Breakfast... Second Breakfast... Elevnsies

 *Finally* I can post this. (: Been sitting in my drafts box for 2 months, waiting to be posted, waiting for Samuel and I to announce online we're expecting our first precious little one!  So without further ado:

~*~*~~*~*~

Yes, it is a Hobbit's life for me!  Truly.  Ever since finding out I was pregnant, I have felt like a hobbit.  My way to combat nausea (the dreaded "morning sickness"-not just in the morning after all!), was to eat plenty of raw fruits and veggies intentionally, take all my supplements and prenatals, drink at least one cup of raspberry leaf tea each day, a cup of milk with molasses, have my ginger candy at the ready, and, of course, eat every couple hours.  Literally.

So I began joking that I was having "second breakfast".  And "Second dinner".  But then I decided to look up the official mealtimes of Hobbit's, and their respective names.  So without further ado:

Breakfast (seven a.m.),
Second breakfast (nine a.m.),
Elevensies (eleven a.m.),
Luncheon (one p.m.),
Afternoon tea (four p.m.), |
Dinner (six p.m.), and, later in the evening,
Supper (eight p.m.) (only approximate times of day)

I feel this sums up pregnancy eating very well.  I'll munch on some nuts, cheese, fruit, veggies, caviar, etc.  But those meal times, breakfast, second breakfast, luncheon, dinner, and supper, those are real meals, just slightly smaller portions than normal to be spread out.

I'm happy to report, that I've only had one horrible sick day (pukey included) where I could not keep anything down.  My hypothesis is that I ate out twice the day before, and thus, did not eat as well as I have been.  The milder sick day was the evening where I had a small snack BEFORE dinner (around 5:30) and then dinner was postponed until 9:30.  Oh, what a rough 4 hours that was!  I didn't even get supper.  I was ready to crash.  Sleep also helps.  The fuller I am before bed and the earlier I get to sleep, the better I feel in the morning.

I think what strikes me the most (besides living a Hobbit's life as of late), is that I do not crave sweets or sugar, in fact, it rather repulses me!-then makes me feel sickly.  Which is good.  Fruit is borderline too sweet, but I don't ever feel bad after eating it. 

A lot of my new found knowledge about nutrition (and where I go to, to get snack/meal ideas) is from Mommypotamus, Foodrenegade, Weston A Price Foundation, and the best primer to date, the book "Beautiful Babies" by Kristen Michaelis.  I HIGHLY recommend that book, not just to those wanting to be pregnant or already are pregnant, but people in general!  Everything she says is tailored to nutrition for fertility and pregnancy, but it is so much more than that.  It is an excellent book to read if you are wanting to transition to a better diet, but would like more insight.  You know what I found intriguing about her suggestions?-  She lists organic veggies and fruits as the LAST thing to change in your diet.  I know right?  Don't sweat the small stuff, but change the things that will make the most impact on your health in your diet.

But I can't complain.  Having a half Hobbit's life is not so bad. (:  Especially when I know it is full of nutritious delicious food for baby Allison and I.  I might even be tempted to call my growing baby my little Hobbit (;  My very own halfling!

But in all, I am praising the Lord for this unborn life within me!  It is amazing to think that there is a little life inside me, and my first instinct is to nurture and protect him or her.  I'm very thankful that He has opened my eyes to His wondrous truth, that I have a fear for the Lord, a respect for life, and desire to love my child.  There are many who are not so.  They believe there is nothing wrong with the murdering of innocent life... a tragedy indeed!

We are so excited for November to get here!  Prayers are very much appreciated during this time.

Redeeming the Time

"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" Ephesians 5:15-16

Sometimes I think about this and realize how often I fail at redeeming my time.  Part of it is that I lack the self-discipline, and part of that is because it seems most of my life my time was dictated by another.  Such as, co-op classes, then community college classes, work, then college classes, then more work.  It is easy to be productive when someone else expects it of you, but it is something else entirely to be the manager of our home and I am the only one expecting much of my time!-though Samuel too, but in a smaller way (and I must say, he is the most patient man I know!-I am a blessed woman that he does not criticize me, but rather lovingly encourages me).  So I am constantly learning and growing in this area.

But there is one area I've found that I do redeem the time wisely.  Back before I had this new occupation as wife, helpmeet, and manager of our home, I drove.  A lot.  It seems I was either driving to and from work, to and from church, or to and from a friend's house.  Always driving.  But I lacked free time, and what free time I had, I devoured books and online articles.  But here I had all this time whilst driving to and from so many places.  I don't precisely remember how long ago it dawned on me, but however many years ago it was, I discovered I can listen quite well while driving.  Not to music, but to sermons, lectures, and anything that I could learn from!  It was my one year at Texas A&M (Whoop!) that I began to enjoy listening to sermons when I discovered Sermonindex.  Prior to that, I listened to some things on Youtube.  But when I found a source to download from, it was a whole new world that opened up to me. But it wasn't until after I left college that I filled my driving time with sermons/etc. in the car.

But I don't drive nearly as much as I used to.  And I have generously donated my iPod to Samuel's work van and his pleasure to use while driving (he drives a LOT).  But immediately after we wed, I realized there were new tasks in life that I could actively listen to edifying teaching at the same time.  Things like, folding and hanging up the clothes, doing the dishes, cleaning around the house, during the prep and cooking of dinner, to name a few.  And I love it!-still love it!  In this small way, I can redeem the time from what could be mundane and monotonous tasks, to a time that I truly enjoy.  I don't dread these endless tasks (they just go on forever, you know, the rest of your life!), but see it as a time where I can listen and learn.  And sometimes I do just put on music to listen to.  (:  But the important thing is that I can constantly learn, even when it seems there is no time to read (but I do get plenty of time to read in this season of life).

A few of my favorite resources are:

Generations With Vision - A web radio show that airs Monday-Friday that weighs in on a myriad of topics and issues from a biblical worldview.  A newsource of sorts that isn't filled with the despair, but hope we have in Christ. It's generally about 30 minutes long, so I'll listen to a few in a row.

Ligonier Ministries - Essentially the teachings of R.C. Sproul Sr.  One of my favorite teachers.  There are so many different series you can find on this site to download or listen to on your web browser.

Sermon Audio - Like sermonindex, but I just like this one better now.  You can find plenty of Ligonier teachings on here as well.  Kevin Swanson (host of generations radio) is also a pastor, and I love listening to some of his sermons.  Paul Washer is great too.  Dr. Joe Morecraft III too.

Monergism - A website with more than just audio teachings.  But they do have some free MP3's to download that I have benefited from.  They also have great discounts from time to time too. (:

My Church Library - Lately I've listened to "A Critique of Modern Education lecture by R. J. Rushdoony; "Raising Godly Children In and Ungodly World" lecture(s) by Michael and Susan Bradrick.  Our church has a lot from the Chalcedon Foundation.

Sometimes I like to put on documentaries while I'm folding clothes. So many great ones out there, especially on youtube.  I recently watched Food Matters because a friend let me borrow their dvd, but it's on youtube.

I love discovering new resources, and the above mentioned are just a few that I utilize.  What/who do you like to listen to?  Do you have any suggestions?  Also, what are some ways that you have found to redeem your time wisely?

In Review: 3 Again

These three books were vastly different, yet brought much pleasure to read.  The first was the most laborious, the second, a borrowed book that was a page turner, and the third, a gift from a friend and very informative.  I enjoy reading any chance I can get and I'm pleased that I've been able to consume 3 times as many books as I anticipated this month.

The Harsh Truth About Public Schools by Bruce Shortt

I think the title of this book accurately sums up what the contents inside hold.  I read a few reviews on it and one lady was quite put off by his harshness.  Um, did you even read the title, lady?  He is unapologetic about his findings, his views, and presents a plethora of research, studies, and statistics just to drive home his point on {almost} every single page.  About 90 pages at the end of the book are just endnotes to source his facts and findings.  You could not ask for a better reference guide to how awful the government schools are doing in every area for some ammunition against the defenders of a sinking ship.

"Research from the Nehemiah Institute shows that children from Christian homes who attend government schools are five times more likely to adopt such anti-christian dogmas as moral relativism than those who attend Christian schools." pp. 13

"The fact is that government schools are killing our children spiritually, morally, and intellectually.  But most of us don't even see the problem;" pp. 14

And it's true.  On these three grounds the government funded education is failing your children by a Christian standard.  It's no hidden fact that children raised in Christian homes and who attended church are leaving the faith of their parents behind.  This is the fundamental reason: parents don't think it is their responsibility to educate their children!-academically or spiritually.  It's the highly trained professional teachers who are responsible for making sure my child gets a good education; it's the Sunday school teachers and youth pastors who are responsible for teaching my children about God.  He doesn't go into the latter, but definitely the former.

Each chapter is fascinating and a bit horrifying to read.  I think chapter two was the hardest to read because it was so explicit in the perversion and morally bankrupt culture in the schools.  It’s true, I never attended a public school, but most of my church friends did, and I was invited to go to school events including homecomings.  It was through that small window I can attest to the grotesque nature of the schools, so it doesn’t shock me to hear what Mr. Shortt says in his book, though it does make me sick.

In this book you get an understanding of the history behind education in America, how the schools were started and how they ended up where they are today.  You get a sense of the political agenda and driving force behind modern education as well as see the painful reality of the failing academic side of the failure.  He doesn’t leave out the disciplinary failures as well as complete lack of any standard for morality.  And yes, he even points his finger at you [the parent] who says, Yeah, well my kid’s school is different.  Above all, I appreciated his research about the very early education in this country and those of reformed protestants influence in education for everyone.  At the end of his book he offers a chapter of helpful information for parents who are looking for either a private Christian school to send their children, or the resources to learn about home education.

So what is his point?  “A Christian education must impart a Christian worldview in which the sovereignty of God and the central role of Jesus Christ in human history and affairs are understood by every Christian child.” Pp. 315-316.  But clearly, this is not the case for public schools.

This gets a 4 Star. 4) being, a really great book, useful to instruct, thought provoking/good entertainment, very challenging, growth as a reader, way more good than bad, would recommend. Worth reading again.  With the caveat that not every Christian parents needs to read this, but every Christian parent with children in the public schools, or planning to put their children IN the public schools needs to read this.


The Last Sacrifice by Hank HaneGraaff & Sigmund Brouwer

This is the second book in this series, fictionally set in the persecution early believers might have endured during the tribulation set in Revelation.  I think it’s fascinating that they included the disciple John in this fictional series.  The previous book was more about him, but his character is more prominent in this second book.  They have a cast of characters all interwoven, including zealous Jews, Jewish Christians, and a myriad of Romans.  Some of the perversions in this book are hinted at, but not as explicit as the last book, in my opinion.  So in that sense I liked it better.

Again, I think this is way better than the left behind series.  The history in it fascinates me.  The Christian culture is much more vivid, vibrant, and full of life than in the LB series.  Plus, this is an eschatology of hope, as opposed to the bleak and hopeless one of LB.

This gets a 4 ½ Stars. 4) being, a really great book, useful to instruct, thought provoking/good entertainment, very challenging, growth as a reader, way more good than bad, would recommend. Worth reading again.

Beautiful Babies by Kristen Michaelis

This is the book given to me by a friend from church.  What an excellent book!  This is not just for those women pregnant or wanting to be pregnant. This is an excellent resource for traditional nutrition in general. As well as a great navigational tool to wade the waters of "food" in our modern culture. What is good to eat and why. I appreciated her being a Christian, though I differed with her on a few points. Overall, a great book I would recommend to anyone wanting a great introduction, refresher, or more information on healthy, whole, and real foods.

She includes recipes in the back of the book, some great charts and lists for navigating the waters of GMO’s, MSG, oils, and tips on how to manage your kitchen, even on a budget.  A very practical book for starting changes in your diet.  Yes, it has some wonderful information on breastfeeding, what foods young children should eat, and what to avoid, as well as things to eat for fertility, and things to eat while pregnant.  But, it is in general, a great health foods book.  The Foreword was written by Joel Salatin!  All in all, I am glad I read this, and I use it as a reference guide now.  I would highly recommend this to any woman married, with children, or no children but want children.  In fact, it may even be a gift choice. (:  I appreciate the friend who gave this to me as a gift!

This gets a 4 Star. 4) being, a really great book, useful to instruct, thought provoking/good entertainment, very challenging, growth as a reader, way more good than bad, would recommend. Worth reading again.

Vapor

"Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" James 4:14 

The truth of this scripture has been washing over me anew this day.  Some dear friends of ours lost a wonderful godly man to a very abrupt and unexpected tragedy.  A godly husband and father, now gone to be with the Lord.  My thoughts, tears, and prayers have been with them all through the day since finding out, and memories, like silent droplets of rain, gently drench my soul, remembering my own loss, years ago.

These two verses came to my mind immediately, and the tears began to flow as I poured out my heart in prayer, for these brothers and sisters in Christ.

"Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." Romans 12:15

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2 

I do not know their pain.  But I kept thinking and praying: this is the day of shock.  It is a day of blur.  This is a time where things get fuzzy, life seems to stop, yet nothing seems real.  You want to wake up, but you really don't.  The sad reality is still there with you for days, but it never really sinks in.  You expect to see their face again, their smiles, their laughter, their jokes.  But it's strangely quiet.   They are strangely not there.  You know in your mind that God is sovereign and has a plan in all this; you know He is good, that your beloved is in a place of no more tears in the presence of our heavenly Father; yet your heart is breaking.  The pain is real, the grief is real, the sorrow is all too acute.  Suddenly, life is very real again, life is really different without them.  You know God is good, but your heart is so wrenched all you can think of is how can life go on without them?

I know, because I had my day of shock.  I had those feelings.  I had that pain, that sorrow.  But it is different for every single person who loses someone they love.  Every relationship is different.  Some lose sisters, some lose husbands, some lose daddy's.  Each one feels a little differently than the rest.

And the absolute worst thing you can ever say to someone suffering the loss of someone they love?  "I know how you feel" or "I understand what you're going through".  No you don't.  No one wants to hear that when the grief is fresh.  YOU never knew what it was like to be her sister.  YOU never knew what it was like to have him as father.  YOU never were married to this exact person.  YOU will never know precisely how it feels to have lost what they lost.  So please, don't ever say this to someone, even if you mean well.

Perhaps I remember the above through the eyes of someone younger, surrounded by immature people.  It has been many years since I have been through a tragic loss of a loved one's life, but I would hope no one would dream of saying they know how someone else feels during a loss.  It is just unfathomable to say such a thing to someone hurting.  I also remember going through such a devastating loss as someone who did not have any true comprehension that God is absolutely sovereign, reigning on His throne, and that nothing happens out of His will and plan for life.  I did not really know that God is good, even in the midst of tragedy, for all I could think of was, "why"?-and it was so unfair.  But it's not unfair.  God is in control, and He was very kind to bless us with that person's life as long as He chose to.  Knowing God is sovereign over all makes a huge difference when going through trials and hardships.  When I went through an entirely different tragedy of sorts (no loss of life), it was amazing to cling to the Lord God and know His mercy, grace, peace, and comfort and knowing He was sovereign and in control, and not one thing happened that He did not first allow.  As Linus from the Peanut's strip commented to Lucy's remark about God's promises being reassuring, "Sound theology has a way of doing that". So...


Everyone is different.  Some people need to have others around to feel loved, and have life and activity all around them.  Some people just want to share every sweet memory they have with anyone who will listen.  Some people need to be alone.  Some people need time to cry, or wrestle through their feelings whatever they may be.  Some people want to laugh.  Some people want a shoulder to cry on.  Some may even want you to cry right there with them.  So be sensitive to each person grieving.  And each person in a family is different.  Some may cry every single night.  Others may cry once.  Each have their way of expressing their sorrow.

Above all, though they are different, everyone needs the same thing: prayer, and the comfort of God.  They all need the saints of Christ to bear their burden, to weep with them, even if it is not physically with them.

So even though you can't know how they feel, you can tell them, "I don't know how you feel or what you are going through, but your sorrow is my sorrow, my prayers are for you." 

And don't forget them in a month or two.  They are living with a new reality.  Next year, remember to give them a hug, send them a card, or a phone call, or text, to say, I love you and remember your loss. 

With my friends, all I could do was lift my tearful prayers up to the throne of grace.  I know the shock, I know it is going to be a slow process of sorrow and then healing.  I know they need the grace, peace, love, and comfort of God more than any other time in their life, right now.  But I do not know how they feel.  But our heavenly Father does.  And oh how sweet it is when He works in His timing to heal the brokenhearted, to comfort those in sorrow, and to give peace that surpasses all understanding when the world around you is chaos.

This life is but a vapor, quickly passing, quickly fading.  You never know when the one you love may not be here the next moment.  Cherish the blessings God has given you this day.  Trust in His unfailing love, and His sovereign plan.  Do not take for granted what you have this day. For who commands his destiny?  Who truly controls his own life?-none.

Remember, He gives grace to His children, yet His children are still sinners, so they need grace from you and I when they lack grace when grieving. 

In Review: One, Two, & Three

Ok, so the title of the book(s) I read was not "One, Two & Three", but rather my meaning is that I have three reviews for this month.  I finished the first one in a couple weeks, the other one over the weekend, and the other was one Samuel and I read together.  March Madness!-of books.  Not Basketball.

The first one is one I had on my list.  The Revolution: A Manifesto, Ron Paul.  The Revolution is associated with Ron Paul and his awakening of many formerly ignorant and/or apathetic American's to the demise of Liberty and the treading on our Constitutional rights.  He wrote this book during his 2008 campaign, and in his preface he said why he wrote it:

      "There is an alternative to national bankruptcy, a bigger police state, trillion-dollar wars, and a government that draws evermore parasitically on the productive energies of the American people.  It's called freedom.  But as we've learned through hard experience, we are not going to hear a word in its favor if out political and media establishments have anything to say about it.
     If we want to live in a free society, we need to break free from these artificial limitations on free debate and start asking serious questions once again.  I am happy that my campaign for the presidency has finally raised some of them.  But this is a long-term project that will persist far into the future.  These ideas cannot be allowed to die, buried beneath the mind-numbing chorus of empty slogans and inanities that constitute official political discourse in America.
     That is why I wrote this book." pp. x-xi

 Also from the preface, one of my favorite lines was penned: "Truth is treason in the empire of lies."  Pure gold.  The further I got into this book, the more my mind screamed, "All the naysayers of Dr. Paul NEED to read this to get a glimpse of how intelligently sound his ideas and policies are!"-as opposed to the popular belief that he is a "kook" or "crazy".  Hardly.  If one can be so narrow minded as to believe what the media establishment frames him to be, and not research his policies, words, and own thoughts, and see for themselves whether he is crazy or not, then I declare them: deluded and blind.  Willful or not.  Dr. Paul is a champion for liberty for all Americans, even those who write him off.

I like the idea of letting the book speak for itself, and sharing a few excerpts of the words to tell their own story.  So I'll continue this trend.  From the chapter "The Foreign Policy of the Founding Fathers":

"This just-war tradition developed in the fourth century with Ambrose and Augustine but grew to maturity with Thomas Aquinas and such Late Scholastics as Francisco de Vitoria and Francisco Suarez... First, there has to be an initial act of aggression, in response to which a just war may be waged.  But there was no act of aggression against the United States.  We are 6,000 miles from Iraq... Second, diplomatic solutions had not been exhausted... Traditional just-war criteria also demand that the initiation of war be undertaken by the proper authority.  Under the U.S. constitution, the proper authority is neither the president nor the United Nations.  It is Congress-but Congress unconstitutionally delegated its decision-making power over war to the president." pp. 23

"How does Israel, with which the United States has long enjoyed a special relationship, fir into this picture?  I see no reason that our friendship with Israel cannot continue.  I favor extending to Israel the same honest friendship that Jefferson and the Founding Fathers urged us to offer all nations... that means I also favor discontinuing foreign aid to governments that are actual or potential enemies of Israel, which taken together receive much more American aid than Israel does.  Giving aid to both sides has understandably made many average Israelis and American Jews conclude that the American government is hypocritically hedging its bets." pp. 34

"Foreign aid is not only immoral, since it involved the forced transfer of wealth..." pp. 34

" As a matter of fact, the Institute for Advances Strategic and Political Studies in Jerusalem argues that, 'Foreign aid is the greatest obstacle to economic freedom in Israel." pp. 35

"The costs of our foreign policy have become so great that they risk bringing the country to bankruptcy." pp 35

"We should let the best measure of our American greatness come from free and peaceful trade with other nations, not from displays of our military might."  pp. 37

The next chapter is "The Constitution":

" 'Our peculiar security is in possession of a written Constitution,' Jefferson advised us.  'Let us not make it a blank paper by construction.' " pp. 45 (For those that think it is a "living document"!)

"The draft is a totalitarian institution that is based on the idea that the government owns you and can dispose of your life as it wishes... Young people are now raw material to be employed by the political class on behalf of whatever fashionable political, military, or social cause catches its fancy.  In a free society, their lives are not the playthings of government."  pp. 55, 58

"The Founding Fathers did not intend for every American neighborhood to be exactly the same-a totalitarian impulse if there ever was one-or that disputes over competing values should be decided by federal judges.  This is the constitutional approach to deciding all issues that are not spelled out explicitly in our founding document: let neighbors and localities govern themselves." pp 62

And this is the chapter entitled "Economic Freedom":

"By 'legal plunder' Bastiat meant any use of government that enriched one group of people at the expense of another, and which would be illegal if private individuals tried to carry it out themselves." pp. 70

"I cannot finish a discussion of looting without mentioning the income tax... The income tax implies the same thing: government owns you, and graciously allows you to keep whatever percentage of the fruits of your labor it chooses." pp. 78

"We have lost our belief that freedom works, because we no longer have the imagination to conceive of how a free people might solve its problems without introducing threats of violence-which is what government solutions ultimately are."  pp. 85

"HMO's have become corporate bureaucratic middlemen in our healthcare system, driving up costs while degrading the quality of medical care.  In all other industries, technology has nearly always led to lower prices-except in health care, thanks to the managed-care system that has been forced on us." pp. 87
 
This next chapter is on "Civil Liberties and Personal Freedom":

"Toward the end of 2007, Senator Jeff Sessions declared, 'Some people in this chamber love the Constitution more than they love the safety of this nation.  We should all send President Bush a letter thanking him for protecting us.'  What kind of sheep must politicians take Americas for if the expect us to fall for creepy propaganda like this?" pp. 125 *chuckles*

I will spare you of the entire book via quotations.  But it such a light and easy read, you could finish it in one setting, if you had the time to spare.  Dr. Paul is not perfect, and I do not agree with everything he says.  But for an introduction into the concept of Liberty and the lack in American politics, I highly recommend this book.  Dr. Paul is a man of integrity, who is consistent, and deserves to be respected. 

So I give this book 4 1/2 Stars.  4) being, a really great book, useful to instruct, thought provoking/good entertainment, very challenging, growth as a reader, way more good than bad (I really didn't have any qualms with anything he said in this book), would recommend. Worth reading again.

Book Two:  The Last Disciple Hank HaneGraff, Sigmund Brouwer

This is a fictional novel about the end times.  End times?  Indeed.  Set in AD 65.  By far the best fiction I've read in a while (could also be because I haven't read any fiction in quite a while).  Also, this blows "Left Behind" out of the water.  Yes, I read the entirety of the "Adult Series" of Left Behind AND almost all of the "Kids Series", so I have the right to comparison in full depth.  My only caution about this book would be that it is more for mature Christian readers.  I would not want a young person to read it.  By young, it is relative, there can be extremely mature 16 year olds, and very immature 17 years olds.  But I would not recommend any younger than that simply because some of the sinful nature described in the book is slightly graphic for a *Christian* book.  But let it be said, I've read worse in the so called "Christian fiction", think Karen Kingsbury (and she is pretty mild compared to others).

An excerpt from the Afterword:

"The Last Disciple presents an alternative to the Left Behind understanding of end times events based on a methodology called Exegetical Eschatology (E2)... the plain and proper reading of a biblical passage must always take precedence over a particular eschatological presupposition or paradigm.

For example, the pretribulational rapture model featured in the Left Behind series interprets Revelation 13 in a strictly literal fashion.  Thus, Antichrist dies and resurrects himself physically in order to vindicate his claim to be god...

In sharp contrast, The Last Disciple series exegetes Revelation 13 in light of the whole of scripture.  Thus, Satan can parody the work of Christ, through "all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders" (2 Thessalonians 2:9), but cannot literally do what Christ did-namely raise himself from the dead." pp. 393-394

This receives a 4 Star. 4) being, a really great book, useful to instruct, thought provoking/good entertainment, very challenging, growth as a reader, way more good than bad, would recommend. Worth reading again.An enjoyable book to read.

Book Three: Easy Chairs Hard Words, Douglas Wilson.

Remember when I did my review on Luther's Bondage of the will?-and I said I would not recommend it to someone interested in this topic of an enslaved will for the first time?  Well, this is the book I would highly recommend!  This book was written in a conversational style, making it very easy to follow the concepts, ideas, and scripture, without it feeling like a heavy, boring, plodding theological work.  Anywhere from Jr. High level reading, to adult reading.  It is set up as a young man going to a "Calvinist" pastor of the town secretly to ask him some questions about his struggles.  Doug Wilson does an excellent job knocking down all the horrible stereotypes about so called "Calvinists" and instead avoids the term, but rather presents the fictional character, and the reader, with a plethora of scripture to show how scripture interprets scripture, and we never ever throw out the word of God just because it doesn't fit our theology.

Whether you are scared of predestination, election, and the full sovereignty of God, whether it depresses you, whether you hate it and shake you first saying *That's not my God!*, or you already accept God's word on these matters, this is an excellent book to read, or give to a friend.

One thing we really liked about this book was the amount of time and space Scripture took up in this book.  It wasn't a bunch of straw men Doug knocks down, or even a bunch of impersonal opinions of doctrine, but rather a riveting magnified look at scripture side by side, topic by topic, going into the Greek on occasion.

God receives all the glory due his name.

This book gets the gold.  5 Stars.  5) being, found enjoyable, challenging, useful in many ways, would highly recommend with no holding back, over all EXCELLENT book. Need to read again!

So there you have it, my bonus reviews. I enjoyed March and the diversity of the books I was able to consume.  One political, one fictional, one theological. I think this month I may do more than one review as well.  I've already finished one book. (:

Soli Deo Gloria & Sola Scriptura!

The Troublesome Sins, and Not So Troublesome Ones?

I found these words from a brother of times past, John Owen, to be very encouraging, humbling, and even convicting.  I hope you find comfort, encouragement, and conviction in them too.

John Own, Works pp. VI:40-42

“You who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart.” Romans 6:17

You cannot mortify a specific lust that is troubling you unless you are seeking to obey the Lord from the heart in all area.  If a man finds a particular lust that is powerful and violent and it takes away his peace and troubles him, and if he sets himself against it, prays against it, groans under it, and sighs to be delivered; but in the meantime, perhaps, in other duties and in other ways he is loose and negligent, he will not be able to gain the victory over that troubling lust.  This is a common condition among the sons of men in their pilgrimage.  If we seek to correct a coarse or filthy outbreak of sin in the soul, but neglect the basic duties that promote our spirituality, we labour in vain for it has a bad foundation.  We must hate all sin, as sin, and not only because it troubles us.  Love for Christ because he went to the cross, and hate for sin that sent him there, is a solid foundation for true spiritual mortification.  To seek mortification only because a sin troubles us proceeds from self-love.  Why do you seek to mortify this sin?-Because it troubles you and takes away your peace/  Yes, but you have neglected prayer and reading.  Neglect of these is just as sinful.  Christ bled for these also.  If you hate sin as sin, you will be watchful against everything that grieves the Spirit.  Do you think God will help you in such a hypocritical effort?  Do you think he will free you from this so you can commit another sin that grieves him?  ‘No’, says God, ‘If I free him from this lust, I will not hear from him anymore, and he will be content with his failure.’  We must not be concerned only with that which troubles us, but with all that troubles God.  God’s work is to have full victory, and universal obedience, not just the sins that trouble our soul. (Emphasis my own).

In Review: The Bondage of the Will

Well then, what is my opinion on Dr. Martin Luther's Bondage of the Will?  It is a theme on this blog, so apparently, I am in favor of it!  Indeed, I am.  Martin Luther uses humor, wit, and scripture through out his entire book.  Who would have thought you could chuckle and grin so many times whilst reading a theological book?  If you read this book, you will too.

I will now include some of his humorous words, wit, and dare I say it, sarcasm!-in which he used in his rebuttal to Erasmus's Diatribe.

"So that it seems even superfluous to reply to these your arguments, which have been indeed often refuted by me; but trodden down, and trampled underfoot, by the incontrovertible Book of Philip Melancthon 'Concerning Theological Questions:' a book, in my judgment, worthy not only of being immortalized... in comparison of which your Book is in my estimate, so mean and vile that I greatly feel for you for having defiled you most beautiful and ingenious language with such vile trash; and I feel an indignation against the matter also, that such unworthy stuff should be borne about in ornaments of eloquence so rare; which is as if rubbish, or dung, should be carried in vessels of gold and silver." Pgs. 9-10

Who else but Luther might give compliments and stinging blow upon the ego all at once, with such elegance and colorful language?

"Do you think the Diatribe could be sober or in its right sense when it wrote this?  For I cannot attribute it to malice or iniquity: unless it be that it designed to effectually wear me out by perpetually wearying me, while this, ever like itself, it is continually turning aside to something in a matter so important, then I will be pleased to expose its voluntary fooleries publicly." pg. 196

*grins*

"Wonderful!  Surely the Diatribe does not speak this out of its own head, but has taken it out of some paper or other, sent or received from another quarter, inserted it in its book!  For it certainly can neither see nor hear the meaning of these words!" pg. 176

*chuckles*

"And thus the Diatribe explodes itself." pg. 167

Haha! Favorite!

"May I perish if the Diatribe itself knows what it is talking about." pg. 160

"Only observe, I pray you how many evasions and ways of escape a slippery mind will invent, which wold flee from the truth, and yet cannot get away from it after all." pgs. 155-156

And I ask you, dear reader, how could you resist to engage in such a book with such gems sprinkled through out?  These are but a few in the latter half of the book.  I started highlighting some of these grin inducing remarks alongside the thought inducing remarks made.  I trust you are entirely diverted by such grand writing.

Now, as a serious thought on the book, in many ways I found it to be over my head.  Which is great!  How can one grow in knowledge if you only read books you fully comprehend?  I can say with confidence that though I learned a great deal from reading this book, there is still room for numerous more readings of this one work in the future.  Many times over.

For the heart of the matter, this is a book about the Free-will of man concerning salvation, and the refutation thereof.  It is manifestly clear to Luther, proven by the scriptures, that man possesses no such will.  A good quote from the book sums up why:

"We know that man was constituted lord over those things which are beneath himself; over which, he has a right and a Free-will, that those things might do, and obey as he wills and thinks.  But we are now inquiring whether he has a 'Free-will' over God, that He should do and obey in those things which man wills: or rather, whether God has not a Free-will over man, that he should will and do what God wills, and should be able to do nothing but what He wills and does.  The Baptist (speaking of John) here says, that he 'can receive nothing, except it be given him from above.'-Wherefore, 'Free-will' must be nothing at all!" pg 234

In essence, it is God has Free-will over man VS Man has Free-will over God, in regards to salvation.  Luther is really put out by all the contradictions the Diatribe has, for in one place it declares man cannot gain salvation or do good without the grace of God, then in another place it labors to declare man has the free-will to endeavor after good. Here he says,

"that which was aimed at to be proved, that is, the PROBABLE OPINION; by which, 'Free-will' is defined to be that impotency, 'that it cannot will anything good without grace, but is compelled into the service of sin; though it has endeavour, which, nevertheless, is not to be ascribed to its own powers.'-A monster truly! which, at the same time, can do nothing by its own power, and yet has an endeavour within its own power: and thus, stands upon the basis of a most manifest contradiction!" pg. 110

Luther is asserting in diverse places, that it is a contradiction to say "free-will" can't do good, but at the same time say it can apply itself unto eternal salvation!  He also brings forward this problem: If God does not foreknow and will all things immutably, not contingently, how can anyone trust his promises?

"For if you doubt, or disdain to know that God foreknows and wills all things, not contingently, but necessarily and immutably, how can you believe confidently, trust to and depend upon His promises?  For when He promises, it is necessary that you should be certain that He knows, is able, and willing to perform what He promises; otherwise, you will neither hold Him true nor faithful; which is unbelief, the greatest wickedness, and a denying of the Most High God" pg. 30

Be it said, that Luther is replying to another book, and so this is not a book that just picks up the topic and explains it from scratch.  For all his sarcasm and his fierce devotion the scriptures, he is not lacking grace toward Erasmus.  In his closing he says,

"We must mutually pardon each other in these things; for we are but men, and there is nothing in us that is not touched with human infirmity." pg 199

I enjoyed reading this.  The first half of the book has notes galore and lots of places highlighted where I liked his points, arguments, and explanations.  This made for more laborious reading, and thus, I quickly got behind in my reading schedule.  So I was content to ease up on my notes and to content myself with a quick highlighting of important things to note.  The latter half will be filled with my thoughts via the margins the second reading, perhaps.  I would make mention of the fact that this book is written in a style that is not commonly used in modern writing and makes it "harder" to read, but I recommend it none the less.  Let it be a challenge. Perhaps the excerpts I shared will whet your appetite.

I'm not sure I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the topic of "Free-will" vs "Enslaved Will" who has never delved into the topic before, I might direct them toward someone like Dr. R.C. Sproul first.  (Which, one of his books is on my reading list in this year).  But I do recommend this book whole-heartedly!  I appreciated this copy by Watchmaker Publishing translated by Henry Cole (1823) because of his helpful footnotes.  There is some theology in it in which he contrasts what John Calvin would say on the same topic, or further clarification in the Westminster Confession of Faith.  I would be interested to obtain the copy with which Packer gives the introduction.  Needless to say, I liked this book and found it very informative, and appreciated Dr. Martin Luther's loyalty to the Holy Scriptures, and his being stalwart in his devotion to God's word above man's opinions and good feelings.

I forgot to add my rating.  It gets the big FIVE star.  5) being, found enjoyable, challenging, useful in many ways, would highly recommend with no holding back, over all EXCELLENT book. Need to read again!