A combination of beautifully honest anecdotes coupled with bite-sized reflections on scripture and peppered with practical suggestions for inviting God into our every day. Lindsay Melluish Alie tackles real issues that affect Christian women, with refreshing honesty and wisdom. I loved this book and appreciated both the spiritual and practical insights it contains. Celia Bowring From: Church of England Newspaper 8 October 2004 In Barefoot in the Kitchen Alie Stibbe's gives hints and information on how to cope with post-natal depression and child parenting in a Christian context, underlining her reflections with Bible verses, psalms and quotes. In her nine chapter book, the author who is a contributor to Day by Day with God, Bible reading notes, tells her personal story of post-natal depression and the problem 'educated women' face when suddenly being squeezed into the role of stay at home moms, having no time for themselves and for their relationship to God anymore. Stibbe describes the chance of finding God in everyday situations and tasks, quoting Exodus 3: 1-12, for example: 'Do not come any closer God said. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.' By taking off your shoes in the kitchen, even this ordinary place can make you feel like standing on holy ground, serving God, the author says. Reviewed by Christina Krey From: Home & Family Winter 2004 Alie Stibbe takes the reader on a sensitive journey through the ups and (sometimes very down) downs of the realities of being the mother of small children. Through sharing her own experiences of post-natal depression and her subsequent struggle as a young mother, she guides the reader from the desert that a person's spiritual life can become when they have young children, to a point where they can again feel the grass underfoot. Throughout the book the author's strong faith and spirituality shine through. She reflects on the nature of humility and servanthood, and finding God in the ordinariness of our own kitchen. Readers are encouraged to see prayer as the thread that gives order and balance to our lives. By reflecting on Bible passages throughout, we are enabled to begin a search for spiritual or inner simplicity until we finally recognise God's guiding hand and the 'open doors of hope' that we are invited to walk through. Refreshing, honest, spiritual and practical, this book will encourage all young mums. Reviewed by Pam Rink From The Methodist Recorder 24 February 2005 The situation of the new mother, so often these days having to cope with a strange new world and a strange new small person far away from a family support structure, is given sympathetic treatment in Barefoot in the Kitchen, 'Bible readings and reflections for mothers' by Alie Stibbe. Written from her own experience as the mother of four children who endured post-natal depression for a time, the author has one chapter headed 'Wandering in the wilderness' and another 'Perseverance and patience': the title of the last one is 'The door of hope'. While acknowledging that life alone with young children has its stresses and strains, Alie Stibbe concludes with the sentiment 'Enjoy your time with your little ones, because time passes faster than you could ever realise.' From: CLC Review - June 2005 A book suitable for every mother of young children. The author once had three children under three herself, so writes with humour and insight from her own experience. She uses eight themes, subdivided into about a dozen entries and each has a three or four page introduction. The readings themselves suggest a brief scripture reading and quote one verse. This is followed by a relevant thought, applied to the lifestyle of young mothers, which can easily be read in under five minutes. The aim is that they should take this fragment into the day and think about it for themselves. It would be an ideal gift for any young mum who didn't want to lose touch with God, but who just didn't seem to have time for prolonged Bible study.
