December...

I love this time of year. Christmas Music. Lights. Family. Duck Hunting. Sweets ;-). It is a great time of year. I don't really know why, but it just seems like people are happier, me included.

Traffic is crazier, stores are busier, money is tighter, and people's schedules are crammed full- not to mention the barrage of ice and snow and sub-30 degree weather that begins around this time. Even with all of this, people are in a better mood.

It sometimes makes me wonder: "How come?"

I know that this is the season we celebrate Jesus's birth...but is that the reason everyone is happier? I don't think so. I am not sure exactly what it is - it just is.

This month, I hope that you can share in the happiness (and hopefully Joy) of everyone else for whatever reasons.

Book Review: NKJV Greatest Stories of the Bible

This book is not a Bible. It is not a complete work of scripture. The book is, rather, a collection of NKJV scriptures separated out into the 250 dominant "stories" contained in the Bible.

The first thing I noticed was the appearance of the book: It is made to look like an "old time" book, worn, yet ornate. I really liked it's look and it's hardback cover.

The second thing that I liked about this book was the table of contents. In the TOC, it gives a list of the stories (From Genesis to Revelation) in order of their appearance in Scripture. It was very easy to find specific stories in the Bible without knowing exact scripture references.

For example: Most people know that the story of the Battle of Jericho is in Joshua. Instead of having to skim through the book of Joshua to find the reference, you can go to this book and see exactly that it is found in Joshua 6, then go to the page number and read the story - straight from scripture.

The third think I liked: A great index in the back, primarily composed of "characters" From the Bible. This made it very easy to search for specific Bible characters and see where they show up in scripture.

A great tool for any Sunday School Teacher - practically a 250 lesson Curriculum!

The only negative aspect of this book would be the danger of calling scripture "Bible Stories"...While they are stories, we have to be careful not to turn scripture into just "fairytale stories."

Thomas Nelson has come up with a great new way to study the Bible with this book. It does a great job of showing the Bible as the literary work it is. Overall, a great addition to any library, just make sure that this is used as a complement, not a replacement, for your regular Bible.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson for providing me with a copy of this book through the Book Review Blogger Program. http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

The eyes of a child...

In Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton wrote: "A child kicks its legs rythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, 'Do it again'; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough...It is possible that God says every morning, 'Do it again,' to the sun; and every evening 'Do it again,' to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike: it may be that God makes every daisy seperately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we."

Yesterday, I helped the Hajjami's move some of their stuff to Lebanon before their trip to Morocco. While they were finishing packing, I spent some time with their 3 month old boy, Samuel. It was so much fun to sit there and try to figure out what messages his little noises and his wide, joyful eyes were trying to convey. As I watched him kicking and squirming and staring up at me, I was reminded of this quote.

He was just laying on the bed, staring at the blank white ceiling, but his face, his eyes, his arms and legs, they all spoke of pure joy. Looking into his eyes, they were so happy, so hopeful. His world was good - no, it was great. And it made me think, when was the last time that I had that attitude. I can't remember. I have been happy, I have been excited, but I don't know when the last time that I felt pure, unabashed, bold joy like I saw in this babies eyes yesterday.

In Matthew 19:14, Jesus tells the disciples, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."

In Matthew 18:3, Jesus told them, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like the children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

As we get older, we get tired of monotony. I think of my black lab, (not the most recent one, for reasons that I won't go into) and his love of retrieving. He loved to play fetch, and no matter how long I stood out in the yard and threw the ball, he would go get it, bring it back, and be ready for more. He could do it over and over again for hours. We always quit, not because he was tired, but because I was. It got boring - not for him but for me.

I want to be like that baby boy, never growing tired of faithfully trusting and following God. Always hoping and rejoicing in my faith. I want to be like that black lab, always coming back to God wanting more. Never growing tired of searching out his truth.

We grow old too fast. May our faith be one area that we can continue to be like children...or dogs :-)

A New Kind of Family...unfortunately

I'm trying out this blog idea. I have never been great at taking my thoughts and putting them on paper, but maybe I'll be better at putting them on a screen...

I just happened to be flipping through the channels last night before I watched Monday Night Football and I randomly ended up on ABC Family.

I have to admit, I have watched ABC Family on numerous occasions, and it has never really bothered me, but for some reason last night it finally hit me - and I was really bothered by it.

It started off on a commercial for ABC Family, highlighting a few of the shows that are premiering or starting back up this fall. As I sat through the commercial, I really wondered what kind of "family" that ABC thought it was promoting. Here is a sample of their Fall lineup:

Greek: A show about "college life" that really doesn't look like college life at all. It is a blown-out-of-proportion look at crazy parties, alternative lifestyles, drinking, and promiscuous everything. Exactly what I think teenagers need to see. Wait...On second thought...

Now, they do have shows like Full House and Fresh Prince of Bel Air, both of which promote pretty healthy families, but they also have shows like The Secret Life of an American Teenager and That 70's Show, both of which depict less-than-healthy relationships and lifestyles.

Overall, it worries me that ABC can have an entire channel devoted to "Family" with shows like these. Their tagline is what really gets me: "A New Kind of Family". ABC thinks they are doing something different. Unfortunately, they're just following a culture that is declining in Family Values and overall morals. This "New Kind of Family" didn't start with them; sadly it's been happening for a long time. It's what we are seeing more and more in our churches, schools, governments, and even our own families.

No longer do we have the Cleavers (Leave it to Beaver) or Taylors (Home Improvement.) Although somewhat dysfunctional, what family isn't! Now they are mixing Michelle, Stephanie, and DJ Tanner with sorority girls and potheads.

I think I will stick with my Old Kind of Family...