Another Reason . . .

. . . that I enjoy my "once-a-month-cooking" habit is that it frees up my kitchen during the day to bake my own bread or other goodies. I don't feel so overwhelmed at being in the kitchen "all day" because I know that dinner is already made, only needs heating up, and I am free to use my time to experiment with new side dishes or other fun recipes!

*This post is for my facebook friends who have been asking about my oamc fixation.

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?

My Birthday Weekend

Well, it's finally official. I'm 30. As I type this, my stomache drops and tears spring to my eyes. Ok, it's not that bad, I don't feel really very different. The birthday I have been dreading since I turned 26 (which made me officially closer to 30 than 20) has come and I have survived. I'm sure it is because I had such a great birthday weekend, which I will share with you in pictures and commentary.

Although my birthday wasn't officially until Saturday, the celebration started on Thursday evening when Dan brought home a German Chocolate Cake from the store. I love German Chocolate and it was a truly selfless gesture from him because Dan doens't really care for chocolate. He presented me with a wrapped bag containing a beautiful wooden salad bowl and serving utensils, which I had commented in passing that I thought would be nice. The bowl also contained a couple of gift cards, 3 Frappuccinos and a French press for making coffee, and a Newsboys DVD and 2 videos of their concerts. Does this man know me, or what!?!?!?

We finished the evening carving pumpkins, which excited Elijah immensly and which bored Allison quickly.

Friday evening we went on a date - out to dinner at Panera Bread (I love that place!) shopping for some new clothes and then ended the evening with raspberry custard.

Saturday evening we went to our friend's house for dinner and took the kids trick or treating afterward. Elijah is quite competent in asking for candy and Allison was just along for the ride, enjoying walking down the sidewalk on her own and loving the pumpkin outfit she wore. At one house, however, she got an individual sized bag of crackers, and she finished out the evening proudly showing off her treat and screaming in delight. As any mom will say, seeing my kids have so much fun made my birthday even more wonderful!

Sunday morning as we drove to church we saw 2 beautiful hot air balloons floating over the fields that surround our church. One passed right over the roof and the other landed in the grassy area between our church and our parking lot! It was a blast to stand around and watch the balloon deflate and the kids loved it. I only wish that I had my camera to capture the moment!

Sunday night we had a great time with our small group and I came home that evening thanking God for good friends and the blessing of another year of life.

Idol Factories and the Debtor's Ethic

I was at my parent's house for most of last week, enjoying a more quiet visit than is typical when we do a "two day run." Dan had to stay back home and work, so it was just me and the kids. On the way home, after tiring of the music I had been listening to, I remembered that I finally downloaded the sermons from the NA conference back in May and I decided to listen to some again.

This would be the 3rd time I listened to Piper's last message of the conference. I have been meaning to blog about it, but it is too full of truth to summarize here. Besides, it would take as much time for me to try to explain it to you as it would for you to listen to it yourself. He spoke on obedience that pleases the Lord and addressed perfectly the idea of future grace and the faulty logic of the debtor's ethic. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE take the time to listen to it. I will never sing the line, "Oh to grace, how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be!" the same way again.

Then I listened again to CJ Mahaney's first sermon on discerning your heart. He spoke eloquently, but simply on the topic of idols in our life. He quotes Calvin in saying that we are little "idol factories," capable of conquering one idol, only to be replaced by another. It calls on us to constantly scour our hearts to search for idols that threaten to destroy us. I cannot recommend a clearer, or more focused message on the topic.

On Saturday, after I returned home, we started a new Ladie's study on the book by Elyse Fitzpatrick, Idols of the Heart. The sermon was the perfect appetizer for a book full of the meat of the Word. Taking the short hour to listen to this sermon will be time well spent and your heart will be challenged and blessed.

I don't often recommend sermons to listen to. First of all, because I understand how hard it is for all of us "stay-at-home-moms!" But please listen to these two. Download them onto your iPod, or if you don't have one, and live close to me, give me a call and I will gladly watch your kids while you take a long walk and feed your soul. I mean it; I'm that passionate about these messages.

Apple Picking Adventure

Last Saturday we went apple picking at an orchard in Northern IL with our small group from church. It was a blissfully warm day (almost hot!) and the apples were crisp and delicious straight from the tree. We picked about 25 lbs., which I made into 6 pies, 2 batches of applesauce, and there are still enough to eat for the pure pleasure of it!

We intended to come home with a few pumpkins, but after strenuous effort, Elijah decided we didn't have room in the trunk for this one.

You can see pics from others who were with us here, here and here.

Diego

We had a really busy weekend, but it was full of fun outings and great teaching, so I am not complaining! This week looks to be as busy as well, so I will do my best to post about the pictures of all the fun we had.

On Friday evening we went to see the Go, Diego, Go! live stage show. If you don't have toddlers, you may not be familiar with Diego, but he is Dora's cousin, if that helps! It is a fun show that teaches the kids about animals, while incorporating Spanish. It's cute, like I said, if you have toddlers.

Since State Farm sponsered the show, we were able to get 8 free tickets! So we invited another couple, with their 3 year old, and then invited 2 other kids to join us. We figured that 4 adults could handle 4 kids, and luckily, we had no problems.

The show was a blast. Elijah was really involved and growled out loud when the actors asked the kids to act like a baby jaguar. It was fun to watch him enjoying the show, and being a fan of the stage myself, I enjoyed watching all the technical aspects of the show.

So that was the start of the busy weekend. I will post pictures of our apple picking adventure on Saturday, as well as post about the weekend Bible Conference we had with Jerry Bridges.

This picture goes with my last post. He really likes the vest, until 6 o'clock on Monday night when it is time to leave for Cubbies. By the way, those are Dan's toes, and yes, I sewed the patch on all by myself. My mom should be proud.

Why We Choose AWANA

About 2 weeks ago, Elijah started the AWANA program (specifically, Cubbies) at a church nearby. Our church does not offer AWANA, which never really affected me until I had a child old enough to participate. I have read varied opinions on AWANA clubs and others like it and their use of awards and such, and I can honestly admit that I see both sides of the debate. So here is our reasoning in allowing Elijah to attend (in no particular order):

First of all, I kinda like that it is at a different church. The church that holds the club does things a little different than we do, and I am sure that we disagree on some finer points of theology and practice. But I enjoy introducing our children to other believers who are unlike us. I want them to realize that Christians are similar in faith, but we may differ in how we apply our beliefs to our life. I desperately want them to understand that "our way" of doing things does not equal absolute truth and to be patient in trying to discern why other true believers may make decisions contrary to our own. And I like introducing my kids to other teachers and friends besides the ones they see every week at our church!

I like that AWANA Clubs stress the importance of memorizing Scripture. I am fully aware that at this point, Elijah is memorizing verses as an unbeliever. I know that if he continues in his unbelief, he is likely to become a pharisee. That fact alone terrifies me. I think I would rather have a child who openly rejects the grace of Christ than a child who rebels only in his heart and "looks" good on the outside. That is a dangerous place to live. But I also understand that it is Dan and I's responsibility to introduce our children to Christ, and I am obliged to all teachers who aid us in that endeavor.

We discussed this last night at our small group and I was explaining my belief that parents must constantly acknowledge that memorization does not equate to true, saving faith. I made the point that Elijah could win the Timothy Award, yet still reject Christ, and I hope we are always faithful to encourage our kids toward repentance, regardless of their awards in AWANA. One of the guys in our group said, "I won the Timothy Award." to which I replied, "Were you a believer at the time?" And he promptly answered, "Nope." My point exactly.

When, and if, our children come to Christ, which we pray fervently that they do, we hope those verses they memorized will be an aid to greater understanding of God's Word and an encouragement in their faith. After all, I remember verses I memorized before I fully embraced Christ, and they aid my walk today.

As to the charge about frivolity and "entertaining at church," I do concede that a lot of that takes place these days in fundamentalism and evangelicalism. This is a valid concern. I worry our kids will grow up expecting to be constantly entertained with silly song-and-dance shows and will develop the idea that church is not so much about God, but about me and how it can relate to my needs. I understand this argument.

My defense is rather simple. The tide of entertainment in church neither rises nor falls on the shoulders of AWANA. Once again, no program can replace solid teaching at home and, I believe, teaching at home will not be derailed by a once-a-week club that incorporates some fun activities. Balance is the key - and that saying is overused for a reason!

So there you have it, my friends. Those are just a few of the thoughts that jumped around in my head when we decided to utilize the AWANA club at the church nearby. I am convinced in my own mind, but completely open that others may be convinced differently. I think it is vital to our spiritual well-being to think these things through and come to a conclusion, and to fight the urge to just swim in the same direction that other Christian fish are swimming.

Grateful

This has been a crazy week. I got a call on Tuesday that my 37 year old brother had a heart attack. After a few hours of phone calls and arrangements, Dan and I and the kids left for my hometown where my entire family resides. I am grateful our life allows us to pick up and go when necessary.

It is now Thursday afternoon and things are looking ok. I don't want to say things are "fine" or "good" because a heart attack changes everything. It affects his entire life, and affects his family, his wife and 2 daughters, also. The artery that caused the heart attack had a stint placed in it immediately, and a second artery that was 90% blocked was stinted (is that a word?) this afternoon. I am grateful for the wisdom God has granted to doctors.

Kevin has had constant visitors in the hospital, both family and friends. Probably hundreds of people are praying for him, and indeed, my whole family. I am grateful for the prayers of righteous saints.

Health scares have a way of making us stop and think about life. What is important and what doesn't matter in the long run. Our food intake is one of those things. Food is a gift from God, but often becomes an idol in my own life. Obsession with health and lengthening your life easily becomes an idol, too. I'm grateful that God can give us balance, if we ask for it.

I'm grateful for a lot of things, but most of all, I am grateful for a God that is in control. He has numbered my brother's days and I am confident that His grace will accompany any trial that lies ahead.

One of my favorite things about Fall . . .

Cool nights mean . . .FOOTY PAJAMAS!

A Trip to Cabellas

My parents were here for an extended visit last week and we tried to cram in as many activities as possible! We visited the zoo and then decided to take an evening trip to Cabellas. We can spend hours in this store looking at all the sporting goods and the beautiful animals. Here are just a few of the snapshots we took:

Alli really enjoyed looking at all the animals, although she acted a bit reserved when we got too close.

Even Alli found something to buy! We had to strategically divert her attention while we put the hat back on the shelf, she loved it so much.

Elijah is ready for an overnight backpacking trip, even if he won't be able to lift this thing fully-loaded!

We tried to pose with the friendly bear, but you all know how hard it is to get everyone looking at the camera at the same time. Dan is missing because he took the picture!

More on "The Jesus Storybook Bible"

As if I haven't done enough to promote this Bible, here is one more reason to buy it! This article is an interview with Sally Lloyd-Jones and she gives the reader a glimpse into her reasons for writing the book, how she chose each story and how she views teaching children from the Bible. I loved reading it and thought you might like it, too.

Please go and read the entire article, but if you aren't motivated, hopefully this excerpt will drive you to it:


When I first saw that everything in the Old Testament, is pointing to a child—the one who is coming—it blew me away. Suddenly, here was a way to read the Bible without it leaving you condemned (I’ll never keep all the rules all the time) or in despair (how can I ever be as brave as Daniel? or David?).I found it so moving when I started to discover how the Old Testament is basically one long record of failure—the failure of God’s people time and time again to live rightly, to rescue themselves—and that the stories in the Old Testament are all getting us ready for the One who is coming. They are all signposts to the True Hero, the True King, the True Prince, the True Servant, the greater David, the greater Daniel. The Rescuer.

As a child, I thought the Bible was packed with rules you had to keep (or God wouldn’t love you) and heroes setting examples you had to follow (or God wouldn’t love you). I thought, in short, that the Bible was all about me and what I should (or shouldn’t) be doing. Until I read a Story.

It’s the Story running like a golden stream underneath all the other stories in the Bible: the story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them. Suddenly, I realized the Bible wasn’t about me and what I should be doing at all. It was about God and what he had done. And it changed everything.


So, throughout the mapping out of the book and writing the stories, I was resolute in my determination to avoid even a whiff of moralizing in terms of applying the stories. The absolute last thing I ever wanted to ask a child was: “And what can we learn from David about how God wants us to behave?” The story isn’t there to be an example for us to follow. If that were the point, Jesus would never needed to have come. We could have saved ourselves.

The story is there because it’s true and because it’s telling the bigger story—of the greater David who is coming. To do for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves, to fight the battle we could never fight. To be the Hero we all need. To be our Rescuer.

I wanted children to know this Story—and to meet this wonderful Hero in the pages of this book. Because rules don’t change you. But a story can.

Preaching the Cross to Myself

I've had a couple of bad weeks. Nothing major, just a week and a half of constant raining, Dan working tons of late nights, and general snarkiness of my kids. I'm sure most of you can relate. My point of this post is not to complain, but I have to set the stage . . .

Now typically I don't lose my patience a ton with my kids during the day. That just isn't my temptation during most days. But when I don't get that break around 6 o'clock that I have come to expect (and I assume, deserve) then that is another story. And I didn't get that break at all 2 weeks ago. In fact, our Friday, which we usually spend together as family time, was packed full of events, and then Saturday Dan volunteered to help a friend work on their house for the day. I was near my breaking point and I kind of cracked. I hadn't been responding in the right way most of the week, but by Saturday I was fed up. I was cranky and impatient with my family, including my husband. So when he finally came home that evening, I was so upset that I didn't want to spend any time with him. What a way to reward him!

I knew I was sinning. I knew in my "head" that I wasn't responding rightly and I didn't care enough to change it. I prayed, but it was more like, "Oh God, you don't know how bad I have it. Make it all better!" instead of, "Change me, work in me, help me respond the way I know I should." That's when 2 friends entered the picture the exact way the body of Christ should operate. One encouraged me by praying that I would respond the right way, and the other reminded me that when things are tough, it is a perfect time to reflect on God and how He can meet our needs. It all sounded good when Sunday came and I was expecting a better week ahead, but the better week never materialized. I had an equally stinky week this past week.

But do you know what the difference was? Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I preached the cross to myself. I spent time in the Word and prayed for the power to respond the right way to life's struggles. After all, isn't that exactly what the Cross purchased for us? And then, to top it all off, our pastor preached on 2 Peter 1 yesterday and it was the highlight to end my week. I still missed my husband last week, my kids still irritated me, I was not perfect every moment, but preaching the cross to myself gave me a God-oriented focus to my actions and my heart, and that made all the difference.

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Lord, help me not become ineffective or unfruitful. Use your Holy Spirit and your Word to remind me that you have given me the power to not sin. Show me the cross before all my actions and thoughts that I might do the same to my family. Amen.

Edit

Thanks for all the comments on my previous post. I think I am going to take all the advice, in one way or another! I have decided to keep reading "Heaven", but to skim it for the next 10 chapters or so. If it doesn't get any better, than I will put it away for good.

As for the Piper book, I have decided to shelve that one for the time being. I can always pick it up again when I need the message (that is, when I'm struggling to desire God) or lend it to a friend who may need it.

Sometimes you know the right answer, but you just need someone to validate that it is ok! Thanks everyone!

Dreading Reading

I have a quick question for all you avid readers out there. Have you ever just trudged through a book? I mean, you keep reading, hoping for it to get better or for the message to affect you, but each chapter is drudgery and each time you shut the book you think to yourself, "I don't think I can stand to ever pick that book up again." If you have experienced this with me, what did you do? Do you keep reading (as my OCD nature tells me to finish) or chalk it up to a time waster and move on to a book that really speaks to you?

Here's what I am battling with. I have been "reading" Randy Alcorn's book, Heaven for some time now and I feel like his initial point about our bodily resurrection and the necessity of the earth's resurrection has been made already. But each chapter seems to go back to that main thesis and try to prove it in another way and I find myself quietly screaming, "OK! I GET IT! MOVE ON! WHY DO I NEED TO READ 40 CHAPTERS IF THIS IS ALL YOU ARE GOING TO SAY?!" Now don't get me wrong, Randy Alcorn is a great author and I have greatly benefitted from some of his other books, but I am just struggling with this one.

The other book that I put down a few months back and haven't picked back up is Piper's When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy. Now the same qualifier counts here: You can't argue with Piper and I have enjoyed his writing, but I feel like once you get his theology, each book kind of just repeats it in a new context.

So, my readers, what do you think I should do? Do I keep plowing through the books and strive for the good feeling I know I will have when I finally finish a book, or do I stop now and devote my already scarce reading times to something seemingly more profitable? Give me your advice!

Catching Up

The past week has been crazy! With Elijah gone, Dan and I celebrated our 8th anniversary (I meant to post on it, but didn't have time!). We had a lovely afternoon out. We went ice-skating and out to dinner, nothing over-the-top, just one of our favorite restaurants that we don't get to visit very often.

We continued celebrating our anniversary on Thursday when we went to the county zoo during their "A La Carte" where local restaurants set up shop by all the animals and you can sample great food from a host of different vendors. I was so excited to get a falafel, which Gretchen introduced me to in Louisville in May and I have been salivating to try again ever since. We ate a ton of food, but the walking in-between helped it all digest so we could cram some more in! It was a blast and we ate all that great-tasting food for $20, which helped make the trip memorable enough that we will probably do it again next year!

Dan's brother came Thursday night and we spent most of the day on Friday in the boat on the lake. We came home a bit sunburned and exhausted, but not so much that we couldn't get together with 8 other friends to play "The Settlers of Catan" that evening. (Dan won the men's game, I did poorly at the Ladie's table.)

The weekend took us to Waupaca where we met Dan's parents and picked up Elijah. I am so glad to have him back home! So all in all, we had a busy week. It has been raining a lot here, and promises to about every day this week, so we things should be a bit quieter around here.

Missin' my Buddy

Elijah is visiting his grandparents this week, so we are all lonely without him. (Actually, we are working on our bathroom project - but that's another post.) I got these pictures of him from Grandma and Grandpa, and I thought I would share them with you.
Apparently he keeps promising Grandpa that if he can play with his UPS truck, then Elijah will let Grandpa play with his milk truck next time they are at our house! Who can resist such an offer?
Workin' in the garage - his favorite pastime.

This is Grandpa's other toy. I don't think Elijah has anything comparable to this that Grandpa can play with at our house!

This picture made me miss him even more. That's my big boy, little man!

Quote of the Week

"People do not drift toward holiness.

Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith and delight in the Lord.

We drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated."

--D.A. Carson, For the Love of God, vol. 2

I hosted a Stampin' Up party last night and had a blast! We used the new Pretties Kit, which includes flowers that you can dye, pearls and hat pins. I just had to share the beautiful cards that we made. Hope this inspires you to try something new! We used Baroque Motifs for a few of these cards. A gorgeous set with a ton of possibilities! I am getting this set for sure!

This card uses some of SU's designer papers. They complement each other beautifully and can be used to make a really quick and easy card!

This card is my one of my favorites - I love the dyed flowers!

This one is my absolute favorite. I love the details like the grossgrain ribbon and the designer paper that make this card so beautiful.

Book Sale!

I just finished blogging about my new favorite kid's book, The Jesus Storybook Bible, when low and behold, Gretchen offers a great deal on that very book!

Her bookstore, on the campus of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is offering The Jesus Storybook Bible for 50% off this week only! Stop on over to her blog and you can order there and she will ship it to you.

In case you are wondering, I bought 5. With the multitude of babies arriving at our church in the coming months, I figured I should be prepared!

IKEA

My first trip to IKEA was very successful and I want to go back! I bought a few things, only one major purchase, but I got some great ideas for decorating and future purchases! Here's the picture of the toy bin I bought for Alli's room and the pictures I framed (about $12 total!) for her room.

Thanks for all the tips everyone gave me. It did take about 4 hours to get through the store. Now all I need to know is how to get IKEA to build closer to home!

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 2 cents

I read this article on Yahoo news today and 2 things struck me:

1. The editor speaks of the New Testament as completely true.
2. The editor expects us to accept that any written work NOT the New Testament doesn't have to be truthful.

Interesting . . .

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!

One More Camping Story . . .

Sorry, no picture to go with it, but too funny not to post! Remember the bike Elijah got for his 3rd birthday? Well, he was riding it around the campground as I followed him and a cute little girl, probably around 4 years old and wearing a bikini, stopped and stared at him.
"I really like your bike" she said.
Elijah just stared back.
"Where did he get it?" she asked me.
I encouraged Elijah to answer her question.
Elijah just stared back.
So I answered and we went on our way.

A couple of days later, Elijah was again riding his bike around the campground, this time with Dan following and they once again ran into the cute little girl. She smiled and said "Hi" to Elijah.
Elijah just stared back.
Dan encouraged him to say hello back, but
Elijah just stared back.
As they walked away, Dan asked Elijah why he wouldn't say hi to the cute little girl.

His reply was, "She was SO, so cute."

Who knew that his bike would be such a chick magnet? :)

Camping Pics

As promised, here are the pictures from our camping adventure: Alli is happy, no matter what the weather! She is enjoying all the attention from her Grandma!

This is me reading and scratching my head. I did a lot of reading - not much else to do while it rains! Actually, it was nice to be able to read an entire novel while on vacation. I don't have a lot of time to devote to that much reading at home.

*Seriously, this is only 1 of 2 pictures of me from the entire time! Trust me, otherwise I would have chosen a better one!

Dan's brothers Tim and Mike, sister-in-law Jennifer, and Grandpa all on the trail of a geocache. If you are not familiar with this, it is basically a scavenger hunt for the age of technology. All it takes is a GPS device and you are ready for fun! The guys did a few of them, but didn't have much to contribute to the stash, so it was mostly just for the bragging rights of being able to find one.

Elijah's favorite pastime, riding on Grandpa and Grandma's tandem recumbent bike. Grandpa does all the work and Elijah just gets to enjoy the ride!

Elijah, hiking up a considerable hill, searching for the geocache with all the big boys. I think he could live outdoors. He had an absolute blast camping and has been talking about going again since we came home!

All in all, we had a lot of fun, despite the rain. We are hoping for better weather next year, though!

Busy Week

Wow. It is finally Friday and the end of a VERY busy week. I have been meaning to post pictures of our camping trip, and once again, I have been too busy to get around to it. I will try to do it today or tomorrow.

Also, I have not forgotten that I need to post about the last 2 sessions of NA, with John Piper! Except now I am far enough removed from the sermons that I must listen to them again before I can adequately post my notes and make them make any sense to you or me! Now I just have to figure out how to import the (free download!) sermons from my hard drive to my iTunes. That will take my husband's help, no doubt.

In other news, I will be making my first trek to IKEA with my very pregnant friend, Sarah. I am so excited! I've seen their catalog and friend's pieces that they've bought, but never shopped their myself. We are making a day of it - I'm even getting a babysitter so it is just us! So all of you IKEA fans, you have until Tuesday to tell me what to expect. What are some pitfalls to avoid, what MUST I buy, what food do I eat?

Give me your thoughts!

Home

We are home now, and you can tell by this picture what I will be filling my time with over the weekend. This is what comes after 5 days of camping in the rain.

By the way, I found Alli posed this way while I worked around the house. I guess she thought it was a suitable, comfy place to rest. Camping wore us all out!

Time Away

We are heading out of town tomorrow for a family vacation "up north." (We Wisconsinites love to go there!) So, the blog and my email will be a bit quiet for the next week, for sure. Hope you all have a great week and I'll try to post pictures of our camping when I get back!

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.