In Pursuit of P31 (and a giveaway!)

At the end of this post I’ll tell you about a huge, fabulous giveaway, but first I want to tell you about a new book.

A ton of books have been published about the Proverbs 31 woman. There’s even a whole magazine (probably more!) devoted to becoming more like her. Award-winning author Kathi Macias recently released a new one, one quite different from all the rest.

How Can I Run a Tight Ship When I’m Surrounded by Loose Cannons?

How’s that for a title? Do you ever wonder this? I know I do! I get all my ducks in a row only to have them waddle off on their own.

This book takes a humorous look at the author’s pursuit of the Proverbs 31 woman. When she met Jesus, the author, a self-proclaimed control freak, immediately set out in search of a P31 mentor who could show her how to be a perfect Christian and run the perfect Christian home. Chapter by chapter readers watch her crash and burn as she tries to be everything to everyone and all in her own strength. The good news: she learns from her experiences. The better news: she shares what she learns with us.

She never quite found that mentor. Instead she found several, each contributing a different piece of the map. The book follows her journey chronologically. She parallels spiritual growth with a child’s physical growth. This parallel divides the book into five sections:

• Crawling: infants or “rugrats” on our knees
• Walking: toddlers who are still a bit shaky but exploring and learning
• Running: stronger, more mature believers who are beginning to make a difference in their world
• Flying or soaring: eagles with a solid foundation and maturity to share with others
• Resting: back on our knees and realizing that place of utter dependence on Him is really the best place to be after all

Each chapter ends with a “Making it Personal” section. There you’ll find questions that encourage introspection. You’ll also find a key verse for that chapter.

I said at the outset that this book is different from all other P31 books. Let me explain. The subtitle is Proverbs 31 Discoveries for Yielding to the Master of the Seas. But it’s not a Bible study. It’s not an exegetical dissection of  Proverbs 31 and the woman found there. It’s not a step-by-step instruction manual for becoming that woman. It’s not discoveries from Proverbs 31, but discoveries about the Proverbs 31 woman. Yes, there are verses mentioned in each chapter, but with the exception of the Introduction, Proverbs 31 is not quoted anywhere. The point of this subtitle is not in the P31 mention, but in the “yielding” part.

We all aspire to be that perfect woman of faith – the perfect mother, wife, friend, provider, protector, household CEO — but the fact is, and the point of this book is, that we can’t achieve that on our own. Furthermore, our “perfect” may look different than God’s “perfect” for our lives in that moment. The only way to become the Proverbs 31 woman is to yield to the Father. Not in actions or behavior or idyllic household maintenance, but in sincerity and totality. This book offers an honest and funny picture of what that does and doesn’t look like in real life.

The book wasn’t at all what I expected, but it was a great book. Follow this link to purchase it from Amazon.com. Also, visit the author’s website for information on her other titles.

Here is a bit from a recent interview with the author, Kathi Macias.

Why did you choose a humor format for a discipleship book?
Actually, I chose a discipleship theme for a humor title. As much as I hate to admit it, the title came to me one day and I knew I had to do something with it–just too good to pass up! So the more I thought and prayed about it, the more I realized it described my life, both naturally and spiritually. I began to try to lay out my spiritual growth via humorous life stories, and found they produced a natural pattern. From there I developed the five stages of spiritual growth into five sections for the book, and I was off and running! Besides, I learned from a friend/mentor years ago that you can “shove a lot of truth down people’s throat when their mouth is open laughing,” so I figured, why not?

What advice can you give to the young mom out there who is juggling two kids, a fulltime job outside the home, a husband, housework, pets and church? 
Life happens in seasons! You CAN’T be all things to all people at all times. It simply doesn’t work. And if you don’t believe it, read about my many crash-and-burn episodes as I tried! The Proverbs 31 woman is a composite picture of many women from different walks and stages of life; when we get a grip on that, it releases us to enjoy the season we’re in right now, even as we prepare for the next one.

Are there some specific lessons you hope readers will learn and apply to their lives after reading your book? 
I want them to learn to relax and laugh and enjoy this voyage called “life,” and to trust the Captain of our souls to take us home safely when our trip is over, rather than struggling to “man the oars” ourselves.

Did I mention a giveaway?

Yes, I did! The author put together a great collection of books. She will give them ALL away to one lucky reader. Here’s the catch: the blog with the most comments gets to pick a winner. That means we need to get a lot of comments on this post, if any of you want to win. Tell your friends and family to get over here and leave their thoughts. On April 21st, I’ll email Kathi with the number of comments. If we have more than all the other participating blogs, I get to pick a winner! It could be you.

The prize includes these fabulous titles: 
A Grace Disguised by Jerry Sittser
A Woman’s Guide to Overcoming Depression by Archibald Hart, Ph.D. and Catherine Hart Weber, Ph. D.
Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity by Keri Wyatt Kent
Dragonlight, a novel by Donita K. Paul
Blue Heart Blessed, a novel by Susan Meissner
Taking a Stand by Janet Lynn Mitchell

And her own books:
Beyond Me: Living a You-First Life in a Me-First World
The Train-of-Thought Writing Method: Practical, User-Friendly Help for Beginning Writers
Emma Jean Reborn, a novel
Sally Stuart’s 2009 Christian Writers Market Guide

So let the comments flow!