Trevin Wax has some practical insights in how to profit from your commute.
5 Ways to Redeem Your Ride to Work
Reply
Author Archives: Seth
The Spirit Of Early Christian Thought by Wilken
The Spirit Of Early Christian Thought: Seeking the Face of God
by Robert Louis Wilken
Product Details
Paperback: 321 pages with post material
Publisher: Yale University Press
Point: The era of the early Church fathers was not an age of darkness, nor even a stepping stone on the path of faith. These men were deep thinkers who sought to know God.
Path: The author traces a variety of topics through the Fathers in order to expose their beliefs.
Sources: He cites many of the fathers but focuses on Origen (3rd century), Gregory of Nyssa (4th century), Augustine (5th century), and Maximus the Confessor (7th century).
Agreement: This is a helpful survey on the early Church and her thoughts.
Disagreement: The author comes from a Catholic background so there is obvious factors which he stresses. The composition was not as easy to read as Ferguson’s “Early Christians Speak.”
Personal App: I need to read Augustine’s “City of God.” The early Church fathers did not possess a refined understanding of everything we have today, but we do not possess near the devotion they had.
Stars: 3.5 out of 5
It would be worth another read. I would recommend Ferguson first.
Crystal’s Book Review
What Did You Expect?: Redeeming the Realities of Marriage
Paul David Tripp
Product Details
- Hardcover: 287 pages
- Publisher: Crossway
- Language: English
- Date of reading: 9/28/2011
Point: This book is “a detailed description of the daily work of love that must be done with commitment and joy when a flawed person is married to a flawed person and they are living together in a fallen world.” (Page 282)
Path: Throughout his book, Tripp presents six different commitments that spouses must make in order to have a God-honoring marriage. He brings in these aspects: confession and forgiveness, changing our daily agendas, building bonds of trust, building relationship of love, dealing with differences with appreciation and grace, and working to protect our marriage.
Agreement: I thought that this book was a very solidly founded on biblical principles for marriage. Marriage books frequently focus solely on romance, but Tripp brings out the fact that everything in life (including marriage) is based on worship. Who am I worshipping, myself or God? He is by no means against romance, but he says that romance is the fruit and not the root of a good marriage.
Disagreement: I did not find principles in this book that I would classify as unbiblical, but I do think that it would have been helpful to have more verses accompanying the principles that were listed. I also thought that the book was at times a bit wordy in that many of the same stories/illustrations seemed to appear in various chapters.
Personal App: What a convicting book! I have been deeply challenged to love my husband in a way that is self-sacrificing and also not to get lazy in my marriage. I have realized just how much I have been living in my “kingdom of self” and not living in a way that is truly pleasing to God and furthering His work.
Stars: 4 out of 5
It would be worth another read and I would recommend it.
Summer Cupcakes
Crystal made a few healthy cupcakes for an activity this summer.
These are for all those who have been told to eat their
vegetables first.
Pumpkin Stew!
I found a recipe for pumpkin stew in my favorite brand of cookbooks, The Gooseberry Patch.
I used some of the bear meat that my dad had given us to make the stew, and it turned out really well! You should check out his blog: www.bowhuntingroad.com
Heather and I hollowed out the pumpkin and then we put the stew into the pumpkin and baked it for an hour. Yum!
Crystal’s First Book Review
Seth has been trying to encourage me to write about the books I am reading, so here is one.
Feminine Appeal: Seven Virtues of a Godly Wife and Mother
Carolyn Mahaney
Product Details
- Paperback: 188 pages
- Publisher: Crossway Books
- Language: English
- Date of reading: 9/21/11
Point: The Gospel should transform the woman’s life in order to glorify our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. The Gospel affects her interactions with her husband and children, her self-control, her purity, her kindness, her submission, and her work at home.
Path: Using Titus 2 as her foundation, Mahaney explains the character traits and actions of a godly woman. She combines Biblical teaching with daily experiences.
Agreement: Theologically sound, ends with a helpful and practical example of a godly woman. Good view on how to view godly womanhood.
Personal App: Great encouragement to honor God through being a joy filled woman.
Stars: 4 out of 5
It would be worth another read and I would recommend it.
Culvers + Settlers of Cataan = Good Time
Friends
(Here was a post which I mean to put on back when we had just gotten back from England, but it got lost in the shuffle.)
One of our favorite things about our trips is the personal time we spent with family and friends (sometimes brand new!). While in England we were able to sit and converse around the dinner table about the customs, language, and beliefs of a different country.
Dinner with friends from Whales, England and Ireland.
We have found that one of the best ways to love others is to share a meal with them. Through their food they are able to love us, and by eating their food we show that we care about them. This seemed to be Christ’s strategy as well. (Matthew 9:10; 11:18-19; Luke 7:36; 14:1; John 2:1; 12:2)
The 25 Funniest Analogies (Collected by High School English Teachers)
I came across this post the other day while reading through my blog reader. Pretty funny! It is worth reading through.
Some of my favorites include:
– The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn’t.
– Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.
– John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.
– He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.
Women in the Word
Just a reminder about Women in the Word. Crystal is a part of a radio Bible study called “Women in the Word” which airs at 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. You can listen to the program at AM 1030 or you can go to our blog (www.womenintheword-wcts.blogspot.com) or WCTS’ website (www.wctsradio.com) and find them older archived sessions. You can also download some of the past recordings on iTunes. I hope that you look it up and listen! Women from a variety of times of life get together and study God’s Word together. What a blessing!
Por si acaso…
Crystal es parte de un estudio bíblico en la radio. Se llama “Women in the Word” o “Mujeres en la Palabra.” Pueden ir a nuestro blog (www.womenintheword-wcts.blogspot.com) o también a la página de web (www.wctsradio.com) y encontrar los estudios. Pueden bajar los estudios también en Itunes. Mujeres que están en diferentes tiempos de sus vidas se reúnen para estudiar la palabra de Dios. Si quieren practicar su inglés….