Get Into the Story: A New Testament Family Devotional Volume II is a family devotional book that supplements the God’s Story Children’s Ministry and Sunday School curriculum developed by Covenant Fellowship Church in Pennsylvania. This book specifically provides parents with daily Bible readings and discussion questions which correspond to lessons from the God’s Story curriculum. It was originally published for members of their church to help their families engage in daily family worship; but they’ve also made the materials available for individuals outside the church.

Note: This book is available in book format as well as on CD for churches to print separately for their members, assuming they’re using the God’s Story curriculum as well. There is also a corresponding Get Into The Story, Old Testament (volume I), but it is not yet available in book format.

Even though our church does not use this particular Sunday school curriculum, this devotional book is still very useful for daily family reading. Our family has been using this book for the past three weeks and I’m very happy with each reading. What I like about this devotional book is that each reading is very short and is intended for fifteen minutes a day. Each devotional reading includes: The Story (Bible passage), Talk About It (discussion time), and Pray (specific things to pray for). The reading for most days simply delves into the heart of the New Testament passage in question, providing insight into the text itself. However, the Get Into The Story material also has two unique features that are not typically found in devotional materials:

• The reading for every Wednesday, called “Where Is The Gospel?”, discusses how the content of the week’s reading relates particularly to the gospel. I appreciate this emphasis, as it helps to prevent readings from being read in isolation of the “big picture” of redemption. Too often, Bible reading materials, whether targeted for children or adults, fail to help bridge the reader’s understanding of specific passages to a broader understanding of God’s greater redemptive purposes.
• The reading for every Friday, called “The Road to Emmaus,” investigates passages from the Psalms or Prophets to discuss how various passages in the Old Testament point to Jesus. The name of this section is a reference to Luke 24 when Jesus Himself explained how the Old Testament Scriptures were full of references to Himself. This is a neat way to helpfully build a child’s understanding of the important of the Old Testament especially as it relates to the gospel.

Overall, this is an excellent family devotional book and I would recommend it wholeheartedly. It has helped to provide structure and substance to our endeavors to keep our family reading and learning from the Bible together on a daily basis. You can purchase the book and other related materials directly from the Covenant Fellowship Church website here.

I usually read from Get Into The Story after breakfast. At this time, I lead a devotion to commence the children’s school time. All the children sit on the couch and they are required to sit still and listen. In addition, no toys, blankets, or pillows are allowed during this time. I used to allow a toy or two, but it always became a distraction for the children. With a “no toys” rule, the children are now used to sitting still and participate in the reading.

Here are the children getting ready for our reading:

We were tipped off to the existence of a newly released movie titled Bella, starring former Mexican superstar actor Eduardo Verástegui (described as “the Brad Pitt of Mexico” in one blog) by the Rebelution blog. We decided to make a date of it and went to watch the movie last Friday on its opening night.

The movie chronicles a day in the life of its two main characters: José, the main chef in his brother’s Latino-themed restaurant in New York City, and Nina, a waitress in the same restaurant. What’s marvelous, though, is that the movie, though billed as “a true love story” is anything but what you might expect. Rather than a typical Hollywood romance, instead the movie is a subtle but compelling presentation of the preciousness of life even amidst its complexities. The story delves into Nina’s present-day troubles as they intersect with José’s tragic past, and how they both find hope and promise for the future (and freedom from the past) as they unexpectedly spend a day together under trying circumstances.

What we enjoyed about the movie were an engaging story line, up-close and compelling cinematography (even in the big city), great acting and character development, a believable plot, and most importantly, a beautiful underlying message about the gift of life. Prior to watching the movie, Lois did some research and read more about the life of Verástegui, and how he came to faith in the Lord Jesus four years ago, and the transformation in his life that has taken place and borne fruit in this movie (and others to come from his newly founded production company, Metanoia Films).

This film is wonderfully made and should appeal to people from all walks of life. Rather than a cliched “Christian” film in which someone messes up, “gets religion,” and whose problems are all solved; Bella instead shows how easy it is to get derailed from what’s important, and how powerful an impact one can make in others’ lives with a commitment to treasure life in all its facets and complexities. One might even argue this is what “Christian” art should look like: not a mere knock-off or poor imitation of the world, but a uniquely fresh vision and celebration of the world as God intends us to see and live.

One caveat: the hand-camera filming technique made my wife nauseated about a third of the way through the film.

Bella tells a beautiful and moving story which reminded us powerfully of how precious life is. We recommend it highly.

View a trailer here.

For Part 1 of this review, please go here.

Fourth Factor: Endocrine Disruptors

The fourth factor on endocrine disruptors is the most intriguing chapter to me, given that I have majored in life sciences in college. Dr. Sax alludes to evidence which suggests that polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is used to produce plastic bottles, contributes to early onset of puberty in girls but delayed the process in boys. The use of plastics is prevalent in the West as seen in bottled water and sodas, pacifiers, and baby bottles (just to start). Research in laboratory animals has shown that phthalates mimic the female hormone estrogen and can damage the nucleus accumbens, an area in the brain that is responsible for motivation in boys. Thus, Dr. Sax proposes that a key factor in causing boys to “go adrift” is the indiscriminate use of PET-based products in our society.

While there seems to be some evidence to suggest the use of plastics may have damaging effects on the human brain, I am not entirely sure this is a proven concern. I am not disputing the research, but I believe there should be more research conducted to clearly show the damaging effects of the chemicals in plastics. It is probably prudent to be more educated on this topic.

Fifth Factor: The Loss of Positive Role Models

The last factor which to which Dr. Sax attributes the decline in “manly” men in recent generations is the loss of positive role models. In this generation, Dr. Sax points out that we often see young boys modeling after convicted felons/”artists” such as Akon and 50 Cent instead of positive role models. [And too often, their fathers are absent (in spirit if not in body)]. In contrast, Dr. Sax suggests that a crucial element in helping boys become men is surrounding them with a community of men who can exert a positive mature influence. Of particular interest to me was his reference to true manhood being defined by the words of Jesus: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15;13, KJV)

I agree with Dr. Sax wholeheartedly regarding the importance of having positive male role models for boys. I find it interesting that what he wrote in this chapter has already been written in the book of Titus of the Bible. Titus chapter two lays out the framework for the social construct: Older women are to teach younger women and likewise, older men teaching younger men.

Conclusion

I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it for those who are interested in this topic. I’ve found Dr. Sax’s research to be helpful to think carefully (as a woman) about how I parent and educate my boys, so they grow up to be men. This book provides a very helpful corrective in our “politically correct” culture that so frequently works both to de-emphasize traditionally understood differences between men and women, as well as demean traditional male roles in the name of “gender equality.” Kudos to Dr. Sax for being willing to stand up and offer a counter-cultural analysis to help change that trend.

The Perseus Books Group kindly sent me a complimentary copy of Dr. Leonard Sax’s book titled Boys Adrift for review. As with his previous book Why Gender Matters (my review here and here), I thoroughly enjoyed reading Boys Adrift. I find myself agreeing with many things he’s written. The thesis of this book is that many of today’s boys in America are unmotivated and lazy because of five key factors: our model of education, video games, medications for ADHD, endocrine disruptors, and loss of positive role models. All these five factors are fascinating and because I want to provide a judicious review of this book, my review will be split into two posts.

First Factor: Changes at School

According to Dr. Sax, the 21st century classrooms have moved towards a more knowledge based versus experiential based teaching philosophy, which resulted in rigorous academics in the early years. This change mostly impacted the boys because the all day sit-down pencil-and-paper routine is not hospitable to the boys’ natural inclination to be active and creative. Research has shown that boys’ brain development is simply not ready for the rigorous academics typified in modern kindergarten in their early years.

To address these challenges, Dr. Sax suggests that parents can choose to delay their boys’ enrollment by one year if the assigned school requires children to read and write in kindergarten. This option allows a boy’s brain to further develop so to prepare him for the rigorous academics in the early years.

Parents can also research and find which school has a balance between knowledge-based and experience-based teaching methods that’s suitable for their boys. Children learn better in an environment that incorporates hands-on activities, such as assembling a circuit board to learn about electricity (p. 187).

Lastly, Dr. Sax suggests that if your child is doing poorly in school, enrolling him in a single-sex school, i.e. all boys school, is a possible solution. Boys tend to do better in such environment because there are no girls to impress. The single-sex school can be an environment that is more suitable for the boys. One example Dr. Sax provides is providing different options for sitting. Boys can choose to sit on a regular chair or at a different height, or on the floor, or not at all, as long as they are not distracting other students. The schools can also better implement competitive sports or games, which is vital to boys’ competitive nature.

While Dr. Sax’s suggestions are good, they tend to reflect the viewpoint of one whose main focus is reforming the existing institutional school system. I believe he has failed to provide a glance at another viable alternative to merely changing existing institutions, namely, homeschooling. After reading this chapter on the drawbacks of the modern school system, I was even further convinced that homeschooling is a great alternative to the traditional school because it provides individualized and customized learning. A parent has the most intimate knowledge of his/her child, and with careful thought can accommodate the learning environment to the child’s needs and preferences. In addition, many of the negative influences and stigmas that exist in today’s schools are mostly non-existent in a homeschool environment. I’d really like to see Dr. Sax do research in the home school community and see whether how the boys in this group fair. Of course, upon reading this chapter as well as when I read his other book Why Gender Matters, I can see ways I as a homeschool mom can seek to integrate his insights on schooling in a positive way as I educate my sons.

Second Factor: Video Games

Research has shown that more and more boys are immersed in countless hours of video games each day instead of doing their homework or interacting with real people or engaging in life. Dr. Sax explains that boys have an inner drive to gain power or control over a situation, and this appetite is easily accomplished and satiated by playing video games. Facing real life situations does not necessarily provide this sense of satisfaction, and consequently, many lose interest and motivation for facing up to the real life.

Dr. Sax proposes that parents should limit their boys’ time spent on video games but must redirect their time to real life interactions. It is crucial that the alternatives be more exciting and more real than the video games. I think this particular insight, while obvious, points to the underlying need that our young boys-evolving-into-men have of learning to become leaders and heads of household in the future, let alone statesmen and adventurers of various sorts. So the main lesson I draw from this insight is to be constantly on the look out for ways to tap into my sons’ God-given drive to exercise dominion, even in a Christ-like servant-hearted fashion.

Third Factor: Medications for ADHD

Today’s schools require five and six-year-olds to sit still for hours at a stretch, and since most boys have a difficult time with sitting still, many are prescribed medications for ADHD. Research done on animals show that ADHD medications can cause permanent damage to the nucleus accumbens in the brain that is responsible for translating motivation into action.

Interesting enough, both ADHD medications and excessive video game playing have the same effect on the nucleus accumbens. With a smaller nucleus accumbens, boys are less motivated and more apathetic.

As an alternative to jumping to medications when someone thinks your child has ADHD, Dr. Sax suggests that you should seek out a qualified professional to assess whether your child has ADHD. If the child indeed has ADHD after proper assessments and that you believe your child needs medication, Dr. Sax suggests to avoid the use of stimulants such as Adderall, Ritalin, Concerta, Metadate, Focalin, and Daytrana. Instead, the child can use Strattera or Wellbutrin which is deemed as a safer alternative by Dr. Sax.

In these latter two factors (video games and ADHD medications), I believe there is a common element which the book barely mentions: a lack of faithful parenting. Dr. Sax only mentioned it ever so briefly when he quoted psychiatrist Jennifer Harris in regards to ADHD medications: “Many clinicians find it easier to tell parents their child has a brain-based disorder than to suggest parenting changes.” (p. 86) In effect, it is lot easier to medicate a child than to parent one. When it comes to dealing with excessive video games and ADHD medications, diligent and devoted parenting is crucial. This point should be highlighted and expounded upon, rather than be dealt with in a cursory manner.

To be continued…

When I first read last week of Jim Andrew’s book Polishing God’s Monuments via Tim Challies’ review, I decided to be spontaneous and order it immediately. After all, it’s not every day that an uber-prolific Christian blogger and book reviewer says of a book something of this sort:

As I closed the cover on this book, 294 pages (yet only one day) after beginning, it struck me that this is undoubtedly one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. I skimmed back through my files to see how many other books I’ve read in 2007 and can see that it is at least sixty or seventy. So it’s no small thing to realize that this is one of the best. I simply can’t recommend Polishing God’s Monuments too highly.

I received the book yesterday in the mail.

Now, twenty-four hours later (and the same 294 pages), I can say with Tim Challies that this is indeed one of the best books I’ve read ever.

At the risk of redundancy (having linked to Tim’s very thorough review above), let me offer a few reflections in the hopes of persuading you to purchase this soul-strengthening and riveting book.

Polishing God’s Monuments is both a biographical narrative and a Biblical treatise on suffering. I’d previously suggested to friends that D.A. Carson’s How Long, O Lord?: Reflections on Suffering and Evil was the best book I’d ever read on the subject of suffering. Without necessarily comparing the two, I’d say that Polishing God’s Monuments has an authenticity and element that makes it stand out. How so? The book seeks to present a “strategy” for coping with the suffering that is inevitable in this life for all of us who live in this sin-stained world. The title hints at what pastor and former seminary professor Jim Andrews refers to as “monumental faith,” which, in short, is learning to make it a point to hold onto past evidences of God’s faithfulness in order to endure present (and ongoing) trials. He develops this idea in the context of the last two decades of his life, during which his daughter and son-in-law have undergone unbelievable and agonizing ongoing, chronic, and debilitating medical problems — which have taken no small toll on their respective parents — and somehow (by God’s grace) survived with their faith intact, even though their health challenges very much remain.

I don’t want to say too much more about the narrative, at the risk of taking away the full impact of the book. I will say that Andrews provides a very heartfelt and accessible presentation of Biblical evidence for reasons to trust in God’s sovereignty and goodness, and ways that we can in our weak sin-laden flesh learn to cling to those truths no matter how severe or light our afflictions may be. He is neither overly “academic” in his presentation, nor hopelessly colloquial that the reader would fail to see the strong Biblical underpinnings of his exhortation to live a “monumental faith.” (He even addresses the horridly sad implications of recent trends above evangelicals to accept the unhelpful theology of “open theism” with respect to enduring true suffering).

Probably the most succinct praise I could offer of this book is that it manages to combine solid Biblical & theological reflection on how to endure suffering with engaging storyline of real-life struggles with suffering, all in a very readable and understandable fashion. Andrews manages to thread that difficult path of showing us how our “creeds” can and do truly affect our deeds, and not merely describe one without addressing the other.

As he opens the book, Andrews mentions that he especially has in mind readers who are enduring suffering. But he continues later on to remind us that sufferings and trials are supposed to be normal for the Christian. He helpfully argues that if we think otherwise (especially in our very comfortable American modern civilization) we are not only deceived and out of sorts with the words of Jesus, but we will be very ill-prepared for the sufferings that will come our way. After reading the book, I was deeply impressed by the importance of not living for comfort, but for eternity. And how easily the former will distract us from the latter. As Andrews suggested, Christians are saved not to seek mere comfort, but to seek conformity to Christ; and it’s primarily through trials that we grow stronger in this direction.

As I made my way through this book, I thought of dear friends who have endured chronic diseases over the past several years, and have an inclination to purchase extra copies to gift to them. Not so much, in their cases, because I think they haven’t demonstrated faithfulness. But as a marker to thank them for the testimony they have been to me of trusting God amidst suffering and pain, in the hopes of bringing them encouragement. I thank God for this sobering yet hope-filled book, for it did not only present a story of suffering, but a firm and strong reminder of God’s sovereign and gracious workings amidst all of our sufferings.

In short, buy this book. Read this book. Be helped, be encouraged, be prepared.

Books Children Love: A Guide to the Best Children’s Literature by Elizabeth Wilson is a wonderful resource to have when searching for good books for your children. I am a firm believer in reading good books and I am happy to find an author who shares my vision. This book was modeled after a British educator Charlotte Mason’s teaching philosophy in the 1900’s. Charlotte Mason favored “living books,” i.e. books that are of quality, value, engaging, and not dumbed down. Mrs. Wilson spent a year researching quality books and compiled into a guide.

This book is organized according to the following topics:

1. Animals: Domestic animals, pets, zoo animals
2. Art and architecture
3. Bible/spiritual and moral teaching
4. Biography
5. Celebration days and seasons
6. Crafts, hobbies, and domestic arts
7. Dance, drama, and other performances
8. Growing plants - outdoors and indoors
9. History and geography
10. Humor
11. Language
12. Literature: level I, II, and III, anthologies, poetry and rhymes
13. Mathematics
14. Music
15. Nature, science, and technology
16. Outdoor activities
17. Physical education and organized games
18. Reference and research/study skills
19. Special needs

I have already used this guide to look for wonderful books for my children to read. With the help of this guide, I look forward to finding more book treasures in the future with my children.

Recently my son and I read RC Sproul’s The King Without a Shadow. The story begins with a little boy asking a king about why people have shadows, which leads the king to ponder on the subject. Through his wise men and the “man in the cave,” the king comes to know the Great King without a shadow.

There are many parallels in this book to Sproul’s classic book The Holiness of God. The Great King, i.e. God, has no physical shadows, nor any blemish or darkness. The story is very engaging and the illustrations are superb. This book has a lot of biblical truth about God and his holiness, and Sproul presents it in a very readable format for a child to understand. I really appreciate this book because not only does the child enjoy reading the story, the child also learns the accurate truth about God. I recommend this book wholeheartedly.