Reformation and Revival

Reformation and Revival is an anniversary edition of John Brown's original work, The Story of the English Puritans (1910). Vision Forum republished this work in light of the fact that 2009 will host two big anniversaries. The first anniversary is that of the birth of church reformer John Calvin (500th). The second anniversary belongs to Charles Darwin (200 years since his birth). Two men which have wielded a great deal of influence (and continue to wield power through their written words!) on this modern age.

In an effort to enlighten the modern reader as to the (positive) influence and effect that Calvin's work had on Puritans in particular, Vision Forum is sharing this book with you.

This is a conservative history of Puritanism but for my part I think a conservative and positive look at this "movement" (if you will) is called for. Puritans are slammed left and right (by people who truly dislike them and people who want to distance themselves from them). The phrase "puritanical" is not a nice one, you know. In some ways this book is like a breath of fresh air and, at the very least, provides information for a more balanced perspective of the Puritans and their belief system. This book makes a great history resource. (A handy timeline is also included in the timeline to help the student make sense of the history contained therein.) If you are looking for history resources to add to your home library - consider this one.

Hood, by Stephen Lawhead

I had to read Hood because Lisa raved about the King Raven trilogy over at 5 Minutes for Books. I typically like the type of books that Lisa likes and I figured this was a safe bet. I was not in the least disappointed. Everything Lisa said about the book was spot on and I loved it!

I've never read anything by Stephen Lawhead before and therefore was completely unfamiliar with his style. This book, published by Thomas Nelson, made me think that it would be a clean read and it was. The main protagonist, Bran, does live a rather loose lifestyle but Lawhead handles the character tastefully enough and gives you just enough information to know that Bran is a coward and a cad. After he has established Bran's less than stellar character, he moves on with the story (which is a twist on Robin Hood) in a completely artful manner and I got lost in the story.

Hood is the first book in a triology so I don't want to discuss the details of the plot too intently. I don't believe this book stands alone and I don't see how I can get around reading the sequels. Nothing is concluded in the first installment but enough is given to the reader to create a curious thirst for more.

Lawhead's style of writing is what makes reading this book so worthwhile. A lot of modern day fiction is irksome to me because it contains so many pop culture references that the books are instantly dated and branded as being meant for the present moment only. Not so with the King Raven triology. Lawhead uses language and paints scenes that draw you in so that you are never jarred out of the story. He writes seemlessly and the work is complex. I'm really very impressed and cannot wait to grab the second book, Scarlet. (I have a feeling that Jonathan is going to read and love this series too.) It's an all around winner with its clean adventurous fun.

I haven't read the original Adventures of Robin Hood which is probably something I shouldn't admit but I can tell you one thing - this book is driving me towards them! Stay tuned for that as I will be exploring the character of Robin Hood in more detail in the very near future.

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I'm also reading this book as part of the I Read It challenge over at 5 Minutes for Books. Have you read anything we've suggested over there? If so, write up a post about it and let us know!

The Complete Daily Curriculum

I was first introduced to The Complete Daily Curriculum for Early Childhood by a former public school teacher who is now involved in tutoring students. She recommends this book to all parents of pre-schoolers who want to Sort Of (or officially) start schooling their kids to make sure that they are solidly ready for kindergarten. Published by Gryphon House, I snatched it up to take a peek and fell in love with it. So let me introduce you to our complete pre-school curriculum and tell you why I'm going this route.

For starters, the book is divided up into thematic study units. The first unit is entitled "All About Me" and there are "lessons" divided up by subject. First you teach your child about the body as a whole (with picture book recommendations, songs to sing, art projects listed, etc), then about fingers & hands, legs & feet, ears, eyes, mouth, nose, etc. There is a study on families, friends and things that the child likes to do. As mentioned, there are plenty of art and activity books listed for each subject matter so that the parent (and/or the teacher) can select projects that they are comfortable doing with any number of children. There are unit lessons on animals, insects and bugs, food, nursery rhymes, songs and weather. This book really seems to have it all!

Furthermore, the book also helps you to choose activities and ways of approaching each subject matter in a way that will help children with different learning styles to best grasp the concepts. There are suggestions for auditory, spatial, and kinesthetic learners as well as others. The authors of this curriculum, Pam Schiller and Pat Phipps have really done a thorough job of creating a practical straight forward book which anyone could use. I really appreciate how everything is laid out in a logical and orderly manner, while at the same time heavily promotes creativity and fun!

If you are at the start of schooling, as we are becoming close to being, I highly recommend this book. Even though Bookworm1 is only 2 1/2 we loosely worked our way through the My Body section and it was fun singing and playing together while learning something useful. Everything you need in one book? No joke?! Nope, no joke! The teacher who told me about The Complete Daily Curriculum was very serious - this is a great package of a book and I'm excited to make good use of it.

Instructing a Child's Heart

I read Shepherding a Child's Heart years ago, back when I was pregnant and didn't have anyone to practice on. Parenting responsibilities back then meant only that I should try to eat healthy and walk at least a mile every day. I didn't realize how very easy that was at the time, comparatively speaking. Now parenting means a little bit more to me so I was glad to get a bit of a refresher course by reading the next book by Tedd & Margy Tripp, Instructing a Child's Heart. Suddenly it smacks of practicality! Imagine that!

The basic concept of this book is that we are to teach our children how to view the world so that they can become confident, God-honoring adults. The Tripps focus on the heart of the child being molded and cared for in such a way as to produce confident children who know the difference between right and wrong. This is a very solid parenting book any which way you look at it. I have to say though that I focused less on "what I need to do for my kids" and more on their introductory chapters on parenting with purpose. I focused on what I need to be doing and not on what my son should figure out how to do by now, thanks!

Parenting with purpose (my words, not theirs) means acknowledging that I didn't have children just so that I could own and operate my own daycare. Some amount of parenting must be accomplished as I raise my son. How do I parent? (Well that's an invasive question to ask a person, dontcha think!?) To be honest, some days I'm sure I qualify for Super Mom of the Year and other days I could seriously use some help! What I WANT to be doing, especially after reading this book, is to be modeling the behavior that I desire in my son. In short, I must practice what I preach or else the point will be entirely lost. Two year old logic might not amount to much but he can certainly see when I'm being hypocritical. The very best form of instruction is to lead by example. Do I need to be perfect in order to parent? No. But do I need to strive for excellence in my own Christian walk before making demands of my kids? Oh, absolutely! Without a doubt. For me this book was a good reminder that I need to align myself with the Bible before I ask anyone else to.

The Tripps were very encouraging in motivating the parent to set goals. What is my personal aim?: Model the Word, speak the word, love the child. They constantly reference scripture as they exhort parents to be wise in instructing their children's hearts, not just making demands upon the outward apperance and behavior. They understand that what is inside of a child is what will come out and they inspire the reading parent to invest good things in their child's heart for a positive outcome. Again, this is a solid book and a worthy read. I recommend it to anyone who needs a parenting tune-up. It's worth your time!

Read Aloud Thursday - Train Stop

Time for another Read Aloud Thursday over at Hope is in the Word.

Do you have kids or just like children's books in general? Consider joining in the Read Aloud Thursday Carnival which Amy hosts every week over at Hope is in the Word. This carnival is nicely coupled with Jennifer's (at Snapshot) Read Together Challenge so you might consider combining the two for a good reading time with your kid(s).

My son, who shall now be known as Bookworm1 on this site, is really into trains. REALLY into trains. Thomas and Friends anyone? Thomas, we love yoooou. When we went on our most recently trip down to California, we went with our friends to the Railroad Museum in Sacramento. Have a train lover in your family and in the Sacramento area? Make it one of your official stops. That museum was AMAZING!

(Here are a couple of our snapshots.)




On the tails of that, I thought it might be a good idea to go to the library and see if we could find some train books that were not Thomas related. I don't mind Thomas at all but I do like variety. I wasn't sure what Bookworm would think but it turns out he was more excited than I was about the new train books!

We found All Aboard! which, of course, is fun to yell out. It's especially fun to yell out if you have a train whistle to accompany the yell. Which we do. Of course. In this picture book by Mary Lyn Ray, we meet the train at the station where a little girl and her stuffed rabbit, Mr. Barnes, climb aboard to travel overnight to go and visit her grandparents. I confess it took me a few minutes to figure out that Mr. Barnes was the stuffed animal. The storyline flips back and forth from the regular train traveler's adventures to the adventures of Mr. Barnes. I don't know whether the story made sense or not to my son but I thought it was somewhat confusing. That said, Bookworm1 did ask to read it again so I guess he enjoyed it!

Trainstop, I didn't realize at the time I picked it up, is a picture book without words. I'm not a really big fan of books without words partially because I'm a bad storyteller. Nevertheless, I am happy to report that I rose to the challenge and added words and a story which my son seemed to go for. Heh. In this book, a little girl is going on a train ride and it emphasizes the difference between riding on at train in the daylight and in darkness (particular when going through tunnels). The girl falls asleep on the train and has an interesting dream about little dwarf like people. Given that there were no words and I was making it up as I went along, this was a little strange and hard to explain. However, I suppose it appeals to the imagination. Maybe I just don't know what to do with these types of books!

The winner for me (and Bookworm1) was That's Not My Train which is an Usborne touchy-feely book. The wheels of the train are too slippery, the windows too shiny, the roof is too rough until you get to the perfect train - the one with the glossy engine! These books are perfect for little fingers. (We also loved and reviewed That's Not My Plane which was a huge hit.) I love these books and was glad to see that our local library had a few - and specifically the one about trains!

Of course, we can't post about trains without posting about Thomas! If you have never picked up a Thomas book, a good place to start is Thomas the Really Useful Engine. This book is one of our favorites and given my experimentations apart from Thomas, I'm inclined to say I'm going to camp out on Thomas. However, if you have a good book on trains that you think we'd enjoy, by all means leave a comment and let me know about it!


Speaking of Thomas, I know there are hundreds of young fans out there. Surely you've seen Briarpatch Thomas games. Well, we had but I wasn't very sure how well they'd go over around here. Sure, it's Thomas but . . . are they fun? Well, we can assure you that the Thomas and Friends Tracks and Trestles game IS fun!



The best way that I can explain it is by saying that it is something of a glorified version of Chutes and Ladders - except there are no chutes and there are no ladders and there aren't any numbers on the board. Instead of your train character of choice moves along the tracks and meets with the possibility of sliding on up the track towards Tidmouth Sheds or being waylaid by any number of wacky freight cars. It helps children in their counting and gaming skills. The bonus is that one of the characters that you can choose to be is Harvey and since Harvey is not a part of our home train collection, he was a nice little gaming addition! Seriously though, this game was fun and if you have a Thomas fan in your possession, you might want to consider this game. Mommy liked it for its simplicity, while still being interesting.

Ok so your turn to suggest! What do you have in the way of trains for us? Do tell!

Knights, Castles & the Code of Chivalry

Want to win this book and another like it? Well, go over to 5 Minutes for Books and leave a comment there! Silver Dolphin has graciously agreed to give away a few Knights & Castle books to some of our readers and I can personally testify (as my review will say) to the coolness of these books.

Yup. I'm still on my Knight kick when it comes to things to share with my son. I found this cool website which lists the Ten Commandments of the Code of Chivalry. I cannot argue with (most of) them. I think I shall make a large print of them and post them in our home somewhere. Check these out:

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Ten Commandments of the Code of Chivalry

I. Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, and shalt observe all its directions. (Except I think I'd substitute the word "Church" with "Bible.")

II. Thou shalt defend the Church. (Same.)

III. Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.

IV. Thou shalt love the country in the which thou wast born. (Yeah. My brother and sister-in-law are going to go nuts over this one. ;)

V. Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.

VI. Thou shalt make war against the Infidel without cessation, and without mercy. (Hmm. This raises some interesting questions and discussion. I think I'd reword a few things here . . .)

VII. Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God.

VIII. Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word.

IX. Thou shalt be generous, and give largess to everyone.

X. Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.

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There are definitely some valid things here, wouldn't you say? I'd like to build a man as honorable as this one who knows what he believes and is willing to stand by his word, defending the weak and respecting all? Not a bad thing, I'd say.

Here is the English Supplement to the Rules of Chivalry which I think I might like even more:

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Live to serve King and Country.
Live to defend Crown and Country and all it holds dear.
Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor.
Live for freedom, justice and all that is good.
Never attack an unarmed foe.
Never use a weapon on an opponent not equal to the attack.
Never attack from behind.
Avoid lying to your fellow man.
Avoid cheating.
Avoid torture.
Obey the law of king, country, and chivalry.
Administer justice.
Protect the innocent.
Exhibit self control.
Show respect to authority.
Respect women.
Exhibit Courage in word and deed.
Defend the weak and innocent.
Destroy evil in all of its monstrous forms.
Crush the monsters that steal our land and rob our people.
Fight with honor.
Avenge the wronged.
Never abandon a friend, ally, or noble cause.
Fight for the ideals of king, country, and chivalry.
Die with valor.
Always keep one's word of honor.
Always maintain one's principles.
Never betray a confidence or comrade.
Avoid deception.
Respect life and freedom.
Die with honor.
Exhibit manners.
Be polite and attentive.
Be respectful of host, women, and honor.
Loyalty to country, King, honor, freedom, and the code of chivalry.
Loyalty to one's friends and those who lay their trust in thee.

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I have a mighty calling ahead of me in raising boys! But then, they have a mighty high calling also.



Non nobis Domine, Domine
Non nobis Domine
Sed nomini, Sed nomini
Tu o da gloriam

Not unto us, O Lord
Not unto us, O Lord
But to Your name
But to Your name
May all the glory be

And I will adore You

I don't think I've ever heard a worship song that makes me think of Heaven as much as this one does. I'd not heard it before until yesterday and I can't get it out of my head.



It's soft, smooth and worshipful. Turn the volume up.

For me, this song paints a perfect vision of loveliness. I see dancers. I see ribbons. I see so much movement swirling around a central figure. I don't know what to say except this song thrills me with satisfaction.

Breach of Trust

I really liked this book. But one sentence alone isn't likely to read as a really great review, is it? Hmm.

Breach of Trust by DiAnn Mills is a new release from Tyndale House Publishers. It is the story of Paige Rogers, a small town librarian. Or is she? Paige is a former CIA operative that is in quasi hiding. Her past begins to haunt her and the things she has worked to keep hidden about past CIA operations are starting to leak out and effect her small town life. The formula for the story is somewhat predictable, however, author Diann Mills did manage to pull a few surprises. Mills style of writing is to throw facts at your like a punch in the gut. The story is moving along and then all of the sudden you are hit with a new set of facts which change the circumstances of everything. What you think is predictable suddenly isn't. Instead of gradually unfolding the story though and letting you tie together facts and get your conclusions at the end of the book, she feeds them to you in small doses. It's an interesting style of writing and a bit different than what I've come across in the past.

The story is suspenseful and one that I wanted to devour quickly so that I could reach some peace and resolution for myself. I'm not really a mystery/suspense reader anymore because I don't like feeling tense when I read. However, that said, this story was kinda fun. It reminded me a great deal of Dee Henderson's, The Negotiator. If you like Henderson, you'll like Mills and vice versa (Ronnica). ;)

The one thing I find interesting, and I'm not sure why the trend, is that the hero of the book is a female. The same thing kinda bothered me about The Negotiator. It's a I'm-a-Tough-Girl-Power-type-book-who-still-needs-a-strong-man-to-fall-in-love-with. I confess I don't get it. The love interest in the book is a strong male, fully capable of taking care of Paige and being a, well, manly man. But the girl in the story has the most struggles and problems and is the one with the gun, the one diffusing bombs and generally bringing order to the chaos. It's a trend in story telling that I don't quite understand the point of. I had to lay these thoughts aside in order to enjoy the story - which I successfully did. It's just a nagging thought in the back of my head. Why?

I read Breach of Trust for my church bookclub. It's kind of an interesting pick, but I honestly enjoyed it and will plan on reading the second book in this series, Breach of Security, which is due out in the Spring of 2010. (I'll be waiting a little while.) I'm curious to see where Mills goes with the story line and the characters are interesting enough to me to make me want to find out what happens to them -- even if it does mean a sleepless night or two! This book WAS fun and, again, provided you like a bit of suspense, I bet you'll find it fun too.

What's On Your Nightstand

Yup, it's been a month. I suppose I should just get used to the idea of time whizzing by. In some ways I'm grateful for it. I have to say that I'm rather eagerly looking forward to the second half of this year so the fact that we're practically into April doesn't really scare me so much as delights me. Still. I'm not getting as much done and feel rather stressed about it! Meet First Born Me! I will always want to be getting more done - and faster!

Anyway, checking in on my goals last month, I accomplished almost everything I wanted to read for 5 Minutes for Books. I read In The Shadow of the Sun King. I also completed reading Multiple Bles8ings and shocked people by not having ever heard of the show. I didn't, however, get around to reading Octavian Nothing. That's still on my list.

As for my personal reading, well, let's not even go there.

On my nightstand with hopes of being completed for this month are (in keeping with my Spring Reading Challenge "Pledge"):

For 5 Minutes for Books:

1. Around the World in Eighty Days (as part of the Classics Bookclub). I also promised to participate in a Podcast about this so you all might hear my voice soon. Yeah.Ok.Moving on.

2. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Vol I and Vol II

3. Simply C. S. Lewis: A Beginner's Guide to the Life and Works of C. S. Lewis

For Reading to Know:

1. Hood (The King Raven Trilogy, Book 1) (because Lisa recommended it and I am GOING to particpate in the I Read It Carnival over at 5M4B)

2. Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived (for my church book group)
3. Road Home, The (ditto)

4. Breach of Trust (again, the church book club)

Wish me luck!

And what about you all? I so look forward to What's On Your Nightstand and I know that so many of the rest of you do also. I look forward to seeing what is on your nightstands! See you around!

Quiz Monday (because it's Monday and I don't want to think)

Which Literature Classic am I?

Umberto Eco: The Name of the Rose. You are a mystery novel dealing with theology, especially with catholic vs liberal issues. You search wisdom and knowledge endlessly, feeling that learning is essential in life.

This result is ironic, considering the fact that I really despised this book and was unable to get past the first few chapters before giving up on it. Want to find out which classic you are? Go here.

What Book Should I Read Next?

I found this site that will recommend a "good book" for you to read. You put in the title of a book that you have enjoyed reading and then it will come up with a list of suggestions. It's so wrong. So, so wrong. It gave me a list of authors I have tried and failed with. I typed "The Mysterious Benedict Society" and its top suggestion was Edgar Allen Poe. WHAT!? I typed in "Anne of Green Gables" and it noted an error and asked me if I actually meant to say "Anne of Avonlea." It's top recommendations were other books by LMM. Oh help me.

What Literary Character are You Most Like?

You're Jean Valjean from Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo. You were unjustly imprisoned for 19 years, and when you got out, you devoted your life to helping others around you, while at the same time you evaded authorities. You helped a prostitute's daughter, and forgave all your enemies. You died at a nice old age, with your loved ones at your side. Aww.

Yeah. 48% of the people got this result and I think I know why. At any rate, if you are interested in finding out who YOU are like, go here.

Which Lucy Maud Montgomery Hero Are You?

Find out who you are here.

Spring Reading Thing 2009

I so enjoyed being a part of the Fall Into Reading Challenge over at Callapidder Days so it is with much joy and gladness that I am participating in her Spring Reading Challenge.

**Carrie gleefully rubs her hands together.**

My personal challenge is simply stated: To read every single review copy sitting on my shelf and clean the shelf off. When you see the list of books I have to review you might have a better idea of what I don't know whether or not to laugh or cry.

Here is when I admit the obvious to you: I am addicted to reading. I collect books for very good reasons, the problem is that I just can't seem to GET to them all in a reasonable time frame. So during the Spring Reading Challenge I thought I'd do some Spring Cleaning! Are you ready? These are the books I have sitting around here to read for either Reading to Know or 5 Minutes for Books (*gulp*)

For Reading to Know:

Reformation and Revival: The Story of the English Puritans

How to Argue like Jesus: Learning Persuasion from History's Greatest Communicator

Unveiling Islam, Updated and Expanded: An Insider's Look at Muslim Life and Beliefs

Breach of Trust (Call of Duty Series, Book 1)

The Man Who Created Sherlock Holmes: The Life and Times of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Clouds Over Mountains

For 5 Minutes for Books:

The Jew Store

If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name: News from Small-Town Alaska

Following the Nez Perce Trail: A Guide to the Nee-me-poo National Historic Trail with Eyewitness Accounts

Veiled Freedom

Shame Lifter: Replacing Your Fears and Tears with Forgiveness, Truth, and Hope

To Build a Ship

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party & its sequel, The Kingdom on the Waves

Project Pearl: The 1Million Smuggled Bibles That Changed China

Margaret Mitchell and John Marsh: The Love Story Behind Gone With the Wind

Tara Revisited: Women, War, & the Plantation Legend

Think that's enough? I'm thinking probably so - even though I haven't mentioned the other dozen or so titles that are sitting on my shelves staring at me! But when I'm done it'll feel oh so good!

So that's my plan. Succeed or fail, it's My Great Attempt. What a great opportunity! Thanks, Katrina, for hosting and motivating us all! I look forward to visiting around to see what has made its way into your Spring Challenge.