"No More Christian Nice Girl"

So I think I had mentioned a few weeks ago that I received this book via LibraryThing's ARC program. I just finished reading it, so here is my review!

No More Christian Nice Girl addresses an all-too-common problem facing Christian women today: The need to be Nice vs. being Good. Our culture, especially in the church, is telling women to be nice, even when it hurts. Always smile, always say something nice, don't make waves. This niceness-at-all-costs attitude leaves women as resentful doormats who can't, or won't, stand up for themselves. Christian women are especially prone to this because of the false assumption that to be like Jesus we must be meek and mild.

Coughlin and Degler make the case that in order to truly be a follower of Christ, women need to understand and emulate the real 360-degree Jesus of the Bible, not the meek Jesus portrayed in children's books. The real Jesus knew when to be nice, but also when to stand up for what was good. The real Jesus was even *gasp* mean, when the situation called for it. By grasping who Jesus really is, women can get out of the false-niceness loop and start being good. They can fix their relationships and stand up for themselves when they need to.

This is an easy read. A short book, with stories in each chapter illustrating the main points. The authors discuss how to be one of God's Good Women in friendships, the workplace, dating and marriage relationships, even in the bedroom. Very easy to understand and follow. Good illustrations for each point.

I liked it, especially the part about the real Jesus (goes along with another book I recently finished, Jesus Mean and Wild). But there was something I didn't like that I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe it was just that since I'm not dating, married, or in a very competitive work place I couldn't relate to half the book. Overall, it was a good book. Good points and tips.

Rating: 3/5 Stars. I recommend it!

Secret Life of the American Single

These gorgeous daffodils were at McDonald's, of all places. I LOVE the two tones! God is so cool :)

I can't believe Easter has passed already! I feel like it was just New Year's Eve! But, April it is and I have my European trip almost completely paid for! I know some of you are curious about the details, but beyond what countries I'll be in, I'm still waiting for details myself! I'll post about that when it gets closer.

Cala and I decorated eggs. Somehow, I didn't get pictures of the eggs we dyed, just the veggie tale ones.

The beginning of the week had AMAZING weather! It was almost like summer; it was wonderful. Easter Eve was a cookout and bonfire with friends. Perfect weather for it! Played some Bocce Ball, ate yummy food (Kristin's dessert was completely delicious!), the fire almost went out of control. Easter Sunday, after lunch with my family and our "extended family", I played on the playground with a friend. Its great to be 23!

Wednesday night, I went to karaoke with some friends at the Woburn Applebees and had a ball! So much fun, I almost want to stop working Wednesday nights! I even won a prize pack: a t-shirt, glass and pin. Not bad ;)

At one point in the night, My friend Chrissy looks over at me with a "look". The kind of look that makes me think I should've dished about a boy but didn't....mostly because there is no boy. Our friend Kathryn looks at her and magically knows what she's thinking, so they whisper and then share with me: "So...what do you think of (insert boy's name)?" Now, to understand why this question made me screechy-laugh at them and drop my head on the table, we need to back up a few weeks.

One nice Sunday afternoon, we were driving around, talking about the fact that everyone is getting married or having babies. They both have their crushes and couldn't believe that there is no one for me to even like, so they developed a plan. They decided it was their mission to be my personal matchmakers and set me up with someone from their church or Bible study. That is how the whole karaoke thing came about. They invited me to come and said they would hook me up with someone there. They named a few guys and told me to pick (issue number one: how am I supposed to decide that someone is crush/date/spouse material by their name alone?!). So I laughed along, thinking they were joking.

Fast forward to this Wednesday. They gave me "the look" because the guy who stopped and said hi to them (I was not introduced) and then sang a song is one of the guys they had mentioned two weeks before! (insert hysterical laughter-breakdown here). So, they recruited another friend into KC Matchmakers Inc. who made it a point to drag him over to our table and introduce him to me. Very awkward...made more awkward by the fact my mouth was full of chocolate-chip cookie sundae, which then fell out of my mouth. Very graceful.

So, at the end of the night, one of the guys they had named appeared to have a girlfriend, the other, from the story above, seems very nice but not really my type (I'm not what you'd call a biker chick...), and I am still single. Which is okay. Most of the time I really am happy to be single. I like my life and look forward to it getting better. The only time my singleness really bugs me is weddings....or when I'm out with all couples and my brother...that's not too exciting. But all in all, I'm happy in my singledom for however long it lasts and plan to enjoy my life to the fullest!