Sunshine Days
Favorites
March was a surprisingly un-busy month for our family, though it picked up toward the end. That is a blessing since April & May usually get pretty full. I'm already cringing as I peek at those coming weeks!
I managed to get some reading done, even borrowing books for myself from the local library. I'm always looking at items for the kids, so I usually don't take the time to get any for myself. I also have dozens of books on my own shelf that I need to read...
And I went to a library book sale that I found out about last year. (My idea of a fun Saturday morning!) It was a delightful treasure hunt, but I brought people along, so I didn't want to make them wait too long for me!
In this modern American society where churches have wielded power to control & silence, we have thousands of people fleeing the church. (And we shouldn't be surprised!) But for those of us who are part of a Gospel-centered, Christ-honoring local church, how are we doing? Are we truly enjoying the good gift God gave us in these congregations? This book (along with one I read in January called More than Christians by Norman Hubbard) follow a similar structure in taking the reader back to the days of the early church. What patterns did those early believers establish that should inform our modern churches? How can we recreate those first century churches in our local bodies today? By looking at how our brothers & sisters interacted, we can see ways that our "cultural Christianity" falls glaringly short. We can't just go to church to be entertained or to socialize or be seen. We have to reframe our thinking & find ways of falling deeply in love with the church Jesus paid it all for.
One of the more popular books from the last few years, I finally borrowed this book via Hoopla. The concept of lament is perhaps underrepresented in most evangelical writing. However, lament should be a regular practice of the Christian. We should be mourning over the injustice we see in our world, the heartbreak of our friends, the persecution of our Christian brothers & sisters. Even more personally, we should be grieved over our own sin, our prideful rebellions against our loving Creator God. We could all use some instruction & Biblical reminders of the need for lamentation. Highly recommend! (Some other great books on lament are No More Faking Fine by Ester Fleece Allen & Just Be Honest by Clint Watkins.)
Such an interesting book! The author takes us through various everyday objects that serve as symbols in the Bible & shows how these seemingly ordinary things can point our hearts to Jesus. From flowers & fruit to earthquakes & rainbows, Wilson traces these ideas through the story of Scripture, noting their significance. I love these types of studies & was just thinking of doing something similar for a blog series, but now I feel grossly inadequate after reading this insightful book! The chapters are fairly short & concise, yet they are packed with such wonderful truths. He also points out how God purposefully used such common objects so that we would have frequent reminders of Him throughout our days. Bread, water, trees, salt--all of them teach us something about God. Such a great accessible theology book for all of us!
A slightly more "academic" book than I usually grab, but I impulsively checked it out from my local library. Most of the information here has been shared & repackaged & proven. Of course, the education establishment largely ignores such things, insisting that children know their letters before Kindergarten & read before first grade. It baffles me that state curricula insist on doing the exact opposite of what the experts say. Between the pressure to get kids to perform better on tests (another thing experts say are overrated) & various lobbyists insisting that their agendas be included, our children are the ones who lose out. Anyway, if you are interested in education like I am, this might be a book to put on your TBR list.
Taking a deeper look at the miracles of Jesus, Wilson draws out the deeper story being told by each one. Why did Jesus choose to heal the blind man in that way? Why did He tell the quadriplegic that his sins were forgiven first before he healed him? Why did Jesus feed the 5,000 & also the 4,000? And how in the world did He sleep through a storm that almost sank the boat He was in? The author's writing style & dedication to faithful interpretation of Scripture & his enthusiastic love for Jesus all come through. I will definitely be reading more by this author.
Lunchtime read-aloud these past few weeks. It's a fun little read & the kids enjoyed it. We also were thinking of the movie a bit & finding differences--some we liked & some we didn't. You definitely feel for sweet little Charlie Bucket as he struggles to survive. What the Bucket house lacks in material possessions, they make up for love for each other. His parents' sacrificial love & his devotion to his grandparents, make him someone to root for in contrast to the other children who find the golden tickets. I'll admit that we skipped over some of the Oompa Loompa songs, but I think we got the idea without them.
I got a bit choked up as Betsy & Tacy walked up the Big Hill one last time. Betsy marries Joe, the boy she's loved for years. Tacy is a married mother of 2. Their walk happens on the morning of Tib's wedding. America is just entering the Great War, but Betsy is full of hope as the book ends. She's confident Joe will come home & they will finally have a baby. While this book might lack some of the warmth & depth of some others, it is the end of an era for me & Tyndale as we wrap up our time with Betsy. I hope she reads it again when she gets a bit older & still enjoys it.
My 7-year-old picked this as his free read this past month & boy, did we struggle through it! I had some reservations about starting it & the book is just so kooky. It's part of pop culture, so I persevered. I might or might not have skipped over a few of the more trippy parts. I'm sure I'd really get into it if I started investigating what Carroll was really trying to say. The English teacher in me really wants to do that, but I just don't have the brain space for that right now. Anyway, maybe just watch the movie instead of suffering through the book?
Thanks for bearing with all of my bookish blogging!
Cheering you on!
{This post contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through one of these links, I receive a small percentage as commission. Thanks!}
Enter your email to join the list and be among the first to hear about new shop items, special offers and blog posts.
Comments