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Becoming a Woman Who Pleases God: A Guide to Developing Your Biblical Potential
There is an enormous amount of confusion and deception about what it means to be a woman. Even within the church, women are continually struggling to define their femininity. Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock tackle the difficult question of 'What makes a godly woman?' with warmth, compassion, and directness in Becoming aWoman Who Pleases God. Readers will find themselves challenged to re-think their priorities, re-examine the position of the home, and re-work their definition of what it means to be a woman in whom God is well pleased.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2003
27 people are currently reading
162 people want to read
About the author
Pat Ennis
12 books9 followersDr. Pat Ennis (Patricia A. Ennis) taught Home Economics for the San Diego Unified School District before developing and establishing the Home Economics Department at Christian Heritage College located in El Cajon, California at the request of Dr. Tim LaHaye. She moved to The Master’s College in 1987, at the invitation of Dr. John MacArthur, to establish the Home Economics-Family and Consumer Science Department. Relocation to the College at Southwestern Baptist Theological occurred in 2011. Currently she is the Director of Homemaking Programs and Distinguished Professor at Southwestern.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 30, 2009
Confession: I’m a legalist at heart. Underneath my veneer of laziness and selfishness, there’s a secret part of me that longs to save myself instead of trusting in God to save me. I want to be the hero. I want to be the good guy. I want to stand before God on Judgment Day and hear Him say, “I had a lot of great servants who did a great job, but you -- you are something special.”
That’s why a book like this is so dangerous for a legalist like me.
So this book was written to help Christian women to embody the biblical model of a godly woman. And, while I think it contains some great tips and helpful tools for a wife, mother, and even a single lady such as myself to achieve personal goals of discipline and organization, I also think there’s a dangerous, if unintentional, emphasis on the “doing” part of biblical womanhood.
The authors, Lisa Tatlock and Pat Ennis, cover twelve different areas in which we can specifically and uniquely please God as Christian women. The authors offer lots of good practical advice on how to be a better manager of one’s home, finances, children, and personal devotions.
For a book that was supposed to be about Becoming a Woman Who Pleases God, it did a rather lackluster job of explaining the heart and motivation behind the many practical areas it addressed. That, to me, is putting the cart before the horse. In my mind, wanting to become a woman who pleases God cannot start anywhere but the heart. It must begin with theology and the gospel – we have to know why we want to please God if we want to do things that please Him. He does not look at the outward appearance, but at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).
The book doesn’t completely neglect the spiritual aspect of discipline. The authors end each chapter with a study guide that delves deeper into the scriptures pertaining to their topic. I tried to do the study guide for each chapter in order to get the full experience of the book. I had to give up after Chapter Seven because I just couldn’t do it anymore. It was exhausting, having to look up so many different passages and then trying to meditate on each of them – at the rate I was going, I was never going to finish. I’m convinced that the only reason I’m even ready to write this review today is because I finally stopped doing the study guides.
And that’s the thing with this book. Does it provide lots of good advice? Yes. Does it encourage women to be excellent workers in the home? I think so. But it also paints a pretty rigid picture of what a godly wife and mother should look like. Not everyone needs charts and spreadsheets and flash cards in order to please the Lord. And those things don’t necessarily help the women who use them, either. Sometimes, those things help. But they can also enslave and lure women into a false sense of rightness with God just because they’re sticking to the program.
You might be super-faithful to the flashcards and spreadsheets and still be shocked wake up one day feeling like you aren’t really walking with the Lord. This is because faithfulness to flashcards doesn’t lead to intimacy with God – faithfulness to God does.
I don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, here, so I’ll say again that I think that the authors provide some great tools and tips for those who need help to be more excellent in their home life. But let me warn you before you start that, if you’ve got legalistic tendencies like I do, you’re going to need to be extra-careful to spend good time at the feet of Jesus while you’re reading this book to make sure that you’re serving Him and not the charts.
That’s why a book like this is so dangerous for a legalist like me.
So this book was written to help Christian women to embody the biblical model of a godly woman. And, while I think it contains some great tips and helpful tools for a wife, mother, and even a single lady such as myself to achieve personal goals of discipline and organization, I also think there’s a dangerous, if unintentional, emphasis on the “doing” part of biblical womanhood.
The authors, Lisa Tatlock and Pat Ennis, cover twelve different areas in which we can specifically and uniquely please God as Christian women. The authors offer lots of good practical advice on how to be a better manager of one’s home, finances, children, and personal devotions.
For a book that was supposed to be about Becoming a Woman Who Pleases God, it did a rather lackluster job of explaining the heart and motivation behind the many practical areas it addressed. That, to me, is putting the cart before the horse. In my mind, wanting to become a woman who pleases God cannot start anywhere but the heart. It must begin with theology and the gospel – we have to know why we want to please God if we want to do things that please Him. He does not look at the outward appearance, but at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).
The book doesn’t completely neglect the spiritual aspect of discipline. The authors end each chapter with a study guide that delves deeper into the scriptures pertaining to their topic. I tried to do the study guide for each chapter in order to get the full experience of the book. I had to give up after Chapter Seven because I just couldn’t do it anymore. It was exhausting, having to look up so many different passages and then trying to meditate on each of them – at the rate I was going, I was never going to finish. I’m convinced that the only reason I’m even ready to write this review today is because I finally stopped doing the study guides.
And that’s the thing with this book. Does it provide lots of good advice? Yes. Does it encourage women to be excellent workers in the home? I think so. But it also paints a pretty rigid picture of what a godly wife and mother should look like. Not everyone needs charts and spreadsheets and flash cards in order to please the Lord. And those things don’t necessarily help the women who use them, either. Sometimes, those things help. But they can also enslave and lure women into a false sense of rightness with God just because they’re sticking to the program.
You might be super-faithful to the flashcards and spreadsheets and still be shocked wake up one day feeling like you aren’t really walking with the Lord. This is because faithfulness to flashcards doesn’t lead to intimacy with God – faithfulness to God does.
I don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, here, so I’ll say again that I think that the authors provide some great tools and tips for those who need help to be more excellent in their home life. But let me warn you before you start that, if you’ve got legalistic tendencies like I do, you’re going to need to be extra-careful to spend good time at the feet of Jesus while you’re reading this book to make sure that you’re serving Him and not the charts.
June 24, 2020
Reading this book made me feel like I was listening to two older women carrying on a conversation, giving practical advice and godly wisdom from the Scriptures and their own life experience. I appreciated the numerous Scripture references and direct verses throughout the chapters. It certainly showed their heart to point women to the Scriptures, which is the only truth we can completely trust in.
December 24, 2022
I reluctantly read this years ago for a church ladies bible study and hated nearly every minute of it. It was not inspiring, but condemning.
May 30, 2011
I gave this book a 2-star rating for several reasons:
1. The changes in fonts was very distracting and hard to read.
2. There was very little about how the Gospel or grace or walking in the power of the Spirit. I thought it lent itself more to perfectionism and works to please God, rather than God is pleased with us because of what he has done for us on the cross.
3. It had a light, airy feeling. The narrator of the book, a senior in high school, seemed to not have many deep thoughts or questions, but she was good at applying things perfectly---journaling, doing character studies, memorizing, researching....it could put somebody under the pile pretty quick.
4. This book would have been better named as a modern charm school course, which is not a bad thing. There are helpful things in this book to teach young girls, but it should not be confused with what makes someone more spiritual, "i.e. if I am a organized, balanced homemaker, God will love me more than someone who isn't" I think this could be repackaged in a more straightforward manner and called "how to be a more organized woman."
5. There isn't anything in this book about texting, social networking or relating to the opposite sex, other than making sure your skirt isn't too short.
6. Surprisingly, while trying to contemporary with the differing fonts, there weren't many illustrations or pictures.
I don't like going all negative on this book. Like I said under #4, there are some helpful things covered in the book, like utilizing time management skills vs. living off of adrenaline. I like how the narrator had a good relationship with her parents. There was the role model of the college student who was her small group leader. There are good things about this book, and there are many important topics covered. However, for me it seemed hazy when it came to works vs. grace and busy-ness vs. being.
1. The changes in fonts was very distracting and hard to read.
2. There was very little about how the Gospel or grace or walking in the power of the Spirit. I thought it lent itself more to perfectionism and works to please God, rather than God is pleased with us because of what he has done for us on the cross.
3. It had a light, airy feeling. The narrator of the book, a senior in high school, seemed to not have many deep thoughts or questions, but she was good at applying things perfectly---journaling, doing character studies, memorizing, researching....it could put somebody under the pile pretty quick.
4. This book would have been better named as a modern charm school course, which is not a bad thing. There are helpful things in this book to teach young girls, but it should not be confused with what makes someone more spiritual, "i.e. if I am a organized, balanced homemaker, God will love me more than someone who isn't" I think this could be repackaged in a more straightforward manner and called "how to be a more organized woman."
5. There isn't anything in this book about texting, social networking or relating to the opposite sex, other than making sure your skirt isn't too short.
6. Surprisingly, while trying to contemporary with the differing fonts, there weren't many illustrations or pictures.
I don't like going all negative on this book. Like I said under #4, there are some helpful things covered in the book, like utilizing time management skills vs. living off of adrenaline. I like how the narrator had a good relationship with her parents. There was the role model of the college student who was her small group leader. There are good things about this book, and there are many important topics covered. However, for me it seemed hazy when it came to works vs. grace and busy-ness vs. being.
May 23, 2024
Past its usefulness??? And so many typos!
In places this book is barely legible due to typos and horrible grammar. Beyond that, I can't help but think this college curriculum in home economics came about because girls thought they should go to college, and men wanted to keep them in the home. Viola! A degree in home economics. Don't misunderstood me. I chose to be a SAHM when my kids were small, and I still choose to prioritize my husband and home, even though I have a PhD and a successful career. I get it! I do. Proverbs 31 women, unite!!
Still....
These are just not those days. Women do not work to "supplement the family budget" today. Women have careers to survive! Very few of us polish cutlery and "listen to tapes" while we iron. What a luxury of time! I am sure the generation that produced this book would clutch their pearls and gasp at the ways we manage time and money to make it through another month in 2024.
In places this book is barely legible due to typos and horrible grammar. Beyond that, I can't help but think this college curriculum in home economics came about because girls thought they should go to college, and men wanted to keep them in the home. Viola! A degree in home economics. Don't misunderstood me. I chose to be a SAHM when my kids were small, and I still choose to prioritize my husband and home, even though I have a PhD and a successful career. I get it! I do. Proverbs 31 women, unite!!
Still....
These are just not those days. Women do not work to "supplement the family budget" today. Women have careers to survive! Very few of us polish cutlery and "listen to tapes" while we iron. What a luxury of time! I am sure the generation that produced this book would clutch their pearls and gasp at the ways we manage time and money to make it through another month in 2024.
March 11, 2012
So many times I pick up books written for Christian women, read a few chapters, and then set them down in disappointment. This was not one of those books. So many books that I read have flawed theology or fail to set high enough expectations. This book was not like that. By far, this was one of the most edifying and convicting books I've ever read.
The authors of Becoming a Woman Who Pleases God are so wise, but yet so real. The book that they have written is refreshing, inspiring, and grounded in Biblical Truth. Every point is backed up with Scripture and the authors provide examples of practical applications of what they are teaching.
After reading this book I am inspired to work harder than every to be a woman who pleases God and to spend more time preparing for my future roles as a wife, mother, and manager of the home.
Highly recommended.
The authors of Becoming a Woman Who Pleases God are so wise, but yet so real. The book that they have written is refreshing, inspiring, and grounded in Biblical Truth. Every point is backed up with Scripture and the authors provide examples of practical applications of what they are teaching.
After reading this book I am inspired to work harder than every to be a woman who pleases God and to spend more time preparing for my future roles as a wife, mother, and manager of the home.
Highly recommended.
July 2, 2012
If you plan on reading this book you should plan on it taking about 10 months (one month per chapter). I absolutely loved this study because it directed me to study the scriptures myself which dealt with my heart issues, and then led to practical application which is described in the chapters. If you don't plan on doing the assignments or don't keep up with them you will probably not profit in certain ways (like heart issues). It is good to do this study with other women (both older and younger) so that you may hold each other accountable. It has been very convicting in both areas of home-management and in relationships. So my advice - take your time, do it with a small group and meet once a month.
January 3, 2015
It was okay. I think the chapters varied depending on who wrote it. I think this provides a lot of food for thought. I think... I guess I ought to count it a blessing that I'm in a community that holds onto God's word and people live it out. So I guess if I didn't have that, this book would be more interesting. Buuuut as it is.. I don't know. *yawn? *
Currently reading
April 5, 2008It challenges my thoughts about what a Biblically godly woman should be against my current 21st Century feminist ideas.
August 21, 2011
I LOVE THIS BOOK!! So much wisdom!
June 1, 2014
I LOVE this book. So much practical advice on how to run a household for the Glory of the Lord. I refer to it often... since 2006, almost like a handbook.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews