I recently read The Golden Thread by Norman MacLeod to the kids during our morning read aloud time.  The kids were so captivated by the story that we finished the book in three days.  The publisher’s summary of the story is as follows:

There was once a kingdom near the treacherous Hemlock Forest where an evil king and his followers dwelt. Only those who held on to the Golden Thread could wander past the boundaries of the kingdom and return safely. It is a fearful thing to lose one’s way, and Prince Phillip must learn the lessons of the Golden Thread if he is ever to return.

This story reminds me of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress and The Squire and the Scroll both of which depicts elements of the Christian life in an allegorical fashion.  Even though we can’t know for sure what the author intended the Golden Thread to serve as a reference to, there are many reasons to compare it to the Word of God in a believer’s life.

This book is published by Lamplighter Publishing that reprints classic stories with the purpose of building character.  Even though the Lamplighter books are expensive, I think they are worth the extra cost.  All the books are hardback and beautifully bound with gold etchings.  Besides the beautiful appearance, the stories are excellent.  I highly recommend Lamplighter books.

Note: as it happens, my husband discovered that this book, as well as others published by Lamplighter, is online for free at Project Gutenberg.

One of the internet resources I find helpful in helping children to learn to read is starfall.com.  This particular website is very child-friendly as the graphics are very appealing for the little ones.  My children really enjoy using this website.

We are very careful when letting the children get on the internet, thus we only allow them to use starfall.com on a very limited basis.  I mainly use the website as a supplement and for reinforcement.  I teach the children to read using Ordinary Parents’ Guide to Teaching Reading.  After they have a good grasp of phonics, I allow them to use starfall.com on a very limited basis.  I think it is best that the real teaching comes from a person instead of a website, and this is the reason I don’t allow them to use this site before they are ready to read.

There are stories for different age levels and reading competencies.  For most of the stories, the child can either read it himself, or listen as the website reads through words (while highlighting the words being read).  In addition, there are interactive activities to help them practice reading as well.

One precaution we have set up is having the children use the computer in the common area.  My computer is in the kitchen and I’m pretty much in this area most of the time.  My sweet husband recently got me a 22″ monitor so it’s nice and big for my aging eyes.  He’s also set up a custom solution to filter out objectionable websites.  The bonus for this location and configuration is that I can easily see what the kids are doing when they’re on the computer.

I heartily recommend starfall.com provided that parents are careful and monitoring their children when they use the computer.

I’m currently teaching my four year old to read and one of the resources we enjoy using are Bob Books.  Each set comes with about 10 little booklets.  As soon as the child learns the short vowel sounds, he can start reading these little books.  Each booklet has simple drawings and story line. They are very appealing and motivating for the young readers because they feel a sense of accomplishment after finishing reading a little booklet.

Here is the story from Bob Books First Book 2:

Sam and Cat

Mat and Cat

Sam, Mat, and Cat

Cat sat on Sam.

Mat sat on Sam.

Sad Sam.  Sad Mat.

Sam sat.  Mat sat.

O.K., Sam.  O.K., Mat.  O.K., Cat

I just saw these Bob Books at Costco for $9.99 per set and their set comes in 18 little booklets plus other bonus materials.

I just finished reading Kay Bratt’s Silent Tears: A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage.  I read this book with great interest because we adopted our daughter Emmaline from China when she was nine months old (she’s now 3 1/2 years old).  We were not allowed to visit her orphanage then.  However, I saw pictures of her orphanage.  From those pictures I could deduce what went on inside her orphanage on a daily basis.  Part of the reason for reading this book was to satisfy my own curiosity.  Sad to say, my own suspicions were confirmed by Mrs. Bratt’s four year experience as a volunteer in a Chinese orphanage.  As disheartening and tragic as the accounts of Mrs. Bratt’s experience were, I was not shocked or taken aback in reading them.  Perhaps I understand the Chinese culture all too well and accept their modus operandi as the way of life.  This is not to condone their practices but simply to reiterate that I understand how the Chinese culture views orphans and handicapped children.

Silent Tears is Mrs. Bratt’s memoir or personal diary account of her volunteer work while living in China. She also highlights some of the Chinese culture and their way of life.  From her book we get a glimpse of the life inside a Chinese orphanage.  All the orphans are rendered as a lower class of person, especially those with any handicap.  Even though there were over 100 orphans, only four orphanage workers were employed which resulted in inadequate care. In an institution that was run based on efficiency, lack of stimulation or love, all of the orphans suffered, including the healthiest ones.  This type of care resulted in unnecessary deaths that were preventable, but because of orphanage bureaucracy or lack of adequate care, these babies failed to thrive.  It was very disheartening to read these accounts as I read Mrs. Bratt’s struggles to help these orphans so that they at least have a tiny bit of love and care.  An important warning about this book is that it is not for those faint of heart.  The stories in this book concern real people and it may be difficult to read through the book without crying.

Yet even in such a dismal and depressing institution, there were glimmers of hope.  Some were adopted into loving homes in United States or China.  The orphanage workers improved in their handling of the children because of Mrs. Bratt’s volunteer group.

I think this is a must read if you want to know more about Chinese orphans, and especially if you are or are planning on becoming an adoptive parent of one.  It is helpful to know what kind of trauma and/or neglect your adopted child may have gone through.  Too often adoptive parents don’t understand the weird or unexplained behaviors shown by their children, as some of these orphanage-raised children even lash out in anger and physical abuse toward their parents.  If we can understand a bit of their history and the trauma they experienced as babies, we can better help them.  This book hits home for me and perhaps when we’re on the other side of the ongoing challenges we’ve faced in parenting Emmaline, I will have the emotional energy to write about our experience with our adopted daughter.  In the meantime we are relying on God’s strength to bring healing and comfort.

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.