tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47068453589782633782024-03-13T21:45:55.707-07:00Told Like It IsA Woman-to-Women Conversation on All Facets of Life - Fashion - Politics - Religion - Style - TravelUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger316125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-8374416305603130052019-04-01T16:54:00.000-07:002019-04-01T16:54:03.475-07:00A New Chapter in Life<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thank you, readers, for joining me on this blog for nearly a decade. I welcome you to read my <a href="https://vaughnestrada.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">new blog</a> and promise not to delete the posts on this one. -Jennifer</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-67707914730908589982017-11-04T13:17:00.000-07:002017-11-04T13:17:38.942-07:00“The Truth That Sets Us Free” (2017 West Coast Ladies Retreat Presentation)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1961463937407213/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="960" height="105" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4J1-I2Es47o/Wf4c3nKHw0I/AAAAAAAAAyU/tGxCSStrl2s1V5jaWwdlqtMrwYf8ga1jACLcBGAs/s320/20994228_1693039237381975_6973932655896295973_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<center>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>The Truth That Sets Us Free:<br /><br />
Applying Paul’s Message to the Galatians to Our Lives[1]</b></span></span></span></center>
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Text</b><br /><br />
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+1&version=ESV" target="_blank">Galatians 5:1</a>).[2]<br />
<br />
<b>Introduction</b><br /><br />
Imagine this:[3]<br /><br />
The year is 48, or maybe 49. The middle of the first century. In the backwater Roman Province of Judea, the Zealot movement is brewing. Picking up steam. Threatening to become a full-fledged storm. These Jews absolutely detest foreign rule. And to make it even worse, it’s pagan rule. They imagine themselves, in their fevered fanaticism, to be like the legendary – the heroic – Maccabees generations before, seeking to drive out the foreign overlords – out of their homeland, to the sea – by any means necessary.<br /><br />
These Zealots have a well-deserved reputation for violence. They are the terrorists of their day. Their nationalistic fervor, whipped into frenzy, would eventually culminate in what we call the First Jewish–Roman War, which began in the late 60s and resulted in the complete destruction of the city of Jerusalem and its temple, scattering Jews all over the known world.<br /><br />
But for now, in A.D. 48, an attempted revolt against the Romans has ended in failure. So the Zealots turn their focus inward: They want to purify the Jewish people. Root out any “Gentile” influence that has infiltrated their culture. Their first target: the Sadducees.<br /><br />
Of the Jewish sects that existed in the first century, the Sadducees were the most Hellenized, the most accepting of pagan Greek culture. And therefore, in the fevered minds of the Zealots, the most corrupt. The Sadducees were willing to collaborate, to help, to assist, to ally themselves with those hated pagan, foreign invaders and oppressors, the Romans. As the ruling elite, the Sadducees constituted a considerable threat to any independence movement as long as they controlled the temple system and the priesthood, and welded significant influence in the Great Sanhedrin (the Jews’ highest judicial court).<br /><br />
The Zealots also target a smaller and newer sect: the Christians.<br /><br />
Why the Christians? They did not have broad religious influence in society. They didn’t have easy access to political power. Nor were they even particularly politically minded – unlike many Christians today. Furthermore, their seemingly blasphemous beliefs – like “Jesus is God” – were of greater interest to other religious factions like the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Not so much to the political Zealots.<br /><br />
Yet they were a threat. These Christians saw the blessing of Abraham as a blessing for all people, not just the Jewish people. They took what most people saw as an “ethnic” religion, something one was born into, and turned it into a “universal” religion. A religion of inclusion. A religion built on proselytizing other nations.<br /><br />
So now these Christians are actively converting “Gentiles.” And unlike the other religious sects, they don’t require – nor even demand – that these foreign converts adopt Jewish customs. They have even begun rejecting some of these practices themselves. The solution? Purify the Christians, or kill them.<br /><br />
The Christians now have a serious problem on their hands. It’s bad enough to be persecuted for your fundamental beliefs. But being persecuted for conversing and eating with “Gentiles”? Let’s try to avoid that. Solution? Judaize the Hellenists. (Or the Latinists, as the case may be.)<br /><br />
It’s not as if they’re asking the foreign converts to follow all of the Mosaic Law or all of the Rabbinic Oral Law. Just enough to pacify the Zealots: Circumcision. Maybe the religious calendar of holidays. Some food prohibitions would be good too. That’s about it. It’s not like all of the ethnic Jews do any more than that anyway. (Unless they’re Pharisees spending every waking moment thinking about such things.) So they’ll tell the “Gentiles” to just act a little more like Jews, and everything will be fine.<br /><br />
Everything was not fine, but we’ll get to that in a minute.<br /><br />
So the Jewish Christians begin their Judaizing campaign. First, in Jerusalem. And further north, in Syrian Antioch, where “Gentile” converts were relatively few. And then they expand their efforts westward into southern Galatia, today’s Turkey. Into the cities of Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, where Saul of Tarsus and Joseph Barnabas of Cyprus had recently won converts.<br /><br />
The Judaizers’ message to the Galatians was straightforward: Barnabas and Saul (better known by his Greek name “Paul”) had presented the basics needed to become a Christian. They, the Judaizers, were here now, with apostolic support, to expand on those teachings and make sure that Jewish customs were being followed.<br /><br />
From a Jewish perspective, there isn’t anything unusual about this. The concept of “elementary” teachings being followed by more “developed” ones is common in the Talmudic, or rabbinic, approach to religious education.[4] Faith in Christ. That was the first step. But if one truly wanted to be justified before God, one must accept circumcision to be joined to the Abrahamic Covenant. One must fulfill the requirements of the Mosaic Law to live a righteous life.<br /><br />
The Galatians were, understandably, confused. Someone raises his hand and says, “But when Paul was here, he said the Law of Moses couldn’t justify us.[5] Why do we have to obey it?”<br /><br />
“Oh, Paul? He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Trust me. This is what the Lord’s apostles in Jerusalem expect you to do.”<br /><br />
The Galatians’ reactions were probably mixed. After all, some reasoned, they had to undergo the Jewish ritual of <i>tevilah</i>, or <i>baptizo</i>, full-body immersion into water, to convert to Christianity. Maybe their men needed to be circumcised as well.<br /><br />
This was no big deal for some of the Jews and “Gentiles” who had previously converted to Judaism. They’d already been circumcised. Already avoided pork in any form. Already made regular pilgrimages to Jerusalem for the feasts.<br /><br />
Others weren’t happy at all. They had been attracted to Christianity because it retained what they liked about Judaism, but left out all of the tiresome nitpicking about how many steps you took on a Sabbath day or what non-kosher insects might be hiding in your vegetables.[6]
And circumcision. The mere thought made many of the uncircumcised “Gentiles” positively ill. “What loving God would make someone mutilate himself? I’m going back to the Temple of Mēn” (the indigenous lunar god).<br /><br />
Some of the Galatians must have been concerned enough because word quickly got back to Paul in Syrian Antioch. When it came to the “Gentile Question,” Paul was already frustrated with the hypocrisy he saw among the Jewish brethren.[7] And the apostle Peter himself had already experienced at least one confrontation with the “circumcision party” over eating with Gentile converts.[8] This had to stop.<br /><br />
So Paul writes a letter – a passionate, uncompromising letter – that defends his message of freedom. A message that he had been divinely commissioned to preach to the Galatians.[9] A message that had received apostolic blessing and support from James the Lord’s brother, Peter, and John.[10] And most importantly, a messaged sourced from Jesus Christ himself.[11]<br /><br />
Clearly, Paul wasn’t the problem. The Judaizers were the problem. The “false brothers” who spy on him.[12] Who lie about having apostolic approval.[13] Who pervert the “good news”[14] for the sake of their reputations and to avoid persecution.[15] Who try to drown out God’s truth about living in freedom with their lies of bondage.<br />
<br />
<b>Development</b><br /><br />
What is the truth?<br /><br />
As Paul explicitly says in his letter: “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”[16]<br /><br />
It is faith in Christ that brings freedom, through the grace – the generosity – of God.[17] The Judaizers would have us nullify – make void – this grace.[18] Declare Christ’s sacrifice meaningless. They would have us return to a system with a false hope that it will bring freedom.
But the Law does not bring freedom. In fact, the Law was never meant to bring freedom.[19] Rather, the Law enslaves.[20] Holds us captive.[21] It binds everyone to a curse, and justifies no one.[22]<br /><br />
Why? Because the Law demanded absolute perfection. It demanded absolute obedience to God’s standards in a way that human will-power could never – was never meant to – achieve. It wasn’t that the desire to obey God was absent (although arguably that could have been the case for some). The desire to obey God was there. Human will was powerless to do so.<br /><br />
The Law could not give us life, but the “good news” for us is that our righteousness – our acceptance – does not come by the Law.[23] It is Christ, and Christ alone, who frees us.[24] The Cross is what makes us acceptable before God.<br /><br />
But the lies of the Judaizers – the “legalists” – create fear in our hearts and minds. Create checklists. Create a bondage that weighs heavily upon us, while we long to be free. These lies cause us to question whether we truly are God’s children. To question our adoption by faith.[25] To cause us to try to prove our own worth by noting how many good things we do. To prove that we are “good enough” for God.<br /><br />
But that is a lie. The truth is we can’t bring about our own justification by our own goodness.[26] Rather, we called are to live in the Spirit, through whom we cry, “Abba, Father.”[27] The Spirit prompts us to follow God’s will. If we belong to Christ, then the Holy Spirit within us will – naturally – produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.[28] These do not come about through our own effort, but through the Spirit, who works in us to bring about holiness in our lives.<br />
<br />
<b>Conclusion</b><br /><br />
How does Paul’s message to the Galatians apply to us today?<br /><br />
As we live our lives of freedom we need to be alert. To be aware of the forces that seek to bring us back into bondage. To be aware of the lies that tell us we’re not good enough for God unless we follow some set of prescribed rules.<br /><br />
As we conclude this evening, I would like to leave you with three questions to ponder over:<br /><br />
First: Are you trying to live the Judaizer’s lie, relying on your own strength, your own power to become righteous before God? We often fall into the checklist trap, believing that, by just doing all the right things, we can reach perfection – live a righteous life – through efforts of our own, rather than allowing the Spirit inside of us to guide us.<br /><br />
This reliance upon our own strength only dooms us to failure. Repeat failure. God clearly wants us to live righteous lives, but as imperfect people, we continue to struggle with sin. Continue to fall short of that “benchmark” of perfection.<br /><br />
We might metaphorically beat ourselves over the head each time we fail. Reminding ourselves what a terrible person we are each time we disappoint ourselves and others. Each time we fall back into a nasty habit we’d like to quit. Each time we’re tempted to do something we know is wrong.
We might even go so far as to physically harm ourselves, as a sort of “punishment” for our failure. As an incentive to get ourselves “back on track,” so to speak.<br /><br />
But what does “getting back on track” even mean? The phrase implies there’s something of our own effort – our own works – that will allow us to achieve that elusive goal of perfection.<br /><br />
Instead, we need to remember that it is not through our own efforts, but that of the Spirit within us that justifies us before God. Let the Spirit be the leader in your life, and let Him bring about perfection.<br /><br />
Second: Are there Judaizers in your life, pressuring you to give up your freedom in Christ to be enslaved by their rules? Sometimes other Christians appear to be nice and sweet, but don’t have our best interests in mind. They seek to impose their own rules on others. Bringing them into bondage. Forcing them to conform to their own ideas and preferences about how Christians should be in order to be justified before God.<br /><br />
Don’t dismiss this warning as exaggerated. There is a constant – ever-present – danger lurking. Christians, like everyone else, are predisposed towards controlling others. Some of you might remember the “discipling movements,” which first appeared in the 1950s and ‘60s, and were introduced among the independent Churches of Christ in the ‘70s.<br /><br />
One particular college campus program, begun by Crossroads Church of Christ in Florida, attracted swarms of converts and grew to an unprecedented size. The movement later became known as the Boston Church of Christ, and now is called the International Church of Christ.<br /><br />
What began as a commendable effort to provide potential and new converts with guidance and support – prayer and personalized Bible studies – a safe place to confess one’s sins – soon became an oppressive cult with leaders that used high-pressure tactics to intimidate, manipulate, and control those entrusted in their care. They demanded the right to determine when someone was sufficiently remorseful about their sin. To determine when someone was ready to be baptized. To determine when someone was ready to be saved.<br /><br />
The leaders proved themselves ill-qualified for the role of “shepherds,” when they used personal information to blackmail their members and demanded control over things like what to wear, whom to date, and what career to have. Non-conformists were “disfellowshipped.” Excommunicated. Declared separated from the love of Christ. Cut off from salvation from their sins.<br /><br />
But the leaders had no right to declare such things. It is faith in Christ – not adherence to your mentor’s capricious rules – that brings about justification before God. It is no wonder that when many college students or college graduates now hear the term “church of Christ,” their instinctive response is to run away. Realizing the fault of this system, the ICoC has tried to shed this bad reputation, but with little success. And other Restoration Movement churches have had to work overtime to distance themselves from it.<br /><br />
My purpose for mentioning the ICoC is to prove how easy it is for Christians to be caught up in the lust for power. To crave control over others. To limit the freedom of others. All in the name of Christ. So beware of the power-hungry Judaizers of today.<br /><br />
Third: Are there Zealots in your life, pressuring you to conform to their ideas of what a Christian should be? From time to time, there will be outsiders. Maybe those in connection with some other church. Maybe those who don’t identify as Christian at all. Who might try to dictate our lives. Tell us we should vote a certain way. Tell us that we should vote. That we support a particular law. View a particular movie. Share a particular meme.<br /><br />
Like the Zealots of the past, they are less concerned about promoting a religious message – in this case, the message of God’s grace – than they are interested in promoting a message that’s political. Social. Cultural. And they are quick to demonize Christians who prioritize Christ before politics. They assassinate the character of those who strive for unity among Christians rather than unity around a political candidate.<br /><br />
Remember that we can resist the Zealots of our day. Persecution may follow, but we can rest assured that it is God who defines righteousness, not the world around us. And it is God Who has declared us “freed to be free” indeed.<br /><br />
Thank you for your time.<br />
<br />
<b>Endnotes</b><br /><br />
[1] Presented on Saturday, October 14, 2017 at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1961463937407213/" target="_blank">2017 West Coast Ladies Retreat</a> “Free to Be Freed” held at Oak Glen Christian Conference Center, Yucaipa, California, hosted by <a href="http://newlandstreetcofc.com/" target="_blank">Newland Street Church of Christ</a>, Garden Grove, California. The session topics were based on <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lies-Women-Believe-Truth-that/dp/0802472966/" target="_blank">Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free</a></i> by Nancy Leigh DeMoss (Chicago: Moody, 2001).<br />
[2] English Standard Version (ESV).<br />
[3] The background information and interpretation choices presented here rely primarily on <i><a href="http://amzn.to/2zfAkqA" target="_blank">Galatians</a></i> by Richard N. Longenecker, Volume 41 of <i>Word Biblical Commentary</i> (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015).<br />
[4] The idea is also used in Hebrew 6:1.<br />
[5] Acts 13:39.<br />
[6] This statement is purposefully anachronistic.<br />
[7] Galatians 2:11-14.<br />
[8] Acts 11:1-18.<br />
[9] Galatians 2:2; cf. Acts 13:2.<br />
[10] Galatians 2:1-10; cf. Acts 11:19-30.<br />
[11] Galatians 1:11-12.<br />
[12] Galatians 2:4.<br />
[13] Acts 15:24.<br />
[14] Galatians 1:7.<br />
[15] Galatians 6:12-13.<br />
[16] Galatians 5:1 (ESV).<br />
[17] Galatians 2:20-21.<br />
[18] Galatians 2:21.<br />
[19] Galatians 2:16.<br />
[20] Galatians 4:21-5:1.<br />
[21] Galatians 3:23.<br />
[22] Galatians 3:10-11.<br />
[23] Galatians 3:21.<br />
[24] Galatians 3:13; 5:1.<br />
[25] Galatians 4:1-5.<br />
[26] Galatians 4:6; 6:8.<br />
[27] Galatians 5:16, 18, 25.<br />
[28] Galatians 5:22-24.</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-12491219793221027672017-11-01T08:54:00.000-07:002017-11-01T08:54:42.911-07:00My Complicity with Racism<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It’s a church-related event. The title of the talk speaks to an issue of concern to me, so I’m eager to hear what the university professor has to say. I’m an engaged listener, taking down notes, thinking up questions to ask.<br />
<br />
Then the professor does something unexpected. To illustrate a point, he verbally belittles a young woman. Then another one. Maybe three in total. Each time, the audience nervously laughs. We understand what he’s trying to do, even if it makes us a little uncomfortable.<br />
<br />
In my mind, I excuse it. The women – “girls” really – look to be about twenty, give or take a year. One has her blond hair pulled up in a ponytail and is wearing a college sweatshirt. I think the professor addressed one of them by name. They’re probably his students. They probably expected this.<br />
<br />
I continue to listen. Take notes. Rewrite my questions so they’ll sound more intelligent to everyone else in the room.<br />
<br />
Then suddenly a hand grabs my arm. I look up startled. I stop writing in mid-sentence, and my pen drops to the floor. The professor pulls me up off the chair, but it’s one of those classroom desk-chair combos. When I stand, the desk-chair tips forward, and I frantically try to keep my handbag, notebook, Smart phone, and water bottle from falling to the floor. (A difficult task, when someone’s holding your arm.) Everyone nervously laughs again, but this time they’re laughing at me.<br />
<br />
I feel my cheeks burning red. I am hurt – physically and emotionally. I am embarrassed. Humiliated. Underneath, I am fuming mad.<br />
<br />
Of everyone in the room, why had the professor picked on me? I’m not one of his students. I’m old enough to be his students’ mother. Where’s his respect for age? Doesn’t he notice my wedding ring? Where’s his respect for a married woman?<br />
<br />
Oh, but I’m not a thirty-something married woman, traditionally seen as someone deserving of more respect than a twenty-something college coed. I’m black. Not literally of course, but that’s definitely his perspective. I’m sexless. Ageless. Devoid of any indicators of status or education. Black.<br />
<br />
The sixty-something white man sitting next to me helps me pick up my things. His eyes meet mine. I can see that he’s not blind to the real situation. I had an ally. Someone who would stand by me if I just spoke up. I just needed to speak up.<br />
<br />
But I don’t. Why not? Because my big humiliating moment had passed, and I dread making a scene. The professor had not noticed anything amiss. He’d moved on to his next point.<br />
<br />
I can no longer take notes. My oh-so-important questions are forgotten. I spend the rest of the hour inwardly kicking myself for not speaking up.<br />
<br />
Then the professor decides to verbally belittle me. I get a second chance to speak up, but I don’t. Again, I don’t want to make a scene. I decide to wait until his talk is over.<br />
<br />
When it’s over, I make another excuse. There are too many people around trying to talk to him. Again, I don’t want to make a scene. I leave.<br />
<br />
A few days later, I’m brave enough to email the professor. I tell him how hurt I was, but I say nothing of the racist overtones in his actions.<br />
<br />
He replies with a heartfelt apology, saying that he didn’t intend to hurt me. I believe him. I forgive him. He seems innocently unaware that anyone might consider his act racist. I could enlighten him, keep him from making the same mistake again.<br />
<br />
But I don’t. I want to forget the whole incident, so I keep silent.</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-12235642245391619512017-08-04T17:59:00.000-07:002019-01-28T11:52:28.241-08:00‘Jewish Memorials, Christian Revelations’ - Lesson 2 Draft<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>LESSON 2: <i>Feast of Weeks</i></b></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<b> חג השבועות (<i>Chag ha-Shavuot</i>, Feast of Weeks)</b><br />
CELEBRATED: Fifty days (seven weeks and a day) after First Fruits, in Sivan<br />
PURPOSE: Commemorates God’s gift of the Torah, and is associated with the wheat harvest.<br />
LEGISLATED: Lev. 23:15-21; Num. 28:26-31; Deut. 16:9-12 & 16-17<br />
NOTE: The second holy convocation came in the summer. Seven weeks and a day after the Sabbath of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, all the Israelite men congregated to sacrifice again. This was חג השבועות (<i>Chag ha-Shavuot</i>, Feast of Weeks) in Hebrew, and Πεντηκοστή (<i>Pentēkostē</i>, “fiftieth [day]”) in Greek. This time the bread was required to be baked with leaven, and the first fruits of the wheat harvest were offered to the Lord. As a feast, there were the same prohibitions associated with the seven-day spring feast.<br />
The festival had another name: חג מתן תורה (<i>Chag Mattan Torah</i>, Feast of the Giving of the Torah). It was known as the anniversary of when Yahweh gave His laws to the Israelite people. Their identity was closely linked to this religious code, which set them apart from all the other nations of the world (Leviticus 20:22-26). Even today, archeologists distinguish between Jewish and Canaanite sites based on whether or not they find pig remains, show how important following these laws were to the ancient Israelites.<br />
The association with the summer wheat harvest led to the Feast of Weeks coming to be known as the “Feast of First Fruit” (Exodus 34:22). As Passover’s popularity surpassed that of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the accompanying Feast of First Fruit, associated with the spring barley harvest, disappeared from the Jewish calendars. As a result, Christians are often unaware of the significance of the day on which Christ rose from the dead.<br />
<br />
<b> PENTACOST REIMAGINED </b><br />
CITATION: Acts 1-2<br />
OBSERVANCE: The resurrected Jesus appeared to His followers and promised they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit, through Whom He had commanded them. After Jesus’ ascension, His 120 disciples waited for the promise to be fulfilled. Mentioned are the twelve apostles, including Judas Iscariot’s replacement Matthias; Jesus’ brothers; Jesus’ mother Mary; and other female followers, probably including Mary Magdala, Mary of Bethany, her sister Martha, Joanna, Salome, and the four daughters of Philip “the evangelist.” By tradition, those present included all of the men sent out by Jesus earlier, later known as the “Seventy Elders” (Luke 10:1-20).<br />
Jesus’ disciples waited until the day of Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks, when the Holy Spirit descended upon them and gave them the ability to speak in foreign languages. This caught the attention of the masses that had come to Jerusalem to celebrate. Simon bar-Jonah, called Peter, took the opportunity to enlighten them as to what had taken place. The prophecy of Joel was being fulfilled before their very eyes. They had rejected and killed their Messiah, the Christ. Now that He was made Lord, they needed to repent, be baptized, and receive the Holy Spirit. Many people were skeptical of his message, but many believed and were saved. As the assembly of new disciples grew, their works through the Holy Spirit continued with more miraculous signs and healings.<br />
REINTERPRETATION: During the Feast of Weeks, the gift of the Torah was replaced with the gift of God’s Spirit, enabling those called “Christians” to transform the lives of others. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit clearly set Jesus Christ’s followers apart from those around them. This new identifying factor distinguished them from the followers of John the Baptist (Acts 19:1-7), and it forced them to put racial prejudice behind them and accept non-Jewish persons into their assembly (Acts 10:44-48).<br />
<br />
<i><b>Food for Thought</b></i><br />
<ul>
<li>In what ways does the giving of the Holy Spirit mirror the giving of the Mosaic Law?</li>
<li>Is Christian identity linked to the Holy Spirit the way Jewish identity is linked to the Mosaic Law?</li>
<li>What distinguishes “gifts of the Spirit” from natural abilities Christians may have?</li>
</ul>
<i><b>Further Study</b></i><br />
The Book of Ruth is often read during Shavuot. The wheat harvest figures prominently in the story about the Moabitess who leaves her people to live with her mother-in-law among the tribe of Judah. Ruth has been interpreted by both Jews and Christians alike as an example of how racially inclusive God’s law could be. In addition, Jewish tradition dates the birth and death of King David, who descended from Boaz and Ruth, to the festival.<br />
<br />
<i> Note: This draft lesson was presented at the women’s Bible study meeting held on Saturday, July 1, 2017 at <a href="http://www.alhambrachurchofchrist.com/" target="_blank">Alhambra Church of Christ</a> (Alhambra, California).</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-41833742108532028422017-06-28T14:49:00.001-07:002019-01-28T11:52:28.435-08:00‘Jewish Memorials, Christian Revelations’ - Lesson 1 Draft<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>LESSON 1: <i>Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of First Fruit</i></b></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<b>פסח (<i>Pesach</i>, Passover)</b><br />
CELEBRATED: 14th of Abib/Aviv (now Nisan)<br />
PURPOSE: Commemorates God striking down the first born in Egypt, and is associated with the barley harvest.<br />
LEGISLATED: Exodus 12, particularly vv.7-13; Leviticus 23:5; Numbers 28:16; Deuteronomy 16:1-8<br />
NOTE: The meal was eaten at dusk. It consisted of פסח קרבן (<i>Korban Pesakh</i>, “sacrifice of Passover”), also known as the Paschal Lamb, whose blood initially served as a substitute for that of the first born son of the household. The lamb was roasted on a spit. The feast included unleavened flatbread called מצה (<i>matzah</i>); bitter herbs called מרור (<i>maror</i>), generally interpreted to be horseradish and romaine lettuce; and multiple cups of grape wine. It became a tradition to interpret each element of the feast in light of the Exodus story, infusing the dinner with memories of slavery and freedom.<br />
NOTE: This is often called a “memorial” rather than a “feast” because of its purpose (e.g., commemorating suffering, rather than expressing joy) and because it does not carry the same prohibitions as feast days do (e.g., people can work, buying and selling are allowed, criminals can be executed, it can be kept among the Egyptians). The meal was eaten at dusk, and then the following morning, it served as the Day of Preparation for the Feast of Unleavened Bread.<br />
NOTE: During the first century, and possibly as far back as the Babylonian exile, Passover and the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread were often confused, especially among Jews of the diaspora (i.e., Hellenized Jews living outside of Judea). Under Rabbinic Judaism, the successor to ancient Pharisees, the two completely merged, creating a seven or eight-day Passover. More traditional branches of Judaism and Samaritanism (the religion of the descendants of the northern tribes) still keep the feasts in the old manner.<br />
<br />
<b>חג </b><b>המצות </b><b>(<i>Chag ha-Matzot</i>, Feast of Unleavened Bread)</b><br />
CELEBRATED: 15th-21st of Abib/Aviv (now Nisan)<br />
PURPOSE: Commemorates God’s relationship with the purified nation of Israel, and is associated with the barley harvest.<br />
LEGISLATED: Exodus 12:14-20; Leviticus 23:6-8; Numbers 28:17-25; Deuteronomy 16:3-8 & 16-17<br />
NOTE: This was a seven-day festival with prescribed Sabbaths (days of rest) that had to be observed in addition to the regular Sabbath on the seventh day of each week. The Israelites cleaned out all of the חמץ (<i>chametz</i>, “leavening,” i.e., yeast) in their homes, signifying their purification. The holy convocation, or gathering of the people, necessitated a pilgrimage to a common site, which later became Jerusalem and the temple. As a feast, there were prohibitions against engaging in normal work, buying and selling, and executing criminals.<br />
<br />
<b>חג </b><b>הביכורים </b><b>(Chag ha-Bikurim, Feast of First Fruit)</b><br />
CELEBRATED: First day of the week following the Sabbath that follows Passover, in Abib/Aviv (now the 15th of Nisan)<br />
PURPOSE: Part of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, associated with the barley harvest.<br />
LEGISLATED: Leviticus 23:9-14; Numbers 28:26-31<br />
NOTE: The Israelites were instructed to present the priests with a special offering, the “first fruit” of the (barley) harvest, and make a special lamb sacrifice to God.<br />
<br />
<b>PASSSOVER REIMAGINED</b><br />
CITATIONS: Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:12-26, Luke 22:7-39, John 13:1-17:26, 1 Corinthians 11:23-25)<br />
OBSERVANCE: Before His arrest, Jesus celebrated Passover in Jerusalem. However, rather than remembering the events of the Exodus, He told His disciples to remember Him. The bread broken symbolized Jesus’ soon-to-be lifeless body; the wine poured symbolized Jesus’ blood that would be
spilled.<br />
REINTERPRETATION: In light of His sacrifice in their stead, Christians soon saw Jesus as the ultimate Passover Lamb. (See John 1:29
& 36, Acts 8:32, 1 Corinthians 5:7, 1 Peter 1:19, Book of Revelation.)<br />
<br />
<b>FIRST FRUIT REIMAGINED</b><br />
CITATIONS: Matthew 17-18, Mark 15-16, Luke 23-24, John 19-20<br />
OBSERVANCE: Jesus Christ was tried and crucified on the Day of Preparation and taken down from the cross to be buried before dusk, when the Feast of Unleavened Bread began. He remained in the tomb during the Sabbath. (The years 31 and 33 were unusual in that each had a “Double Sabbath,” where the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread fell on the regular seventh day of the week.) Then He rose on the day after the Sabbath, known as the Day or Feast of First Fruit.<br />
REINTERPRETATION: In light of His resurrection, Christians soon saw Jesus as the new First Fruit offering to God. (See John 20:17, 1 Corinthians 15:20.)<br />
<br />
<i><b>Food for Thought</b></i><br />
<ul>
<li>Did Jesus impose a new meaning on Passover, or did He reveal its true meaning?</li>
<li>Is there a contradiction between the Synoptic interpretation of the Passover meal (i.e., Christ as the bread and wine) and the Johannine/Pauline interpretation (i.e., Christ as the sacrificial lamb)?</li>
</ul>
<i><b>Further Study</b></i><br />
Song of Songs, or Canticle of Canticles, is often read during Passover or the Sabbath
following it. A poem associated with the court of King Solomon of Israel, it
celebrates the erotic relationship between two lovers. Jews have often
interpreted it as an allegory: God in relationship with His people, the
assembly of the nation of Israel. It is no surprise then that Christians have
reinterpreted it in a similar manner: God in relationship with His people, the
assembly of believers in Jesus Christ.<br />
<br />
<i> Note: This draft lesson was presented at the women’s Bible study meeting held on Saturday, June 3, 2017 at <a href="http://www.alhambrachurchofchrist.com/" target="_blank">Alhambra Church of Christ</a> (Alhambra, California).</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-48432541574172506592017-06-24T14:46:00.001-07:002017-06-24T14:48:02.458-07:00“Not Just Jane” (Book Review)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Not-Just-Jane-Rediscovering-Transformed/dp/0062394622/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1498340292&sr=8-1&keywords=9780062394620&linkCode=ll1&tag=hubp0a54-20&linkId=aa507f969cccbda116daf60cd0529ef8" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pRm6sPy411c/WU7cT_VCLeI/AAAAAAAAAxY/8eTP7kYs5fUPOl6XJ2kmMDoCa1oEQfIAwCEwYBhgL/s320/28925229.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">How many people – especially women – enjoy fame in their day, but are soon forgotten after their deaths? You only need to scan a list of Academy Award winners to realize that it doesn’t take long for fame to die out, even for many who are really gifted. So true for the authoresses featured in Shelley DeWees’ <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Not-Just-Jane-Rediscovering-Transformed/dp/0062394622/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1498340292&sr=8-1&keywords=9780062394620&linkCode=ll1&tag=hubp0a54-20&linkId=aa507f969cccbda116daf60cd0529ef8" target="_blank">Not Just Jane: Rediscovering Seven Amazing Women Writers Who Transformed British Literature</a></i> (Harper Perennial, 2016).<br />
<br />
Wanting to make the world aware that there’s more to the English literature than some Jane Austin mixed with a little Charlotte Bronte, DeWees introduces her readers to seven famous women almost no one has ever heard of: Charlotte Turner Smith, Helen Maria Williams, Mary Robinson, Catherine Crowe, Sara Coleridge, Dinah Mulock Craik, and Mary Elizabeth Braddon. (Before reading the book, I was only vaguely familiar with two of them, and my husband a different two for different reasons.)<br />
<br />
These authors had sad, often tragic, lives and struggled to make a living in what was truly a man’s world. More importantly, they once made strong contributions to Britain’s literary scene, yet won’t be found on today’s high school reading lists. DeWees might change that, however. She peeks into each woman’s backstory, showing how their work shaped their lives and vice versa. From poetry to short stories, from major works of fiction to political and social commentaries, these writers left a lasting impression, even if it generally goes unnoticed or unrecognized. DeWess is right. They deserve our consideration today.</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-74578588772005185912017-06-03T00:13:00.000-07:002019-01-28T11:52:28.629-08:00Introduction to ‘Jewish Memorials, Christian Revelations’ (Bible Study)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The three pilgrimage feasts: There were other feasts celebrated by the Bronze and Iron Age Israelites of the Old Testament and the first century Jews of the New Testament, but these three held special significance. In the Torah, God commanded every Israelite male to congregate together and offer sacrifices in commemoration of important events in the nation’s early history. After King David conquered Jerusalem and King Solomon built the temple, millions of people journeyed to these sites three times a year to fulfill their religious obligations. <br />
<br />
In the spring, it was the seven-day חג המצות (<i>Chag ha-Matzot</i>) or Feast of Unleavened Bread, linked with חג הפסח (<i>Chag ha-Pesach</i>) or Feast of Passover and חג הביכורים (<i>Chag ha-Bikurim</i>) or Feast of First Fruit. In the summer, it was the חג השבועות (<i>Chag ha-Shavuot</i>) or Feast of Weeks. In the autumn, it was the seven-day חג סוכותח (<i>Chag ha-Sukkot</i>) or Feast of Booths, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of the Ingathering, marking the conclusion of the Jewish calendar year. <br />
<br />
Each feast had its rituals and its traditions, developing over time, that the people meticulously followed. Yet when an itinerant preacher called Jesus of Nazareth stood up in the temple during the Feast of Booths, He challenged their faithfulness, arguing that they did not obey, or even properly understand, the instructions that had been handed down to them. <br />
<br />
Later, when celebrating Passover with His disciples, He challenged their understanding of the symbolism behind the dining table, infusing Himself where the story of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt had been. Then, after bring crucified right before the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, He rose from the dead on the day of First Fruit, breathing new meaning into the centuries-old festival. <br />
<br />
Glorified by God the Father, Jesus, recognized by his followers as the promised Messiah, ascended into heaven. However, on earth there was one more festival waiting to be reinterpreted. During the Feast of Weeks, the gift of the Torah was replaced with the gift of God’s Spirit, enabling those called “Christians” to transform the lives of others. <br />
<br />
When reading the Gospel accounts, it is important for Christians to understand allusions to the Old Testament found in the New Testament. <i>Jewish Memorials, Christian Revelations: The Pilgrimage Feasts in the New Testament</i> offers an opportunity to learn how the knowledge of Jesus Christ brought about different meanings to the Jewish pilgrimage festivals. This study was inspired by <i><a href="http://shereadstruth.com/plan/songs-for-the-road-the-psalms-of-ascent/" target="_blank">Songs for the Road: The Psalms of Ascent</a></i> published by <a href="http://shereadstruth.com/" target="_blank">She Reads Truth</a>, but all of the material is original, cultivated from various Jewish and Christian sources on the feasts. Each lesson includes discussions questions suitable for either group study or personal devotionals. Additional readings can be found in מגילות חמש (<i>Chamesh Megillot</i>) or the Five Scrolls, which are each traditionally read during a feast. <br />
<br />
After years of studying this subject, it is a joy for me to finally be able to share what I have learned. I hope that you find <i>Jewish Memorials, Christian Revelations</i> both informative and edifying. Thank you. <br />
<br />
Jennifer Vaughn-Estrada<br />
<br />
<i> Note: This women’s Bible study will begin on Saturday, June 3, 2017 at 10 a.m. and meet monthly at <a href="http://www.alhambrachurchofchrist.com/" target="_blank">Alhambra Church of Christ</a> (Alhambra, California). Feel free to join us if you’re in the area.</i></span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-87517263084407823132017-05-28T17:34:00.001-07:002019-01-28T11:52:28.758-08:00Intro to ‘Songs for the Road: The Psalms of Ascent’ by She Reads Truth (Bible Study)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.shopshereadstruth.com/collections/psalms-of-ascent-1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dz55K2oWi1o/WStrMBhzrtI/AAAAAAAAAw4/ibdOV8kK1_U--89927XL0ziUQMMKUSI0wCLcB/s200/SRT-Store-POA_large.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Recently I learned about <a href="http://shereadstruth.com/" target="_blank">She Reads Truth</a>, a Christian organization that provides Bible studies online, through an Android app, and also in printed form from their <a href="https://www.shopshereadstruth.com/" target="_blank">online shop</a>. What I found attractive was the apparent seriousness of their studies while still being devotional in focus and filled with feminine flair. (Of course, the <a href="http://hereadstruth.com/" target="_blank">He Reads Truth</a> versions, while being similar in content, have a more masculine, no-frills look.)</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While I like the accessibility and community of the online app, I found it difficult to read. So I decided to give a printed version a try. Over the next three weeks, I plan to follow the study <i><a href="http://shereadstruth.com/plan/songs-for-the-road-the-psalms-of-ascent/" target="_blank">Songs for the Road: The Psalms of Ascent</a></i> by She Reads Truth and blog my thoughts on the lessons and activities. The readings are the set of Psalms 120-134, associated with the three pilgrimage feasts that God ordered the Israelites to observe. After completing the course, I will then give a critical review. I hope the study lives up to its beautiful appearance when it comes to content. We shall see.</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-11351563574228187352016-08-14T13:02:00.000-07:002016-08-14T13:02:08.733-07:00‘Life-Changing Magic: A Journal: Spark Joy Every Day’ (Book Review)<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1NcYCykn1cA/V7DNb1P-DZI/AAAAAAAAAvg/221priQXfp095zz5PjnySh-opUD7smP9gCLcB/s1600/journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1NcYCykn1cA/V7DNb1P-DZI/AAAAAAAAAvg/221priQXfp095zz5PjnySh-opUD7smP9gCLcB/s200/journal.jpg" width="167" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It didn’t “spark joy.” That’s why I’m marking the one-month anniversary of using my <a href="http://amzn.to/2bhRE1A" target="_blank">KonMari journal</a> by throwing it away. At first I thought it would be a great way to record my progress in decluttering my living space and getting on track with my life. Instead, writing in it became a tedious chore I sought to avoid. Don’t misunderstand me. I love to journal. However, used to free writing as much as I wanted on whatever days I wanted, I now found my thoughts reduced to daily short snippets, forced to conform to one-third of a page in a small book. Rather than being inspired, I felt constrained by the pre-allotted space and trapped into a long-term investment by the three-year format. Add to that some rather dull and repetitive quotes. On a whole, it’s not apparent that the author put any real effort into the product. Of all the journals I’ve ever purchased, this one was definitely the least gratifying. I enjoyed <a href="http://tidyingup.com/" target="_blank">Marie Kondo</a>’s real books and still do, but this purchase was a big disappointment.</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-19949352786165719722016-05-14T15:02:00.004-07:002016-05-14T15:02:58.157-07:00‘A Lady’s Pocketbook Ministry’ (Book Review)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://amzn.to/24SiNxM" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-USmMAtQdcgk/Vzee2diSFuI/AAAAAAAAAu8/X00Xsb9BnV8KR2YeFDY8k01Gl2QUbnWIACLcB/s320/26078233.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you’re going to illustrate godly principles using a material good, why not use a purse? After all, it’s one thing that is almost universal among American women today, regardless of age, race, and class. Each item found in a typical handbag then could represent a virtue sought after, a discipline to attain, or a lesson to be learned. This is exactly what Barbara J. Barnes must have had in mind when she wrote <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1Wxe4Al" target="_blank">A Lady’s Pocketbook Ministry</a></i> (Westbow, 2015).<br />
<br />
The author is a former missionary and member of the <a href="http://www.pgrchurch.com/" target="_blank">Pleasant Grove Church of Christ</a> (Inverness, FL). The book is a brief study guide, sorted into thirteen chapters and complete with prompts for discussion, organized for a typical women’s Bible class. Admittedly, I’ve generally not been impressed with self-published books, but I gave this one a chance because someone, who personally knows the author, recommended it to me. During my read, I found the content a little disorganized and the “worksheet” questions a little too basic, but the main problem was its outdatedness.<br />
<br />
Right off, the title tells us something’s amiss. Not only does the use of “ministry” make it sound like a service is being provided, but the terms “lady” and “pocketbook” harken back to a “black and white” era. The items chosen also seem to fit the past more than the present: a Bible, set of keys, family photo album, friends photo album, small pendant watch, eye glasses, pen and paper, crocheted cross, bookmark, medication, coins, and mirror. These are too generation-specific to make effective illustrations. I would even argue that they are too person-specific because the list even leaves out another universal symbol of womanhood: <i>lipstick</i>, something that no “lady” with a “pocketbook” would’ve ever been without.<br />
<br />
If the author had asked my opinion before taking the manuscript to print, I would’ve suggested to keep the keys and mirror and to reconsider everything else: No Bible. (That’s cheating.) No crocheted cross. (Too many CofC readers will cry “Catholic!” and throw the book away.) Cash or a debit card instead of coins, which are more of a nuisance today than anything else. “Pain killer,” which would still conjure up images of “medication” in the minds of older women but also “Motrin” in the minds of younger ones. Eyeglasses paired with contacts. Lip balm or lip gloss. And of course, a phone. Every reader, whether in her teens or in her eighties, can identify with a phone, even if they are one of the few who don’t have one.<br />
<br />
Again, I think that the author’s idea has merit. The theme oozes with the kind of cuteness that attracts many women to Bible studies. Unfortunately, I don’t see a lot of leaders actually selecting it for their women’s groups. There’s just nothing to maintain interest in their younger members. For that reason, I can’t recommend this book.</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-65688758104789690222016-04-30T14:55:00.001-07:002016-04-30T14:55:23.846-07:00‘Learning to Speak Life: Fruit of the Spirit’ (Book Review)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://amzn.to/1Tcfd9t" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-la2iHjOGgFM/VyUm3fj5p5I/AAAAAAAAAuo/kn1EMetovjooV53zEkNDGlZqnCf-zmDmACLcB/s320/19130896.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">While many parents might wish to incorporate regular family devotionals into their day, few generally make a long-term success of it. Time constraints and changing priorities are usually blamed, but probably more often than we realize, the real culprit is the study content itself. Varying ages, attention spans, and levels of biblical understanding create a challenge for already over-worked moms and dads. Having ready-made resources available would certainly ease the burden, and that’s what Michael and Carlie Kercheval have provided with their <i><a href="http://www.learningtospeaklife.com/" target="_blank">Learning to Speak Life</a></i> series.<br />
<br />
The first study guide, <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1Tcfd9t" target="_blank">Fruit of the Spirit</a></i> (2013), takes the familiar Galatians 5:22-23 passage and provides lessons covering each of the nine virtues listed by Paul. Each lesson has a relevant Bible verse to memorize, prompts to define each “fruit,” confessions to recite, role play guidelines, “Silly Sayings” (i.e., tongue twisters), a short story showing the virtue in action, discussion questions, family project ideas, a sample prayer, and a “Digging Deeper” section to encourage more study.<br />
<br />
While it might look like a lot of content, there’s not much that I think is really usable. The heart of each lesson lies in the role play and short story sections, and unfortunately both felt like they were thrown together without much thought about what lessons they’re supposed to promote. Also, the “confessions” made me uneasy. I’m not a fan of teaching by catechism, and it struck me as a bit presumptuous of the authors to compose such statements.<br />
<br />
When it comes to engagement, the lessons need even more help. The “Silly Sayings” are poorly written in an unamusing sort of way. The copywork would be better labeled as “busywork,” a half-hearted attempt to provide something for the kids to do. And “digging deeper” just means looking up additional Bible verses linked by the key words. I would’ve preferred to see coloring and word game pages, ideas for journaling, art project instructions, song lists, and practical applications and solid research prompts for teens and older children.<br />
<br />
Yes, the LSL curriculum is flexible enough to be easily molded to fit the unique needs of your family, but I’m not sure that’s a positive selling point in this case. Parents would buy the guide primarily to have something ready-made. In addition to the weaknesses mentioned above, the content is unapologetically targeted at preschool to early grades. Families with older children will have to supplement a lot, raising the question of whether this premade study is worth the bother. Teachers, however, focus on specific age groups and generally plan on supplementing their lesson materials. So I can see the guide’s potential for use in Sunday School, Vacation Bible School (VBS), and children’s Bible classes at Christian elementary schools.</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-25622938552252430322016-03-02T11:30:00.001-08:002016-03-02T11:30:29.922-08:00Lost Anonymity or Will Fitbit Change My Life?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://flic.kr/p/oqGcSv" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ZiwRXEMxc8/Vtc-LHzozlI/AAAAAAAAAuE/VCUBmGv55i0/s320/14719289213_e09fe0394e_o.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Casual Runner</i> by Chris Hunkeler (<a href="https://flic.kr/p/oqGcSv" target="_blank">Flickr</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Yesterday, a relative sent me a friend invite on <a href="https://www.fitbit.com/" target="_blank">Fitbit</a>. I didn’t even know you could have friends on Fitbit. To be honest, I hadn’t looked closely at the fitness app’s features, just opening it up once and awhile to log too many calories and not enough exercise. (I don’t have one of the tracker devices.)<br />
<br />
Unlike being “discovered” on other social media, this was a little disconcerting. Sure, Fitbit doesn’t report personal information like your target weight and such, just the number of steps logged, badges earned, and friends. But still…It’s not like connecting on Facebook. It’s more like connecting on Yelp – <i>You shop there?</i> – but then some. Do I really want people to know I’m working towards some goal…and haven’t gotten anywhere near obtaining it?<br />
<br />
On the other hand, maybe that’s why it’s been so easy to get off course. Without accountability, without positive support, it’s very difficult to achieve goals in life, whether they involve advancing your education, pursuing a new career, or finding a new relationship. I know that from personal experience.<br />
<br />
Maybe the Fitbit friend invite was a sign – a sign that in order to actually make progress on my diet and exercise, I need to connect with others, rather than running a lone race. Maybe what I’ve needed all this time was some motivation. Fitbit might only report positive achievements, but silence will speak volumes. Maybe I’ll finally get off my chair and get a tracker. It can’t hurt…much.<br />
<br />
And yes, I did accept the friend request.</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-58398518851229929232016-02-26T14:28:00.001-08:002016-02-26T14:28:13.543-08:00‘A Doctor in the House: My Life with Ben Carson’ (Book Review)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://amzn.to/1TJ4etp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lQIE3f9-Qt8/VtDQfjUE0OI/AAAAAAAAAtg/s4HEz3qfKwQ/s320/25776254.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There are books that make for some really tiresome reads, and Candy Carson’s <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1TJ4etp">A Doctor in the House: My Life with Ben Carson</a></i> (Sentinel, 2016) needs to be added to the list. The author, wife of famed neurosurgeon Ben Carson, can’t mask her unspoken intent of garnering support for her husband’s shot at becoming the next President of the United States. But rather than providing an insider’s perspective of the man’s life, with all its ups and downs, Carson appears to subscribe to the belief that, during a job interview, it’s best to recast one’s weaknesses – and even mundaneness – as strengths.<br />
<br />
From the very first page to the last, the doctor is genius and a miracle worker. And when there’s anything that might be construed as otherwise, Carson is quick to put a positive spin on it. The doctor is a calm and cool “hero” when he steps aside to let a robber hold up a fast-food joint. He “comes through” for her when he catches the baby and placenta during an emergency homebirth and then sends her off to find something with which to clamp the umbilical cord. I could go on, but I’ve got a headache.<br />
<br />
The point is that it’s rather boring to read two hundred pages of a doting wife’s…doting. Yes, the doctor has been a vanguard in neuroscience, and that’s amazing. But I think most readers are interested in reading about a real person, not a constructed flawless superhuman. My only recommendation is to leave Candy Carson’s book to its proper place. Her grandchildren can cherish it as a hodgepodge collection of stories about their grandparents’ lives, accompanied by written endorsements from their colleagues and children. Future (real) biographers can use it as a source of information probably not available elsewhere. To everyone else I recommend leaving it on the self.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book as a First Reads giveaway winner on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4389281-jennifer">GoodReads.com</a>. There was no obligation to write a review.</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-49085954705958579012016-02-11T13:56:00.003-08:002016-02-13T14:06:52.028-08:00‘How to Choose a Translation’ (Online Course Review)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EoAukBH8KJk/Vrz4x7eLqJI/AAAAAAAAAtI/16KB6s04jT4/s1600/22361489664_38faa27d00_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EoAukBH8KJk/Vrz4x7eLqJI/AAAAAAAAAtI/16KB6s04jT4/s320/22361489664_38faa27d00_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Holy Bible</i> by Freaktography (<a href="https://flic.kr/p/A51tPf">Flickr</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For the average Christian who hasn’t the time, money, desire, or prerequisite learning to pursue a formal education in biblical studies or theology, there is an array of websites offering introductory courses on a variety of subjects. They vary considerably in price as well as in the quality of their content, often depending on the credentials of the developers or lack thereof. I have tried out courses on a number of platforms, but usually got bored before finishing them. For a while <a href="https://www.biblicaltraining.org/">BiblicalTraining.org</a> was the exception, but now I can add <a href="http://courses.zondervanacademic.com/">ZondervanAcademic.com</a> to the list.<br />
<br />
ZondervanAcademic.com offers a few courses, including Old Testament and New Testament surveys and classes on Biblical Hebrew and Greek. Recently, it announced a free one-unit course titled <i><a href="http://courses.zondervanacademic.com/all/bible-translation">How to Choose a Translation</a></i>, covering some basic information about textual criticism, approaches to Bible translation, and the history of Bibles in English. I decided to try out, my first time using that platform.<br />
<br />
The course begins with a 15-minute lecture by author <a href="http://www.obu.edu/christianstudies/j-scott-duvall/">J. Scott Duvall</a>, Professor of New Testament at Ouachita Baptist University, followed by some reading material that covers the video content with some additional detail. A Cerego application offers a flash-card like game to test your memory on key facts from the lesson. Short essay questions allow you to think deeper about the ideas presented. (Your responses are even saved and available for reference in the My Grades section after you’ve completed the course, although no comments on them are provided.) Wrapping the course up is a 10-question multiple-choice assessment. The whole thing can be completed easily in a couple of hours.<br />
<br />
Since <a href="http://www.zondervan.com/">Zondervan</a> is known for publishing the New International Version (NIV) and the New King James Version (NKJV), you might be concerned about the course’s bias. That turned out not to be an issue. I thought the content was balanced, not designed to push the student into buying any particular translation. (I don’t feel as though my English Standard Version (ESV) was being slighted in the least.) This also carried over in how the short essay questions were worded. They tended to ask the student’s opinion about things rather than assuming he or she actually holds particular views, such as the Bible being divinely inspired. This makes the course a bit more accessible for members of different churches as well as nonbelievers. It also shows the careful thought put into designing the course, as leading questions are definitely a mark of sloppiness.<br />
<br />
If I were to name the course’s downside, it would be the fact that its content was wholly basic, more than it needed to be. For example, there’s no discussion about the content differences among manuscript text-types, something which is often a big concern for Bible shoppers. It would’ve also been helpful to have examples of the translation approaches at work, so that their differences are made obvious to the student. However, despite these imperfections, I still think the course is worth a look-over, especially considering the price. The short answer questions made me think more deeply about how I view translations, something which I think can be a real benefit for any student, regardless of prior familiarity with the topic.</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-72222772656382105862016-02-02T11:15:00.000-08:002016-02-02T11:15:00.646-08:00‘The 100 Ways Grandma Killed Me’ (Book Review)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://amzn.to/1Pe3XIv" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g-htSO09Jhs/VrD4635HQII/AAAAAAAAAs0/wfjjUQcPVmY/s320/100waysgrandma.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Every generation goes through a cycle of thinking they know better than their parents and then getting annoyed when their own children think that they know better than them. This is especially true when it comes to childrearing, as scientific advancements and long-term studies result in more and more questioning of traditionally-held beliefs and practices relating to child health and psychology. A new grandparent is likely to feel hurt, annoyed, or even angry to learn that her grown child thinks that her parenting methods are outdated and perhaps harmful to the grandchild she loves. Add in a grandparent’s tendency not to be so much of a protective “parent” but rather someone who indulges and spoils the child, and there’s certain to be conflict.<br />
<br />
One grandmother, Lucy Silver, has obviously tried to defend her actions by writing <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1Pe3XIv" target="_blank">The 100 Ways Grandma Killed Me</a></i> (CreateSpace, 2014), a short picture storybook about a little girl’s enjoyment of all the things her grandmother does, much to the displeasure of her parents. Grandma feeds her with a bottle made in China, gives her junkfood galore, and lets her play in activities that excite and injure her.<br />
<br />
The underlying message seems to be, “Grandma is fun, and Mom and Dad are bores,” but sadly, it is the book that is likely to bore. <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1Pe3XIv" target="_blank">100 Ways</a></i> suffers from the lack of a clear storyline and awkward poetry. The CGI-animated illustrations, created by Christina Cartwright, I just found unappealing. While this sort of book might cheer up a grandparent who feels her advice is a bit unwelcome, I don’t think the average parent will appreciate it or the average child will identify with it. (Thinking about my own grandmothers, I certainly couldn’t.) I think that a story that pitted two grandmother’s cultures and parenting styles against each other – with the child learning to love both, of course – would’ve made a more enjoyable book for the entire family. (And less offensive to the parents.) Considering Silver’s own reference to celebrating both Chanukah and Christmas, I think that would’ve worked for her own grandchildren too.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book as a First Reads giveaway winner on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4389281-jennifer">GoodReads.com</a>. There was no obligation to write a review.</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-558779934358714492016-01-28T14:57:00.000-08:002016-01-28T15:08:35.559-08:00‘Hidden Girl: The True Story of a Modern-Day Child Slave’ (Book Review)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://amzn.to/1PDA7MU" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dzgGInqW6gU/VqqGgnkD_RI/AAAAAAAAAsY/4313py_5Ch0/s320/hiddengirl.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I remember reading about Shyima Hall in the news: a girl kept as a family slave, literally right under everyone’s nose. It’s one thing to hear about such things happening. It’s quite another to have it so close to home. (She was in Irvine in Orange County. I was living in Tustin, an adjacent city, during the time.) Some years later, when I heard about her memoir, <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1PDA7MU" target="_blank">Hidden Girl: The True Story of a Modern-Day Child Slave</a></i> (Simon & Schuster, 2014), I was eager to have a chance to read her side of the story.<br />
<br />
The book begins with Shyima’s younger years in Egypt, her family plagued with financial difficulties. While the author doesn’t excuse her parents handing her over to work for another family, the book does show the reader why they probably felt they had no other choice. Kept as a slave, eight-year-old Shyima tolerated substandard living arrangements, received no education, and had no time for herself. It was work day and night. She kept track of time passed by the birthdays of her owners’ children.<br />
<br />
When her owners decided to move to the United States, they went to a lot of trouble to make sure Shyima joined them. Shyima’s life of slavery continued over here, until someone dropped an anonymous tip about the suspicious girl to the police. Now free, Shyima’s struggles didn’t end. She faced court trials, foster family drama, and the struggle of trying to find her place in a very different culture. But in the end, you can see that she’s happy and optimistic about life and eager to educate the American public about the modern-day slave trafficking problem.<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://amzn.to/1PDA7MU" target="_blank">Hidden Girl</a></i> is a great book, taking its reader through a whole range of emotions. Cowriter <a href="http://www.lisawysocky.com/" target="_blank">Lisa Wysocky</a> did an excellent job keeping a very foreign and little girlish voice to the narrative. And it was encouraging for me to learn that the Orangewood Children’s Home (with which my old church had been involved) played a positive role in helping her. The book is good evidence that – even though there’s a lot of social and economic issues abroad – there are real problems here at home that need our attention too.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<center>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bkuK0EsKUK8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-7800791924077439172016-01-27T16:42:00.001-08:002016-01-27T16:42:42.214-08:00‘A Girl’s Guide to Moving On’ (Book Review)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://amzn.to/1lUbzYc" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4Ws8XoDJ5oA/Vqlg_h1i_wI/AAAAAAAAAsE/V8rbyPEMK10/s320/movingon.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Middle-aged Leanne has put up with her husband’s cheating for so long that she’s forgotten what it was like to be loved in her younger days. She’s content, however, to continue the charade her marriage has become, that is until she realizes the price of her silence. Her son has followed in his father’s footsteps, disregarding his own marriage vows. Leanne, now fearful that her grandson too will grow up thinking that cheating is acceptable, informs her daughter-in-law Nicole of the infidelity; and both women promptly begin divorce proceedings. Offering each other support and encouragement through the process, they eventually learn how to “move on,” coping with financial changes and finding new love.<br />
<br />
Only the last line above refers to the actual plot of Debbie Macomber’s <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1lUbzYc" target="_blank">A Girl’s Guide to Moving On</a></i> (Ballantine, 2016). The rest is merely backstory, which if it had been included, I think would have made a more exciting book. Instead the reader is treated to two overly clichéd romances. Both women are supposed to be “classy” but fail to show it. Both ex-husbands try to manipulate our heroines’ lives (rather than basking in their newfound freedom, go figure). Both new love interests are overly stereotyped – one a manly tow-truck driver (who punches things when angry), and the other a sensitive European (who gets unreasonably jealous). Both plots are left seriously underdeveloped because of the space taken switching back and forth from Leanne’s perspective to Nicole’s.<br />
<br />
I liked the close relationship the author shows between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law. I also like Leanne’s personal growth as she learns how to forgive her ex-husband. But I finished the book wishing for more substance. <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1lUbzYc" target="_blank">A Girl’s Guide to Moving On</a></i> might work if you’re looking for something mundane to read in bed before dozing off or while waiting for your kid to get out of soccer practice. Otherwise, I recommend giving it a pass.<br />
<br />
Disclaimer: I received an advanced reading copy of this book as a First Reads giveaway winner on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4389281-jennifer">GoodReads.com</a>. There was no obligation to write a review.</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-90644784199010201832016-01-26T14:48:00.001-08:002016-01-26T14:48:31.852-08:00Engraving Heavenly Truths – Survey of the New Testament<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w5B4NwdU6iQ/Vqf2ujjr7kI/AAAAAAAAArs/4EZPQvCKZo4/s1600/EHT-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w5B4NwdU6iQ/Vqf2ujjr7kI/AAAAAAAAArs/4EZPQvCKZo4/s320/EHT-1.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In an effort to standardize our children’s Bible class curriculum here at <a href="http://alhambrachurchofchrist.com/" target="_blank">Alhambra Church of Christ</a>, our unofficial minister of children’s education purchased the <a href="http://www.engravingheavenlytruths.com/" target="_blank">Engraving Heavenly Truths Series</a>, put out by D. L. Woods Publications, that came highly recommended by another congregation. The <a href="http://www.engravingheavenlytruths.com/" target="_blank">EHT Series</a> is a four-year systematic study of the Bible and Church doctrines, designed for flexible use with any age group.<br />
<br />
The curriculum is really bare bones. The foundation is actually a flashcard packet of “facts” to memorize (like a catechism) and a booklet containing content outlines with some additional details and verses. The wording is designed to be consistent with the Authorized Version of the Bible (called the King James Version) and its modern update, the New King James Version (NKJV). There are some supplemental materials available, but most of the responsibility for creating the lesson and suitable activities rests with the teacher. This explains why the writers suggest devoting the previous quarter to course preparation.<br />
<br />
Right now, our children are working on EHT-1, Survey of the Old Testament with another teacher, and I’ll be heading up EHT-2, Survey of the New Testament during the second quarter, beginning in April. (Our year begins in January, not September like most congregations.) As I’m preparing over the next couple of months and then teaching, I’ll be blogging my thoughts about the curriculum. I hope that these upcoming blog posts are informative for my readers, especially those who might be considering using <a href="http://www.engravingheavenlytruths.com/" target="_blank">EHT</a>.</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-14181580857858130562016-01-04T19:14:00.002-08:002016-01-04T19:14:51.843-08:00‘Unsung Heroes (and a Few Villains)’ Bible Study (Book Review)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://amzn.to/1O1SLQL" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LFmUh0Ys5fM/VoszBOSFixI/AAAAAAAAArA/z-0L1cg_ad0/s320/unsung_heroes.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">At a conference early last year (2015), a speaker recommended Wanda Robinson’s <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1O1SLQL" target="_blank">Unsung Heroes (and a Few Villains): A Women’s Study of Lesser-Known Men in the Old Testament</a></i> (Gospel Advocate, 2015). I decided not to judge the book by its messy title and bought a copy. Unfortunately, that book recommendation was probably better left ignored.<br />
<br />
The study guide contains thirteen chapters, each centered on some of the relatively minor roles found in the Bible: Ishmael, Hur, Ithamar, Caleb, Korah, Achan, Boaz, Nabal’s servant, the 450 prophets of Baal, Gehazi, the man who touched Elisha’s bones, King Manasseh, and Ebed-Melech. The author notes some key lessons the reader can learn along with some questions for group discussion.<br />
<br />
While I liked the overall idea and appreciated some of the insights offered, I was overwhelmingly disappointed with the book. There’s enough commentary in the Bible on some characters like Caleb and Boaz to draw some conclusions. However, featuring others like Hur and Ebed-Melech just led to a lot of unfounded speculation. The bitter truth is that the Bible just doesn’t give enough information about many individuals for us to undertake a worthwhile character analysis. Imaginative elaborations might work for fictionalized stories and feature films, but pretending that certain case studies exist when they don’t isn’t helpful for a Bible study, especially a grown-ups’ one.<br />
<br />
The other thing that bothered me was the factual errors. This not only calls into question the author’s competence, but also that of the editor. Robinson confuses the Assyrian and Babylonian empires. (No, Babylon was never the Assyrian capital.) She claims that Ishmael was a slave because of his mother’s status. (No, this wasn’t colonial Virginia.) And she repeats a really silly story about Zulus catching ring-tailed monkeys with melons. (It’s ring-tailed <i>lemurs</i>. And what those Zulus were doing in Madagascar, I don’t know.) Clearly, the author never did her research, and this is the age of Google.<br />
<br />
Needless to say, I can’t pass on the recommendation. In many churches, women’s education is sadly neglected, but books like this one don’t improve the situation. We don’t need more authors who take passages out of context or repeat a story as true because it makes a desired point. We don’t need more authors who cite one verse in six different Bible versions when Strong’s Concordance will just tell you that <i>na‛ar</i> can mean both “servant” and “young man.” Instead, we need authors who will fact-check, authors who will bring the content up a notch. And we need ruthless editors, who will send manuscripts back for revision until they’re truly ready for publication.</span></span></span>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-42974257770104551912015-12-24T11:10:00.001-08:002015-12-24T11:10:19.984-08:00‘Without You, There Is No Us’ (Book Review)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://amzn.to/1m7RpLt" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OLcUIvotUTA/VnxAizDpcYI/AAAAAAAAAqg/52uo4zxhxqI/s320/20685373.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Few outsiders get an opportunity to peek into the closed world of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, i.e. North Korea). <a href="http://sukikim.com/" target="_blank">Suki Kim</a> is one of them. Curious about life on the other side of the concrete wall, the South Korean-born, American journalist jumped on an opportunity to teach English at the newly-formed Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST), the only private academic institution in North Korea, funded largely by Evangelical Christians. It was 2011, when the DPRK was preparing to celebrate the centennial birthday of its first “Great Leader” Kim Sung-Il but ironically ended up mourning the death of its second “Great Leader” Kim Jong-Il instead.<br />
<br />
Disguised as a missionary disguised as a teacher, as she puts it, Kim taught writing to the sons of North Korea’s educated class while secretly taking notes for her book, <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1m7RpLt" target="_blank">Without You, There Is No Us: My Time with the Sons of North Korea’s Elite, A Memoir</a></i> (Crown Publishers, 2014). This idea of pretending, linked with the concepts of truth/honesty and falsehood/lies, serves as a running theme. Undercover Kim confronts a student body that lies about its county’s successes and living the good life as well as cheats on assignments, seemingly automatically without conscience. The students’ behavior matches her overall experience in the DPRK, where the oppressive government puts on displays for the benefit of foreign visitors, hiding the poor, underfed, and overworked peasants who make up most of the population.<br />
<br />
Rather than merely assuming that everything isn’t what it seems, Kim’s position on the inside allowed her to see first-hand these contradictions in action. And while she is no supporter of North Korea, she maintains a healthy amount of objectivity, willing to take a critical look at herself, South Korea, and the United States, trying to understand the North Korean view. For example, she becomes more aware of how Americanized South Koreans must appear to the North Koreans when the Sinicization of North Korean culture (due to its close relationship with China) begins to bother her. Despite all the lying that had to take place to bring about the book, <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1m7RpLt" target="_blank">Without You</a></i> comes across as a very honest account.<br />
<br />
There were a few things that left me dissatisfied, however. At times, I felt that the book was a little disorganized, and the ending was definitely too abrupt. In addition, I was left wondering as to whether she ever “got closure” when it came to the pain over her family’s losses brought about by the north-south division. While I don’t doubt that Kim’s experience had a profound effect on her, she doesn’t transfer that well to the reader. The book offered very little in the way of surprises, portraying life in the DPRK pretty much how anyone who has watched a documentary on North Korea, or even – yes, I’m saying it – <i>The Interview</i>, would’ve imagined it. <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1m7RpLt" target="_blank">Without You</a></i> is definitely a good read, but I wouldn’t say it’ll be a game changer.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book as a First Reads giveaway winner on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4389281-jennifer">GoodReads.com</a>. There was no obligation to write a review.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VaQn1dqH3a0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-79557056529607577142015-12-11T12:03:00.001-08:002015-12-11T12:21:22.440-08:00The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (Book Review)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1607747308/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1607747308&linkCode=as2&tag=hubp0a54-20&linkId=DDTE7COATBIOVVOZ" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RsruJgOj_ks/VmsQpNInrqI/AAAAAAAAAqM/XPcX9G5BAxA/s320/KonMari.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Every year, well-meaning individuals read tons of books, magazine articles, and blog posts on decluttering and organizing your living space. Yet despite their best efforts to apply what they learn, the goal of perfection is elusive or temporary, and everything reverts to how it once was. If you’re like me, when this happened, you’d blame yourself: “I didn’t work at it hard enough,” “I didn’t evaluate my storage needs correctly,” “I’m just lazy,” etc. Maybe that’s true, but maybe it isn’t. Did you ever consider that the method was the problem?<br />
<br />
That’s the position of professional organizer <a href="http://konmari.com/en/" target="_blank">Marie Kondo</a> (<a href="https://premium.okwave.jp/tidyingup" target="_blank">blog</a>; <a href="http://tidyingup.com/" target="_blank">other website</a>) in her book <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1607747308/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1607747308&linkCode=as2&tag=hubp0a54-20&linkId=DDTE7COATBIOVVOZ" target="_blank">The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing</a></i> (Ten Speed Press, 2014). This book is cute, feminine, and an easy read, but most importantly, its method works. Unlike your favorite magazine, Kondo doesn’t want – and doesn’t have – repeat customers. Why not? She teaches her clients how to conquer their clutter problem once and for all.<br />
<br />
No, this is not a promotion on the “minimalist” lifestyle. The “KonMari method” is not about getting rid of things for the sake of getting rid of them. It’s <i>not</i> about “learning to live without.” Rather, it’s about conquering the suffocating clutter that rules people’s lives by helping the reader see her possessions in a whole new light.<br />
<br />
That was true for me. I’ve had a lifelong battle with clutter, forming bad habits early on, learned from my hoarding parents. Rather than enjoying my possessions, I clung to broken Barbie dolls I’d long outgrown just because of a fear of not having anything. I “saved” boxes worth of Lisa Frank products, only to find the pencil erasers disintegrated and stickers unusable years later. I kept stuff just because other people wanted me to keep them, and I concocted bizarre scenarios to justify saving the strangest things. And even though I had so much, I was never happy because, rather than ruling my possessions, I was letting them rule me.<br />
<br />
After decades of reading hundreds of resources on storage and organization, I had no results. Then I read <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1607747308/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1607747308&linkCode=as2&tag=hubp0a54-20&linkId=DDTE7COATBIOVVOZ" target="_blank">Life-Changing Magic</a></i>, and it gave me the “Ah, ha!” moment I’d been searching for. I needed to quit buying into the lie that clutter is manageable. I had to conquer it, totally and completely. And that meant getting rid of stuff…a lot of it. I asked myself, “What do I want to keep?” instead of asking, “What can I throw away?” I forced myself to be honest about not wanting to finish certain projects. I tossed conference papers and seminar notes that I had no desire to read. And I gave my collections of books, music, and mementoes their first real purges.<br />
<br />
Whew! What a relief! I really am a lot happier now. It’s a slow process, which Kondo admits, but I can see results already, especially in how I view my possessions. They now work for me, and I can eliminate what I don’t enjoy quickly and guilt-free.<br />
<br />
There have been hurdles. Kondo doesn’t address joint ownership and what to do when your spouse isn’t onboard with the program. She also doesn’t anticipate people’s tendency to keep things longer if they think they can sell them, something that’s incredibly time consuming and rarely pays off in the end. Maybe garage sales and Craigslist don’t have the same allure in Japan as they do here in America.<br />
<br />
There has also been some skepticism on my part. I remain unconvinced that everything should be stored upright. It’s worked pretty well for somethings, like socks, but I’m sure Kondo’s ruining her laptop by storing it like a book! I also think that she discounts the enjoyment that storage containers with their sleek, uniform look have over old cellphone boxes and such. In my opinion, cardboard boxes need to go.<br />
<br />
All things considered, however, I love <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1607747308/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1607747308&linkCode=as2&tag=hubp0a54-20&linkId=DDTE7COATBIOVVOZ" target="_blank">Life-Changing Magic</a></i>. If you have a problem with clutter ruling your life, than I wholeheartedly recommend you take a look at Kondo’s book. Sure, it reads a bit awkwardly, possibly due to the translation. And as Japanese culture and the Shinto religion permeate the book, you might have to think about how to “translate” it into American culture. But I hope that none of this will discourage you from giving the KonMari method a chance. I’m sure glad I did.</span></span></span><br />
<br/><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EFpwUlTQ5nM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-51141944133983222302015-09-22T21:39:00.001-07:002015-09-22T21:39:28.278-07:00I Got Peanutized!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.peanutizeme.com/#6102a" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uJczpEr_tSA/VgIqTYRjyjI/AAAAAAAAApg/DOrqlCCTrD8/s640/download.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Peanuts Character from the <a href="http://www.peanutizeme.com/#6102a" target="_blank">Get Peanutized</a> <i>Peanuts Movie</i> Website</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia">I grew up absolutely loving Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang. My mother's childhood fanaticism was passed on to me at an early age. A stuffed animal Snoopy. Picture books. Puzzles. Comic strips. Paperback comic books. VHS tapes. The only thing I disliked was the giant Snoopy at Knott's Berry Farm. Too much for 3-year-old me!<br />
<br />
Now that I'm older, I don't have as much time for Peanuts. Calvin and Hobbes and Heart of the City replaced it as a favorite read, and I've long forgotten the lyrics to "A Book Report on Peter Rabbit" and "Lucy Says" and all the other songs I'd so religiously memorized. But once in a blue moon, I'll pick up my mom's hardback collector's editions and fall in love with it all over again. Thank you, Charles Schultz, for introducing me to the Red Baron, Beethoven, and the coolest music genre ever ("Snoopy music"). Now that I have been peanutized, I no longer have a childish dream of being Lucy. Now I can be her rival!<br />
<br />
#peanutizeme #peanutsmovie #peanutsmovie2015</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-84132958530391396272015-09-15T09:36:00.000-07:002015-09-15T09:36:42.110-07:00‘Jesus, Jihad and Peace’ (Book Review)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://amzn.to/1USeXDj" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DB6Fvk3t0Vc/VfhAqQh80eI/AAAAAAAAApI/WJPSGr7lGBc/s320/21414013.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Prooftexting the Bible to find an Islamic presence in the “end times” is not new, but I did find an interesting twist in <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1USeXDj" target="_blank">Jesus, Jihad and Peace: What Bible Prophecy Says About World Events Today</a></i> (Worthy Publishing, 2015) by <a href="http://www.michaelyoussef.com/" target="_blank">Michael Youssef</a>, head of the <i><a href="https://www.ltw.org/" target="_blank">Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef</a></i> ministry and pastor for <a href="http://apostles.org/" target="_blank">The Church of the Apostles</a> in Atlanta, Georgia. In this book, the author connects the premillennialist expectation of a coming “Antichrist,” a tyrannical political and religious leader who subjugates the whole world, with the Muslim expectation of a coming Twelfth Imam (or Mahdi, according to some Shia Muslims), who will save mankind. Youssef sees the development of Islam as having been purposely guided by Satan so that Muslims are preconditioned to accept the Antichrist as someone sent from God and on the same side as Jesus, so to speak. Instead, however, he’s predestined to be everything Christ isn’t: the ultimate enemy who is defeated only after persecuting Jews and Christians worldwide.<br />
<br />
Although in summary the argument might look plausible, <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1USeXDj" target="_blank">Jesus, Jihad and Peace</a></i> fails to convince, resorting to sloppy exegesis to make the associations between the Bible and the present work. I got the impression that promoting a particular anti-Muslim agenda was more important to the author than presenting a biblical eschatology. As a Christian, I can only say that the end result was really embarrassing. Youssef carefully selects passages from the Bible and the Koran, picks and chooses what he likes from history and current events, and judges the two religions by different standards. He does this so that he can present the least offensive view of Christianity and the most offensive view of Islam and call them both “genuine.” I suspect that he does this out of personal motivation, as a native Egyptian raised Coptic Orthodox, who has likely witnessed if not actually experienced oppressive elements of Muslim rule. Whatever he reasons, they unfortunately led him away from his main responsibility as a pastor: setting aside his own biases and engaging in sound hermeneutics so that he can present what the Bible actually teaches rather than what he wishes it taught.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book as a First Reads giveaway winner on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4389281-jennifer">GoodReads.com</a>. There was no obligation to write a review.</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-58513453643019792712015-09-10T17:53:00.002-07:002015-09-10T18:16:12.265-07:00Click Here (Book Review)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://amzn.to/1JYPzkT" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cgro6STkH6o/VfIj0EtpdqI/AAAAAAAAAok/YvsZ_g8KCS0/s320/371898.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ah, seventh grade. Best known as the period during which beautiful, smart, confident children suddenly become awkward, self-conscious not-children-but-not-adults. Life suddenly produces all sorts of new pressures and expectations from parents, teachers, and friends. Kids quickly learn the meaning of unrequited love, and bullying takes on a whole new level. Seventh grade’s reputation is so bad I’ve actually met two different pro-school people who’ve made an exception for junior high or middle school, saying that it should be outlawed and homeschooling made mandatory for kids during those pubescent years. Yes, they were serious.<br />
<br />
When things are tough, the clear solution is to find someone who has it worse. Kids at this stage in life often take comfort in reading about characters with which they can empathize but also laugh with – laugh at? – when embarrassing situations occur. That’s why <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1NsCrKL" target="_blank">Diary of a Wimpy Kid</a></i> (2010) has been such a roaring success. Along the same vein is <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1JYPzkT" target="_blank">Click Here (To Find Out How I Survived Seventh Grade): A Novel</a></i> (Little, Brown, & Co., 2005/2006) by Denise Vega. The heroine Erin Swift isn’t pretty, isn’t popular, and isn’t really brainy either. She’s having a tough time navigating through seventh grade, which is filled with new experience after new experience and disappointment after disappointment. But she finds solace in her computer club activities and electronic diary keeping. Then comes the unexpected twist, and a slight nod to Louise Fitzhugh’s classic <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1JYPZrn" target="_blank">Harriet the Spy</a></i> (1964). Erin has to learn how to survive on a whole new level and learns some valuable lessons in the process.<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://amzn.to/1JYPzkT" target="_blank">Click Here</a></i> was a quick, entertaining read. The characters were memorable. I also felt that there were a lot of positive lessons for kids: Don’t prejudge other kids. The person you’re avoiding now might turn out to be a terrific friend. You might not be good at everything, but you can find something that you enjoy that you are good at. It’s okay if your crush doesn’t work out. Just learn to move on.<br />
<br />
The downside was that I never felt like someone my niece or nephew’s age was relating what happened at school last year. It was more like I was listening to someone much older reminiscing about her junior high experiences. I felt as though the author wasn’t making an effort to research about what kids today like, but instead chose to impose her own dated likes on her main character. A real seventh grader (or at least one uninterested in history) would have said that the history classroom was covered with posters of “a bunch of dead people.” rather than listing them by name, unless it really mattered to the plot. (And then it would’ve been better to just add that to the teacher’s dialogue.) When it came to costume issues, the original <i>Karate Kid</i> (1984) would’ve made a better “old movie” reference than <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> (1962). And Erin’s friendship with the school janitor might have seemed quaint decades ago, but it just came off as creepy in a more contemporary setting.<br />
<br />
So if asked if I’d recommend <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1JYPzkT" target="_blank">Click Here</a></i>, I can only offer a shrug. How the book’s strengths and weaknesses balance out would depend on the reader. Both parents and kids could find something to like about it, and maybe it would spark some healthy intergenerational discussion about the frustrations seventh graders are facing and have faced.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book as a First Reads giveaway winner on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4389281-jennifer">GoodReads.com</a>. There was no obligation to write a review.</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706845358978263378.post-89264938566415949262015-08-05T10:00:00.000-07:002015-08-20T21:50:38.810-07:00Finding the Perfect Morning Routine (Out of a Sea of Less-Than-Ideal Ones)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://flic.kr/p/6gxoQr" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lWyfxqfJdKk/VcFnmsJGaCI/AAAAAAAAAn8/ckp71DhvWGQ/s320/3457656569_5a268448c6_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Coffee Break</i> by Kenny Louie (<a href="https://flic.kr/p/6gxoQr" target="_blank">Flickr</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Establishing some sort of morning routine is not new to me. Keeping it for more than a week is. Whatever I set up – whether it involves daily Bible reading, exercise, or chores – it all seems to fall apart pretty quickly. That can be attributed partly to laziness and partly to having an irregular schedule when it comes to sleep, meals, work, school, etc. pretty much all my life.<br />
<br />
I suspect that the real problem is that I tend to be way too ambitious with my to-do lists. Or maybe I’m just not choosing things that really do energize and motivate me, but things I felt I “have to” do. As a participant in the <a href="http://skl.sh/1SXsvaf" target="_blank">“Create a Perfect Morning Routine”</a> class with <a href="http://skl.sh/1gIEyN3" target="_blank">Skillshare</a>, my goal is to create <a href="http://skl.sh/1N8ViXz" target="_blank">a plan</a> that is not only manageable, even on a fully packed day, but is also filled with enjoyable activities that won’t leave me searching for an excuse not to do them. I need a routine that’s not about chores and things I need to get done, but one that prepares me for the stressful day ahead.<br />
<br />
<b>My Primary Focus</b><br />
My primary focus is destressing my life. I want to begin my day feeling refreshed and optimistic about what lies ahead.<br />
<br />
<b>Positive Habits</b><br />
Devotional Bible Reading, Exercise, Listening to Music, Journaling, Meditation, Prayer, Self Improvement, Staying Informed, To-Do List<br />
<br />
<b>Daily Focus</b><br />
Option 1: Journaling<br />
Option 2: Listening to Music (<a href="http://www.pandora.com/" target="_blank">Pandora</a> channels, <a href="http://amzn.to/1Ds5DxR" target="_blank">Amazon Prime Music</a>, or <a href="http://www.kusc.org/" target="_blank">Classical KUSC FM 91.5</a> radio)<br />
Option 3: Prayer<br />
Option 4: Devotional Reading (<a href="http://www.esvbible.org/" target="_blank">Bible</a>)<br />
Option 6: Self Improvement (reading self help books)<br />
Option 7: Staying Informed (<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news" target="_blank">BBC News</a>, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/" target="_blank">NYTimes</a>, <a href="http://www.npr.org/" target="_blank">NPR</a>, <a href="http://www.theskimm.com/" target="_blank">theSkimm</a>)<br />
Option 6: Creating a To-Do List<br />
<br />
<b>Ideal Morning Routine</b><br />
7:00 a.m. – Wake Up<br />
7:05 a.m. – Check Email and Text Messages (in case of anything important)<br />
7:10 a.m. – Daily Focus (preferably with hot chocolate or a vanilla latte)<br />
7:35 a.m. – Exercise (Daily Yoga app on Android phone)<br />
7:50 a.m. – Meditation (Calm app on Android phone)<br />
8:00 a.m. – Begin day<br />
<br />
<i>Note: This morning routine was created as the <a href="http://skl.sh/1N8ViXz" target="_blank">project</a> for the <a href="http://skl.sh/1SXsvaf" target="_blank">“Create a Perfect Morning Routine”</a> class on <a href="http://skl.sh/1gIEyN3" target="_blank">Skillshare</a>, taught by freelance designer and illustrator <a href="https://makermistaker.com/" target="_blank">Jeff Finley</a>, author of <a href="https://makermistaker.com/wakeup/" target="_blank"></i>Wake Up: The Morning Routine That Will Change Your Life<i></a>. My review of the course: Sure, it needs some editing, and some slides with bullet-points would help. At times I even found the content a little dull. However, I was finally motivated to establish a workable morning routine, and for that reason I'm grateful for this course. Therefore, I recommend it.</i></span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com