Awesome Science - Exploring the Grand Canyon with Noah Justice (DVD)

While our great adventure will be driving to Alaska in about 7 weeks, we've been loving learning more about the Grand Canyon from a Biblical Creation perspective. 

Noah Justice is the 14-year-old host who takes you on an hour long tour of the Grand Canyon.  Visually stunning footage, smooth editing, top quality videography, and solid evidence go hand in hand with this DVD.

Our children thoroughly enjoyed this production and it is always thrilling to hear the facts they regurgitate even weeks later.  If there is one thing we're always on the lookout for, it's books, videos, and other resources that give us solid scientific evidence that shows that the Biblical record of creation can be trusted as true and completely accurate.

It's a misconception that evolution-based scientists and creation-based scientists hold different evidence to "prove" their point.  Everyone has the same evidence; it just depends which sunglasses you are wearing.  If you are interpreting your evidence based on a preconceived notion that the earth is millions of years old, you ignore what that evidence would mean if the world is not that old.  As a creation scientist, you look at the same evidences and show how the Biblical account of Creation and the flood would account for the current state of the earth. 

Wonderful DVD for all ages!  I'm sure we'll be watching it at least a few times on our long trek northward.

Book Review: Then Sings My Soul Book 3 ~ Robert J. Morgan

I have often wondered where to find a book that tells the story behind the cherished songs we know so well.  From time to time, I've heard tidbits of stories about Franny Crosby, Horatio Spafford, and other well known hymn writers.  When asked to review Then Sings My Soul (Book 3), I jumped at the opportunity.

Robert Morgan has done a wonderful job of compiling the history, stories of, and reasons for continuing with hymns in modern worship.  While I was only seeking a book of "stories", this offers much more.

Prior to reading this book, I had never really thought about the age of some of the songs we sing.  The first part of this book discusses hymnody in context of Biblical, Ancient, Medieval, German, English, and Gospel/Contemporary Praise music.  It's quite the interesting and informative read.

Most of the history surrounding each hymn is brief (a page long), detailing the song's authorship, area/time written in, and circumstances surrounding said author's life.  Each hymn is included (with sheet music).  As an added touch, the book itself is constructed so as to resemble old hymnal pages; very nostalgic.

I look forward to reading Books 1 and 2.

Miracle for Jen - Book Review & GIVEAWAY!

Drawn to the book trailer and description, Miracle for Jen was a book I knew I had to read.   The adage, “you never think it will happen to you” fits the Barrick family to a tee.  A family sold out to the Lord; a daughter whose deepest desire and prayer was for boldness to proclaim God’s glory...  While the world may question why God would allow such apparent devastation, the lives Jen touched give us a glimpse into how God truly does “work all things together for good to those who love Him and are the called according to His purpose.”

To survive an accident of such catastrophic proportions would appear to be a miracle itself.  But it didn’t end there; that was only the beginning.  Written from the perspective of Linda Barrick, Jen’s mother, this book takes you on an emotional and spiritual journey; one you don’t want to miss.

Jen Barrick, a beautiful 15-year-old girl, had a passion to serve God in whatever capacity He wanted; her journal entries prior to the crash attest to the fact.  In a comatose and semi-coma state after the crash that nearly killed her, it was known that Jen would suffer brain damage.  The extent of her injuries slowly unraveled as Jen began waking up.  People who awake after such traumatic brain injuries often experience a change of personality, outbursts of anger, and shouting curse words they have never uttered before.  Severely injured from the accident, Jen’s parents tried to prepare themselves, their family, and friends for what Jen may be like as she awoke.  All the while, Linda prayed fervently for Jen to be completely healed from her injuries.

The way God answered Linda’s prayers for healing and Jen’s deepest prayers for boldness mesh into a glorious answer that only God could orchestrate.  In reading “Miracle for Jen” you will see that while we often pray with what we consider an ideal answer in mind; it is God who knows how every detail of life fits into the beautiful portrait He painted for us.  It’s a portrait of a loving Saviour drawing the children He loves into a relationship with Himself.  It’s a portrait much larger than this life can contain; it’s one stretching into eternity.  It’s a portrait that leaves you longing for the boldness Jen prayed for and the courageous faith it takes to say, “Yes, Lord” to whatever God asks of you.

watch on tyndale.com

Tyndale House Publishers sent me a copy of this new book in exchange for my honest review and have also graciously given me a second copy to give away to one of my blog readers!  What a blessing this book will be to you and those you share it with.  My copy is already making the rounds of family/friends; it's that good!

Giveaway has ended and the cool "Rafflecopter" feature is now inactive for new entries ~~  Congratulations to Andrea R!!  Hope you enjoy the book!

A Special Birthday Gift ~ Quilted Apron & Bambu Kids in the Kitchen Utensil Set

Invited to her first birthday party, our daughter was wondering what birthday gift to give her friend.  Knowing I had princess coordinating fabric scraps on hand from a previous project, we pieced together two adorable aprons; now both sweet friends can match!  We even used the apron as the wrapping paper to wrap up a cute child's set of these bamboo (Bambu) kitchen spoons.  Fun & personal birthday gift idea!

The One True King

The One True King is the Lord JESUS.

God sent His one and only Son to die on the cross for our sins so we would have a way to get to Heaven. He loved you so much He sent his Son to die for our sins. His Son's name is JESUS.

That is a real King who loves everyone.
His name is GOD, the one true King.

He is the only true King.

 

~ Caleb 

 

 

** I just had to share the beautiful message that Caleb typed up on the computer the other day. It wasn't something he had to do for school or church. He just surprised us a few days ago when he printed it out and let us read it. What a blessing our son is! We feel so blessed with all of our children! May they always tell others about the glorious gift God offers us so freely. Praise God for His everlasting goodness! ♥

Book Review: His Princess...Love Letters from Your King ~ Sheri Rose Shepherd

As the mother of a little princess, it was a sweet treasure to find His Princess: Love Letters from Your King, a book written for me; for all women.  Sheri Rose Shepherd has woven together a book full of loving words, promises, and Bible verses that affirm God's love for us. 

Every woman has a need for affirmation from those she loves - family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances... Through whom should we find our soul filled?  Is it through others or through our Heavenly Father; our King?  Being reminded of just how much our Savior loves us and how far He has gone (and will go) to bring us to Himself can be overwhelming (in a good way!).  When you become a child of the King, you also become His princess.  He gives you the right to become a child of God and the personal relationship that comes with that glorious promise.

While this book is a gift-sized (smaller than the usual) book, its 185 pages include 89 mini-letters, addressed to you from your King.  Most include a Bible verse and elaborate on the love of your Father for you.  Interested in a preview?  You can read the first chapter for free here.  This would be a lovely gift for another princess/sister-in-Christ in your life.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Book Review: The Family Illustrated Bible

The Family Illustrated Bible was previously published under the name The Children's Bible.  It is a beautiful-looking hardcover book, but the first thing I noticed upon opening the cover was that it was originally published by DK Publishing, a secular publishing company.  I'm not sure why New Leaf Publishing, a Christian publishing company, took over the publishing of this book.  Don't get me wrong: We enjoy many DK books.  However, considering this is a collection of stories from the Bible, I feel that many of the stories have taken liberties in the re-telling and interpretation of said stories.   For example, there was a statement made even in the story of Adam and Eve that alluded to God being "worried" about Adam being alone; perhaps a better choice of words was in order (here and in other places).

When the Bible is dissected into stories, such as this book, it takes away from the uniform theme of God's sovereignty and Christ's love for us as woven through the Bible.  In reading the Old Testament stories, there is emphasis put on the covenants made with/through various people but the reason for these covenants is lacking.  It would be wonderful to see how God's plan of salvation was in place long before Jesus came to Earth as the God-man; how He was pictured in so many of the Old Testament events, individuals, and covenants.  As written, each story begins and ends in just that story; they aren't aiming to connect the promised Messiah and Saviour to a future event. 

At the beginning of both the Old and New Testament, there are historical points of interest with illustrations.  There are also similar brief sections within each division that draw your attention to events, people, architecture, archaeology, and the culture of the time.  Some points are more relative than others.  For example, I'm not sure why it is important to have a relief picturing four naked men, entitled "Naked exercise".  This particular tidbit of information explains that a Jewish high priest (under the reproach of many other Jews), admired Greek culture; in so doing, he built a gymnasium where Greek men could exercise naked.  I'm wondering if New Leaf missed the boat on this one.  I don't feel that this is appropriate in a family illustrated Bible. 

There are some interesting facts, such as discovering that Babylon's Ishtar Gate was found in ruin and rebuilt in Berlin, Germany.  Out of curiousity, I searched Google for a date and found that it was finished in the 1930's.  Hitler came into power in 1933.  Interesting to note that this gate represents "all wicked states opposed to God" to the Jews. Overall, most of the "extra" information in this book was highly informative to placing Biblical events in context with their geographical and cultural locations.

I will complete my review with a sigh, inaudible as it may be.  If you are familiar with DK books, you will understand how this book is written.  Some of the descriptions in the historical/cultural sections are written from the perspective of people who possibly have a school degree in "religion", not necessarily a personal relationship with Jesus.  I would encourage the new Christian publisher to comb through this book before reprinting.

Book Review: (AB4T) Answers Book For Teens ~ Bodie Hodge,Tommy Mitchell, Ken Ham

Geared toward teens, the Answers Book For Teens is an excellent resource for any searching soul; one seeking out God and the other looking for Biblical answers to defend our faith.

At only 95 pages, this is an easy one-day read; a wealth of Biblically based wisdom.  I felt it was very well put together and the 15 questions are applicable to the questions many people have today.  Bible references are included in every answer and give the reader confidence to boldly stand on the Scriptures in defense of the authority and complete accuracy of God's Word.

Questions raised include the following topics (my paraphrasing):  Believing in the Bible vs Evolution, Pain/Suffering/Natural Disasters, Age of the Earth, Evidence of Creationists vs Evolutionists, Knowing if God Exists, Punishment Since Adam's Sin, Reason for Noah's Flood, Population of the World From Two People, Are There Different Races, What the Bible Has to Say About Sex, Homosexuality, Are God and the Bible Illegal in School, The Only Way to God, Dinosaurs/Dragons, and Why God Would Want to Save Me Regardless of What I've Done.

In a world where so many people believe that "sin" for one person may be perfectly fine for another, this is the type of book that exposes the lies Satan tries to instill in our hearts.  If anyone hears something often enough, they are bound to start believing it if they don't have the Ultimate Truth to stand on.  Bodie Hodge, Tommy Mitchell, and Ken Ham have put their life's passion into this book, reaching out to this promising generation.  Our teenagers today are the next generation of law makers, parents, educators, missionaries, government, business owners, workers, caretakers, social agenda promoters, and those who will choose to share God's plan of Salvation with others...or not.

In addition to being a resource for your teenager, this is a great conversation starter.  Read the book first (you'll enjoy it too), then give it to your teen to read.  Talk to them about it, question them about it and about their thoughts on each subject, read God's Word together, and spend time in prayer together.  If this is something new for you, use this as a beginning to keep communication open.  If your child is in a public high school, they are being taught evolution and secular humanism (there is no God, only natural/material things; nothing supernatural).  If you are a homeschooling family, don't become lax in your dedication to teach them how to defend their faith.  AB4T is a resource you won't want to miss out on.

Book Review: This Thing of Ours ~ Cammy Franzese

This Thing of Ours - How Faith Saved My Mafia Marriage is possibly the least likely book to draw my attention.  While I savour reading, I know very little about the mob and had never heard of Michael Franzese.  Coming to this book without a desire to read all the ins-and-outs of the mob from the wife's perspective is possibly why I ended up enjoying it.  Some reviewers have been disappointed but it seems that some of them were looking for more of the secrecy and thrill of living a hunted existence.

It's hard to comprehend that Cammy dated and married such a powerfully-connected and extremely wealthy man without taking a step back to examine where all the power and money came from.  However, she was young, had come from a home where her father was lacking in many areas, and I'm sure all the glamour of the lifestyle she found herself in easily swept her along. 

Cammy is continually reminding her readers that our choices shape what our lives become.  That's the primary reason she stayed with her husband through his two 4-year prison stints.  Sadly, her commitment to marriage isn't the norm in society today but what a breath of fresh air to read a story where a woman remained committed to her marriage when she could have walked out on Michael.

I was also encouraged by the words of wisdom Cammy shared about her mother's commitment to the Lord and how she exemplified that in her life and marriage.  If you are struggling in your marriage and wonder what your purpose is, I recommend this book.  It isn't a this-is-what-you-do manual, but it is a resource; two women who stayed with their husbands when the world told them they should leave.

Apparently, Michael Franzese was saved prior to his second incarceration but that wasn't made clear until later in Cammy's book.  It can only add to Cammy's book to read Michael's history; I plan to look into his books soon too.

Book Review: A is for Adam ~ Ken & Mally Ham

For a year now, our recently-turned 5-years-old's  favourite bedtime book has been A is for Adam.  We've owned the previous edition of this book for several years and were excited to receive a copy of this new edition to review.  It arrived just in time for Christmas!

First reactions were bittersweet.  We knew from the cover that the illustrations would be different but my daughter (the 5-year-old) was more disappointed than I anticipated.  She was the one of our four children who had favourite illustrations from the original book.  However, after reading the book with her, we are happy to report that the text remains the same and she now requests to be read to from both books!

Ken and Mally Ham bring the message of the gospel to children through this beginning-in-Genesis account.  It's important for people to understand why Jesus had to die on the cross and that begins in Genesis, when He created man in His own image.  A is for Adam takes you through the "7 C's of History", chronologically beginning with Adam having been just created.  It's written in appealing language for children and it is through the reading of A is for Adam that our daughter wanted to find out if her name was written in the Lamb's Book of Life.  Is there any greater joy for a parent than to hear your child's desire and prayer to trust Jesus as their Saviour?

There are a few differences to note between the previous and new editions of A is for Adam.  As far as the illustrations go, I can't say that I prefer one set of cartoons over the other.  However, the new edition is updated and has more traditional vs silly illustrative art.  The previous edition was a hard cover book and the new edition is a table top flip-over book.  Due to the flip-over style, it is a wonderful asset for taking this book beyond the rhyming story.  The previous edition had extra content at the end of the book, but this flip-over book has a lot of discussion points and activities printed on the opposing side of the page facing the parent/teacher.  Similar to the previous edition, there is a good amount of detailed discussion, overview, and review at the end of this book.

For those of you who have the previous edition, you'll be happy to know that you can now download the colouring pages for this book to print/colour.  Although, if you have a child like mine, you'll still be photocopying the colouring pages out of the original book; particularly the "V" page from Noah's flood.  What can I say; they love that page!