting journey and we will pray for you as well! -Britt

Hola! So it's been a while since I've updated about books I've read, and it's mainly because this book seemed to take me forever to get through!!!!
(which proved to be a blessing!)
If you are looking for a book to kindof smack you around a little bit and tell you how to be a better wife, this is the book for you! I felt like an infomercial right there but really, despite the bruises and scrapes I endured from the pages....I have learned sooo much from reading this and would recommend it to anyone who wants to have a more God-serving marriage. (: Debi Pearl is constantly using God's word to teach younger woman what their role is in the marriage, how to act, and what to do. I have read a decent amount of books on marriage...(maybe because I really really need them!) but this book was one that truly...hmmmm... is convicted the right word? yes, "convicted" me about my behaviors and actions as a wife. Well maybe more like, jabbed me in my heart.  It is a very straight forward book, entirely based on the God's word. Some may think, "oh that's so old fashioned..." Well God said it, and I'm pretty sure if we were to utilize and honor his Word through our actions, we just might have the most heavenly marriage ever. Just sayin....

It seems so easy in our culture to say, "I deserve this" or to play the victim and think we are being slighted. We see it in TV shows, in movies all the time. The woman is the victim, the men are the problem! right? Yet, this was not the way that God intended life to be when he created a woman to be a help meet to her husband. "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." Gen 2:18KJV. He didn't say he would create a slave driving, biting, jealous, un-loving, un-respecting wretch for him, no....a HELP MEET! oh DUH!
I can't blame our culture for my failings as a wife, because it's my problems and usually my own self-centered thoughts that get in my way of being a good wife. We are all sinners and all have huge faults, whether we choose to acknowledge them or not, they are still huge planks in our eyes, preventing us to move forward and grow as wives. My biggest nugget from this book, is that I was created to Help Paul, not hinder him, and that through serving my husband and honoring him, I am doing so to God. What an amazing way that I can serve God! (Also a challenging one...but thats why I need to keep on-a readin'!)
That's all I will write about for now, mainly because I feel I'm not very qualified to give advice on the subject of marriage, because....I'm working on it!!! However, this book has helped me in sooo many ways, and I really would encourage all you wives out there to read it!!

P.S. for those of you who aren't married yet, she has also written a book called "Preparing to be His Help Meet" which I have heard from reliable sources is another great book for young ladies wanting to honor God by preparing for their future husbands.

I thought that most posts would be from Paul, but I guess he's slacking.....just kidding. (the books he is reading right now are twice as long, and probably a zillion times more complicated than these....oh well, I can feel more accomplished for just this once)
    Anyway, down to business! This book came recommended to me by my dear sister, who is a WONDERFUL mother, so I figured it would be a great start! The book was very very very interesting. Now before you all go crazy and think I'm pregnant, I'm not, sorry to burst your bubble of excitement. I feel that just because I don't have any kids doesn't mean I can't read about how to be a good parent right? I feel that If I started in just the nine months I was pregnant, there would be no way I could finish all the books I want to read before then, so I figured I would start now! Better sooner rather than too late.
    Michael and Debi Pearl have a very strict way of bringing up young children. The book includes real and practical examples of bringing up your children for the Lord. At times throughout the book I kept thinking, "whoa! that is WAY to harsh," or  "oh my I would never do that!" And yet, each story was backed by biblical principles about why he trains his children in such a way. I realized that I was viewing the methods as too harsh because I kept thinking a "switch" was a form of punishment. However, after getting in to the book, I discovered that a switch wasn't a punishment, but rather a way to reinforce correct training. After I jumped over that hurdle, the book began to make more and more sense. After all, when the teachings are parallel to that of the Bible, it is very hard to disregard them and ignore them.
    I will let you decide if you agree or disagree with the teachings, and practices and I will leave my thoughts on this matter to myself for now. Mainly because I don't really have the "mother" experience, and I would agree, it's a little silly to take advice from someone who has no real experience in the matter. So, go ahead, read and inquire, learn and grow!

Hello All! Brittany here again, last update was by Paul, just wanting to write an update a book I finished! (woo hoo!)This book is one of the top 5 books from the Team system, so it obviously comes very highly recommended, however
I also HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this book to everyone and maybe after reading this little blog you will become interested and will read it yourself! I may go into some detail here (mainly for my own purposes of remembering what I read...just warning you) First off, in any personality description system thingy...people usually are classified into 4 main different personalities. Yes, I realize as does the author that you aren't just 1 temperament, you may be a mixture of 2 or 3 or maybe you have parts of all. However, usually there is one dominant personality that represent you. I will try and help you find your personality type below, in a very easy classification....