book review – Page 16

Children’s Atlas of God’s World from Master Books: Review

July 9, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

I’m so incredibly excited to be posting my first review for the Moms of Master Books team! Being part of this team has been one of my hopes since shortly after beginning my blog. Master Books has become my favorite publishing company since beginning homeschooling and being part of their review team is simply a dream come true!

This first book I’m reviewing is the Children’s Atlas of God’s World from Master Books (a division of New Leaf Publishing). The first place I go to now for my geography, history, and science resources in Master Books, but I hadn’t considered an atlas from a Christian worldview before. For the most part a traditional atlas will give factual information rather than that from a secular perspective, so I was curious to see what one from a biblical perspective would hold different. Boy was I excited when I found out!

The book is divided into continent sections where an overview of the continent is given. Following this page several of the countries are highlighted. For each country the statistics are listed as well as the country’s flag, map and beautiful pictures of the area. Historical and geographical information is provided in a child-friendly manner in short paragraphs, easy for young readers to explore on their own. Another aspect I like is the inclusion of biomes which teaches more about the land and climate of the region.

My favorite part is the inclusion of Christian History and traditions. With this information children are told when missionaries first arrived as well as how God is working in the country. This is a blessing in our home because missions is something we are very passionate about. In addition to using this in our home, I plan to take this to our monthly women’s meeting where we focus on missionaries and their work around the world. This year I’ll be heading up a portion of the meeting designed to help our children become more mission-minded. This Atlas will give me a great starting point for discussion with the kids in our church about the world and missionaries.

This Atlas will be a great resource to any home whether you homeschool or not. The beautiful pictures compliment the accurate and interesting information. I’ve enjoyed reading it as much as my girls! Master Books has scored once again with another new resource for kids to explore the world around them from a Christian worldview.

Disclaimer: I received the Children’s Atlas of God’s World as part of the Moms of Master Books Team. I was not required to give a positive review. I was not compensated in any other way.

FREE Book Friday with Master Books!

June 28, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

I’m so excited to host FREE Book Friday for Master Books (a division of New Leaf Publishing) this week! I have come to rely on this company to teach me truth as I have slowly come to understand my grade school education was filled with the errors of evolution. I’ve been slowly creating a Creation library for our family and have has the Answers Books on my wish list!

I’m so excited to give you the opportunity to win The Answers Book 2 by Ken Ham. I have learned so much as I read this. I knew no matter what my teachers told me, evolution was incorrect. What I struggled with was the absolute certainty many of them presented their so-called facts with. I was also completely unaware of the evolutionary teaching permeating so many other subjects…history, humanities, and even literature were frequently impacted by this false teaching. This book presents factual evidence which systematically breaks down all of the errors in evolution.

I appreciate that Ken Ham states up front that unless you start with the assumption the Bible is 100% accurate, you will not agree with this book. At the same time he presents compelling scientific arguments and facts which cannot logically be disputed. I was especially fascinated with the chapter which dicussed Stanley Millers experiments which resulted in the creation of amino acids in a laboratory. I was appalled to learn what I had been taught was absolute fact is in reality highly suspect evidence at the very least. The true results of this experiment as presented in the book in fact prove more for creation than evolution. How blessed I have been to read truth and arm myself with knowledge so I can discuss the topic of creation vs. evolution intelligently.

I wish everyone could win, but since this isn’t possible make sure to add this series to your wishlist for your own library!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer

I received The New Answers Book 2 in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. No other compensation was received.

Indoctrination the Book: Review

June 19, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

My husband and I recently watched an old television show which first aired in the 1970’s. In this particular episode both parents go to see their son’s principal because they know he should not be passing his junior year of high school, yet he has all C’s. The principal tries to convince the parents this is fine because the school doesn’t have any money and the only way to get more money is to graduate a certain percentage of students on to the next grade. The principal said it should be up to their son. When he chose to go on to the next grade, they were understandable upset, but it was what he chose, so they just tried to make him feel guilty. In the end he said, “Well, I’m going to do better next year.” Laugh track starts…lights fade…

The laughing has stopped and the light of truth now exposes the glaring reality of public education through brave voices like those who wrote IndoctriNation, the companion book to the documentary by the same title. The book is written as a collection of short essays from many of the individuals featured in the film. I have not yet seen the film, but I believe this is better as a companion rather than simply read alone.

I appreciated the calm, factual way information is presented in IndoctriNation. Even the skeptic reading this should not get the sense it is written by a fringe group of conspiracy mongers. Rather the book systematically provides factual information which is lies just beneath the surface. Yes, the ideas presented here are radically opposed by the mainstream voices. Our country was founded by radical opposition.

What I agreed with…
* Schools in general are not what we are led to believe they are.
* Teachers have essentially lost all rights and free speech
* Students are not ensured emotional or physical safety in our schools
* There was an agenda when public schools were created and there still is one today which goes far beyond providing quality education.
* There is an over-drugging of students, especially boys, who are just being the way God created boys to be.

What I disagreed with…
* There is a biblical mandate to homeschool
* In general Christian schools are not much better off than public schools
* Parents who do not homeschool are not living in obedience to God

Overall I highly recommend this book, but as I mentioned is is written as a collection of essays by many authors and as such holds a variety of views. While each chapter strongly advocates homeschooling, some go further and state this is a biblical mandate. My husband, a pastor, and I discussed this extensively and we do not see this as black and white and some do. Here are our conclusions…

1. Spiritual and academic education are inherently intertwined whether we like it or not.
2. Public education does address the spiritual side of education no matter how much they deny this fact. It’s just a different spirituality than we want for our girls.

Every parent ought to be armed with this information so they can make the best decision for their child’s education. For financial reasons Christian schools are out of the reach of many. For life-circumstance situation homeschooling is out of the reach of many. It is becoming easier and easier to homeschool, but for single-parents or families with one or more parents with physical needs it can be nearly impossible.

I encourage all Christian parents to read this book and watch the documentary (we plan to soon!) whether you plan to homeschool, attend private school, or attend public school. Knowledge is our best defense against a system and environment currently doing more harm than good. The breakdown in education is so much more than low test scores, more than just school shootings, more than what the politicians want you to believe.

No laugh tracks.
No fade out.

Just reality this stark reality: There is an ungodly undercurrent behind the politics of education which no amount of Christian influence in the schools can prevent. It is up to the informed to decide what to do about it, especially those with children.

Check out some more reviews by clicking the image below!

Disclaimer

I received IndoctriNation in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. No other compensation was received.

Chronicles of Dinosauria from Master Books: Review

June 2, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

Photo Credit: Creation Museum

When I was a kid I was provided with two separate world views. My parents and church taught me God was our Creator. My science classes taught me to trust in the irrefutable evidence that all life was evolved by chance from non-life. I was blessed my senior year to be taught AP biology by a strong-in-her-faith Christian, Mrs. Lowe. It was the late 90’s and evolutionary teaching was forging ahead at full-force, but despite this Mrs. Lowe firmly told us she believed God was our Creator and she taught about evolution simply because she was required to present all theories. I believe I am one of the few students from the 90’s to have a teacher so bold and brave, yet all the evidence she presented still pointed towards evolution. How could all this scientific fact be wrong?

A few years ago I would have laughed at someone saying dinosaurs and humans walked the earth together. I had come to believe that since all the evidence I had ever seen pointed towards evolution and because I couldn’t reconcile this with my biblical world-view I had to just accept both were accurate and there were just missing millions of years in Scripture. Through research for homeschooling I found Answers in Genesis. For the first time in my life I had real answers and they weren’t a matter of reconciling contradictory belief systems. I finally saw the evidence from a biblical perspective and realized starting assumptions determine how scientific discoveries are interpreted.

I have been systematically devouring science and history books which deal with this evidence and understanding of young-earth creation. My mind has been blown over and over as I see the so-called proof provided by scientists that we are not created, but rather evolved with new eyes. The Chronicles of Dinosaur from Master Books (a division of New Leaf Publishing) has been one of the most interesting reads I have had the opportunity to encounter. This stylistic rendering of the evidence showing how we know dinosaurs did indeed walk among men is as fascinating to gaze at as it is informative.

Presented in the style of a scrapbook this beautiful piece of literature covers an amazing array of evidence in just 74 pages divided into eight chapters. The clear explanations in each section helped me understand how I no longer have to reconcile science and the Bible. I always knew the Bible was truth, but now I understand more fully how science in fact supports the Bible rather than contradicts it. I am thrilled to be so well equipped to teach my children the truth and the compatibility of science and Scripture.

My favorite aspect in addition to the beautiful illustrations is that the biblical evidence is presented last. This may sound a little odd since the interpretation of the entire book firsts starts with the assumption of biblical truth. Because of this I feel I can loan it out to any number of my friends who are curious and they won’t automatically assume it is from the perspective of a fairy tale as many who do not follow Christ feel. Christianity is not a religion for our family; it is a relationship with the one true God made possible by His Son, Jesus and revealed to us through Scripture. Beginning with the very Book for which those who are not following Christ hold disdain would be ineffective since they cannot help but scoff at the seemingly outlandish notion of creation and the flood. This intentional and logical presentation will pull any reader in whether or not they are a believer.

I also love, love, that the gospel is presented clearly at the close of the book. What a wonderful witness for Christ. There is no Bible thumping, no arrogant claims of superiority, not even a hint of prideful knowledge. At the end of this wonderful book all which is left is the truth and grace of the Word of God after the curious reader has seen page after page of true evidence pointing them to the true Creator.

Click here to read what others have to say about The Chronicles of Dinosauria!

Paperless Home Organization from Simplified Pantry: Review and a coupon!!!!!

May 23, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

(Make sure you remember to snag the coupon at the bottom of the post!)

Something I really enjoy doing is organizing. I know that isn’t everyone’s idea of a fun day, but there is something about a freshly organized drawer, closet, or room which makes me feel warm-fuzzies all over. Yet although I love to organize, keeping things organized is a totally different animal. I’ve tried numerous systems, printables, and variations. I’ve used pre-made and made my own. My problem has always been simplification for implementation…in other words I need a simple enough system that I can actually follow through with it!

When I found out I was going to have the chance to review Paperless Home Organization by Misty Winckler from Simplified Pantry I was very interested, but was afraid it was going to be seeing just one more system that would end up on my been-there, done-that list. I am pleased to say this couldn’t be further from the truth! Although I am still learning how to fully implement her ideas I think I may have landed on a home-organization home which fits my style much better than others I have tried and at $3.99 this is an excellent buy!

Like the author I have made several home-binders in the 11 years I have been married. Some were incredibly simple. Others were unbelievably complex. Several problems arose with these systems which seem to be taken care of with a paperless system.

1. Attractiveness

With my old notebook and paper type systems I found myself focusing a lot of my time on finding something that looked attractive. Who wants to mess with something that is sloppy and messy?

2. SOOOOO much paper!

The more I organized our lives into one notebook, the more paper started accumulating. I don’t mind paper, but it was getting to the point where I was going to need a separate binder to organize the many facets of my life!

3. Unity and Cohesiveness

I frequently found myself flipping back and forth between all those pages trying to figure out when I could schedule in something different.

4. Portability and Size

I tried taking my household notebook with me out of the house a grand-total of…once. Yeah, all it took was one outing of lugging a large notebook with me to show me I was not cut out to be a notebook toting mama. I see many moms with home organization notebooks I envy, but I just can’t manage keeping it all with me. Not to mention that since it had my grocery list inside I was asked no less than five times by complete strangers where various items were in the store. I didn’t realize why until the last lady asked me about something I didn’t know. She said, “Oh, I’m sorry! I thought you worked here because of your notebook.” It was a lot like learning the lesson to never ever wear a solid red shirt to a Target store!

So my journey has brought me to the digital age and here is what going paperless has already done for me in such a short time…

~ I love my Kindle Fire for this which I already have in an attractive case.

~ I am able to have much more unity in all areas of life-organization.

~ Using apps allows me to store things digitally and saves so much space.

~ No one has yet asked me employee type questions. (That is just so embarrassing!)

This e-book lays out the basics, giving everyone who has the ability to be mobile the tips and tricks to get them stared. The only problem I had with this was figuring out some new programs! I gave them a shot, and some I’m continuing with (I love Evernote’s note stacks!) but for other suggested apps I’m going to use ones I’m already familiar with.

The apps which are suggested include Google mail and calendar, Evernote, and Remember the Milk. Because I am not familiar with these I am trying them out, but deciding which of these I want to keep and which ones I may trade for something more familiar. I do like the Evernote note stacks which allow you to create groups of information such as recipes, medical information, addresses, etc.

The benefit to using these same tools is that the author walks your through each, step-by-step and gives tips and tricks to make them work for you to their ultimate potential. One things I really like about the apps chosen is they can be updated on a computer and the information syncs to the apps on your mobile devices. I still prefer traditional typing because I can do it more quickly so this is a nice feature.

There are a handful of downsides to going paperless. The first is, it’s paperless! That may seem strange, but if you can’t get your mobile device to work and don’t have a back-up plan in place you may have a problem. We are fast moving to being a paperless society with online banking, digital medical records, digital books, etc. While I am not opposed to these new technologies I am aware that complete dependence upon them can wreak havoc when malfunctions occur. Paperless is convenient, but it can sometimes come with a price. Because of this I do have a hard-copy back-up system of a single page so I can get what I absolutely need to done. We also keep all of our vital documents in a safe and easily accessible place for emergencies.

The second downside is the time it takes to set-up and learn the various programs. While I do think it is worth it, I have spent much more time pursuing this option as opposed to the 30 minutes or so it takes me to put together a notebook. However I the time-investment in the beginning does balance out because of the ease of use and lack of paper!

photo sp_gfdf_sidebar_lg_zpsbf28c2f7.gif

Simplified pantry also has two excellent e-books (Simplified Dinners and Simplified Simplified Dinners Gluten/Dairy Free) for making meal-times and your pantry more stream-lined. We do not have any issues with gluten or allergies in our family and we simply eat by rules of moderation. There are a few things which are excluded from our diet (artificial sweeteners, alcohol, gourmet items, etc.) but in all things we strive for moderation. Because I am blessed to not have to worry about allergens as I cook I focused on taking a look at the Simplified Dinners.

I was pleased to find that the list given in the beginning of what should be in your pantry was almost exactly what my staples already are. This made looking at the recipes within the book even more exciting! Nothing is quite as discouraging as wanting to try something new for dinner only to realize you don’t have all the ingredients. I look forward to trying some of these in the coming summer months now that our lives have calmed down a bit.

As an wonderful gift Mystie Winckler, the author of these fabulous e-books, is offering a coupon code exclusively for readers of the Schoolhouse Review Crew for 30% any of her e-books books! To take advantage of this offer use the code TOS2013 at checkout.

Don’t forget to check out more reviews from my Crewmates!

Big Book of Earth and Sky: Review

May 14, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

I typically don’t teach science in our homeschool because we utilize a learning center which provides classes for homeschoolers. One of those classes is science and it is incredibly thorough and advanced in what they learn. I do, however, like to provide my girls with science resources so they can explore on their own terms. We love looking up information when we have a question and I want to provide materials which point my girls to God as the Creator.

The Big Book of Earth and Sky from Master Books, a division of New Leaf Publishing Group, by Bodie Hodge and Dr. Carolyn Reeves (View her website here!) grabbed my girls’ attention as soon as I opened it! I put it on a shelf intending to leave it there until I had a chance to look at it with them, but I kept finding one or another reading it and learning on their own. The gigantic, colorful poster/book immediately draws the students (and teacher!) into curiosity mode. The illustrations are beautiful and written content is concise and clear.

By the time I started using this with my daughters I was happy to discover that a teacher’s guide had been published. You can purchase this separately or go follow the link to download it for free. While there are many ways this book can be used and incorporated into your current studies, I like having the teacher’s guide to give me a starting point. This guide includes a section on a variety of topics and provides a glossary of words for each topic as well as suggested activities. The topics included are caves, oceans, meteorology and paleontology. The book is designed to be a springboard for learning and the teacher’s guide greatly aids this process. There are also corresponding charts for students to fill in as you study. My oldest two really enjoyed this part!

If I had the space I would have hung it up on the wall with the land starting at the floor. You can watch the video below to see how this works. I don’t have a good spot to do this, so we stretched the entire book and I thought it would be fun to show how it compares to the height of my girls. They all thought this was fun, but Grace especially got a kick out of it. She’s at the bottom with the biggest smile of the three! The top of the chart starts with the uppermost layers of the atmosphere. It then systematically moves through meteorological and geological information all the way to the earth’s core.

I printed out my teacher’s guide and made the girls their own packets to study with. I used the same picture from the teacher’s guide to make the cover. Beth especially liked this because she felt very grown up having her very own packet to complete.

We started at the top with the layers of the earth’s atmosphere. One of the reasons so many of my friends give for why they couldn’t homeschool is because they aren’t smart enough. While I think each family must choose their own educational course, I try to encourage them that they don’t have to know everything. Wonderful resources like this are available so we can learn alongside one another. I’m sure at some point I had to learn the layers of the atmosphere during my education, but they didn’t stick. I loved how not only were the layers labeled in a vivid way, but they also included the types of things you would find in that layer. Our local children’s museum has a wonderful hands-on weather exhibit. I plan to take this with us the next time so we can look at some of the information along with the displays!

We moved a little farther down and took a look at the mountain zones. We live in the area of North Carolina known as the Piedmont, or foothills. We had a wonderful conversation about our location and how that relates to our family who lives in the mountains of North Carolina. Beth loved that there was a snow zone. The girls love snow even though we don’t see it very often!

The last area we looked at (on this day!) was the core of the earth. Rose studied this in her science class and told us lots of information she had already learned, which inspired Beth to become more interested in reading more on the page. You can see that this folds up nicely so if you don’t have a large floor space it is still easily usable and enjoyable.

This is a fabulous resource with a years-worth or more of curriculum ideas. For me, the best part is I know I can trust what is written within these pages to engage and enlighten my girls while staying within our beliefs that all living things were created by God within a literal 1-week period. I know this makes our family in the minority within our culture and I am forever grateful to New Leaf Publishing for providing amazing resources like this one to teach my girls.

Read the book release blog here and take some time to watch this fun video to see even more of The Big Book of Earth and Sky!

You can read more reviews here!

Disclaimer

I received The Big Book of Earth and Sky in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. No other compensation was received.

Papa’s Pearls from Homefires: Review

May 6, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

One of the few things in my life I regret is not having my grandparents around. I don’t even know if I can qualify it as a regret since it isn’t anything I had control over. I am blessed to know I will see them again one day, but since they died when I was young I missed out on all the wisdom I know they had to give me. I become so frustrated when I hear of families treating their grandparents as a burden or unimportant. Our society does not value their elders anymore and there will come a time when our society will truly regret it.

Papa’s Pearls is a collection of sayings, stories, and wisdom passed on to his children and grandchildren by way of his daughter. Dianne Flynn Keith artfully tells the stories of her childhood in such a way you feel as if you knew Papa (Carol Joseph Flynn). Each chapter is titled with one or two of Papa’s signature sayings and includes stories from his life which build off of them. As I read through these various quotes and stories I couldn’t help but be reminded of my own grandparents and the things they used to say.

One of my favorite stories was of Papa working in the sewer. He would have to wade through sewage in order to do his job as a plumber. I’m sure it was a thankless job, but he did what he had to do in order to provide for his family. The same value was passed down to our family by our own grandfathers and fathers.

My own grandfather worked for years in a coal mine, scrimping and saving each penny in order to be able to purchase land for a farm when he was able. This was certainly not a job he loved, but he worked hard. My great-grandfather sold pies made by my great-grandmother in order to provide for his family when he was laid off during the Depression. My husband worked a variety of jobs in high school and college including mowing lawns, fast-food, pizza making, working at a grocery store, and more in order to save and pay his way through college to end up without debt on the other side. A good work ethic is not taught as it once was and I hope to instill the same ideas in our girls.

I also liked the multiple times that the author referenced her father’s positive outlook on life, no matter the circumstances. It is so easy to fall into a woe-is-me type of attitude when things get difficult, but our children are watching us. Do you say you are joyful in Christ, but neglect to show it to your children? I can become guilty of this at times and I was challenged to make sure I am living out those important parts of my faith which I want to pass on to my children.

I did choose not to read this aloud to my children. This is much more suited for older students and their parents. Since my girls are younger (ages 7, 5, and 3), they would probably not have gotten very much out of the stories. We are not catholic, but Papa was and some mention of this and some catholic practices in the book. This would not have been something I would want to explain to my girls at such a young age, but it would probably not have been as big of a deal for older children. Although I still highly recommend this book I think this is important to be aware of this fact. It can be purchased directly from the website for $21.97 (this includes shipping) or Amazon.

Don’t forget to check out the other reviews from my Crewmates!

photo DisclaimerGraphic1_zpsf612f371.gif

Trail Blazer Books: Review and Free Book offer!!!!

May 5, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

One of the great needs of our children is to know and understand the Christian heritage they come from. Our family loves great literature and especially literature which draws my children in and causes them to want to learn more about the characters and history which make up the story. Rose in particular is beginning to very much enjoy historical fiction and so I have been searching for new stories to excite and engage her.

I was very excited to have the chance to review Trailbazer Books written by Dave and Neta Jackson. I first saw them online at a Christian supply website, but they were out of stock. I was very interested to have historical fiction which incorporated important figures from Christian history. Some of these books are now out of print in hard copies, but they are all available as ebooks! My daughters love ebooks because that means they get to use my Kindle. Although each book is available individually at http://www.trailblazerbooks.com/, they can also all be purchased on a CD for less than $1 each. This is a great price for excellent literature.

There are also several teacher’s guides available which incorporates several disciplines of learning. Included are the expected study of literary elements, vocabulary, social studies, and a variety of activities to engage student beyond the words written on the page. I like that there are connections to so many other areas of learning and that the guides are broken down into 2 chapter sections. Many other literature guides I have used take the book more as a whole rather than its parts. Since I typically like Rose to read at least two chapters a day when we study literature this is a nice setup.

I let Rose choose which book she wanted to start with and she liked the sounds of The Bandit of Ashley Downs. The story centers around a homeless orphan who gets into trouble after trying to steal some money and ends up being taken in by George Muller as one of his orphans. The twist is the money he stole actually belongs to the same orphanage!

Rose loved this book from the start! Before we had a chance to begin discussing the book she asked me, “Is this really a true story?” This was a great opening to talking about historical fiction as a genre. She said how much she loved the adventure and I loved that she learned about George Muller and his legacy of trust in God and prayer.

There are many great works of literature she will study and read throughout her education. Giving her opportunity to learn of her Christian heritage through excellent literature is even better. I look forward to exploring Christian history with her through the Trailblazer Books.

And now for a great gift for my readers directly from Dave and Neta Jackson! For the entire month of May you can get Drawn by a China Moon, a story about a young southern girl who goes to China with her parents to aid Lotti Moon and her work, for free!!!! Just click the cover to the left for your free e-book!

Don’t miss out on this offer and share it with your friends!

Disclaimer

I received the CD Rom of 40 e-books in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. No other compensation was received.

Attic Book’s Advice for Seekers: Book Review

May 1, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

When I was growing up I only vaguely knew who Charles Spurgeon was. I remember hearing him quoted in sermons so I knew he was someone worth quoting with godly wisdom, but that was pretty much it. When I got to Bible college I heard all my pastoral major friends discus Spurgeon as well as other great pastors from over dinner and my interest was piqued. Since then I began reading about Charles Spurgeon and other great pastors of his time. While I learned about his life, I never got around to reading any of his books or sermons. I was very excited to read this newly released Advice for Seekers from Attic Books, a division of New Leaf Publication Group.

This beautifully bound book is a rare gem in an age of e-books. The rough edged pages gives the tangible awareness that you are opening a treasured book of wisdom passed down through the decades. Attractive enough to leave on your coffee-table and small enough to fit in your purse…but for all it’s outward beauty, it is the wisdom inside which is the true treasure.

Spurgeon originally wrote for those who were looking for Jesus, so although I was looking forward to this read, I didn’t expect to be as drawn is as I was. The language would be considered old fashioned, but it isn’t too difficult. In fact, the more I read, the less I noticed the difference from modern language. My faith was encouraged as I read through this short work, reminding me of some of the vital, yet simple truths that all seekers must accept.

The other helpful purpose of this book was to help me better understand those who are seeking Christ as adults. My path to salvation started before I was born. It started with my great-grandfather who turned his life toward God for his wife who died soon after their marriage of consumption. When he married my great-grandmother he was a different man and eventually became a pastor. His son, my grandfather, was also a pastor and my own father became a pastor and now trains future pastors at a seminary. I have a deep spiritual heritage and because of that understood the truths in Scripture long before most. Although I have a deep desire to see the lost come to Christ I cannot exactly relate to the struggle with doubts, misunderstandings, and hindrances which can cause adults to hesitate in giving their lives entirely to God. Advice for Seekers has given me greater insight and understanding into these things.

“Would you dare put your miserable life in comparison with the life of God’s obedient Son, who gave himself even to death? Does it not strike you that you are insulting God?”

My favorite quote actually comes from the first page. One of the most often exhibited attributes of those who have grown up in the culture of the church is the feeling that it is something we have done which has caused us to find favor with the Savior and allowed our salvation. This could not be further from the truth, but it is so very easy to fall into this trap. Just take a poll of the average church. When asked to share the story of their conversion my pastor husband has often heard responses such as, “My parents brought me to church from the time I was born,” and, “I’m basically a good person,” even from those who have heard the true gospel preached all their lives. I too need to be reminded that it is by the grace of God alone which has saved me from eternity apart from Him.

Although this may be most appropriate for a more academically minded reader, I believe the truth imparted here by the great Charles Spurgeon can benefit anyone no matter their educational background or where they are on their journey with Christ. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and plan to read it again each year to keep the thoughts imparted here fresh in my mind.

Click here to read more reviews!

Disclaimer

I received Advice for Seekers in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. No other compensation was received.

Dr. Craft’s Active Play Book: Review

April 19, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

Spring is in the air and along with it the cure for cabin fever! My girls were so anxious to get out in the yard and play once the warm air finally decided to visit the South. I’m happy to let my kids go out and play in the backyard and I join them most of the time, but I typically let them play while I relax and watch on the porch. I’m not very good at structured play to encourage specific skills.

photo DrCraftsactiveplaybookcover_zps57ab4551.jpg

Dr. Craft’s Active Play Books equip adults caring for young children with 52 different active play activities. For $39.00 you receive Active Play! Fun Physical Activities for Young Children, a spiral bound book and DVD with incredibly clear instructions. There are pictures of children playing the activities throughout the book and video of real kids (not little paid actors) participating in all the fun. I do think it would have been nice for the pictures in the book to be in color. Sometimes it was difficult to clearly see what was going on in the black and white pictures.

We used several of these activities for outdoor fun with my girls. While the intended target age is toddlers and preschoolers, my 5-year-old kindergartner and 7-year-old 2nd grader genuinely enjoyed participating with their little 3-year-old sister. I wasn’t sure how much they would want to participate, but they surprised me by wholeheartedly getting on board! Some of our favorites were Egg Farmer, Sock Tails, Outdoor Obstacle Course, and Sock the Cans.

Egg farmer was a lot of fun because we had so many eggs left over from our neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt! The girls rolled eggs down our backyard slide into a white tub. Because the list of items are basically everyday household things they are easily substituted if you don’t have something. It took some time to find just the right egg catcher for the bottom. Another fun variation was to have one of the other girls be the egg catcher. They had fun trying to catch the eggs as they slid down!

Grace in particular really liked this activity. She became quite good at this activity. It was a great team-building time for my girls. They would cheer one another on, encourage one another if they missed, and took turns collecting the eggs and toting them back up to the top of the slide. I know thy all liked it because after we were “done” with our official playtime the girls kept on playing this one.

Sock Tails turned into Towel Tails because I found this first. We actually named this game Catch the Bunny Tail for our spring-theme. The girls have been searching for bunnies under our shed because they know they lived there last spring. The only uh-oh portion of the activity was when Grace (3-year-old preschooler) dropped her pants right in the middle of the yard because she couldn’t find the tail! Oops! You can tell our neighbors are close so I’m glad no one was outside. (At least not that I know of!) They had a great time with this one though and it was a fun variation on tag, which I’ve never really enjoyed that much. I joined in the fun too and Grace really liked catching the tail when I was wearing it.

Soon after this the pollen hit full-force, so I asked my husband to take over the Active Play portion of our days. I love spring, but boy does the pollen get to me. The neat part about this was I got to let another adult try out the book and sure enough he enjoyed it as well. (Thanks to my mother-in-law who was in town to take some shots of the fun too!)

My husband first set up Sock the Cans. I didn’t want to use the girls’ new socks outside and we didn’t have cans…so once again we got creative! He pulled out some containers from the recycling bin and Grace used a softer bouncy ball. She loved this! I think it may have felt like a carnival game to her.

My husband had a good time setting up the obstacle course using what we had just laying around the yard and in the shed.

Here is the layout…

Down the slide…

Under the lattice…

Around the table…

Over the bridge…

And onto the swing! (All my pics of the swings turned out blurry!)

One of the things I really liked about the book was the list of materials presented before the activity explanation was given. This made it easy to make sure I had everything I needed before beginning. I also liked that the goals for the activity were listed at the top of each activity. This way if I wanted to focus on a particular skill, like galloping or jumping, I could quickly scan through the games to find what I was looking for. The demo DVD was fun because of the real kids doing the activities. Although I felt like the instructions were very clear, having the DVD in case something wasn’t clear to me was helpful. Seeing real kids having fun was great!

Don’t forget to read other reviews from my Crewmates!