Category Archives: In Step with the Spirit

Sunday Afternoon Rambles

Posted on by
4

Steady Eddie and the girls are gone this afternoon to set up for a training for his job, the DLM is asleep, and I have spent some quality time already in reading, journaling, praying, and napping, and now I’m ready to work on the ol’ blog.  First, though, I want to clear my brain of all the stuff whirling around up there, in hopes that it will result in more clarity when I get down to reviewing some books.  Here’s what I’m thinking about today:

  • How to make the most of my time in terms of balancing all the demands I face as a homeschooling mother (not to mention all the other things I try to do at home:  cooking,  minimal cleaning, keeping the laundry going, etc.) and still have a little bit of time to do the other things I enjoy.  This is called “sharpening the saw” in 7 Habits lingo, and it’s really, really important for me, but my saw doesn’t get sharpened some days (weeks, even), and I really feel it.  I can’t go without sleep, so how do I “make” time for the other things that are important?
  • How to have a consistent spiritual life.  I’ll admit this has been a struggle for me since the DLM was born for a really long time.  It’s either boom or bust with me.  It’s not that I don’t read my Bible or pray; it’s just that I don’t feel like I’ve done it “right” unless it’s involved and passionate.  Sometimes, though, it just has to be “done”–not “right,” not “passionate,” just done.  However, it still must be heartfelt, or I don’t feel like I’ve made any progress or done anything worthwhile.  How can I find the balance between going through the motions and something that completely sweeps me away and makes me want to run off to the inner city and start a ministry?  ;-)   I want to walk with God consistently in the small things here at home, and more than that, I want to (as Eric Lidell put it), “feel His pleasure” in my life as I serve Him.  Thoughts, anyone?
  • I’m still reading The Narnian on my Kindle and enjoying it, but it’s a slow go.  It’s not that the book is too dense or arcane; I think it’s more that I feel like I’m reading more than I am because I “turn the page” on the Kindle (because of its small size) more often than I would actually turn the page in a real book, so I’m not making as much progress as I think I am while I’m reading.  Too, I’ve been sidetracked by other things–the internet (boo!  hiss!), and as of last night, another Kindle book–The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers by Dr. Meg Meeker.  I first read about it on Elizabeth Foss’s blog, and last night I just hopped online at Amazon and bought myself a copy, just like that. (Amazing, huh?)  There’s nothing earth shattering in this little volume (at least, so far), but it’s like a good shot in the arm for my mothering, a skill set that I’m finding tried and tested as my girls get older and I’m faced with another toddler.  (Who, by the way, started taking more than one step in succession last night at my parents–watch out, world!)
  • Charlotte Mason dominates my thoughts.  Like Janet mentioned in the comments on last Weekly Wrap-Up post, the CM method “seems a bit gentler and more flexible. . .and somehow more wholehearted than so centered on training the mindmindmind.”  I couldn’t have said it better.  Like I mentioned in that same post, I’m really looking forward to hearing Sonya Shafer next weekend and trying to nail down what this is going to look like in our homeshcool.  I’m also inspired by Jimmie @ Jimmie’s Collage, whose posts are so practical and concise.  This recent one on narration was just something I needed to read.  Of course, Barb @ Harmony Art Mom and Handbook of Nature Study is someone I consider a real mentor, since she has put these methods into practice for so many years now.  I have a vision of what I want my children’s education to look like, and Charlotte Mason’s teachings approximates it very closely.
  • I need to get back into a regular routine of menu planning and grocery shopping.  For too long now we’ve just gone to the grocery store by necessity, more or less.  I want to be more organized!

The DLM is stirring, so the rest of my thoughts will just have to keep a-swirlin’, I guess.  :-)   If you have a suggestion for any of the issues I’m contemplating, please, do share!

Have a blessed Sunday evening, friends!

Keeper by Kathi Appelt

Posted on by
14

I almost didn’t review this book; in fact, I’m still sort of torn about putting up a review of it.  If you’re ignorant of the possibility of controversy inherent with this title (like I was before I read it), we’ll get to that.  Let me discuss what I like about it first. 

Keeper by Kathi Appelt is a beautifully written story that encapsulates one day in the life of ten year old Keeper, a part of (to borrow a phrase from Wendell Berry) “the membership” of “the world unto itself” at the end of Oyster Ridge Road, Tater, Texas.  Oyster Ridge Road, which runs out to the Gulf of Mexico, has a population of four:  Keeper; her surrogate mother, Signe; Dogie, Keeper’s employer and father figure; and Mr. Beauchamp, Keeper’s grandfather stand-in.  There are a couple of dogs in the mix, as well as a wily seagull named Captain.  Oh, there are crabs, too, and as Keeper tells herself over and over again, “Stupid, stupid, stupid crabs!”  Keeper inadvertently starts a string of disasters which affect all of her loved ones on Oyster Ridge Road when she frees the crabs Dogie caught for Signe to make her special blue moon gumbo:  she breaks Signe’s woooden bowl, the only thing she has from her childhood; she burns the gumbo and ruins Signe’s pot; she causes both Dogie’s ukelele and Mr. Beauchamp’s nightblooming cyrus plant, objects of great affection from their earlier lives, to be broken.  Keeper, a great believer in magic and mythical creatures, sets out in Dogie’s little boat to find her mother, Meggie Marie, whom Keeper believes to be a mermaid.  She believes Meggie Marie can set things aright.

This book is complex in its telling; Appelt tells and retells the same scene over and over again, from the point of view of all of the humans and animals of Oyster Ridge Road.  There is nothing straightforward about it, and because of that, I would consider this a literary novel for middle grade readers.  Appelt captures the magic and allure of the sea in this story, and I think this might be what I like best about it.  Reading this made me really want to go to the beach, although to be true to the story I’d wait until the summer crowds go back home so I can experience the beach like Keeper, Signe, Dogie, and Mr. Beauchamp do:  as a member of their rather solitary lives, instead of just a vacation getaway.  Appelt is adept at creating atmosphere.  Here are a few excerpts that showcase her talent:

Keeper was still smiling when she walked to the stove and stood next to Signe, who was stirring the bubbling liquid for her blue moon gumbo.  The smell filled the room.  Keeper thought that if she held out her tongue in the steamy kitchen, she’d be able to taste the spicy mixture without even putting a spoonful in her mouth.  (21)

Now a fear as deep as the ocean zipped through Keeper’s body, her biggest fear ever, one so deep, she knew not to ever, ever say it out loud, not ever.  And then today, it crawled out of her like an ugly toad:  If a girl’s own mother can swim away, what would keep everyone else from leaving too, especially if that same girl caused so much trouble?  The toad of fear made a big, fat cccrrooaaakkkk right in Keeper’s stomach.  (105)

Obviously, there are some deep and troubling issues presented in this story, including child abandonment and the effects of war.  Although Appelt handles them with something of a light touch, reading about these issues still made this mother’s heart ache.  I’m not sure that most middle graders are prepared to deal with some of this messy stuff, although I do think this book mostly handles well the idea of family being those who love and care for you. 

This, of course, brings me to the controversial part:  homosexuality is presented in this story, and it’s not just given a nod.  There are a couple of chapters (short chapters, but chapters, nontheless) devoted to a fifteen year old Henri Beauchamp’s love for a boy named Jack.  The story gets sort of weird magical here, too, and the whole plot thread of Keeper believing in mermaids gets mixed up with Mr. Beauchamp’s story and the two threads are tied together nicely but fantastically at the end.  Myth and magic are alive and well in this story, and while I didn’t feel that it was as dark as Appelt’s Newbery honor-winning The Underneath (linked to my review), I’m still not sure what to make of it.

Reading this story has me pondering something about children’s literature.  While I’m not in favor of censorship, I do practice my parental responsibility of censoring what my own children read, to a point.  I am in favor of censoring what they read until they are old enough and mature enough to handle that responsibility for themselves (or at least, that’s my goal–I realize that they are human beings who will make their own choices when they’re old enough to do that).  Still, though, what is it that we (I?) expect from children’s literature?  Do we expect it to be pedantic and prescriptive–”act this way”; “do this”; “be that.”  This is eactly what we don’t  like about most Christian fiction, right?   (I’m merely stating what I believe are others’ objections to Christian fiction here; it’s not a genre I read a lot of myself these days, although I have read a lot of it in the past.)  I am certainly NOT arguing that reading about a homosexual relationship (no matter how “tame”  and “sweet” the description of it is) is something that middle graders should read about; as a Christian, I believe that homosexuality is a sin.  (I’m not even arguing here about the “sinfulness” of one sin over another; we all know that sin is often played out, even in children’s literature.  I just happen to believe that this particular sin can have more widespread repercussions than other sins.)  I just wonder what exactly we expect from children’s literature.  If we no longer want it to be prescriptive, maybe we do want it to be descriptive.  But do we want our nine year olds reading this particular story?  I don’t think I want mine to.  It’s true that relationships like this exist, and there’s no way in the day and age in which we live to shield our children forever from this knowledge, but I want to do what’s right about it. 

Well, this started out as a somewhat innocuous book review and turned into what could become a train wreck in the comments.  I’d love to have your opinion, especially if you’re a Christian.  My practice is to use the Bible as the final authority in my life, but I welcome discussion about this topic.  In other words, I’m not interested in debating homosexuality, but I am interested in discussing how we introduce these issues to our children.   (If you’re new around here, please be advised that inappropriate or disrespectful comments will be removed by the blog owner.  :-)   )

The bottom line about the book:  I think it’s beautifully written, but I can’t recommend it.

Tornado Alley: The Day After

Posted on by
13

My heart is heavy today as news reports continue to come in regarding the dozens of Alabamians who have lost their lives in the fury of yesterday’s storms.  Steady Eddie had to be up and about bright and early this morning to travel to Montgomery, over three hours south of here.  He drove for about two hours and saw no visible signs of electricity–stoplights, houses, businesses, all dark.  I just talked with him as he travels back toward home, and he told me that some teachers I’ve worked with in the past were likely killed in the storms.  Nameless devastation is bad enough; knowing the victims makes it so much worse. 

After Steady Eddie read the post I wrote last night, he commented that I left out the best (or worst?) part. 

The girls went outside and played in a huge puddle after one of the storms:

Not thirty minutes later, this was bridging the puddle:

Why were we in the northernmost part of Alabama spared, while our neighbors thirty miles to the south weren’t?  I don’t know.  We are all thanking and praising God that we were spared, but what of those who weren’t?  Can they still praise and thank Him?  I think this encapsulates the real test of faith, doesn’t it?  I’m reminded, of course, of Job’s response to his faithless wife, which is found Job 2:10:

“You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”

That’s all easy enough for me to say as I sit here at my computer, my children all sleeping or enjoying their quiet time, all of my family members and friends safe and accounted for.  I pray that I would stand the test if, God forbid, this weren’t the case. 

I’m also reminded of Wendell Berry’s advice in Hannah Coulter :

What you must do is this:  “Rejoice evermore.  Pray without ceasing.  In every thing give thanks.”  I am not all the way capable of so much, but those are the right instructions. (113)

I shall try.  Please help me pray for comfort and faith for those affected during this very difficult time. 

 

Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Teri Maxwell

Posted on by
3

 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have this motherhood thing licked.  I’ve been at it for going on seven years now, and while I think I have grown in many areas, my children won’t cooperate and stay the same.  Each time I think I figure out some sort of “problem” or issue, they go and mature a little bit on me and give me something new to figure out.  ;-)   I had heard of Steve and Teri Maxwell and their Managers of Their Home scheduling program for homeschooling families, and I had even read a few of her mom’s newsletters, so I knew her to be a woman of insight and wisdom.  While I might not always agree with her or her husband on every theological issue, I do find their words to be encouraging for the season of life I’m in.  I had heard of her book Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit, but I had never actually seen a copy of it until we attended the homeschooling conference a few weeks ago.  I was feeling rather burned out and overwhelmed at the conference, so when I saw this book, I purchased it in hopes that it would give me the shot in the arm I needed at the time.

Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit is a short book, just 120 pages or so, and I read it in the van on the way home from the conference.  I usually hesitate to read books that are self-published (or even published by lesser-known publishing houses) because I often find them poorly edited or stylistically annoying.  (For example, I don’t enjoy books that are written in an overly conversational tone.  However, I’ve found this tone even in books that are publishing by big-name publishers.) Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit is neither of these, however.  I found Maxwell’s voice straightforward, honest, and wise.  She knows whereof she writes.  She doesn’t try to build herself up at all; her attitude is more like this:  “I’m writing this book because I think it might help you.  Let me break it down as simply as I can.”  The bottom line here is that I was not put off by the tone of the book or any glaring mistakes, etc.  This is important. 

The readability of this book, then, paved the way for the greater truth it holds to take root in my heart.  Maxwell cites three of what she calls “meek and quiet spirit stealers”:  fear/worry, disorganization, and anger.  I can say amen to all three of these, and it was immensely comforting to me to have someone else recognize that these issues can cause huge problems.  Although the fear/worry and anger issues are obvious, I found it so encouraging to have the disorganization issue recognized.  Something about being home with children all day long, as we homeschool mothers are, really brings out my inner taskmaster when it comes to cleaning, straightening, and organization.  I don’t like this about myself, and yet I long for order and (dare I say it?) quiet.  Maxwell offers a few solutions that might seem obvious such as devoting thirty minutes a day to organizing, but to the overwhelmed mother, this might just be a lifeline.  Her solutions are both wise and practical.

Of all the books about homeschooling I’ve read, this one is one of the most practical in terms of helping me deal with my own emotions and issues.  Maxwell consistently points her readers back to the Bible and the Lord for our ultimate answers.  I know I’ll be re-reading this one in the months and years ahead, probably over and over again.

Read and Share Bible–Giveaway!

Posted on by
8

I am a little embarrassed to admit how long I’ve had this little volume in my to-be-reviewed pile, but with this post I am putting it front-and-center.  This Read and Share Bible which is written by Gwen Ellis and published by Tommy Nelson, has been a part of our bedtime routine off and on again for weeks at a time.  In the Read and Share Bible , the stories are short–more like little sketches, at two short pages each.  These are only the ”best loved” 200 or so stories, so you won’t be reading about any of the minor prophets in this books.  ;-)   Each double page spread includes a brief story that reduces the story down to its most important details.  Included is the Bible reference (very important!) and a point for discussion.  All in all, it’s a nice little package that would serve well as a brief Bible story or lesson for preschoolers.  Although I no longer have preschoolers (except for the DLM), I think this Bible story book is actually a good tool to have for beginning readers, too. While the stories are not exactly easy reading material, they are short enough that a beginning reader who tires easily could make it through them, if she can read fairly fluently but just gets frustrated if presented with too much print on a page.   Louise, who is still learning to read, actually attempted to read some of these stories.  

The illustrations in Read and Share Bible are cartoonish but respectful.  I know some people have a problem with Bible characters depicted in cartoon, but these remind me a little bit of the illustrations in the Max Lucado picture books, one of which I reviewed here.  The Bible story illustrations are actually less cartoonish than that.  (You can actually download coloring pages based on this Bible story book here.)  Steve Smallman did a good job of making the illustrations appealing to children and yet respectful of the story.

Thanks to Tommy Nelson for sending this little book my way; I will be holding on to this one for a few years down the road when the DLM is ready for some simple concepts and pictures.  Tommy Nelson also sent me an extra copy as a giveaway to one of my readers here at Hope Is the Word.  If you’d like a chance to win a copy of the Read and Share Bible, simply leave a comment.  This giveaway is open until Monday, April 4, at 8 p.m. CST.  Winners will be announced the next day. 

The Week in Words

Posted on by
4


I’m still working on my Bible reading project, and for once I think my procrastination might be paying off.  I read this nugget from 2 Corinthians 1 on Friday morning, just when I needed it.  It has sustained me through some stressful times this weekend.  Nothing unusual is happening–just the stuff of life. 

We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our[a] behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

I’m setting my hope on Him.  How about you?

(Linked up at The Week in Words at Stray Thoughts.)

The Bible in 90 Days Wrap-Up

Posted on by
5

 Today is the official end of The Bible in 90 Days Challenge at Mom’s Toolbox, or at least the official end of this round of it.  I haven’t mentioned much about the challenge lately, mainly because I was too busy reading to write about it.  :-)   Here’s the confession part of this post:  I did not finish the Bible in 90 days, even with the added two ”grace” days.  However, I am not defeated!  I have made it up to the book of Acts in the New Testament, and I plan to keep reading until I finish.  My goal is to read five chapters a day.  At that rate, I should finish in about a month.  I realize this goal of five chapters a day is rather paltry compared to the 12-15 chapters a day that reading the Bible in 90 days requires, but I have been extremely stressed out lately, and adding a large reading assignment to my list of things to do daily only magnifies my stress level.  Thus, I am reducing the requirement for myself to something a little more manageable, but I am always free to read more.  :-)

Looking back, I think I can see that it was a combination of a couple of things that caused me to fall behind to the point that I felt like I couldn’t catch back up.  I managed to keep up, more or less, until I got to the major prophets in the Old Testament.  I lagged behind in Isaiah, but I did finish it without too much trouble.  It was when I got to Jeremiah and Ezekiel that I pretty much gave up hope of catching up; I found reading through those books to be challenging, to say the least.  I refused to quit, though, and it was a sweet, sweet day night when I finished reading the Old Testament.  This was a first for me, in my 20+ years of reading the Bible!!!  Praise the Lord!!!  After finishing Malachi, I got my second wind and got up the next morning (it was a Saturday, so no school, and Steady Eddie was home to deal with the young ‘uns) and read all of Matthew.  However, it was shortly after this that my stress level went through the roof (for some undetermined reason), and I decided that I wouldn’t finish this race on time, but if I would keep plodding along like the turtle, I would eventually finish.  At this point in my life, that is the important part. 

So, even though I didn’t finish it on time, am I glad I participated in this challenge?  Absolutely, positively yes!!!  Here are some of the blessings that come quickly to mind when I think about this challenge:

  • I’m certain that if I had not had this rigorous schedule and motivation to read through the Old Testament, I would’ve languished once again in Kings or Chronicles like I have so many times before and never have made it to Isaiah or Jeremiah. 
  • When I bogged down in those long prophetic books, I’m pretty sure I would’ve just stayed mired there if I hadn’t committed to the challenge (and known that the New Testament was closer than ever before!).  
  • Because of the challenge, I read the books quickly enough that I actually remembered what happened from the beginning of a book to its end so that I could sometimes make connections.
  • I noticed things I’ve never noticed before (of course)!
  • The New Testament is coming to life for me more than ever because the Old Testament is so fresh in my mind. 

One of the biggest blessings and motivators of all for me has been that Steady Eddie has been reading along, too.  He has actually read the Bible through before, but he agreed to join me in the challenge.  Although we have not had a chance to literally read it together, it has helped to have someone with whom to compare notes, etc.  Like me, he bogged down in the major prophets and has now managed to read up to the book of John.  I have confidence, though, that we will both finish this with the help of the Lord. 

Working through this challenge has given me more of a hunger for God’s Word, something that I have long lacked and desired.  Recently I have given up caffeinated drinks, and while the headaches I endured for a few days were annoying and painful, now that I have persevered through them, I have more of a thirst for water than ever before.  Water is actually what I crave.  I think the Bible in 90 Days Challenge, because of its fast pace and total immersion method, works in a similar way–the more of God’s Word I read, the more I hunger for it.  It is painful at times to give up what we want to do (and obviously, I don’t always win over my flesh in this regard), but we will be rewarded if we persevere through the difficult times. 

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your Word!  Thank you, Lord, that you are awakening within me a desire for more of you!

New Mom’s Prayer Bible

Posted on by
3

I received an invitation to review Zondervan’s New Mom’s Prayer Bible and I jumped at the chance.  While I don’t need another copy of the Bible (like most Christians in America, we are more than blessed with the Word here at the House of Hope!), I was curious to see exactly what makes this particular Bible different than the other copies we have.  To be honest, I meant to dash off a quick review and then pass this Bible on to another mom, perhaps a first-time mom, under the assumption that certainly she might need the encouragement and help offered in this Bible much more than I need it. 

:-)

This Bible stayed in its box for a couple of weeks, and I was quite happy using my hard-backed, no-frills NIV for the Bible in 90 Days Challenge I’m still plugging away at.  Then I left my Bible at church one Sunday.  I needed something small-ish to run the route with me from bedside to rocking chair as I tried to catch up on rest and care for the needs of the DLM, so I opened the box.  Pretty soon, I was pretty attached to this pretty little purple-and-pink Bible.  I’m usually not much on appearances, but seeing these bright, cheerful colors and feeling the slim, supple, leather-bound volume in my hands was comforting as I struggled to make the time to spend in God’s Word. 

What makes this Bible different are, of course, the devotional writings that are interspersed within its pages.  This Bible contains 52 “Thought Starters,” each of which is divided into 1 minute, 5 minute, and 10 minute readings, prayer suggestions, and opportunities for study.  As one would expect in such a Bible, these Thought Starters relate to life as a new mom, with all its adjustments, struggles, and opportunities.  Each Thought Starter also has a “Word to take with you today.”  I like this, especially the word part.  Motherhood is humbling in so many ways, not the least of which for me has been a severe (seeming? I can only hope. . . ) loss of brain power.  Having one “take away” word to meditate on as a touch-point is powerful.  The Bible contains the usual appendices:  a concordance, maps, etc.  However, the most useful to me is the thematic study index that is referenced in the 10 minute study section of the Thought Starters.  Having the scriptures arranged thematically into categories that will edify new mothers is an excellent idea.  Reading scriptures that are related by theme is very powerful.  Normally I prefer devotional materials to be in a separate volume.  However, I think this particular little Bible would be very useful to moms who have a hard time keeping up with things, especially in those early, sleep-deprived days.  It’s nice to just grab this little volume and have everything right there together.   

Although I’m currently nurturing my third baby and some of the challenges of motherhood are not as frightening and overwhelming to me as they were the first time, it’s still not easy.  I like this Bible because it encourages me to realize that even 1 minute spent in communion with God is better than none at all.  (Even as I type that, I have a hard time believing it, but it must be true!)  This Bible would make an excellent gift for a first-time mom, and I’m grateful to Zondervan for giving me this opportunity to review it. 

(As a funny aside, I have to share Steady Eddie’s reaction to this particular opportunity.  I was sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery, and I asked him to hand me this Bible.  He commented on my having received it from the company, and I responded that it is a review copy.  He looked at me incredulously–like how on earth could I possibly review the whole Bible.  :-)   )

Psalm 24

Posted on by
4

Psalm 24

Of David. A psalm.

 1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,
       the world, and all who live in it;

 2 for he founded it upon the seas
       and established it upon the waters.

 3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ?
       Who may stand in his holy place?

 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
       who does not lift up his soul to an idol
       or swear by what is false. 

 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD
       and vindication from God his Savior.

 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
       who seek your face, O God of Jacob. [b]
       Selah

 7 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
       be lifted up, you ancient doors,
       that the King of glory may come in.

 8 Who is this King of glory?
       The LORD strong and mighty,
       the LORD mighty in battle.

 9 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
       lift them up, you ancient doors,
       that the King of glory may come in.

 10 Who is he, this King of glory?
       The LORD Almighty—
       he is the King of glory.
       Selah

I’m in the middle of the Psalms in my Bible in 90 Days challenge, and this is one of the Psalms that resonated with me as I read it this time.  It has been a while since we’ve worked on memorizing a long passage together as a family (or at the least, the girls and I–it’s hard to keep it all together once Steady Eddie comes home from work).  I’ve decided we’re going to do this one next, especially since it appears that it will be a while before Lulu has something else to memorize in First Language Lessons.  She learned “The Caterpillar” within the first few days, and we’re still supposed to be reviewing it. 

I’m trying to come up with a good way to organize, keep track of, and review what we memorize.  I made a pretty notebook to put our Bible passages in, but I’ve never gotten around to filling it.  Does anyone out there have a good system?