Triple Dog Dare/Truth & Dare - devotionals for kids (a review)

As parents, we want our children to learn for themselves the habit of reading God's Word and for putting what they learn into practice. Two new devotionals aim to do just that - Truth or Dare: One Year of Dynamic Devotions for Girls by Ann-Margaret Hovsepian, and Triple Dog Dare: One Year of Dynamic Devotions for Boys by Jeremy V. Jones.

Both published by David C. Cook, these books aim to not just encourage the habit of devotions but also to encourage the living of devotion. Each includes a Scripture passage for the day, a short application idea, a place for response or thoughts, and a couple tips for making it happen. Some of these are entertaining, like "Tell your buddies to punch you in the arm if you complain about a teacher" in the devotional about respecting authority, others are more involved like the Weekend project ideas that include art, activities or action ideas. Both versions include fun graphics, pages marked with days of the week to help stay on track and an interesting range of topics that are applied to every day situations.

Truth or Dare, the girls' edition, makes more use of visual elements, like puzzles, graphs or charts that can be filled in, the boys' less so. A non-reader may find the boy's version a little less compelling in this respect because it looks more word-heavy, and the font on the devotionals is quite small in comparison to the rest of the page. But if used with some parental involvement, the ideas are definitely geared to boys. Another small consideration is that while there is plenty of room to write responses and ideas, the paperback binding makes putting this into practice a little awkward as the book doesn't want to lay open.

Both devotionals cover a range of topics and all are handled discreetly and appropriately for the age groups. Overall, I give them two thumbs up!

Review copies provided by The B&B Media Group.

Hallelujah Chorus from Quinhagak, Alaska

Having grown up in a place with decided winters, this project makes me smile for a multitude of reasons!

Mixed greens for a healthy diet

In my career as a freelance writer, I've interviewed a number of dieticians and nutritionists, and when talking about healthy living, a topic that comes up often is vegetables. In fact, the very first article I ever wrote was called "Is Salad Ruining Your Diet?".

Did you know that 1 cup of iceberg lettuce only has 8 calories? But eating only iceberg lettuce won't give you all the nutrition you need for a healthy body. Mixed greens (and, of course, other food groups) may have more calories but they also carry a variety of trace minerals for better overall health. And in my opinion, some of the other varieties of lettuce taste better too.

How does that relate to my spiritual health?

I was reading in Hebrews 10 and came across this passage where the author (generally assumed to be the apostle Paul) is encouraging the church to persevere in their faith. And it struck me as a funny co-incidence that much of his advice begins with "let us". (I don't think it's much of a strain to hear this as "lettuce", do you?)

So what are the "let us"s that Paul recommends? Is there a mixed greens component to the Christian life?

1. "Let us draw near to God ..." (vs. 22)

This should be so obvious it doesn't need explaining but let me just expand a little. As a Christ-follower, we need to be near to Christ so that we see who we are following, where He is leading us, and what He is leading us to do. Being near to God is being in close communication with Him so that we are attuned to His voice and direction. How do we draw near to God? Through regular time with Him - reading His word (the Bible), talking to Him through prayer, and listening for what He has to say.

2. "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess ... " (vs. 23)

God is faithful and when we hold on to His promises for us, we hold onto the God that made them, too. Which in turn helps us draw near - see how this works? :)

3. "Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds ... " (vs. 24)

I like this section - Paul is saying "Let's be deliberate about encouraging each other to live the life Christ called us to." Let's think about how we can prompt each other forward in living out our faith. And I think one of the ways we do that is in the section that follows:

4. "Let us not give up meeting together ... " (vs. 25)

We can't be "spurring one another on" if we're not spending time with one another. Paul goes on to mention some people of his time that were "in the habit" of not getting together. I doubt he meant just getting together for lunch a couple times a year. I think it includes church on Sunday (or Wednesday or whatever day your church meets) too.

Do you have to go to church to be a Christian? No. But you lose some of those "trace minerals" of the Christian life by not being there. No church is perfect but every Bible-teaching church builds qualities of Christ that we can't experience anywhere else.

Author Frank Viola makes an interesting discussion of the ways God communicates, one of which is through His body (the church). He paraphrases 1 Corinthians 12:6 as follows: "The one true God speaks through a variety of different ways via His one body." Viola goes on to say "...Christ never reveals his whole mind through an individual. It takes a body of believers to lay hold of his mind together." (Revive Us Again, p. 23) Imagine all we benefit from worshiping and learning and doing life together.

5. "Let us encourage one another ... " (vs. 25b)

I find it interesting that Paul says we should be together at the starting point (spurring each other on) and at the finish line. As believers together, we are asked to keep each other focused on the task of "love and good deeds" (vs. 24) but also be there to cheer each other on as they happen. Yet another benefit that we would never get alone.

So, if our goal is a healthy and vibrant Christian life, Paul provides the "grocery list" of things that will help us grow in our faith and grow together as Christ's body. It's a matter of not just surviving as a Christian but of choosing to thrive as a Christian. "Lettuce" do our best to keep these things in mind as we work through each day.

Flight Plan (a book review)

Summer vacation has started and that means that, for many people, the reading list gets beefed up as people anticipate some leisure time either home or away. For those in ministry, it can also include having some time to look ahead to fall ministries in a variety of age ranges.

Flight Plan: Your Mission to Become A Man would fit either situation. For a dad that wants to be intentional about leading his boys to manhood, or for a ministry worker that wants a solid program for the young men in their care, Flight Plan offers a solid "field guide" for covering topics relevant to growing boys today.

As a mom, I like the information they present, the "boy-centric approach" and the level of integrity they encourage in both men and men-to-be. Covering issues from making smart choices to understanding risky ones, physical growth to spiritual growth, Flight Plan uses practical illustrations to explain concepts that could, if not handled in a setting of interaction, fly right over the head of some boys. For example, in talking about drugs and alcohol, authors Burns and Brady use the idea of a high-power engine. In a BMW, with an experienced driver, the risk is much lower than if that same engine was put in a go cart and given to a new driver. They compare boys' growing bodies to the vehicle, pointing out how there is a difference in the ways a teen body and an adult body will react to drugs or alcohol. (And they aren't encouraging using drugs or alcohol, by the way.) They also offer very practical recommendations for responsible behavior, like not having internet access in a bedroom to minimize the risk of getting involved in pornography.

This book is designed to be used in a group setting - offering discussion questions and different application scenarios at the end of each chapter. For younger groups (middle school), it would probably be best to offer excerpts in a group setting as the book itself is rather text-heavy according to many teen resources today, although photos and bullet points to help lighten it slightly. For high school or college ages, it would work very well as a complete participation study. It would also be a fantastic resource for a parent and child study at home.

With a mix of Scripture, familiar examples and peer input from well-known public figures, Flight Plan provides a wealth of material to guide boys to manhood.


Review copy provided by The B&B Media Group.

Revive Us Again (a review)

While on a long flight last week, I took out Frank Viola's "Revive Us Again: Living From a Renewed Christian Script."

Viola explains in his introduction that "I expect that during the course of your reading, you will say in your heart, "But of course!"" and for much of the book that was the case. Things that were frequent observations, or accepted traditions, are examined with a fresh eye to the practical ways those thoughts or habits might play out in the church - for good or for bad.

For example, Viola looks at the notion of claiming "The Lord told me":

"What I'm addressing here is the tendency of many Christians to announce that God has told them something ... I've routinely watched God get credit for things that He never authored and blamed for things He never imagined."

With a blend of Scriptural examples and practical insight, Viola goes on to point out that in the New Testament, people don't talk like that. And neither should we. Or how often have we heard (or said) "I'll pray about it." What does it typically mean? Nothing. Viola specifically avoids judging people but does point out that we need to take responsibility for the statements we make. In each chapter, he goes on to address other key areas where similar traditions or habits might need a careful re-examination.

As suggested by the legal pad cover design, the writing is clear and, in spite of a couple strained analogies, straight forward and generally easy to follow. With a clear outline and plenty of Scripture to back up his observations, Viola takes a good look at the cliches of the Christian life and challenges us to walk (and talk) intentionally into the life God has for us as believers.

Highly recommend.

Review copies provided by The B&B Media Group.

The Fitting Room (a review)

I've just finished reading "The Fitting Room: Putting on the Character of Christ" by Kelly Minter and found it to be a refreshing look at the "virtues" of the Christian life. Drawing her list from Colossians 3:12, Minter examines not just the thought-to-be-holy aspects of peace, forgiveness, compassion, kindness, humility, patience and joy, but also looks at the day to day evidence of a life that is expressing these virtues. Her approach is practical, often humorous and really gives a taste of how these virtues will look as day wear, and not just as characteristics of Christ to be reserved for Sunday use.

Minter promises (and keeps her promise) not to flog the makeover analogy to death but really hits the fact that these are not outer transformation when she says, "I've realized ... There is simply no way to detach my heart from my actions, especially when it comes to the characteristics of Jesus." She is frank about some of her own heart failings and provides discussion questions to try to encourage a thoughtful examination of our own motives or challenges in living a Christ-centered life which will produce these characteristics as an outgrowth of the inner reality.

"The Fitting Room" is not a heavy read but will leave you with a sense of purpose and a better understanding of a life made over to the Master Designer.

Review copies provided by The B&B Media Group.

Every nation, every tongue

A friend forwarded this video taken the day the Word of God arrived in Papua in the Kimyal language. How beautiful to see.

Cleanliness is next to ...

I'll be the first to admit I'm not a great housekeeper. (My husband would be the second to admit it.) We don't live in squalor or anything, but I do typically live with what I refer to as a visual filing system. So this quote tickled my funny bone:

Cleanliness becomes more important when godliness is unlikely. - P.J. O'Rourke

Is it odd to find this comforting in a convoluted sort of way? :)

Amazing Grace by Josh Wilson

It's been a long time since I posted here, but for today I want to share an amazing rendition of Amazing Grace. I was fortunate enough to see Josh Wilson live last weekend and loved his version of this wonderful hymn.