Posted in Books

I recently had an email discussion with a good friend about book collecting.  She had noticed that in my blog profile I list collecting antique books as one of my interests.  I should have said that I love collecting books in general.  I never seem to have enough books, and homeschooling is a handy excuse to collect even more.  With my friend, I bemoaned the fact that I simply do not have enough space for all the books I have.  This is rather telling of the extent of my book-buying habit, considering the fact that I have several floor-to-ceiling bookshelves which are filled to overflowing with all those lovely books I've collected over the years.

Despite being quite choosy about the books I buy, I have a wish list longer than my arm of books I would like to own.  I also have a rather long list of school-related books I plan to get for next year.  Theoretically, that list should dwindle the longer I homeschool and the more books I have already purchased.  In reality, however, it continues to grow...

Money being tight, I love a good book bargain, and that's where used books come in.  Used books are often less expensive than new, and there is also something special about holding and enjoying something that has been appreciated by unknown others before me.  This is especially true of children's books and classics.  There is a special joy in knowing that a certain copy of a certain book has been the means of opening wonderful new worlds to someone who, though grown up now, may have as a child been shaped by the ideas held within its pages.  Antique or used books hold this charm, which newer books cannot begin to possess.

I have recently rediscovered the wonders of online directories of out-of-print books.  Websites like Main Lesson,  Project Gutenberg, Bibliomania, and my favorite place for links to wonderful online children's books, Ambleside Online have been a great help in providing access to rare treasures.  Printing books from the internet can save lots of money as well, and can be a blessing for the budget-minded homeschool family.  I will admit, though, that reading a book on the computer screen or from a stack of printer paper just doesn't feel the same as reading from an actual book.  For me, there is nothing that compares to the way a book feels in my hands, the way it smells, the way a stack of books looks, patiently waiting on my nightstand or lined up on a bookshelf.

Books are such an important part of my life.  In many ways, our family's days are centered around books: school books, reference books,  how-to books, leisure reading, and of course the Book of Books (the Bible).  What would I do without books?

....I'd have a lot of empty shelves.

Posted in Books

Laurie Bluedorn (I so appreciate the wisdom of the Bluedorn family) recently shared her list of Puritan books on "soul care".  I enjoyed what she had to say about the Puritans:

"People in the 1600s had just as many problems as we do now – actually, life was harder than it is today. We stress out about our credit card payment – they worried about finding enough food for even the next meal. The Puritans were experts at taking the sometimes dry theological truths of Scripture and applying them to the very heart of your deep, dark problem. Reading the Puritans, you’re going to wonder how they seemed to know 400 years ago the very things which trouble your own soul. There are no conditions – no, not even yours – which aren’t addressed in the Scriptures and which the Puritans expertly apply like a healing salve to your troubled heart.

The central theme for many of these soul care books is how God works all things in the world for His own glory and His people’s good. They liked to call it Providence. The Puritans urge us to love Providence.

Here are some titles: The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (my favorite); All Things for Good by Thomas Watson (my second favorite); The Christian in Complete Armour by William Gurnall; Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices by Thomas Brooks; Personal Declension and Revival by Octavius Winslow; The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards; Heaven on Earth by Thomas Brooks; A Lifting Up for the Downcast by William Bridge; The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes; The Christian’s Great Interest by William Guthrie."

I'd say that sounds like a pretty good list, wouldn't you?  I plan to read at least two or three of these titles over the next year.  Good, solid Puritan theology is meaty, thought-provoking, real soul food.

Posted in Books

1.      First impressions are not always reliable.

2.      People are not always what they seem.

3.      You can learn to live in harmony with even the most eccentric family member.

4.      Money really can’t buy happiness.

5.      A sense of humor can go a long way in dealing with life’s trials.

6.      It’s okay to be quiet and reserved. The quiet people (though they may seem boring) are often the ones who hold things together when everyone else is panicking.

7.      Honoring a commitment, even when it is not convenient, is a very admirable thing to do.

8.      It’s never a good idea to meddle in other people’s business.  Don’t give unsolicited advice--it can get you in a lot of trouble.

9.      A cheerful attitude can go a long way toward making life more enjoyable.

10.  Life does not always turn out the way it does in books.

11.  Don’t despair if you are the victim of gossip.  Eventually the gossipers will tire of talking about you and move on to someone more interesting.

12.  Don’t always believe what you hear about someone, especially if it is negative.

Posted in Books

I have recently finished reading The Second Mayflower.  What a powerful book.  This is a book that has the potential to shift paradigms and inspire change in the hearts and lives of readers.  In the times in which we live, it is so easy to become fearful.  As we look around us at such matters as rising food and oil prices, the moral decline of our culture, the rights of Christians being taken away on every front, and the uncertain outcome of the upcoming presidential election, it is tempting to become pessimistic about the future.  However, as Kevin Swanson, the author of this excellent books reminds us, God is in control and His Kingdom will ultimately prevail.

In his book, Mr. Swanson puts forth a vision of victory for Christ's people and Kingdom which is inspiring and solidly Scriptural.  After briefly cataloging the facts about the sad state of our current culture, he harkens back to the time of the Puritans and Seperatists, recalling the vision of the first Mayflower and what the Pilgrims fathers set out to accomplish as they settled in the New World.  He then goes on to cast a vision for what he calls a Second Mayflower, a movement in which Christians will act as salt and light in changing the culture for the Kingdom of Christ.

"The Second Mayflower starts today where the first Mayflower started--in the hearts of those who envision something better than this world.  It starts with those who cannot live with the status quo, nor can they live without a dream for something better.  It starts with those who can see where they are and have set a vision for that 'something better' by the standards of God's transcendent law."

"Those who play the part of the Pilgrims and Puritans will see the stark contrast between what is and what ought to be.  If the First Mayflower gives birth to the second, some part of the vision will be discernable from the original founding of this nation.  But not all of it.  Indeed, the vision to which we chart our voyage cannot be a replay of the First Mayflower either geographically or idealogically.  We do not face the identical problems nor do we share the same geo-political and social situation as the early founders of this nation.... Times have changed, but the ultimate standard of truth and ethics has not changed.  That standard is the law of God.  According to Proverbs 29:18, our vision comes by the law of God.  And that vision is clarified only as we come to understand God's truth and walk in it."

This vision is for our children and our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren.  We are laying the foundation; they are the ones who will someday see the fruits of our labor of today.  And the foundation starts with the education of our children.

"Our children's education must begin with a heart attitude of fear towards God....  For the Chrisitan, the process of education must be centered around fear of God, faith in God, love for God, and the character that flows out from these things.  If God is reality and He has created man for relationship with Himself, education will be far more focused on discipleship rooted in relationships than in learning the bare facts about geography, geology, and geometry."

The foundation continues in a proper understanding and appreciation for the specific God-designed roles of men and women.  It grows in the strength of the family as the basic building block of society.  The covenental unity of family-life and the proper function of each member within the home is essential to the vision of the Second Mayflower.

Kevin Swanson's vision is encouraging and inspiring.  It is purposeful and powerful.  It is a vision for the future triumph of Christ's Kingdom through the commitment of His people to follow His Word in their own lives.

"Without reformation of heart and life, there will be no Chrisitan community; there will be no 'city on a hill'.  Spiritual maturity will come by way of the powerful, convicting preaching of God's Word in the church (2 Tim. 4:2), the daily study of God's Word in the home (as individuals and families), and, of course, in the application of it in our lives.  It comes by faith in Christ's salvation and passionate love for Christ and His kingdom."

"In truth, [the Second Mayflower] is nothing more than living life the way God designed to be lived in family and church.  It is simply returning to the sufficiency and life relevance of God's Word, and incarnating it into real life and real relationships....  It is a life of victorious Christan living!  It is a life of blessing."

The Second Mayflower is a book many Christians will read and find fresh hope in.  It's message is timely and necessary.  It is a clarion call we cannot afford to ignore.

Posted in Books

I am a person who likes books.  Reading has been one of my favorite pastimes since childhood.  I simply love to read.  I like to learn new things and be informed in areas of interest.  So I read--a lot.  For the last two years, I have kept a record of the books I have read.  I didn't realized how much I read until I started writing down in a journal each time I finished a book.  I like looking back at the list of books I have read; it is valuable to be able to keep track of the sorts of reading I am doing.  It helps me choose which direction I want my reading to continue in and which books I should choose in the future.  Of course, I also keep a running list of books I want to read--I'll let you guess which list is longer.

My husband has assured me that posting 2007's book list would be interesting to some.  So, per his suggestion, here it is.  I warn you, it is rather long.  And I completely understand if you choose to skip over it--I'll just blame my husband for having the idea.  I probably wouldn't read the entire list of 52 books someone else read in a year, either (then again, maybe I would; it might give me some good ideas for books I would want to read).

Books Read in 2007

Let Us Highly Resove by David and Shirley Quine*
Ever After by Karen Kingsbury
Beloved Bride by Bill Potter*
100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy
SAHM I Am by Meredith Efken
Family Unplanning by Craig Houghton
Home Educated and Now Adults by Brian Ray
Family-Integrated Church by J. Mark Fox
Biblical Eldership by Alexander Strauch
Forever by Karen Kingsbury
Uniting Church and Home by Eric Wallace*
Parenting in the Pew by Robbie Castleman*
Is Jesus Coming Soon? by Gary Demar
Dispensationalism: Rightly Dividing the People of God? by Keith A. Mathison
Last Days Madness by Gary Demar*
Homeschool Heroes by Christopher Klicka*
A Heart Promptly Offered by David Hall
A Merry Heart by Wanda Brunstetter
Homeschooling for Eternity by Skeet Savage*
A Critique of Modern Youth Ministry by Christopher Schlect*
Knowing Scripture by R.C. Sproul*
Looking for a Miracle by Wanda Brunstetter
The Shaping of a Christian Family by Elizabeth Elliot*
The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey*
The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman & Ross Campbell
Sunrise by Karen Kingsbury
A Tendering in the Storm by Jane Kirkpatrick
A Thousand Tomorrows by Karen Kingsbury
Family Worship by Kerry Ptacek
Educating Your Gifted Child by Vicki Caruana
Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper*
Courting Trouble by Deanna Gist
Handbook of Denominations by Frank S. Mead & Samuel S. Hill
"Don't Make Me Count to Three!" by Ginger Plowman
The Mom Walk by Sally Clarkson*
Summer by Karen Kingsbury
Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper*
Family-Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham*
The God Who Is There by Francis Schaeffer
Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Mally
Shop, Save, and Share by Ellie Kay
To Have and To Hold by Mary Johnston
The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp
Passionate Houswives: Desperate for God by Jennie Chancey & Stacy McDonald*
What is a Family? by Edith Schaeffer*
Cowboy Christmas by Catherine Palmer
Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage in the Bible by Jay E. Adams
The Spontaneous Spread of Home-Discipleship Christianity by Henry Reyenga, Jr.
A Church in the House by Matthew Henry*
Winsome Womanhood by Margaret Elizabeth Sangster
Escape From Reason by Francis Schaeffer
We Would See Jesus by Roy Hession*

If you read through the entire list above, you must love books as much as I do!  Please be aware that I do not necessarily endorse all of the books on the list.  Some are better than others.  The use of discernment is essential in choosing reading material.  I have marked with an astrisk (*) those books I would especially recommend.

Happy reading!

Posted in Books

I like books.  A lot.  Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an understatement.  I suppose it could be said that I am a fanatical booklover.  I love the feel of a book in my hand.  I love the smell of books.  One of my favorite outings is a visit to a bookstore.  There is just something wonderful about being completely surrounded by books.  I take my children to the library at least once a week.  Just last week, we dragged home from our town’s little library a bag laden with almost a dozen books.  Yes, I definitely like books.  

I have an ongoing problem directly related to this obsession.  You see, I never seem to have enough places to put all the books I own.  God, in His kindness and providence, saw fit to make me the wife of a cabinetmaker.  Handy, isn’t it?  Whenever I get really desperate for shelf space, I just say, “Honey, could you please build me another bookshelf?”  And my very talented and generous husband whips one right up.  In fact, he just installed a brand new bookshelf in our schoolroom over the weekend.  I spent most of Saturday afternoon, as well as some of today, reorganizing my many volumes and placing them on my (at present) three floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.  The trouble is, now every shelf is full, including the newly-installed set.  (Hmm, I think I’m running out of walls to place bookshelves on…)  Of course, I could never simply stop buying books—what fun would that be?  I’ll just have to keep my husband busy in his shop on the weekends....