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The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self
Have you ever wondered how we got here, to this new world where people can define who they are by simply thinking so? How did the fetters of society falter to create a world where people can do just about anything and be applauded for it? Where do we go from here, especially as Christians, living in this strange time of seemingly sudden and radical change? Carl Trueman answers these questions, and many more, in his book The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self. Trueman begins the book by tracing our current thought patterns all the way back to the 1600s. He explains how philosophers and artists, such as…
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Through This World’s Lonely Pass {New Music Monday}
I hope this poem, and the music that accompanies it, encourage you to stand firm on Jesus, our only hope in this age and the age to come! We need not fear as he stays near,His love and protection a fountain.Our hope stands firm, year after year,The pinnacle of a mountain. With words, he builds the foundation,With trust, we climb higher still.Each rock works for our salvation,Each stone a path to goodwill. Flowing like crystalline watersFrom stores in the mountain’s side:Grace for his sons and daughters,Comfort through him who died. O Jesus, Our Emmanuel,We praise you who on earth did dwell.Bring us through this world’s lonely pass,Safely home, loved, protected–with…
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Truth, Fear, and Living in this Age
I’m reading a book right now called Addictive Habits: Changing for Good by David R. Dunham. It’s part of a series called “31-Day Devotionals for Life.” On Day 15, David R. Dunham encourages his readers to put on the armor of God to fight against Satan’s temptations and accusations. He lists the armor of God as containing “truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, Scripture, and prayer” (from Ephesians 6). In the ‘Reflect’ section, he asks, “Looking over the list of elements in the armor of God, which do you feel is lacking the most in your life?” I gave this question a lot of thought. What I came up with…
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More Read-Aloud Poems for Early Readers
In this post and this post, I shared poems that I wrote for Samuel to read and memorize. Here are a few more poems for early readers like Samuel to read aloud! I wrote the following poem when we learned that words ending in ‘ay’ say A. Words including ‘ai’ also say A, but English words do not end with the letter ‘i’. We practiced reading words like pay and paid, lay and laid. We also discussed how the word ‘says’ and ‘said’ make the ‘ay’ and the ‘ai’ sound like the ‘e’ in the word ‘pet’. My dog can run.He runs all day.He sits in the sun,Then runs away.…
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Delicious Low-Sugar Chocolate Mint Ice Cream
Some might consider ice cream an odd dessert to make in the middle of winter, but the kids and I always enjoy this cold and delicious treat. I usually eat my ice cream as a bedtime snack; the kids usually eat their ice cream right away after breakfast, before they brush their teeth. I like to make my desserts as low-sugar as possible, while still retaining the right texture and flavor. You can reduce the sugar in most recipes by at least half–and sometimes more! I’ve noticed over the years that you cannot reduce the sugar in blondies, cakes, caramels, or frostings. Sometimes when I reduce the sugar in recipes,…