“Go Home for Dinner” and Other Crucial Advice….
Friends! Would you believe an interview I watched led to the purchase of another book?! Of course you would!
A writer acquaintance recently told me he was interviewed by Jim Lesante who has a show called “Personally Speaking.” On Jim’s show, he interviews a plethora of authors. Full disclosure, I’ve ordered two books because of his interviews.
My friend, Russ Levenson, was interviewed by Jim about a couple of his books (One of many favorites is Witness to Dignity: The Life and Faith of George H.W. And Barbara Bush.) During the interview, we learn Mike Pence was also recently on the show.
Mike was interviewed about his newest book, Go Home for Dinner: Advice on How Faith Makes a Family and Family Makes a Life . He wrote this with his daughter, Charlotte Pence Bond.
Each of the 48 chapters are short and begin with a pertinent Bible verse. Mike shares with us readers from the get-go his faith takes precedence over everything, followed by his marriage, and his family. His very frank and vulnerable style, coupled with his wit, sometimes even making fun of himself, make the book a delightful page-turner.
We also get a peek into Mike’s faith journey with help from his brother. Don’t miss what happened down the road at Asbury University. We also learn how he met his wife, Karen, how they waited and waited for children, and how they survived their many moves for Mike’s many jobs (eighteen!), political races, etc.
One of my favorite chapters is early into the book called Sit Awhile with Him Every Day. While completing a summer clerkship at a law firm, one day Mike entered the office and one of the secretaries asked him why he was in such a good mood.
Mike replied, “Well, when I start my day with His voice, everybody else’s voice sounds different.” Mike added, “I’ve always hung on to the need to start the day in God’s Word.” He tells us he’s read thru’ the One Year Bible numerous times, making notes each year for whatever they’re going thru’.
He includes a favorite passage of Scripture showing us the many aspects of the Bible. Psalm 19:7 - 9 says,
“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them righteous.”
To build his case further (This is the lawyer coming out in him!), Mike relays a lovely visual to help us understand the importance of meeting with the Lord in prayer each morning. Meditate over this a minute:
“Beginning in law school, in the mornings somewhere between wake and sleep, I began to imagine a recurring scene: In it, I am walking along the side of a tall, leafy hedge when I see an opening in the hedge ahead of me. Peering thru’ the opening, I can see the figure of a man seated on a bench. His feet are in sandals, and He is wearing a robe. One hand is resting on each knee as if He is waiting for a conversation to begin. My heart tells me it is the Lord who is waiting there, inviting me to pause whatever I am doing and come sit awhile with Him. Beside Him, the bench is always empty. There is always a place for me.”
At the end of each chapter, Mike will usually repeat the title of the chapter. In this particular chapter, he closes with: “Sit awhile with Him every day. He is always waiting.”
While some chapters will make you laugh, some will make you cry. Don’t miss the chapter called Take Your Daughter to Breakfast. Be sure to have Kleenex nearby! This chapter emphasizes the importance of traditions. Another favorite along those lines is: Take the Swing Set With You. (You’ll love all the ideas for family fun we’re gifted with throughout the book.)
We readers will also get to meet the many pets Mike and Karen hunted down (You won’t believe the lengths to which they traveled!) for their children, some quite rare. These are endearing and quite funny little members of the family. Fair warning: more tears are in your future!
Finally, just one more favorite chapter is a great challenge for all of us. It’s called Give Your Family Sunday.
Mike tells us he had to learn a couple of lessons the hard way that he needed more rest than he realized. He and Karen also decided they would “guard their Sundays jealously—that Sunday for their family was the anchor in their week.”
Mike adds, “Rest provides a sense of clarity, and spending it with your loved ones gives us perspective in a world where everything else seems to be vying for our attention.” He closes the chapter by saying, “Rest from your labor, and give your family Sunday.”
To add fuel to that fire, my friend, Nancy Sleeth once made a hugely convicting quote in Relevant Magazine on Sabbath keeping. It’s what reminds me of Mike’s visual about the Lord waiting for him on a bench. Nancy says,
That will make you think, right!?
Friends, I pray you will gift someone you love with this very important book. Each chapter builds on why it’s crucial to go home for dinner. You’ll be blessed by the entire experience.
Run, don’t walk to your nearest bookstore and grab several copies for your family and friends of Go Home for dinner: Advice on How Faith Makes a Family and Family Makes a Life!
‘Til next time!
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