Customer Reviews

Heaven at Home: Establishing and Enjoying a Peaceful Home

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

This is a very helpful book on parenting. Despite what some reviewers (who probably haven't read the book) have written, this book is not just about spanking. It is about raising respectful, obedient children who love God and love their neighbors.

I have read many of the reviews on this book and I have to say my heart is so heavy for all of the people who stand in judgement of Ginger Plowman concerning spanking. First of all, this book is not ALL about spanking and disciplining children...it addresses many aspects of establishing a peaceful home, but because so many reviewers focus only on the spanking I feel I must address it with great detail. Maybe a new mom will read this and find something to pray about concerning this "hot topic."

It is my strong belief that many Christians today have a "Pharisee" mentality and have set rules in their heads about what is acceptable and what is not, and when Jesus walked this earth He and He alone glorified God with every moment of his life. He came to condemn that "Pharisee mentality" and was extrememly offended by it. He walked this earth and died on the Cross so that when He was resurrected, the power of the Holy Spirit would guide each and every person...the perfect Teacher...not rules.

Don't get me wrong, the Old Testament and the Ten Commandments served their purpose for a time...a time when the Holy Spirit did not endwell the hearts of believers and so strict rules had to be the standard...but we live in a much more wonderful time...a time where EVERY TRUE BELIEVER has the Holy Spirit to be their guide, Counselor, and Teacher...just as Jesus promised before He died. Jesus couldn't wait for us to experience that! I can only imagine that every step of the way to that Cross he had the hope of the Holy Spirit for each of us as the motivation for enduring Hell on earth. He wanted us to have freedom from the bondage that rules bring! I am not saying "rules" are bad...but we Christains really need to read the gospels with the bigger picture in mind. A parent that spanks our of anger in their heart is much different than a parent who spanks to give their children a gift...the gift of self-control...the gift of obediance, etc.

It's what's in our heart that drives our behavior that Jesus judges. And we all fall short...don't kid yourselves. I know that I have...even recently...had anger in my heart when gossiping about another adult. I feel much worse about that than about spanking my child last week. The motive in my heart in gossiping was to tear the other person to shreds...the motive in my heart when spanking was to correct my child, help them see their wrong attitude, and help them grow. Which is worse?

Jesus may not have "spanked" children---but doesn't anyone see that that is because those were not the works His Father in Heaven sent him to do? I am not saying Jesus would have spanked...but I know for certain that Jesus would do whatever it took to reach the heart of his precious flock. Jesus, throughout his ministry, instead did much HARDER things to show his deep love for those God placed in His care...like offending Mary when he chose to wait four days when her brother Lazarus was deathly sick...knowing that waiting meant that Mary would blame Jesus for allowing Lazarus to die. That, to many, would seem very harsh. But we have to see that Jesus always had the Father's perspective on everything he did, and it allowed Him to make some very hard decisions. We, as parents, have to make very hard decisions, but when you focus on the heart it frees us up to give our children what they need, not necessarily what they want or what "feels good and cozy to our flesh."

I urge all reviewers of this book to give little credence to the other reviews that bash this author and judge her heart. I have listened to her CD's and I can tell by the tone and love in her heart that she is a compassionate, intentional, loving mother whose heart's desire is to bring her children to a closer relationship with Christ. I wish more Christians would let go of the "Pharisee" mentality that gives hard-fast rules more power than the Holy Spirit.

In Christ,

Jennifer McDonnell

I think that this is a terrific, encouraging, Christian book!! I cannot believe all of the bad reviews!!! I really enjoy reading this book!! (Even though I am only 11!)Overall, I think that this is a wonderful book!!!! My Mom and I both agree it is one of our favorites!!

I found this book to be uplifting and insightful about the roles Moms have.

I liked her explanations on orderly homes and disciplined children.

Ignore the ridiculous lefty reviews of this book. This is one of the best parenting/home management books you'll ever read.

This book is most definitely geared toward married women who are stay at home moms. There is nothing wrong with that, but as I am a single mom who has to work full-time outside the home, I didn't find some of the more practical aspects of the book to be all that helpful. Obviously, the chapters on marriage were not of much help to me either.

With that being said, there are still some fantastic lessons contained in the book about patience, forgiveness, sanctification and child-rearing.

The people who are knocking the book for one small aspect that she addresses (that of spanking) are truly missing the point. If you feel spanking is wrong, that's great for you, but perhaps it would be better to practice some of the tolerance that you are preaching. I have raised 3 children and they were all different. Anyone who says "I would never spank my child" isn't being realistic. You can't take a cookie cutter approach to raising children.

I enjoyed many of the things that the author had to say about raising your children. She encourages you to ask thought-provoking questions of them. To spend time with them one on one. To see them for the blessings that they are and not to view them as burdens.

Ginger Plowman systematically and thoroughly outlines all the areas of a woman's life and gives good biblical disciplines for how to make those areas more peaceful and in line with what God wants for us as women, wives, and mothers. She takes the calling of homemaking and compares it to Jesus himself as a homemaker, "I am going there (heaven) to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2b). The book elaborates on how our job is to glorify Christ as a wife, mother and keeper of the home.

Her primary focus, in all areas, is being the person that God called us to be, and keeping God first in all things.

Aside from the above mentioned, Plowman also addresses how to deal with conflict, siblings, friendships and in-laws. I found the chapter on in-laws very informative, even though I have a wonderful relationship with my own. The chapter itself outlines the way we all should deal with difficult people. If only more people strived to be like Jesus, themselves, instead of focusing on how others should, what a wonderful world this would be!

The most interesting part of this book for me, were her chapters on disciplining children. I actually found her writings in this book much more informative to me that her entire book, Don't Make Me Count to Three. Maybe because it condensed the heart of discipline with less emphasis on spanking being the only biblically approved method?

The book ends with a section on structuring your day and hospitality. I personally loved how she stressed ahead of time, that the ideas she was suggesting were just that, ideas! She encourages you to pick and choose the things that will work for your family and stresses that they are not biblical mandates, but suggestions that have worked for her. She doesn't make you feel as though you need to be supermom and do *all* of these things.

I also feel you will find her chapter on hospitality quite interesting, and unexpected! I know I for one will view hospitality in a much different light than I previously did.

All in all, it was a good book, the author covered a lot of material in this little gem!

love love love this book! very helpful, very practical, very grace-filled! we went through this in our ladies small group. would highly recommend!

I have to agree with several other reviews on Plowman's view on spankings, but that is not all that this book addresses. I have a Master's degree in Psychology and have worked with kids for 20 years. I also have 3 of my own and I know that any spanking done in anger is abuse. That is not what she is suggesting. Some kids respond well to timeout and some do not. Spanking can be used successfully for some children when done in love and not anger. I believe that firm, consistant punishment is the best way to teach a child. I did like Plowan's ideas on having the children help around the house, getting more organized, and of course surrounding yourself in loving relationships. Please do not think that this book is all about spanking because it is just one brief topic.

MacMan's wife writes:
If you want your marriage and family life to be based on Biblical principles, this book is for you. Author Ginger Plowman guides you through a Biblical perspective of some of the most important issues husbands and wives face as they build their marriage and family on the foundation of God's Word. Rather than focusing on our culture's parenting methods which are based on worldly standards, each chapter focuses on God's standards, ultimately leading us to changing our attitudes and our hearts to be more Christ-like.

The book is very practical with suggestions for weeding out our own shortcomings as wives and mothers and working on deepening our relationship with Christ. It is only after we take steps to be more faithful to our Lord that we can improve our relationships with our husbands and children. Ginger Plowman also includes many practical suggestions for dealing with the everyday struggles common to marriage and parenting. Our Mom's Group is reading this book together and everyone can relate to the real-life examples described in this book. The author's humor is an added bonus!

This book has given me much encouragement. There are many practical suggestions for making your home a heavenly refuge for your whole family. I think the book's most important message to us as parents is to be humble, grace-giving, encouraging and patient with our children, teaching them the ways of God, holding them accountable to His commands, and praying for the Holy Spirit to work in their hearts. The goal is transformed lives that will glorify God!