Book Review: Feathers from my Nest

I have heard others rave about Beth Moore Bible Studies. I have wanted to try one, but never really had much opportunity. Listening to this Beth Moore memoir was my first introduction to any of her literature. What a great introduction!

I will say that, at first, I found it difficult to listen to because Beth tends to speak very rapidly (and I'm assuming, if I saw her video studies, with great animation). But, half-way through the first CD, I became engrossed in her stories. She is a storyteller and that is what I love from teachers of the Word. Jesus used parables; it is no wonder that modern witnesses of the Word are most effective when they pair it with personal stories.

Beth Moore is a very passionate woman, yet is very down-to-earth and real. She shared the personal trials of gaining a son and then losing a son. She spoke of dealing with her daughter's brief foray into eating disorders. Her purpose was clearly to encourage women to hang onto their nests and the feathers which line their nest, because God can do miraculous things within our families.

Although written at a time when she was facing the "empty nest syndrome," something a long way off for me, this book is encouraging and uplifting for any mother. I relished hearing the stories of life with her daughters. I ached with her over the loss of her son (in my book, sons are so special!).

There were several things which will stick with me from this book. Beth did an outstanding job of outlining the tremendous importance of church involvement. We have been without a steady church home since our move to Indiana and I feel it acutely. Beth articulated the many reasons faithful church attendance benefits our lives.

She also offered up an interesting idea for establishing a family devotional time in a busy household. She had a burden for creating this special time within their home, but didn't really have a united front in the leadership of it. Therefore, she began starting her morning with a search for an applicable Scripture for the family to focus on. She wrote this verse on a 3 x 5 card and placed it in a basket alongside several devotionals aimed at the differing ages of her children. After each family member read the verse and the daily devotional, they would indicate their participation by signing the card. It was her way of holding her children accountable and keeping the entire family in the Word (though not necessarily together at the dinner table). I'll have to tuck that one away in my brain until my two little ones are old enough to read and write.

Having struggled within my own marriage, I would have loved to have heard a few more details about why she feels that she and her husband had the odds all stacked against them. Perhaps that book is still to come. I know that those type of stories are both difficult to share and difficult to hear. Trials with illness or trials with our children are sometimes easier to embrace than trials within our marriages. Like Beth, I believe my intact family is a miracle of God's intervention. I don't know when I'll get involved in a Beth Moore Bible Study, but I will certainly keep my eye out for any books she might write on marriage. Sometimes, only God can hold that together!