From the Children’s Reading Corner:
I’ve been reading Jotham’s Journey with the kids. Usually we read One Wintry Night, but this year we are thoroughly enjoying the new book. We are a little behind due to illnesses, but I hope to catch up this week.

Ballet and Programs:
All of our Christmas programs are over. We had an awesome end-of-the-year program for Co-op. The Imp had a solo with her choir. The boys displayed their bird houses and science projects.

One of the ballet girls was injured after the program and couldn’t perform for the nursing home, so the Imp was asked to fill in. The ballet teacher came to the house and taught her the dance, which we filmed so she could practice. She was so excited to have a chance to dance! She practiced every day and then rehearsed with a couple of the girls the day before the performance, so that she knew what to do with more than 2 on stage. She was cast as one of the party girls and she danced a selection of the Nutcracker. She positively glowed and all went smoothly at the performance. Now she is interested in dancing again.

Craft Day
About a month ago, I decided that I would plan a little crafting day for the kids in our group to make Christmas presents for family members. We didn’t think there would be that many interested, because it was so close to Christmas. Well, the plans snow-balled and we ended up with about 125 children of all ages! We had about 5 project tables, 4 ornament tables, a toddler craft area, a toddler movie/play area, and a snack station going. The event went really well, the children behaved superbly, and I was so blessed to have moms volunteer and handle the craft tables. I am so happy to have all the craft supplies out of my dining room, which was buried for the last 2 weeks! Now to clean and bake to get ready for Christmas!

Latest Interest?
Lately, I’ve been feeling compelled to gather info for homesteading, survival items for living without electricity, and medical info to use if doctors and conventional conveniences become unattainable. I can’t explain it, as it doesn’t really make sense, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to learn and have some of these references in print form, just in case the internet is not available, sometime in the near future.

I read, and would highly recommend the book, The Encyclopedia of Country Living, by Carla Emery. Her book explains all kinds of skills that have been long forgotten. She also shares the pros and cons as well as some of the less discussed aspects that she came across while learning some of the skills. It is chocked full of useful information, and I absolutely devoured it from cover to cover in about a week. Now I am going back and rereading sections that I can try out, in our current circumstances (no land of our own….. and in a subdivision setting).

Youtube also provided a wealth of information on slaughtering your own meat source (think chickens or rabbits). I don’t know as I would want to do it on a regular basis, but I think it would be a good thing to know. I do like the idea of raising chickens for eggs when we get land someday. I worry about all the chemicals in our meats, and would love to eat chemical free meat that was raised on corn and grass, but I would have to get over the tendency of thinking of every animal we fed, as a family pet.

The other book that I have been pouring over is Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child. With the colds, ear aches, and flu we just passed around for a month, we have already tried out several of the suggestions. I like that the book explains what causes the illness, then it explains the conventional medicine treatments and their side effects, then it lists homeopathy treatments, herbal medicines, acupressure treatments, and diet and nutrition aspects that may aggravate or enhance the problems. It’s great to have all that info in one book! So far, the homeopathy suggestions have helped with two ear aches, a swollen knee, a bug bite, and severe cramps. (Nothing major, but it’s a start!)

Christmas Baking
I’ve got at least 3 recipes for cookies perfected to use in my corner coffee shop, if Hubby ever starts up his own business (a family-run gun shop and range). Now I’m working on sweet rolls, donuts, and breads to add to that list. I bake almost weekly, and freeze some for parties and take the rest to events to pass out and get feedback so I can tweak the recipes some more. With all the baking and mixing, hubby blessed me with one of those massive stand mixers from Kitchen Aid. (I’ve been mixing everything by hand for 17 years and didn’t realize what I was missing……it is WONDERFUL!) I haven’t snapped any spoons or spatulas in the last week…….not even one! Cookies with an oatmeal base were very hard to get mixed so that they would rise properly, but now I can make them with no problem. I am going to make homemade bread or rolls to go with our Sirloin Stew, so I can try out the dough hook. Yum! My hubby is such an awesome guy!

1Peter 5:8 Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.

With the holiday season gearing up, we can expect to see several new children’s movies coming out. A British author of an atheistic trilogy has made it his goal to get to your children right in your own home. The 1st book in the trilogy will be released to the screen as a very watered down version from the books. It’s being released prior to Christmas so that parents will have time to purchase the books for enamored young movie-goers whose parents didn’t see “too much wrong” with the film. Don’t be fooled! Since everyone has different standards, please read the article below and do some further searching on the title. I even went to a forum where people who loved the books were discussing the movie. The scenes they were concerned about the 1st movie cutting were chilling.

http://snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

The Sarge “accidentally discovered” his birthday book early, so he’s been pouring over it for a couple weeks now. HE.LOVES.THIS.BOOK! Within a couple days, he had figured out all the knots in the book and was tying his sister up with them. (We’ve stopped this practice, by the way.)

His brother is learning the Navajo code-talk with him so that they can send little messages back and forth. They are working on setting a pressure trap to “guard their room” from little sister’s friends. We have located most of the household items necessary to build two homemade flashlights, but in the meantime, they’ve been playing with batteries and making circuits and discussing how they could get more power from them. (It must be a genetic male-thing!) Their paper airplanes are notably improving too!

The book is easy reading and sparks the imaginations of males of all ages. Definitely a “two thumbs up” in our household!

****As usual, supervision is recommended for some of the activities! Be aware of what your boys are working on and offer to help find parts so you can stay (one step ahead with the fire extinguisher) er…I mean, informed.

There’s a battle for the Toy Box, contest going on from a company called One2Believe.They are offering a drawing for $100 worth of Tales of Glory, Bible-based toys, just for spreading the word about their products. (Which will be offered for a trial run at selected Walmart locations.)

Being a big advocate for any positive alternatives to brats and and anime’ characters, I will shamelessly plug their products. I offer a big thumbs up for willingness to compete for the minds of our children in a market inundated with immodesty and the pursuit of the dark arts.

I also wouldn’t mind winning the toys because it’s never to early to start Christmas shopping for all the cousins, nieces, and nephews! (we have 21 and one on the way) Quick, the contest ends soon! For details on the contest, check here.

The book Created to be His Helpmeet by Debi Pearl has been a topic of discussion in many of the churches that I’ve attended. Those who’ve read it, rarely react mildly, it’s usually a LOVE or HATE type of thing.

Without reading the book, I’ve been watching the two camps carefully. There is usually a definite difference in the way they interact with their husbands and families. I got so that I could watch a wife for a bit and tell which side she was on by her lifestyle.

I still had not read the book, but there were several qualities that I noticed immediately. The women that touted the book tended to be very patient and forgiving of their husbands. Not in the normal day to day things, but in situations that would have sent most of us ranting about the insensitive brute that we married. The women also were more mature in what they discussed publicly about their spouse. They were not the ones airing their husband’s faults and short comings to the other ladies in prayer meetings. The last thing I noticed was that these women would defer more. When asked if they could help out or attend an event, they would happily respond that they would, “Check with their husband.”

In the church I had come from, the women didn’t defer to their husbands unless it was an earth shattering decision, and definitely not over things like whether to work VBS, attend a field trip, or selecting the children’s extra curricular activities. Both types of women were prominent in the church, both appeared to be living Godly based lives and contributing to various ministries.

Of the group that touted the book, I noticed two more divisions. Some of the ladies had a very strong “holier than thou” attitude. These same women were somewhat dramatic in their service and submitting to their husbands. Anyone observing was very aware that “submission was happening here” based on the way they spoke and acted. This group professed happiness, but did their face and actions belied the claim. On the flip side, the other group that supported the book, was extremely humble and down to earth. Their children and husbands were always in the focus and they acted as the “behind the scenes force” that kept everything running smoothly. When complimented they seemed genuinely surprised and would usually attribute it to someone else.

This intrigued me enough to search out a copy and see what was being taught.

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The Book Review
The language of the book is basic. It won’t be lauded into the Halls as a great literary masterpiece. The language is simple and the author makes no attempts to “put on airs”. Some of the points could be made in a less hostile word choices. Mrs. Pearl explains that she didn’t write to charm, she wrote to instruct women. Her simple language and down to earth antidotes serve her purpose well.

The content of the book is solid. I found nothing recommended in the book that goes against Scripture. Much of it is common sense to one who has been reading her Bible. All of the advice is the polar opposite of what society, media, and friends would instruct a young bride to do to strengthen her home and define her role and purpose.

I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading some of her other writings. I keep wondering if I had been given this resource earlier on, would I have been ready to hear it? God worked slowly within my heart chipping away at various notions and pride issues. The process is far from complete because I am a prideful, strong willed, impatient creature at times. But the differences in our marriage before and after God opened my eyes are worth noting.

My favorite thought from the book is this: (paraphrased)

You don’t honor your husband because he has earned or deserves it. You honor him because God commanded it…… and in doing so, you are fulfilling your God given role and bringing honor to God through your obedience.

*** Wow, every action, every response, every dish washed, and shirt folded with a good attitude are forms of worship to God. Think about it. How’s your worship life at home?

I’ve spent 13 years trying to figure out (through trial and error) what this book sums up. I have lived many of those years demanding my rights and helping to “encourage” my husband to do what I believed God would have him do. (Mrs. Pearl calls this being his Holy Spirit, it’s not a good thing.) Along the way, God changed my perspective and softened my heart. I have lived almost 3 years seeking to honor God through how I treat and respond to my husband. (It was much closer to the interpretations found in this book.)

Having been on both sides of the coin, I definitely recommend true Biblical submission. Let me warn though against the dramatic, oppressed, form of submission. (Ashamedly, I’ve been there, done that too….but that is a whole other post! LoL )

I have been trying to figure out how much info, is too much for the “where did I come from” question. The two older children need to have a bit more info than they have, but at the same time, I don’t want them running through the neighborhood sharing their new found knowledge. The Imp is very interested in anything that has to do with the mommying process and has been asking lots of questions. We try to drop bits of info all along so that there is never one big “TALK”.

I found an awsome little book set that gives a strong view of God’s design. Without all the politically correct (read, sinful tolerance) messages. The first book is, The Story of Me, the second is Before I Was Born . We bought the 3rd book (What’s the Big Deal) based on the ages of our children, but I’m not sure we are ready to delve into some of those issues quite yet. There is something to be said for maintaining their innocence a bit longer.

As we homeschool, we read many books that don’t always portray the finer sides of humanity. This allows the children to rant, ask tough questions, or feel strong emotions within the safe haven of home. We have worked through understanding God’s views on many difficult issues and I am so blessed to be the one guiding their perspectives back towards God in these matters.

Anyway, today we read through book two. I had prayed about how to present this info in such a way that it would not be silly, shocking, or passe. I really wanted to get the point across that purity is what God expects and that it CAN be acheived. Well, God answered our prayers because our Scripture reading today fell on Eli’s sons. It went into how they were treating immorallity casually and Eli refused to throw them out as temple priests. God warned Eli to chasten his boys, but they wouldn’t listen. God talked about how they were sinning, not against other men, but against Him personally by their choices. God finally killed them and cursed their line for how they were representing Him to the people. (1Samuel 2-4)

My oldest wanted to know what else God had to say on the subject, so we pulled out Proverbs for Parenting and had him read the chapter on Marriage and Sex. This book is one of my favorite standby’s. It is just Scripture verses divided by topics that come up often in parenting. I use it for quick reference often, to answer questions, encourage changes in heart, and influence character traits. A concordance would be great too, but I always get side tracked when I have that many topics to choose from. I like that Proverbs for Parenting is to the point and limited to parenting issues.

I finished The Purpose Driven Life book and I still find it disturbing. Many things that he claims as fact can not be backed up Biblically, but the average person will not know that unless he looks up each verse and challenges any “fact” assumptions that the author presents. Several other red flags in the book are very subtle. I honestly don’t think the author intended evil toward anyone, but the Evil One is cunning and he permeates our culture to the point that many Christians don’t even notice his infiltrations. Rick Warren makes several good points in his book, but because his book mixes the truth of God’s Word with man made philosophies I would strongly caution readers.

Pg. 9 – “By the end of this journey you will know god’s purpose for your life and will understand the big picture- how all the pieces of your life fit together: Having this perspective will reduce your stress, simplify your decisions, increase your satisfaction, and most important, prepare you for eternity.”

Wow, who wouldn’t want that? I wonder if Paul, who was thrown into prison, beaten, and chased out of many towns for preaching God’s message, felt like his stress was reduced? What about Corrie Ten Boom, a Christian Jew that was put into the death camps during the Nazi invasion? None of her decisions were simple. (She was thanking God for fleas and lice because it kept the German soldiers from abusing her further and from stopping their Bible studies.) Christians WILL be persecuted if they are doing what is right and not conforming to the rest of the world. Should it be our goal to have an easy, carefree life, or should we be fervently watch dogging and exposing the talons of evil which seek to choke the Church and lay wast to the believers’ testimonies?

John 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

I was also troubled by Mr. Warren’s use of Scriptures. He quotes many scriptures but he does not include the references in the text for easy verification, instead he puts them in an appendix in the back. As I flipped back and forth and looked up most of them as I read, I noticed that he preferred to use EXTREMELY LOOSE translations and paraphrases of the Bible. While none of the translations are entirely perfect in translation, the modern day paraphrase Bibles (Living Bible, Message, etc…) are very far from the original, to the point of changing the meaning of the texts. He explains that he used paraphrases so that we could better understand in a “fresh new way”. I would have rather he told us the meaning of the Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic words to better define his points, rather than dumb verses down with simplified English. That being said, I also noticed a pattern of telling a story, quoting only a portion of a verse, and then using some other form of man made literary device to make the point instead of using God’s Word as his arguing point. Following is one example.

Pg. 25 “Romans 12:3 (from The Message Paraphrase) The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us. This poem by Russel Kelfer sums it up:…..” (followed by a 20 line poem.)
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I looked up Romans 12:3 (King James Version) For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

The meanings are obviously focused differently. The paraphrase is used to support the author’s point about the reason for our existence. If you read the surrounding verses in the Bible, the context of the verse is not defining life purpose, but to warn believers not to rank themselves above one another based on their Spiritual Gifts. Then we spend 20 lines listening to a poem when we didn’t even get an accurate representation of God’s Word in the point verse. This is a writer’s technique, if you are unable to strongly support your point, add an antidote, quote, or human interest story to deflect from the fact by making your writing interesting and amusing to read. If he were writing a entertaining magazine article, it would be fine, but he is mishandling God’s Word, and supplementing another man’s poetry to make his point, while stating his intent is to reach confused Christians to give them Godly direction.

There are other red flags that have been raised, which I have not even touched. I did find some articles that addressed them though.

1. Scripture Mishandling examples can be found here and here

2. Flawed View of God can be found here

3. Proof Texting can be found here

4. Number Driven Marketing issues can be found here and here

5. Occult Infiltration articles can be found here and here

Other books of reference include:
The Dark Side of the Purpose Driven Church by Noah Hutchings
Fool’s Gold?: Discerning Truth In An Age Of Error by John MacArthur

Rick Warren is well followed, but his writings are mixed with lots of pop psychology and feel good pep talks. I do find reason to caution others in their commitment to his writings and methods as the slope is slippery when one begins to deviate from scripture even slightly. Our culture is one that is not willing to be inconvenienced or sacrifice. I was impressed that a Christian book would be so well read if it was truly preaching the message of getting out of our comfort zone and sacrificing comforts and self wants for God’s glory. After reading “Purpose Driven Life”, I was dissappointed in his lack of depth and his “what can my relationship to God do for me” attitude.

With all our moving, we have sat in a number of churches and been encouraged by many to look for a “Purpose Driven” church. I have read many of his devotionals and felt that I was being lead to look into things further so that I may give an answer for why I don’t embrace his teachings. I have a better understanding of his ideas and have detected the subtleties that were troubling me. Each person must account for his own choices, but as always, memorize Scripture, pray, research, and discern based on God’s Word, for It is the final authority.

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.