I was so glad to read a review of “The Shack” from a former coworker of Tony’s and find another person recognizing the theological assaults this book delivers.  I was shocked when this book was recommended by someone I respect in the homeschooling community.  I ended up reading the book so I could verify the reservations I was having based on reviews.  It was so highly offensive I had to put it down several times.  The writer is so slick in his deception that I’m afraid he is pulling the wool over the eyes of what I thought were grounded Christians.

After pouring over comments from reviews of the book and visiting the Shack community I became deeply disturbed at how quickly people are embracing the theology in this book.  People are saying this book has transformed their relationship with God.  People are calling God “Papa” which I think is Scriptural but in their mind they mean the “Papa” in the Shack which is a large black female (I could also go on about the ridiculous stereo types in the book!)  When people in the forums and reviews talk of the Holy Spirit they refer to Sarayu, an Asian female!  Though this book is fiction people are having “life changing” experiences with God through reading this book.  The God of the Bible is referred to as a male.  We as females possess His qualities since we are made in His image but He has never been a female!

The big premise of this book tries to dispel “performance” religion which I totally agree is worthless and leads to bondage.  But if one is trying to “work” their way to God or to work to earn His favor then they are not following what the Bible says a person must do to be saved.  I would question if they know the Biblical gospel which offers salvation through repentance of our sins and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.  People are saying this book has freed them from running on the performance treadmill of pleasing others and God.  Those who have been soundly saved respond out of love towards God in wanting to live their life for Him.  They shouldn’t be concerned with pleasing others, only pleasing God.

I wish that people would get their theology and revelations from reading the Word.  God’s love, care, direction and eventual judgment of mankind are all written down and there for discovery in His beautiful Word.  It was a great review!

I have never been so highly offended by reading a “Christian” book. Its supporters try to excuse the heresy by stating that it’s only fiction. But demeaning the very person and character of God whether in fiction or or not, is offensive to a Holy God. What if the book included all kinds of moral perversions in it as well? Would it then still be regarded as ‘ok’ since it’s only fiction? I think not. Many Christians seem to take more offense at moral evils than theological evils that disparage God Himself. I think both are an abomination to the Lord.

CIMG3165.JPG, originally uploaded by cramsek.

The children helping Miss Christianna make the tastiest brownies ever! These brownies are so incredible that there is no talking at the table when served, only “ohhh, ahhhh!” I cannot have just one!

CIMG3169.JPG, originally uploaded by cramsek.

Look at all the cuties holding hands :)Â Sweet friends and neighbors!

CIMG3258.JPG, originally uploaded by cramsek.

Stephen practicing the art of running away from an explosion!

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Just a few of our precious young ladies visiting with one another.

Today I had the joy of watching 3 parts of my favorite teaching series, The Holiness of God. I remember I first came across The Holiness of God about 10 years ago and the Lord really used it in my life. Dr. Sproul gave me an appreciation for an attribute of God which is seldom studied today. I came away from this study just being blown away at the magnificence of God. This series is one that I come back to again and again. I never tire of studying God’s holiness, it gives me a more exalted view of Him. I am so thankful that Yahweh is supremely holy, holy, holy. I am extremely thankful that instead of justice I receive mercy from Him through His Son dying for my sins to fulfill His holy requirement that sin be paid for.

I was excited to see that the series is on the Internet (although I suspect that it will only be archived for less than 2 months.) If you have free time you cannot go wrong in watching the videos. I pray that it will also bring you closer to God as it has for me. Each video is 30 minutes in length. If you’re like me you will want to keep watching, the 30 minutes pass too quickly. I’m going to watch the other 3 parts this week.

Information on the series from Ligonier’s website:
The Holiness of God is Ligonier’s most popular and enduring series. Literally thousands of people have testified to a transforming encounter with God through this series.

This classic can help you better understand the biblical picture of God’s awesome holiness and why it is so foundational to God-centered, God-honoring theology and Christian living. In The Holiness of God, R.C. demonstrates that encountering God’s holy presence is a terrifying experience. Dr. Sproul argues that this struggle is nonetheless necessary because it is the only way to cure our propensity to trust in ourselves and our own righteousness for salvation.

http://www.ligonier.org/rym.php

Part 1: 4-28-08 The Importance of Holiness

Part 2: 4-29-08 The Trauma of Holiness

Part 3: 4-30-08 Holiness and Justice

Part 4: 5-1-08 The Insanity of Luther

Part 5: 5-2-08 The Meaning of Holiness

What an innovative concept, a homeschool conference you can attend from home! This week I’m attending The Ultimate Homeschool Expo 2008. I had the blessing of participating last year as well. The sessions have been relevant and helpful. Kudos to Cindy Rushton for her creative thinking! We need more people in this country to come out of the box!

One of the sessions I really enjoyed yesterday focused on Nature Studies by Jill Novak. Here are some delightful tips from Cindy on the subject:

It’s Spring! Time for Nature Studies!
By Cindy Rushton

The Ultimate Homeschool Expo 2008!

Spring is here!

Anybody else having Spring Fever? Ready to get outside to soak up the beauty and fresh air? Oh! This is the perfect time to make up any excuse to get outside. But, what if we call it “school” as we enjoy this gorgeous Spring?

Yep! It is Spring and and time for Spring themed Nature Studies. Yep! Time for that weekly Nature Walk! Time to pull out those Nature Notebooks and begin a fresh new study. NO pressure. Just with atmosphere of fun and delight! Want some ideas that are EASY? How about some of our favorites? Let’s dig in…

Trees…
• Hunt for new leaves (buds!). Mark the date for each tree.
• Look for blossoms on your tree. Describe and draw.
• Mark the date that your tree is in full foliage.
• Measure the height of your tree.
• Determine the age of the tree. Measure 5 feet from the ground around the tree trunk. Divide this measurement by 1 inch to get the approximate age in years.
• Collect and press leaves. Mount some in your nature notebook.
• Sketch your tree in watercolor or crayon for your nature notebook.
• Hunt for spring poetry about trees! Copy into your nature notebook.
• Look up Scripture verses about trees. Copy into your nature notebook.

Flowers…
• Each week take a walk to collect new wildflowers around your neighborhood. Press into a scrapbook/nature notebook.
• Sketch and label flower parts.
• Hunt for poetry about the flowers that are blooming each week.
• Find Scripture verses to copy into your nature notebook about all flowers.
• Plant some flowers outside in your yard.

Birds…
• Set out a bird feeder for birds around your home. Put one right outside of a big window so the children can watch the birds up close.
• Listen for early birds…they should be coming soon.
• Set out nesting materials for birds common to your area.
• Try building your own nest.
• Learn birdcalls and songs.
• Watch the birds as they gather materials for their nests…maybe you can see where they are building their nests and watch them as they feed their young.
• Hunt for nature poetry about the birds native to your yard. Copy into nature notebooks.
• Hunt for Scripture verses about the birds native to your yard. Copy into nature notebooks.

Insects…
• Start an ant farm.
• Begin your bug collection.

Animals…
• Hunt for animal tracks.
• Go on a night hunt for salamanders. You may want to make a home for one as a pet.
• Set up an aquarium for a frog home. Go to a local pond to collect some frog eggs—watch their life cycle! Be sure to document in your nature notebook!
• Make a chart of animal characteristics. Study how animals are classified.

Plants…
• Hunt for woodland flowers.
• Choose seeds or plants for spring planting. Start seeds now to have an early bloom.
• Grow plants from pits. (see Ideas Section)
• Gather samples from the woods of plants without flowers. (Good resource is Plants That Never Ever Bloom)
• Go on a hike through the woods. Look for tree seedlings.
• Hunt for spring mushrooms.

Astronomy…
• Keep a chart of the moon phases for a month—try March.
• Take an evening to spend stargazing.

Weather…
• Keep weather chart for the first two weeks of the season—begin March.
• Find out how rain is formed.
• Find any poems about rain for nature notebook.
• Find out about lightning. Add information to nature notebook.
• Hunt for rainbows.

Collections…
• Take a day for each of your collections to maintain. (Rocks… shells… feathers… so on.)

Seasonal Table Ideas…
• Budding branches
• Tulips
• Bird’s nest
• Fresh flowers
• Potted Wild Violets
• Dyed eggs
• Tissue Paper Butterflies
• Colors…pastels and jewel tones

Need MORE Help?

How about MORE help? Yep! Check out our Ultimate Homeschool Expo! If you missed the live recording of the workshops, no problem! You can now hear ALL of the workshops at your convenience. They are CERTAIN to give you step-by-step help to make homeschooling FUN and EASY! Get your ticket here:

The Ultimate Homeschool Expo 2008

Some years ago our family decided to celebrate the Biblical holidays.  We use this book regularly to study the holidays ,their meanings and get ideas for celebrating.  It has detailed information on each holiday and the Messianic significance related to each one. This book is also excellent for homeschoolers to use. It has detailed unit studies for the holidays that you can use throughout the year. If you aren’t familiar with the author’s Heart of Wisdom teaching approach you should also check that book out as well.

Excellent teaching approach. If you want to develop a Biblical model for your homeschool this book is an excellent resource. The section on the history of education is worth the price of the book. The main meat I got out of the book was that instead of having Bible as one of your subjects we should be looking to incorporate Biblical thinking into all areas. She offers ways to do this that will develop a great knowledge of God’s Word and a love for His knowledge in order to gain His wisdom.

This is our children’s favorite Bible right now. Grandma Wilt gave Stephen the book of Acts in this comic book format and he liked it so much that we decided to get the entire New Testament for him. Since we had a coupon, we got Grace one too. She really likes it! Grace is continuing to read her Daily Bible and is reading ahead by days (I wish I could say the same in my Daily Bible). You can read the entire Gospel of John online for free HERE.

The Illustrated Gospel of John

Here is what Grace wrote on Daddy’s Treo smartphone last Sunday. We were praising the Lord for His continuing work in her.

I lik to go to the dolr sor to git stphen and faith somthing.
ling lips are disonreing to god.
Ling lips are ubominahsnan to the lrd.
Wig you lik ti go to he’ll no I widit lik to go to he’ll bekus ist srre (scary)
but I dzrv too go to he’ll but god did it for me god wus grasis for me god
is a grasis god.
I’m ginu tel you a sre (story).
A good man kam to a man ho dodit no the lrd the good man asd (shared) the lrd to
the man ho dodit no the lrd ths isol.
I love u daddy or dada.
I love u mommy or mama.
I lik doing the panuo on a masing grace tht is lla I no on the panuo
real history:the timeline of the bible.
The daile bible.
God’story.
God’s story for litl plkrims.
Capl.
Cup.
I Love u tone love pop
I lik u her.