Celebrating Mother's Day at Cross Reference Library!

A Confident Mom - As moms, we often doubt our ability to be the mom we want to be. Unpacking powerful lessons, biblical truths, and practical tools, bestselling author Renee Swope will help you take a deep breath of God’s grace and show you how to:

  • Exchange the exhaustion of constantly correcting your child’s bad habits with meaningful and creative ways to connect with their hearts.

  • Discover positive and encouraging daily practices that will help you notice and nurture your child’s character and unique God-given design.

  • Let go of performance-based living and learn how to pursue relationship-driven parenting.

Discover simple ways to give your child what they need most through the power of heart-centered and character-focused parenting. This book will transform your perspective of parenting and change the way you see yourself as a mom and as a child of God. 

Living Well as a Single Mom - You are the most important person in the world…to your kids. No one can love and nurture them like you can. But it isn’t easy.

  • Racing between your home, the day care, and your job, you remember another errand you need to squeeze into your already overloaded day.

  • You need to make important decisions about your kids, your finances, your home, and your car, but you’re not sure when or how you can research all your options.

  • You’d love to spend time with some people who are old enough to speak in full sentences, but most of your friends are either couples or just as busy as you.

This may not be the life you expected. Still, God’s promise to you and your kids hasn’t changed. He has a plan for your family, a future that is bright with hope. Your number one priority also hasn’t changed: to live well so you can help your kids live well too. Cynthia Yates, once a single mom herself, passionately wants you to do just that—with your relationship with God growing, your finances in order, and a team of friends and family ready to help. With straight talk, plenty of humor, and tons of compassion, she will guide you along your journey to Living Well as a Single Mom.

A Mom Just Like You - Let’s face it…the bulk of the everyday work of home schooling falls on Mom’s shoulders. As rewarding and fulfilling as it is, it is no easy task. No one knows this better than home schooling mother of ten, Vickie Farris. If you’ve ever wondered, “Okay, so how do you do it?” you just picked up the right book! Through her warm, practical style, Vickie will fill you with encouragement and practical suggestions for those days when the challenge seems overwhelming. And for those thinking of embarking on the home schooling adventure, she offers her insights gleaned from years of experience, giving confidence and resolve. After all, she’s a mom just like you. Hey Mom…you can do it!

In the Cross Reference Library, we have all kinds of Christian-based books. Among them, you can find several books on motherhood. And since Mother’s Day is coming up on Sunday, I thought we could celebrate by looking at books by authors, Renee Swope, Cynthia Yates, and also Vickie and Jayme Farris. Mainly, these authors (and mothers) seem to make one thing clear for all of us: being a mom is far from easy. Whether you’re a single mother, a homeschool mom, or a downright supermom, you are never without a challenge. In the first few chapters of Living Well as a Single Mom, author Cynthia Yates helps give moms (single or not), assurance through all the trials of motherhood. An example of that is the chapter titled, Leaning on Others. Through this chapter Cynthia explains to single moms, “You may be the only active parent, but trying to tackle this job alone would be ridiculous. Don’t buy into the notion that to be a strong woman, you should not ask for help.” So, if the responsibilities of motherhood are overwhelming and you are feeling stuck, don’t keep those feelings inside. Reach out for help. In our other two books this week, A Confident Mom and A Mom Just Like You, we get perspectives and advice from two extremely busy moms. I’ve met lots of moms who are just like them: Half of their daily to-do list is filled with the things that her husband and kids need, while the other half consists of things that she needs to complete within 24 hours. With that in mind, we can only imagine how crazy life is for author Vickie Farris, as she tackles being a writer and homeschooling her ten kids. To follow that thought, in the chapter titled, Dispelling the Myth of Supermom, when a store checker told Vickie, “I don’t know how you do it. I only have two children and they drive me crazy! You must be the most patient, organized woman in the world.” And Vickie simply answered with, “It’s not not that I’m all that patient or organized. It’s pretty much just the grace of God that gets me through.”

To finish this out, I know it wouldn’t be right to put together a Mother’s Day post without celebrating my amazing mom. She is a ranch wife, so when my siblings and I were still in school, she was always trying to balance the constant stress of ranch life with our school activities. She rarely missed a game or performance (unless we were in calving season!), and that meant so much to me. But what I am most grateful for is, even though she knew I was planning on leaving home right after graduation, she always checked to see if I knew where I was going and how I was going to get there. My mom Vicki, is my great example on how to live an amazing life for others. I know she isn’t perfect, but I wouldn’t ask for anyone else. So come on down to the Cross Reference Library and check out these amazing books. And don’t forget to tell your mom that you love her.

—Happy Mother’s Day from Cross Reference Library!