What He Must Be..... by Voddie Baugham Jr.

Smell that? It's a breath of fresh air, godly fresh air. I just finished reading
What He Must Be if he wants to marry my daughter by Voddie Baucham, Jr.
This book is definitely what all Christian parents need to read if they want their daughter's to be married to godly men who will treasure them and do their Biblical duties and also what they need to train their sons to do as we prepare them for marriage. Truly this book is a breath of fresh air, in a culture full of feminism, gender neutrality and humanism.

At first I thought that the book review program at Crossway got things mixed up because at first glance I thought it was a book for me on what their daughter's need in a marriageable husband - I was wrong! This is a book that both mother's and father's can get a lot out of. While I already had thoughts of courtship for my children, my husband isn't convinced. I experienced severe personal heart ache in the leftovers of dating romances - which only time and God can heal and I don't want my son or my daughter's to enter their marriage with such heart ache.

Some will find this book archaic and backwards, especially in our culture who today says women can have a marriage, family and career - oftentimes finding that isn't the case. Men who become stay at home dads - when this becomes Biblical please give me the Scripture reference. Men who love their wives and wives who submit to their husbands. Men who WANT and welcome children, who are the sold provider for their families, men who are the protector, and the priest in the home. This is not a popular view and Mr. Baucham recognizes that but thankfully he doesn't back down from that either. He supports everything with Scripture. When he discusses Biblical submission this doesn't mean allowing a man to beat on his wife or the wife has to be at his beck and call - this detracts from his being a protector, provider and priest. Husband's have to submit to Christ and the wives are to show their husbands the same love and respect.

This is a refreshing wake up call to churches who are more and more finding themselves having to condone live in relationships before marriage, believers marrying non believers, young men and women swearing off marriage and children until they can afford it among other issues. This book will challenge your beliefs in marriage and raise the bar on what we expect of our sons and our future son in laws. As a mother this is what I want my children to look toward, in a world that my daughter's are already being pushed to make career choices (they are only 7 and 4 1/2), it's going to be hard to go against the grain and say, "no". I am not saying that Mr. Baucham has all the answers, but he brings a lot of good points that are Biblically based and sound in what we need to be on the look for.

So if you are a Christian parent and don't want to settle for a son in law just because he loves your daughter (is he a true Bible believing, God fearing Christian) or do you want someone who wants to emulate Christ and follow God's Word? If the answer is yes, read this book and if the answer is no, GET THIS BOOK because if you are willing to settle for less than what God wants for your son and for you daughter's then you will be sacrificing something that didn't need to be sacrificed.

A Tides of Truth Book 2 (Higher Hope) by Robert Whitlow

Tami Taylor is a law clerk during the summer and there is something that differentiates her from the other clerks and attorneys. I wasn't sure at first when I first started reading this book but am so glad that I continued on with it.

Tami comes from a family who values their Christian faith, through the way they dress, act, talk, work and school - their faith in God comes through loud and clear. This shows in Tami's work at the law firm especially when the lines between God and the law can become blurred.

Tami is put to work on a case that proves to hit close to home when the firm is hired to a libel case against a female preacher. Some fear that Tami's beliefs will be the firm's downfall. I won't say what happens so I don't spoil the read for you, but it wasn't what I thought was going to happen! I love twists and turns in plots that keep me guessing and keep me alert.

There is romance in the form of courtship! It's great to see an author taking this old fashioned way of finding a spouse and making it so it is a good thing and not a horrible, fuddy duddy frame of mind. While Tami's fellow law clerk alludes to less than moral standards with her boyfriend, nothing is said in detail. Also fellow homeschoolers will enjoy reading this because there is something about Tami's and the man she is courting lives that will surprise you especially when it's a topic that is usually made fun of or put down.

This is a great read and very enjoyable. I would suggest that you visit Thomas Nelson and purchase a copy of this book for yourself to see just how enjoyable Mr. Whitlow's books are.