Beauty and the Beast

I've been reading new books and re-reading books on my shelf lately and because everything is piling up, I figured I'd share snippets of the books that have been passing through my thoughts of late.

Pearl Girls is a new little gift from Moody Publishers. It is a compilation of the personal stories of women who have known what it feels like to get a little grit in their lives. Compiled by Margaret McSweeney, she explains that she wanted to share the stories of individual women who have suffered from a variety of troubles and who have begun to see how God used those exact trials and troubles to refine them. There are stories about women who suffered emotional abuse, physical abuse, loneliness, single motherhood, and crisis pregnancies. What struck me about the book was not that these individuals were facing horrible and scary situations. What shone through is each individual story-sharer's relationship with God and the peace she was left with in return for her trauma. These stories radiated hope. I was a little afraid that this book would focus so much on the struggles that that would be all I would see, but that was not the case at all.

The Bible says that God has a future and a hope for us and instead of feeling "down" after reading this book, I felt lifted up and encouraged. God sends "grit" into our lives to refine us and make us beautiful pearls. As McSweeney explains in the introduction to this book, she sees these women as a string of pearls which does provide a very beautiful mental image.

Instead of feeling wary about Pearl Girls, I am delighted with the focus on God's perfection in timing, care, love and concerns. There are sixty-five stories within these pages and not a one of them hurls curses at God, demanding different lives and life situations. Each one humbly bows her heart to her Creator, accepting His will and thanking Him for it! This is a beautiful book as a result. Not every story is dramatic in that not each person was traumatically abused. Some women simply shared how God grew a servant's heart within them, working in them through ordinary situations. Some women "simply" dealt with pride, some with hurt feelings. Still, all recognized that God had a plan for their good in each situation.

For inspiration, a pick-me-up, a reminder that you are not alone in your sufferings or just to encourage you to look at your daily struggles (e.g., too many errands to run, not enough quiet time, etc.) as God's means of refining your character - this book is, well, . . . beautiful!

A book that would not seem quite so beautiful to others, but one that I have on my bookshelf and pull out from time to time, is Doug Wilson's A Serrated Edge: A Brief Defense of Biblical Satire and Trinitarian Skylarking. I can't help it. I love this book. I am drawn and disposed to it, you might say.

Ok, so if you are familiar with Doug Wilson and his style, you already know that he often comes across as brash, arrogant and pokes too much fun at things other Christians are doing. As a Christian, this can be somewhat riling if you are staring at the fingers he extends to tickle you with. Those that disagree with him often react recoil in indignation and sometimes, I have to say, they have every right to. Sometimes I've read what Wilson has written and thought to myself, "Now why did you say it like that?!" However, having had the privilege (yes, the privilege!) of having him for my pastor for almost a year when I lived in Idaho, I "hear" what he says in print a little easier. He writes very much in the manner that he speaks and I think there is something to understanding Wilson by listening to him talk. When you hear the way he approaches speeches and every day conversation, some of the things that make you scratch your head end up just making you chuckle.

And all of that is simply my introduction to Wilson and has very little (in actuality!) to do with this book.

People's complaints about Wilson (well, one of the complaints anyway) is that he makes too much fun of what they consider to be holy. He is thought irreverent. A Serrated Edge is his 115 page response in defense of his style.

Briefly stated in a blog post, the defense is thus: If what the Bible says is true and we are to be like Jesus, then we have permission to speak as he did, pointing out flaws and poking fun of the leaders of the day to illuminate truth and damage lies.

As a woman reading this book, I am split. On the one hand I agree that a woman is to have a gentle and quiet spirit, answering carefully, wisely and well the situations that she is presented with. On the other hand, I feel that woman should increase their understanding and be discerning. Also, I think that ANY Christian, male or female, should learn when to answer a fool according to his folly (Provbers 26:5) and when to not answer a fool according to his folly (Proverbs 26:4). Jesus said some pretty pointed things to people as He shared the truest, most holy and accurate gospel. Sometimes he wasn't very "nice" about it.

As a mere introduction to Wilson's arguments I'll share this passage in the opening of this book:

"Satire treats the foibles of sinners with a less than perfect tenderness. "Satire is the exposure of human vice or follow through rebuke or ridicule . . . It might consist of an entire book (e.g.., Amos), or it can be as small as an individual proverb.'" But nevertheless, if a Christan employs satire today, he is almost immediate called to account for his "unbiblical" behavior. There are many explanations for this, and it is hoped that this small book will address the more important of them. But we should begin by noting the true oddness of our position. Suppose a man were to refer to a certain respected theologians dismissively as having graduated from the Bag of Snakes Seminary. He would instantly be upbraided for his un-Christlike behavior. Unfortunately for the one delivering the rebuke, it was discovered shortly thereafter that the speaker was Christ (Matt. 23:33)." (page 12)

In short, I think that sometimes we are called to give a gentle answer to a folly and sometimes we are to speak directly to it (i.e., "harshly" if you will, and with humor to point out the flaw!). There is a balance. I haven't found it. But it does exist.

I have a great many more thoughts I could share on this book, but I'll leave it there for now. In short, I think it provides a great deal of food for thought.

So here you have this edition of "Short Takes" from Carrie. The Beauty and the Beast. A rather marvelous study in contrasts for today!

Fear + Trepidation + Obsession = New Blog

We interrupt our regular broadcast for a fleeting moment to unveil you to the latest project and reading goal.

Spread the word and join the club!

Reading My Library



(It's all Amy's fault, really.)

I've already brought my first stack of books home and I'm on a roll!

And no, this does not mean I'm leaving Reading to Know in the lurch. I'll still be doin' my thing here as well.

Journey to the Well

It's the 5th Tuesday of the month so it's time for another I Read It! carnival over at 5 Minutes for Books where we look to find out what you might have read that we recommended. Did you like it? Hate it? The team members take each other's recommendations as well and this past month I took the liberty of picking up one of Melissa's suggestions, Journey to the Well (see Melissa's review by clicking on the title). Like Melissa, I'm not really a big fan of novelized scripture (and I'm not really a big fan of Christian fiction either!) but the story caught my attention and I really wanted to see what this book was all about.

At our church, over the course of the past year, we've been talking about what it means to be a 'true worshipper.' The passage of scripture that talks about the woman at the well (John 4) has been discussed (more than) a few times and so I probably felt more drawn to reading this particular adaptation of the story than I would have otherwise been. Now, I cannot honestly say that I liked this book. Nor can I honestly say that I did not like this book. It has its pros and cons with me.

On the one hand, I thought the author gave too much detail about this woman's "bedroom", shall we say? She was discrete but I thought she also painted too detailed a picture at times. I realize that she was trying to share, historically, what it would be like for a young woman of 14 to marry and how terrifying that experience might have been. But still. This book is one of those times when I wish fiction would leave statements of fact to non-fiction history books. Whenever historical fact of this nature ties itself into a non-fiction read, I feel like the subject is over dramatized to play on the emotions of the reader. On the flip side, you might say that you might "really know" the characters or that they become "real" when you can identify with them so closely, knowing their highest mountain top experiences as well as by walking valleys with them. For my part, I just wish she had left a few details out.

That said, the way that she crafted a story of what could have been the experiences of the woman at the well created an understanding in me. This woman was thought to be vile. She was shunned by those who knew her or knew of her. She was pitiful and broken, knowing both heartache and loss. I walked away from this book with two realizations:

1. Her past held a great deal of sin which was known in her community;

2. She was well-known enough for her sketchy past that when she ran into the people saying, "Come see this man who knows all I've done!" (v.29) people sat up and took note. They thought enough of her existence (even if they thought about it negatively) that when she came into contact with the crowd, they listened to her crazy yelling.

In other words, she suffered miserably for a time. Some of us (including myself!) might say to God, "WHY are you taking me through this rough season? For what purpose!?" But I do believe that what Romans 8:28 says is true - that all things will work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purposes. To state it bluntly: the people listened to her calls for them to come and meet Jesus because of the reputation she had (and it can be assumed that it was a bad one)! She had to have had some type of standing in the community - be it good or bad - for the crowds to willingly come running at her behest.

We do not know what this woman's life was like before meeting Jesus at the well. How exactly did she come to have five husbands and be living with one who was not her husband? Diana Taylor's interpretation of her life until that time is mere fabrication and I still am not really sure what I should think of that. I don't know if the novelization of scripture is a good thing or a bad thing and in some ways I think it's too soon to tell. In twenty years, we'll probably have a better idea. (I know what I think of the "cartoonization" of scripture in the form of Veggie Tales. I once had a little kid inform me that the Bible story I had related to them wasn't really how it happened. "That's not what happened on Veggie Tales!" Henceforth I've carried a little bit of a grudge against Veggie Tales retelling of Bible stories.) I'm NOT sure what the effect of such novels will be and so I hesitate around them.

That said, the story was impacting, engaging, created a cast of characters that I was keen to know and plenty of suspense to see how Taylor would tie things all together.

On this one I would not say that I have a firm opinion on it, precisely for the reason that I just don't know what historical effect such writings will have on Christianity. I think it is something that we ought to think about, for sure. Do you have a thought or an opinion that you'd like to share on that topic? I'd really love to hear it!

In the meantime, thanks, Melissa, for offering a selection that was good to "chew" on. I am very glad that I read it. I appreciate your review and appreciate YOU for the things that you also hold dear! Thank you for your faithfulness.

Nancy Moser's Women of History series

Let it be known in the gates! I like Nancy Moser's Women of History series. I first stumbled upon Just Jane at our local bookstore. I didn't buy it because I was unfamiliar with it. However, shortly thereafter, Jennifer asked me if I wanted to review Washington's Lady for 5 Minutes for Moms. I figured a review copy was a good way to familiarize myself with Moser. Turns out I LOVED Moser's style.

Being a fan of learning about history (and currently pursuing a degree in it!), I have a bent towards historical fiction to begin with. I particularly like the way that Moser uses the spelling rules from the times at which she writes and has her characters speak as best as we imagine that they did "back in the day" (as opposed to writing dialogue of the 21st century or what have you). She researches her stories and her characters and incorporates facts into her writing. When she isn't sure exactly how a particular incident came to pass in an individual's life, she researches as best as she can and fabricates a scenario that she thinks suits what the person might have or could have done. In the back of her books, she clearly states to the reader what parts of her book were fact and what was fiction, to dispel any ambiguity.

Although her historical fiction books are not the things of fact I typically love, I think her "Women of History" series does a great service to readers of the day because the characters she writes about are so engaging that I'm frequently drawn to learn more about them. The lives and the times she has chosen to engage us with truly are fascinating and I find myself getting lost in her books for pure enjoyment purposes.

That said, I'm really not one for keeping up with new releases (of anything) and I didn't realize that Moser had released another book until I saw that Lisa had reviewed How Do I Love Thee? over at 5 Minutes for Books! (Due to Lisa's review being the primary motivation that I sought out this title, I'm linking this review up to the I Read It Carnival at 5 Minutes for Books.) Then I found that Barbara was reading it too!

How Do I Love Thee? is the story of Elizabeth Barret Browning and her "poetic romance" with Robert Browning. I feel like Barbara gave a good overview of what the book is about on her site and there is much I can add to it. My opinion of the book matched Barbara's well.

To begin, we meet Elizabeth Barrett who is in her 30's and an unhealthy recluse. She suffered from health issues which kept her to her bed and she was also shy and distrustful when it came to meeting other people. For the first almost 40 years of her life, she very seldom left her bedroom and kept family as her company. So removed was she from the world, that she really didn't seem to know what was going on downstairs in the family home. Spoiled and favored by her father above all of the rest of his children, she thought herself "pure" by her willing seclusion from the world. None of this changed for her until a young man named Robert Browning entered the picture, begging for an interview with this poetess which she strangely granted to him. It was he who encouraged her to, quite literally, stick her head out of her bedroom window and feel the breeze. He encouraged her to take walks in the park. It was such a big deal for her to venture out that going down to join her family for dinner was a noted big deal. (It's rather astounding to me to think that anyone could live that way and truly be happy.)

Of course, Elizabeth and Robert fall in love and she ends up defying her father, who has forbidden any of his children to marry (for unknown reasons) by marrying. The book is written in such a way as to cause the writer to want to cheer when she finally breaks free of her bedroom, her house and her father. However, I have to say that the book didn't produce that response in me (even though I know that was what I was supposed to do). For my part, I just found her story so overwhelmingly sad that I didn't find anyone to really be the winner in the situation. At the risk of spoiling the book, I will simply say that although Elizabeth and Robert found love in the end, there was a price to pay for it.

I don't read history or learn about it to give me warm fuzzies so it doesn't bother me to come to the end of a book about a historical figure and feel dissatisfied with them. That should not detract from the author's writing skills which drew me in to the book in the first place. Rather, I read about people in the past to learn about my present and my children's future. History should be a lesson to us, practically and spiritually and therefore I highly encourage the exploration of it in any form, fictional or otherwise. If a book can open your eyes to the past and make you think about the way that you live, then I think the book is worthy of some consideration.

Moser's Women of History series is definitely worth some consideration. They are healthy, fun, informative, reflective, well written and (moderately) defended books of which I do enjoy. How Do I Love Thee? is no exception to this rule. I'm very glad to have read it.

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See my review of Washington's Lady

See my review of Just Jane

See my review of Mozart's Sister

Betsy & Tacy, Part I: Initial Enthusiasm

I haven't ever read the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace, although apparently my friend Sarah at Library Hospital is a pretty big fan. She has been reading through the series lately and is hosting a reading challenge in hopes of garnering support of her little craze and I'm happy to get on board and fill in some holes in my reading repertoire. Here I am!

When I heard about this challenge, I thought I would read just the first book or two of the series to familiarize myself with it. I picked up the books at the library and got going and now I confess that I'm ploughing through the series post-haste. Why!? Because I cannot get enough of these little girls.

The woman we have to thank for the series ---->

You know, most pictures of authors in days gone by do not look remotely attractive. They look glum and austere. I was delighted to look at this picture of Maud Hart Lovelace and see relaxed happiness. She doesn't look pinched at all! Rather, she looks like someone who knows how to laugh, which makes her books easier to understand.

(She kinda has a Renée Zellweger pursed lip thing going here, don'tcha think?)

At any rate, I think she looks charming. I know her books sure are!

Sarah, you have sparked a new love in me for this series. Thanks for the prompt. Over the course of the next month, while the Maud Hart Lovelace Challenge is going on, I hope to finish the series. I'm finding it's not that difficult a reading project.

Find out more about Sarah's challenge by CLICKING HERE!

Don't forget to have fun (it would be hard not to)!

****

Also, if you'd like to learn about the original illustrator for the Betsy-Tacy books, you can read my post about Lois Lenski. I had fun learning more about her last week!

Friday Favs

Hosted by Susanne Living to Tell the Story, this is a meme I want to participate in to remind me to keep looking for the silver linings around clouds, and to take joy in the "little things" of life.

1. It's boisterous. It's excited. But so am I (because as of today, I'm down one more exam towards my history degree!):



2. We went to this cool Renaissance Faire last weekend that was WAY cool. We decided to make it a yearly habit. Here is one picture for your enjoyment:




You can see a few more of our pictures if you want to visit our photography blog. (All of the pictures are pretty cool. Because knights jousting IS pretty cool deal, afterall!)

3. I took a stack of books into a local used bookstore and got $32 in trade which I got to go a bit crazy with. That's always fun. Along the way I picked up the following book per many of your (subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle) suggestions:



So, eventually, I really will read it!

4.



I wrote about Beauty Will Rise yesterday and WHY I am so excited about it.

5. IT'S A WEEKEND (and daddy doesn't have to go to work tomorrow)!!!!!

Hope you all have a good one!

Blessings,
Carrie

Lois Lenski

Thanks to Amy, I've been visiting the library a bit more frequently these days. Previously, I've chosen to avoid the library because I usually forget to return the books and that can become a little ridiculous. However, I'm doing a little bit better in that regard and we've been finding some new treasures. One of the treasures I've "discovered" is Lois Lenski. This amazing woman illustrated around 50 books for other authors and wrote and illustrated about 100 of her own! To say that she was prolific is something of an understatement! Very intriguing woman.

Born in 1893 to a Lutheran pastor and his wife, she spent her growing up years in Ohio and Illinois. Her mother was a homemaker (cheers!) and nurtered all of her children well, and between the two of them, Lois' parents created a very stable home environment. One of her father's hobbies was drawing and he encouraged his children to join him in this particular pursuit. By all accounts, it would seem that her parent's love and encouragement to pursue both talent and education served their children well. I like that.

Although her parents assumed that she would become a teacher upon completing her education at Ohio State, Lois instead pursued her artistic talents, moving to New York to study at the Art Students League. (From what information I've seen, this didn't create any hard feelings between her and her parents. It was just a deviation from their plans for her. But don't children do that? They change on you when you least expect it!) As it turns out, studying at the Art Students League propelled Lois in new directions and, in one of her classes, she ended up meeting her future husand, Arthur Covey. By marrying Arthuer, Lois became a step-mother to his two children and they went on to have another son together, named Stephen.

Lois spent much of her early career illustrating the adventures of Betsy-Tacy (much beloved by Sarah at Library Hospital).

You might also recognize this familiar children's book (an earlier edition, obviously):



Eventually, a publisher suggested that she start writing and illustrating her own books and the rest, as they say, is history!

The books that I found at the library were part of a series, the "Mr. Smal" series, that were inspired by the toddler years of her son, Stephen. I found the following titles: The Little Airplane and The Little Sailboat which I thought my own son would very much enjoy.



The books were rather technical for my two year old. I'm rather impressed with them, actually, for having been geared towards a toddler back in the late 1930's! If you open up the front cover of a 1966 edition of the airplane book it says, "Simply and accurately presented story of Mr. Small and his airplane. Gives information about how an airplane flies and what its basic parts are."

My son isn't much into mechanics yet in book form, so they were a bit above his head but utterly fascinating to me! The sailboat book is just like the airplane book in wanting to teach children sailing lingo. It's filled with words (that confuse me!) such as: mooring, tiller, and jibe. It sounds like a foreign language when you are reading it aloud (that is, if you aren't used to sailing!) which put it a bit beyond us but, again, I still appreciated how much attention to detail Mrs. Lenski gave to her "Small" books.

The one thing I've grown irritated with, in learning more about her, is how publishers are rereleasing her titles with the illustrations appearing in color instead of their original black and white. The cover art image you see above of The Little Sailboat is in color (published 2003) but the 1960 edition (originally published in 1937) that our library owns is in full black and white. I prefer it in it's original form as that is part of it's rich history! Take a look at the differences in the cover art for Cowboy Small:


1949, 2003

I just feel like there is so much lost in the glamor of the original publications when you try to "spice them up" for a more modern audience.

I have really enjoyed learning more about Lois Lenski. If you would like to learn more information about her, visit the Milner Library website. In the meantime, perhaps you might identify a few more of her pieces of work?

Music Ministry

I. am. a HUGE fan of Steven Curtis Chapman. When I was growing up, my dad, who was a worship leader in our church, examined every album I ever bought. He would read the lyrics to make sure that they were solid. He didn't care so much about the sound the music made, so much as the lyrics were solid. I found this dedication of his somewhat annoying while secretly being grateful that my dad cared enough about me to care about what I was listening to. At any rate, several musicians didn't make the cut of my dad's approval list. But! Steven Curtis Chapman always made the cut. So I've been a fan of his since For the Sake of the Call.

When the Chapman family decided to pursue adoption and started talking about it and promoting it, I thought that was wonderful. When we felt the call to adopt ourselves, I took an even greater notice in what the Chapman's were doing and began to deeply appreciate their willingness to stand front and center in front of the media and discuss it. I've admired their dedication to their daughters and for spreading the message about adoption.



Therefore, when I heard that their adopted daughter, Maria, had been killed when her older brother accidentally hit her with his vehicle, I was heartbroken, as were many who knew the Chapman family and have followed SCC's music ministry.

What I didn't know at the time was that the pain the Chapman family was walking through with Maria's death was one my own family would walk through with the surprise death of my brother-in-law, Landon, at age 19 earlier this year. What I didn't know when Maria died was that the Chapman's were being walked into a new type of ministry that would aid me in processing the death of my own father from cancer. They visualized death before me and as a result their ministry continues to bless.

I could not be more interested in Steven Curtis Chapman's minstry as I have watched him process the death of his daughter - with hurt unimaginable. Here is the first clip of a series from his and his wife Mary Beth's interview with Larry King (you can find the other segments from there):



They share a message of hope, past death. They speak triumphantly, knowing that God will work all of this out for their good and for His glory. They speak with strong faith that has been tested and tried. I know it has been tested and tried because the depth of pain that death takes you to is uniminable and you HAVE to hold onto God with ALL of your might, only to discover that you have no strength of your own to give to the battle and you must rely on God's strength to pull you through. It was, in fact, one of SCC's songs that spoke to me the most as my dad was dying. This is the song:



Then I saw a clip of Maria's memorial service which is only about 2 minutes long and worth a look just for the soundbites:

"This is the kind of thing we need to spend our time doing. Just seeing and celebrating the glory of God where it shows up in the pain, in the joy that He gives us in this life." ~ Steven Curtis Chapman

Celebrating the glory of God in the joy is easy, yes? But it is celebrating in the pain that is excruciating. But when you see someone doing it, doesn't it just lift your heart and build you up?

Therefore I was incredibly excited (over exuberant, if the truth must be known!) to discover that Steven Curtis Chapman has just finished recording a new album which is due out November 3, 2009.



(You can pre-order Beauty Will Rise on Amazon if you want but I'll actually be running to our local bookstore on that date to pick up my copy for same day satisfaction and, really, ministry.)

I listened to this song (and then an illegal upload of the lead title, Beauty Will Rise, from Youtube which I won't post here out of courtesy)

This following song says so much of what I feel:



I wrote down the words to Beauty Will Rise as I was listening to it (and simultaneously bawling my eyes out).

"Take another breath now
and let the tears come falling down

... out of these ashes, beauty will rise."

It truly hurts me worse when I hear people talking about the pain of life without discussing the triumph we can know in Christ. That yes, even though the pain cuts so deep that the scars never feel like they can possibly heal over (and even then, that you might not want them to), that God is still in control. To hear this musician standing up and saying, "Blessed be the name of the Lord" in the midst of heartache, soothes my soul.

So I was sitting here at my desk this afternoon while Bookworm1 was napping, listening to Beauty Will Rise and weeping and laughing simultaneously. Why was I crying? Because I was thinking of death. Why was I laughing? Because death takes us to life and the grave has been conquered. I was laughing because tragedy is already being turned around and used for glory. Death has already lost the battle. Christ has already won the victory. That is why, folks, the Chapman family can still stand up. It is the only reason my mom gets out of bed every day and the only reason I can joy in a future where my children will not know my earthly father or their uncle who everyone loved.

I weep for the pain. I laugh because of the victory. It doesn't necessarily make sense but this is the mercy of God.

I don't always understand God (nor do I expect to) but I can say confidently that He will make all things beautiful in His time. And just as a tiny, tiny piece of proof - He gave Steven Curtis Chapman the ability to write and sing Beauty Will Rise. And it's a truth. Beauty will rise. It is, as SCC sings, "a promise."

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness. Psalm 30:11

Read Aloud Thursday

Earlier this week I mentioned that we've been watching a few Reading Rainbow episodes. We most recently watched the episode, Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin (author: Lloyd Moss) in which LeVar takes us on a trip to New York City's Julliard School of Music. As is the habit of Reading Rainbow, they offer a few additional recommendations of books to read, one of which was Max Found Two Sticks. We checked that one out from the library and found it to be pretty entertaining.

In Max Found Two Sticks we meet a young boy who "didn't feel like talking to anyone" but felt more like being alone. As he sat on his front steps, watching the clouds roll by, he saw two sticks fall from the tree and onto the ground. Max takes the sticks and starts pat-pat-patting. His relations are asking him what he's doing as he "dong . . . dang . . . dungs" on bottles, and "ding . . . dong. . . ding!" joining in with the rhythm of the bells at the church. The book has its own rhythm as it follows along with Max "dum . . . dum-de-dum" You can almost hear him pattering about with the sticks. This book had my son looking for sticks of his own so I suppose you could say that this book is potentially dangerous. However, it encourages exploration of sounds and rhythms and I think that's a pretty good thing!

The other book recommended on this particular episode of Reading Rainbow was Animal Orchestra which we have our own copy of. This book is fabulous and gets pulled down from the shelf for reading with some regularity. Watching this episode just encouraged yet another re-read and this is a book that neither Bookworm1 nor I ever seem to tire of. All of the animals are gathering together to play their instruments. A hippo acts as conductor, the animals roar and cheer for the band and in the end everyone shouts, "HIP! HIPPO-RAY!" It's told in rhyme and is cute and clever. It introduces children to instruments with the help of cuddly and curious creatures. We're big animals fans around here as well, so when introducing music and instruments, this book has come in handy. (This is a great book to buy and keep on the family bookshelf. It has great value and features so many animals and instruments to keep the reader engaged time and time again!)

Lastly, we picked up a copy of Over in the Meadow by Olive A. Wadsworth which was a real treat! This one I found while browsing the children's shelves at the library and I quickly popped it into our bag. I figured it would be a winner and was not just a little delighted upon finishing the book to have Bookworm1 ask me, "Can we read it again?" (There is a request I cannot refuse!) Least you become confused, this book also has a great deal to do with rhythm and music because it reads in a syncopated rhythm. The added bonus is, again, that it has to do with animals. We've read this one over and over again and I'm rather loathed to return it to the library! (But I will! I will!) Our favorite page spread involved four little mice gnawing away:

"Over in the meadow
by the old barn door
Lived an old mother rat
and her little ratties four.
Gnaw said the mother.
We gnaw said the four.
So they gnawed all day by the old barn door."

It's just plain fun.

I love discovering new titles for us to enjoy and we really do love reading in themes. When Bookworm1 wants to learn about any one thing in particular, everything revolves around that item or concept. I appreciated the deviation in learning about musical instruments that Reading Rainbow offered in terms of learning specifically about rhythm. (I'm also happy to report that Bookworm1 has pretty decent rhythm for a two year old.)

Music continues to fill our house and we love surrounding ourselves with it - even in the form of books!

Quiverfull

I found Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement when browsing the list of titles linked up to Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books a few weeks back. Civil Thoughts reviewed this book and I just had to find a copy for myself. I quickly hopped onto our library's website and placed a hold on the title. Then I just sat and waited for it, with bright, shiny eyes and hands rubbing together in gleeful anticipation. I am happy to report that this book did not disappoint in my expectations for it! It surprised me with its accuracy, but it did not disappoint.

I'm so excited about this book (define that very carefully!) that I'm not even sure where to start.

This book is a relatively new release and is written by Kathryn Joyce, who is a cultural reporter and has written for publications such as Newsweek and the Harvard Divinity Bulletin. Basically speaking, she researches religious cultures and tells other people about what she found. In Quiverfull she spends a good deal of time exploring the "religious right" movement which could be described as being very conservative. She attended women's retreats, visited churches, and spoke with many leaders within the conservative Christian and very much home schooled movement - the type that like to bear children and then keep them at home and educate them. (Oh, I must contain my glee!! It is so hard.)

Joyce is an excellent researcher. There does not seem to be one stone left unturned when she was exploring the vastness (or perhaps not so vast-ness) of this conservative "movement." She spoke with Nancy Campbell of Above Rubies. She read DeMoss. She explored the writings and teachings of The Center for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. She saturated herself inside Vision Forum and attended Martha Peace events. Mary Pride books were also consulted and she talked about HSLDA. (Morecraft, the Pearls, Bill Gothard and a few others I'm not listing here also got a "nod" from Joyce.) I was extremely impressed with how thorough - and how very accurate - her remarks were about each of these individuals and ministries. She knew of whom she was speaking and she represented them well with accurate quotes and spot-on accuracy in translating the message of each of these organizations. The message she deduced from researching these organizations? That there is a movement towards a fundamental return to scriptures to discern what roles men and women are to play and what a Christian's attitude should be towards procreation.

The "problem", if you will, is that Kathryn Joyce does not care for the message that men should be the leaders, women the submissive followers and that the two combined should 'people the world.' As a result, I found this book mystifying, fascinating and an all-together enjoyable reading experience. And I don't agree with her conclusions at all!

Joyce was, I felt, above all, respectful of her subject matter. Her manner of writing is meant to be informative, primarily. She uses few of her own words to lay out her opinion on this "movement" and when she does speak for herself, there is a strong sense of disapproval. However, her chief aim is to be informative and she does that very well. Knowing the people of whom she spoke - sometimes knowing them personally myself (she dropped a few names of some people I know directly which was amusing to me!) - she captured the argument that Christians are to be "fruitful and multiply" very well. I'm repeating myself but I do want to state very clearly that I thought she was accurate and fair in her assessment of the facts.

It is true. There is a movement, a reformation if you will, that is drawing Christians back to the Bible for advice on all sorts of things. Christians want to "get back to the basics" and find out what scriptures have to say about money, marriage, children, family, life, etc. Although Joyce fixated on one particular aspect of this movement, there was so much more she could have written had her scope been a tad bit broader. Even still, it seemed hard for her to focus on the concept of children alone. Although the title is Quiverfull, insinuating she was going to look at the numbers of children being birthed by Christians, she finds it very hard not to talk about how wives and mother's bodies, emotions and freedom fare in all of this. In other words, she doesn't find the lifestyle of a woman bent on having a family and nurturing and caring for them all that appealing.

Hold tight, though. At the very end of the book she concludes that there is a grain of truth to this concept of Biblical manhood and womanhood and family, if you will. However, she argues that groups and sectors of the Christian population have taken this too far and pinned too much on women bearing children against their better judgment, amid health concerns and "at all costs." She took particular issue with Vision Forum, dedicating a great deal of her displeasure towards Doug Phillips and the like. Now, I'm not really a big fan of Vision Forum on the whole, and some of the examples that she gave for some of Phillips' extremism is rather regrettable. While researching, though, Joyce made a friend - a Christian woman - who told her that she was focusing on people's strict belief system and not their Christian faith and that was affecting her opinion. I would have to say that that is most definitely the case. She really shares the worst about Vision Forum (and pinpoints some of the things I rather don't agree with them myself on). I can sympathize with her own vision of them and translation. It's easy to misinterpret some of the things that come out of that organization.

I also want to be very careful to say that I also agree with much of what comes out with Vision Forum, although I do not feel compelled to submit myself to all their ways and all their teachings. I prefer the gleaning method. Joyce's main complaints seem to be two-fold (and across the board, but again, specifically choosing to nitpick Vision Forum):

1. Women are not allowed to speak up against an abusive husband; and

2. Women are locked into roles of seclusion within their homes, to be assigned nothing but childbearing and childcare, regardless of their talents, wishes or personal desires.

In answer to number one, I have to honestly say that I do not know of an "official" position on how women are to deal with abusive husbands so I cannot speak authoritatively on that point. I do know what my position is and it's more along the lines of a "one strike, you're out!" rule. Women in life threatening or endangered situations should not be required and or forced by anyone to stay in such an unhealthy environment. There is a verse in scripture that says that women should submit to their husbands and if the husband is unsaved she should attempt to win him by her behavior, continuing to respect and love him. However, if he is abusing her, I see nothing in scripture that requires her to put her life or family at stake in hopes of winning him. She may flee the home (with the full blessing and support of other Christians, I would sincerely hope!) and let someone else approach him regarding his repentance and salvation. That is my very firm opinion and to say otherwise I think is to take scripture too far under the word "submit."

As to point number two, I am rather familiar with the idea that women should tend to their homes first and then if they find that everything is in order there, they should feel free to make friendship with other women and have those "ladies' night outs" that women both crave and need. There were some quotes and excerpts shared by Joyce from Vision Forum materials encouraging women to be something of isolationists, accepting their husband as their best and only friend. I have to put a big question mark on Joyce's excerpt and interpretation there. The reason for my question mark is that I know of no women who subscribe to that mindset, nor have I ever been taught that (and I've seen my fair share of "conservative home school" materials, let me tell ya!). I do think it is important for women to attend to the affairs of their own home, making sure their children are cared for before they flee for a night out on the town and that is all I've ever been seen taught. I speculate that Joyce framed her excerpt in a less than fair way on this point. I know of no one who has a problem with the idea of the wife having a night out to herself and I know of no woman who is discontent in their lot as mothers and homemakers. (Not to say that they don't exist, but that I do not know of any that would voluntarily trade her position in the home for something else.)

I do think feminism has tried to make women discontent at home. Society has mocked the idea of a large family or worse - hasn't even tried to understand it. Instead of saying, "Children are a blessing" they are more apt to say "children are an inconvenience." Instead of promoting the concept of building a family, society would rather say, "don't give us more than we can bear to raise on your behalf." We DO need to return to the basics and find out what the Bible says about children.

Now, the one main reason I really want to make sure that Christians not only know about this book, but read it and understand it is because we really have some reverse discrimination going on here. (Oh, these inflammatory words!) From the back of the book jacket we read:

"Quiverfull takes us into the heart of a movement we ignore at our
peril, and offers a fascinating examination of the twenty-first-century
women and men who proclaim self-sacrifice and submission as model virtues of
womanhood - and as warfare on behalf of Christ." (emphasis mine.)

Since I more readily identify myself with the "quiverfull movement"
(although I have not heard that term before reading this book!), I would say in
response to that bookjacket flap, "You ignore me at your peril?"

I respond with this:

"Children are a blessing from the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is His
reward." Psalms 127:3

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Ps. 139:14

Children are a blessing. They are fearfully and wonderfully made. We have the gift, opportunity and blessing to make them a part of our lives. Why would we not?

This book wants to make an attack on the "patriarchy movement" but while it intends to give a stomach punch, it ends up feeling like a mere flick. I think that the groups and people that Joyce interviewed, investigated and critiqued would say that her representations were accurate for the most part. They DO think children are a treasure. They do NOT think that we should limit our joy in having one or none. They WOULD promote the concept of family and would argue that men are to lead boldly and women to follow the lead in happy surrender and love. (What Joyce mentioned but didn't fixate on is that the women who are following are also called to be respected in their calling. Read: Not respective of the male alone. Rather, the man should respect the woman and love her as she follows his lead. Submission with honor and reverence on both sides.) There are unhealthy marriages on both sides of the line, folks. Christian or no, the world is pretty messed up. Some Christian marriages are successful and have produced many more children than the new sedan has seats for. That should not make them oddities and should not hold them up for ridicule and speculation. If nothing else, than in the "spirit of tolerance" which the modern world cries for, they should hold back their critique and speculation and welcome the children with open arms and without hostility for their existence.

To argue against the Christian population is something I find in remarkable bad taste if you want to express "tolerance" for all. If Joyce was truly feeling tolerant, this book would not have been written and I know that. So for her accuracy in reporting, there is still subversiveness to the world's culture not to notice people by color, race or size of family. Please note, I boldly tell you that I do not see this book as a threat at all. In fact, her arguments had about the exact opposite effect on me than she meant to. I just want to point out that fair's fair. She is welcome to this book and, according to her own arguments, I am welcome to my children. I'm good with that.

Time's Up! Starting the clock over (again) . . .

YES! I feel very happy about this last month because I read everything that was on my nightstand last month!

You can click on the titles to see my reviews:

Get Married - check!

Start Your Family - check!

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - check!

The Real Wizard of Oz - check!

Last month was so successful that I think I'll only tell you about the four titles I purpose to read this month. It's an easier goal for me to reach, I think. Last month I told you about books I was planning to read for Reading to Know so this month I'll tell you about four books I intend to read for 5 Minutes for Books, with one exception.

My friend Sarah at Library Hospital is hosting a Maud Hart Lovelace Challenge on her blog and I fully intend to participate in that. You might be familiar with her name because of the Betsy-Tacy books. I've never read them before and I'm glad Sarah is encouraging me in them. I picked up the first two books in the series from the library and I'm anxious to get to them.



To find out more about this challenge, CLICK HERE.

Now for the books I am planning to read for 5 Minutes for Books:

I've always enjoyed the concept of public speaking, if not actually doing so. Anything that pertains to learning how to become a better communicator tends to catch my eye. (It doesn't necessarily mean that I will put into practice what I've learned. However, I do like the idea of it. Ha! Pathetic.)

This book just looks plain cool. The premise is intriguing and I'm having a hard time keeping myself away from this one while I take care of other reading projects!

The following book has been sitting on my shelf for longer than I meant it to be there. Since it has to do with adoption, and we're on the tail end of closing our own adoption, I'm feeling very motivated to read this book:

Lastly, I've had this book on my nightstand before. I started it. And it's really interesting! But then I got sidetracked. I need to pick it up and complete it which shouldn't be too hard because I was well into it and I know it's a good read.

So, no one needs to make good on their threats of not leaving comments or unsubscribing if I didn't finish my Nightstand reads from last month! I followed through! I did it!

Now I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else accomplished!