For Young Men Only

Warning: whining about to commence! The last few days have been rough with my rheumatoid arthritis. I really overdid it on Friday for Homecoming, and spent all weekend in bed. Sunday I was so frustrated I kind of took it out on the whole family. I really enjoy going to church, and I love the Bible study we're doing Sunday mornings. That evening, the pastor and his wife were having a worship night at their house, and I couldn't wait to go. Except that I still could barely walk. I was depressed and angry. The pain in this cold, rainy weather is so debilitating, it wakes me up in the early morning hours, and no matter how hard I try, I can't get back to sleep. It seeps into every part of my life, tainting how good food tastes, my enjoyment of my children, my relationship with my husband. You've heard of rose-colored glasses? Some days I wear pain-colored glasses. They effect everything. I feel so guilty not able to do the things I feel like I should be doing, like I let everyone down. My Sunday School teacher, my pastor, my husband, my children, my mother, my boss, my friends...God. No one expects much of me anymore, and I still can't seem to manage that. Last night in my reading for the Sunday morning Bible study (we're doing Nancy Leigh DeMoss' Lies Women Believe), I came across the lie: I don't have enough time to do everything that I'm supposed to do. Reading it, I thought Well, that's obviously a lie that doesn't apply to me. I have plenty of time to get things done, I'm just physically unable to do so. But as I kept reading, I found DeMoss' counter to that lie: There is time in every day to do every thing that God wants me to. And that brought me a great deal of comfort, because it says that God has an agenda for me that is different than my own. While I'm sure He wants me to go to church and Bible studies, I know too that He sees me weep when I can't. So I need to be asking Him what exactly He expects from me each day. Those are the things that I need to worry about. The truth of this hasn't sunken all the way into my soul yet. I'm still battling guilt over the heaps of laundry that need to be done, but it's a truth that I will remind myself of daily in hopes that while I can't do anything about the pain, I can do something about how I react to it. End of whining!

For Young Men Only by Jeff Feldhahn & Eric Rice is a indispensable tool for guys who want to know how girls think. The authors did several surveys and studies of teenage girls to understand why they act the way they do. Why do they go from everything's hunky dory one day to don't let the door kick you on your way out the next? Why do they fall for bad boys? How do they really feel about sex? There are some surprising answers that are bound to help teenage guys in their relationships with girls. The book is never preachy, just funny as even the authors learn things about women that they didn't know. It's a short book, so getting guys to read it shouldn't be hard, and it speaks in down-to-earth language without being condescending. An excellent book in a stellar series.

I'm giving away two copies of this book, so if you'd like to win a copy, send me an email before 10 pm on Thursday, October 9th. Good luck!