Building Her House: Commonsensical Wisdom for Christian Women

by Nancy Wilson

How does a woman build her house? Nancy Wilson begins with the kitchen table, remembering how each scratch and stain in the wood chronicles "hours of stories and jokes, questions and concerns (through courtships and pregnancies), prayers and discussions." She continues, each essay full of stories and encouragement—the beauty of imperfection, the comfort of Velveeta, the strengths of mothers- and daughters-in-law, the honesty that is submission, the laughter of reading aloud. As ever, while Nancy draws out our sins and weaknesses and sore spots, she comforts us with the favor of God and rouses us to a joyous faith.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Christian Living, Marriage, Parenting, Audiobook, Womens

126 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2006

About the author

Nancy Wilson (née Greensides) is the wife of Pastor Douglas Wilson, mother of N.D. Wilson, Rebekah Merkle, and Rachel Jankovic, and grandmother of seventeen who are (as yet) unpublished. She lives in northern Idaho.

Reviews

[Emma Whear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, good stuff. Under a 125 pages. You've got to love the Wilson terseness.

Best advice out of the bunch for me:
-Childbirth isn't an excuse to be a little stinkbutt. Christian women should be Christian women, even in labor.

This is very contrary to the advice of the world, which is, "During labor you can act however you want, because you are out of control and you're a goddess. Swear, sin, do whatever."

(That said, Canon Press has really come a long way with their covers. This one is pretty yikes. Published in 2006?)

[Mason Sherrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good! So practical!
It’s like sitting down to a cup of tea with your mom or grandma & just listening to wisdom. Each chapter covers a distinctive topic of its own and it’s a quick read. I do indeed recommend!

[Katie Wilke · Rating 5 out of 5]

These little essays are jam-packed with little gold nuggets. A book that I should read weekly for all of the good reminders of how to be a joyful godly woman.

[Sue Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet nuggets of wisdom. Especially liked the parts of fostering a joyful home.

[ValeReads Kyriosity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic straight-talking Nancy wisdom. Although written mostly with wives and moms in mind, there's always plenty in Nancy's writing to apply to the life of any woman (or any human, for that matter). WARNING: Will make you crave mac and cheese!

Karen's narration was juuuuuust right.

[S.G. Dewey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good words of wisdom from a true woman of God.

[Samantha Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nancy Wilson is so sweet. I wish I could have coffee with her once a week. I always enjoy her books!

[Becky Pliego · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't remember when was the first time I read this one, but today I re-read it -mainly because of the chapter about mothers-in law (very good!)- Nancy is always very practical and biblical.

This is a very light book, and super easy to read... like mac and cheese ;)

[Jennafer Welch · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a few very edifying nuggets for mothers/wives in nearly every season. At times I felt she trended a tad legalistic but overall never crossed the line totally. Not my favorite work of Nancy’s but wasn’t a waste of time either.

[Stacy Guillory]

The practical wisdom is excellent. What a beautiful view of a woman who fears the Lord and whose heart is bent towards her home and family.

[Andie Dole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very good. A sturdy reminder that as women, our families need us, and to be home-oriented isn't a weakness or a lazy life. Practical advice for parenting feminine girls and strong boys, and solid exhortation for growing a spine. Some things are overly simplistic, especially the part about in-laws. Also, her section on post-partum depression would've made me throw the book had I been reading a physical copy. Telling someone to buck up, there's too much work to be done doesn't solve the very real problem of post-partum issues. Other than those few paragraphs getting used as fire starter, this was a very good book, and I would recommend it to anyone floundering as a Christian mom and wife.

[Kaitlyn Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

So excellent! Too many good things to make note of, but here are a few that really stuck out for me to remember:
-respect my son by not exploiting his weaknesses/failures
-be more careful how I talk about and to my children
-seek to cover everything with love (not being overly critical)
-when the kids are squabbling and everyone is a bit cranky, repent and turn my own attitude around and make a joyful atmosphere
-be a more careful reader (all genres)
And there were a lot lot more wonderful takeaways from this super helpful little book. I'll definitely be revisiting this again and again!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciate many of Nancy's resources and this has turned out to be one of my favorites. Because it's a collection of essays, each chapter touches on a completely different topic, making it an interesting read. There are many gems in this book! Here's a favorite, which contains depths of wisdom for so many aspects of life under Christ's lordship:

"God wants us to honor him in our long term relationships that are hedged in by his covenant of love. We are not to live for the moment from one emotional high to another. And he knows what is good for our souls."

[Laurie Shearman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will be a semi-annual read for me from here on out! Such wise and practical applications for the Godly woman, wife, and mother. Walked away feeling refreshed, convicted, challenged and encouraged! Bonus, it’s such an easy read.

[Natalie Nimmers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nancy Wilson has a way of convicting deeply, while simultaneously presenting such a beautiful and enticing picture of marriage and the home. I always finish her books inspired to do homemaking well, with new and practical ways to love God and my family.

[Taylor Q-V · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very digestible book filled with short essays of great Godly wisdom and encouragement. I really appreciate Nancy’s work.

[Esther · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book every woman should read 😊

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I see where Rachel Jankovic got her common sense and mom/wife skills: her own, wise mother, Nancy Wilson.

Like Rachel's books, this one from Nancy is chock-full of no-nonsense, very wise advice for common issues among wives and mothers. I love her straight talk and gentle toughness, and her unwillingness to bend from the kind of wife/mom Scripture declares Christian women ought to be.

Her brand of dealing with a grey day and bad attitudes? "When the rain brings a case of the blues, break out the good spirits and glad comfort and let the kids slosh around in it." She also prescribes Advil, Starbucks and good homemade Mac and cheese. :-)

i really enjoyed the book and will recommend it often.

[Sally Baumann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts were good, others infuriating. She came across as ignorantly judgmental at times. At one point in the book, she actually says that women should not "go to war" and be in the military because it isn't a feminine ideal. Seriously? As a military veteran myself, I find her broad & sweeping judgments/comments both laughable and sad. Serving in the military does not make a woman "less female". Some of the girliest girls I know are currently serving overseas, and are class acts in terms of manners and feminine virtues. While I enjoyed the marriage aspect of this book, her "wisdom" regarding child rearing and how one should raise daughters missed the mark for me. GO NAVY!

[Hollie D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read first in 2012.

Revisited in 2017. Waited too long to pick this up again. So much excellent advice and exhortation.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great practical insights and godly wisdom for women of all ages from Nancy Wilson. I think my favorite chapters were those on the family table, rainy day blues, submission, and raising sons.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous short read for all Christian women. Nancy speaks truth with boldness and doesn't beat around the bush. Enjoyed it immensely.

[Jordan Carlson]

This is just the kind of thing I feel a huge hunger for - practical, godly, motherly wisdom from an older woman.

The short chapters were very easy to pick up throughout a busy day.

[Jenni Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sweet little book full of practical wisdom! It was truly full of sweet stories a mom or grandmother could have shared. I highly recommend for anybody!

[Shawna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short chapters, good reminders. I especially liked the last chapter on the rainy day blues.

[Abigail Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another little book written to help one think about how to live Christianly. Simple and practical.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to the audio of this and I just love Nancy reading it, just feels like I'm getting great advice from a woman at my church with more life experiences under her belt❤️

[Heather Hyndman · Rating 4 out of 5]

So encouraging.

[Alyssa Lago · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book! Lots of tidbits of wisdom. Reminded me a lot of Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot.

[Grace Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second to last chapter was my favorite of all the essays in the book. In it, Nancy discussed how if someone rebukes you and you have a knee-jerk reaction against it then it shows how much you needed the rebuke.