Books
-
Contributing to the Conversation: “Calling Evil Good: The Lie of ‘Christian’ Rock and Roll” by Spencer Smith
I grew up during the era in which contemporary Christian music’s popularity skyrocketed, eclipsing hymns and choral music in church worship services and on the radio. I remember when Switchfoot released their first big single, “New Way to Be Human,” and I loved (and still love) the song “Love Song for a Savior” by Jars of Clay. I sang “Breakfast in Hell” and “Shine” at summer camp, both Newsboys hits, and I can still sing all the words to “Let It Reign” by Michael W. Smith. I also remember when our youth group worship leader chose “Come Thou Fount” as our closing song one evening at youth group. I marveled…
-
Husbands & Fathers, Joy-filled Limitations, and Small Beginnings: Quotes from My Current Reading Material {February Edition}
“What you are searching for…is a woman who is submissive to God Himself, to His holy Scriptures, and then to the way that God made the world, and then last, as a consequence of all the preceding, to you.” –Doug Wilson, “The Value of Gender Stereotypes“ (I also sent Doug Wilson a letter in response to a different article in the same series. Here’s his response to my letter.) “I don’t want to rehash years-long arguments, but it’s worth noting that stoicism, competitiveness, and even aggression can be virtues. They are not inherent vices. Each can be toxic in the wrong context. Each can be dispensible in the right time…
-
My Complete 2021 Book List
Introduction This blog post contains a complete list of all the books I read in 2021. I finished all the books I began reading this year except for two for various reasons, which I listed next to them on my book list. This brings me to a total of 32 books read this year. As in past years, I read more fiction than non-fiction, but the non-fiction books I read I generally found helpful and encouraging, or informative and interesting, depending on the genre. My book list doesn’t include the children’s books I read out loud to the kids, just the books I read on my own or initiated reading…
-
Quotes from “Frontier Ways: Sketches of Life in the Old West”
I found the book Frontier Ways: Sketches of Life in the Old West, by Edward Everett Dale, on eBay as Brian and I were searching for living books for homeschool last year. Ever since I read the Little House on the Prarie books and the Kirsten American Girl Doll books as a child, the Old West has fascinated me–homesteaders in particular. What I like best about this particular book are the beautiful language Edward Everett Dale employs and the fact that he lived in a small town, surrounded by homesteaders, Native Americans, and cowhands, at the turn of the last century. He has first-hand experience of what life was like…
-
Intuitive Eating, Intuitive Living, and My God-given Limitations
As I’ve written about here at Teacher by Nature before, overeating is a struggle for me. What I’ve found the most challenging about getting my eating habits under control and honoring to God is the fact that I cannot stop eating. Those who find themselves enslaved to alcohol can simply (yet not easily) stop drinking alcohol. Alcohol is not necessary to human survival. Food, however, is. I cannot stop eating or, more specifically, I cannot stop consuming calories and nutrients. Both are good and necessary for life and the proper functioning of my body. I grew up in a very health-conscious family. My parents taught me the difference between nutritious…