A Life That Says Welcome

"Entertaining puts the emphasis on you and how you can impress others. Offering hospitality puts the emphasis on others and strives to meet their physical and spiritual needs so that they feel refreshed, not impressed, when they leave your home" ~ Karen Ehman

Karen Ehman is the author of A Life That Says Welcome. It is a book on hospitality - not on entertaining people. This book starts with a biblical definition for practicing hospitality and then take you through the practical implications of God's expectation for His people to be a hospitable people. She argues well the whys - the heart of the matter and then takes you on a practical journey to get you started and keep you going.

Ms. Ehman takes you to 1 Peter 4:9 Be hospitable to one another without complaint. She shows the reader that this is something expected of God's children; it is assumed that we will be sharing our lives and homes with each other and strangers. She will take you through stories in the Bible where hospitality is seen in action, sometimes done well, sometimes not so well.

The author will also take you on the journey with her through her own experiences and growth in the area of hospitality. So if you like good stories about peoples lives, I think you will enjoy reading this book.

She encourages the reader to press on and practice hospitality from Romans 12:13 "contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality." To practice means: "To do or perform habitually; to make a habit of; to exercise or perform repeatedly in order to acquire or polish a skill." ( Websters Dictionary)

She admonishes us to roll up our sleeves and get to work! She says: "Whether you live in an apartment, a modest home, or a mansion, you are not exempt from our Father's admonition that you show hospitality to His children and those who are yet to be His children. Yes, our being willing to offer hospitality can help people to new life in Christ."


So often we can be told to be hospitable and be given every Biblical and theological reason behind it and be left wondering where to start. Not so with this book. We are given how to start with our family. She encourages us to start small, like sending notes or picking flowers for someone to encourage them.

The book gives us step by step instructions on how to de-clutter and then teaches us to speed clean so that we are always ready for company at any point in time. There are even recipes to make your own cleaning products.

The book is packed with advise and clear instructions on how to prepare for overnight guests. She gives a list of things to keep on hand like, little bottles of shampoo, and soap, and nice lotions, guest towels, and shaving cream; etc.

Recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinners, and desserts are also supplied in this book.

After reading this book, I was encouraged to grow in contentment realizing that being content with what God has given me will manifest itself in sharing it no matter how great or small. The flame of passion for practicing hospitality was fanned and I felt encouraged to press on and do it all the more and improve. I came out hopeful that over time my skills in showing hospitality will grow. I came out being reminded that if you yourself are kind and put on the apron of a servant, lend a listening ear, and care for the concerns and needs of those around you, it does not matter what condition your physical home is in, whether you have changed your decor to meet the demands of the changing culture ( you will read a story of a woman who hadn't changed a thing in her house for 20 years and yet people loved to be with her in her home), it won't matter if you wear the right clothes, have the biggest space, a new table, or are even the best cook. If you yourself are welcoming, people will feel welcome and overlook any imperfections in your home, cooking, or appearance.

I think this book is helpful for any season of life and every hospitality skill level. I would highly recommend it as a group study as well, because it may give opportunity to encourage one another in this area.

So read this book and roll up your sleeves and get to work, because after reading this you will have no excuses, you will know where to start and how to continue on.

** Details will be coming soon about an online book discussion using this book.

Spiritual Reformation

A Call to Spiritual Reformation by D.A. Carson is not the same book as A Praying Life by Paul Miller. While both books focus on prayer, Miller deals mainly on the extremely central place that prayer should have in a believers life and the reality that we should focus much prayer on every aspect/event/situation/relationship in our life. Carson takes a different route.

If you and I are honest, most of us will admit that our prayer lives are in a sad state. When we remember to pray it is usually for food or for the aunt having surgery. While it is absolutely right and good to thank God for the food that He has provided and it is true that God cares about our aunt's surgery and is glorified when we come to Him with our needs, these are only shadows of what our prayers could be. Carson addresses this possibility in Spiritual Reformation.

The book starts out with the well-founded claim that, as a whole, the overall body of Christians in the world today is in a bad place. We are complacent and our spiritual lives lack urgency, joy, and fervor. Carson calls all believers to a radical transformation - a spiritual reformation. He goes on to say that this reformation must begin and end in prayer. We are weak and sinful creatures and must, as the writers of Hebrews said, continually "draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (4:16).

Carson points out that the practice of prayer is taught and modeled in scripture and that the Bible is full of amazing illustrations of prayer. Unfortunately, we generally pay very little attention to these inspired examples. Most of Spiritual Reformation is devoted to examining prayers of Paul.

The breakthrough of this concept for me came when I realized that I have no idea what the will of God is about my aunt's biopsy or the neighbor's car accident or my school payments. Scripture does not address these issues. It does, however, address in great detail the fruits of the Spirit, the 'sign-posts' of a Christian life, the perils of sin and Satan, and the importance of perseverance in the faith. I know that the will of God is for my aunt to grow in her love for the Lord. I know that it is the will of God that my neighbor pursue a greater knowledge of God. I know that the will of God in my life is to have patience. Carson encourages us to pray within the known will of God.

Another breakthrough came when I realized the eternal value of these prayers as opposed to those regarding the more material aspects of our lives. Again, these material aspects are all good things to pray about. As I mentioned in an earlier post this month, we should be in continual prayer for these areas. However, the vast majority of our prayer life should not be consumed with that which shall pass away but with that which is eternal. These prayers have eternal power!

Many of you know that my mother is staying with her family in Maryland for the remainder of the month. As such, she is very much on my mind and in my prayers. Below, I have quoted my favorite prayer of Paul's, found in the first chapter of Philippians. I have recorded a prayer for my mama as she is far from me that I have taken from the principles in this prayer. Join with me in reforming our prayer lives in such a way that we have massive and powerful influence on the eternal souls of those we know!

<sup>Philippians 1:9-11 "And this I pray, that your love may about still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."

Father, I come before you for my mama. I love her and miss her and know that she is in a difficult situation. Her family does not know you and so I first ask that you would change this. I know that you delight to save sinners and so I ask that you would save my grandparents, my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Soften their hearts father, show them your love.
I ask that you would grow my mother's love for you to such a great extent that her family cannot help but take notice and become enviable of the obvious joy she has in You. I thank you for all of the knowledge that she has of You but ask that You would keep her from becoming content in where she is now, but rather that You would give her the strength to push on ever father in her pursuit of You. I ask that as her knowledge of you grows, her love for you would grow with it. Keep her strong in her faith Lord. Help her to run the race, to run it well and not to stop running until she is face to face with You. Keep her eyes on the goal, Lord, on eternity with You. Grow her in righteousness, Father. Cause her to overflow with the fruits of the Spirit. Keep her mind fixed on the gospel, for without the gospel everything is in vain.
As always, Father, I ask these things for my mama's good, and for YOUR GLORY! Amen.</sup>

Book Review - A Praying Life

I hate doing book reviews. I'm not very good at them. My friend Laura would tell me that this is because I am a "details" person rather than a "big picture" person - I want to spend far too much time on the specific points, observations, and chapters in a book rather than being content to give the general idea.

That being said, this is a book review for Paul Miller's A Praying Life. The book was so good that I put aside all of my reservations and fears of writing reviews in order to tell you how good it is. I have been begging the elder's wives to do it as a book study and I am confident that I am slowly wearing them down!

A Praying Life is (obviously) about prayer. It discusses every aspect of prayer that you could think of, from how to pray to when to pray to reasons to pray to real-life stories of answers to prayer. Miller includes a wide range of ideas for prayer journals and other prayer tracking methods.

This book really dives in and looks at the question of what a life of prayer really looks like. Miller discusses how even an "average Christian" can have a praying life and offers many amazing stories of how God has answered prayer and worked through prayer in the lives of many ordinary people.

In short, this is the best book on prayer that I have ever read. Miller doesn't mess around. He speaks bluntly about the Christian's responsibility to pray. He speaks openly about the difficulty of prayer and then goes straight into a myriad of solutions. He shares story after story of how God blessed prayer in his life and in the lives of others.

This is not a book you read quickly. This is a book that you read slowly, considering every page. This is a book that you can't wait to put into action. This is a book that encourages you to press on. If I had to suggest the one Christian book that you would read in 2010, this would be it! That is how strongly I feel about A Praying Life.

Prayer is a crucial part of a believer's life that is often overlooked. I pray that each of you will read this book, be encouraged and convicted, and come out of it a strong woman of prayer. A daughter who is not afraid to go to her Father for anything. A daughter who can joyfully recount answer after answer to prayer. A daughter who is fully reliant on her Father in every area of her life.

Tactics Book Review

Tactics Book Review, written by Kim Henry

Gregory Koukl's book was one of the best books regarding witnessing that I have ever read. It was great to glean from his many years of experience in talking with people on the radio as well as from conversations with people that the Lord has brought into his life. There are many conversations with many different types of people in the book as well as many questions to ask our friends and family. For example, a conversation with a witch was particularly helpful to me in that I find talking with a witch intimidating.

His idea of questioning people is brilliant. Rather than us telling people the gospel, which many times falls on deaf ears, he suggests asking questions. This way we can determine whether or not they are ready to hear. If they aren't ready we can continue to show them the love of Christ and pray for them. While asking the Lord to prepare their hearts and to show us when to try again. Asking questions also allows them to think about their positions/religions in a way that they may never have before. He points out that many people believe certain things simply because the person that they heard these ideas from presented a good argument. They have never given their opinions any thought they have merely accepted them.

He explains that the questions must be bathed in love and not for the sake of winning an argument. As we know, many Christians have been antagonistic and represented Christianity poorly. The goal is to help people to think and open the doors for further conversations.

My prayer is that every Christian will read this book and that those of you that are able to come to the book discussion will join us. I would like to discuss ways to begin to put Gregory Koukl's method into practice as well as hand out a card with questions that we can begin to memorize.

Spiritual Mothering: The Titus 2 Model for Women Mentoring Women

Spritual Mothering is a book that, once on your hands, you must read, evaluate, and apply. Honestly, I can't say enough good about this book. From beginning to end it is biblical, careful, practical, convicting, convincing, and simple. Do you want to know how to live the gospel and impact the world around you as a woman? Read the Bible and then read this book that will come alongside you, and show what this can look like and why Spiritual mothering needs to happen.

As the author, Susan Hunt puts it: Not every woman can give biological birth, but every Christian woman can enter the high calling of spiritual reproduction and motherhood.

In this book we are given to principals that are foundational to spiritually mothering a younger woman.

1. God is our reference point, the model for all of life.
2. We are created to glorify God. This life purpose is the driving force of our spiritual mothering.

Spiritual mothering is when a woman possessing faith and spiritual maturity enters into a relationship with a younger woman in order to encourage and equip her to live for God's glory. She will train this woman to be able to apply the word of God to areas of our lives that are uniquely feminine.

In the book, after defining Spiritual motherhood and who is to be training younger women, she goes on to show us how to invest time and energy into someone younger. After every chapter there are questions and homework. When I say homework,I don't mean write a paper and pat yourself on the back. It is "life" homework. She has you doing things such as choosing a woman to pray for, writing a thank you note to a godly woman, approaching a godly woman and asking them to meet with you. She tells you to write to a younger woman a note of encouragement; another assignment is go and ask a younger woman if you can come and help her cook dinner, or come pray with her, or babysit so she can go out with her husband. She actually tries to get you to do some of the stuff she talks about in the book.


She weaves in practical biblical application and testimonies throughout the book. As you read about sound doctrine being essential to helping a younger woman submit to her husband, you will read a testimony from a woman about how another woman touched her life. She uses real life stories from women who had someone come alongside of them and helped them biblically deal with loneliness and singleness. Sometimes in the stories you will read of rocky marriages and woman coming alongside and equipping them to persevere for sake of the gospel. You will read stories of tired moms with young children learning to serve their families and enjoy them, and have sweet communion with God, because a godly woman came alongside to equip and encourage like she should.

You will be surprised that it is not about the bold, well- known, gifted beyond belief, unattainable, unapproachable woman. Most of the women you will read about inspiring, encouraging and equipping, are the meek, kind, understated women. You will read about an 18 year old on fire for Jesus helping a 16 year old who grew up in church but had no desire for God. You will read about an elderly single, quiet women praying for and babysitting for some young moms in her church. You will simply read of regular women, leading normal everyday lives; cooking, cleaning, caring for the needs of her family, but doing so for Jesus, having great impact for the Kingdom one woman at a time. For me, this was encouraging.

There was a time when women simply lived life together. They sewed together, cooked together, helped deliver babies and care for a newborn together; but that, my friends, is no longer the case. We must be more intentional. We have to see that God set it up so that we would care for one another, and you as a woman are set apart to influence the younger women around you. But that will not happen without working at it, because we live in a time and culture that makes it more difficult. We are independent of one another and frankly would rather allow tv, magazines and books tell us how to live, what it means to be feminine, how to raise kids, change a diaper, love a husband, and impact the world, then the mature seasoned woman sitting next to us in the pew. And then, sometimes, even if we would love for a godly woman to help us, they are nowhere to be found because they are to busy and unavailable.

This book caused me to reflect on the women who have come alongside me in various ways and grow me in my appreciation of them. I can see how valuable the advice of several who have encouraged me to enjoy the baby crying because someday it is a sound I will miss. I appreciate the hope they inspire in me when I talk to others whose husbands have been without proper employment and see how they have come through that. I have benefited greatly as I see women who will take the time to pray with me and encourage me to stay focused on what my duties are now because I have young children, and stop worrying about what I can't do right now. They encourage me to glorify God in the here and now, and actually enjoy my children and not see them as a hindrance.

Thank you, ladies.


May God raise up many who will affect this world for Jesus one woman at a time.

Gospel Powered Parenting book review from Challies

Tim challies has a book review on his site called Gospel Powered Parenting.

Here is an excerpt from his review:

"We cannot effectively teach or discipline or care for our children if we ignore the gospel. This is the message of the book and it is one we, as Christian parents, do well to ponder and to heed."

Looks like a book worth reading.

Practical Theology for Women

I recently finished reading a book by a relatively unknown woman who authored one book. Her name is Wendy Alsup and she is a deaconess at Mars Hill Church in Seattle. She teaches theology to women at her church, although right now she mainly does so through her blog, Practical Theology For Women. I would encourage you to check it out.

The book I recently read is also called Practical Theology for Women. I found it to be precisely what the title proclaims. It is simply practical. If you are looking for something in depth or more technical, Wayne Grudem is your man. But if you want something short, in simple language, easy to understand with personal testimony and application weaved throughout, this is a good book to have and use for individual study and/or with a woman you are discipling. I would say, high school age through ancient old! :)

Wendy seems to have a deep passion for teaching women theology or about God because in her own words, " Truly, there is nothing like a good grasp of accurate knowledge about God to enable you to meet the practical demands of your life - the practical demands of being a daughter, mother, wife, sister, or friend."

Sisters, this so true! We react to trials and hardships with our health, finances, relationships, and jobs really based on what we believe about God. We might not always be conscious of it, but if we are trusting in the knowledge and faithfulness and sovereignty and compassion of an Almighty, Infinite, Eternal, Unchanging God, our reactions to the struggles of everyday life will be dealt with and viewed in such a way that the world around us will be perplexed at the peace and delight we display each day!

When I am discontent, angry and feeling self-pity because my husband can't find decent work, I'm struggling with my health, we work our butts off for the sake of the gospel (in our minds at least) with very little visible fruit, and the house seems to be falling apart faster than we can fix it... then there is something wrong in my theology, or my belief about God. My eyes are somewhere they don't belong (usually on myself), and I have no eternal vision for the Glory that is to come as I finally see my savior face to face. I'm not really believing Him and seeing Him for who He is!

So, I am glad I read this book. I'm glad God has chosen to reveal much about Himself through His word so that we would not be frustrated, lost people. And, I am looking forward to an eternity of God revealing more and more of who He is to me and those I call my brothers and sisters through Jesus Christ.

As a woman I can attest to the fact that sometimes deep study and reading theology books can seem overwhelming simply because it seems so time consuming and impractical when as ladies we live very practical lives: changing diapers, cooking meals, cleaning piles of dirty laundry (which some crazy friend of mine "likes" to do), scrubbing floors, showing hospitality, training children, helping with homework, paying bills, shopping, making beds, serving husbands, ministering in church and sometimes working time consuming and stress filled jobs.

What we need to learn is that theology-sound theology and ever growing theology causes us to live out our practical, everyday lives to the glory of God with true joy and fulfillment because we are ever growing in our love and knowledge of the One we do these things for!

For a review of her book from Discerning Reader, go here.

The Last Battle

I know, I know, you've heard it before, but the Last Battle is my current favorite book in the Chronicles of Narnia. :) Its very different from the other six books in the series. The story begins with an ape (who is smart and cunning) and a donkey (who is stupid and lazy) discovering a lion's skin. Shift, the ape, dresses up Puzzle in the skin and they conspire to pretend that he is Aslan. We then move over to the current king of Narnia, a young man named Trinian, and his unicorn, Jewel. They initially are thrilled with the reports that Aslan has come, but then confused and worried when new reports, such as of talking animals being sold into slavery to the Calormen's -Aslan's orders - arrive. They conclude that there is nothing else to do but go and discover the truth of the situation for themselves, for they are loyal to Aslan. They know that he is not a "tame lion" and that he need not follow the rules that he has set down for his followers, but they also know his character and are confused by his supposed actions. When they arrive at the place where Shift and Puzzel have set themselves up, they are just in time to witness a Cat convincing the gathered Narnians and Calormens that Aslan and the Calormen god, Tash, are one and the same. Now, Trinian knows this to be a lie, and calls it such, and is then tied up and taken prisoner as a heritic. That night, Trinian is convinced by the ceremonies he sees and the orders he hears given by 'Aslan' that he cries out for help to the High King Peter. As a result, Eustace and Jill are sent to Narnia to assist him. They free the King and escape. Eustace and Trinian find some Calormen armor and begin to conspire how they might use it to fool their enemies. While they are doing this, however, Jill sneaks into the stable where they are keeping Puzzel during the day (because otherwise it would have been really obvious that he was not a true Lion) and frees the donkey, bringing him back with her to their hiding place. Trinian wants the donkey killed for his treachery and blasphemy but Jill intervenese, pointing out that the donkey was tricked in the first place by the ape and that he is very sorry for what has happened and wants to help right it. So they execute their plan - Trinian and Eustace, posing as high ranking Calormen officers, go through the camps in search of Narnian slaves who are submitting because they believe themselves to be there on Aslan's orders, they then bring out Puzzel, dressed in the lion skin.
Of course, now a war breaks out, the Narnian's who believe Tirian against the Calormens and the Narnian's that don't. The dwarves split away on their own (with the exception of one, who chooses to join the Narnian side), chanting that dwarves are for dwarves, and fighting both sides. Its a really horrible time in Narnia and Tirian, Jill, and Eustace are struggling not to loose hope. They receive news then, through an Eagle, that Narnia has fallen, Cair Paravel has been taken by the Calormen army. Jill and Eustace wonder what will happen if (when, as it seems now) they die in Narnia. They journey back to the stable where they were keeping Puzzel and still claim to have Tashlan (their combined name for Aslan and Tash). They are dealing with the rumors that Aslan really isn't inside and have chosen to deal with it by allowing people to go inside the stable if they choose - one at a time. They can then see for themselves if the god really is inside, if they dare. This causes much disturbance and no one is willing to go inside. Finally, the Cat who was responsible for convincing the Narnians and Calormens that Aslan and Tash were two different names for the same god, volunteers to go inside, as part of the ploy. Everything does not go to plan though, and when he emerges from the stable, he is terrified out of his wits and has forgotten how to talk, completely. He is no longer a talking animal. This settles it for the Narnians, they will not go in to see Aslan. But a young Calormen soldier named Emeth steps forward and volunteers to go in. He loves Tash, and has served him faithfully all his life, and wishes to meet him. His superior officers try to dissuade him of this, subtally, for they know what waits inside the stable, but they can't make too big a deal of it or risk giving themselves away to the Narnians. So he goes inside and a moment later falls out again, dead. The Calormens then try to force a talking boar inside and when Tirian, Eustace, and Jill see this, they jump out of their hiding place and call all true Narnians to their side to fight this lie. A huge battle begins now and soon the children find themselves fighting with their backs to the stable. Some dwarves are thrown inside by the Calormen army. Finally, they themselves give way before the army and find themselves hurtling backwards into the stable.
Tirian sees this happen and is sad for his friends that have died. Suddenly, an idea occurs to him, and he grabs the head Calormen soldier, who has been in league with the ape since the beginning, and jumps into the stable with him. There, they are greated by the god Tash, who is very displeased with his servent and kills him. When he turns on Trinian, however, he is banished by seven beautiful kings and queens, all obviously of Narnia. They order him back to his own lands and never to come to Aslan's land again. Tash obeys. Trinian then recognizes the youngest king and queen as Eustace and Jill and is introduced to the rest as the High King Peter, King Edmund, Queen Lucy, Lord Diggory, and Lady Polly. Queen Susan has evidentally turned away from Aslan, and forgotten Narnia and is caught up in the distractions of her world. They are all in a meadow and none of them know how they got there. They go exploring and a little ways away, they discover the group of dwarves that had been thrown in earlier. However, they do not see that they are in the beautiful meadow. They believe themselves to be in the dark, smelly stable surrounded by filth. When the kings and queens try to offer them some fruit they have picked, they react as though they had been given animal waste. The kings and queens leave them and soon meet the real Aslan. He commends Tirian, Eustace, and Jill for doing well in Narnia's last hours. He then calls for Time and the children find that Narnia has come to an end. They watch through the stable door, which is standing alone without walls, floors, or ceiling, in the middle of the meadow, as Narnia disappears and becomes a barren world. All of those who were still alive in the battle outside the stable suddenly came streaming through the door towards Aslan. As each creature passed, it looked Aslan full in the face. Those that saw Aslan and loved him, although some were still afraid, passed through. Those that saw Aslan and felt only terror and hatred ceased to be talking animals immediately. Eustace witnessed that some of the dwarves who helped murder true Narnians only a few hours earlier were among some of those that loved Aslan. When the work was complete, and nothing alive was left in what used to be Narnia, Aslan ordered the High King Peter to shut the door. Aslan then begins to laugh, a happy and joyous sound and bounds away, shouting further up! further in! None could keep up with him, so the kings and queens set off in the direction he went, walking and talking. Lucy is crying over the passing of Narnia, and Diggory is solemn, remembering Narnia's birth. Soon the group runs into Emeth, the young Calormen soldier who went into the stable to see his god, Tash, and was killed. They are surprised to see a Calormen, especially one who displayed such love and devotion for his god up through the moment of his death, in the place they were now at (none of them are really sure where that is now, but they do know that only true Narnias who loved Aslan are alive in it). They ask him for his story and he gives it. He tells how he found himself in the meadow, and how he met Aslan shortly there after and was terrified of him, for he served the god Tash and knew that Aslan would know that. However, Aslan said to him "all the service thou hast done Tash, I account as service done to me." Aslan then goes on to explain that any good thing done in service to Tash is given over as service to Aslan. And any terrible thing done as service to Aslan is given over as service to Tash. Therefore, since Emeth had speant his life living as Aslan requried his servents to live, he was accepted into the place he know was. After hearing his story, the kings and queens journey further into the meadow. They soon realize that they are in Narnia, only not the old Narnia that they know, but a different, newer, and bigger Narnia. Here everything was perfect and beautiful. They rejoice in their finding and begin to run, discovering that they can now run without tiring. They come to a pool, which is kept full by a waterfall falling into it, and swim up the waterfall to get to the top, and run some more. Along the way the encounter many people whom they have known or have heard. Diggory and Polly meet the first talking horse of Narnia, the horse they brought over from England. Eustace and Jill meet Puddleglum and Rillian, Peter, Edmund, and Lucy see Reepicheep. Trinian meets his father. Shasta and Aravis, Caspian, Trumpkin, Trufflehunter, the Beavers, and Tumnus, everyone is present. Lucy then spots a great cloud, but as she looks at it, she sees that it is not a cloud, but another land, England, in fact. As they look, they can make out people there, standing and waving at them, and they recognize Peter, Edmund, and Lucy's parents. They are told that they may journey over to see their parents, but before they can Aslan calls them all to himself. He tells them that they are no longer 'alive' as they would call it, that the children from Earth have all been in a railway accident and that they others died in the battle at the end of Narnia. They are now is Aslan's land, forever.

Okay, so this is already ridiculously long, but I really wanted to summarize the parts I wanted to talk about. First, obviously, in this book Lewis comes out with some of his incorrect theological beliefs. If your kids are reading these books, I think its important to talk to them about the truth, that even if they serve Allah their whole lives in the same way that God commands us to obey, they will not find salvation anyway. Its also a good opportunity to talk about how only Scripture is free of error, and that they should always be watchful for things that go against what the Bible teaches. It also provides an opportunity to talk about hell. The Bible does not teach the same view of hell as is portrayed in the book by the dwarves' view of themselves in the meadow.
However, I think this book does a great job conveying the absolute joy we will have when we finally go to be with our Lord. Everyone there is joy and it is all because of Aslan and for Aslan. They love him and now must never be parted from him.
The book also does a good job reminding us that even though it is hard for us to grasp, this world will one day come to an end. We do not know when this will happen. Certainly Trinian was not expecting it to happen during his reign. We should, then, remember our goal and always be looking for ways to glorify God, preach His Word through evangelism, and live in a manner that pleases him.

The Horse and His Boy

Summary: This book is the only one in the series that does not follow the various adventures of children from England. It takes place during the last chapter of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, during the reign of High King Peter and his brother and sisters. Its story centers on Shasta, a young boy who, at the beginning of the story, is about to be sold into slavery by his adopted father. Wanting to escape this fate, Shasta steals the horse of the Calormen he is about to be sold to and flees. He soon discovers that the horse is able to talk - he is a Narnian horse. The horse, whose name is Bree, tells Shasta of the wonderful country he was born into, Narnia. They determine to escape there together. Along the way, they are joined by Aravis, a young Calormen princess who is also running away. She was supposed to marry the Tisroc, a high up official in the Calormen government but he is old and she does not wish to marry him. To escape, she had planned on killing herself, but her horse, Hwin, interfered by revealing that she could talk and telling her of her home country of Narnia where she could live in peace. Since they are all headed to the same place, they join forces. At one point, they must travel through the capital of Calormen. Along the way, Shasta is mistaken for the prince of Archenland, a friendly neighboring country to Narnia, and is taken away by King Edmund, Queen Susan, and Queen Lucy. Eventually the real prince shows up and he is able to escape. Meanwhile, Aravis is recognized by a friend of hers who agrees to help her escape. But in the process of their escape they overhear the Tisroc's plans to invade and conquer Archenland. They continue on their way to Narnia, this time in a hurry to reach it in time to warn the king of Archenland that they are about to be attacked.

Comments: For a long time, this book was my favorite in the series. There is nonstop action and bickering between the two main characters, which I enjoyed. I also like the serious character development that takes place. Aravis and Shasta struggle a lot with pride. Although Aravis is leaving her life as a princess, she still believes herself to be better than Shasta, a mere runaway slave. As the story progresses, the characters learn more about themselves and this teaches them much humility. I left out how the story ends, because it is supposed to be a surprise, although I think its kind of predictable. :)
My favorite analogy in the book is while Shasta, Aravis, Bree, and Hwin are on their way to warn the king of Archenland of the coming attack. They are setting a quick pace there, but soon realize they are being pursued by an animal. When they realize it is a lion, the horses run as fast as they are able, to escape being eaten. As they are pursued, the entire group is terrified. However, they later learn that they were not being chased by any normal lion, but by Aslan himself. The Lion knew that they would not have reached the king on time at the speed they were traveling, so he arranged it so that they would hurry. I think its a neat reminder to always keep in mind that God knows what is going on in our lives - more than knows, He has planned what is going on in our lives. So even when things look bad, when times are hard, when we don't know what to do, we can (and should!) take comfort in the fact that we do know who our Lord is and so we don't have to despair. Who knows? God may be teaching you something through the trial.

Have a blessed week. Next Monday we will talk about the last book "The Last Battle," which happens to be my current favorite. It is also the book where some of Lewis' theology that I don't agree with comes out, so it promises to be a controversial post!

The Magician's Nephew

Summary: Two children by the names of Diggory and Polly are tricked by Diggory's uncle, a brilliant but cowardly man, to test out a pair of rings that he has invented. He belives that these rings will bring people into other worlds and back out again. Instead of finding themselves in another world, however, they find themselves in a mysterious between-place. It is full of trees and small pools of water are scattered everywhere. They try wading in one of the pools and find themselves in another world. This world is dead, but they accidentally wake up a sorceress who is determined to escape her world. She follows the children back into England which (of course) causes no end of trouble so they try to bring her back. Howver, a mistake is made and instead of traveling back into Jadis' world, they end up in Narnia, accompanied by Diggory's uncle, a cab driver, his wife, their horse, and a piece of lampost the witch had broken off to use as a weapon. It is the first day of Narnia's existence and they watch as Aslan names the animals and gives them the gift of speech. Jadis is terrified of Aslan and throws the piece lampost at him before running away to hide. When the post hits the ground, it immediately grows up into a lampost, which is the same one Lucy sees the first time she enters Narnia. Aslan names the cabdriver and his wife the first King and Queen of Narnia and declares that Narnia will never be right unless it is ruled by humans. After Diggory and Polly go back to England, they bury the rings and a bit of wood in their backyard, so that no one can ever go to the between-place again. The wood eventually turns into a fine tree and as an adult, Diggory has a wardrobe made out of it and places it in his manor in the country (this is the same wardrobe that later transports Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy into Narnia for the first time.)

Comments:
This is my least favorite book in the series. See, I promised I wouldn't say it was my favorite again! The story is good and very enjoyable to read. But it is so different from all the other books, until the very end when we are finally in Narnia. It gave lots of interesting background details I appriciated, like who the Professor was from the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and why he wasn't at all shocked to hear that Lucy had found another world in the back fo his wardrobe. It also explained how the random lampost ended up in the middle of the forrest. It was great to see the love that Aslan had for the population of Narnia, and how he created it and had dominion over it. We again get to witness the utter fear and horror of sin when confronted with the Creator. Its worth reading, and I've read it several times, but no where near as many as any of the other books.

The Silver Chair

Happy (or not so happy for those of us who don't like snow and had to knock the snow off their cars this morning with an umbrella instead of a scraper) Monday! ;)

The Silver Chair is one of my favorite books. I'm laughing as I type this because I am pretty sure that I've started out each of my reviews this way. They're just all so good! I promise not to start the next one like this.....
Summary: Eustace visits Narnia again, this time accompanied by a girl named Jill. Right as they arrive in Narnia, however, they are separated. While they are apart, Aslan appears to Jill and gives her a list of instructions and warnings. He commands her to memorize them and repeat them to herself at three specific times each day. He gives Eustace instructions as well. When they meet back up they go on a mission to find the missing Prince Rillian, King Caspian's son. They soon meet up with Puddleglum, a marshwiggle, and is accompanied by him for the duration of the adventure.
The group comes across several individual adventures, including being captured by giants and falling into an underground city. They find Rillian in the underground city and must then battle with its witch queen who does not want to let him go.

The Silver Chair is awesome (in my own personal opinion) because of Puddleglum. He is one of my all time favorite fiction characters. He is a very despondant person. If you were to say happy monday to him, for instance, he would quickly give several reasons why it probably will turn bad very shortly. He is, however, extremely loyal to Aslan and Narnia. One of my three favorite parts in the entire series is when the witch queen is trying to convince (through sourcery and persuasion) Puddleglum, Rillian, Eustace, and Jill that they have simply imagined Narnia and Aslan and that it doesn't acutally exist at all. Everyone had begun to sway and even agree with her when Puddleglum boldy steps out in a rare speech where he declares his loyalty to Aslan even if he doesn't exsit. He acknowledges that he does not have any physical proof of the Lion but that he has seen him and his work and says that he would rather serve him and live as he requires even if it turns out not to be real. His actual speech is much better worded than my telling of it. I considered putting the whole thing in here, but I don't actually have access to the book right now and maybe now you will go out and get the book and read it for yourself.
Another good lesson to be learned from the Silver Chair is from Jill. When Aslan first gives her the instructions to remember and repeate every day, she does so faithfully. But after a while, when she knows them like the back of her hand, she becomes complacent and starts skipping her repetition. Soon she forgets them and disaster occures because of it. I think this is a great reminder to us. We should be daily preaching the gospel to ourselves and to others and reminding ourselves of God's commandments in our own lives. Once we become complacent in our faith and stop striving to work it out, only disaster can follow.

Next week I will discuss The Magicians Nephew, which reveals how Narnia was created.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Summary: Edmund and Lucy find themselves in Narnia again, this time accompanied by their spoiled cousin Eustace. They are reunited with Prince Caspian, who is now several years older. They set off on a voyage to discover what became of seven loyal knights that Caspian's uncle had banished during his reign as king of Narnia. They discover several unusual islands with a new adventure on each one. Eventually they discover the fate of all seven knights and Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace return home.

For a long time, this was my least favorite book in the series, which actually surprises me because now I love it! I think it was just a little over my head when I was younger. This book, as all of the others, is full to the brim of analogies I could go on and on about. However, since I am on some serious time constraints - and I'm sure you all are too - I will only focus on one today. You'll just have to read the book to find the others. :)
When the children first arrive in Narnia, Eustace is absolutely horrible. He hates it there and is always complaining and trying to cause trouble. He torments Reepicheep especially. Caspian, Edmund, and Lucy's patience is often tried with him but we see their constant struggle to remain kind to him. At one point, the Dawn Treader gets attacked by a sea monster and after the battle, they land on an island for repairs. Unwilling to help with the work, Eustace wanders off and discovers a hidden treasure trove. He puts on a bracelet he finds there and curls up and falls asleep. When he wakes up, he has been changed into a dragon. He is incredibly horrified by this change. He is scared to go back to the others in his new and terrible form, but he does and after they realize who he is, they make his life as easy as possible. This physical transformation sparks the beginning of change for Eustace. He starts making himself useful and is incredibly helpful in the ship repairs. Finally, the day before they are to set sail again, Aslan appears privately to Eustace. He asks him if he wants to become a human again. Of course, Eustace says yes and Aslan tells him that he has only to peel away the dragon scales on his body. Eustace desperately begins clawing at himself, peeling away layer after layer. He is in considerable pain but he wants to be human again so badly that he continues. Finally, it becomes evident that he is unable to peel away enough layers. Aslan then steps in and does it for him. With one deep and excruciatingly painful gesture, Aslan pulls away Eustace's dragon skin and he is human once more.
I love the picture here that no matter how hard we try to change ourselves, and how successful we may appear to be, in the end, only Jesus can save us from our sin. The relief and freedom that Eustace experiences after this transformation is beautiful.

Have a good week and a happy Monday - if that is possible when its snowing. Question: was there snow before the fall? I doubt it. :(

Prince Caspian

Summary: After spending a year back in their own country, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy again find themselves in another world. They are not sure that they are in Narnia until, after spending a day on an unpopulated and unfamiliar island surrounded by the ruins of a castle, they discover an underground treasure chamber - the same underground treasure chamber, in fact, that was theirs when they ruled as kings and queens in Narnia. They then discover that many hundreds of years have past in Narnia since they were last there and that many changes have occured. Calmorians have overtaken Narnia and have driven out - or so they thought - all original Narnians, such as talking animals, dwarfs, etc. However, there is an underground army of native Narnians forming under the leadership of Prince Caspian, a Calmorian himself, who escaped his uncle, the ruling king of Narnia, when the king tried to have him murdered. Peter and Edmund help Caspian arrange to challenge the king to a personal dual between himself and Peter to try to prevent a battle between the two armies. The king accepts but, when he looses, one of his treacherous noblemen spurs his army into a fight anyway. During the dual, however, Aslan arrives and takes Susan and Lucy to gather up an army to join with Caspian's army. Because of this, the true Narnians win and retake control over Narnia. As Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy prepare to return to their own country, Asland tells Peter and Susan that they will never return to Narnia.

Comments:
This book is the shortest of the series and is one of my favorites for a single reason. Near the end, Aslan returns to Narnia and walks through the capitol city. As he walks the streets, he takes note of the oppressed, hurting, sick, and weak. These he sets free, heals, and stregthens and then they in turn drop everything they have and follow him into battle against the Calmorians - their own people. It is a beautiful picture of how God chooses his people; He truly has come to save the weak and the sick. As Aslan heals and frees, the intense thankfulness and instant change of alliegence is a perfect thing to behold. This scene is one of my two favorites in the whole series. The other doesn't come until The Last Battle.

Also, this is the book that introduces Reepicheep, everyone's favorite talking mouse. We see an interesting conflict in a character who is extremely proud but who loves Aslan more than anything else. The picture here, too, is clear: what is the point of a human who is proud? For, in ourselves, we are no better than an insignificant mouse. However, through the work of God in our lives, we can be mighty warriors but must never forget where our might comes from.

When the children first realize they are in Narnia and receive word by Trumpkin, a dwarf, that they are needed to help Caspian, they must make a long journey to where the prince is hiding. Along the way, Lucy sees Aslan and realizes that he is leading them a different way. However, when the others do not see her, they presure her to go along their original path and she follows. Disaster occurs. Only then do the others realize that they should have listened to Lucy and they go back the way she originally told them to. However, when Lucy sees Aslan after this, he reprimands her for not simply choosing to follow him alone when the others decided to go their own way. He reminds her that even if no one is is choosing to obey him, she must obey herself and that her wrong actions are not cancelled out because they were accompanied by others' wrong actions. This is a good reminder to us all.

Edmund, who in the first book was the brother that betrayed them all to the White Witch and was then redeemed when Aslan gave his life for him, was the only one who voted to follow Aslan with Lucy, even though he himself did not see Aslan. His reason for doing so was clear: the last time they were in Narnia, he did not believe his sister when she told of Aslan and everything bad happened because of it. Therefore, even though he didn't see Aslan, he was willing to obey anyway. It is a great picture of the truly repentent. Edmund's character is a wonderful example to us all of one who has tasted great sin and even greater forgiveness and chooses to honor his savior as best he can in all situations.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

I love to read.

I've been reading like a maniac since I was three years old and my mama taught me how. I own about 700 books (my own, not my family's) and I have read at least a couple thousand - and I am not counting Dr. Suess!! :) Why am I telling you this? Because I am about to do the first of seven book reviews on my all-time favorite series. And I want you to know that when I say that Chronicles of Narnia is my favorite series of all time, I am not saying it lightly.

I first encountered Narnia when I was really young - about six or seven. I was still living on Ranchito Ave (I'm not even sure if that is how you spell it!) at the time. Since then, I have read them no less than twice a year. People who don't believe in reading a book more than once will shudder when I say this, but its true and I am not ashamed.

I stronly believe that every person should read these books, especially younger kids, as they were written for children. My job in the next seven weeks is to convince you of this. (You can tell I am my father's daughter because I am starting a seven week series :) So here it goes:

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Narnia was written as an analogy, to teach biblical stories, truths, and theologies to children. Lewis wrote the first book for his goddaugter, Lucy, and named the main character in the first book after her.
Summary: A young girl named Lucy accidentally stumbles into another world while playing hide and go seek with her brothers and sister. She learns that an evil witch is making it so that it is always winter. When she goes back to her own country, she tells her siblings about her adventure, but they do not believe her and when she tries to show them, they cannot get into the country. Later, they are all able to get in and they discover that there is a prophecy that four humans from Earth - two boys and two girls - would come and rescue them from the evil witch. Of course, the witch sets out to destroy them. One of the brothers defects to the witch's side and betrays his siblings. Then Aslan, the great Lion King, comes and joins the other three and sacrifices himself to rescue Edmund (the brother who defected). He then comes back to life and defeats the witch's army and establishes the children as kings and queens of Narnia. They live there for many years until one day, while hunting, they accidentally stumble back into their own world and discover that no time has passed on Earth.
This book and The Last Battle I think are the heaviest as far as analogies go. I will try to keep this post short although I will warn you, I could talk about this book for hours. Some of the best analogies are:
1. Aslan, who is a portrayal of Jesus Christ, willingly sacrifices his life to save the others. He goes very meekly and humbly to die, although we do get to see that He is troubled beforehand by what he knows he will experience. There is a beautiful scene after he comes back to life.
2. Aslan speaks of the Great King over all the worlds. He says that he is in submission to his father, the King.
3. Lucy gets into Narnia first, all by herself. She gets in through a wardrobe she was hiding in during a game of hide and seek. Later, after she comes back, she brings the others into the wardrobe to see it for themselves, but there is only a normal back to it. Lucy is very confused and upset by this. Later, her brother Edmund revisits the wardrobe and finds himself in Narnia. After this, Peter and Susan are also able to get through. I think this is a great picture of how God chooses who He will save and what time He will save them. He chose to let Lucy see before any of the others and even though she preached the truth to them over and over, often in tears, it wasn't until later that He saw fit to open their eyes.
4. There is a great chapter you can use to discuss the value of a good reputation with your children. When Edmund goes to Narnia the first time, he visits alone, but Lucy goes in after him and she sees him there right as they are leaving. She is so excited because he can back up her story now, but he is upset that she was right all along and lies and says that they were just pretending. This obviously upsets Lucy even more and she is extremely difficult for her older brother and sister. She insists she is telling the truth and starts keeping to herself and crying a lot. Peter and Susan, worried about her, visit the Professor they are staying with and ask if he thinks that she might be mad. He says of course not and then asks a few questions about Lucy and Edmund's character. They both agree that up until now they would have always thought that Lucy was telling the truth and Edmund was lying but, in this case, she couldn't be telling the truth. The professor then gives them a very nice lecture on logic and tells them that accusing a person who has always been found truthful of telling a falsehood is a very serious matter and should not be undertaken without a very strong reason.

There is so much more I could go on about, but this post is getting long and it is getting late so I will end it. Join me next Monday for Prince Caspian (and don't be deceived if you saw the movie - the book is excellent!)

Book Review: Journey Through the Night

Most of my friends have heard me talk about this amazing series of books by Anne DeVries. It has been in my top five favorite series of all time list as long as I can remember, and its not going anywhere! For some perspective, the list also includes the Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, the Zion Covenant/Chronicles (yes, I know, two series but by the same author and concerning consecutive time periods so I cheat and put them as one), and the Sacketts.
The four book series is entitled Journey Through the Night and contains four books: Into the Darkness, The Darkness Deepens, Dawn's Early Light, and A New Day. The story follows a young man named John as he fights to survive the Nazi regime living in Holland. DeVries lived in Holland during the war and takes much of his story from actual events in his life and the lives of people he knew.
What sets this series apart from the hundreds (if not thousands) of other books about the second World War? First, because it follows only one character. Most novels have several main characters and move back and forth between them throughout the corse of the book. The fact that this series focuses only on John provides more of a unique point of view that is not often offered readers.
Second, because John is by no means a classical 'hero.' He is merely a young man, not even sixteen in the first book, fighting to stay alive through a war determined to result in otherwise. There are no glamorous battle scenes. There are no cunning plots or thrilling escapades. There is no gore, no romantic portrals of death. The book is down-to-earth and believable. You never find yourself wondering if a sixteen year old would really say or feel that. You will never think "Hmm, that sounds like something a mature twenty-five year old would do, how old is this guy again?" And you never wonder if any of it is made up.
Finally, and most importantly, because the heart of the series is not John or war or Hitler. The heart of the series is a young Christian's faith being tested by circumstances - and thriving in them! John has been raised in a Christian home by godly parents. Over and over again, the war challenges a belief that John has, and instead of despairing of his faith, John chooses consistently to obey and honor his Lord.
How would you respond if a war came to our country? How would you respond if you were forced into hiding from the government? How would you respond if your father was sent away to a concentration camp? If you had to change your name every few weeks? If you couldn't see your family or risk endangering their lives? If you had to choose between your life and the lives of others?
Most of us have never had to endure any of these hardships. You may not always agree with the decisions that John makes. But you will appriciate and respect the effort he puts into honoring and obeying God's Word in every decision he makes. You will be encouraged by his reliance on Scripture verses he has memorized.
Journey Through the Night is a series for all ages. My parents both read them as adults and loved them. I read them as a young girl, seven or eight, and loved them. For those of you who don't know, I am a firm believer in reading good books more than once. I usually make it through this series every year and a half or so. And each time I enjoy it more than the last. I cannot recommend these books enough.