Books

I told Brian last night that books are like food - necessities.  Therefore, I can't help but putting them in my Amazon cart, especially when there's FREE super-saver shipping!  He lovingly rolled his eyes.

The ironic part?  I learned my intense love for books from him.  We've hauled hundreds of books up and down a million flights of stairs as we moved four times in our married life thus far...and most of those books?...were his.

But I'm catching up!  Here's what I'm reading now:

Dr. Horton was one of Brian's favorite profs at Wscal; this book he wrote for laypeople.  It truly has me standing in amazement each day of God's incredible gift of grace.  He sent His perfect Son to die so that I may have life - wow.  May that news never grow dull...and this book helps make sure it doesn't!  It is very liberating and humbling.  So so good.

"And be kind to one another," Ephesians 4:32.

I'll admit, I'm not the kindest person...in my heart!  I pray the LORD would use this book in my life to help me cultivate the virtue of kindness in my heart and mind, that it may overflow onto others...particularly my husband and son!

I'm memorizing Ephesians 4:20-24 in which Paul urges believers to put off the old self and put on the new self.  Bridges' book The Pursuit of Holiness is about putting off the old self and this book is the sequel, encouraging Christians to put on the new self.  It is so so good and requires me not to just read it, but to study and pray over the rich truths it holds from God's Word.

Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches

I read Rachel Jankovic's motherhood articles on the Desiring God website and was super encouraged by them.  (You can find them here.)  I'm on chapter 3 of her book and am not enjoying it as much; it's not as rich or encouraging as the articles...but I'm hoping it'll pick up.  I guess maybe I'm just not enjoying her personality that comes through in her writing - you know when you decide whether or not you'd be friends with the author?!  Well, we just don't have the same style...  But I do LOVE the articles so if you're a mommy or a grandma, read those!

And...since I don't have a quilting project going on at the moment...

In my down time (what's that!?), I've been reading the classic, An American Tragedy.  It's a murder story that is actually a metaphor for the American "dream."  The main character is a man who murders the low-class woman he's impregnated in order to pursue marriage to a rich, high-class woman.  It's very well written - truly a classic.  I'm enjoying it and am almost finished - which is a good thing because Mary ordered our next sewing project and it will be here soon.

 

Let me know if you're enjoying any books - I love recommendations!

Baby's Little "Bible"

Kregel Publiations sent me Baby's Little Bible by Sarah Toulmin to read and review.

It is a small (perfect size for little hands), hardcover book that comes in white, pink, or blue.  Kristina Stephenson is the illustrator; the illustrations are very well done - bright & beautiful.  They definitely catch your eye and will keep little readers engaged.

I like the book's table of contents.  It divides the stories into Old Testament and New Testament, with 9 and 11 stories, respectively.  Author Ms. Toulmin has chosen to include some of the most popular (not the most important) stories such as Rainy Days (Noah's story), The Giant and the Boy (David and Goliath), Bread and Fish (Jesus feeds the 5,000), and The Cross.  It does not have the bible references next to each story so that the reader would know where to look in order to read the real version.

Kregal sent me a pink copy, and I immediately thought, "Oh, neat!  I'll give this to my new niece, Sophie."  But then I started reading it.  There are way too many theological errors in this book; it does not at all follow God's Word.  I would never give it as a gift or be able to recommend it in good conscience. There are simply too many errors - serious ones that will lead children away from God, not to Him.

1. The fall is missing.  Without the fall, how can children learn from this "bible" to trust in a perfect and holy Savior when they are not even made aware of their need for Him?  The fall is essential to a person's understanding of the gospel - a bible cannot be without it.  If there was no fall, Jesus wouldn't have had to shed His perfect blood.

2. In her New Testament stories, there is no anticipation of Jesus' death when, in fact, He told of it many times (to list a few: Luke 9:21-22, 44-45; 22:19-21; Matthew 26:26-29; Matthew 20:17-19).  But Ms. Toulmin still writes in The Cross (page 152), "Goodbye, Jesus," they said. "It's all over now."  In the book's next and last story, Alive, Jesus is alive and tells the people, "God can put everything right.  Go and tell everyone in the world," (p. 156).  That's the end (except for a short blessing on the last page).  What's wrong with this?  Put what "right"?  If readers don't know about the fall or their sinful nature that separates them eternally from God apart from Jesus Christ, why would they need a Mediator?  Unfortunately, there is no encouragement to trust Christ as your Savior by repenting of your sins and living by faith.  According to Ms. Toulmin, children are just to go and tell everyone that God can fix our world when they will not know (according to this book) what is truly wrong with it.

 I'll just show one other example of a theological error: Toulmin writes, "God made woman.  'Your name is Eve,' he said," (p. 13).  God's Word says in Genesis 3:20, "The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living."  Adam named Eve, not God.  And Adam named her after the fall.

I'm disappointed in Kregel for publishing this book - why didn't their editors catch these obvious errors?  I am just a pastor's wife who hasn't been trained at a seminary, but anyone who studies God's Word knows that this little book is missing the key doctrine that differentiates Jesus as a Savior from Jesus as just another good person in our world.  Rest assured - this book will not be going to sweet little Sophie nor anyone I love.  Kregel, I hope you fix your error and stop its publication.

Lovin' Lime

Our tree!

I'm loving the lime and silver!

Now I just need to vacuum up the needles and purchase a silver tree skirt.

The boys like it too.

They are both soooo curious.

Leo thinks the round shatter-proof ornaments are tennis balls.

 They are both learning their boundaries...and sometimes they like to test them.

I tried a photo shoot - despite the fact that Aidan is still in his PJs.

 It lasted less than 3 seconds.

I found a really fun Advent calendar at Pottery Barn Kids.  Life has been so crazy around here since Thanksgiving that I haven't had a chance to fill it with anything yet...but I will, Lord-willing, get to that on Monday!

This afternoon I'm off to the Clear Lake Tour of Homes with a friend; the homes will be so beautiful, I can hardly wait.  Then there's a parade by the lake that we're going to tonight with friends from church!  And...it's SNOWING!  Huge, big flakes.  I'm off to get the boy bundled.  He'll love it this year.  And it's Leo's first time ever seeing snow.  I can't wait to see what he thinks.

O Christmas Tree

With the lack of snow, I totally haven't been able to get into the Christmas spirit.  It's one thing if you live in tropical California where it's supposed to be warm, but in Iowa we are ready for snow!  However, the calendar said it was time, and we had such a fun afternoon picking out the perfect tree at Aldrich Tree Farm in Belmond.

Before leaving town, we used a giftcard to buy yummy coffees at our local coffee shop.

 My boy is ready to tackle the wind and cold!

 We walked and walked, trying to find our tree.

Last year, our tree was monstrous.  We had no idea how to pick out a tree and we'd forgotten to measure our ceiling.  This year we were much more knowledgeable; we looked for one just a tad taller than Brian and not very wide.

 Leo enjoyed running through the trees and the nearby fields.  He was an excellent listener and always came when called.

 Daddy's little helper didn't spend much time walking; all the clothes and his new boots made him a little tipsy...that and it was almost naptime.

So Daddy hauled him around most of the time.

 And I had Leo when there were other people close-by.

 Leo met the donkey.  Neither were too thrilled with one another.

Finally - the perfect tree for our family!

 Aidan wants to hold the saw!

 Or simply be as close to the tree as possible (aka totally in Daddy's way).

But then...

Mommy found a tree she liked even better!

Now we've found the perfect tree...

Daddy gets to work.

 There she is!

 The three of us jump in back while Brian loads it on top of our Jeep.

The man loaded it up and we were on our way!

Now the decorating begins....

Last year I bought Walmart's (even though I despise Walmart and haven't been in one since!) lime green and silver sparkly ornaments at half-price.  I am so excited to have my first matching tree this year!  And my mom just bought me a big, fun lime green bow to put at the top.  I'll post pictures when it's done!

Thanksgiving and 3-0

We spent Thanksgiving with Brian's family; it was a fabulous time and his mom outdid herself like always.

 The table was absolutely beautiful!  The food was even better.

 Aidan got to spend time with Great Grandpa & Grandma Fretty and his new cousin, Sophie.

 The gang.

 Great G & G Fretty gave Aidan a Thanksgiving Day present.  He loved the cards!

They made him so excited, he shouted!  The present inside also made him very excited...

 In fact, he was so excited about this thing that it's all he did for the rest of the night! 

 Well, that and climb stairs.

My favorite turned 30 on November 27!  I am so thankful to the LORD for him.  He's such a selfless, kind, generous, and loving man.  And he loves Jesus more than life...a girl couldn't ask for anything more. He's the best.

He'll be preaching through Genesis in the New Year so he asked for Genesis commentaries and other theology books.  He also received cologne, a shirt & tie, and a Koub set from Uncle Alex.

Here's Great Grandma & Soph at the party.  We all fought over the babe...what a cutie!

We finished up Thanksgiving weekend with Andy & Callie at our house.  They'd given us a giftcard to use at a really yummy steakhouse in Mason and even offered to babysit!  We had such a fun date night.  Before our reservation we got to shop, uninterrupted(!!) at Target, Kohls and Best Buy.  Thanks so much, Andy & Callie!

It was such a wonderful four days of celebrating all the kindness to us in Christ and His many, many blessings.

The Promised One

The world is so wonderful and exciting for a pre-toddler.  Aidan was overjoyed when I pulled out his Fischer Price Nativity from Auntie Callie and Uncle Andy.  He sat so still on my lap as I unwrapped each piece and explained it's role to him.  Once we had unwrapped all the parts and set it up on the table, he very much enjoyed moving all the people and animals around.  The donkey has a wheeled cart and that's his favorite so far.

He likes the camel too.  

I put my nativity up on the coffee table and am thankful that Aidan has his own to play with - he likes my sheep too much, but is learning that those are Mommy's.  Leo is too.  ;)

This is such an amazing season; we decorate, make cookies, buy gifts, and travel to be with loved ones all in celebration of Christ's birth.  And why is that so special?  Too many Americans, unfortunately, just go through the motions of Christmas, treating it simply as an American tradition with Santa at the center.

Our women's bible study is going through Nancy Guthrie's book The Promised One: Seeing Jesus in Genesis.  And today the study was on Abraham, the one through whom God promised The Promised One, Jesus Christ.  It reminded me of the incredible promises that God not only gave Abraham, but that He gives His people.

When Abraham asked how he could know that God would fulfill His promise to bring him into the Promised Land, God responded by having Abraham bring animals and cut them in half (Genesis 15:9).  (BTW - Think about that - how super difficult would it be to cut an animal, such as a heifer, in half?  I had enough trouble cutting a Cornish game hen in half for a recipe!)  Normally, both people making the oath walk between the animal halves, but only God walked through them.  Why?  Because "God knew that Abraham could not walk blameless before him, as he had commanded," (Genesis 17:1).  We also, like Abraham, can't fulfill our end of the deal - we break God's commandments all the time, whether it be through our doubts, fears, discontent, etc.

But thanks be to God! Christ Jesus walked our bloody path, "marked not with the blood of halved animals but with His own blood...By bearing the full consequences of the convenantal pledge to death, Christ delivered us from the curse of our inability to live up to the covenant so that we might become heirs of its blessing," (pg 165). 

When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. 

Galations 3:13

This is why we celebrate.  This is why we rejoice.  Christ Jesus is the hope.  Christ Jesus is the "sure and steadfast anchor of our souls," (pg 166).

As you set up your nativity this season, rejoice!  The Promised One has come.

Whiner or Worshiper?

Lately, this lady in town has gotten me thinking:  each time I bump into her, she's complaining.  Either she hasn't slept well or she doesn't want to decorate for Christmas because it's so much work or she doesn't want to shop for the grandkids cuz she doesn't know what to buy or she can't wait for the snow to get here so she can start waiting for it to be gone (true story!).  Now what do people think about me after bumping into me up town?  I often tell people how many times Aidan woke up in the night or that I got to bed too late so I'm feeling tired.  Really, who cares!?  I want to be known as a grateful person, filled with joy because of what Christ has done for me.  I don't want people thinking about me what I think about that downer, complaining woman - I want people to run toward Christ after an encounter with me.

This is just another reason Nancy Leigh DeMoss's book Choosing Gratitude has been so good for me.  And, in order to help solidify in my mind what I am learning, I'm going to continue to blog through some of the chapters I most enjoy in her book.

Nancy writes, "After decades of ministry to hurting people, I have come to believe that a failure to give thanks is at the heart of much, if not most, of the sense of gloom, despair, and despondency that is so pervasive even among believers today," (pg 79).  Isn't that true!?

She goes on to describe six differences between grateful and ungrateful people. 

1. A grateful person is a humble person, while ingratitude reveals a proud heart (pg 80).

2. A grateful heart is God-centered and others-conscious, while an ungrateful person is self-centered and self-conscious (pg 82).

Our world is full of people seeking to get their needs met.  Think about the McDonald's slogan, "My way,"  It's these people who focus on "my needs," "my feelings," etc. that are the blamers and are quick to accuse God of being unfair and ungenerous.

3. A grateful heart is a full heart, while an unthankful heart is an empty one (pg 85).

Paul says in Philippians 4 :18, "I have all, and abound; I am full."  Yet his friends had abandoned him, he was in prison and striped bare of all creature comforts...and yet he was full!  Nancy goes on to describe a dog who'd lost a limb.  The dog isn't traumatized by losing the limb, the dog is overjoyed to be alive - chasing squirrels, fetching balls, etc.  I need to be more dog-like!  ;)

4. People with grateful hearts are easily contented, while ungrateful people are subject to bitterness and discontent (pg 87).

This is my struggle - I strive, daily, to be thankful for what I have...which is soooo much!  I have to quote Nancy here because I just love what she says,

"I have spoken with many women who are chronically unhappy, "down," or depressed.  The details and reasons vary, of course.  But I have become increasingly convinced, after lots of these kinds of conversations, that one of the chief reasons behind a pervasive sense of blues and blahness is a failure to be thankful.

"Ungrateful people tend to hold tightly to their rights.  And when others fail to perform the way they want or expect them to, they feel justified in making demands and retaliating emotionally," (pg 88).  She goes on to talk about how Ruth in the bible was just the opposite.

5. A grateful heart will be revealed and expressed by thankful words, while an unthankful heart will manifest itself in murmuring and complaining (pg 89).

I love her example: instead of asking, "Why did God put thorns on roses?"  Praise Him saying, "God has put roses among the thorns."  Be encouraged to look for blessings in the trials and hardships.

6. Thankful people are refreshing, life-giving springs, while unthankful people pull others down with them into the stagnant pools of their selfish, demanding, unhappy ways (pg 91).

Our natural tendency is to react to life's circumstances in a negative way.  But may our responses as Christians be as Matthew Henry's, making people feel "how happy a thing it must be to be a Christian!"

I'm praying today that I would be a worshiper and not a whiner!