December 7 - Gift Idea

My day was made the other night when we were at The Machine Shed and I came across this product: Beer BandsA few years ago, my mother-in-law received a gift of small colored plastic tabs that fit on your drinking glasses to differentiate between otherwise identical glasses. It was perfect for the weekends the whole family descends on the homestead and we have drinking glasses scattered throughout the house. It also cuts down on dishes, since we could drink out of the same glass all day.

My sister-in-law, Noelle, found these ingenious markers at Crate and Barrel, and a couple of years later, when I finally decided to get myself some, the workers at C&B had no idea what I was talking about. I've been looking for something similar ever since.

Fast forward to last week when I spotted these in the gift shop of a restaurant. Intended for beer bottles, because they stretch and give like a strong rubber band, they are perfect for drinking glasses, also. I snatched them up immediately.
Each package comes with 12 bands (2 were missing for this photo) all stamped "mine". Of course, after coming home and checking Amazon, I found them for a dollar or so cheaper than what I paid, but I'm supporting local business, right?! Here's the Amazon link if you think this would make a great gift, or perfect for a stocking stuffer!

The Cozy Corner

After finishing The Apple and the Arrow (and by "finishing" I mean "laboring through") I was excited to see a lighter, more kindergarten-friendly book on the list, My Father's Dragon.

This book is told from the perspective of a young boy, retelling his father's adventure on Wild Island, as he works to free the captive dragon that is a slave to all the island's animal inhabitants. The dragon is chained and forced to fly across a river to transport the lazy animals from one side of the island to another.

Now don't be fooled - this is not a "tug on your heart" kind of book. It is hilarious! The boy encounters tigers who are distracted by chewing gum, a rhinoceros too busy worrying about his dirty horn to guard the island, a vain lion, and a whole host of animals who are ready to do him harm, but are easily averted by simple means. Each chapter leads you through another adventure, told simply and with great humor. Both the kids loved it (even the 3 year old!).

The book is 87 pages long, with pencil sketches on about every other page, and the author is Ruth Stiles Gannett. Apparently this is a series, but since we have only read this one book, it is all I can comment on . . .

But my verdict is: buy it and read it and giggle with your kids!

My New Favorite Website

I don't even remember how exactly I found this website, and after visiting it for a month or so, it seems I am the last person on earth who hasn't heard of it. But in case you haven't either, let me introduce you to

The Pioneer Woman

When I first found the website, I intended to visit it only for recipes. It wasn't until I started poking around that I found it's author, Ree, blogs about life on a ranch, photography, homeschooling and decorating/gardening! If only she quilted, this might be the only blog I would ever need to visit! So take some time to peruse the site and I guarantee you'll find something you like.

And when you are completely addicted, as I now am, you can send me presents to show your appreciation . . . I'll be patiently waiting!

What Happened

I've always been interested in politics. I enjoy reading about it, I watch the news as often as I can, I love talking to others about their opinions. And I love reading. So when you join the two, in a political memoir, I am hooked. I just finished reading "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception" by Scott McClellan, former press secretary to George W. Bush. I read this book because I have become increasingly frustrated with my own inability to decipher what is true and what is spin when it comes to understanding this President's term and major decisions, including the war in Iraq.

By that, I mean, the mainstream media does a fine job of telling us what is wrong with our world today (see last post) and more conservative news outlets, like Fox or talk radio tend to agree, without question, the policies of the administration. I have always found myself in this strange in-between world, where I voted for Bush twice, yet had nagging questions about his decision-making and have begun to question his truthfulness.

Well, it seems I'm not alone. Scott McClellan, who knew and worked for Bush back in Texas and followed him to Washington has written a controversial "tell-all" about his time serving in the White House. I figured someone who served under the actual administration might have a unique view and be a bit less biased (although I fully acknowledge we all are biased in one way or another).

The book covers a variety of topics, but focuses heavily on the decision to go into Iraq, including the infamous "16 word controversy" concerning the president's use of intelligence later proved false in his state of the union address. McClellan also deals with the leak of Valerie Plame's name and status as a covert CIA agent. That topic was particularly interesting to me because I never felt like I completely understood the story, and it was often dismissed as partisan warfare by conservatives.

Much of the criticism McClellan offers is to the mindset of the "perpetual campaign" in Washington - the idea that an elected official is always considering his "base" before making a decision, so that he can get re-elected. This mindset seems to have always been a problem in D.C., but grew under Clinton's administration and was embraced even further by Bush, evidenced by his close ties with Karl Rove.

Scott McClellan was put into the unfortunate position of lying for the administration, in regards to the leak case, without realizing the information he was given was false. This severly crippled his reputation with the press he tried to work with and ultimately led to the end of his career as Press Secretary. In parts, it seems like he is writing this book just to exonerate himself, and thus seems a little shallow, but his insider's look at the administration makes it worth reading.

His conclusions on how to make Washington a better place are simplistic to say the best. Basically it boils down to an extra staff position in the White House that would be a guard dog for truthfulness (shouldn't everyone working there be in that position?) and he further encourages the common citizen toward tolerance with other points of view and forming a common bond to make America better.

What's the saying? Everything you need to know in life you learned in Kindergarten. I think the same could be said for his conclusions.

Infidel

We're back from a week of camping, tired and with more than 10 loads of laundry to do, but we had a relaxing time, nonetheless. I had plenty of "down" time to do some more reading, since I have taken a break because of my sewing. One of the books I read was Infidel, the autobiography of Ayaan Hirsi Ali. My sister-in-law recommended it to me and although it isn't the most eloquently book I've ever read, I found it a worthy read.

Ayaan was born in Somalia, but spent most of her childhood moving between Kenya, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and back to Somalia because of the constant political unrest in each country. She was born into a devout Muslim family and chronicles in detail the horrific practices she witnessed and experienced at the hands of those who claim to follow the "peaceful" religion of Islam. Most disturbing was their practice of female circumcision, although I found myself equally disgusted by the overall mistreatment of women in that culture.

Ayaan eventually escapes her destiny of arranged marriage by stealing away to Holland where she lives in a refugee camp and experiences for the first time in her life, civilized society. She chronicles her amazement that city busses arrive on time, to the exact minute, how the government officials actually help her out without bribes and how the police actually protect her, instead of harrassing her. It is amazing to see our every-day life through her eyes. It was shameful for me to think about how much I take these things for granted.

Many parts of the book struck me, but I will dwell on just two. First of all, I was appalled at hearing the logic of blaming a woman for being raped, but Ayaan explains it simply: The Qua ran commands women to be modest and the definition of modesty has constantly been tweaked and redefined by whatever group is ruling. And so the women begin to wear the hidjab, which leaves little, if any, flesh showing. Women who do show their arms or necks are subjected to lewd comments and behavior from men on the street. They are groped and attacked and then blamed because men have no responsibility to control their behavior and sexual desire, and thus it becomes the woman's fault for arousing the man. Often, women who are raped or become pregnant out of wedlock would commit suicide for the family's honor. One such woman that Ayaan knew poured kerosene over her head and lit herself on fire in front of her family.

As shocking as that sounds, I couldn't help but think of our tendency in Christian circles to teach obedience to rules without heart change. The Muslim men in Ayaan's world never learn self-control or discernment, so they act out their natural heart's desire. How often have I known people who were raised with strict rules and had no heart change and when left to their own devices, go headlong into sin without any guilt because their desires were left to fester and grow on the inside, while they obeyed on the outside. As a parent, this scares me beyond belief. It makes me question what am I doing to speak to my children's hearts, and not just require rote obedience without heart change.

Islam's worship of Allah is all about submission, which is familiar territory for the Christian believer, but it falls short because their is no heart change and no help from Allah. He is to be feared and worshipped, but there is no mention of love or relationship with him. Life is simply trying to obey more than you disobey his commands and hope that earns you a place in paradise. There is no grace, mercy or atonement for a Muslim.

This was a difficult book to read. It was deep and depressing at times. I long to give the author the gospel. To give her some hope in a God who is loving and kind, and who extends favor to a thousand generations. Unfortunately, Ayaan now considers herself an atheist and sees as her life goal to expose Islam's terror against women and desire to rule the entire world. She is a loud and outspoken critic of Islam and Muslim culture, which has caused her to have to go into hiding to avoid the death threats she receives from her own people. She is cut completely off from her family and after serving for a time in Dutch Parliament, now lives in the U.S.

As difficult as this book was to read at times, I am grateful that I did. It gave me a better understanding of Islam's beliefs and greater compassion for those who live under it's rule. It also helped me grasp the political problems in third-world countries and renewed my thankfulness for the civil order we enjoy in America.

My sister-in-law commented that there is still hope that she becomes a believer. I agree. I pray that God will open her eyes to true faith in Him, that she will know forgiveness of sins now.

Respectable Sins

I just finished reading Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges. We had Jerry at our fall Bible conference last year, and this book was his newest release. I promptly bought it, and then began hearing how convicting it was from my friends who read it right away. I knew that I needed to read it, but kept putting it off in favor of books that wouldn't be so painful to read!

Well, painful it was. It seems that Mr. Bridges doesn't name a single "respectable" sin that I don't struggle with. The term "respectable sins" comes from, of course, those sins which we tend to forget are sinful, or that we tolerate in an air of pride because we don't commit those BIG sins that the rest of the world does. We don't commit adultry, we don't lie (at least not overtly), we aren't guilty of assult with a deadly weapon, but we do act selfishly, we are discontent and we sin with our tongue daily (at least I know I do).

J.I. Packer endorses the book with this quote: "Read this book - we need to - and be ready for a gentle surgeon's sharp knife." And that is exactly how I percieve this book. Bridges literally "cuts to the chase" and names our pets sins, shows how abhorrent they are in the sight of a Holy God, and encourages us to confront them, confess them and turn away from practicing them. But the amazing way he does this is worth pointing out: he doesn't only preach to the reader, he uses his own life to show how he often struggles in the same way. He points us continually to the Cross, the only source of true repentance and forgiveness, and continually reminds us that the faith that saves us is the same faith that will sanctify us. In other words, we DO have the power to say no to sin, we DO have the power, through Christ's sacrifice, to change our behavior and to battle those respectable sins.

It is a book worth owning, and reading more than once, to remind us to constantly be searching our own life for "respectable sins." I'm still recovering from his surgery, but thanking God for an author who speaks the truth, even when it hurts.

Pride and Prejudice

I know that this may shock some of you, but I just recently saw, for the first time, Pride and Prejudice. I saw the stage production in college (and promptly forgot the story) and I have never read the book. So when I found out that Masterpiece Theatre was running the complete Jane Austen, I decided to DVR them all and catch up to my womanly notions that I should be at least familiar with her writing.

I watched the "classic" version first, the A&E and BBC one with Colin Firth as Darcy. I am glad I did, because if I had seen the newer version first, I probably would not have wanted to sit through the 4 hour version. Boy, am I glad I did! It was wonderful! I disliked Darcy at once, instantly rooted for Jane and Bingley, and felt exactly as Lizzie did in every scene. I couldn't ask for a better movie.

So just for kicks, I decided to rent the 2005 movie starring Kiera Knightly and went into it, I must confess, a bit biased. I knew it would never top the original. And so I wasn't disappointed. Although, it did a good job of condensing the plot to only 2 hours, it missed all the nuances that were so obvious and necessary for a complete story.

Instead of completely dismissing the Kiera Knightly version, let me give you a more detailed response to it:

1. For starters, it did a better job showing the disparity of wealth between the Bennet family and Bingley and Darcy. I didn't get that in the original.

2. Kiera Knightly does well in a strong female role, but couldn't convey the gentleness of Lizzie, or, quite frankly, the beauty. She kinda looked like Cinderella before her transformation for the majority of the movie - dirty and unkempt. Her sisters looked more formal than she did.

3. The only time I believed Kiera as Lizzie was when she was telling off Mr. Collins when he proposed and Darcy after his first offer.

4. Colin Firth as Darcy was much more believable. He was mean and snotty and softened just enough for the viewer to change their mind about him. The actor who portrayed Darcy in the latter of the films (sorry, I couldn't find his name) was too soft from the beginning and came across as almost pitiable. I never once disliked him and kinda felt sorry for him. Although I will concede that his softening at the end of the film was a bit more endearing.

5. Jane was definitely more beautiful in the 2nd film, although I thought Bingley looked like Conan O'Brian.

6. The 2nd film cut so much of Mr. Wickham's storyline that I neither embraced him nor hated him. He was an ancillary character that didn't matter, which is a shame, because I whole-heartedly fell for his lies in the longer version.

7. I did enjoy both actresses who portrayed Mrs. Bennet, although they portrayed her quite differently. Both versions were believable.

8. I was intent on liking the 2nd Mr. Bennet, but he wasn't around enough to enjoy and he garbled most of his memorable lines.

All in all, if you weren't familiar with the first movie, the second wouldn't be bad. In fact, it received really good reviews. But I will side with most P&P fans and take the first version any day!

*By the way, I am aware that the BBC version is not truly the original. But come on, has anyone actually seen the Lawrence Olivier version? These 2 movies are the most well-known productions of the story. And yes, I will also read the entire book now. I know I did this backwards!

2007 Children's Book Picks

This past year found me reading more, and subsequently, visiting the library more often. I hadn't made it a habit to go to the library, partly because Elijah was stilled enthralled with the Zempel family library and also because Alli was small and napped most of the day. But as she got older, we started making a trip to the library a "must do" every couple of weeks, and Elijah's world opened to new books and the wall of videos, of which he was allowed one choice each visit.

At a loss as to what books I should be reading to my then-3-year-old, I found a list that the library suggested for picture books and we started checking out the past Caldecott winners. Without a doubt, we really loved the list the librarians recommended, and were a bit disappointed in the Caldecott books, mostly because the stories didn't captivate Elijah like some others did.

So without further ado, here is our list of favorite children's picture books from 2007 (that is, the year we read them, not the year they were published):

10. The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster (the 2006 Caldecott Medal Winner)

9. Any of the Froggy books by Jonathan London

8. How Are You Peeling? by Saxton Freymann

7. I Stink! by Kate McMullan (definately a boy's book. On the downside, now Elijah loves to talk about eating garbage.)

6. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin (I will admit that I don't get this book, but both Alli and Elijah loved it - I guess it is the rhymes.)

5. Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae

4. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin

3. Strega Nona: An old Tale by Tomie De Paola

2. Bed Hogs by Kelly DiPucchio

And the number 1 book that we loved from 2007 . . . which I bought to give Alli on her 2nd birthday . . . whose author lives in Wisconsin . . . and also happens to be the 2005 Caldecott Medal Winner is . . .

Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

It is the story of a little kitten who mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk and spends all night chasing after it. So adorable and fun. A must-add to our family library.

What are your favorite picture books?

Eating my Veggies

I was taking a leisurly shopping trip to Sam's Club a few weeks ago (the kids were home with Dan) and happened upon a cookbook for sale that was all about incorporating veggies into your "kid friendly" meals. I was instantly hooked. We really struggle to get Elijah to eat his vegetables, so I decided that anyway we could get some in his body would be worth it. So I bought the cookbook and proceeded over the next 24 hours to absolutely devour it. I read it every chance I could get and started making a list of veggies to buy to try the recipes.

Well, by now the whole world knows about the cookbook, because the next day, the author - Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry's wife) was on Oprah. And within a few weeks the book was surrounded in controversy because apparently there is a similar cookbook already on the market.

My attitude toward the controversy? Who cares! I just love the ideas presented! She starts with vegetable purees and adds them to almost everything. And since I have been trying to eat more healthy (my brother's heart attack affected my diet, too) I love all the ideas.

We have already made hot chocolate with sweet potato puree, sweet potato pancakes, pumpkin oatmeal, scrambled eggs with cauliflower and beet pancakes. As you can see, I especially like the breakfast dishes because it is a way to sneak veggies in a meal where I usually wouldn't even think about it! Besides, because I make most of my dinners ahead of time, I am not able to add veggie purees into them now. But next month I will!

We have enjoyed trying the new dishes and I love knowing that Elijah is getting some vegetables that even I don't like (beets and sweet potato are not on my "must eat" list). I still prepare veggies for dinner, but I know he is getting more than what is required for him to eat on his plate.

My biggest surprise recipe? Adding chickpeas to chocolate chip cookies. If you mix them with a hand or stand mixer, it chops them up enough that they basically disappear when you bake them. You seriously cannot taste them! I made a batch and took them to a chili supper at my church and handed them out to a ton of people and got their reactions. No one could taste it at all. And because she uses trans-fat free tub margarine in most of her baking, all the recipes are low fat, too.

I cannot emphasize how much this has made my cooking more fun. I try to hide some kind of vegetable into almost all my meals, including squash in macaroni and cheese and carrot in cornbread. It has been a blast! What are your secrets for eating healthy?

Body Piercing

I just read "Body Piercing Saved My Life: Inside the Phenomenon of Christian Rock" by Andrew Beaujon. I was turned on to this book when I noticed it's title on the sidebar of Bob Kauflin's blog. I Googled it and read an excerpt on Amazon and was hooked. Now I'm not about to spend the $12 + dollars to buy it, so I checked my library's catalog (online - don't you just love the Internet!) and sure enough they had it! So a few weeks later I checked it out and began reading.

A quick disclaimer is that the author is a self-described non-Christian. So realize that his views are a bit jaded and his language is less than "holy," but his description of the Christian rock scene is in-depth (historical at times) and very interesting. He struggled getting all the access he desired for this book, but none-the-less gives a thought-provoking outsider's look inside.

Besides detailing the behind-the-scenes of Christian Rock Festivals (Cornerstone, Lifefest, etc . . .), the author scored some great interviews with some of Christian rock's biggest stars. Mind you, if you aren't into the heavier Christian music scene, most of the names mentioned will be unfamiliar, but realize that most young kids who listen to this type of music will recognize almost all of the groups. He also spends a considerable amount of time discussing the modern "worship" movement with it's history and present day stars. When the author first starts to experience worship, he rightly so, feels left out and uninspired. I personally think this speaks to the fact that worship music isn't meant to win people to Christ. It is music written by Christ-followers for Christ-followers. Some of his critique of this genre, in particular, made me angry, because of the truth of the market's incessant drive to make money, and much impressed me. I particularly liked his interview with David Crowder and it caused me to spend some more time checking out his music.

On the other side of that, I was deeply disturbed and angry at some of the interviewees who make music in Christ's name and seem to have nothing to do with Him otherwise. It was an eye-opener to read about some of the "christian" groups out there and reaffirms my belief that you should try to get to know artists before you buy. As anyone can attest, attending a concert can make or break you on a particular artist or band. Somehow seeing them interact with the audience gives you a better glimpse into either their "ministry" or "show." This worked in the negative way when I saw Philips, Craig and Dean in concert and positively when I saw the Newsboys. I'm sure if you ever have been to a concert that you know what I am talking about.

The author made some soul-baring quotes in the book, one of which was this:

“I liked these people, enjoyed their company, and they’d made me feel completely welcome. But it bothered me that I wasn’t a Christian and would never be one. They embraced me like they hope to embrace culture, but I’m still not sure how hard either of us can hug them back.”(p. 137)

Also: "I was on the plane home before I realized that I'd been working on this project for 6 months, and it was the first time anyone had tried to evangelize me."(p.168)

And concerning a David Crowder Band concert: "There was only one star at that evening's show, and he hadn't been onstage at all."(p.245)

All in all, I am glad I read this book. It was revealing and disturbing at times, but necessary. If you are at all interested in the Christian music scene, this is worth your time to read. And if you have a teenager, this would be a great book to read along with them and discuss the author's bias and some of the artist's perspectives.

My New Favorite Kid's Book

I have been anticipating 2 deliveries for the past week and a half. The first one was my order from SonLight Curriculum, with some preschool books. I am starting Elijah in "Homeschool Preschool" this fall, on a very limited basis. It really is more for my benefit than for his! I want to teach him to sit still and to pay attention, but also I want to convince myself that I can do this! Even as shortly as a year ago, if asked if I would homeschool my answer would always have been "Dan wants us to, but I'm not so sure." Over the past year, however, I have had some great conversations with homeschooling moms and seen some great curriculum, along with God's work in my own heart concerning my selfishness, and I have turned 180 degrees! Now I am excited about the possibilities and anxious to try it out. I'll have to keep you all posted on how it goes, though. I might be back to where I started in a couple of months!

Ok, back to the original thought . . . My much-anticipated deliveries. SonLight suggests a daily Bible for their curriculum, but I had heard so much about another kid's Bible, that I decided to get that one. I ordered 2 kid's Bibles from Amazon and just got them on Thursday. They are the Jesus Storybook Bible and The Big Picture Story Bible. I love them both!

First of all, the theology of both is specific, not just a general retelling of Bible stories. Both tackle tying the OT stories to God's overall plan for the world. They explain the sin in the Garden of Eden not just as simple disobedience, but Adam and Eve thinking that there was more to life than God. That maybe God wasn't as good as He said He was. That's just one example of how they handle an OT story. I could go on for pages and pages, but I won't. I will just tell you that these 2 books are the best kid's Bibles I have ever seen (and we have a few already!). In fact, I think it is going to be a staple shower gift for all my friends who are having babies!

If you don't want to buy 2 new kid's Bibles, I would suggest going with The Jesus Storybook Bible. Although I love both, the Jesus Storybook Bible is a bit smaller, easier for kids to navigate and the pictures are wonderful! But don't mistake my recommendation as saying it is "better" than the Big Picture Story Bible. They are both great and every library could benefit from both!

Lies My Teacher Told Me

I just finished the book, Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen. Lent to me by my friend's daughter who had to read it for her American History class, I admit that I felt a bit silly reading it. I shamefully admitted to her that I don't know a lot about recent history (Vietnam to present) and she recommended it. Boy, am I glad she did!

The first 10 chapters are a revisionist historian's take on some of our most prized national heroes. Columbus, the Pilgrims, Woodrow Wilson, and Helen Keller, are all blatantly heroized in the top 12 history textbooks, according to the author. He devotes these chapters to tell, not the "true" story of these characters, but the controversy that each historical event entails. He asserts that history is not just facts and faces, but involves complex stories that compelled these heroes to act as they did. He fills the reader in on some of those details, as well as presenting some of the conflicting accounts of how they really behaved. One of his biggest complaints about our nation's textbooks is that they present only one side of every story and then call it "fact." They never divulge the conflicting historical accounts of why or how exactly situations came about, and thus strip all the controversy, and consequently the excitement, out of history, causing students to disregard the subject all-together.

He speaks to the Euro centric bent in all the textbooks that effectively disenfranchises students of color and how most books present every action the USA makes as honorable and good, and how we, as a nation, are always doing things for the good of the world, instead of showing the human depravity (he doesn't call it that!) of every government, our great one included. One caveat, the author is probably agnostic at best, as evidenced by his addition of "[sic]" to every reference to God as "He." In understanding this, any discerning reader will see some of the author's own preconceptions as he deals with slavery, race, and social class.

I must admit, I learned a lot from this book, and would recommend it to anyone who feels shortchanged in their American history education. I don't endorse all the author's viewpoint, of course, but the book made me think and definitely made me consider the wrongs that were done to the American Indian and to the African Americans during slavery and the civil rights movement. It educated me more on the Vietnam war than I ever learned in school and prompted some great discussions between Dan and I as I shared what I was reading. If you enjoy history, you will benefit from this book.

***As a side note, if you are familiar with SonLight homeschool curriculum, this book is included in their Core for highschool American History.

The Life and Labors of George Mueller

I finally finished reading "The Life and Labors of George Muller" written by his wife, Mrs. Muller. I became acquainted with the book when our church hosted Jim Ellif as a conference speaker and he highly recommended it. George Muller never overtly asked for money for his orphanages, only allowed donations to come from people by the prompting of the Holy Spirit. In his lifetime, he fed, clothed and housed over 10,000 orphans, and believes to have seen over 50,000 prayers answered. This is a mighty prayer warrior from which many of us could learn.

That being said, the book is written by the late Mrs. Muller, and it has an air of antiquity in the language which made it more difficult for me to read. It didn't seem to "flow" as some other books do and it's tendency to go from one historical account to another in a chapter made it harder to follow the chronology of his life. Don't get me wrong, it is filled with valuable lessons from a godly man, but it won't top my "must read" list. A more contemporary writing of the same princliples can be found, in my opinion, in Randy Alcorn's book, The Treasure Principle.

Book Review - "The Cross Centered Life"

What can I say about "The Cross Centered Life" except stop what you are doing now and go out and buy this book!?!? I cannot think of a better book to own on your bookshelf, to read and reread, or to give away.

As I've said before about C.J. Mahaney, he is very easy to read. Don't worry about his writing being "over your head." His style is conversational. His book is short (a mere 85 pages) and if you are disciplined, could easily be read in one sitting. (Although this is nearly impossible for me!)

The message of the book is simple: Keep your gaze on the cross. And by the cross, he implies all that the cross purchased for us. Our justification, sanctification, righteousness, and our ability to grow in gratefulness, joy, and holiness, despite our circumstances.

He focuses on breaking the bonds of legalism and condemnation, which is easy for every believer to tend towards, despite upbringing. Those two chapters alone are worth reading every week! He defines legalism as "seeking to achieve forgiveness from God and acceptance by God through obedience to God." And he defines condemnation as the guilt and shame that brings the burden of depression, guilt, regret and grief. Specifically, he asks these questions regarding condemnation: (pg. 39)

1. Do you relate to God as if you were on a kind of permanent probation, suspecting that at any moment He may haul you back into the jail cell of His disfavor?

2. When you come to worship do you maintain a "respectful distance" from God, as if He were a fascinating but ill-tempered celebrity known for lashing out at His fans?

3. When you read Scripture does it reveal the boundless love of the Savior or merely intensify your condemnation?

4. Are you more aware of your sin than you are of God's grace, given you through the cross?

These are important questions to ask, as I have been guilty on many occasions of answering "Yes" to all of these.

His point is this: if you focus on the cross, all these burdens will be easily given up, in an act of rejoicing and worshipping the God who made us perfect through His Son. Unfortunately, we don't focus on God's grace enough, and that is what this book is trying to teach us to avoid.

He ends the book with multiple, every-day tasks to keep us focused on the cross, and specific verses to memorize and meditate upon. I will share some of the verses in the coming days.

Until then, thank God for all He has done for you! Don't be tempted to move on to more "deep" doctrines, while forgetting the doctrine of what the cross has done for us. It is central to our faith and should be treated that way!

Knowing God

Well, it took me over a year, but I finally finished reading Knowing God by J.I. Packer. Long thought of as a classic in Christian literature, we embarked on reading and studying it one chapter at a time in our small group. We were interrupted once with a church-wide study (Peacemaking - excellent, but for another post) and just finished it last week.

The book is 22 chapters long, and each chapter stands well on it's own, although they do build on each other. We found they were independant enough that newcomers to the group were not lost picking up in the middle of the book, which is great for the ever-changing dynamic of small groups!

I cannot adequately explain what this book has meant to me in one post, so I hope to post some of the more meaningful passages in the future. Suffice it to say that the author insists that knowing God should be more than an intellectual pursuit, and each chapter revealed something unique to meditate on about God and that drove me to worship Him more. The book is worth it's weight in gold just for that.

I can't stress enough that if you don't own this book, buy it now! It is one you will want to have in your library and is perfect for reading through from cover to cover more than once, as well as refering back to parts of it when needed.

I will quote from the last chapter, since it is most fresh in my mind, concerning Christ's death and the gift of faith:

pg. 265

"The apostolic writers present the death of Christ as the ground and warrant of God's offer of forgiveness, and that we enter into forgiveness through repentance and faith in Christ, will not be disputed. But does this mean that, as a loaded gun is only potentially explosive, and an act of pulling the trigger is needed to make it go off, so Christ's death achieved only a possibility of salvation, needing an exercise of faith on our part to trigger it off and make it actual?

"If so, then it is not strictly Christ's death that saves us at all, any more than it is loading the gun that makes it fire: strictly speaking, we save ourselves by our faith, and for all we know, Christ's death might not have saved anyone, since it might have been the case that nobody believed the gospel. But that is not how the New Testament sees it. The New Testament views is that the death of Christ has actually saved "us all" - all, that is to say, whom God foreknew, and has called and justified, and will in due course glorify. For our faith, which from the human point of view is the means of salvation, is from God's point of view part of the salvation, and is as directly and completely God's gift to us as is the pardon and peace of which faith lays hold."

I will quote some more in the following weeks . . .

The Eaglet

This isn't really a book review, I just wanted to inform you about a great tool to introduce children to Christ. "The Eaglet" is a small book written by Jim Elliff that I just received from my friend, Debbie. Jim came to our church last fall and I highly recommend his books as well as his articles that are on his ministry website Christian Communicators Worldwide.

"The Eaglet" tells the story of a newborn eagle who desperately wants to fly, but knows the warning of his father about dying if he does so too soon. It presents a great picture of God as our father and the saving work of Christ. The story is only 10 pages long (half of which are pictures) and then the book goes into a clear presentation of the gospel. Jim is very Reformed in his presentation, so don't worry about getting a "say a little prayer and you're in" gospel.

I have a lot of respect for the ministry of Jim Elliff. He publishes his own books and sells them at cost to him. His goal is not to make a profit from his writing, (in fact, most of his articles are free to download on the website) but to get the message into as many hands as possible.

At a later time I hope to write some posts regarding other books of Jim's that I have read. Until then, spend the $3.00 to get this one, and if you hope to combine shipping, ask me for those recommendations!

First Book Review

One of my 2007 resolutions is to read more. Now granted, I will not be able to match Gretchen's record, and I'm not even going to try. I just want to budget my time better and to take advantage of those moments when both kids are sleeping and I don't know what to do with myself!

I asked for a couple of books for Christmas, and my sis-in-law, Jennifer, gave me both. I chose first to read "Humility, True Greatness" by C.J. Mahaney, because it looked like a quick read! Granted, it probably would have been if not for all the interruptions that we mothers routinely experience. It is only 170 (little) pages, but packed with great truths.

First, Mahaney makes the case for humility. Jumping off from the text of Isaiah 66:2, which says, "This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word", he makes the case that true humility gets God's attention.

He then gives practical advice on how to develop humility, focusing on the greatness of God and His work for us on the cross to show us how deeply dependant we are.

I don't want to take away from you reading the book yourself, so I will highlight two aspects that really stuck out to me and one small disagreement.

He gives specific ways that we can dwell upon our need for God. One he mentions is sleep. What a great picture of our dependence on God. He states it this way:

"Many of us have never considered our sleep from God's perspective, though we profess to love and serve Him; our practice and perspective regarding sleep are no different from that of non-Christians. This needs to change.

"A Christian, informed and inspired by Scripture, views the cessation of work each day, the limitation God places upon work each day, and the laying down to sleep each night, as altogether a gift from God. A gift so graciously provided in His lavish generosity. And those who neglect this gift will inevitably suffer consequences. . .

"The fact is, God could have created us without a need for sleep. But He chose to build this need within us, and there's a spiritual purpose for it. Each night, as I confront my need again for sleep, I'm reminded that I'm a dependent creature. I am not self-sufficient. I am not the Creator. There is only One who "will neither slumber or sleep" (Psalm 121:4), and I am not that One."

As I read that passage one night before turning off the light to sleep, I thanked God for His gift of sleep and cherished it's rejuvenating effects.

He also highlights the necessity of "identifying evidences of grace" in others. What an act of humility to stop looking at ourselves and to give God the glory for how He is working in others. Mahaney uses the example of Paul, writing to the church in Corinth, and how he could have blasted them from here to eternity for the sin in their midst. Now he did deal with it, but only after he says, "I give thanks to my God always for you . . . because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus." (I Corinthians 1:4) When I fail to see God's work in another believer's life, and I only consistently see what they need to change, then I fail to be humble. Plain and simple.

I needed that point. It hit a little too close to home.

As a caveat, I do want to point out one small disagreement that I have with a point he makes. While speaking about responding humbly to trials, the author uses Habakkuk as an illustration of one who questions God and then learns to trust Him, even during a major trial. He then states,

"What promise has gone unfulfilled in your life so far? Marriage? Pregnancy? Healing? A particular promotion or position? Salvation for a loved one? Will you, like Habakkuk, quietly and humbly wait for God's fulfillment of His promise?" (p.145)

The application he makes is great. We should wait quietly and humbly before God for everything, but God never promises to give us a marriage, a child, or a job promotion. I just don't agree with the comparison of God's promises to Habakkuk and our desires for those things. That's all I could find to disagree with, so take it with a grain of salt. The book is still great and humility is something we all could cultivate more.

On a side note, Mahaney's writing style is very simple and conversational. So if you've struggled through an intensely deep and difficult book and want to know if it will be the same with this one, rest assured that it is truly an easy, yet important read.