Miscellanies.

a Cross-centered blog

Books for Your Bride: The Trainer

tsskare.jpgby Karalee

Tony’s gone this week, so we’re sporting new colors at TSS and serving up Christmas gift ideas for the ladies. (Since many of our husbands already bought their Christmas presents from Tony’s book recommendations this year.)

First, we looked at a few “one-size-fits-all” gifts, now we’re looking at specific options for different interests.

“The Trainer”

Tell-tale signs your wife would enjoy this category: She owns 10 pairs of running shoes, and no high heels. There are more bike and stroller wheels in your garage than car and minivan tires. She does tsstrainer.jpgspelling drills with the kids in “three sets of ten, with 20 seconds rest in between.”

Bless this wife-on-the-run with resources that will not only exercise her heart, but also stretch her soul.

Gift ideas

Music: An iPod or other mp3 player can be an incredibly sanctifying gift – turning the daily run into an opportunity for meditation on God’s Word. (More on audio in the “one-size-fits-all” post here.)tssasleep.jpg

If she already has a music player, consider a new CD or workout mix that will lift her heartbeat to the Cross. Kick the pace up a bit with the remixed worship favorites in Asleep in a Storm from Sovereign Grace Music. Sermon Jams are another upbeat choice for the workout set. And just for fun, here is a TSS iMix from some of Tony’s favorite Jazzercise music.tssimix.jpg

Books: The Gospel Primer for Christians, which we reviewed in part one, is perfect for the treadmill. An interesting biography is Pure Gold about Eric Liddell: Scottish runner, Olympic gold medal winner, and missionary to China. (Find a positive review here at Tim Challies’ Discerning Reader.)

“Christmas Date” ideas: Start a “Christmas date night” tradition. (As Tony and I will be doing this year, thanks to the idea from our good friends Matthew and Hannah.) Because the holidays are tssliddell.jpgfull of busy celebrations with the kids and in-laws, a “Christmas date” is an opportunity to celebrate with just your bride. Whether you can schedule your date before Christmas or after, taking the time to spend with her will bless your friendship and your marriage. For the sporty wife, a brisk walk or ice skating would be a fun start to the evening. Then you can finish with hot cocoa and a date night movie, Chariots of Fire (based upon the life of Eric Liddell). You cantssliddellmovie.jpg follow-up with a family night movie another time and watch the new Torchlighters movie, also about Eric Liddell.

Ultimately, the best gift you can give your wife is not one that can be wrapped in shiny red paper and tied with a bow. Centering your home around the Gospel, loving her as Christ loved the Church, and faithfully serving her in humility and grace is a gift that will prepare her heart not only for the year ahead, but for a lifetime with her Savior. Most importantly, the price tag of the gift doesn’t matter, because the ultimate price for our sin has already been paid by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Loving her with this glorious Gospel is a priceless gift.

May God be glorified in your homes this Christmas!

Stay tuned this week as we serve up gift-giving ideas for:

November 7, 2007 Posted by spurgeon | .posts by Kare, Wives, spurgeon | | No Comments Yet

Books for Your Bride: The Music Mom

tsskare.jpg by Karalee

Tony’s gone this week, so we’re sporting new colors at TSS and serving up Christmas gift ideas for the ladies. (Since many of our husbands already bought their Christmas presents from Tony’s book recommendations this year.)

First, we looked at a few “one-size-fits-all” gifts, now we’re looking at specific options for different interests.

The Music Mom

Tell-tale signs your wife would enjoy this category: She sings in the shower, and it actually sounds good. She also sings in the car, when washing dishes, and when reading to the kids. She teaches the alphabet starting at Middle C.

Personal note: This particular category does not describe me. When I sing my baby to sleep, he falls asleep fast – just so I’ll stop singing, I presume. So I’m borrowing a few books tssmusicmom.jpgon this list from Sovereign Grace worship leader Bob Kauflin. (Who has an excellent reading list posted here on his blog.)

Bless this music-loving wife with a CDs and books that will not only create sound waves, but also send shock waves of grace to her soul.

Gift ideas

Music: For some of the best Gospel-saturated and theologically-sound music in one place, visit the Sovereign Grace store. You can buy entire albums or a single song at a time from the Songbox. Two of our favorite albums are Songs for the Cross-Centered Life and the Valley of Vision. The Christmas CD, Savior, is one we listen to all year long.

Another set of CDs we have listened to over and over again is the Hide the Word series from Mark and Stephen Altrogge. Their Scripture memory songs are very well done, and have helped us (and our son) to memorize many beautiful Scripture passages. One thing we appreciate in particular about the verses the Altrogges set to music is that they are noticeably Cross-centered.

Books: Biographies are one of my favorite literary genres, as they blend the meatiness of nonfiction with the9781581348484.jpg tssprentiss.jpgnosiness of peeking into someone else’s life. For a music fan, we recommend the biographies of two hymn writers, Elizabeth Prentiss and John Newton. You can find an excellent review series on the Prentiss biography at GirlTalk, and a glimpse into the Newton biography here at TSS.

A few worship and music related resources from the “highly recommended” list on Bob Kauflin’s blog include: Engaging with God (David Peterson), When I Don’t Desire God: How to Fight for Joy (John Piper), and Living the Cross-Centered Life (C.J. Mahaney), He also recommends the Valley of Vision, and we recommend (again) the Sovereign Grace CD based upon those prayers. (More info on the VoV in the “one size fits all” post here.)

Gift-giving ideas: The holidays are full of opportunities for local concerts, providing excellent ideas for a “Christmas date night.” Because the holidays are full of busy celebrations with the kids and in-laws, a Christmas date night is an opportunity to celebrate with just your bride. Whether you can schedule your date before Christmas or after, taking the time to spend with her alone will bless your friendship and your marriage. For the music-loving wife, a local concert or musical would be an excellent place to start. Or go out for coffee and read the first chapter of one of the recommended books together.

Ultimately, the best gift you can give your wife is not one that can be wrapped in shiny red paper and tied with a bow. Centering your home around the Gospel, loving her as Christ loved the Church, and faithfully serving her in humility and grace is a gift that will prepare her heart not only for the year ahead, but for a lifetime with her Savior. Most importantly, the price tag of the gift doesn’t matter, because the ultimate price for our sin has already been paid by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Loving her with this glorious Gospel is a priceless gift.

May God be glorified in your homes this Christmas!

Stay tuned this week as we serve up gift-giving ideas for:

November 7, 2007 Posted by spurgeon | .posts by Kare, Wives, spurgeon | | No Comments Yet