AMBITIOUS is a monthly discipleship book club of strong Christian women who have a heart for their King, a heart for their family, a heart for the Church, a heart for Truth, and a heart for the culture at large.
Because ... You don't know what you don't know.
Because ... You can't give what you don't have.
Because ... What shapes your thinking, shapes your living.
Because ... We are charged to contend for truth.
Because ... So much is riding on it!
BECAUSE WE HAVE SO GREAT A SALVATION!
"If a man wants to read good books, he must make a point of avoiding bad ones; for life is short, and time and energy limited."
~ Arthur Schopenhauer ~ as quoted in Serious Times by James Emery White
You see, we are convinced by testimony of Scripture and by HIStory that moms are a powerful force in the world. Christian moms should be one of the most powerful forces for advancing Christ's crown and covenant on earth here and now - for the joy and good of everyone. We need to reclaim the full role of the Proverbs 31 woman (1-9). Have you met this gal? She's no pushover, and neither should we be!
"The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:
'What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted. Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more. Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.'"
Now, that's a mom with moxy!
Quotable Quote -
“Get books into your houses, when you have not the spring near you, then get water into your cisterns; so when you have not that wholesome preaching that you desire, good books are cisterns that hold the water of life in them to refresh you.... So when you find a chillness upon your souls, and that your former heat begins to abate, ply yourselves with warm clothes, get those good books that may acquaint you with such truths as may warm and affect your hearts.”
- Thomas Watson - (1662)
We want to think Christianly, to be articulate and persuasive, to be passionate and dangerous amidst doctrines of demons that hold so many captive in our biblically ignorant, a-literate, mushy-thinking day.
We heartily desire to be contenders of the faith!
Here is Our 2023-2024 Reading Schedule!
SUMMER READING/SEPTEMBERTalk -
NOTE: This summer read will be revealed on June 10th. You will have June - early September to read it. Hold on to your hats - it's going to be a wild ride!
Category - Pushing Paradigms
We will gather on the 2nd Tuesday each month at the Grier home from 7:00PM-9;00PM beginning on Tuesday, September 12th. It needs to be a priority to read the material and to attend our monthly gatherings. The AmbitiousBookClub exists for multiple purposes to nourish our minds so we can be informed and articulate blessings to the church and to the world, but also to kindle and nurture relationships with other thinking Christian women in this battle we call the Christian life. Repeated absence hinders relationship building and throws off the dynamics of the group.
Winter Retreat Friday, February 9 - Sunday, February 11. **Space is limited to 8.
**The Winter Retreat is available to women participating in the DEEP End Monday night Bible study and the AmbitiousBookClub, so it will fill up fast.
SEPTEMBER READING/OCTOBERTalk- Satan Cast Out: A Study in Biblical Demonology by Fredrick S. Leahy
Category - Spiritual Warfare 'This book leads away from speculation and toward Scripture; it presents Satan as he is and shows God as infinitely greater. It is as good a book as I’ve read on the subject and it receives my highest recommendation." Tim Challies
Leahy presents a lucid, biblical account of Christian teaching on such issues as the existence of angels – good and evil; the present position and strategy of Satan; the witness of Old and New Testament to demonic activity; the demonic in church history; and the challenge of the demons to the church of Christ, especially on the mission field. While taking our 'adversary the devil' seriously, Leahy constantly emphasizes the victory of Christ over him, and the fact that, in the words of John Calvin, 'The whole of Satan’s kingdom is subject to the authority of Christ.' (Banner of Truth Trust publishers)
NOTE: We will gather on the 2nd Tuesday each month at the Grier home from 7:00PM-9;00PM beginning on Tuesday, September 12th. It needs to be a priority to read the material and to attend our monthly gatherings. The AmbitiousBookClub exists for multiple purposes to nourish our minds so we can be informed and articulate blessings to the church and to the world, but also to kindle and nurture relationships with other thinking Christian women in this battle we call the Christian life. Repeated absence hinders relationship building and throws off the dynamics of the group.
Winter Retreat Friday, February 9 - Sunday, February 11. **Space is limited to 8.
**The Winter Retreat is available to women participating in the DEEP End Monday night Bible study and the AmbitiousBookClub, so it will fill up fast.
OCTOBER READING/NOVEMBERTalk - Failed Church: Restoring a Vision of Ecclesial Victory editor P. Andrew Sandlin
Category - Ecclesiology
Covid lockdowns, the George Floyd killing and subsequent riots, Black Lives Matter, cancel culture, Critical Race Theory, the #MeToo Movement, the pervasiveness of gender dysphoria — these and other recent spectacles have exploded on the social scene. They have been such an unremitting part of our social environment over the past 2 to 5 years that they have insinuated themselves into our social currency, and it is difficult to objectively assess the state of recent culture while ignoring them. The church has not eluded their impact. In some cases — the lockdown orders for all “nonessential” services comes to mind first — they have drastically shaped the very life of the church. Black Lives Matter, Critical Race Theory, and the #MeToo Movement have almost equally stamped themselves on a wide swath of Western Christianity, including conservative Christianity. Church 2022 looks significantly different from its 2015 iteration, though even then signs of impending infection were not absent. This present essay collection aims to assess the present state of the church from numerous perspectives. The writers (theologians, pastors, educators, scholars, thoughtful laymen) reflect a degree of theological diversity one might expect. All of them, however, are committed to biblical authority and historic Christian orthodoxy, including, specifically, historic Protestantism. This is not a tiring, run-of-the-mill jeremiad on the lamentable state of the church. It is an urgent statement by devout and intelligent Christian leaders sobered by what the church in our time has become. It is not only a diagnosis, but also a prescription: the specifics of ecclesial illnesses and their cure. This is a wide-ranging book. It deals with topics as diverse as prayer, economics, authoritarianism, environmentalism, and eschatology. The book is necessarily diverse because the illnesses infecting the church are diverse. Each of the writers of is a Reformational thinker, and a crucial aspect of Reformational thinking is the application of the Faith to all of life. If you’re a productive general medical practitioner, you need to carry many different instruments and meds in your bag. Reformational practitioners cart around a big medical bag.
NOTE: We will gather on the 2nd Tuesday each month at the Grier home from 7:00PM-9;00PM beginning on Tuesday, September 12th. It needs to be a priority to read the material and to attend our monthly gatherings. The AmbitiousBookClub exists for multiple purposes to nourish our minds so we can be informed and articulate blessings to the church and to the world, but also to kindle and nurture relationships with other thinking Christian women in this battle we call the Christian life. Repeated absence hinders relationship building and throws off the dynamics of the group.
Winter Retreat Friday, February 9 - Sunday, February 11. **Space is limited to 8.
**The Winter Retreat is available to women participating in the DEEP End Monday night Bible study and the AmbitiousBookClub, so it will fill up fast.
NOVEMBER READ/DECEMBERTalk - Lectures on Calvinism by Abraham Kuyper published by Wmk. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Category - Old Dead Guy
Kuyper presents Calvinism as a life-system of comprehensive and far-reaching effect, discussing its relationship to religion, politics, science, and art, and inquiring into its prospects for the future. Though based on lectures delivered in 1898, Kuyper's book retains its relevance even today.
NOTE: We will gather on the 2nd Tuesday each month at the Grier home from 7:00PM-9;00PM beginning on Tuesday, September 12th. It needs to be a priority to read the material and to attend our monthly gatherings. The AmbitiousBookClub exists for multiple purposes to nourish our minds so we can be informed and articulate blessings to the church and to the world, but also to kindle and nurture relationships with other thinking Christian women in this battle we call the Christian life. Repeated absence hinders relationship building and throws off the dynamics of the group.
Winter Retreat Friday, February 9 - Sunday, February 11. **Space is limited to 8.
**The Winter Retreat is available to women participating in the DEEP End Monday night Bible study and the AmbitiousBookClub, so it will fill up fast.
DECEMBER READ/JANUARYTalk -What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? by D. James Kennedy and Jerry Newcomb
Category - Church HIStory
One powerful truth is undeniable: if Christ had never been born, nearly every facet of human life would be worse. Discover what the world would have been like without Jesus, and how some of the world’s greatest accomplishments exist only because he lived. We live in a cynical age in which only one prejudice is tolerated: anti-Christian bigotry. Yet despite the near constant and attacks against the faith, one powerful truth is undeniable: if Christ had never been born, nearly every aspect of human life would be much more miserable than it is today. In What if Jesus Had Never Been Born?, discover:
Christianity’s impact on the value of human life, helping the poor, and education
Christianity’s impact on world history and the founding of America
Christianity’s contribution to civil liberties, science, medicine, and economics
Lives changed by Jesus Christ
The author also examines what happens in a world without Christianity, as well as fulfilling the purpose of believers as we move forward. Arranged topically and presenting compelling, little-known historical facts, What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? clearly demonstrates that an enormous benefits to humankind—from economics to art to government, science to civil liberties, morality to health, and beyond—would never have occurred had Jesus Christ not lived.
NOTE: We will gather on the 2nd Tuesday each month at the Grier home from 7:00PM-9;00PM beginning on Tuesday, September 12th. It needs to be a priority to read the material and to attend our monthly gatherings. The AmbitiousBookClub exists for multiple purposes to nourish our minds so we can be informed and articulate blessings to the church and to the world, but also to kindle and nurture relationships with other thinking Christian women in this battle we call the Christian life. Repeated absence hinders relationship building and throws off the dynamics of the group.
Winter Retreat Friday, February 9 - Sunday, February 11. **Space is limited to 8.
**The Winter Retreat is available to women participating in the DEEP End Monday night Bible study and the AmbitiousBookClub, so it will fill up fast.
JANUARY READ/*FEBRUARYTalk- The Biggest Story Bible Storybook by Kevin DeYoung
Category - Family Read-Aloud
104 Engaging Bible Stories for Ages 6–12 from Author Kevin DeYoung, Illustrated by Don Clark The Bible is a BIG book about the BIGGEST story. Each page tells about the God who created the world, acted in history, and continues to act in the present. In The Biggest Story Bible Storybook, pastor Kevin DeYoung shares this grand story with children ages 6–12 through 104 short chapters. Beginning in Genesis and ending with Revelation, DeYoung provides engaging retellings of various Bible stories, explaining how they fit into the overarching storyline. Each reading is coupled with beautiful illustrations by award-winning artist Don Clark and concludes with a reflective prayer. Perfect for bedtime stories or to read together as a family, both children and parents alike will experience afresh the captivating story of the Bible in an easy-to-understand, compelling way.
Written by Kevin DeYoung and Illustrated by Don Clark: Creators of the bestselling companion book, The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden
Memorable Retellings of 104 Biblical Stories: Helps kids ages 6–12 learn the unified story of the Bible
Full-Color Illustrations on Every Page: Vibrant artwork draws children into each engaging story
Part of the Biggest Story Suite: Featuring The Biggest Story ABC, The Biggest Story: The Animated Short Film, and other exciting resources that bring the Bible to life
High-Production Quality: Includes sewn binding and a ribbon marker
NOTE: Because our Kingdom-MindedMom's Winter Retreat is Friday, February 9 - Sunday, February 11th, we will not be meeting in February to discuss our reading, but will discuss this read-aloud at our retreat.
FEBRUARY READ/MARCHTalk - Every Moment Holy, Volume II - Death, Grief, & Hope by Douglas Kline McKelvey
Category - Suffering
Every Moment Holy, Volume II: Death, Grief, and Hope, is a book of liturgies for seasons of dying and grieving -- liturgies such as "A Liturgy for the Scattering of Ashes" or "A Liturgy for the Loss of a Spouse" or "A Liturgy for the Wake of a National Tragedy." These are ways of reminding us that our lives are shot through with sacred purpose and eternal hopes even when, especially when, suffering and pain threaten to overwhelm us.
Volume II Hardcover Edition Features: - 100+ prayers and illustrations for seasons of dying and grief
NOTE: We will gather on the 2nd Tuesday each month at the Grier home from 7:00PM-9;00PM beginning on Tuesday, September 12th. It needs to be a priority to read the material and to attend our monthly gatherings. The AmbitiousBookClub exists for multiple purposes to nourish our minds so we can be informed and articulate blessings to the church and to the world, but also to kindle and nurture relationships with other thinking Christian women in this battle we call the Christian life. Repeated absence hinders relationship building and throws off the dynamics of the group.
MARCH READING/APRILTalk - Womanly Dominion - More than a Gentle and Quiet Spirit by Mark Chanski
Category - Woman
Christian woman, take dominion! "Play your position!" is a call we may hear a coach yell at a soccer or football game. The meaning is do what you have been assigned to do, and do it well! Many Christian women have been told over the years that they must quietly stay under their parasols while their men go out and conquer the world. Is this what the Bible really teaches? Author and pastor Mark Chanski insists that the Bible tells us a different story. He insists that the Bible teaches a woman to take dominion of her God-assigned role as wife, mother and church helper. This is not in a feminist way but in a God-glorifying way that speaks volumes of who she is and why God created her. Women should not think of themselves as victims, says the author, but as victors who conquer the realm that their Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, has given them.
NOTE: We will gather on the 2nd Tuesday each month at the Grier home from 7:00PM-9;00PM beginning on Tuesday, September 12th. It needs to be a priority to read the material and to attend our monthly gatherings. The AmbitiousBookClub exists for multiple purposes to nourish our minds so we can be informed and articulate blessings to the church and to the world, but also to kindle and nurture relationships with other thinking Christian women in this battle we call the Christian life. Repeated absence hinders relationship building and throws off the dynamics of the group.
APRIL READ/MAYTalk- Education, Christianity, and the State by J Gresham Machen
Category - Education
J. Gresham Machen, Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary, and founder of Westminster Theologicial Seminary and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, appeared before a Joint Committee of Congress in 1926 to testify in opposition to a federal Department of Education. His foresight, and his defense of Christian schools, is more needed today than it was at the beginning of the twentieth century. These essays and speeches offer a solid defense of Christian education.
Contents: Faith and Knowledge; The Importance of Christian Scholarship; Christianity and Culture; Reforming the Government Schools; The Necessity of the Christian School; Shall We Have a Federal Department of Education?; Proposed Department of Education; The Christian School: the Hope of America: Westminster Theological Seminary: Its Purpose and Plan; Scripture Index; Index
NOTE: We will gather on the 2nd Tuesday each month at the Grier home from 7:00PM-9;00PM beginning on Tuesday, September 12th. It needs to be a priority to read the material and to attend our monthly gatherings. The AmbitiousBookClub exists for multiple purposes to nourish our minds so we can be informed and articulate blessings to the church and to the world, but also to kindle and nurture relationships with other thinking Christian women in this battle we call the Christian life. Repeated absence hinders relationship building and throws off the dynamics of the group.