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Outside my window… I watch clouds and smile at the shapes they make in the sky.
I am thinking… that it’s good to be alive and not completely sick.
From the learning rooms… We’re making plans and changes for next year’s schooling.
I am thankful for… swimming pools… and exercise. Yes. I. Am.
From the kitchen… is the scent of roast, potatoes baking, green beans, and strawberry shortcake.
I am wearing … tan crops and a blue top with a slight cowl.
I am reading… A Gathering of Finches by Jane Kirkpatrick
I am hoping… that Braelyn and Kaylene are having a lot of fun in San Diego.
I am creating… CD sleeves and yarn wraps.
I am praying… for strength to clean the house.
Around the house… I see a lot of clutter and mess and blech.
One of my favorite things… watching Lorna learn to swim.
A few plans for the rest of the week… Enjoy my school planning time.
A picture to share… My new workout center…
Title: A Promise for Breanna
Author: Al Lacy
Publisher’s Synopsis: The Angel of Mercy series follows the adventures of certified medical nurse Breanna Baylor as she seeks to serve her fellow man and restore her relationship with her true love-John Stranger of the Journeys of the Stranger series-in the post-Civil War West. A Promise for Breanna finds the heroine face to face with Frank Miller, the man who once broke her heart and led her to mistrust men, sabotaging her relationship with John Stranger. Suspense, danger, romance, and spiritual truth each play a part in this compelling story that draws readers into the life of an angel of mercy.
As popular as Al Lacy is, I’ve never read anything by him before this book. From what I understand, this is the introductory book in a splinter series from one of Mr. Lacy’s other series.
I’ll be brutally honest, I rolled my eyes way too much in the beginning of this book. At the risk of sounding like an impossible to please twit, I think Mr. Lacy needs to stick to writing action and back off the romance. While the story, once it got started anyway, is engaging, interesting, and full of scenarios that are not only plausible but exciting, the romance left much to be desired. If I never read another line that makes me want to break out in My Darling Clementine, it’ll be much too soon.
The exception was a character that I’d love to read more about. Rip Clayson’s romance was real, readable, and refreshingly free of obnoxious endearments, and repeated dream scenes left over from silent films (can you say Don Lockwood from Singing in the Rain? I love you, I love you, I love you…. no wait, that’s too free from the sappy drivel I had to endure). The sweet romance between Rip and his young woman (won’t give away by giving her name) was so realistic that it’s hard to imagine that both were written by the same man. Our heroine receives a– oh wait. Let me quote the scene you get to read so many times…
“Oh John! I love you, I love you! I made such a horrible mistake that day in Wichita when I sent you out of my life. I knew it before you were even out of sight, but it was too late. Please forgive me, John! Oh I’ve prayed so long and so hard that the Lord would bring you to me so I could tell you how sorry I am and how very much I love you! I’ve been so–”
John’s forefinger was on her lips. “Hush, darling. You don’t have to do this. All that matters is that I know you love me as I love you… that we can have each other. There’s nothing to forgive.”
I won’t go on… Well, honestly, I can’t. How can a man write a story about gunslingers, gamblers, plucky women who brave the wilds of the west in their quest to reach California, spunky nurses who will do anything to save a life– including fighting in Indian raids and take on a lustful chief… How can a man who in one section gives you a genuine tender moment between two dear people, turn around and nauseate you with drivel like that up there. It’s in the book at least three times… I’m pretty sure it’s there more than four. The same words. Every. Time. Blessedly, she’s awakened a few times cutting it short.
My only other objection is the evangelism our heroine does. I don’t object to the idea… I’m quite fond of evangelism myself. However, aside from certain theological issues, the conversation is rushed, stilted, and the conclusions are a bit too “sanitary” for lack of better words. In my experience in discussing salvation with the unsaved, you don’t just tell them Jesus loves them a few times and the people suddenly “get it”. His conversion scenes with Curly were much better than the others in the book, but honestly, it left a lot to be desired.
I feel horrible writing this. I mean, when I first started reading, I told my friend, “I feel like an arrogant jerk, but I’m a better writer than this guy. How is he so popular?” Well, having gotten into the book, I can see how. Al Lacy creates characters that come alive on the page. You can see their nose wrinkle with distaste, their eyes sparkle with amusement, and their personalities shine throughout the stories. I like who he writes about (and I’m pretty sure he didn’t end a sentence in a preposition!). I also liked his plot. It was truly interesting– much to my surprise to tell the truth. I just think perhaps it’d be better if he left out most of the romance and had a few conversations with people uninterested in Jesus. Talk to them… listen to them… see what makes them reach and reject. I have a feeling those scenes would become as alive and interesting as girls taken hostage at gunpoint. Oh that was probably my most favorite scene of all.
Finally, there is one scene that tugged at my heart in a way that no other scenes did or ever could. There’s an Indian raid… we don’t see that one, thankfully, but when the wagon train comes upon it after fire and bloodshed, a man finds a young girl… in bushes… alongside a river… and she has hazel eyes. On top of that, this story takes place in Wyoming. They mentioin Fort Bridger… Just like the song Dad used to sing about California Joe.
…You’ve all heard tell of Bridger
I used to ride with Jim.
And many a hard day’s scouting
I’ve done by the side of him.
Well once near old Fort Reno
A trapper used to dwell
We called him old Pap Reynolds
The scouts all knew him well
One night in the spring of fifty
We camped on Powder River
We killed a calf of buffalo
And cooked a slice of liver
While eating well contented
WE heard three shots or four
Put out the fires and listened
… We heard a dozen more.
To save was our desire.
Too late the painted heathens (please no offended PC comments… this is from the 1800’s)
Had set the house on fire.
We unhitched our horses quickly
And waded up the stream
While close beside the water’s edge
I heard a muffled scream
And there among the bushes
A little girl did lie
I picked her up and whispered
I’ll save you or I’ll die…
…One month had flown and Maggie
We called her hazel eyes…
Can I recommend the book unreservedly? No. Am I sorry I read it? Again, no. I started reading this book praying about how I’d review it. I don’t want to write a review that says, “this is drivel; don’t bother,” but neither do I want to lie and pretend to like something I didn’t. So, absolute honesty here. If you can ignore a little bad evangelizing and over dramatized romancing, get the book. The story, aside from my previous caveats, is really a fascinating piece of fiction… and I don’t generally like “Westerns.” His characters alone are well worth the time you’ll spend reading it.
And… in the continual spirit of funness… I’m giving this copy to one of the commenters! (and I have 2 others to ship so if you’re waiting for a book from me, sorry!!! I’ve been ill!) Just leave a comment and I’ll draw names sometime next weekend.
Purchase at istockphoto.com
We’ve all done it. We’ve given someone a gift certificate, cash, or check and said, “now you can’t use this for bills…”
Forgive me if I’ve ever done it to you. It isn’t a gift if the strings attached strangle the recipient. I will never again be a part of a gift that limits the recipient in how it is used. I’m grieved to see what should be a blessing become a burden because of the expectations of others. I know we have our dreams and goals and ideals that we want for others, but those are our dreams, our goals, our desires… it’s wrong to insist that others be like us in how they use our gifts.
Mom and Dad were so good about never attaching strings to gifts. They made it clear: if you give a gift, the second it’s out of your hands, it is no longer your business. You have no say in where they display it, how they use it, or what they do with it. They can give it away, abuse it, destroy it, sell it, or toss it in the garbage. They can spend the cash you gave for a nice meal out on groceries, the vet bill, or orange and green pantyhose. It’s none of your business the second it leaves your possession.
Being a gracious giver is just as important as being a gracious recipient. So please, before you give a gift, when you snip off the price tag, cut the strings too.
I was just thinking about whatever vacation I would take if I could do anything I wanted to right now in that particular department. For a moment, my breath shortened, heart pounded, and I broke out in a cold sweat. I hate vacations. I know that sounds terrible, but I do. For me, vacations mean weeks of sewing, shopping, planning, and decisions. LOTS of decisions. It means getting cars serviced, mail stopped, substitutes for paper routes, and someone to feed the dog. Vacations mean living on weird meals so I can leave the fridge empty, scrubbing the house so we come home to a clean one, and making last minute trips to pay the garbage bill because without fail, it’ll come due while we’re gone. After all of that, all I have to do is get a list of doctor names, Rx numbers, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and a sheaf of print-outs for hotel reservations. Oh joy. Yeah. Now times that by 9 so I can get the kids and Kevin out the door well-stocked for the trip too. Oh, speaking of stocking, let’s not forget snacks, breakfasts, and other things like that to shop for. UGH.
So, the idea of a dream vacation didn’t really appeal to me. Sure there are places I’d like to see. I love the idea of going to India, Scotland, New England, Nova Scotia, Michigan (don’t ask… it’s just always appealed to me), and a dozen other places. I’d love to visit mom and dad, Kevin’s mom, my sister, my aunts and uncles in Oklahoma, Noemi in Texas, the Kansas Kiersten/Kirstins, Dell… oh my the list goes on and on. I like sleeping in nice hotel rooms and eating at restaurants. It’s fun to eat where you can have those things you aren’t willing to make at home.
Suddenly, in the middle of my ruminitions, I realized exactly where I’d like to spend my dream vacation and the work involved in getting there made it worth it. I’d be willing to pack the suitcases, do the shopping… the works.
Picture it: Comfortable accomodations, excellent food, a wide variety of reading and viewing material, cultural events if you choose, driving distance to almost anything you’d want to experience, and all without half of the stress and hassle of most vacations. One week of uninterrupted bliss… at home. Turn off the phone, disconnect the internet, put a note on the door “On Vacation- try again next week.”
I tried figuring out what it’d cost me… just for fun you know.
- A maid. Pay someone to come in every day for a week and wash clothes, clean kitchen (We’re not cooking so not much work), clean bathrooms, and make beds. $150?
- New sheets for my bed. Because I love them. $50.00
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner “out” every day $150.00 per day
- Gas $10-80 dollars per day (depending on what we did)
- Child Care 3x- $100.00
- Mini Van Rental for 1 week- $370.00
Of course, there’d be other expenses… if we went to a zoo, we’d pay the zoo. If we went to the beach, we might buy boogie boards or do souvenier shopping… but all in all, not a bad vacation and no need for expensive hotels, packing everyone up and trying to keep the van nice for a week… Just staying home and BEING would be fun.
Then again… the ultimate dream is that we do all of that… and the kids go stay with grandma!
Author: Donita K. Paul
Publisher’s Synopsis: Donita K. Paul’s 250,000-plus-selling DragonKeeper Chronicles series has attracted a wide spectrum of dedicated fans–and they’re sure to fall in love with the new characters and adventures in her latest superbly-crafted novel for all ages. It’s a mind-boggling fantasy that inhabits the same world as the DragonKeeper Chronicles, but in a different country and an earlier time, where the people know little of Wulder and nothing of Paladin.
In The Vanishing Sculptor, readers will meet Tipper, a young emerlindian who’s responsible for the upkeep of her family’s estate during her sculptor father’s absence. Tipper soon discovers that her actions have unbalanced the whole foundation of her world, and she must act quickly to undo the calamitous threat. But how can she save her father and her world on her own? The task is too huge for one person, so she gathers the help of some unlikely companions–including the nearly five-foot tall parrot Beccaroon–and eventually witnesses the loving care and miraculous resources of Wulder. Through Tipper’s breathtaking story, readers will discover the beauty of knowing and serving God.
Author Bio: Donita K. Paul is a retired teacher and author of numerous novellas, short stories, and eight novels, including the best-selling DragonKeeper Chronicles, a series which has sold more than a quarter million books to date. The winner of multiple awards, she lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she spends time mentoring and encouraging young writers. Visit her online at donitakpaul.com.
This book is unlike any book I’ve ever read. Most of my fantasy reading has been in either the Arthurian realm or along the lines of C.S. Lewis or Harry Potter. I’ve never read Tolkein, but from what I do know about him and his classic fantasy tales, I think this book fits closer in that sub-genre or perhaps something like Eragon. I am always fascinated when someone can so thoroughly create another world– it’s definitely a gift.
It is very hard to review this book in any kind of depth. Much of what I’d write wouldn’t make sense without being in context. I mean, if you aren’t familiar with Ms. Paul’s emerlindians from her Dragon Keeper Chronicles, I don’t know that it’d make sense outside of the book. I had a little trouble following parts at first until my vocabulary expanded to understand the tale that Ms. Paul wrote. The first chapter (primarily the first few pages) were very, very difficult to wade through, and I’m not sure how many children would keep plodding along hoping for something interesting. I know that I had to put it down and pick it up a few times myself. However, once the story was fully in motion it was much more interesting and I wonder if that is because it is a companion story to a series.
For the most part, the book was well written, not sanctimonious in its ‘lessons’ (thank you, Lord), and somehow I did manage to lose myself in another world for a while. That is what I consider good fantasy writing. I just wish I could have lost myself a little sooner.
Personally, I think readers who are unfamiliar with this author should start with her best-selling DragonKeeper Chronicles. Why miss out on background information and other exciting tales? Besides, one book with dragons is never enough, right?
I found myself laughing at her humor. There were several places where a very well-placed line just dropped a dry bomb of hilarity. That is something I always appreciate. However, one in particular left me gasping for air and I’ll leave you with this quote. (Remember, I’m the one with the daughter to whom this so aptly applies). “Only her mother could have said that. Not even in her dreams could Tipper fabricate that line of reasoning.” Substitute Andra for mother and you’ve got the story of our lives.
I can’t give the book five stars… I really wouldn’t even give it four but I would give one-half to two-thirds of it four stars. And, it was good enough that I do plan to go purchase the DragonKeeper Chronicles. I think my Jenna would like them.
Monday I’ll draw names from the commentors and send this copy out there! Let’s see what others think!
Outside my window… I assume the world is well instead of shivering with fever and chills.
I am thinking… that I really hate being sick.
From the learning rooms… I see that being sick causes education to come to a screeching halt.
I am thankful for… air… just wish I could inhale some.
From the kitchen… comes a continual flood of coke.
I am wearing … sweat soaked clothes… fever broke.
I am reading… about how to survive a cold/pneumonia with asthma.
I am hoping… that I’ll live through this.
I am creating… who cares about creating when you’re sick as a dog?
I am praying… for air, lack of fever, and a head that doesn’t pound.
Around the house… I sit and wonder if I’ll ever do anything else again.
One of my favorite things… waking up well.
A few plans for the rest of the week… I plan to be WELL.
A picture to share… I do not do pictures of illness. It’s just too gross.
Author: Chuck Black
Publisher’s Synopsis: Sir Dalton, a knight in training, seems to have everything going for him. Young, well-liked, and a natural leader, he has earned the respect and admiration of his fellow knights, and especially the beautiful Lady Brynn.
But something is amiss at the training camp. Their new trainer is popular but lacks the passion to inspire them to true service to the King and the Prince. Besides this, the knights are too busy enjoying a season of good times to be concerned with a disturbing report that many of their fellow Knights have mysteriously vanished.
When Sir Dalton is sent on a mission, he encounters strange attacks, especially when he is alone. As his commitment wanes, the attacks grow in intensity until he is captured by Lord Drox, a massive Shadow Warrior. Bruised and beaten, Dalton refuses to submit to evil and initiates a daring escape with only one of two outcomes–life or death. But what will become of the hundreds of knights he’ll leave behind? In a kingdom of peril, Dalton thinks he is on his own, but two faithful friends have not abandoned him, and neither has a strange old hermit who seems to know much about the Prince. But can Dalton face the evil Shadow Warrior again and survive?
This was the hardest review I’ve had to do yet. I kept dreading reading the book and couldn’t figure out why until I finally set myself down to read it. Then I remembered. It’s book three! I’ve not read books one and two. That’s why I was dragging my feet. Who wants to read book three first? Then I realized that I’ve done that before and survived so I picked it up and started reading.
Fortunately, there is an introduction to the series and that kind of got my mind in the spirit of the book. This series is a lovely cross between fantasy and allegory with a lovely medieval flair to it. The dedication alone was inspiring! “I dedicate this book to all the young men and women who seek the truth of the Lord. Be courageous, bold, and prepared, and may your faith stand firm on the solid rock.” My only objection is that solid rock infers Jesus and therefore, in my opinion, should be capitalized. Thought you oughtta know.
From the very first pages, you’re thrust into a world of suspense, intrigue, and plenty of action. Though I assume this is considered “juvenile fiction”, the story was gripping, compelling. I found myself holding my breath until tense moments abated and finally cheering as Dalton realizes his eyes have been focused in the wrong place. As he rushes to secure happiness for himself and another, the book concludes and leaves you impatient for the next. That, my friends, in my opinion, is what makes a book great. If you finish one with hands outstretched for the next, this is a good book.
I want to tell you more. I want to open doors and windows that make you ache to grab a copy but I can’t. It’ll totally ruin the story!
So, if you like The Ranger’s Apprentice, if you love the Squire’s Tale, if you’ve always loved the symbolism of Narnia… pick up this series by Chuck Black. You won’t regret it. It has all the beauty and imagery of Pilgrim’s Progress but written in a much less pedantic and archaic manner.
I originally had every intention of sending this book to a lucky commenter as a “Thank you” for reading my blog but alas, I’ll want to read it again after books one and two arrive and Jenna is impatiently drumming her fingers for them. So, sorry… we’re keeping it.
Author: Jud Wilhite
Publisher Synopsis: I had it all backwards. The main thing was not my love for God, but his love for me. And from that love I respond to God as one deeply flawed, yet loved. I’m not looking to prove my worth. I’m not searching for acceptance. I’m living out of the worth God already declares I have. I’m embracing his view of me and in the process discovering the person he created me to be.
In Eyes Wide Open, Jud Wilhite invites you to discover the real you. Not the you who pretends to be perfect to satisfy everyone’s expectations. Not the you who always feels guilty before God. Not the you who secretly feels God forgives everyone else but only tolerates you. Not the you who looks in the mirror and sees a failure. The real you, loved and forgiven by God, living out of your identity in Christ.
A travel guide through real spirituality from one incomplete person to another, Eyes Wide Open is a book of stories about following God in the messes of life, about broken pasts and our lifelong need for grace. It is a book about seeing ourselves and God with new eyes–eyes wide open to a God of love.
The timing of this book was amazing. I received it three or more weeks ago but I didn’t start reading it until Sunday. What is so ironic about the timing is that last week I posted my goals for this week. We’re having week at a time challenges on Hearth Keepers right now and this week’s is a personal challenge. I posted, “Trying to wake up each day as if I’m Ella in a new life and live each day as though there is no “routine”, no rut, no past failures to torment me, no expectations of too much or too little from me… just me being ME. The me that is inside and constantly fighting to get out.” The real me– it’s like God said, ask and… you know how the rest of that goes.
To be honest, after the deep, thought provoking information from The Disappearance of God, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. So often these things end up nothing more than feel-good drivel that does little more than keep you in your current pit of sin. So, here I am reading this book and I’m convicted. The truths Mr. Wilhite presents are simple but powerful. For example:
- God loves us. Period. Not if we love Him back, not if we’re ‘good enough’ or if we’ve followed the proper theological footwork… He loves us. Period.
- God isn’t the Cosmic Accountant.
- God is on our team.
- You are a saint. Period.
- You are a priest.
And finally… love the unloveable.
But, I have to admit, in the midst of my current focus, one concept really stood out more than any other. The idea that God created me to be me. I’m not supposed to be like every other Christian around me. Yes, I am to be conformed to Christ, but that doesn’t mean I look exactly like every other person conformed to Christ. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I was created for a purpose– and no one else can fill that purpose but me. My uniqueness is a gift of the Lord. What He wants me to do with that uniqueness is His gift to me. I need to embrace it. I don’t have to look like Susie Spiritual or Ronald Righteous. I have to look like the Chautona Jesus wants to see on the day of judgment. The Chautona that I want Jesus to see and say, “Well done good and faithful servant.” I really don’t want to hear “Good job cookie cutter Christian Chautona. I love you regardless.” (and no, I don’t think Jesus would say that!)
I’m not giving up this book anytime soon. I’ll share it with friends and family for a while and I might keep it on my shelf for a few years to make sure I’ve absorbed what I need to put into practice. Then I’ll find the next Christian that needs a gentle reminder that God made them to be them… not me, not the latest Christian fad, not the “perfect Christian” down the street. Just them. Exactly how God made them.
He loves you.
He loves you.
He loves you.
He loves you.
Author: R. Albert Mohler Jr.
Publisher’s Synopsis: Great biblical truths are meant not only for our intellectual acceptance, but for our spiritual health.” –Dr. Al Mohler
More faulty information about God swirls around us today than ever before. No wonder so many followers of Christ are unsure of what they really believe in the face of the new spiritual openness attempting to alter unchanging truth.
For centuries the church has taught and guarded the core Christian beliefs that make up the essential foundations of the faith. But in our postmodern age, sloppy teaching and outright lies create rampant confusion, and many Christians are free-falling for “feel-good” theology.
We need to know the truth to save ourselves from errors that will derail our faith.
As biblical scholar, author, and president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Albert Mohler, writes, “The entire structure of Christian truth is now under attack.” With wit and wisdom he tackles the most important aspects of these modern issues:
Is God changing His mind about sin?
Why is hell off limits for many pastors?
What’s good or bad about the “dangerous” emergent movement?
Have Christians stopped seeing God as God?
Is the social justice movement misguided?
Could the role of beauty be critical to our theology?
Is liberal faith any less destructive than atheism?
Are churches pandering to their members to survive?
In the age-old battle to preserve the foundations of faith, it’s up to a new generation to confront and disarm the contemporary shams and fight for the truth. Dr. Mohler provides the scriptural answers to show you how.
I was so excited about this book when I received it in the mail. The question on the back really spoke to some of my deepest concerns. “Do you really know what spiritual lies you’re swallowing?” Do we? One thing I learned in a class on Creationism vs. Evolutionism is that “fiction, repeated often enough, becomes fact in the public mind.” I learned the phrase, had a nebulous idea of the veracity of it, but not until the past ten to fifteen years did I truly see how accurate a statement it is.
This book swiftly, succinctly, and intelligently wrestles the fallacies that are encroaching on the church today. However, one thing this book isn’t, is dry. I expected a pendantic treastise on hermeneutics rather than the very straightforward book it is.
Starting with the idea that the church needs “triage” in discerning which things need the quickest attention (the deity of Christ coming before women pastors, for example) he doesn’t dismiss anything as too irrelevant. He just recognizes that if certain foundational teachings aren’t correctly understood, it doesn’t really matter what we believe about peripherals. Who cares if people use wine or grape juice in communion if we no longer believe that Jesus actually died for our sins!
Mr. Mohler discusses difficult topic like sin and hell and their disappearance not only from American venacular, but also from the church as well! What bothered me most about his discussion of these things wasn’t that they are disappearing from the church but that I hadn’t noticed how absent they are until I read the chapters discussing them. I think the time I use the word “hell” the most, is when I hear someone say, “Oh, you deserve such and such.” That is a pet peeve of mine. As an acquaintence of mine once told me, “The only thing I deserve is hell.” Now, everytime I hear someone say so and so deserves something, I remember her statement and praise the Lord that He has rescued me from what I truly deserve. One quote that he mentioned was from the New Oxford Review and it stung. “Could it be that the only result of attempts, however well-meaning, to air condition Hell, is to ensure that more and more people end up there?” Ouch.
The topic of beauty struck such a deep chord in me. I have a craving for beauty that is my constant reminder that I am made in God’s image, so when I read the chapters on beauty, I found myself nodding and murmuring, “Amen.” He reminds us that so much of what we call “beautiful” is merely pretty. An example he used was that of an elderly woman gripped in the clutches of degenerative disease. She turned to a young inexperienced pastor and asked, “Am I pretty?” The pastor confessed to lying and saying, “yes.” Mohler wisely reminded both the pastor and those of us reading the story, that while she wasn’t pretty, she was beautiful. These are things I often find beautiful. Heroism. The sacrifice of one person for another. Hard work. Love. These are beautiful things.
The Emergent Church was something I was eager to read about and he didn’t fail me. While sticking to purity of doctrine, Mr. Mohler did a lovely job of showing the theological errors prevalent in this movement while still acknowledging the strengths. Somehow, he managed to avoid being wishy-washy in his discussion and I found that delightfully refreshing. One statement rings beautifully true. “The emerging church and its leaders are right to insist that substance must be preferred to superficiality. We can only pray and hope that they will remember and acknowledge that substance requires a substantial and honest embrace of truth.” (emphasis mine)
Later in the book, he discusses open theism and I was appalled. I’d never heard that term before and was disgusted to discover it basically proports that God is not omnicient. Excuse me? Most of what he’d mentioned, up to this point, was just a well articulated view of things I already knew and believed but I received a very thorough lesson in the current heresy known as “open theism.” Lord preserve us from our arrogance!
When I read the chapter title, “The Demise of Church Discipline” my heart leapt into my throat. Ouch. I knew this one was going to hurt. As he says in his opening line, “The decline of church discipline is perhaps the most visible failure of the contemporary church.” Ouch. Amen, but ouch. He asserts that the church is doomed to further moral relativism and he is right. One thing he credits with our current dislike and rejection of church discipline is that we’ve lost our respect for shame. Shame has been reduced to a “four letter” word and considered a hinderance to a “healthy self esteem”. He addresses other difficult topics such as divorce and homosexuality in a context that is firmly rooted in Biblical truth.
I think the biggest eye-opener for me was his reminder that spiritually speaking, the Lord makes it clear. Without discipline, we are considered illigitimate children, not sons. The lack of church discipline is actually evidence of a lack of a true church rather than evidence of a “sensitive church.” He reminds us of Paul’s admonition to the Corinthian church for tolerating immorality. Paul raked them over the coals and demanded discipline!
I found it sad that it took four chapters to cover the dearth of church discipline in the church today. If that grieves my sin-coated heart, what must it do to Jesus? How does our Bridegroom feel when He sees His bride flirting with the world, or worse, in flagrant fornication with it?
There is so much more to this book than the little tidbits I’ve shared. I just want to leave you with one last quote before you rush off to Multnomah’s website and buy the book…. (just a little not-s0-subtle hinting there) “We are no longer seeing the first signs of cultural trouble, but rather indicators of advanced decay.”
You know, every time the church gets like this, God seems to raise up amazing men and women of God who, thanks to the Lord’s work in their lives, usher in a new revival. I pray that this book is the first pebble in that pond. I pray that the ripples it causes have far reaching effects and in years to come, as I see the changes in the Lord’s body, I can pinpoint it to men like Mr. Mohler who dared to say, “This isn’t Biblical,” and showed us where we needed to return to purity of the gospel.
Outside my window… I see dark clouds, the leaves rustling in the trees, and smell the scent of coming rain. There is nothing more wonderful than the scent of rain in the desert.
I am thinking… that ruts are very hard to get out of.
From the learning rooms… I am thinking that we need a stronger emphasis on penmanship…
I am thankful for… lovely times alone with my husband just being. Being is highly underrated.
From the kitchen… We are having Noemi’s Spanish rice… I highly recommend her foods…
I am wearing … cropped jeans and a purple t-shirt. Not the most attractive thing I own but nice and comfy.
I am reading… The Disappearance of God
I am hoping… that I’ll discover a balance this week. There has to be a happy medium between the Chautona my family has to tolerate every day and the Chautona fighting to get out.
I am creating… the birthday dress for Jenna that I forgot about last week.
I am praying… for a more successful week than last week.
Around the house… I am trying to find the balance between doing it all and doing nothing.
One of my favorite things… creating something lovely “just because”.
A few plans for the rest of the week… Making a tutorial for “bottlecap shirts”, sewing a skort, and planning my new bedroom!
A picture to share… My new thread drawer… isn’t it COOL.
