Today I welcome a guest post by Sherrin Drew. Sherrin is a wife and mother of one little boy and blogs at Home Based Education where she strives to make a joyful home based learning environment for her son.
Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper would make a great Christmas gift for somebody you love. The book is designed to inspire readers to look to God in fresh ways. A thriving relationship with God can lead to faithful traditions and joy filled celebrations. Noel provides many ideas of how to create God-centred traditions, but her goal is not to write a “how-to manual” (p.16). Instead, she prompts readers to ask themselves how they can show forth Christ as their treasure.
Firstly, Noel Piper encourages readers to develop “everyday” traditions that turn their hearts toward God. Christians need to plan to focus on God’s word and prayer, because such activities “are too close to the heart of God to be left to choice” (p. 49). The second half of the book is devoted to “especially” traditions. God can be placed at the centre of each celebration, whether a birthday or a Christmas dinner, because he is the giver of all these good gifts.
Memorable stories of God’s dealings with the Piper family are used to illustrate each example of a God-centred tradition. If you enjoy reading about what God is doing in the lives of other families, you will love these sections of the book. Family recipes, poems, letters and songs are incorporated in burgundy text boxes, adding to the beautiful presentation of the book.
Noel’s experience of family life and faithfulness in raising children make this a valuable child-training resource. Noel particularly recommends repetition and tangible symbols as learning tools. The Pipers always keep the key goal in mind: children are adults in training. The book includes an appendix about children worshiping with their families throughout the church service. In this essay John and Noel offer reasons to work toward this and practical suggestions.
Treasuring God in Our Traditions is not just for families though. Noel makes an effort to draw in singles, childless adults, and those from troubled backgrounds. The book is also an appropriate gift for men. They would enjoy its many insights into John Piper’s role in family traditions. All Christians, regardless of gender or situation, can benefit from considering whether their lives communicate that God is their treasure and joy.
Note from Lindsay: For my personal review of this title, visit here.
Great, Deanna, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!
I CAN’T WAIT! I just ordered this book and From CLutter to Clarity as well as In The Defense of Food on Amazon. I have a friend already asking to borrow this book when I’m done with it!
Hi Allyson,
Thanks for visiting my blog. I have now fixed the comments section!
Hi Amber,
Yes, Noel is the wife of John Piper the Reformed theologian. I would say that the book’s main focus is upon truths that all Christians would share, but it is likely that Reformed doctrine is evident if you look for it. I wasn’t thinking about this as I read, so I can’t say for sure. The book is definitely informed by the strong biblical faith and practice that characterize John Piper’s ministry, which is wonderful! Noel is a graduate of Wheaton College (B.A.).
It is such a great book! I especially love all of the practical, real-life examples she gives!!!!
This was an excellent book about traditions which was good for me as my husband and I are starting our family. But it was also challenging to think deeper about training our children to love the Lord and how traditions can play a huge part in that.
Thank you for the book review. A few questions. What is the author’s educational background? Is the John Piper she is married to the Reformed theologian John Piper and does that form what is in the book?
Sounds like a good book to pick up – I’m going head over to my library page and see if I can request it now
Lindsay, I’m sure I can get this book on Amazon or some other website, but I was wondering where you got it?
I think I originally purchased mine at a Desiring God conference (Noel Piper’s church).
LOVE this book!
I read this book a couple of years ago and it really helped me form some lasting traditions for my family that are God-centered, God-directed, and life enriching. Definitely worth your time to read it!
I’m hoping to get a copy of this book this Christmas. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it.
As a side note, I visited Sherrin’s blog. It looks like she has a lot of good ideas, but I’m not able to comment on her blog. I’m not sure if she knows that this feature is not working.