The Good News We Almost Forgot

Leui and I are really enjoying this book.  This is a wonderful resource for understanding and articulating the scriptures.  If there is "nothing new under the sun," perhaps the main task now facing the Western church is not to reinvent or be relevant, but to remember.  The truth of the gospel is still contained within vintage faith statements. Within creeds and catechisms we can have our faith strengthened, our knowledge broadened, and our love for Jesus deepened.   

In The Good News We Almost Forgot, Kevin DeYoung explores the Heidelberg Catechism and writes 52 brief chapters on what it has shown him. The Heidelberg is largely a commentary on the Apostle's Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord's Prayer and deals with man's guilt, God's grace, and believers' gratitude. The result is a clear-headed, warm-hearted exploration of the faith, simple enough for young believers and deep enough for mature believers.

DeYoung writes, "The gospel summarized in the Heidelberg Catechism is glorious, it's Christ gracious, it's comfort rich, it's Spirit strong, it's God Sovereign, and it's truth timeless."  Come and see how your soul can be warmed by the elegantly and logically laid out doctrine that matters most:  We are great sinners and Christ is a greater Savior!

Costly Grace

"Most of us live in a rather mindless environment.  Life is too fast, and our contact with other persons too impersonal for much serious reflection.  Even in church we are more often encouraged to join this committee, back that project, or serve on this church board than we are counseled to examine our relationship with God and Jesus Christ.  As long as we are performing for the church, few will question whether our profession of faith is genuine or spurious.  How many sermons suggest that members of a church may not actually be saved, although they are members?  How many teachers of the Word stress that a personal, self-denying, costly, and persistent following of Christ is necessary if a person is to be acknowledged by Jesus at the final day?  
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German churchman of the Nazi era who eventually suffered martyrdom for his opposition to Hitler's policies, called this erroneous theology "cheap grace".  He said, "Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession, absolution without personal confession.  Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ living and incarnate." 
The contrast is "costly" grace.  "Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has.  It is the pearl of great price, to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods.  It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him...Such grace is costly because  it call us to follow, and it is grace because is call us to follow Jesus Christ."  My pastor teaches costly grace.
In Matthew 8:18-22  Jesus is approached by a teacher of the law who wants to follow Him wherever He goes.  Jesus responds a bit differently than some pastors.  Jesus replies to him to not be so quick to promise, he wants no one to come with false apprehensions.  "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Instead of a resounding YES, Come on!  Jesus matter-of-factly states, You will have to give up some of your comforts!  Unlike us, Jesus rejects emotional enthusiasm of joining The Army.  There is a cost involved, know it upfront!  Jesus determines what following him will involve, it must be on His terms.
Then another disciple said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father.  But Jesus said to him, Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."  Sounds a bit harsh at first.  This man has a father who is ill, not dead.  If he had been dead he would not have been with the crowd, he would have been back home.  Loyalty to Christ must come first, it is a radical commitment to claim Christ as your Lord and Savior.
This helps me when I think about my own family and friends that I have witnessed their confession of Christ but yet see them walking with the world.  They needed a pastor to say this will cost you something too.  It cost Christ everything!  True conversion implies radical transformation.
I am really enjoying this expositional commentary by Boice.  The longer I am a Christian the more questions and thoughts I have as I get to know Jesus.  Boice is user friendly and unpacks the stories of Christ in a teachable way.

Coram Deo,
E.W.

Spiritual Mothering

Sometimes you pick the book and sometimes the book picks you.  I wasn't in the market for this but I gravitated toward it like a woman dieting drawn to that stash of hidden chocolate.  This book Spiritual Mothering by Susan Hunt has breathed a sweet sigh of peace and calm into my noisy life.  I don't know what the Lord has in store for me now that I read it, but come what may, whatever He brings will be the best! This wisdom-packed book will reach across the generational line.  The author inspires you to experience the blessing of nurturing, godly relationships so that every Christian woman can flourish in her faith.

 She includes excerpts from Corrie Ten Boom, Elisabeth Elliot, and testimonies from everyday gals.  This book enables you to better understand the "mothering mandate" of Titus 2.  

You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.  Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.  Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.  Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

The Christian in Complete Armour

My sweet girlfriend gave me this devotional for my birthday.  I have begun reading through the meaty pages and here is one of the compelling thoughts to ponder...



“Remember, it is not hasty reading-­‐but serious meditating upon holy and heavenly truths, that make them prove sweet and profitable to the soul.  It is not the bee’s touching of the  flower, which gathers honey-­‐but her abiding for a time upon the flower, which draws out the sweet.  It is not he who reads most-­‐but he who meditates most, who will prove the choicest, sweetest, wisest and strongest Christian.”


–William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour

Give Them Grace

What would things look like if Satan really took control of a city?  Over half a century ago, Presbyterian minister Donald Grey Barnhouse offered his own scenario in his weekly sermon that was also broadcast nationwide on CBS radio.  Barnhouse speculated that if Satan took over Philadelphia (the city where he pastored), all of the bars would be closed, pornography banished, and pristine streets would be filled with tidy pedestrians who smiled at each other.  There would be no swearing.  The children would say, "Yes, sir" and "No ma'am," and the churches would be full every Sunday...where Christ is not preached.

I have started reading this book by Fitzpatrick & Thompson about being much more concerned about teaching our children grace than teaching them to be 'good.'  Now that I have been a parent for over 16 years I have read a ton of books, taking umpteen parenting classes and there are a few golden nuggets that if I could turn back the hands of time and have a redo this is one of the books I would say is a keeper!

Coram Deo,

E.W.

A True Fairy Tale...

Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn't do.  The Bible certainly does have some rules in it.  They show you how life works best.  But the Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing.  It's about God and what he has done.  Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy.  The Bible does have some heroes in it, but...most of the people in the Bible aren't heroes at all.  They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose), they get afraid and run away.  At times they are downright mean.  No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes.  The Bible is most of all a Story.  It's an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure.  It's a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne-everything-to rescue to the ones he loves.  It's like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life.



Coram Deo,
E.W.

The Prodigal God

You know the story of the Parable of the Prodigal Son.  It is not right to single out only one of the sons as the sole focus of the story.  Even Jesus doesn't call it the Parable of the Prodigal Son, but begins the story saying, "a man had two sons."  The narrative is as much about the elder brother as the younger, and as much about the father as the sons.  And what Jesus says about the older brother is one of the most important messages given to us in the Bible.  The parable might be better called the Two Lost Sons.
The word 'prodigal' does not mean 'wayward', it means 'recklessly spendthrift-to spend until you have nothing left.  Two men in the parable are prodigal; the father and the youngest son.  The father, who represents God, demonstrates His reckless grace for His people.
This parable was spoken by Christ with his aim to the Pharisees and scribes.  They are the eldest brother he was referring to-they are the target of this parable.  He wants to show them their blindness, narrowness, and self-righteousness.  Can you image how enraged they must have been to listen to this rabbi?
This book by Timothy Keller walks through this famous parable from all angles.  I find myself convicted of my Pharisitical attitude and my deep shame of being the one to challenge my father and demand 'my rights.'

Put this on your reading list...
E.W.

Taste and See

I went to the bookstore in search of a new devotional.  Which one to choose?  John Piper has written many books of which I have gleaned and grown from reading.  This book popped out at me over and over again as I perused the shelves.  The back cover reads:

"The soul tastes truth like the tongue tastes food.  Spiritual hunger cries out for rich, substantial nourishment.  It is remarkable how much meat these daily portions contain.  This devotional of contemporary meditations on biblical reality will whet your appetite for more of God himself and refresh you in your daily communion with Christ."

I have read the first devotional twice to really savor the scriptures about reasserting God's rightful place in my life.  Each 'chapter' is 2-3 pages in length, most of which is scripture in bite size pieces, small enough to memorize one a day if you choose.  Today I memorized Zephaniah 3:17 (see side bar).

Coram Deo,

E.W.

Hedge of Thorns

 

Written in 1611 this little Lamplighter book will capture your heart and become a new favorite in your library.   Once again I am enchanted with an endearing story from long ago.  The gentleman who recorded the text died before completion of his story.  "If it not be a true life account, it is so good a mirror, reflecting human nature so completely, it induces a hope that the inexperienced young might derive some benefit from reading it."  I was compelled when reading that God indeed hedges us in for our own good and spiritual growth from trusting that He has our best in mind.  It warns of complacency and obsession of the yearnings of the mind.  We began reading it aloud last night to the children and had some engaging conversation about the main character.  I love that it is peppered heavily with scripture throughout the book.

'Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns...'. Hosea 2:6

Little Britches

We are reading aloud a sweet family story called Little Britches by Ralph Moody.  It is a series of eight books.  The story is akin to Little House on the Prairie but the main character (who is a hoot) is a young boy.  I love the imagery that Moody uses in his writing.  Ralph Moody was eight years old in 1906 when his family moved from the east coast to Colorado.  Auctions and roundups, family picnics, irrigation wars, tornadoes, and wind storms give authentic color to the this series.  In seeing for the first time their new cabin he writes, 'From the hill beyond the Fort, it looked like a little dollhouse sitting on the edge of a great big table, with a brown tablecloth smoothed out flat all around it."  We have laughed and giggled through some of the old ways of ranching, but we also have heard some truly great life lessons.  The virtues of God are peppered throughout the story.  Plus this book appeals to all ages, so the whole family will enjoy it!
Coram Deo,
E.W.

The White Gypsy

       Hello, I am a guest writer on Enchanted Warrior today. I have recently read a book called The White Gypsy by Annette Lyster. The book was written in 1881. The publisher: Lamplighter; rare collector series. I received this book as a gift for Christmas last year and finally started reading it earlier in this month. 

       This book is about a young boy named Wilbraham Phayre who loses him memory in a terrible train crash. He is stolen by a gypsy woman and renamed White Willie. His life with them was hard and cruel. He was drugged daily and worked in his stupor so he wouldn't remember who he is. He called himself Willie Fay, for that was how he said his last name when he was a child. One dreary day he meets a man named Keith who finds him to be sick. He takes the boy home to find out he is an educated boy. He buys the boy from the gypsy family and raises him, along with the help of his own family. A few years later Willie is taken to a school for boys where his education can prosper; there he meets friends, and his younger brother!

       I would give this book five stars! It's not a hard read and it attaches you to the characters almost immediately. The virtues pop out at you and make you want to be like Willie, George, or Gilbert. You want the rebel, Marston, to change and grow. Most of all you want Willie to remember.

       Will Willie remember his family? Can he find out his true identity? Read The White Gypsy to find out!

P.S. At the end of the book it says the 'shepherd of the village is E.M.'  I'll give you a hint on who it is: he is called by his middle name and not his first, or 'E'...

You are gonna love this story!

E.W.'s daughter

         

Raising Maidens of Virtue

My daughter and I are reading Raising Maidens of Virtue together.  It is a study of feminine loveliness for mothers and daughters.  We have only read through the first several chapters but this is such a valuable treasure I just had to share with you.  It is designed to be read aloud and then discuss the questions at the end of each chapter.  The author, Stacy McDonald suggests making it a special time, set apart from other activities, by lighting some candles, pouring a cup of tea and closing the door.  There are suggestions for making a scrapbook and other relationship building projects and activities.
We just finished reading the chapter 'A Noble Calling'.  It defines the secret of contentment and describes what is a noble calling.  Here is an excerpt...

And so I learned that what makes any calling noble is its being commanded by God, and what makes anything good is its being given by God; and the honest contentment consists not in persuading ourselves that our things are the very best in the world, but in believing they are the best for us, and giving God thanks for them.


This is geared for young teens and allows you to capture some beautiful conversation with your daughter.  Our time is so precious with our girls.  The clock is ticking, the world is tapping at the door for her attention.  We must pour into them while we still have them home with us.  What a gift we have as mothers to invest in our precious daughters, they grow up so fast!

Painting by Frederick A. Stokes 

Any product I have purchased from The Vision Forum has been thought provoking and challenges me in my walk.

Pray with your sweetie!
E.W.

God's Good Gifts

I came across a study that I led with my daughter and her friends a few years ago.  It was a scrapbooking bible study called God's Good Gifts.  It is a great women's study but is easily transposed to do with girls who love to scrapbook.

It is a great tool to bring together personal memories with God's Word and also have a time of fellowship and study.  God gives us so many blessings everyday and recording them helps us to see that.  For the 12 week study we covered theses topics:

*Growing Up
*Home/my room
*Church and church activities
*Family/celebrations together
*School/school activities
*Hobbies/Quiet time
*Extra curricular activities
*Women in my life
*Favorite things/pets
*Dreams/Goals

You could really choose any topics of interest for you and your girls:  missions trips, serving, sisterhood, whatever you like.  There are devotionals by Kay Arthur, Emilie Barnes and others.  Everyone gathers their own supplies and pictures and the book provides the rest (it even has stencils and stickers to share).

Growing Up

 Church

F
 Friends

 Friends










Drama & Dance

Tea Parties & Festivities

Each page had a special scripture pasted on it to tie in our theme.  We enjoyed reflecting and actually putting something together to last for a lifetime.


Blessings,
E.W.

An Old Fashioned Girl

                                                                                                                                                    In preparing for my daughter's curriculum I try to read her books first so that when the time comes to discuss them' I am somewhat ahead of the game (LOL).  I am designing a Victorian Era composite for History, Literature, Science, and Fine Arts. An Old Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott is one of the books on her reading list.  It is a sweet story of friendship.  If you ever wonder what finer points to cultivate into your children this book taps directly into 1Corinthians 13:4-6

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 


I have come to love the young country girl Polly who comes to visit her city cousin Fanny.   In very gentle and quiet ways she shows her worldly relatives how to live 1 Corinthians.  This is one of my top favorite stories.  If you have little girls it would make a wonderful read-aloud.

A Shopkeeper's Story

If you are interested in reading a compelling Easter narrative, then Charles Swindoll's book Suddenly One Morning is a must read.  The story is through the eyes of a weathered Jewish shopkeeper on the main street of Jerusalem.  He notices a crowd gathering outside his shop.  Stepping outside his door, he looks down the street, expecting to see Roman soldiers throwing their weight around or a group of haughty Pharisees walking along in their religious garb, praying oh so holily.  But all he sees is an ordinary young Jewish man on a donkey.  As Jesus passes he glances at the shopkeeper and his eyes see him, really see him for who he is deep down.  Mesmerized, he pursues this mysterious man and his life changes forever.

Stepping Heavenward

There are some books that stand head and shoulders above the rest.  If you are looking for a good read that will compel you, make this your next one! 
Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss is positively an introspective joy. "How dreadfully old I am getting!  Sixteen!",  writes Katherine in her brand-new journal on January 15, 1831.  Her heartfelt words mark the start of your own unforgettable journey following Katherine as her life unfolds from sweet sixteen to her grown-up later years.  As she learns that true happiness is found in giving oneself to others, you, too, will be immeasurably encouraged to step heavenward-to live with greater godliness, humility, tranquility, and hope.  Blessings!  E.W.