Veritas at Home

Reflecting on Martin Luther King, Jr.

2012-01-16T08:26:00.000-06:00

Some Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday reading:

Desiring God is giving away John Piper's new book Bloodlines in a free PDF download.

The text and audio of King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech can be found here.

King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is here.

From my own MLK Jr. Day post in 2009:

As you think about King and his influence on our culture, consider this quotation from "Pilgrimage to Nonviolence (April 1960)" which I discovered in Tapestry of Grace Year 4, Week 23:

At this stage of my development I was a thoroughgoing liberal. Liberalism provided me with an intellectual satisfaction that I could never find in fundamentalism. I became so enamored of the insights of liberalism that I almost fell into the trap of accepting uncritically everything that came under its name. I was absolutely convinced of the natural goodness of man and the natural power of human reason.

The basic change in my thinking came when I began to question some of the theories that had been associated with so-called liberal theology....
It was mainly the liberal doctrine of man that I began to question. The more I observed the tragedies of history and man's shameful inclination to choose the low road, the more I came to see the depths and strength of sin. My reading of the works of Reinhold Niebuhr made me aware of the complexity of human motives and the reality of sin on every level of man's existence. Moreover, I came to recognize the complexity of man's social involvement and the glaring reality of collective evil. I came to feel that liberalism had been all too sentimental concerning human nature and that it leaned toward a false idealism.

I also came to see that liberalism's superficial optimism concerning human nature caused it to overlook the fact that reason is darkened by sin. The more I thought about human nature the more I saw how our tragic inclination for sin causes us to use our minds to rationalize our actions. Liberalism failed to see that reason by itself is little more than an instrument to justify man's defensive ways of thinking. Reason, devoid of the purifying power of faith, can never free itself from distortions and rationalizations.

King speaks of theological liberalism, but TOG points out that the definition of political liberalism is "A political theory founded on the natural goodness of humans and the autonomy of the individual and favoring civil and political liberties, government by law with the consent of the governed, and protection from arbitrary authority." (From the American Heritage Dictionary, see full definition here.)

Sometimes when evaluating the worth of public policy, it is difficult to ascertain what a Biblical or Christian opinion should be. Can we really say what Christ would have us do for health care? For wealth-transfers? Regarding the economic stimulus package? But the path is a bit clearer when one examines the beliefs that underpin the policy, as King relates doing in this article. We can say with confidence that a belief in the natural goodness of man not only conflicts with our experience, as King found, but it also conflicts with Scripture. We can beware of policies that depend upon this belief.

Talking to God

2012-01-12T08:17:00.000-06:00

"Prayer is not another good thing that the Christian does. Prayer, communion with God, was bought for us at the highest price. Please do not sideline prayer to something that is really good that we nearly do. No, no, it is rather our being known and knowing the Father. It is communion with God: welcomed ones in relationship with our Father, forever in Jesus' name; ransomed ones in relationship with our Father, forever in Jesus' name; belonging ones in relationship with our Father, forever in Jesus' name."

From Bud Burk's sermom, "Jesus Prayed, So We Could Pray" delivered December 31, 2011 at Bethlehem Baptist Church. Quote from about 26:03 minutes in.

How easy it is to reduce prayer to something like mental email to God rather than seeing it for what it should be: access to God the Father made possible by the suffering and sacrifice of God the Son.

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1-2 KJV)

Praise God for His Son Jesus, who has given us access to the righteous and holy God.

Getting to Yes

2012-01-10T10:04:00.000-06:00

Twenty years ago I sat in an Introduction to Political Science class, mesmerized. My young eyes were opened to a whole new category of thinking about relating with others, diplomacy, and finding agreement when it seems that there is no agreement to be found.

Twenty years later, I'm still grabbing onto snatches of what I remember from that class. One idea that has stuck all these years is the concept of "saving face." Working toward agreement while still honoring one another and respecting their dignity is vital. My poli-sci prof had us reading what is now an honored classic: Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. This book gave me some excellent tools for life--even a life lived outside of politics, diplomacy, or (these days) the corporate cubical. This book helped me look for common ground and focus on the outcome--what do we both want?--rather than seeing a conflict or negotiation as a battle in which to score points. It helped me see that victory doesn't have to be found in triumph over another, but victory can be found in achieving the desired outcome and keeping the human relationship protected.

I'm finding that as my children mature, I need to learn to apply this art to our parent-child relationship. No, I should not negotiate everything with my children. God clearly calls children to obedience to their parents and submission to authority. Nevertheless, I must not sinfully bulldoze my children into agreeing with me. Understanding how to search for what we both really want out of a conflict is extremely valuable. The principles in this book have helped me see that often the issue that appears on the surface is not the source of the conflict at all.

Take the common conflict of dress. Is my daughter coming out of her room in that atrocious dress because she is trying to stick it to me by dressing in a way I don't like? Or is she dressing that way because she failed to be responsible and get her laundry to the laundry room? Or is she choosing that get-up because someone hurt her feelings with a remark about her when she dressed "my way"? I can inflame the situation by simply scolding, or I can look more deeply and get us both to "yes" and leave our relationship strong.

Knowing all of this doesn't mean I'm good at it! This book came to my mind this week and I'm thinking it is time for me to re-read it.

Lord, Have Mercy

2012-01-09T06:00:00.003-06:00

Lord, Have Mercy
Christ, Have Mercy
Kýrie, eléison

The season of Lent will commence on Ash Wednesday, February 22, in just about six weeks. You were, perhaps, intentional about preparing your family to celebrate Christmas. Like me, you lit Advent candles. You treasured Advent traditions, like the Jesse Tree, to turn the eyes of your family toward the miracle and mystery of Christmas.

What about Easter? What can you do to intentionally prepare your family to celebrate Easter like never before? The Lenten period can be a worshipful time of readying your hearts to glory in the gift of Easter by turning your eyes toward your desperate need for the mercy of the Lord.

The celebration of Easter is meaningless if we don’t recognize some important truths about Jesus Christ and ourselves. We need to see our need for repentance and that God is holy and we are not. We need to see that Jesus is God and has power to heal and save. We need to see that Jesus is the Son of God and that He is the Promised Messiah. Finally, we need to follow Jesus through the events leading up to His death--His triumphal entry, His last supper with the disciples, His agony in the garden, and His suffering and trials.

I'm writing a family devotional e-book to help you lead your family to the cross this Lenten season. Keep checking for news about Lord, Have Mercy, which will be available for your Kindle in time for Lent.

Free samples will be posted here in a few weeks!

Building with Keva Planks

2012-01-07T08:17:00.000-06:00

This was the Christmas we discovered KEVA planks. These uniformly-milled planks are gather-around-the-coffee-table-and-laugh-together fun. One of the best things? Unlike Legos, the creation is dismantled and put back in the box every time. If this doesn't seem like an asset to you, than you must not have boys who insist on preserving their beloved Lego creations ad infinitim and yet always seem to need a specific piece that their brother happens to have incorporated into his beloved creation.

With KEVA planks, we can preserve the memory with a photo, and then it all comes down.

It is very true that KEVA is fun for the whole family, but at this point Lydia would rather run the vacuum!

Although KEVA planks didn't steal the show on Christmas morning--the blocks in the box didn't seem all that exciting at first--it is one gift that is still entertaining after the twelve days of Christmas.

Hokusai and Japanese Paintings

2012-01-04T15:10:00.001-06:00

A print of this Vincent Van Gogh painting, "Almond Blossom," hangs in our dining room. It is beautiful and it reminds me of Jeremiah 1:11-12:

And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond branch.” Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.”

The Hebrew for "almond" sounds similar to the Hebrew for "watching," according to the text note.

Today Toby and I read Hokusai: The Man Who Painted the Mountain. We enjoyed this picture book about the influential Japanese painter of the 19th century very much.

The book notes how Hokusai's prolific paintings and artworks influenced Western painters such as Van Gogh and other Impressionists and post-Impressionists. Both of us immediately looked at our beloved "Almond Blossom" print and smiled. (Hokusai's "Goldfinch and Cherry Tree" shown below.)

Artwork images from Allposters.com

Blessed is the One

2012-01-04T07:35:00.000-06:00

The Bible is firstly God's authoritative Word, but secondly it must be the greatest work of literature of all time. My love for Scripture and its literary beauty has grown over the years as I've developed a greater love for literature. This is especially true of the poetic literature of the Psalms and Prophets.

While I understand the reasons for using gender inclusive language in the NIV, I nevertheless feel that all the color is gone from Psalm 1 in the revised NIV.

Here is the classic Psalm in our most beautiful English translation (yes, the King James Version):

Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

And here is the NIV:

Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.

4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Verse three suffers the most. What sort of poet composes a psalm with "that person"?

The New NIV

2011-12-30T08:15:00.000-06:00

Why are Bible translations such a deeply emotional topic for some? Because the higher we hold God's Word, the more we care about getting it right. When we believe that the Scriptures are inspired by God in the original manuscripts, we want to know exactly what the original said. The catch is that translating anything from one language to another will always be an inadequate process. There just isn't a decoder ring somewhere that can convert text from one language to another as if each word in one language had an exact counterpart in the other.

In Bible translation, there are typically two approaches, as I'm sure you know. The formal equivalent, which is as word-for-word as possible, and the dynamic equivalent which tends to be more interpretative. The dynamic equivalent approach aims to communicate meaning, and if a literal rendering makes no sense to readers, the translation uses other words to get at the meaning.

The New International Version has always been a dynamic equivalent translation. This doesn't mean it isn't trustworthy, just that the aim of the translators is to compose English that communicates the meaning of the Scripture to contemporary readers. Well known literal translations include the English Standard Version and the New American Standard Version. If you want to know as exactly as possible what the words in the verse are, these are the translations to consult. However, some people find that they are not very readable, particularly in group settings.

The new NIV revisions, according to the Committee on Bible Translation, are organized around three categories: changes in English, progress in scholarship, and concern for clarity. Be sure to read the CBT's notes (follow the link) to fully understand these categories.

Let's look at a few familiar verses and see how the NIV has been revised (changes in bold print).

Psalm 23:1-4
NIV 1984
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

NIV
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

Matthew 4:19
NIV 1984
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

NIV
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

Acts 4:12
NIV 1984
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Philippians 4:12-13
NIV 1984
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

NIV
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

(This last example is cited by the CBT as a change made to improve clarity. Verse 13 is often wrongly applied or taken out of context. This is an attempt to point readers back to the context. Paul is explaining that he is able to be content because of Christ, who gives him the strength to do that.)

This whole topic, I must add, is a problem of abundance. We are rich indeed when our language offers us multiple translations, online study tools, and commentaries around every corner (or link). Let us not lose sight of this fact. And yet, with all of these options, can the English-speaking world be described as "people of the Book"? While I enjoy looking at these different versions, please don't forget that the important thing is to be reading God's Word! It will be of no use to you to have what you consider to be the best, most reliable, most popular, most endorsed Bible translation if you are not reading it, obeying it, and keeping it as your authority for living.

This post is second in a series. The first post: "The End of NIV 1984."

Edwards Academy Update

2011-12-30T06:00:00.002-06:00

Shortly before Christmas break we held our second quarter school Unit Celebration with our Tapestry of Grace group, Truth Treasure Hunters. We are studying Tapestry of Grace Year 3 Unit 2, which covers the early part of the reign of Victoria as well as the antebellum years of the United States, including the Texas Revolution, the Mexican-American War, and the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails.

Here are some pictures of the kids and their displays.

Sydney prepared a display board on Early Nineteenth Century Fashion. She did some research and wrote about the fashion changes over three decades stretching from 1820-1850: the Restoration Period, the Romantic Period, and the Victorian Gothic Period. Notice she fixed her hair to imitate the popular style of a center part, spaniel curls framing the face, and hair pulled back into a bun.

Hope's display board is pictured above. She researched the family tree of Queen Victoria and created a genealogy chart tracing Victoria's family from her grandfather King George III to her descendants, noting those who were rulers of other European nations. She followed the British line to the present queen, Elizabeth II.

I didn't actually plan for our kindergartener to make a display board, but he felt very left out so we threw together a display of some of his work.

Lane put together a display featuring the Alamo. He wrote a paper about the battle of the Alamo, as well as a couple of additional Texas Revolutionary battles. He found some interesting photos and made some of his own drawings. Lane also made a salt dough facade of the Alamo mission (see it on the table, near the back left). You can see that he also made a fun paper model filled with miniature soldiers.

Several of the children in the group presented their papers at our Celebration. Hope and Sydney read portions from George MacDonald's The Princess and the Goblin to the audience and we talked a little about the things they learned from this book, which is a beautiful allegory of the Christian life.

As you can tell, the kids wore costumes to evoke something of the era.

Unit Three starts on Monday!

Pinterest Project!

2011-12-29T08:54:00.000-06:00

Over our Christmas break, Sydney and Hope sewed some cute reversible bags using a pattern that I found on Pinterest.

Since I'm pretty much a sewing novice, this was a little comical. Thankfully my mother stopped by midway and gave us some good sewing advice.

What is it about Pinterest that makes everything seem possible?

The pin is here.
You can find me as veritasathome on Pinterest.

The End of NIV 1984

2011-12-28T14:33:00.000-06:00

After over 300 years with the King James Bible as the universally-read English Bible, the 20th century was the one in which multiple English translations flooded the market. Now, incredibly after just 27 years, the New International Version has been deemed out-of-date and in need of a revision. The classic New International Version Bible (copyright 1984, now called the NIV1984) is now not available for purchase. Zondervan has recalled all the copies, according to a local bookseller, and is shipping them overseas. Only the "new" NIV, hereafter known as the NIV, will be available.

There are many good reasons for this and I don't deny them. Yes, thanks to Spielberg et al the term "alien" carries extra terrestrial connotations. I'm sure using "foreigner" speaks more clearly to the modern reader. And, to be sure, scholarship has opened our eyes to more accurate meanings. And then there is the gender issue.

I know many people have reacted extremely negatively to the NIV's revisions because the translators have chosen to use more inclusive pronouns. This pronoun fight amuses me a little. The hard truth is that English speakers no longer use "he" or "brothers" to universally refer to mankind--err, humankind. We may hate that this is the outcome of feminism, but it doesn't change that it is indeed the outcome. This is a change in English usage; it is not an alteration in the Scriptures. If "brothers" continued to faithfully communicate the meaning, it would continue to be chosen. The Committee on Bible Translation has explained themselves on this issue, and I accept their explanation. I do not see an agenda in the translation. It seems to me that the NIV is a worthy dynamic equivalent translation.

However, the very fact that the NIV 1984 is no longer available is forcing churches and Christian groups everywhere to take stock. New NIV 1984 pew Bibles are unavailable. Do we change out the whole set of pew Bibles to the new NIV? Or, if we are changing anyway should we consider New American Standard? English Standard Version? Holman Standard Christian Bibles?

What about the versions that we memorize together? What about kids in AWANA?* Sunday school children are given Bibles as gifts--what now?

The NIV revisions have only changed 5% of the words throughout the text, but the problem is that there is enough of a change that one can't just carry on and use both interchangeably for memory work.

As it happens, I haven't been using NIV 1984 for about seven years or more, since my personal Bible became an ESV. I really love the ESV, which is a literal translation and as such in a different category from the NIV, but in recent weeks I've been reading a Holman translation. Watch for a follow-up post coming soon in which I review the Holman Christian Standard Bible as a possible alternative for you.

How did we come to this? We are told that English is changing very rapidly--so fast that even the translations for modern readers, like the NIV 1984, are now considered "old." This is true, but one can't help being nostalgic for an earlier era.

It wasn't that long ago that people of all classes learned to read with the King James Bible. If a word sounded strange because you never used it in everyday speech, well, you learned what it meant and carried on. The English speaking world shared several things in common: the King James Bible, Pilgrim's Progress, and Shakespeare. Yes, English changed, but when we all shaped our education around old but excellent English writing, we passed the torch of beautiful English, at least in some way, on to the next generation.

Now, however, television and movies are the keepers of our tongue. People change their cadences to mimic popular sit-com speakers. Hip phrases go in and out of fashion as quickly as our clothing. Old meanings that we all used to recognize are slipping away from common knowledge. Inside jokes allude to movie lines, not lines from the King James or Shakespeare.

If old and dated English is an obstacle to reaching readers with the Gospel, than by all means, let's get a new translation. But forgive me for feeling a little disappointed that Bible translations are now on a 25 year update cycle.

This is the first in a series of posts on the topic. Watch for my review of the Holman, a post looking at the actual NIV revisions, and a post with links to other buzz on this topic.

Image is the author's photograph of her personal ESV Bible.
*According to AWANA's Facebook page, they are thinking and praying over this issue very carefully, as well as surveying their participating churches. If you want to give input to this process, contact your AWANA missionary.

Reaping What We've Sown

2011-12-23T14:59:00.000-06:00

Just the other day I was musing over the loss of biblical literacy among scholars. Now I see that the New York Times and every other major news agency worldwide has revealed their own biblical illiteracy by attributing a verse from Hebrews to the poet Yeats.

Check this out from Eric Metaxas via Fox News (yes, he's the one that wrote Bonhoeffer).

How far we we've come from the days when a British officer cabled from Dunkirk the three words "But if not..." and they bore the full meaning of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's declaration to Nebuchadnezzar, before being throne into the furnace:

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Links for your Christmas Weekend Reading

2011-12-23T08:18:00.000-06:00

My Due App is chiming! The to-do's that are due today make a long list.

But just in case you, unlike me, have some time to put your feet up today and relax, here are some links to interesting reading.

Two years ago, I introduced Lane to Tintin. Since then, he's read all the library Tintin books and collected a few of them for his own shelf. Now, the movie is out. We haven't seen it yet, but it seems that it will not disappoint us. If nothing else, Tintin will now be discovered by boys everywhere, which is surely a good thing. Here's a movie review of the new film: "The Wonderful Adventures of Tintin" by Frederica Mathewes-Green

I appreciated this short piece from National Review's Jonah Goldberg. He addresses the cultural problem of the "war on Christmas" from a sympathetic non-believer's point-of-view. "Santa's Not Pagan" by Jonah Goldberg

The Iowa caucuses are looming. Stephen Bloom decides to decode Iowans for the rest of us, but in the process he tells us more about himself. The religious influence on Iowan culture particularly galls Bloom. He even sites the fact that one of his student's parents had a "come to Jesus meeting" with her after she was out too late as an example of the dangerous and deep influence of religion on Iowans. He's very afraid that these hapless people have such national influence on our Presidental race. Be sure to read to the end and note that following the initial publication of the piece, multiple factual errors of Bloom's had to be corrected. Very revealing. "Observations from 20 Years of Iowa Life" by Stephen G. Bloom

On an entirely different, but perennially popular, topic I give you "No Sex Please, I"m British" by Carl Trueman at the Reformation 21 blog. Maybe you missed it, but sex is the topic du jour of Christian Bible studies. Mark Driscoll just published his new, and reportedly graphic, marriage book, Real Marriage, and he is already well-known for his teaching and preaching on the Song of Solomon. I like Mark Driscoll's preaching. Mr. Edwards and I have listened to his podcasts off and on for several years. In fact, while I'm teaching third graders Sunday School, Mr. Edwards is in an adult class that is studying Driscoll's "Love Life" series on the Song of Solomon. Nevertheless, I thought Trueman's post is a good balancing view. Read it all, but here's a portion,

"The Bible's refusal to reduce sex to physical acts is surely one of the reasons why it uses poetry to describe it. Poetry communicates meaning and significance which cannot be reduced simply to the reference; and the turning of the Song of Songs primarily into a sex manual is arguably a greater act of reductionism than jumping straight from the text to Christ and the church."

The Due App is still chiming with all I must do today. Baking, wrapping, laundry, laundry, laundry. The mundane never goes away, even on the most beloved Holy Day of the year!

The Snow of Legends

2011-12-22T14:24:00.001-06:00

This afternoon while we were out driving, snow began to fall, swirling, blowing and softly landing onto our car. Walking to and from the car, we all were amazed at the big, beautiful snow flakes. As they landed in our hair and on our sleeves, we gaped at the visible detail of each flake. The six points were sharp and clear, contrasting against the color of our coats.

Driving off to our next stop, Toby told me from the backseat, "Mom, I just thought the six points in snowflakes were a legend."

(Above image is a photomicrograph of a snowflake, taken by William Bentley in 1890. Bentley's photos of snowflakes proved that each snowflake is a uniquely formed snow crystal. The image is from Wikipedia, but belongs to the Smithsonian Collection.)

True Mettle

2011-12-17T17:27:00.000-06:00

"To me, consensus seems to be the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies in search of something in which no one believes, but to which no one objects." (Margaret Thatcher, 1981)

The Wall Street Journal's Saturday Essay on Margaret Thatcher ("What Would the Iron Lady Do?") is fascinating. You'll want to read it.

The Faith of Victorians

2011-12-16T14:12:00.000-06:00

Just yesterday Albert Mohler spoke with Timothy Larsen to discuss Christianity during the Victorian Age. Edwards Academy kids are studying the Victorian Age this year, so this topic is front and center in our school and home.

It really is striking to realize that the people of the 19th century, regardless of their belief or unbelief, brought up their children to know the content of the Bible. This habit is completely lost to us today, and one consequence Larsen mentions is that history scholars don't even recognize the allusions to Scripture that pepper the works of 19th century writers.

We live in an age that presumes agnosticism in public life. Whatever we think or believe privately, we all have agreed to function publicly as if the Bible does not exist. This is deplorable. We are hindered in understanding people of the past because we can't imagine what it is like to think within a context that presumes theism. Yes, some Victorians reacted in unbelief. But they still moved and breathed and thought in a context of theism.

Homeschooling is my response to the bifurcation of our culture. There are lots of reasons to homeschool, but our primary motivation is a desire to integrate faith in learning. We cannot wrestle with the deepest issues of existence while pretending that religion and the Bible don't exist. In our age, it takes deliberate effort to integrate belief in Jesus Christ into all areas of life. Homeschooling isn't the only educational way to accomplish this mandate of Scripture (Romans 12:1-2), but in some ways it is the easiest way.

(Photo of Victoria and Albert with their nine children from Wikipedia. It is in the public domain.)

Grief for Unbelief

2011-12-16T07:04:00.002-06:00

Christopher Hitchens has died. Don't miss this obituary by Douglas Wilson, who debated Hitchens several times about Christianity:

The short promotion tour for the release of the book was a series of debates that Christopher and I held in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, which were filmed for the documentary Collision. a result of all this, we were thrown together in a number of situations. One time we shared a panel in Dallas, and I told the crowd there that if Christopher and I were not careful, we were in danger of becoming friends. During the time we spent together, he never said an unkind thing to me—except on stage, up in front of everybody. After doing this, he didn't wink at me, but he might as well have.

Wilson said it so well:

We have no indication that Christopher ever called on the Lord before he died, and if he did not, then Scriptures plainly teach that he is lost forever. But we do have every indication that Christ died for sinners, men and women just like Christopher. We know that the Lord has more than once hired workers for his vineyard when the sun was almost down (Matt. 20:6).

***

I recently read a quote from Hitchens in which he admitted that his life-long rallying cry, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger" was failing him. In fact, he observed, this doesn't ring true when battling cancer and he noted that there are plenty of things in life that actually leave us weaker. Perhaps Hitchens's cancer weakened his unbelief until it was replaced with belief. I hope so.

Previous posts about Hitchens are here.

St. Lucia Day

2011-12-13T06:00:00.009-06:00

Today is St. Lucia Day, a tradition-rich holiday held dear to Swedish communities. We've been to Lindsborg, Kansas several times for their St. Lucia festival. We weren't able to go this year, much to the disappointment of the Edwards kids. It is one of their favorite outings. Here are some memories from our trip one year ago:

Girls and Boys

2011-12-10T14:05:00.000-06:00

It sure is fun to have a little sugar and spice and everything nice...

...after snips and snails and puppy dog tails!

These are the sort of pictures I find on the camera when I download photos. There is no doubt that the best word for Tobias is "incorrigible"!

Not that girls are perfect, of course. Here's little Lydia after adorning herself with blue marker.

St. Nicholas Day

2011-12-06T12:00:00.000-06:00

St. Nicholas's feast day is today. Although Santa Claus is fully associated with a commercial and secular Christmas celebration, it is worth remembering that the legend surrounding Santa grew up around a historical Christian figure, Bishop Nicholas, who lived about three hundred years after Christ. He is known for his generosity to the needy, his persecution by the Emperor Diocletian, and his attendance at the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325.

We come from a Protestant tradition that doesn't emphasize particular saints over others and we don't formally celebrate saint days. For Protestants like us, pre-Reformation church history can be a bit of a blur. But when St. Nicholas is largely understood by American children as a cartoony, magical gift-giver, it is important to make an effort to correct the record for our children.

In our home, Santa is a character in Clement Moore's famous poem, but there is no question that Mom and Dad are the ones that fill the stockings that hang on the mantle. We are careful to teach our kids the truth about St. Nicholas and start early explaining how the actions of one man who lived a few centuries after Jesus have inspired centuries of myths and legends that cross cultures, thanks to the early influence of the church in western culture.

We don't have a big celebration for St. Nicholas, other than to remark, "Today's St. Nicholas's feast day. Do you remember who that was?" It is good, though, to reclaim from secular culture some traditions that come from our church history and put Santa into his proper place.

Here are some St. Nicholas resources:

Online biography of St. Nicholas, from the St. Nicholas Center.
Picture book St. Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend by Julie Stiegemeyer
The True St. Nicholas by William Bennett
Picture book Santa, Are You for Real? by Harold Myra (2005) OOP but available from Abe Books.

Believing the Mystery

2011-11-26T09:11:00.000-06:00

"Saint Bernard declared there are here three miracles: that God and man should be joined in this child; that a mother should remain a virgin; that Mary should have such faith as to believe that this mystery would be accomplished in her. The last is not the least of the three."

(From Martin Luther's Christmas Book, collected in Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus, edited by Nancy Guthrie, page 26)

The last is not the least. Belief in the impossible must itself be the greatest miracle. And it is one that we can witness in ourselves this Advent.

May God's grace be on us, that we may believe the Mystery, that we might be a miracle.

This Sunday is the first Advent Sunday. We'll be lighting a purple candle, reading Scriptures, and singing carols to begin our focus on the month-long anticipation of Christmas, the great celebration of the Incarnation.

As the days of Advent pass, we'll be filling up our Jesse Tree with ornaments and meditating on a Jesse Tree devotion. How are you meditating on the Mystery this Advent?

"There is such richness and goodness in this nativity that if we should see and deeply understand, we should be dissolved in perpetual joy." (Ibid)

On the Trail of the Santa Fe Trail

2011-11-22T14:04:00.001-06:00

We spent the Monday of Thanksgiving week in Council Grove, Kansas tracking down the Santa Fe trail. We did this four years ago, the last time we studied the 19th century. In the intervening years our growing children have leafed through the album of that trip so many times that they have begged to return to the humble Kansas town. It doesn't take much to amuse us, I'm sure, for there isn't much to recommend about Council Grove, but we had the best of time retracing our memories.

Lunch at Hayes House. Climbing around the Western-themed playground. Rolling down the hill on the bank of the Neosho River. Pitching seed pods at tree trunks. Taking pictures at trail markers and special, albeit dead, tree trunks. Running around an old stone barn dating to the 1850s. Peering hopefully into a field of dry grass, hoping to see the swales of the trail.

Cooking Day

2011-11-21T08:11:00.000-06:00

When my friend T first asked me to consider freezer cooking for a month with her, I almost dismissed it without another thought. I'm glad I didn't, though, and we set a date.

Armed with the advice of several bloggers, T. helped get us organized. We started gathering recipes and entering them into a shared spreadsheet, multiplying quantities times six, since we hoped to get three entrees per family, per recipe. It seemed ambitious, but we thought that if we went to all the trouble, we wanted it to be worth it. Our families are similar in size, so we thought we could easily split everything 50-50.

We gathered 12 recipes, about half with ground beef, half with chicken--a few meatless--and then had a planning meeting to come up with our shopping and cooking strategy. We planned to buy a case of chicken breasts from Sam's Club and some 10-pound packages of ground beef in addition to using some of the venison that I already had in my freezer.

Twelve recipes. Three per family. That would give us each 36 entrees. If I used four per week, this would last nine weeks. This was a big motivator!

We categorized our ingredient list into the three stores we planned to buy from, then met again on Shopping Day. It took us about three hours to hit three stores. She took home about half the meat and I took home the other half plus most of the pantry items since we would be using my kitchen. Here's a picture of most of our non-refrigerated purchases (minus the boxes of soda). Shopping lesson learned? Cheese is as expensive as meat.

Prep. The night before our Cooking Day, we cooked the chicken breasts in 18-quart electric roasters. This was wonderfully easy. The cooked chicken fell apart as we chopped or shredded it up in preparation for Cooking Day. We reserved the liquid for chicken stock, which we needed for several recipes. Because our ground meats (beef, venison, and some Italian recipes called for pork sausage) needed to be browned with or without onions, we saved this task for Cooking Day.

Some of our recipes called for cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup. Rather than buying these soups, we opted to try a homemade recipe mix that used dry milk and bouillon. I mixed this up the night before. Meanwhile, T figured that our case of chicken had a little more than our recipes needed, so she took the extra chicken and filled two bags per family of uncooked chicken breasts in a marinade, ready to thaw and bake or grill. That gave us two bonus entrees. Lesson learned? I think we did the right things for preparation.

Cooking Day arrived. T. and her daughter Joanna arrived around 7:15 a.m. and we quickly got to work. Joanna and my daughters Hope and Sydney started chopping about 30 onions. We were all teary over that process as the odor wafted through the house! Lesson learned? It is worth it to use a food processor for this task. Chopping onions is very time consuming. If we didn't have our girls to help, this would have been better to do ahead.

The day progressed and we worked through ground meat recipes first. We worked well as a team and our daughters were an invaluable help. They made the manicotti filling, piped it into about 100 manicotti shells, and also made nearly 200 meatballs. Although we roughly planned to work on meat recipes before chicken, we didn't have a strict order planned in advance. This was our first attempt and it was hard to imagine ahead of time what the day would be like and what would be best.

We quickly discovered that our pots and pans and bowls were not big enough. However, we had two 18-quart electric roasters and while we didn't think ahead of time that we would need them on Cooking Day, we ended up using them all day long! We made the chilis, enchilada sauce, sloppy joes, lasagne meat sauce, and soup in the roaster pan, using the heat for a few of the recipes that needed simmering. (Remember that roasters do not work for browning ground meat. This must be done on the stove top.) We used the second roaster pan as a giant mixing bowl for the manicotti filling and the chicken enchilada casserole. Lesson learned? We would have been lost without those big pans.

T and I had no idea how long the day would take us, but I thought we might finish around three in the afternoon. Instead, it took until about 6:30 that night. We worked nearly eleven hours straight and this included three very capable daughters helping us most of that time. Without them we could never have achieved nearly 40 entrees per family and probably would have had to scale back ambitions as the day wore on. You might think it would discourage us that it took so long, but we learned so much throughout the day that we both feel confident that next time will be easier. What did we learn? We had too many recipes that had multiple steps, such as lasagne and manicotti, and several that required bringing sauces up to boiling, which takes time when you are making large quantities. Our next Cooking Day will include more recipes, like chicken enchilada casserole, that simply need to be assembled. I'm very glad, however, that we did some more complicated recipes because we both admitted that we never bother to make them usually because our lives are so busy.

The entire day was worth all the effort after we proudly posted our Freezer Inventory List. After all the clean-up was done, I just kept going back to that list congratulating myself.

About 40 entrees! Made for about $7 per entree. That's a fantastic average for feeding a family of seven. Best of all, I'll be able to spend more of my kitchen time in December baking and enjoying Christmas cooking. Thank you so much, T, for inviting me to join you!

My Divided Attention

2011-11-18T08:24:00.001-06:00

I feel that the pie that is my brain is being divided into ever-smaller slices. It feels as if my attention has never been so divided. There are so many events, ideas, books, movies, and projects tugging at me in this weekend before Thanksgiving. If you think I am getting batty, here's why:

I've had a fun couple of weeks leading my sixth graders through a study of Charles Dickens and an abridged version of David Copperfield. Meanwhile, my kindergartner has been requesting his favorite picture-book version of A Christmas Carol, which is putting us all in a Christmas mood. All of the kids read a collection of Dickens stories presented in comic-book style (this wonderful Marcia Williams book), and Oliver Twist was a particular favorite, so we've been squeezing in a bit of Oliver! over the last two weeks, a little at a time. The David Copperfield movie is next. I'm holding the line and waiting to play our audiobook of the full Christmas Carol until after Thanksgiving.

If only I had a few days to read some of the Dickens books I loaded on the Kindle. I've never actually read David Copperfield. Cricket on the Hearth would be fun. And after our recent study of the French Revolution, I'm sure I'd appreciate A Tale of Two Cities quite differently than I did has a teenager. Which reminds me that I'm convinced the best way to enjoy literature is to study it alongside history.

But I don't have time to read Dickens. After all, I didn't even get far in Les Miserables, which I started reading a few weeks back, hoping to finish by the end of the year. We're a big fan of the musical Les Miserables (I know, who isn't?), so when Lane was assigned an abridged children's version of that novel, all the kids read it, some several times. I was pretty thrilled when, last week as we read about the Three-Day Revolution in France, Sydney said, "Mom, this is the revolution in Les Mis. You know, the barricades?"

The girls are loving their study of Queen Victoria and the Victorian age and are particularly interested in the changing fashions of the period. Which has me happily collecting images from Pinterest for their display board on the topic. If I had the time, I'd study more on 19th century fashion and costumes. One of my daughters could spend hours studying period dresses. Maybe she'll design dresses someday....

Speaking of Pinterest, aren't there so many tempting projects to be found there? I roped some friends into making ornament wreaths last weekend, and now I have my eye on sewing stuffed-songbirds for Christmas ornaments. Not to mention the crochet projects I'd like to get done. I wish I could sit down for several hours with the girls and crochet with them. They've been learning the craft with a group of friends and are working on all sort of projects.

There hasn't been much time for crocheting this week, though. A friend invited me to try freezer cooking with her and this weekend is our big Cooking Day. Yes, that needs capitals. We've got big ambitions for tomorrow and spent the week planning for the big event. More on that later.

We're happily taking Thanksgiving week off from our school routine. After a day trip to Council Grove (I forgot to mention that Toby and I have been reading Holling's Tree in the Trail), I want to get the kids working on making Jesse Tree ornaments. We've done all sorts of Advent devotions and activities, but this is our first year to do a Jesse Tree. I've been scouring the internet for manageable ornament projects that we can actually do. We'll see. I've got some other Advent plans in the back of my mind that I'd like to pursue.

Our favorite Thanksgiving picture books are on the coffee table to remind me that I need to read them to my younger kids. I can't forget that! It is a great sorrow to me that I've lately had to out-source most of the picture book reading for Toby and Lydia. It has been hard to let my older kids have the pleasure of reading Old Hat, New Hat repeatedly to Lydia when I'd like to be the one doing it. It is so cute when she says, "Wait!" I'd really like to read Toby the beautiful library book I found about a little girl who came to America from Ireland during the Irish potato famine, but I think Hope or Sydney will get to do that instead. They read to him every day when I teach Lane grammar.

Hope and Sydney are starting in on MacDonald's The Princess and the Goblin this week. I'm hoping to read it myself during our Thanksgiving break. The girls were supposed to read to chapter eight this week, but Hope just told me, "Mom, I accidently read to chapter 17." MacDonald was a significant inspiration to C. S. Lewis. Wouldn't it be great to spend a few weeks reading through MacDonald's books? I wish I could. They will be spending four weeks studying the book for their Tapestry studies. I'm really looking forward to discussing it. Speaking of goblins...

I have abstained from Harry Potter all these years, but after the final book was released and I heard talk of the Christian imagery, I decided to check it out for myself. I don't really have time to read it right now, but it was on the library shelf when I walked the children's fiction "R" section. I impulsively threw it in our library box, because when I looked for it over a month ago, it was checked out. I suppose Harry Potter ought to be read straight through, but I'm reading it about five pages at a time. I'm usually asleep by the sixth page.

It is anything but boring around here.

November Thanksgivings

2011-11-16T08:12:00.000-06:00

I love that more and more people are spending the whole month of November intentionally giving thanks. Advent is coming, but let us not surrender November to Christmas celebration, but let it be Christmas preparation by remaining a month of thanksgiving, capped off with the wonderful feast-day of the Thanksgiving holiday itself, which then turns our eyes toward Advent.

With thanksgiving on my mind, it seems that every word of thanks that appears in my daily Bible reading seems to jump off the page at me. And I'm noticing something.

Biblical thanksgiving always flows from the observation of the works of the LORD.

"I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, . . .

Great are the works of the LORD,

studied by all who delight in them. . .

The works of his hands are faithful and just

all his precepts are trustworthy." (Psalm 111:1,2, 7)

"We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing." (2 Thessalonians 1:3)

With Christ, giving thanks is an act of worship, of praise, of submission to the Almighty God, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

Without Him, it could be a list of self-congratulation. A Pollyanna glad-game. A band-aid over the wound of life's search for meaning.

With Christ, a month of studying His works and giving Him thanks for them prepares us to celebrate the greatest work of all, the hinge-point of history that is Christmas. God with us.

For those without Him, perhaps a month of giving thanks will prepare hearts to unwrap the gift of Hope and Peace with God this Christmas.

The Whole Duty

2011-11-15T08:31:00.000-06:00

I'm getting back to basics with my kids, giving myself a pep rally about expecting prompt obedience. Charlotte Mason calls it the "whole duty of a child," and even "the whole duty of man."

"The Whole Duty of a Child--First and infinitely the most important, is the habit of obedience. Indeed, obedience is the whole duty of the child, and for this reason--every other duty of the child is fulfilled as a matter of obedience to his parents. Not only so: obedience is the whole duty of man; obedience to conscience, to law, to Divine direction." (Page 111, Kindle edition)

"It is in little matters that the mother is worsted. 'Bedtime, Willie!' 'Oh, mamma, just let me finish this'; and the mother yields, forgetting that the case in point is of no consequence; the thing that matters is that the child should be daily confirming a habit of obedience by the unbroken repetition of acts of obedience." (Page 113, Kindle edition)

I really like Charlotte Mason's ideas and her influence on modern home schooling culture, but sometimes I'm run down by the enormity of giving five children all that they need and striving for my ideal and feel discouraged. Why can't I be more like Charlotte?

Then, I noticed this in Home Education:

"But they should have the best of their mother, her freshest, brightest hours; while, at the same time, she is careful to choose her nurses wisely, train them carefully, and keep a vigilant eye upon all that goes on in the nursery." (Page 24, Kindle edition)

If I had a staff of household help that I could choose wisely and watch vigilantly, I might be able to present only my best, freshest, and brightest self to my children. Instead, they get all of me, the best, the worst, and the mediocre.

I'll keep aiming for my ideal, but I'm thankful for the grace of God which reminds me that really, He is the shepherd of my children and through His sovereignty He is using even my worst to mold and shape the character of my children and reveal Himself to them.

Gentle Exhortations

2011-11-09T08:15:00.000-06:00

The tyranny of the urgent. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Fire-fighting. Tail wagging the dog. Whatever the metaphor, it seems that events and circumstances of every day--or hour--pull me along, leaving me little time to consider if I'm going in the right direction.

And what direction should that be? I want to mother with gentleness, being affectionately desirous of my children, ready to share not just the Gospel of Christ with them, but also myself, because they are so dear to me. I want my own conduct to be holy, righteous, blameless, and infused with a constant spirit of thankfulness. I want to exhort each one of my children, and encourage each one, and charge each one to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls them into His own kingdom and glory.*

I want to be praying, hard, that each one of my children would accept the word of God not as the word of men, but as it really is, the word of God, which is at work among us.*

And not only do I pray that by God's grace I might mother this way, but that my ministry at church and in my community would also be guided in this same way.

This is not my reality, but it is my prayer, and while I am completely incapable of attaining this, I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able.

*You might recognize that this prayer is based upon I Thessalonians 2:7-13.

October 31, 2011

2011-11-04T15:33:00.000-05:00

We keep our Halloween celebrations pretty low-key, but here are the kids in the costumes they put together. From left to right, John Wayne, Davy Crockett, and two ladies ready for the ball.

Just for fun we pulled an old Dorothy dress out of the dress-up basket for Lydia, but she wasn't happy about posing for the camera!

He is Able

2011-10-28T07:45:00.000-05:00

We've been singing "I Know Whom I Have Believed" for the month of October during our "Morning Time," and each time we sing it, the rich meaning sinks deeper into my soul. I hope you can take about four minutes to listen to the hymn, but if not, at least meditate for a few moments on the words (scroll down for lyrics) and declare them true for yourself. In a time when unknowns swirl around us constantly, it is good to remember what we do know with certainty.

2 Timothy 1:12
...nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. (KJV)

I know not why God’s wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
Redeemed me for His own.

Refrain

But I know Whom I have believèd,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day.

I know not how this saving faith
To me He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word
Wrought peace within my heart.

Refrain

I know not how the Spirit moves,
Convincing us of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the Word,
Creating faith in Him.

Refrain

I know not what of good or ill
May be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days,
Before His face I see.

Refrain

I know not when my Lord may come,
At night or noonday fair,
Nor if I walk the vale with Him,
Or meet Him in the air.

Refrain

Slaying Sin and Parenting

2011-10-27T08:14:00.000-05:00

"The mortification of sin consists not in the improvement of a quiet, sedate nature. Some men have an advantage by their natural constitution so far as that they are not exposed to such violence of unruly passions and tumultuous affections as many others are. Let now these men cultivate and improve their natural frame and temper by discipline, consideration, and prudence, and they may seem to themselves and others very mortified men, when perhaps, their hearts are a standing sink of all abominations. Some man is never so much troubled all his life, perhaps, with anger and passion, nor doth trouble others as another is almost every day; and yet the latter hath done more to the mortification of the sin that the former. Let not such persons try their mortification by such things as their natural temper gives no life or vigour to. Let them bring themselves to self-denial, unbelief, envy, or some such spiritual sin, and they will have a better view of themselves."*

This marvelous quote from John Owen's Mortification of Sin describes what God has taught me through parenting five very different people. One child's natural constitution, or temperament, leads to very obvious, very unruly and passionate sin. All who know us see it and see the struggle. It takes a lot of my energy. And yet, it is important to remember that the children I parent who do not have this natural constitution toward unruly and passionate sin, have lurking sins in their own natural temper that are easier to deny but just as damaging to their spiritual condition. Worse, when people not given to anger and passion compare themselves to those who are, pride takes hold.

*Chapter V: "The Principal Intendment of the Whole Discourse Proposed."

Pumpkins

2011-10-26T14:53:00.000-05:00

Several weeks ago we happily harvested some pumpkins from Walter's Pumpkin Patch. Last Sunday we had a blast carving the pumpkins with friends at a pumpkin-carving party.

Today I roasted the seeds, which we buttered and salted and ate in their hulls.

Slay sin? Really?

2011-10-26T07:49:00.000-05:00

If the idea of completely slaying sin in your life seems out of reach this side of eternity, you're right. But John Owen makes it clear that this must nevertheless be our aim and desire.

"To mortify a sin is not utterly to kill, root it out, and destroy it, that it should have no more hold at all nor residence in our hearts. It is true this is that which is aimed at; but this is not in this life to be accomplished.

There is no man that truly sets himself to mortify any sin, but he aims at, intends, desires its utter destruction, that it should leave neither root nor fruit in the heart or life."*

Have I succeeded in mortifying a sin if I am able to disguise my sin, dissimulate it, and not allow it to affect others? Think again.

"I think I need not say it is not the dissimulation of a sin. When a man on some outward respects forsakes the practice of any sin, men perhaps may look on him as a changed man. God knows that to his former iniquity he hath added cursed hypocrisy,"*

This morning I prayed Ephesians 5:8-15 for myself and for my loved ones:

for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

"Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you."

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

*From John Owen's The Mortification of Sin, chapter V, "The Principal Intendment of the Whole Discourse Proposed."

Harvest

2011-10-20T11:25:00.002-05:00

When some farming friends invited us to watch them harvest soy beans, we jumped at the opportunity. It was a first for all of us, and the C. family didn't just let us watch them cut the beans, they let the us take turns riding in the combine, and playing in the grain truck. (The sun was glaring in their eyes in the picture above, so it was hard for them to look at the camera.)

For suburbanites like us, this was a HUGE experience. My kids could scarcely believe that they actually got to climb up in the trailer with the grain!

Here's a shot of Toby and me squeezed into the buddy seat of the combine cab. All the Edwards kids agreed in the car on the drive home that Mr. C is "very nice." Toby was so excited in his first combine ride (he actually got to go twice), that he could barely speak.

You can see by Toby's concentrating expression (below), that he is absolutely thrilled to be sitting in the driver's seat of a big rig.

Mrs. C helped me hoist Lydia up into the grain truck (don't worry! I was there with her!) and she had an amazing time playing in the beans.

Thank you so much, Brandon and Gavin, for sharing your family's fun with us for an afternoon!

Vicariam navare operam

2011-10-20T08:16:00.000-05:00

Further meditations on slaying sin...
So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
1 Peter 2:1-3

After having tasted that the LORD is good, after having believed in Christ, and after having been regenerated by the Spirit, one turns to slaying sin--putting away all malice. This can be a very confusing endeavor, for Scripture teaches us that all our efforts to mortify sin in our own strength fail. This doesn't keep us from trying desperately to tame sin with what John Owen calls "outside endeavours."

Outside endeavors abound as Christians and non-believers try to tame the tiger within. Extra-biblical religious laws and disciplines. Monasticism. Behavior modification techniques. Even biblical disciplines are called upon to control our sinful impulses, but tried without the Spirit of God. Owen says,

Because those things that are appointed of God as means are not used by them in their due place and order,--such as are praying, fasting, watching, meditation, and the like....Whereas they effect and accomplish the end as means only, subordinate to the Spirit and faith, they look on them to do it by virtue of the work wrought.*

With Christ as my Savior, I see that all human efforts to mortify sin are a failure, even those efforts that are, in Owen's words, "appointed by God." Worse, the means that God gives us to mortify sin and seek after him are wrongly made into the end, the objective.

But it is the Spirit which mortifies sin in those who have tasted that the LORD is good.

All communications of supplies and relief, in the beginnings, increasings, actings of any grace whatever, from him, are by the Spirit, by whom he alone works in and upon believers. . . How doth he do it? Having "received the promise of the Holy Ghost," he sends him abroad for that end, the Spirit, as Tertullian speaks, "Vicariam navare operam," to do the works that he had to accomplish in us.*

Sin will never be conquered outside the work of the Holy Spirit. Owen explains:

And, indeed, I might here bewail the endless, foolish labour of poor souls, who, being convinced of sin, and not able to stand against the power of their convictions, do set themselves, by innumerable perplexing ways and duties, to keep down sin, but, being strangers to the Spirit of God, all in vain. They combat without victory, have war without peace, and are in slavery all their days. They spend their strength for that which is not bread, and their labour for that which profiteth not.

This is the saddest warfare that any poor creature can be engaged in.*

There is hope for this sad situation.
Isaiah 26:12
O LORD, you will ordain peace for us,
for you have indeed done for us all our works.

Philippians 2:13
for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

2 Thessalonians 1:11
To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power,

Romans 8:26
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

When I say, "But it is the Spirit which mortifies sin in those who have tasted that the LORD is good," I have in mind those who have salvation by believing in Jesus Christ. This is to taste the goodness of the LORD. Having done that, in God's mercy, I am regenerated by the Holy Spirit and transformed.

Titus 3:3-8a
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works.

*All quotes from John Owen's The Mortification of Sin are taken from chapter III, "The Spirit The Only Author Of This Work."

Slaying Sin

2011-10-18T08:13:00.000-05:00

Having finished Tozer's Man-The Dwelling Place of God, I'm now reading John Owen's The Mortification of Sin.

Three hundred and fifty-some years ago, John Owen (1616-1683) was bemoaning the fact that many Christians claimed to have faith in Christ, but showed no signs of slaying the sin within their hearts.

It is our duty to be "perfecting holiness in the fear of God," (2 Cor. 7:1); to be "growing in grace" every day, (1 Pet. 2:3, 2 Pet. 3:18); to be "renewing our inward man day by day," (2 Cor. 4:16). Now, this cannot be done without the daily mortifying of sin. Sin sets its strength against every act of holiness, and against every degree we grow to. Let not that man think he makes any progress in holiness who walks not over the bellies of his lusts. He who doth not kill sin in his way takes no steps towards his journey's end. He who finds not opposition from it, and who sets not himself in every particular to its mortification, is at peace with it, not dying to it.

However, there are many professing believers in Christ (Owen calls them "professors") who are not battling and despising the sin within them, but instead are indifferent to it ("unmortified professors"). We should regard our own sin with bitterness in our heart, and if we do not, we are in a state of rebellion. We must not tolerate, or countenance, sin in our lives. Owen puts it this way:

The root of an unmortified course is the digestion of sin without bitterness in the heart. When a man hath confirmed his imagination to such an apprehension of grace and mercy as to be able, without bitterness, to swallow and digest daily sins, that man is at the very brink of turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, and being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Owen goes on to say,

To use the blood of Christ, which is given to cleanse us (1 John 1:7, Titus 2:14); the exaltation of Christ, which is to give us repentance (Acts 5:31); the doctrine of grace, which teaches us to deny all ungodliness (Titus 2:11-12) to countenance sin, is a rebellion that in the issue will break the bones.

Rather than sliding your eyes over all those Scripture references, take a minute to meditate upon them:

2 Corinthians 7:1
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

1 Peter 2:1-3
So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

2 Peter 3:18
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

2 Corinthians 4:16
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Titus 2:13-14
waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Acts 5:31
God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

Titus 2:11-12
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

Saturday Afternoon Folding and Football and Ranting

2011-10-08T16:23:00.000-05:00

Actually, this isn't about folding or football. But as I was folding laundry and watching football, I saw the umpteenth Toyota Prius ad touting their plug-in Prius and it reminded me of the crazy deception of electric cars. Just the other day I read this in the Wall Street Journal:

Here's a reality check: During the same decade that Mr. Gore and the IPCC dominated the environmental debate, global carbon-dioxide emissions rose by 28.5%.

Those increases reflect soaring demand for electricity, up by 36%, which in turn fostered a 47% increase in coal consumption. (Natural-gas use increased by 29% while oil use grew by 13%.) Carbon-dioxide emissions are growing because people around the world understand the essentiality of electricity to modernity. And for many countries, the cheapest way to produce electrons is by burning coal.

In fact, most of the uptick in global emissions was from other nations. In fact, thanks to the changing landscape of American energy production in natural gas, American emissions fell by 1.7% in the same period.

Which leads me to another rant about energy. My clothes dryer, in one hour, uses nearly twice the electricity of my central air conditioner. But guess what? My neighborhood bans hanging laundry outdoors.

And one more thing. What does it mean that scientists "created" blastocysts from human eggs inserted with the nucleus of an adult skin cell? These non-viable blastocysts (that would be a human embryo too deformed and abnormal to grow) have three sets of chromosomes. I didn't notice the Times mentioning the ethical problems of this, but at least the Wall Street Journal did.

Scripture through the Ages: Our Visit to the Passages Exhibit

2011-09-24T12:15:00.000-05:00

Hobby Lobby’s president took up a new hobby two years ago when he purchased his first biblical artifact. Although best associated with craft supplies and seasonal décor, the retail chain’s president and son of the company’s founder, Steve Green, has now amassed thousands of rare biblical texts and artifacts. The Green Collection can be seen in Passages through October 16 at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

We recently visited the museum and spent three hours in the Passages exhibit. As we moved from room to room, we travelled through 2000 years with the Scriptures, witnessing the careful and reverent stewardship of God’s Word by His people.

When we arrived, we were each given an iPod touch and headset so we could listen to audio tracks that accompanied each case. Our kids, five Edwards Academy kids and two homeschooling cousins, eagerly took the iPods as well as the scavenger hunt activity that is provided just for school-age kids, and we headed into the first room, which evokes a Jewish synagogue.

Here we viewed several Torah scrolls and elaborate Torah cases from various places around the world, including the Middle East, India, and Europe. Several exquisite Torah cases from Europe survived the 20th century Holocaust. We saw scrolls displaying I Samuel, with God’s Word written in Hebrew on deerskin and calfskin. Also in this room was a precious Dead Sea Scroll fragment of Genesis.

The audio tour provided listening tracks for each case and we could type a four-digit number, and sometimes a number for a specific artifact, and listen to an explanation that ran from five to ten minutes. These audio recordings had a very conversational feel and the narrator’s excitement about the scroll, text, Bible, manuscript, or artifact was catching.

Much of the exhibit brought to life things we read and studied in our Edwards Academy just last year. We read about scribes copying pages and pages of text for years of their lives, and in Passages we beheld with our own eyes their meticulous work. We read about Jerome and the Vulgate in school, and in Passages we looked at pages from the Vulgate and watched an animatronic St. Jerome speak to us about his life’s devotion to translating the Scriptures into Latin in a cave in Bethlehem.

Passages had a nice blend of rare manuscripts and books on static display in cases along with video re-enactments, animatronics, and set pieces that brought to life the time periods. I was very pleased to see our kids listening and looking intently at static displays as well as eagerly enjoying the interactive elements. After seeing so many handwritten manuscripts of Scripture, kids happily scooted up to a table and tried their hand at copying text with quill pens and ink. In the Gutenberg Print Shop room, each of our kids was allowed to work the replica Gutenberg press and print a page of I Samuel. Nearby the press stood a case holding an actual Gutenberg book of Romans. In another room, they used giant (rubber) stamps of early Biblical art and created their own woodcut-style prints.

We sat in the Reformation theater and watched character actors (on video) of Martin Luther, Erasmus, and Johann Eck debate the issues of salvation by faith alone and the authority of the Scriptures. This interchange was particularly well done, as the large HD screens were positioned behind “windows” creating the effect of each man speaking from his study, gazing out the window, and interacting with letters from the other men.

Passages not only displayed early manuscripts in Biblical languages of Hebrew and Greek, as well as early translations into Latin, but the exhibit also highlighted many early vernacular translations and finally showcased the grand vernacular accomplishment, the King James translation into English. The exhibit’s King James Bible room, which recreated the setting of the Jerusalem Chamber of Westminster Abbey, was particularly interesting in this 400th anniversary year. Here we surveyed several first editions of the King James Bible, including the 1611 debut "HE" Bible as well as a 1613 “SHE” Bible, whose name comes from the rendering of "she went into the city," in Ruth 3:15, rather than "he went into the city."

Beyond the careful stewardship of God’s Word, we were fascinated by the adornment of the Scriptures over the ages. We’ve read about early illuminated manuscripts in our school studies, but actually seeing the gold and lapis paint glistening on the page in shining illumination was nothing short of incredible.

In fact, the magnificent artwork inspired by Scripture was given its own room in Passages. From medieval illustrations and illuminated devotionals such as the Book of Hours to 19th century illustrations painted onto the edge of a Bible’s pages (it seemed oddly incongruent to see a Mississippi paddle boat painted onto the edge of a Bible), this room contained a wide-variety of artwork, including some skeptical Salvador Dali works.

In an age of secularism that seeks to ignore the powerful influence of the Bible over Western Civilization’s history, Passages is a welcome antidote. Thankfully the Green Collection unabashedly reminds us that God’s Word, the Bible, has always provoked intense reaction, but in God’s sovereignty it endures for all time.

I’m sorry that we didn’t hear about this exhibit sooner, as it will run in the OKC Museum of Art for only a few more weeks before it travels to Vatican City. I’m hopeful, however, for future opportunities to see the Green Collection. The Passages website promises that the collection “will eventually become the core of an international, non-sectarian museum of the Bible and will be the subject of ongoing scholarly research through the Green Scholars Initiative.”

In the meantime, clear your schedule and hustle over to Oklahoma City and take your kids to experience Passages.

Isn't it Romantic?

2011-09-08T21:40:00.001-05:00

"Thomas Traherne, the seventeenth century Christian writer, declared that the children of the King can never enjoy the world aright till every morning they wake up in heaven, see themselves in the Father's palace, and look upon the skies, the earth and the air as celestial joys, having such a reverent esteem for all as if they were among the angels."

More from A. W. Tozer's Man: The Dwelling Place of God, this time from the chapter "The Sanctification of the Secular," something I read in my devotional time this morning.

Although Tozer was writing in the 20th century, citing the words of a 17th century writer, Traherne's declaration reminded me of the Romantics of the early 19th century. In our Edwards Academy study of the Romantic period, it is easy to notice the danger of seeking salvation in a back-to-the-earth love of (worship of) Nature. Nevertheless, the Romantics were on to something when they realized that Nature should startle us into worship. They just (often) got the object of worship wrong.

Image from Allposters.com, "The Cornfield" by John Constable, 1826.

Implications

2011-09-06T15:30:00.001-05:00

Edwards Academy students are beginning to study the life of William Wilberforce (1759-1833), the man who is credited with ending the slave trade in the British empire. His life helps us contemplate what it means to be a Christian.

"...in October 1785, [William] Wilberforce began to wrestle with the implications of embracing Christianity. On October 25 he wrote, '[I] began three or four days ago to get up very early. In the solitude and self-conversation of the morning had thoughts, which I trust will come to something. . . The deep guilt and black in gratitude of my past life forced itself upon me in the strongest colours, and I condemned myself for having wasted my precious time, and opportunities, and talents.'" (William Wilberforce by Kevin Belmonte)

I wonder how I am at understanding the full implications of my convictions, and then putting them into practice. Little in our culture pushes me to apply what I believe to all corners of my life. In fact, the loudest voices of our society insist that the opposite be true, that my convictions should remain separate from my actions, especially in the public sphere.

But how can we really live when our core beliefs are shunted aside? When the world is too much with us?

Just as Wordsworth's poem was ringing in my ears, I read this in Tozer:

"[Christians] read the lives of the great saints whose fervent desire after God carried them far up the mountain toward spiritual perfection; and for a brief moment they may yearn to be like these fiery souls whose light and fragrance still linger in the world where they once lived and labored. But the longing soon passes. The world is too much with them and the claims of their earthly lives are too insistent; so they settle back to live their ordinary lives, and accept the customary as normal."

Wilberforce was a fiery soul who desired after God and this desire directed the course of his life. May I long to be like that and may that longing not pass, but inspire me to never accept the customary as normal, but to always be pushing forward, pursuing holiness and the glory of God.

Incidentally, Tapestry of Grace does a marvelous job providing for a deep and meaningful discussion about Wilberforce. The Teacher's Notes give discussion questions and answers to help dialectic-age kids (roughly middle school age) fully engage with their studies, getting beyond facts and delving into the implications.

Snapping to Circuits

2011-09-02T12:24:00.000-05:00

A great bonus to homeschooling is the flexibility that it allows. I had no idea that we would turn our attention to electricity this week, but mid-week Toby rediscovered a Christmas gift, Snap Circuits, from his closet shelf. I tried in vain several times this summer to spark in the boys an interest in building circuits, but suddenly Toby is taken with the idea, building circuits in every spare moment. It is a good thing that there 300 projects to build!

He is identifying his letters and numbers as he carefully duplicates the circuit patterns in the book, not to mention that he must sequence the parts together in the correct order. It is a great exercise, even if it isn't one of the kindergarten activities I planned for him this week.

Image and science toy from Elenco.com.

Putt Putt Boats, Part II

2011-08-30T15:05:00.001-05:00

We continued our work on making putt putt steam-powered boats. After making vegetable-oil lamps to heat our boilers, we tested the little engines in a dish of water. Sure enough! It wasn't long before we heard a happy little putt-putt sound and the engine jumped in my hand.

Here we deviated quite a bit from the step-by-step instructions from Sciencetoymaker.org and the kids got creative with their hull design. It is advised to secure your heat source better than we did (our vegetable oil dripped and things got a little greasy).

Lane's hull used the pattern from sciencetoymaker.org:

See Putt Putt Boats, Part I

Faith that Changes

2011-08-30T08:30:00.000-05:00

I'm praying for stronger, deeper faith.

In reading Tozer's Man: The Dwelling Place of God, I've taken time to examine myself. What does my faith mean to me anyway? What does it mean to God? It is a part of my identity, but does it have power?

"Plain horse sense ought to tell us that anything that makes no change in the man who professes it makes no difference to God either, and it is an easily observable fact that for countless numbers of persons the change from no-faith to faith makes no actual difference in the life."

So what is faith?

"It is not the 'believing' of a statement we know to be true. . . the very fact that [some] feel a necessity to seek proof for the truths of the Scriptures proves something else altogether, namely, their own basic unbelief. When God speaks unbelief asks, 'How shall I know that this is true?' I AM THAT I AM is the only grounds for faith. . . Faith as the Bible knows it is confidence in God and His Son Jesus Christ; it is the response of the soul to the divine character as revealed in the Scriptures; and even this response is impossible apart from the prior working of the Holy Spirit."

What changes are happening in my schedule because of my faith in God? What actions am I taking because I believe the Truth changes everything?

"I sought the LORD and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears." Psalm 34:4

Quotes from Tozer's Man: The Dwelling Place of God, chapter "Faith: The Misunderstood Doctrine"

Promoted

2011-08-29T17:36:00.000-05:00

"One thing is certain: the call of Christ is always a promotion. Were Christ to call a king from his throne to preach the gospel to some tribe of aborigines, that king would be elevated above anything he had known before. Any movement toward Christ is ascent, and any direction away from Him is down."

A. W. Tozer, Man-The Dwelling Place of God, Chapter 2 "The Call of Christ"

And, I might add, were Christ to call a college-educated woman from her rewarding career to preach the gospel daily through caring for and teaching her growing brood of children, that woman would be elevated above anything she had known before.

". . . Before God and the angels it is a great honor to follow Christ, but before men it is not so."

Putt Putt Boats, Part I

2011-08-27T17:28:00.001-05:00

We are making Putt Putt Boats as part of our study of the Industrial Revolution. Simple steam-powered engines are made from aluminum cans, flexible straws, epoxy, foil, and birthday candles. Here you see us working on the aluminum engine:

Carefully cut and folded. . .

. . . fitted with straws. . .

. . . sealed with epoxy . . .

. . . checking for leaks.

Still to come: Finishing up the engines and making boat hulls.

(See Putt Putt Boats, Part II)

Buggy Day

2011-08-27T17:13:00.000-05:00

Our leafy willow tree calls to the kids to crawl into her branches for adventures, which they gladly do. Not long ago they discovered a bug in the tree and cheerfully brought it into the dining room to show me.

Lane stood, dangling the thing by an antenna, and we quickly found a jar for the long-suffering beetle, after which the kids identified it with the insect book. It is now mounted for display in our school room.

Getting and Spending

2011-08-25T12:53:00.001-05:00

We've been reading William Wordsworth's poetry in Morning Time this week.

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!

William Wordsworth observed a world around him--a world that, in 1804 when this was penned, included Napoleonic wars in Europe, Lewis and Clark exploring the Louisiana Purchase in the United States, and his homeland Britain securing power over the world's sea trade--that seemed to have lost its bearings.

The Industrial Revolution seemed to rob people of their souls. Wordsworth looks for restoration in Nature:

The Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not.--Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.

Belief in even silly myths, which must be how he viewed faith in Christ, seems to give greater satisfaction and joy than the world (not Nature) could offer.

The pantheistic impulses of the Romantic period are mostly passe today, but the deep loss that Wordsworth feels still exists today. We've given our hearts away! The things that should move us fail to do so.

May we find the satisfaction of our deepest longings not in Nature, but in the Creator, and see that there is a Creed that cannot be outworn, but perfectly describes reality in every age.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2

Edwards Academy Kick-Off

2011-08-18T18:09:00.002-05:00

"Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God."
-William Carey

"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure."
Philippians 2:12-13

Our 2011-2012 school year is into its second week, and we've adopted this rallying cry from William Carey as our school's theme for the year.

In our seventh year of homeschooling, we're studying the nineteenth century with Tapestry of Grace (Year 3). We continue to highly recommend Tapestry of Grace, which has been the backbone of our classical studies for these seven years, but have mixed up our other curriculum choices this year.

Here's a round-up of our students and studies:

Tobias (Kindergarten)
Math U See Primer
Veritas Press Phonics Museum
Tapestry of Grace literature and history selections
Plenty of library books, puzzles, playdough, watercolor painting, and free play
Physical Education class at the Y (but not until second semester, when he is 6 and eligible to enroll)

Lane (3rd grade)
Rod & Staff Mathematics Level 3
Rod & Staff English Level 3
Rod & Staff Spelling Level 3
Rod & Staff Reading Level 3
Alpha Omega LifePac Health
Apologia Science: Astronomy
Tapestry of Grace History, Geography, Writing and Literature
Physical Education class at the Y (twice a week)

Sydney and Hope (6th grade)
Saxon Math 76
Mother Tongue (OOP) English Grammar
Rod & Staff Spelling Level 6
Alpha Omega LifePac Health
Apologia Science: Astronomy
Tapestry of Grace History, Geography, Writing and Literature
Physical Education class at the Y (twice a week)

Because we have a kindergartener this year, as well as a toddler in the mix, we're trying a few new things in our schedule. Most of all, it is challenging to juggle the time I spend in active teaching, making sure that each student gets the instruction they need in addition to their self-study.

Toby Time
In our daily schedule, Toby follows up the first hour of school with 15 minutes spent with each of his older siblings. His "Activity Time" with Lane is often an outdoor recess break in our backyard, while the weather is appropriate. Alternate activities include puzzles, games, blocks, or other school-only toys. Following this, Hope and Sydney each spend 15 minutes reading books to Toby. This is a win-win, because as they read the Lower Grammar book selections from Tapestry of Grace to Toby, they are enriching their own study of history and literature. (If you think picture books are only for pre-readers, you're badly mistaken.)

Morning Time
This is the most significant addition to our homeschooling routine, and it is probably the best scheduling change I've ever made. I know, that sounds like hyperbole, but I mean it.

Morning Time (which I learned about from Cindy) is a catch-all name for about an hour and 45 minutes of our morning that is spent together, gathered around a table. For Cindy, Morning Time is an opportunity to cover several subjects, specifically art, composers and music, poetry, hymns, folk music, Plutarch, and Shakespeare. (For free Charlotte Mason reading list and curriculum plans, check out Ambleside Online. For more information about a Charlotte Mason education click here.) Our Morning Time varies a bit since we follow a slightly different emphasis with Tapestry of Grace.

Here's a glimpse into what we do in Morning Time, and specifically what we're studying this week:

Scripture Reading: Right now we are reading a chapter of Proverbs each day and discussing some of the verses as we read.

Prayer

Hymn: "God of our Fathers." We sing the same hymn for roughly four weeks.

Pledge to the Flag

"All About Today" with Toby (a wall chart with the calendar, weather, etc.)

Poetry: This week we are reading "The Tyger" by William Blake each day. As I read the poem, the kids write down some observations about the poem in their notebooks. I ask them to consider something different about the poem each day, such as descriptive words, similes or metaphors, or rhyme scheme. Occasionally we'll have more than one poem in a week, but we'll repeat our poetry selection every day of the week.

Civics: I'm calling this category "Civics" because we are spending most of the year reading through the U.S. Constitution and the Amendments, including the Bill of Rights. We are using Our Living Constitution as a guide through this process, reading and discussing a little each week. For instance, this week we read Article I, sections 4-6, discussed what these sections mean and learned the names of the current House and Senate leaders, as well as the names of our state's Senators and Representatives, and their party.

Grammar Jingles and Sentences: We listen to the Shurley Grammar jingles and classify a few sentences together.

Composer and Music: This week we read about Beethoven and began listening to some of his most important pieces. Our composer choice is tied to our Tapestry of Grace studies, and we don't always have a new composer for the week. When we do, we read about him during Morning Time on Wednesday and the kids make a notebook page about him. We'll be listening to Beethoven at various times, during school hours or as we go about our family life this week.

Artists and Art: We are doing both art appreciation and art during Morning Time, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We have a couple of different resources to help us study great artists and their works. For art class, we're using ARTistic Pursuits Grades 4-6 Book 1: The Elements of Art and Composition. So far, this is working very well. On art days, the kids work on their art project as they listen to me read aloud.

Read Alouds: We also use our Morning Time for Tapestry of Grace read-alouds. Sometimes this is the actual TOG read-aloud suggestion, sometimes I read selections from history "spine" books, sometimes I read books about the missionary or church history "hero," which is currently William Carey.

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, when we do not have an art project, the kids work on penmenship, TOG map work, or add to their States and Presidents Notebook. This gives them something productive to do as they listen.

It is difficult to keep our kindergartener engaged during Morning Time, and sometimes he is more easily involved than other times. He is free to slip away from the table and play quietly on the floor with a puzzle or blocks for part of the time, and I also give him pattern blocks or watercolors to occupy him at the table at other times. Sometimes this is more effective, sometimes less!

Lydia, by the way, naps during Morning Time.

Nine

2011-08-18T10:53:00.000-05:00

Lane is now nine years old, halfway to the culture's most significant milestone marking adulthood: eighteen. The halfway mark is far more meaningful to me than to Lane, who isn't looking back on the same nine years of memories and looking ahead into a stretch of nine unknown years. He's just thrilled to finally be nine, enjoy the fruits of this milestone (his birthday gifts) and to feel that he might be old enough to get some neighborhood respect. We're very proud of this boy and the young man he is shaping up to be.

The Art of Writing

2011-08-18T10:30:00.000-05:00

In our first Truth Treasure Hunters meeting, we made quill pens. It turns out that cutting a good nib is no easy task, and a sharp penknife is a must. After discovering that there is a skill to cutting a good pen, and learning that new nibs needed to be cut after writing several lines of script, we gained new appreciation for the handwritten manuscripts of the past. Thank you, Mrs. M., for teaching and leading this activity.

Raising Boys Who Treasure the Life of the Mind

2011-08-17T08:07:00.000-05:00

Wheaton College President Phil Ryken discusses the fact that men are vanishing from college campuses, a place where women are often over 60% of the student population. Without wishing to limit the opportunities for women, President Ryken offers some ideas for parents seeking to raise boys who value the life of the mind.

First Day of Classes: Where Are the Men? from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

Of Creek Stomping and Pottery

2011-08-08T12:58:00.000-05:00

One of the activities at Family Camp is "creek stomping." This amounts to wading through the cool waters of the creek that winds its way through camp property. All sorts of fun creatures can be found in the creek, but crawdads seem to be the most fun to catch. These critters were put back in the creek and didn't end up on our dinner plates, but incidentally my Parents' Night Out date-night entree at Buzzard Billy's in LaCrosse was--

"Chicken Atchafalaya
Crawfish tails sautéed in garlic and spices in a creamy Cajun brown sauce and ladled over a juicy blackened chicken breast. Served with rice and vegetables."

It was delicious. (Yes, crawfish and crawdads are the same thing--freshwater crustaceans. Sharon, if you are ever with us for Parent's Night Out, we'll avoid Buzzard Billy's!)

This year for the first time Village Creek had pottery wheels. Hope and Sydney got to try out throwing some clay on the wheel. An experienced instructor guided them through the process and they each succeeded in creating a small little dish.

Mighty to Save

2011-08-04T11:07:00.000-05:00

For friends and family, here's my 12-year-old nephew Wesley's first YouTube video.

Who Invented Math?

2011-08-03T17:23:00.000-05:00

Did people invent mathematics? Or did they merely discover it?

Mario Livio contemplates the issue in Scientific American--without crediting our Creator. Still, the astrophysicist's observations remind me that mathematics and the very laws of nature declare the glory of God:

This careful selection of problems and solutions [by mathematicians] only partially accounts for mathematics’s success in describing the laws of nature. Such laws must exist in the first place! Luckily for mathematicians and physicists alike, universal laws appear to govern our cosmos: an atom 12 billion light-years away behaves just like an atom on Earth; light in the distant past and light today share the same traits; and the same gravitational forces that shaped the universe’s initial structures hold sway over present-day galaxies. Mathematicians and physicists have invented the concept of symmetry to describe this kind of immunity to change.

Fascinating article that I think happens to reveal the inadequacy of naturalism as a worldview.

Read the whole thing here.

Family Camp 2011

2011-08-02T10:38:00.000-05:00

We're back from our seventh annual family camp vacation at Village Creek Bible Camp and I can happily report that it just gets better every year. What mother of five (or four or three or two or one?) wouldn't love a week off from cooking and cleaning up? Who wouldn't appreciate a week with two family assistants, eager to help whenever and however they can? I feel refreshed, even though I came home physically exhausted!

Some snapshots from our time away:

Gaby, our sweet young staff assistant, took great care of Lydia this week. She stayed with her for naps and bedtime, freeing me up to be with the rest of the family and take part in activities.

Mr. Edwards helps Lane manage the 410 and shoot some trap.

Mr. Edwards and I took a kayak trip down the Mississippi River. This is one of our favorite camp activities. It is pretty relaxing kayaking (especially when one's husband is truly doing all the work in back!) as the current carries us along.

I wasn't fast enough to get a photo of the bald eagles that we saw flying by, but I did get a picture of a nest.

Although we cross the main channel twice (back and forth), we mostly navigate through the quiet backwaters of the mighty river. It is beautiful.

My sister Jen shared a kayak with her son, Wesley.

Lydia and I rode with the rest of the family on the hay-rack up to "trail breakfast," a family camp tradition of breakfast in the woods with "heart attack toast" toasted on a griddle over a fire.

The four older Edwards kids went creek stomping with Connor, our staff assistant (seen in the background).

Toby is making it an annual tradition to fall asleep at dinner!

In the face of a rainy afternoon we played cards with friends and family. Our kids were off enjoying camp activities with staff assistants.

Lane got a couple of hits in the inter-generational softball game (Lane is the batter in the picture above and Uncle Jason is pitching).

Mr. Edwards helped Toby with some trap shooting. The stock was too long for him, but he still loved it!

Hope had a marvelous camp week roaming around camp with friends. Here you see her with plenty of wildflowers in her hair. She tackled a steep hike three times in one day, exhausting the staff assistant that went along!

Sydney and Lydia tried out the hammock during the softball game.

This year Lane passed the swim test for the deep part of the swimming lake. With this under his belt, he was free to use the high dive. In spite of his slight physique, he was a finalist in the splash contest!

The boys tried ice blocking for the first time this year.

All the kids love the rope swing (Hope is shown in the picture above), and this year the three older kids did the Blob (but I didn't get pictures of that achievement).

Hope took a dive several times. Our local pool at home doesn't have diving boards, so this is a real treat for her.

The gun range was a busy place this year. Mr. Edwards shot his pistol and other friends were nearby, firing their guns.

A highlight of every camp year is Parents Night Out. We went to LaCrosse, Wisconsin with five other couples and walked along the riverfront after dinner.

We took our annual parting photo at the Village Creek sign and our beloved assistants Connor and Gaby stood with us.

This year we left our daughters behind for a week of junior camp.

Stories of Imagination, Invention, and Accomplishment

2011-07-09T12:03:00.000-05:00

Recently, the man behind the Weed Eater passed away. His invention, which we can't imagine yard work without, wasn't invented by a lawn company's army of engineers in search of a marketable product. Instead, an Air Force veteran of World War II and the Korean War who, two decades after his service, was enjoying success managing dance studios came up with the idea for a string trimmer. Why? His lawn worker was bitten by a copperhead as he was using shears, which got him wondering about an alternative tool. George Ballas got the idea for his trimmer from watching the spinning bristles in a car wash and rigged up a prototype with a tin can and wires. His is a great American story of invention.

For a couple of other stories of great American invention and accomplishment, on a larger scale, we've taken some time to read The Empire State Building and The Hoover Dam, by Elizabeth Mann. Part of a series of books called "Wonders of the World Books," both books captivated our boys. We marveled at the courage of the New York ironworkers who were perched high above the city working in four-man teams assembling giant steel beams. The heater grabbed a hot rivet from the charcoal with tongs and tossed it to the catcher. Sometimes 75 feet away, the catcher snagged the flying hot rivet with his bucket, then handed it off with tongs to the two-man hammering team. Using gloved hands, one man put the hot mushroom-shaped rivet into the hole while his partner air-hammered in the softened iron rivet. Sometimes teams could install two rivets per minute. Amazing.

Just as the Empire State Building was rising above the Manhattan skyline in the early 1930s, over in the West workers were blasting diversion tunnels into the sides of Black Canyon, preparing to divert the mighty Colorado river so the new dam could be built. Mann tells the incredible tale of the how the Hoover Dam was built in life-threatening conditions by workers who, in spite of the suffering, were thankful for their job.

Both books highlight the human side of these engineering accomplishments, all the while explaining the inspiring design behind the process. Whether it be the trailblazing design of steel-frame skyscrapers rather than the old design of brick bearing-walls, or the twin objectives of water-management and electricity-production met in the giant dam, Mann's books make these concepts understandable to even our five-year-old son.

Next up, The Brooklyn Bridge. Mann's book series also includes books on more ancient wonders such as the Pyramids, Machu Picchu, and the Parthenon, for starters.

Birthday Musings

2011-07-08T10:49:00.000-05:00

I recently turned 39. It is surely a universal sentiment of all who turn 39, but it must be said that it is difficult to believe that I am on the eve of being 40 years old. I'm surprised to realize that the passing of time is more burdensome than I expected. Even as I "look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come," I confess that I hold tightly--too tightly no doubt--to my life in this world.

So it was startling to open my Bible on the morning of my birthday and discover that my devotional reading happened to have me reading Psalm 39. Funny but meaningless coincidence, I thought. Coincidence shifted to Divine Providence when I proceeded to read the Psalm.

1 I said, "I will guard my ways,

that I may not sin with my tongue;

I will guard my mouth with a muzzle,

so long as the wicked are in my presence."

2 I was mute and silent;

I held my peace to no avail,

and my distress grew worse.

3 My heart became hot within me.

As I mused, the fire burned;

then I spoke with my tongue:

4 "O LORD, make me know my end

and what is the measure of my days;

let me know how fleeting I am!

5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,

and my lifetime is as nothing before you.

Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!

Selah

6 Surely a man goes about as a shadow!

Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;

man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!

7 "And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?

My hope is in you.

8 Deliver me from all my transgressions.

Do not make me the scorn of the fool!

9 I am mute; I do not open my mouth,

for it is you who have done it.

10 Remove your stroke from me;

I am spent by the hostility of your hand.

11 When you discipline a man

with rebukes for sin,

you consume like a moth what is dear to him;

surely all mankind is a mere breath!

Selah

12 "Hear my prayer, O LORD,

and give ear to my cry;

hold not your peace at my tears!

For I am a sojourner with you,

a guest, like all my fathers.

13 Look away from me, that I may smile again,

before I depart and am no more!"

Indeed, we are sojourners here, guests like all our fathers. May I spend my moments delighting in the LORD and remembering that He is my hope.

Justice and Mercy

2011-07-06T15:23:00.000-05:00

The water cooler talk is all about the latest trial of the decade and recent verdict, which many people believe to be a miscarriage of justice. The whole affair has largely gone unnoticed by us (not being cable subscribers), but it is hard to miss the anger and shock post-verdict reverberating over Twitter and Facebook.

It has me reflecting on justice and mercy. Juries declare defendants not guilty based on evidence and it isn't their place, at least in theory, to extend mercy in the face of unreasonable doubt. Yet God is sovereign over temporal court systems and when justice seems to be miscarried by our eyes, one has to wonder at God's granting of temporal mercy.

On the other hand, when God grants life and temporal blessings of any kind to those who deny him, He is granting temporal mercy.

2 Peter 3:9 says,

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

But He is a just God and justice will be done in the Day of the Lord. Aren't we quick to love justice for others and mercy for ourselves?

"Though justice be thy plea, consider this, that in the course of justice none of us should see salvation."

God extends eternal mercy to those who repent of their sin and put their faith in Jesus Christ. When He gives temporal mercy to the unrepentant, it is a sign of His Divine patience, for there is not eternal mercy in store for the unrepentant one. Enjoying divine temporal mercy without securing divine eternal mercy is living on death row.

Having been given eternal mercy, one finds that extending mercy and grace to others is suddenly much easier. Or, as Shakespeare says, our prayer for mercy teaches us to render the deeds of mercy. There is no better reflection on mercy than Portia's beseeching of the court of Venice to extend mercy to Antonio:

The quality of mercy is not strain'd;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway,
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That in the course of justice none of us
Should see salvation; we do pray for mercy,
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of they plea,
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there.

(From Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, Act 4, Scene I, emphasis mine)

Five Books that Changed Who I Am

2011-06-30T15:55:00.000-05:00

My blogging friend Meredith tagged me in a meme "Five Books that Changed Who I Am." What fun it has been to reflect on which books, more than others, have changed who I am. (Meredith's list is here.)

Because the Bible is hands-down the most influential and life-changing book I've ever read, I'm going to put it in a category all by itself, off the list.

Desiring God by John Piper. Christian hedonism was a completely life-changing idea for me. I've long been committed to the Gospel and a believer in Jesus, but it wasn't until I read this book by John Piper and heard several of his sermons, that I began to see that the source of happiness and soul-satisfaction is not in being holy, having faith, or gaining eternal life, but it is in Christ Himself. Piper's book prompted a paradigm-shift in the way I understood what it was to be a Christian and to live for the glory of God. If you haven't read this book, I challenge you to check it out. Click the book title for a link to read the book online for free. Or, download the pdf here. Or purchase the actual book here.

When a book changes you, it often becomes a gateway toward reading other books in a similar vein. Following Desiring God I read books such as This Momentary Marriage (Piper), God's Passion for His Glory (Piper, with the essay "The End for Which God Created the World" by Jonathan Edwards), The Sovereignty of God (Pink), The Pursuit of Holiness (Bridges), The Pursuit of God (Tozer), and For the Love of God (Carson) and The Weight of Glory (Lewis).

The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise. Eight years ago our twin daughters were three and our son was a baby. Mothering was simple and my days were filled with playtime, naps, and outings. I spent a lot of time reading in those days. Curious about homeschooling and impressed with the children of some homeschooling families I knew, I decided to read up on the subject. Providentially, I came across this book in the library. The Well-Trained Mind proved paradigm-shifting to me. Classical education, the trivium, studying history (not social studies) and doing it chronologically are key themes of this book that have come to characterize our homeschool and, in some ways, our lifestyle. In the ensuing years homeschool literature has abounded, but The Well-Trained Mind remains a standard.

After discovering The Well-Trained Mind, I went on to read Dorothy Sayers' essay "The Lost Tools of Learning," Climbing Parnassus (Simmons), Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning: An Approach to Distinctly Christian Education (Wilson and Olasky), and Norms and Nobility (Hicks). I continue to read books and articles about education, most recently reading Charlotte Mason's books.

Anne of Green Gables and all the Anne books by Lucy Maud Montgomery. I read and re-read the entire series of Anne books, beginning as a child but continuing through adulthood. I can see in my mind's eye the pages of my beloved hardback trilogy that I received as a young girl, in which I discovered the first and best Anne book, as well as Anne of Avonlea and Anne's House of Dreams. I went on to read the others and found Anne of the Island to be one of my favorites. Anne books don't seem very high-minded for a list such as this one, but it just isn't possible to pretend that reading these books and holding them as dear as I did for so long didn't change me.

Anne books are a bridge from children's books to so-called "adult fiction." When I think of the novels that captivated me as a young girl I immediately remember Dawn's Early Light (Thane), Gone with the Wind (Mitchell), Rebecca (Du Maurier), Mrs. Mike (Freedman), Madam, Will You Talk? and other books by Mary Stewart, The Count of Monte Christo (Dumas) and The Scarlet Pimpernel (Orczy).

The Complete Works of Francis Shaeffer by Francis Shaeffer (especially The God Who is There, Escape from Reason, and How Should We Then Live?). After opting to take Business Ethics in college because I feared the unknown subject of philosophy, I've been spending the years since trying to right this wrong! Francis Shaeffer's books opened the door to philosophy for me, which is why I include it as a book that changed who I am.

After dipping into philosophy with Shaeffer, I've read other books related to philosophy, faith, and apologetics, such as Total Truth (Pearcey), The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind (Noll), and What's So Great About Christianity (D'Souza).

Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. This slim volume took me beyond the wonderful world of Narnia to the greater world of C. S. Lewis. I first read Mere Christianity as a junior in high school and the little book made a deep impression in my mind. I sought out other Lewis books, such as his science fiction trilogy, and developed a life-long affection for C. S. Lewis and his writings.

I cheated considerably by listing off much more than five books, but when a book really changes who you are, it inevitably leads to further reading or study.

Back to the meme. Here are the rules.

Tag between 3 and 5 people
link back to this post
call the post ’5 books that changed who I am’
enjoy

I tag Laura, Chris, Alicia and Kellie. Even if I didn't formally tag you, do join in and leave a comment with your blog's link.

Summer Reading Update

2011-06-22T16:28:00.000-05:00

I finally updated our sidebars with some fresh reading selections.

Reality

2011-06-16T08:42:00.001-05:00

From The Pursuit of God*:

What do I mean by reality? I mean that which has existence apart from any idea any mind may have of it, and which would exist if there were no mind anywhere to entertain a thought of it.

...The great Reality is God who is the Author of that lower and dependent reality which makes up the sum of created things, including ourselves. God has objective existence independent of and apart from any notions what we may have concerning Him. The worshipping heart does not create its Object. It finds Him here when it wakes from its moral slumber in the morning of its regeneration.

...He is manifest only when and as we are aware of His Presence. On our part there must be surrender to the Spirit of God, for His work it is to show us the Father and the Son. If we co-operate with Him in loving obedience God will manifest Himself to us, and that manifestation will be the difference between a nominal Christian life and a life radiant with the light of His face.

..The approach of God to the soul or of the soul to God is not to be thought of in spatial terms at all. There is no idea of physical distance involved in the concept. It is not a matter of miles but of experience.

Why do some persons "find" God in a way that others do not? Why does God manifest His Presence to some and let multitudes of others struggle along in the half-light of imperfect Christian experience? Of course the will of God is the same for all. He has no favorites within His household. All He has ever done for any of His children He will do for all of His children. The difference lies not with God but with us.

*****

"Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace."

Psalm 86:6

*A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, pages 52, 55, 64, 65, 66

Big Catch

2011-06-06T16:26:00.000-05:00

Lane went fishing with his buddies in the neighborhood lake today. When he told me there was a two-foot carp in the lake that he planned to catch, I didn't believe it. When he managed to do it, he surprised everyone.

The giant fish sadly didn't survive all the time spent getting bragging-rights photos taken in between catch and release, but the boys did their best to throw him back quickly.

Here's a snap of Toby, asleep on the window sill at 5:00 in the evening. We weren't sure where he was, but found him in this unlikely place!

These Summers

2011-06-06T09:52:00.001-05:00

One of our favorite books is Aliki's Those Summers, a picture book about a big family that annually gathers at the shore in the summertime. The mothers and cousins escape the hot city for the summer and the working fathers join their family on the weekends after toiling all week in the city. Those were the days, right?

Not being from the east coast, this lovely experience just isn't in our family's history. Too bad.

But we're doing the next best thing: relocating to a lakeside location for four days. We do what we can.

(Hope and Sydney are pictured two years ago at a local lake that we enjoy visiting.)

Mothers and Memories

2011-06-04T15:38:00.000-05:00

This past Mother's Day Mr. Edwards snapped a picture of the four mothers in our gathering: Mrs. Edwards (my dear mother-in-law), me, my sister, and my own mother.

We took a similar picture six years ago. We haven't changed that much, have we?

Speaking of old pictures, we had fun looking at old pictures that relatives had loaded onto their Facebook pages.

Speech Ferapy Update

2011-06-04T15:23:00.000-05:00

Nearly a year ago I posted about Toby's mispronunciation of the "th" sound, using a "d" or "f" in its place. These days, he's doing very well getting his tongue to his front teeth and making that "th" sound. It is something that he has been carefully working on and is proud of his improvement.

So I was careful not to laugh when he walked into the dining room the other morning and carefully asked,

"What's for break-THast?"

There is just so much to keep straight when you're five.

In the picture above, Toby is reciting the poem "All Things Bright and Beautiful" by Cecil Francis Alexander at our end-of-the-year school celebration night.

Happy Birthday, Babies!

2011-05-31T08:27:00.000-05:00

"Don't bother about believing it, if you don't like," said the

Princess. "It doesn't so much matter what you believe as what I am."

From The Enchanted Castle (E. Nesbit)

I can't believe that our twin daughters are eleven years old, but as the Princess says, it doesn't matter how hard it is to believe--the fact is that they are! We love you girls so much and we are very proud of all that God is doing in your lives.

Poor Hope was sick on the day of our family party. She gamely stood by her cake--then went back to bed until gift time! We saved her a piece.

Sydney requested cheese cake for her birthday!

Rain in the Plain

2011-05-19T16:26:00.000-05:00

A rainy start to summer.

Carry On

2011-05-07T21:21:00.000-05:00

As we sat in the shade and read Carry On, Mr. Bowditch together, the kids drew copied colonial designs and made leaf rubbings. Soon, our tree's branches became masts of a nineteen-gunner and the Edwards Academy kids were actually crew members of an American ship en route to the South Pacific--and on the lookout for privateers.

Look Who's One!

2011-05-06T12:15:00.000-05:00

Our fifth baby is already one! You can see my hands holding her back from the flame as everyone sang, "Happy Birthday" to her. Although the pictures don't show it, the room was crowded with four grandparents, four siblings, three cousins, two aunts, two uncles, and mom and dad--seventeen well-wishers!

We all got a huge kick out of watching her taste cake--and sugar icing--for the first time!

She clapped her hands in sheer joy!

When Lydia pulled out this baby doll from the gift bag, her expression was priceless (she hasn't had a doll until now). Then, her crowd of adoring fans all began cheering because to our complete delight she said, "Ba-ba."

Aunt Leida presented Lydia with her name cross-stitch. This precious gift means so much to us because Lydia's first year of life was a very difficult year for her great-aunt Leida, as she spent it battling cancer. Leida is doing well now, thanks be to God, but the cross-stitch gift, which was a fun and relaxing project to make for all the other children, was a painful project and labor of love this time. Thank you, Leida! We love you so much.

Lydia's cousin Wesley gave us a little concert on his electric guitar.

American Revolution Reenactment

2011-05-05T10:49:00.000-05:00

Our Truth Treasure Hunter kids recently reenacted a Revolutionary War battle at a nearby nature park. To prepare for the battle, they made paper mache powder horns and guns as well as paper tricorn hats.

Patriots

Incidentally, no one was keen on playing the part of the British regulars. I brought along some red shirts to slip on, to at least evoke the uniformed British army, and all kids were required to take a turn marching as the British army, with instructions to die with drama!

You can see why acting out the stealthy tactics of the Patriots--at least in the ambush style--was the favorite!

Early Childhood Literacy

2011-04-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Easter 2011 with the Edwardses

2011-04-25T11:16:00.000-05:00

We had a lovely Easter together and spent the day worshipping with our church family, feasting with our extended family, and fellowshipping with our friends-that-are-like-family.

Grandma and our girls.

Family egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Menfolk--and Lydia.

Lydia and Grandma Edwards

Easter evening with our friends-that-are-like-family. We were treated to some great bluegrass music and then we sang a couple of worship songs together.

Good Friday

2011-04-22T07:54:00.000-05:00

As you meditate on Christ's death this Good Friday, you might appreciate this talk from Kempton Turner. Mr. Edwards and I saw Pastor Kempton deliver this sermon at the Children Desiring God conference in March. Delight in Jesus through His Word.

Kempton Turner: Your Testimonies Are My Delight from Children Desiring God on Vimeo.

Parenting with the Gospel in Mind

2011-04-20T08:05:00.000-05:00

There are two little booklets from Children Desiring God that I can't seem to keep around because I keep giving away my copies! Fortunately, they are now available as e-booklets and for just $3 each I can download a new copy.

Helping Children to Understand the Gospel
This booklet briefly but clearly explains how we can best prepare our children for the Gospel. Perhaps more than any other resource, this booklet helped me see that my children's sinful behavior shouldn't discourage me, but is part of their journey in understanding their need for a Savior. How can our parenting communicate the Gospel to our kids? You need to put that into action in your home, but this booklet helps you see how to communicate Gospel truth to your children. A 10-week family devotional is also included, that is a great tool for teaching your family the good news of Jesus.

Praying for the Next Generation
This booklet gathers together Scriptures to pray for children and teens into 12 groups, one prayer theme for each month in the year. It also describes how to turn God's word into prayers, beginning with Psalm 1. I highly recommend this, even if you are a veteran at praying Scripture.

Both booklets are also available pre-printed and bound, if you would rather not download and print your own copy. Check it out here.

Holy Week Reflection

2011-04-19T08:05:00.000-05:00

I'm spending the days between Palm Sunday and Easter reading the Gospels' account of Jesus' week leading up to his death. He spent much of his time that week teaching in the temple. This struck me afresh this morning:

"And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Luke 21:25-28 (emphasis added)

The Gospel chapters that tell about Jesus' final week:

Matthew 21-26
Mark 11-14
Luke 19-22
John 12-18

Spring Update

2011-04-15T11:18:00.001-05:00

We've been busy this spring with projects around the house, school activities, and AWANA quizzing. A crawling baby added to the mix makes kitchen renovating and painting walls a little tricky--and slow going.

Tobias was a great help tearing out tile in the kitchen.

Hope and Sydney competed again in the Awana Bible Quizzing Competition. Their team took first place (above). Sydney's paddle quiz (the oral portion of the competition in which the kids raise a paddle with their multiple-choice answer) and written quiz were perfectly done and she was one of just five kids to have perfect overall scores.

Hope had a perfect written test (pictured below with her purple ribbon), and just missed one on the paddle quiz. It was one of the hardest questions, asking which Scripture reference was the support for a particular topic. She was keenly disappointed since it happened to be one we studied multiple times, but we were so proud of the way she handled her disappointment.

Meanwhile, Lydia's nearly one year old!

Lane wished for a basketball hoop in his room. Undeterred, he and his buddy made one.

More Anniversary Honors for the KJV

2011-04-09T14:01:00.000-05:00

...from the most unusual quarters: Atheist Christopher Hitchens over at Vanity Fair.

An excerpt:

A culture that does not possess this common store of image and allegory will be a perilously thin one. To seek restlessly to update [the King James Bible] or make it “relevant” is to miss the point, like yearning for a hip-hop Shakespeare. “Man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward,” says the Book of Job. Want to try to improve that for Twitter?

My own "New Affection for the King James Bible" post is here.

Real Christianity

2011-03-22T11:29:00.000-05:00

"True virtue never appears so lovely, as when it is most oppressed: and the divine excellency of real Christianity is never exhibited with such advantage, as when under the greatest trials. Then it is that true faith appears much more precious than gold; and upon this account, is found to praise, honour, and glory."
-Jonathan Edwards, in Religious Affections

The Vice of Self-Reliance

2011-03-19T08:22:00.000-05:00

"Good morning, Toby!" I greeted him as he sleepily looked up at me from his bottom bunk.

"Before you get dressed, I want to pray with you about your day."

Toby's in the throes--as we all should be--of learning humble obedience. Knowing that today was likely to bring some challenges, I wanted to help him get started by praying, "Give us today our daily bread," asking that Jesus would give him the strength to be obedient.

Toby considered my prayer announcement. Then he quietly said, "I think I can manage without it."

"What?" I thought I heard him correctly, but wasn't sure.

"I think I can manage to do it without prayer."

His candor surprised me. I gently told him that he was quite wrong and that Jesus tells us in His Word that "apart from [Him we] can do nothing." (John 15:5)

I often have the same attitude, but I'm savvy enough to know I shouldn't ever voice such a sentiment. But don't I live like it is true?

Not only do we commonly tackle the challenges--large and small--of our day without prayer, we try to follow Jesus without reading His Word to us, the Bible. May God keep me faithfully near Him in prayer and in the Scriptures, that I might be a living example to my children.

I gathered Toby up into a hug and we prayed together for Jesus to enable him to respond in obedience. God is faithful and Toby saw His power at work in his life.

Attitude Check

2011-03-05T10:47:00.001-06:00

There surely comes a point in every mother's experience in which she realizes, "I cannot control my child." Whether it is the mortifying tantrum at Wal-Mart, the ill-mannered snickering during church, or rebellion over wardrobe choices, there will be a day in which the truth settles heavily on one's soul: I cannot make this child do the right thing.

Tantrums and manners are one thing; eternal salvation is another. It is a sobering thing to realize that the precious bundle of life that you tenderly suckled, the baby that depended upon you for everything, cannot be saved by you.

It is very easy as a mom to slip into the error of thinking that saving or fixing my child (or spouse, or whoever around me seems to need fixing) depends upon me. This blog post from Desiring God, written by Tim Chester, gave me an attitude check this morning:

People trying to be their own saviour often live morally good lives. They’re good husbands, wives, and parents because they want to rescue their family. Or they’re involved in good causes, e.g. raising money for the poor, campaigning for justice, or addressing environmental issues.

These are commendable things. Replacing Jesus as Saviour often looks like a good life. People in your church are doing this and you think they’re doing great.

But its fruit will eventually become apparent: pride, frustration, stress, anxiety, or manipulation. Consider a parent trying to fix their child thinking it all depends on them. They may be manipulative or domineering as they attempt to control and protect their child. Or they may be bitter about their child’s behaviour or weighed down with stress.

The people who are rejecting Jesus as Lord will usually be easy to spot. But be on the lookout for people who are rejecting Jesus as Saviour.

Read the whole thing.

What to do? Chester writes,

People who are rejecting Jesus as Saviour must do … nothing. Instead, stop. Listen: “It is finished.” There is nothing left to do. You have a heavenly Father who loves and cares for you.

Authentically In Need of a Savior

2011-02-22T21:48:00.001-06:00

My friend Alicia, in her new blog "Life as I see it...," is thinking about authenticity today. Why, she wonders, do we live behind masks? She suggests,

I know there may be several reasons. But I think the most pervasive reason is fear. Fear of judgment. Fear of rejection. Fear of conflict. Fear of condemnation. Fear. It is a powerful element in our lives.

But fear does not come from a relationship with God. Jesus taught us that perfect love casts away all fear. And yet, we live in fear and even at times embrace it.

I guess I am at the point in my life where I don't want to live in fear anymore. I want to live an authentic life. I want to take off the masks and tear down the facade.

I believe God came to give us an abundant life. And I don't think the abundant life has room any room for fear. And I am convinced the abundant life is characterized by authenticity.

(Be sure to read her whole post here.)

Alicia's right. Many of us wear masks in fear of all the things that she mentions. Judgment. Rejection. Conflict. Condemnation. But this sort of fear is rooted in pride. In pride I seek the praise of men (and women, and Facebook friends, and bloggers) and fear that my real self is unpraiseworthy.

But there's the rub. I am unpraiseworthy. The truth is that there is nothing praiseworthy about me, even though, like you, I'm desperate for the praise of others.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. (Romans 12:3)

Authenticity is an elusive quality that, like humility, seems to vanish in your hand the moment you feel you've really grasped it. We can only really become authentic and honest about ourselves when we are able to say,

"Help me to humble myself before thee
by seeing the vanity of honour as a conceit of men's minds,
as standing between me and thee;
by seeing that thy will must alone be done,
as much in denying as in giving spiritual enjoyments;
by seeing that my heart is nothing but evil,
mind, mouth, life void of thee;"*

For when I have a correct view of myself, I know that

"I am a dying, condemned wretch,
but that in Christ I am reconciled, made alive, and satisfied;
that I am feeble and unable to do any good,
but that in him I can do all things;"*

For a Christian, being authentic is not about being candid or outspoken. Authenticity is not the opposite of reticence, it is the opposite of falsity. Let us understand clearly our need for a Savior. I need Him. You need Him. At the Cross we can put aside our masks (which never fooled God anyway), repent and be made new.

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

John 10:10

*From The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions, p. 79.

Indoors Going to Africa

2011-02-15T19:00:00.001-06:00

There is just something so Christopher Robin-like about being a five-year-old boy. This Christopher Robin moment is the kind of thing that routinely happens to now-five Tobias:

"Christopher Robin had spent the morning indoors going to Africa and back, and he had just got off the boat and was wondering what it was like outside, when who should come knocking at the door but Eeyore." (From The House At Pooh Corner)

Tobias recently celebrated his fifth birthday. He requested another cowboy cake, just like the one I made him when he turned three. Alas, he had to settle for this hat-cake, not quite as cowboy-like as the original.

Indian Pudding

2011-02-15T07:44:00.000-06:00

Our Tapestry of Grace Year 2 studies have us in the Colonial America era. Here you see Edwards Academy kids, along with another family that partners with us for TOG discussion and projects, making Indian Pudding. As you can see, the boys weren't so sure about the aroma of cooking molasses, milk, and cornmeal.

The boys made a batch and the girls made a batch and each family enjoyed Indian Pudding for dessert. Unlike the colonists, we had our warm pudding over ice cream. Although the boys were pretty suspicious about it, in the end they found the pudding yummy.

A New Affection for the King James Bible

2011-02-11T15:32:00.000-06:00

Just in time for the four hundredth anniversary of the King James Bible (or Authorized Bible, which was completed in 1611), I have finally recognized this treasure for what it is.

I have had little regard for the King James version of the Bible for most of my life. My first Bible, given to me in Sunday School, was bound in imitation leather, imprinted in gold lettering with my given name, and contained the Holy Bible in the King James Version. I didn't give the translation much thought, except that I knew it was different from the New American Standard Bibles my parents had--I loved tracing the swirls in the lettering on the front of Dad's NASB during the sermon--and mine said "King James Version" on the spine.

When I was still a youngster, the New International Version was published. Soon I had a beige-colored NIV hardback children's Bible, with a nice picture of Jesus on the front. I became an NIV devotee and my first Bible was relegated to the shelf.

True, my private Christian grammar school insisted we get New King James Bibles and I memorized plenty of verses out of that translation, but for church and any devotional reading, I used NIV.

The KJV just struck me as old-fashioned and out-dated, so when a college New Testament professor lectured on some of the shortcomings of the King James translation, it confirmed my preference for NIV. My no-need-for-KJV attitude grew stronger in reaction to the strand of Christendom that insisted on only the KJV. After studying the history of the Biblical translations and manuscripts in college, I couldn't see how anyone could insist that only the KJV was inspired.

These days I prefer a literal translation and I love the English Standard Version, even as our children use NIVs for all of their devotions, memorization, and study. The only KJV we have in the house is my very first Bible, saved after all these years for sentimental reasons.

So why the new affection for the King James Version? I am not coming back to it for my primary devotional and study text. For that I am sticking with ESV or NIV. But, I'm drawn back to it for the love of its English. I finally have appreciation for the beautiful, old English I once disdained.

After spending December studying Shakespeare with the kids, which served to train our ears to the hear the melody of Elizabethan English, we then came to the age of King James and his famous Bible translation. Coincidentally, we read quite a bit of King James Scriptures for our Advent study of Handel's Messiah. And, as so often happens, we quite by accident stumbled across this podcast by Albert Mohler and Leland Ryken about the King James Bible. On top of that, I happened to read this article by Lynn Bruce, which extols the virtue of reading the Authorized Version for its literary value.

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,
Prepare ye the way of the LORD,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low:
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough places plain:
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together:
for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
The voice said, Cry.
And he said, What shall I cry?
All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:
because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it:
surely the people is grass.
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:
but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
Isaiah 40:3-8

Wiki Power

2011-02-08T14:34:00.000-06:00

The idea of harnessing the labor of countless unknown users to create a massive encyclopedia was, obviously, brilliant. Project Gutenberg, the free electronic book site, pre-dates Wikipedia, but was also built on wiki power.

Now I (finally) discover Librivox, the wiki audiobook site. Project Gutenberg links to free audio recordings of many books, and many of those audiobooks are hosted by Librivox.

We've found several of our history texts (books by Henrietta Marshall and M. B. Synge) as well as plenty of other literature. Toby has listened to Thornton Burgess's "Burgess Animal Book for Children," and Sydney is listening to "A Little Princess," which is an old favorite of hers.

As you know, we're huge audiobook fans, so this is quite the find for us.

Ring Around the Roses

2011-02-08T14:18:00.000-06:00

Hope is reading a biography of Isaac Newton.

"Mom," she said, looking up from her book. "It says in here that the 'Ring Around the Roses' song comes from the Black Death. The Black Death gave you black spots with a red ring around them. Your skin turned ashen and you fell down dead, sometimes in just 24 hours."

Lane overheard her. "Why would they make up a song about death?"

More Poetic Than "Just Say No"

2011-02-02T18:00:00.003-06:00

Whether or not you are a teetotaler, you probably hope with me that your children abstain from strong drink. While just saying no gets the point across, Mattie declines Rooster Cogburn's offer in a far more colorful way:

[Rooster Cogburn said,] "This is the real article. It is double-rectified busthead from Madison County, aged in the keg. A little spoonful would do you a power of good."

[Mattie replied,] "I would not put a thief in my mouth to steal my brains."

From the novel True Grit, by Charles Portis. Mr. Edwards and I have been reading this together aloud after seeing the latest Coen brothers movie adaptation as well as the John Wayne classic. Both movies draw heavily from the novel, which provides a very witty story. The kids love the John Wayne movie and eagerly gather 'round to listen to the read-aloud.

What's the Bible All About Anyway?

2011-02-02T07:52:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday evenings, as three of our kids go to AWANA, I get together with two neighbor friends for an hour or so of Bible study. One of our threesome is new to Bible study and so we are doing a survey of the Bible's redemption story, going through the Scriptures from Genesis forward, searching for signs of Jesus and God's ultimate plan for humanity.

Bible scholar D. A. Carson sums up deftly in six minutes exactly what we are studying. It is well worth your time.

Snow Day Read-Alouds

2011-02-01T08:25:00.000-06:00

Hope came to my door this morning. "Mom, are all the schools closed today?" I could hear the howl of the wind outside, even as she spoke.

"Yes."

"Are we doing school?"

"Yes, but Hope, when all the other kids are in school in May and the weather is warm and wonderful, we'll be outside."

She smiled.

We'll stick to our school assignments, but if you have kids that are stuck at home away from their school assignments, here's a way to redeem your day: gather them around for some reading aloud.

They could sit and color, or they could cut-up magazines and paste together a collage, or they could make paper hats and chains as you read. Don't know what to read? Here are some suggestions that you might find on your shelf, or be able to find online or for your e-reader, since you probably weren't planning ahead and stocking your bookshelf for a snow day. You will enjoy reading these as much as they enjoy listening.

Charlotte's Web or Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, or other Narnia books, by C. S. Lewis
Just So Stories, by Rudyard Kipling, especially Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
Burgess Animal Book for Children, by Thornton Burgess
The Story of Rolf and the Viking's Bow, by Allen French (After watching "How to Train Your Dragon" your kids might be ready for some more Viking fare.)

Or, for older kids, try reading True Grit by Charles Portis. I'm reading this out loud to my husband this week; what a great read!

Curling up with a Kindle

2011-01-26T19:55:00.003-06:00

It seems electronic book readers are finally catching on with book lovers. Amazon.com's Kindle was selling briskly for Christmas and expected by analysts to sell between 5 or 8 million of them in 2010. Competing devices such as the Nook and the Sony Reader are also a big hit, not to mention the coveted iPad with its iBooks app (or one could always use the Kindle app for iPad). E-readers are here to stay and will probably only get better with each generation of devices.

Mr. Edwards gave me the wi-fi version of the Kindle for Christmas, and I've been enjoying it immensely. Books abound in our house, yet I wasn't sure if I'd like e-books. It turns out that I do.

For classical homeschoolers especially, e-reading is a boon. We read a lot of old books. And they are almost all available in a plain-vanilla format for free on an e-reader. For pennies more they are often available with linked tables of contents and improved navigating.

Project Gutenberg has thousands of books available for free download in formats for the Kindle or other reading devices. Google Books has many titles that can be downloaded for free as pdf files and transferred to the Kindle. (Google Books sells e-books formatted for other readers, such as the Nook and Sony Reader or the iPad.)

Yesterday's Classics sells Kindle versions of many out-of-print and out-of-copyright books for a few bucks each, which are also available through the Kindle store at Amazon.com. Many of our school resource books are published by Yesterday's Classics, and often these books are not to be found in our local library. I found a Kindle e-book of Shakespeare's Complete Works for just $2.39 by Mobile Reference. Why pay for something that you could pick up in a free version? Mobile Reference did a very nice job with a Table of Contents, making it easy to jump to a particular play, or even act within a play.

Like it or not, e-readers will likely change the reading experience permanently. As I read Tolstoy's Anna Karenina a few weeks ago, I was able to click the so-called 5-way button a few times and instantly read the Oxford dictionary definition of a word. If that wasn't enough, another couple of clicks and I could pull up a Wikipedia page or Google search on the same word (provided I had access to a wireless network). Bookmark pages and highlight passages with just a few clicks. Use the qwerty buttons to write a note about something. Text too small? Change the font size. Multi-tasking? Turn on the text-to-speech function. (This computer voice--in male or female!--is not enabled on all books.)

My Kindle experience has been such a good one that I'm likely to switch to a Kindle subscription of the Wall Street Journal after my print subscription runs out. Newspapers like the Journal or the New York Times (and many others) are delivered wirelessly to the Kindle each morning before sun-up and the previous day's paper is stashed away in the archives. I'm currently testing the New York Times Kindle edition, which is organized just like the print edition, by section. Click through the front page articles, complete with black-and-white photography, or jump to the section list and thumb your way to your favorite pages.

The other night, tucked in bed reading until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, I caught myself reaching up to turn the page. Before I became a Kindle reader, I rolled my eyes at the Amazon marketing copy that talked-up how much the Kindle experience is like a real book. I begrudgingly admit that they're right.

I wish I could disclose that this review is monetized and somehow I am earning money if you shop through my links. I'm not that savvy. So click away. I promise I don't get a dime.

Start off the New Year Right

2011-01-01T11:09:00.000-06:00

Books on Christianity and faith abound, but perhaps the best way to pursue a personal relationship with Christ is to read the Bible each day. Reading enough each day to get through the whole Bible in a year is even better.

It was through reading his Bible in a daily reading plan that President George W. Bush deepened his faith. Bush was new to Bible study when he joined a community Bible study in the mid-1980s.

"Soon I started to take the sessions more seriously. As I read the Bible, I was moved by the stories of Jesus' kindness to suffering strangers, His healing of the blind and crippled, and His ultimate act of sacrificial love when He was nailed to the cross. For Christmas that year, Don Evans gave me a Daily Bible, a verison split into 365 individual readings. I read it every morning and prayed to understand it more clearly. In time, my faith began to grow."

Bush goes on in his memoir Decision Points (p. 32-33) to describe how he journeyed from a tentative faith troubled by doubts to a more confident faith moved by God's love.

For several years I've enjoyed the Victory Bible Reading Plan, which takes the reader through the Bible chronologically. I highly recommend finding a plan that goes through Scripture chronologically, for it is a tremendous help in sorting out the context and meaning of the books of prophecy in the Old Testament as you read them along side the historical narratives.

Last year, however, I started reading the Bible with the M'Cheyne Bible Reading Plan. D. A. Carson's two-volume devotional set, For the Love of God Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, gives daily devotional commentary on the readings in the M'Cheyne plan. The Bible reading plan gives four selections from Scripture each day

Post-Christmas Diversions

2010-12-28T08:52:00.000-06:00

The kids are busy listening to their new audiobooks, which they received for Christmas. The hilarious and sound-effect-laced Hank the Cowdog is playing in the boys' room. Hope and Sydney listened to The Light Princess, by George MacDonald, yesterday. The Island of Blue Dolphins is also a new, albeit sad, favorite. What a luxury this week after Christmas is! Five full days of no school and hours of new things to do: puzzles, audiobooks, books, and movies.

Although my time isn't nearly as free as theirs (our dishwasher is currently awaiting service--my sweet husband is putting on his appliance-repair hat in the evenings this week), I'm also squeezing in some time reading on my new Kindle, which was a surprise from Mr. Edwards. Thank you, dear!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T05:00:00.010-06:00

The people that walked in darkness

have seen a great light:

they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

Isaiah 9:2

Glory to God in the Highest

2010-12-24T08:04:00.000-06:00

"Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty!

Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!

Who will not fear, Lord, and glorify your name?

For you alone are holy.

All nations will come and worship you,

for your righteous acts have been revealed."

Revelation 15:3b-4

I'm stopping this morning to repent of my casualness about the Incarnation. I tremble at His holiness.

2010 Ornaments

2010-12-23T19:30:00.000-06:00

We have a tradition of giving our children Christmas ornaments that reflect the meaning of their names. There are stars for Hope, because the Star of Bethlehem gave hope of the Anointed One, the Savior, to the Magi.

There are angels for Sydney. Although we didn't name Sydney purposely after St. Denis, because her name comes from the French for St. Denis, a third century martyr and bishop of Paris, we decided to give her angels. St. Denis was a missionary to pagan Gaul, announcing the good news of Jesus, just as the angels announced the good news to the shepherds.

Lane receives cross ornaments, reminding him of the eternal life given to him by Jesus through His death on the cross. Lane's name, of course, means "narrow road," and Scripture tells us that the road to eternal life is a narrow one, with few who take it.

We give Tobias bells. His name comes from the Hebrew for "The LORD is good," and bells are rung in praise of a Savior, for He is good.

This is Lydia's first Christmas and she is getting her first ornament, a pineapple. Lydia is named for the biblical Lydia, who not only put her faith in Jesus, but opened her home in hospitality to the other believers in Philippi. Pineapples are traditionally a symbol of hospitality.

Special thanks to my friend Jane, who is an expert basket weaver. Jane invited me to her workshop and taught me to make Sydney's angel, Toby's bell, and Hope's star. She handmade Lydia's pineapple and Lane's cross for me. Thank you so much, Jane! I had a marvelous time and these ornaments are beautiful and special.

Christmas Reading

2010-12-17T15:30:00.000-06:00

For the month of Advent, I've filled our coffee-table drawer with all the Christmasy picture books that we own, plus some from the library. Here are some of the Christmas themed picture books we've been reading and have handy for when we feel like curling up on the couch together for a read-aloud.

The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore
Lucia Morning in Sweden by Ewa Rydaker
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Santa, Are You for Real? by Harold Myra
Frosty the Snowman by Steven Nelson and Jack Rollins
The Church Mice at Christmas by Graham Oakley
Papa Panov's Special Day by Mig Holder, from a folktale adapted by Leo Tolstoy
Lucky Pup's Christmas by Ken Brown
Jacob's Gift by Max Lucado
Turkey for Christmas by Margeurite de Angeli*

It is a mix of old and new, familiar and fresh, but in no way is it a complete list of "must-reads" for Christmas.

When I look over the Christmasy books we've accumulated, I realize what we are missing: a beautiful picture book of the nativity, preferably with a text straight from Scripture. Have you found such a book?

*This was a new book for us this year, thanks to a tip from Cindy's blog. We loved it. Our Christmas will be leaner this year, so this book, in which the father asks the kids to choose between presents or a turkey for dinner, helped us put life into perspective! Even our lean Christmas is a heap of blessing, isn't it?

Men for all Seasons

2010-12-14T12:24:00.002-06:00

The Edwards Academy has been studying the Reformation in Europe and in England these past weeks. For fun we've reinforced our readings about Martin Luther and Henry VIII with two films that are both, as of this posting, available for viewing through Netflix instant streaming.

Martin Luther (1953)
Starring Niall MacGinnis as Martin Luther

This black and white biopic of the monk who started it all faithfully portrays Luther's journey from a young man studying law, to a monk struggling to please God, to a daring reformer of the church. The movie is very well done, but probably not very accessible to young viewers unless they have already read about Luther in advance. In other words, I don't recommend it as a way of teaching about Luther, but as a supplement to your studies about Luther.

Lane, 8 years old, balked when the film first opened with its black-and-white documentary-like images and narration, but he was soon drawn into the dialogue-driven action that follows. Hope and Sydney, who had read Luther's story from several sources, recognized that some of Luther's statements were direct quotes from historical sources. In particular, the depiction of the Diet of Worms matched up exactly with what they had read.

A Man for all Seasons (1966)
Starring Paul Scofield as Sir Thomas More, Robert Shaw as Henry VIII, and Orsen Welles as Cardinal Wolsey

The reformation in England can be a confusing string of events for students. Whereas Germany's Luther is clearly a "good guy" that kids can cheer for (even non-Protestants can be thankful for Luther's stand against the corrupt Roman Church officials and their sale of Indulgences), the struggle between English Henry VIII and the Pope over Henry's sought-after divorce gives us no obvious hero. Although Henry ultimately overthrows the papal authority over the English church, he does so for selfish and sinful reasons.

Robert Bolt's play A Man for all Seasons takes this episode in history and finds a hero in Sir Thomas More, Henry's Chancellor. In the play, Thomas is heroic for his stand on principle, refusing to sign the Act of Succession which declared Henry VIII head of the Church of England (freeing him to divorce Katharine of Aragon). Unfortunately, the real Thomas was no friend of religious freedom and persecuted those in England following Luther's doctrinal reforms. His loyalty to the church trumped his loyalty to the state, but biblical authority was secondary to both. A Man for All Seasons ignores this entirely.

The play and film elevate personal conviction as the ultimate virtue, in this embracing moral relativism. Thomas declares that he earns his way to heaven by staying true to his conscience. If his opposers are acting true to their consciences, they too earn their salvation. Both men then, believing in conflicting truths, can please God by their faithfulness to their belief. This idea that personal sincerity is more important for salvation than the object of belief is contrary to Christian orthodoxy and I doubt that the historic Sir Thomas More would say such a thing.

Nevertheless, I recommend A Man for all Seasons as good theater to compliment the study of this time period, even with its anachronistic themes. My kids enjoyed seeing characters they know from their reading dramatized and in period costume.

Lucia Fest in Lindsborg

2010-12-13T08:33:00.000-06:00

December 13 is St. Lucia's day, a holy day celebrated in Scandinavian cultures to honor St. Lucia, a third century Christian martyr. Lucia was Sicilian, but she is said to have brought food and light to the poor and needy of Sweden in a desperate time on their shortest day of the year.

We returned to Lindsborg, Kansas this year for the St. Lucia Fest and, in spite of bitter temperatures in the twenties and whipping winds, the seven of us had a nice day with Grandpa and Grandma, Aunt Jenny, and cousins.

At the Swedish Crown restaurant we had a smorgasbord of traditional Swedish food. Swedish meatballs, Jansson's Temptation (a Swedish potato au gratin casserole), salmon with a mustard-dill sauce, and sausage were some of the main course dishes. We were happy to fill a dinner plate with desserts like bread pudding, ostkaka (a custard like cheesecake), ginger cookies, and Swedish pancakes with lingonberry jam.

As we watched the folk dancers perform, we couldn't believe how they managed in the bitter cold. Contrast their period costumes with our winter coats and hats...

The seven cousins (Lydia was shopping with Grandma in a nice, warm shop) were happy to crowd into this former phone booth to warm up.

Following the street dancing, the formal crowning ceremony of St. Lucia takes place at a Lindsborg Lutheran church. This brief service, with choral performances, congregational hymns, a reflection on St. Lucia by the pastor, and the crowning of St. Lucia, was followed by a reception of ginger cookies and cider. Hope and Sydney and their cousin Haley were glad to have their picture taken with Haley M., Lindsborg's Lucia for this year. Yes, those are actual candles burning!

If you ask most of the kids, they will probably tell you that their favorite part of the day was the park. The icy wind and below-freezing temperatures mattered little to them!

Better and Better

2010-12-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

Here we are, without our brood, thankful for a marriage that just keeps getting better and better, by the grace of God.

Snapshots of Life

2010-12-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

It is very clear to me now why youngest children, particularly (perhaps) girls, are often spoiled. Lydia is such a happy baby and her happiness rubs off on all of us, except when the big sisters are fussing over who gets to hold her!

Needing New Playdough

2010-12-08T06:00:00.000-06:00