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9 must read books for Christian mothers

Published on April 4, 2024December 18, 2024 by Alethea AwukuLeave a comment

For Christian mums looking for inspiration, guidance, and spiritual nourishment! Whether you’re navigating the complexities of motherhood, seeking to deepen your faith, or simply craving moments of reflection and perspective in the midst of the demands of it all, I hope that these nine books will encourage you just as much as they’ve encouraged me! Each one offers a wealth of wisdom, practical advice, encouragement, and insight, reminding us of the profound significance of our role and the love and grace of Christ that sustains us on our journey.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Risen Motherhood: Gospel hope for everyday moments

What I love the most about Risen Motherhood content is how they connect our faith with motherhood. It helps you to life up your eyes and perspective to see things from a Biblical worldview which is so helpful- a needed reminder! It’s not a ‘how to’ book for mothers, but an encouragement that everything we do is by God’s design and for his purposes. Nothing is too mundane or small in this season. <a href="http://<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Risen-Motherhood-Gospel-Everyday-Moments/dp/0736976221/ref=sr_1_1?crid=36R77O3G3K8CM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.i1c1n54y9HgHyWdHTlKYFQIpWNnqTlIq6kHyftvbPXThy-Mliaz_jYRQtuR2_wRw1hErTal9_o7mP0IV3YngnRvLor77ky12mxNJjzJLDE1QjxL41YDDbNVi94or5sDoROOXKXhsqJB-xiA3Ee7o7v99j_p3AileJKkOUP-ChcZXh4IYGYei5nZaHqUV_FNsC1mwfCRSrj2V6Gy6RpvfuRPoQ5CCfGGPWAB-MZ_dGvk.GLcNGwmACLTwB_Mc_PVwgroKg3r4e7iR6G7NjGpL2i8&dib_tag=se&keywords=risen+motherhood&qid=1710657442&sprefix=risen+motherhood%252Caps%252C90&sr=8-1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=gracedforhome-21&linkCode=ur2&linkId=4e578b21670ccb6030b08b7fadbf720c&camp=1634&creative=6738">Get your copy

Get yours here.

Shepherding a child’s heart

The first parenting book that I read and it blew my mind away! The wisdom in this book is incredible and very convicting. Tedd Tripp really goes into detail on the importance of looking at the heart of our children and seeking to disciple the heart over correcting outward behaviour. It’s challenging, informative, direct and focuses on Biblical principles and practices.

Get yours here.

Memory Making Mom

If you are feeling overwhelmed with creating new and unique family traditions this book is really helpful in kickstarting it for you. There are so many ideas to bring joy and personlised experiences into your home which is something that all of us want to give to our children. I see it as part of our legacy building and what makes our family “us” so this book is a little gem!

Get yours here.

Awaking Wonder

I love Sally Clarkson and her vision and heart for home. She is an older much wiser and seasoned woman who comes along side you in her books to share the heart of God for our lives and it is such an encouragement and challenge to our hearts as mothers.

Get yours here.

Treasuring Christ

This is a really great practical book that helps us to keep our eyes on Christ in the midst of the busyness and chaotic moments in motherhood. Reading the book shook my preconceptions about the significance of hardship in motherhood, deepened my understanding of biblical teachings regarding trials, and reinforced the truth that contentment and joy can’t come from anything else but Christ.

Get yours here.

Sacred Parenting

It’s not your typical how-to guide, which is really refreshing considering the inundation of parenting manuals that are out there. What I love the most about this book is that it prompts us to reflect on the higher calling of nurturing children for the glory of God. It also gives a lot of practical and realistic tips that don’t feel so overwhelming to achieve.

Get yours here.

Desperate

For this review I’ll have to post the authors statement as it sums up the book perfectly.

Desperate is for those who love their children to the depths of their souls but who have also curled up under their covers, fighting back tears, and begging God for help. It’s for those who have ever wondered what happened to all their ideals for what having children would be like. For those who have ever felt like all the “experts” have clearly never had a child like theirs. For those who have prayed for a mentor. For those who ever felt lost and alone in motherhood.

In Desperate you will find the story of one young mother’s honest account of the desperate feelings experienced in motherhood and one experienced mentor’s realistic and gentle exhortations that were forged in the trenches of raising her own four children.

Get yours here.

Missional Motherhood

A great encouraging book helping us to know that in the midst of all the busyness, motherhood is anything but insignificant and I think it just hits this nail squarely on the head. It is too easy to wonder if anything we are doing is worthwhile because raising other human beings can be so taxing.

The book focuses on the Gospel and how this should shape our desires, and realities in motherhood. The bigger picture from a theological perspective.

Get yours here.

I hope you find these useful!

New seasons… the unknown

Published on January 22, 2024 by Alethea AwukuLeave a comment

There is a certain apprehensive feeling that we all go through as we prepare to enter into a new season of our lives. It can be a new job, entering into a relationship, starting school, marriage, parenthood, or a large financial commitment.

Entering into a new season of our lives is like walking into the unknown because well, it is unknown to us regardless of how much we have ‘prepared ourselves’ for it. Our feelings can have us feeling strange – wondering if the thoughts we have are justifiable, reasonable, normal, or a signal that God is using to steer our hearts towards His voice in a season. Have we made the right decision or not?

Many times, when we are approaching something new, we feel uncertain because we have no control over what we will find when we open the door. We may profess that we have faith because we really do want to have faith, but deep down the feeling of apprehension may be gently gnawing at us telling us to err on the side of caution, or abandon our ambitious pursuit altogether.

In the many twists and turns, and new seasons of my life I have learnt something profound that I pray remains with me until I meet my saviour face to face. In the unknown moments of my life, God has an incredible opportunity to demonstrate His faithfulness to me. God is always faithfully providing for us and tapping us to see His provision and hand in many of the things that we go through, but sometimes we just never see it because we have grown comfortable in the security of being able to have reasonable controls over the variables in our lives.

It is only when we come face to face with the unknown- when we come face to face with our answered prayers, or a test that God is cheering us on to overcome that we contend with the feelings of uncertainty and our knees buckle a little.

God has shown me that instead of allowing the fear of uncertainty to overwhelm me, I should use it as an opportunity to allow my faith to grown in Him, and to cling onto Him rather than my own reasoning mind, and I must exchange what I see or don’t see, with His Word that builds up faith in my heart.

2 Corinthians 12:9-11

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

Awaking wonder in the hearts of my boys

Published on January 9, 2024 by Alethea AwukuLeave a comment

There is a part of us that has a longing. A deep well within us that needs filing with the fullness of God, but If I am honest, the thought of awaking wonder in the hearts of my boys feels like an intimidating prospect because there is a huge part of me that feels stuck when I consider being this other version of myself who is free spirited and sees and feels all the beauty around me.

It feels hard because I have been trained into a system that values results, efficiency, competitive edge, hurriedness over a slower more savored pace of life. I suppose the title of this blog post should be “how to awaken wonder in my own heart”.

My boys by nature are already bent towards wonder. If they aren’t jumping off furniture imagining that they are flying superhero agents sent to rescue the world, they are completely immersed in the land of all things soil, mud and water as they dig to find treasure, or create foundations to build forts, castles and temples. I honestly look at them most times in amazement. We absolutely have hunters, wrestlers, producers and conquerors in our midst! They are so cool and remind me that we have an innate pull within us to bring forth creativity in our own unique way.

I have to be honest also, that most of the time, I am also thinking “what on earth…” because I just feel so far removed from the way a boys brain is wired to work! Yet God has given me this portion. The three most wonderful boys to nurture, disciple and raise into wonderful men who reflect the image of God.

When I think of awakening wonder in the hearts of these souls, I think about leaving a legacy of hearts that beat after the unseen things of this world, while appreciating the very things that anchor us in real relationship, community and life. I think of hearts that beat strongly and thirst for knowledge in real tangible ways, hearts that feel full and satisfied with the precious simplicities of life that we are so unfamiliar with. Awaking wonder to me is about loving and nurturing each boy individually so that they grow roots in who they are without ever feeling the need to compete with others. To feel wholeheartedly secure in Christ and in your place in this world is probably the most anchoring experience that we can desire.

My view of education is changing and I never ever thought that I would experience this! I see now that it isn’t linear. The path to “success” and fulfillment isn’t just one way that we all have to walk and I need them to know this. There is so much wonder, so much to ponder on, so much to explore and to wrestle with in this rich life and I really want them to have this. Academic success is important, but I believe that a life undergirded by faith and inner character is more of a blessing- brings forth more of a fruitful and full life.

I want them to be free enough in their minds to build a deeply fun life giving enough time for their hearts to taste and see all that life has to offer. Seeking after it. Finding wonder and inspiration that organically and authentically propels them forward to their next learning adventure- because it truly never stops.

God bless,

Alethea

Why Graced for Home?

Published on December 10, 2023January 15, 2024 by Alethea AwukuLeave a comment

I, like many women had only one goal in mind as I grew up. Work hard to be competitive in the market place. The best in my field. Get that competitive edge so that I could stand out and land the high paying job with an incredible benefits package. I knew that I wanted to become a mother one day because it was the other natural path that I desired but my entire focus was on career and making money. I was and still am an ambitious, and highly capable and productive woman with several dreams and abilities.

However things started to change for me when I left my first very good corporate job to work part time for my church at that time. I was newly married and I realised that a huge part of me also had a heart for home. I am incredibly passionate about building with my own tribe, having time to intentionally create a life of joy, adventure and success according to what it means to our unique family. I wanted to learn how to be this way.

That’s also when I felt the tension between the two. Seasonally, I came to realise that I couldn’t have the two at the same time. Yet the pull for home became intensely strong when I had my first son. Seeing that new life that my husband and I co created shifted my perspective on life and motherhood entirely.

“Choosing to walk confidently in Gods design requires a step of faith- a step away from the marketplace of activities and into the mummy place of the home, which is filled with beauty, love, creativity, purpose and peace”. Sally Clarkson

Yet I also realised that I naturally was entering into motherhood with so much insecurity, fear and confusion regarding my personal role and ability. I wasn’t confident in so many areas, and yet I still had a strong heart to be based from home with my child and now children.

The desire for this blog really is to;

Document my personal journey as a Christian woman and mother
To document and encourage others on the journey of raising boys
I have truly felt afraid to lean into this new version of myself because in alot of ways it confirms the new journey that I am on and I have never considered myself living this- and putting it out there for the world to see. I still coming to terms with a lot of things everyday! Yet I have accepted that this is the most authentic way that I-Alethea can express myself. This is what God has given to me and I am compelled towards it. Especially as I desire to teach my children to keep their hearts open to who God has called them to be and lean into their natural gifts. I have to model this and can’t run away from it.
It is making me a better mother.
To encourage Christian mothers, and specifically stay at home mothers that we can absolutely do this and grow in confidence managing the home, loving and nurturing our children, and discovering new things within ourselves- our skills etc and still thrive beautifully as individuals. Staying at home does not have to be filled with insecurities.
Share my journey of home education and encouraging mothers in this area too, sharing some resources that I make for my children to learn with.

I hope you’ll journey along with me x

A vision for home

Published on December 4, 2023December 9, 2023 by Alethea Awuku1 Comment

A place for belonging and becoming is important to this mama. Where hearts find a home to discover, test their limits, dream and hope. Home is base. The place intentionally and carefully built to serve us all. A place of refuge when we need shelter and protection from the harsh winds of the outside world, a safe launching pad that encourages us to try, to take the steps needed to develop skills and ideas, and the heartbeat of all things discipleship, training and refining.

When I think about my home, I envision warmth. Sacred and natural deeply rooted rhythms and traditions that have been intentionally repeated so much that they lead our days into an ever deeper connection with each other, the world around us and God. To build deep, strong foundations takes time and considerable effort. To establish, set in, and anchor hearts to all that is good and wonderful takes a mighty work of the Holy Spirit to come alongside my daily efforts.

How I long for my boys to know the powerful, soul grounding witness of the Lord in their hearts! It is my prayer for them daily. My hope and desire is that our home will be a place where miracles upon miracles are witnessed in all of our lives. May it stand as a monument testifying to the goodness and faithfulness of God to our lives.

My vision for my home is that it would be filled with love, laughter and joy. A space where learning is not only expected, but inwardly pursued, cherished, and evolving as we all change and grow. A place of cultivation rings strong in my heart. The tiling, preparing, and nurture of the souls that live under my roof is a humbling magnificent job that I know I am called to. May God give me the grace and capacity to carry this for my boys.

A place to be. To know without a doubt that they belong, and that daddy and I are committed to their becoming. What holy work!

My boys are currently 5, 3 and 1 and most days, in the chaos and busyness of caring for very young children, this ideal can feel very far away- like an unrealistic and impossible dream. However it echoes so loudly in my heart and I just cannot ignore it. Living with my children and being with them each day is quite an intimate reality to live.

We eat together, rest together, learn together, play, adventure and pray together each and everyday. We frustrate one another, quarrel, love and forgive. It’s all encompassing. A whole life. One that I am incredibly grateful for. I hope to revisit this post in a few years time to reflect on how my thoughts and desires have evolved.

Through [skillful and godly] wisdom a house [a life, a home, a family] is built, And by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation], And by knowledge its rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches. Proverbs 24:3-4 (AMP)