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Showing posts with label Christian Living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christian Living. Show all posts
I’m typing this on New Year’s Eve. The Christmas decorations are starting to feel like clutter, and there are still a few opened presents piled into random corners. I am choosing to ignore all of that, and I’m sitting next to our wood stove with a cheap mechanical paper and a list of New Year’s Eve questions.
I don’t think I’ve ever taken such intentional time on New Year’s Eve to reflect on the previous year, but if I’ve needed it any year, it’s this one. “Pick three words to describe this past year,” the paper commands me. My three words combined give an impression of the year that feels more negative than it actually was, but I don’t think I can change any of them.
Quiet. So many years can be described this way, but this is how the year felt internally for me. Not alot happened this year that was life-changing, there were no major events. We didn’t do anything very grand. We made outings of local sights, we played alot of games, we hung around here. We visited family, had dinners with friends, went to the pool, went roller skating, went on hikes. No huge vacations or parties or weekend trips. Just quiet. There is a subtle difference between “quiet” and “peace”, but I found this year that the first can lead to the second if you have the right perspective.
Disappointments. Alot of things did not go to plan this year. We had to cancel plans, shell out savings money for broken appliances, and subsequently rework our budget. We weren’t able to take a trip to see our dear out-of-state friends as planned, and that one hurt. We had some unexpected challenges that made me slow down and appreciate the time I have with my loved ones, because each day is a gift, but we don’t always notice that. Many things that happened this past year have reminded me that death can come for us at any time - and having that in mind shouldn’t be morbid, but should fix my eyes on things that really matter. Knowing God more, loving Him better, living “before the face of God” - coram Deo, something I learned from R. C. Sproul - these are pursuits that are never wasted. Disappointments remind us Christians that this world isn’t our ultimate home. We are just passing through.
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.”
-Augustine
Togetherness. Even though we didn’t get to do all the grand things this year, in the end, I think it was a good thing. We had to get a little more creative to plan fun things to do, and those things ended up being fun because of the people we were with, not the thing we were doing. I’ve appreciated more than ever having a happy, healthy family life, having friends we love, having extended family relationships that are a peaceful joy in our lives. Not everyone can say those things. These are true riches.
“Create a statement that describes this past year for you,” the paper prompts me.
I tap my pencil against my teeth, and hesitate. Creating a phrase to represent a whole year is no small task.
This is what I scribble down.
Disappointments are inevitable, but time is a treasure I can’t take for granted.
Lord, teach me to number my days, that I may gain a heart of wisdom.
Years ago, when I first started reviewing books for my blog, I read a book by a popular Christian author that I would have thrown across the room if I were the type of person to do that sort of thing.
The thing that made me so frustrated with the book was a particularly sappy description of loving Jesus in a way that made him sound more like an eager-to-please boyfriend. I have long hated Jesus-is-my-boyfriend language in books, because it is offensive to the very idea of a biblical love of God, and completely eliminates the idea the idea that we are to fear the Lord.
The fear of the Lord is an idea that alot of Christians have trouble understanding, and I relate to that struggle too. Now, loving the Lord, we think we understand that. Even the idea of having a reverence for the Lord is something that is simpler to comprehend. But fearing the Lord? Why do we need to fear Him if we know He loves us enough to die for us? Doesn’t perfect love cast out fear? Isn’t “fearing the Lord” more of an Old Testament thing? We know we don’t have to fear His judgement if we are in Christ, so what are we supposed to be afraid of? And are we literally supposed to be quaking in our boots, or does fearing the Lord mean something else?
In Rejoice And Tramble*, Michael Reeves provides one of the most beautiful explanations for the fear of the Lord that I have ever read. He explains that properly fearing the Lord is a more full, complete idea than merely having a '“reverence” for Him, a word which Reeves calls not inaccurate, but nevertheless “anemic”. Fearing the Lord is not in opposition to loving Him - it instead describes the right sort of love we are to have for God, a love that trembles. It is a fear that is not joy-sucking, but joy-fulfilling. It is not a fear that causes us to cower or run away, but rather a fear that draws us to our awesome, fearful God.
“The Lord looks on the heart and is pleased when He finds it quaking in wonder, love, and praise…For the nature of the living God means that the fear which pleases Him is not a groveling shrinking fear. He is no tyrant. It is an ecstasy of love and joy that senses how overwhelmingly kind and magnificent, good and true God is, and that therefore leans on Him in staggering praise and faith.” pg. 67
One section that especially rung true for me is where Reeves explains the right fear of God as our Creator, but then reminds the reader that properly fearing God’s creative power is not enough with the understanding of Christ’s redeeming work for His own. Fearing God as Creator has always been the easiest way for me to understand the fear of God, because His power and might and infinite understanding are so obvious and awesome when viewed through His creation. But Reeves points out that we only rightly understand God as the Creator when we understand the work of Christ. We don’t have to earn the favor of our Creator, which is something that would lead us unto sinful fear since we all instinctively know it is impossible. No, Christ has earned salvation for us, and because of that we can truly enjoy the glimpses of God’s character that we see in creation.
“The fear that is ‘purely evangelical’ continually and wholly rests upon Christ’s redemption as sufficient, not our own works. It is not left wondering if our sins might outweigh Christ’s righteousness, or if Christ’s righteousness needs some topping off of our own efforts. It can therefore remain constant in dependent wonder, not terror. Indeed it’s wonder is only increased by the perfection of Christ’s redemption and the infinity of His grace toward such extreme sinners as us.” pg.99
We can have true pleasure in the work of God in creation when we understand Him not just a fearful, powerful Creator but also the one who is our Redeemer. A right fear of God is a fearful love, understanding His power and greatness as it stoops to rescue “ a wretch like me”. This great God, who created all things, also redeems us, and because of that all His works become more wondrous and joyful to us.
“‘Gazing upon the vast expanse of waters - looking up to the innumerable stars, examining the wings of an insect, and seeing there the matchless skill of God displayed in the minute; or standing in a thunderstorm, watching, as best you can, the flashes of lightening, and listening to the thunder of Jehovah’s voice, have you not often shrunk into yourself, and said ‘Great God, how terrible art thou!’ - not afraid, but full of delight, like a child who rejoices to see his father’s wealth, his father’s wisdom, his father’s power - happy, and at home, but feeling oh, so little!’” -quoting Spurgeon, pg. 79
In this book, Reeves draws on the writing of some of the greatest theologians in Protestant history, such as John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, and Charles Spurgeon, which adds a depth of understanding to his explanations of the fear of God. I appreciated Reeves including the experiences of fearing the Lord from men from church history who truly understood the fear of the Lord as something that makes us “rejoice and tremble.”
“The fear of the Lord is the only fear that imparts strength.” pg. 146
Reeves reminds us that this fear of the Lord is not just a right response to understanding who God is, but it is the fear which causes all other fears to pale in comparison, like the light of the sun making the light of a candle of no effect.
“As the fear of the Lord grows, it outgrows, eclipses, consumes, and destroys all rival fears. So the Lord could advise Isaiah: ‘Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, Him you shall honor as holy. Let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread.’ When the fear of the Lord becomes central and most important, other fears subside.” pg. 144
Reeves closes the book with reminding us that “the fear of the Lord will endure forever.” Our eternal state will consist of us finally fearing the Lord perfectly, and falling on our faces in loving adoration, joy, and wonder. The Holy Spirit works in us by growing our joyful fear of the Lord, and in Heaven it will finally be perfected. We will understand God rightly forever, rejoicing and trembling. The way Reeves described it made me long even more for that day!
“In other words, our eternal joy will consist precisely in this fear of God: rejoicing and marveling so entirely that, like the angels, we burn and tremble and fall on our faces in wonder.” pg.163
If you have ever struggled to understand the fear of the Lord, I highly recommend picking up Rejoice And Tremble. I firmly believe this book will deepen your understanding of this wonderful fear that we are called to, and make you love the Savior all the more for His fearful glory and majesty.
*Note: I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for a review - this is my honest opinion.
For the past several years I have been learning more about church history than I ever have before. There is such a rich history and tradition that we as Protestants sometimes fail to tap into - and that's a shame! There is so much to learn from Christians who have come before us, so many beautiful thoughts and prayers that we can make our own and pray with brothers or sisters in Christ from ages past.
Because this has been something I have been focused on for several years, for myself and my kids, when I stumbled across Jonathan Gibson's series of liturgical books last fall, my curiosity was piqued. I bought O Come O Come Emmanual this last November and read it over the Christmas season, and it was such a lovely experience. Because of that, when I saw that an Easter addition to this series was coming this Spring, I jumped on the chance to review it!
O Scared Head Now Wounded: A Liturgy For Daily Worship From Pascha To Pentecost is a gorgeous book. The actual book is cloth-bound and looks almost like a hymnal, and it comes in a hardcover purple sleeve with gold edging. The colors chosen are perfect for Easter in my opinion, and the attention to detail in the design is so well done. This book is heirloom quality.
Not only would this volume look gorgeous on a bookshelf, but the content is just as rich. The book starts with chapters explaining the intent of the book, which is to help Christians in reflection and remembering what Christ did for us by His resurrection, as we are commanded to do in Scripture (2 Timothy 2:8). The focus of this volume is specifically remembering Jesus's death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
"We forsake because we forget. And we forget because we choose to forget - deliberately, willfully, consciously. We forget our Creator - His covenant and commands, His ways and works and words; we forget our Redeemer - His promises and precepts, His redemption and righteousness." pg. 25
This book is a beautiful tool to help Christians focus their mind on Christ during the season of Easter (ie. Pascha). The book starts forty days prior to Easter (on Ash Wednesday, though this liturgy is in no way affiliated with the Roman Catholic practice). Each day there are sixteen elements to this routine (ie. "liturgy" which the dictionary defines as "a customary repertoire of ideas, phrases, or observances" ), which include:
Meditation - quotes from church history
Call To Worship - Scripture reading
Adoration - hymns or psalm singing from church history
Reading Of The Law - Scripture reading
Confession Of Sin - prayers from church history
Assurance Of Pardon - Scripture reading
Creed - repeated historic Christian creeds
Praise - Gloria patri or doxology singing
Catechism - select questions from the Heidleberg or Westminster Shorter catechisms
Prayer For Illumination - prayers from church history
Scripture Reading - a Bible reading plan
Prayer Of Reflection - prayers or praises from church history
Prayer Of Intercession - prayers from church history, along with prompt to pray for personal requests, your church, and the world
The Lord's Prayer - from Scripture
Benediction - weekly benedictions from Scripture
Postlude - Sing a doxology from Psalm 72
You'll notice how to many of the categories are actually just Scripture readings - this book is saturated in Scripture, and if you used it exclusively for your daily Bible time, you would not be lacking in reading God's word. When listed out, this seems like alot of categories, but I can say from experience (when I read the Christmas volume) that going through this routine truly only takes about 15-20 minutes each day.
“The aim of this devotional liturgy, designed for daily worship from Pascha to Pentecost, is to prepare us better for the season in which we remember the life, death, burial, resur-rection, and ascension of Jesus, as well as the outpouring of the Holy Spirit— all while we wait for his return. To be clear, the season is not about what we can do for Christ by our work or prayers or fasting; rather, it is about what he has done for us in his work and prayers and fasting — a work that began in his life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and the outpouring of his Holy Spirit, and which will conclude in his return in glory.” pg. 30
Each page gives so much food for thought that you could fill the entire day with reflecting on the material here. I use the books in this series for my personal quiet time during the appropriate seasons, but I think this liturgy would also work beautifully for use with a family, especially with kids that are a little older (middle school and up), though you could easily explain the concepts to younger kids as well.
It’s especially wonderful to me that this book is about focusing our hearts on Easter. Christmas gets so much attention because of all the bells and whistles that come with the season, and advent devotionals abound, but there are less books focused on preparing for Resurrection Day - even though it is just as important as Christmas, and in alot of ways is much more of a Christian holiday culturally than Christmas is.
I can't wait to dive into this book in my personal quiet time, starting on Valentine's Day (though there are allowances for missed days in the schedule, so it would be easy to catch up). If you are looking for a way to more deeply meditate on Jesus's work for us on the cross this Spring, with a Scripture-filled resource that also gives you a taste of the riches of church history, I highly recommend checking out this book!
Note: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for a review. This is my honest opinion.
Church music has long been an area of interest for me.
I grew up in a picturesque little church complete with a white steeple and bell, on a plain surrounded by mountains, and every Sunday we sang hymns. Having that kind of foundational experience with the great hymns of the faith gave me a very strong appreciation of songs with theologically deep - not just theologically correct, but deep - lyrics. I still love hymns very much, for a multitude of reasons. One reason is that songs that have stood the test of time, not just decades but centuries, tie us to believers throughout all that history until now.
That said, I'm not one to eschew good modern music either. If a modern song is theologically correct and rich (a rarity, unfortunately), I'm apt to love it just as much as my old hymns.
Unfortunately, the challenge with any worship music, new or old, is to make a good judgement about whether this song is rightly praising God, or if it's subtly "me-centered" or praising man. It can get very tricky, and I'll admit that I'm pretty picky about the songs that make it onto my personal list of favorites.
With the challenge of finding Christian music that is sound and has the right focus, I started to wonder, why isn't Psalm-singing more common these days? The Psalms are, after all, songs. If God gave us a songbook right there in the middle of the Bible, why don't we sing them more?
I have personally never been in a church that sang Psalms, and when I realized that, it started to trouble me. There are some that think only Psalms should be sung in church - I'm not of that persuasion, but shouldn't we at least include the Psalms in the musical rotation? Why wouldn't we?
There are a many reasons why a lot of denominations might not sing the Psalms anymore, and I'm not sure I'm completely equipped to give a good summary of that right now. But the more I thought about it, the more I determined that though we might not sing Psalms in church much, that didn't mean we couldn't learn to sing them ourselves. So this year I've been working pretty hard, reading books, trying to figure out how to do just that.
I will write a separate post about how we've started to add some Psalms to our repertoire, but first I wanted to give a few reasons why Psalm-singing is something worth doing - including within your own family.
1. The Psalms are God's songbook.
As I mentioned above, there is no other songbook anywhere that can be rightly described as inspired by the Holy Spirit Himself. All Scripture is God-breathed, and that includes the Psalms. When we sing the Psalms, we are singing God's very words back to Him, and there is something very beautiful in that.
2. When we sing the Psalms, we can be sure we are singing theologically correct songs.
You don't have to analyze the Psalms before you sing them to look for errors or a wrong focus - God gave us these songs to sing from His Word. As long as the Psalm hasn't been "adapted" beyond recognition, there is alot of peace in knowing we are singing Scripture.
3. The Psalms connect us to believers in the Old and New Testaments.
Just as I love hymns in part because I know so many believers have sung those very words before me, the Psalms connect us even more with believers through the ages. The Israelites sang these very songs, Jesus likely sang Psalms with His disciples, the early church sang psalms. It's very inspiring to think we are singing the same praises to God that have been sung through so many ages.
4. I believe Scripture tells us to sing Psalms.
I recognize some people will differ with me on this, but I think Ephesians 5:19 indicates that we should keep singing the Psalms. Paul says:
"...speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord..."
I know many people say that this verse is just referring to different types of music, but I really don't see why the word "psalms" wouldn't mean the psalms of Scripture.
5. Singing Psalms is an effective way to memorize Scripture.
No other book of the Bible has been put to music as much as the Psalms have, and this gives us a prime opportunity to take God's Word and hide it in our hearts! Not every Psalm song is a word-for-word adaptation, of course, but even if it's not word-for-word, a faithful adaptation will get the ideas of the Psalms embedded into your mind.
5. The Psalms are formative.
If you get an opportunity to read Scott Aniol's book Musing On God's Music, I highly recommend it. In it, he points out that the Psalms aren't just empty words - when we read and sing them, they are forming us as Christians. The Psalms are a cohesive book about what it means to live as a believer in a fallen world, until Christ comes to earth as King and reigns forever and ever.
Psalms show us how to respond when we are attacked and persecuted, when we are hopeless, when we sin, when we are needy, when we are full of joy, when we prosper. They rightly order our affections, and train us to respond in a godly way no matter what life brings to us. And they show us how to keep our eyes fixed on the Lord through every bit of it. Why would we not take advantage of this beautiful gift God has given us in the Psalms by learning to sing them from our hearts, until we see Him face-to-face?
I hope I've convinced you to at least consider learning to sing the Psalms if you never have before. I can tell you it's been a beautiful thing to start learning different Psalms with my kids through singing them together. Hearing their little voices singing the songs God gave us is so moving, and I know the words are being absorbed into their hearts while we sing. Since I've started this process, snatches of Psalms have also come to me in the form of a melody playing through my mind, and it's been an encouragement whenever I think of one of our Psalm songs. I know that learning the Psalms through song is going to be an effort that will be well worth it when I look back at how we spent out time together someday.
Another post coming soon on how to go about learning to sing Psalm songs when you are not very musically gifted, like me!
Have you ever sang the Psalms? Does your church use a Psalter?
I'm always interested to hear other people's experiences with Psalm-singing.
I had all kinds of ideas for December blog posts, but the last couple of weeks have been a flurry of craziness around here, mostly in a good way. I've barely had time to sit down, but everything we've been busy with has been fun memory-making!
Everything We've Been Up To
We kicked off December with a trip to a local "trial of lights" for my dad's birthday. My parents take the whole family every year and it's a highlight of December for all of us. There is one huge tree that they somehow manage to light up from the trunk to the top of it's branches, about 100 feet up, and we always stand under it and just stare. The kids aren't nearly as impressed with it as the adults - we know the amount of work that went into that!
My kids also participated in a unique field trip where they got to run a miniature town for a day, as well as manage their own bank accounts, checkbooks, and debit cards. Wyatt was the accountant for Town Hall, Gwendolyn was a mail carrier, and Clyde was an auto mechanic. They each were so happy with the positions they got, and they all took their jobs so seriously. Our cousins and various friends were able to go the same day we did, so that was fun for everyone too! I'm also proud to say that none of my kids overdrew their bank accounts. They are on their way to being financially responsible adults.
Another big event of the last couple weeks was a 10th birthday party for Gwendolyn. Her birthday is at the end of December, but we wanted to do a party for her while our good friends were in town from Kentucky. We invited close family and a few of her friends from church for an art themed party - it turned out really fun! I'm sure I'll get a post up about it at some point.
While our dear friends were in town we also took the opportunity to spend as much time with them as we could, and we had an outing to the railroad museum and a couple fun visits at our house. Of course the hardest part was having to say goodbye when they left the last night they were here. There are always tears when they leave, but it's one of those friendships that is strong enough to survive a little distance, and we are already looking forward to zoom visits and making plans for the next time we can see them.
Our family also fit in a visit to our local aquarium...we are not close to the ocean, so any aquarium here is going to be expensive and a rare treat. The kids got free tickets for completing the library reading challenge this summer, and Derek took a day off so we could go as a family. The kids loved it, and Georgie especially wanted to see the sharks! We topped off the day with a trip to the mall for some final Christmas shopping, and a Christmas movie night at home.
Speaking of the mall, we had to swing by there again on Sunday because I realized I needed to even out one of the kids' Christmas presents a bit. It is very difficult to shop for Christmas for five kids of all different ages - they want such different things, but I have to still keep the cost and number of the presents as similar as possible. It requires alot of planning and I often end up having to make adjustments once I get all the presents laid out on the floor.
So to the mall we went again, and I have to say, it warmed my heart to see how very busy the mall was. For the past couple years it's been quiet every time I've been to the mall, but perhaps the retail business is finally picking up again after 2020 (or maybe people are trying to avoid the finicky postal system). I'm happy to see it.
Amid all this we also had several other Christmas and birthday parties to attend, and we somehow fit some school in there. I'm tired just thinking about it now.
But it's finally the week before Christmas, we are on break from homeschooling, and it's time to get those presents wrapped and cookies baked! That's the agenda for today, and before I go to it, I'll just include one more thought that I've been mulling over this week.
A Thought On Christmas Busyness
As I've been going about our business this month, I've been listening to some Christmas sermons on the Canon+ app. I subscribed a while back for a webinar I wanted to watch, but it's been pretty worthwhile overall. I don't agree with everything they teach (I'm not a post millennialist), but I've found alot of the practical resources to be incredibly encouraging.
I was listening to a sermon called "A Theology Of Christmas Gifts" (or it might have been "Celebrating Christmas Like A Puritan", I can't remember), and Douglas Wilson made a point that it is actually NOT an unbiblical idea to work hard - even until you are rather exhausted - in order to bless others.
I think we are often, as wives and mothers, tempted to get a little bitter about the December rush and the Christmas stress. We think in order to do Christmas "right", we should not be so busy. I've certainly fallen victim to "Christmas stress" before, and often that stress is the result of procrastination or poor planning on my part. I don't think that's a good thing, and the solution to that is to plan better so I don't have a million things to do all at once December.
However, as I've been mulling it over, I agree that the problem is not the amount of work that Christmas entails. Work is not a bad thing. We don't have to be sitting around contemplating all the time in order to be blessed during the season of Christmas preparation. We are working hard to make Christmas special for our loved ones, to bless others and love them in a tangible way, and isn't that service toward others a kind of offering to the Lord? We ARE honoring Christmas in all the busyness of our Christmas work if we keep in mind that we are doing it for Him, that we are serving Christ by serving others well.
We don't always have to be still with perfect peace to celebrate and enjoy Christmas. We can keep Christmas well. by tackling our to-do list to bless others during all the hustle and bustle of celebrating the birth of our King! In it's own way, that is just as beautiful as sitting in silence and contemplating His birth, maybe even more beautiful if in the busyness we are giving of ourselves for the good of others, reflecting in an imperfect way how Christ gave Himself for us, and pointing others to the purpose of all this which is Christ Himself.
May you point your loved ones to Jesus through the cookie decorating, present wrapping, house cleaning, turkey baking, visiting, opening, singing, and celebrating this week!
Happy Christmas break, friends!
I'm sure I'll be back again this week.
I finally have some space for all of the above,
and a little blogging too.
Every year in the month of October, I dig out all my church history books, and especially books related to the Protestant Reformation. Reformation Day is today, and October is the perfect time to dive into the history of this turning point in the history of the church.
This year, one phrase that has stood out to me is the Latin post tenebrous lux - which means "after darkness, light".
I love that this become somewhat of a slogan for the Reformation. So much is contained in those words.
The Reformation dusted off the light of the gospel.
When I think post tenebrous lux the first thing I think of with all my book reading is, of course, the Reformation itself. Medieval times before the Reformation were indeed dark spiritually. Few ordinary people had access to any part of God's word, and they all had to rely on the Catholic church's presentation of the words of the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible, which most people could not read for themselves to either confirm or deny the church's teaching.
Human beings are sinful, and without God's word being available for accountability, this led to alot of unbiblical teaching and corruption. People were taught that they never could know if they would be in Heaven after they died - to claim assurance was considered a sin. They must become righteous in themselves to a certain level in order to receive the grace of God that would usher them into Heaven - if not, they must do their time suffering in Purgatory. But of course, they could purchase indulgences to shorten their loved ones' time in Purgatory - there were cathedrals to be built, and this was the church's way of raising money.
Imagine living in a time when there was no hope of you ever being able to read the Bible for yourself, no hope of ever being sure of Heaven, because who could ever know if they had been righteous enough? What a burden to bear!
The Reformation was a perfect storm of events that God used for the recovery of the gospel, and it made the Bible available to the ordinary man. The reformers discovered from Scripture that we as sinners can never attain to any level of righteousness on our own. All our righteous deeds are as filthy rags.
But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like [b]filthy rags;
We all fade as a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind,Have taken us away.Isaiah 64:6
No, it is Jesus's righteousness that wholly saves us, through faith in Him alone. When we trust in Him by faith, a faith given to us by the grace of God, the righteousness of Christ is accounted to us, and His righteousness is perfect. Because of Jesus's death to pay the price of our sin, and His perfect righteousness which He gives to us, we can be perfectly assured of Heaven when we trust in Him alone. No one else gets the glory for any piece of our salvation except God alone. And the reformers knew all this because of careful study of God's word alone, which leads to the next thing that the slogan of the Reformation reminds me of.
Scripture is a light.
Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.Psalm 119:105
I don't think alot of modern Christians fully understand how rare and beautiful of a thing it is that they are able to hold a Bible in their lap and read it for themselves - indeed, to sometimes have a shelf full of unread Bibles, even. We take Scripture for granted today, but there was a time when there was no translation of Scripture that the masses could read. There was a time when people would go to great lengths and pay a high price, just for a few pages of the Bible. No wonder there was a period of darkness, because the only way we can come to a knowledge of the truth is through the word of God!
The Bible often refers to itself as light, because it is the very word of God, active, effective for bringing the light of the knowledge of Christ to our hearts.
Back then, even a few pages was as a blessed lamp, giving hope to those wandering in darkness. Now so many Bibles "light" our land that we have sometimes forgotten what a beautiful light it truly is.
The Reformation is what allowed us to have a shelf of unused Bibles in the first place - God allowed Luther and the other reformers to recognize the true gospel in Scripture around the same time as Gutenburg invented the printing press. A perfect development at the perfect time to allow God's word to be read by anyone who could read.
Sometimes the world is dark, sometimes so dark things seem hopeless. But God always brings us light, in His wonderful mercy and grace.
Christ is our light.
For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:6
When I read the phrase "after darkness, light", the other thing that came to mind is Christ Himself. Without the work of Jesus on our behalf, we would be lost in the darkness of our sin. Because He suffered the punishment that we ourselves deserved for our sin, having no sin Himself, He became the perfect sacrifice in our place.
He bought us peace with God with His blood.
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace...Ephesians 2:13-14
On that glorious morning, He rose from the dead and conquered death and darkness forever! The darkness that is left in our world today is just the remnants, the last ragings of a defeated foe. Our light has come in the hope we now have in Christ.
So many are still walking in darkness, blind to the light of the knowledge of Christ. They don't know what He has done to save them. They are blind and dead in their sins, relying on lies, perhaps relying on their own supposed goodness to somehow be enough, even though it never can be. Everything we do is tainted with sin, which God cannot have in His presence. Humanity has no hope of seeing His face - except if we give up any notion of our own goodness, confess we are sinners, and cling to the Savior as our only hope.
On this day in particular, many celebrate darkness and make light of death, a morbid coping mechanism. I hope while our culture glorifies death and darkness today, we who have placed our trust in only Christ won't forget that we also are to be the light of the world.
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Mathew 5:14-16
We are lights not because of anything we have done, but because of the light God has given us in Christ and His word which we are now called to share. We know the hope that is in Christ, because we ourselves have been brought out of the darkness of our sin and death into the marvelous light of salvation in Jesus. When that really sinks in, how can we help but want to share it? I hope today is a day for you to bask in the light of the knowledge of God in Christ Jesus, and find some way to reflect that to others. That's why we are still here!
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.
Ephesians 5:8
Let's give others a chance to also treasure those words. After darkness, light. After blindness and darkness and sin and rebellion and death - Christ.
Soli deo gloria - all to the glory of God alone.
Happy Reformation Day, friends!
Note: I know everyone's book sensibilities are different, especially for books we are handing to our children - I'm not recommending every book on these lists/websites myself. There are some that I wouldn't read to my kids for various reasons. But I've found these lists to be a good starting point!
Book Lists:
IEW Book Recommendations “For Boys And Other Children Who Would Rather Be Building Forts All Day” - I love Andrew Pudewa whenever I've heard him speak in person, and this is a list from his website full of books that will appeal to more active children. So many of these are classics, but there are alot of books I wouldn't have thought of without this list!
Read Aloud Revival - Sarah Mackenzie's site has been my go-to for picture book recommendations for years! I love her "Picture Books Through The Year" booklists, with seasonal picture books for each month of the year. She has a whole bunch of booklists on her website, as well as a quiz to tell you what read-aloud you could try next with your family.
Simply Charlotte Mason Book Finder - Simply Charlotte Mason has a book search engine, with books searchable by grade, time period in history, etc. This would be a great place to get some ideas for living books!
81 Edifying Stories from Generations - I really appreciate how Christ-focused Generations is in their curriculum and their book recommendations - there are lots of wonderful Christian stories on this printable list.
107 Classics To Read Before Age 7 - This list is from the Gentle + Classical curriculum company, and it's behind a password protected page - if you sign up for her emails, you will get access to her free resource library. There are many great resources for younger grades in that library, and this booklist is one of them!
“The Ultimate Guide To Reading And Books For Children” - Pam Barnhill - I get a bunch of book recommendations from Pam Barnhill's morning time plans, and she has a post with some booklists she's put together over the years - it would be worth checking out!
Curriculum Websites With Good Book Lists:
The following is a list of curriculum that are heavily book-based. I you look through the curriculum options on the website, they will also include the books that will be covered, and you can put together some great booklists for yourself that way!
Books With Booklists:
Stars on the books in this list that I have actually finished reading myself.
Honey For A Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt - This is the classic book about books, and Gladys Hunt includes so any great book recommendations as well as encouragement for reading to children.
*Read Aloud Family by Sarah MacKenzie - Mackenzie has books lists for each age category in this book, but where it really shines to me is when she covers the types of questions you can ask to get your kids talking about the books they just read!
*Better Together by Pam Barnhill - This is actually a book about morning time, what it is and why you should incorporate it into your homeschool, but there are book recommendations and a bunch of great resource ideas in here as well!
*Turning Back The Pages Of Time by Kathy Keller - This is a booklet that includes many read-aloud suggestions to coincide with different periods of American history, and also separated by age recommendations. I have gotten some real historical gems from this little booklet!
*Timeline Of The Classics by Gail Ledbetter (IEW) - This is not a booklist so much as a reference guide for which classics occurred during which period of history, but I think it's really useful to have on hand! Not all of these classics are ones I would want to read, but it gives you a bigger picture of what was going on in each historical period.
The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease - This is THE book everyone tells you to read - but, confession, I haven't been able to get through it yet. Maybe I need to try it on audio. There are a bunch of book recommendations to reference in the back though!
Blogs To Check Out:
Redeemed Reader - This is a blog with tons of book reviews and booklists that I a looking forward to exploring more!
Humility And Doxology - This is the blog that originally featured the list of booklists I saw, and Amy has many useful booklists on this blog as well!
The following is just some information and quick ideas I put together for a handout for our homeschool support group, and I thought I would include it here! So much of this information is fleshed out in some of the books I mentioned above!
Benefits Of Reading Aloud:
- Developing better listening skills.
- Developing sophisticated language patterns.
- Developing vocabulary and reading comprehension.
- Allowing them to enjoy stories that are beyond their own reading level.
- Making good family memories.
Tips For Reading Aloud:
-Start with picture books. They are short and easier for younger kids, and older kids can enjoy them as well. They also add alot of color and interest to different content-based subjects (history and science). Find some that go with different topics you are learning about!
-Set a time each day for reading aloud. We read aloud during lunch, sometimes picture books, sometimes chapter books.
-Pick a book that you (as the mom) are enjoying - if you aren’t enjoying reading aloud, it won’t happen.
-Some books are better for reading aloud than others. Choose one that has rich language (language that is more complex than what we use in conversation).
-Remember that kids get better at listening to a read aloud the more you do it. Don’t get discouraged if they wiggle alot while listening. When they are young, keep it short and gradually build listening stamina.
-Let them do something with their hands while they listen - play dough, latch hook kits, drawing, fidget toys, crochet chains, etc. Just avoid things that will involve the language portion of their brain (word searches, for example), to keep it free for listening!
-If your voice gets tired, use an audiobook! Time spent driving is also a great opportunity for audiobooks.
Happy Reading!
In case you somehow missed it, the Supreme Court made the decision today to overturn Roe v. Wade this morning. I was preparing myself for something crazy to happen after that leak a while back, for this decision to somehow not come to fruition. But despite my worries, the Lord was gracious to this country today!
I just feel the need to mark this day, the day Roe c. Wade fell! And Lord willing, the beginning of the end of abortion in this country. We’ve destroyed 60+ million babies in this country over the last 50 years. This country deserves judgement for that, but God has shown mercy to us. I didn’t think I’d see Roe v. Wade overturned in my lifetime, though I’ve prayed for it for years. In a year, there will be human beings alive who wouldn’t have been because of the Supreme Court’s decision today! Praise the Lord!
I'm so thankful for the courage and fortitude of the Supreme Court with all the pressure they must have been feeling after the leak a month ago. I'm so thankful that Trump got those four years to put some of those justices on the court. Some of these people are probably believers, many of them probably are not, but I'm amazed at how the Lord "turns the hearts of kings wherever He wishes" (Proverbs 21:1). God did that, through the actions of unexpected people, through everything that led to this historic decision from the highest court in the land.
I've explained about abortion to my kids. When it came up a few years back, I didn't need to do very much beyond just telling my kids (age appropriately) what abortion is, and they were immediately adamantly pro-life. Sometimes children are wiser than adults.
I told them about the Supreme Court decision today, and we celebrated and cheered! When I explained about what it all would mean, their immediate question was whether abortion would be allowed in our state, and with sorrow I had to tell them yes. Our state is wicked. We need to keep praying, keep voting for the pro-life candidates, keep defending the unborn. Then we prayed for an end to abortion altogether.
“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works…The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.”
Psalms 145:3-5, 8-9 NKJV
My hope and prayer now is that I will get to celebrate with my kids again when abortion is banned across the United States. Soon, Lord, please!
Tonight is for celebrating and telling the kids what God has done! Don't let anyone dampen the day for you, friends! Today is a very good day!
“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works…The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.”
Psalms 145:3-5, 8-9 NKJV
"This will be written for the generation to come,
That a people yet to be created may praise the Lord."
That a people yet to be created may praise the Lord."
Psalm 102:18 NKJV
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