Carolyn Mahaney

Absolutely loved this one.

The past few months my husband and I have really been working on re-orienting ourselves to Jesus Christ and deepening our faith. This book was an easy read, but not a shallow read - even though I (perhaps pridefully) think I know a fair bit about femininity, I gained some new insights and a whole lot of needed encouragement.

Many of us today, especially converts, have few role models of biblical submission to follow. I always love reading a book that gives me that show more feeling that I am walking in the footsteps of other Christian women. The chapter at the end about “Margaret” made me tear up - and inspired me to do more simple things like inviting people for dinner, etc. Hospitality is something I really can work on, even in this busy season.

Note for Catholic friends: this book seemed pretty “non denominational” to me, and I didn’t find anything incongruent with Catholic teaching. I’d definitely recommend this to any Christian woman. :) show less

“There is no such thing as simply a busy month or a busy year. It’s a busy life, pure and simple…[But] we can actually do all that God has called us to do” (p. 13).

Sound far-fetched? Absolutely it does – it did to me! I’ve read stacks of books, just trying to learn what my schedule should look like, what my to-do list should look like…and on and on. Shopping For Time has been one of the simplest, most concise, and clearest helps in this process. “We wouldn’t dream of going show more to the grocery store without a shopping list, or buying a car without haggling over the sticker price, or purchasing new shoes without checking the price tag, but we throw away our time as if we had an endless supply” (17).

In a sweet, conversational style, the Mahaney girls paint with appropriately broad strokes a picture of a life that is joyfully submitted to God’s to-do list. This short (under 100 pages) book clearly, helpfully, and gently offers five tips on how to “shop for time,” and it recognizes some things that many other time management or “Godly woman” books barely touch on or miss altogether:

The authors explain that we need to rise early (remember, flexibility!), sit at Jesus’ feet, plan, consider the spheres in which God has placed us, and humbly recognize our dependence on God to be productive. The main thing this book has going for it is flexibility. What’s required to act wisely will look different across the spectrum of women who’re reading the book. What works for one won’t work for all in exactly the same way. There are different seasons in each life, and application of these principles will look different during each one. Managing time wisely for the glory of God isn’t something that can be done haphazardly. Your effort will depend on how complicated your life is, but there will be effort. Motivated rightly, though, our lives can be fruitful and joyful expressions of our love for the Savior and delight in serving Him.

“In the end, our highest goal each day is not flawless execution of our plans or increased productivity. It’s our relationship with God, walking in dependence upon Him throughout the day. …This book will help you become a wise shopper of time in every season of your life, so when you pass from time into eternity, you can know the intense and indescribable joy of our Savior’s pleasure and commendation” (90, 94).

See my full review and others at www.vangorden-vm.blogspot.com. show less

I did it! I joined the 6 A.M. Club....and I don't go to bed until 11pm!
This book is short and to the point. It equipped me to get my schedule in order, which gives me more time to do things that are important and things I enjoy. It isn't another "How To" book because it teaches you WHY you do what you do.

I picked up this book because of the title. It is rare that I think I have read a book written purely on emotion or feelings so I was interested to see what the authors had to say.

The book was written by a mother/daughter team and geared toward women. Many of the examples and scenarios in the book were therefore about women. Unlike many other books written to women this book did not feel as vulnerable, perhaps because of the style in which it was written combined with the fact that the show more authors spoke about themselves in the third person instead of first person.

The first half of the book felt very academic to me or like the authors were trying to build their case (which they were). Unfortunately, it felt very repetitive, which is not necessarily my favorite thing in a book. I felt this part of the book could have been shorter. I did enjoy the research and thought put into this section though.

All that being said-the last portion of the book was my favorite. I felt that it held more practical examples and tools that I could use when thinking about my emotions in a godly way. And most importantly the authors always point the reader back to prayer, the Word and God.

Finally, I really appreciated the use of Scripture and biblical examples throughout the book. This book is definitely gospel-centered.

There were portions of this book I found long and confusing and portions of this book that I found extremely applicable and in those parts I highlighted something every other paragraph. There were things that I appreciated about the book and things that I would have done differently. So in short I have complex feelings about this book, but then aren�Ûªt feelings always complex? I would say this book is worth reading, especially if you want a biblical theology of emotion.

This book will be available on October 31, 2017.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Crossway and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. show less