The Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge - conclusion

Is it time? Already? Seriously, this month flew by and I didn't accomplish nearly as much as I had hoped (which is always the case.) That said, I worked my way 'further up and further in' than I had previously and so, ultimately, I am satisfied.

Here are my posts all in one tidy spot:

Book review of Domesticated Jesus, by Harry L. Kraus Jr.
Initial thoughts on Voyage of the Dawn Treader
List of Books About Narnia (1) and List 2
My thoughts about Reepicheep and some Reepicheep quotes. (I did have more to say about Reepicheep. And maybe I'll say it yet. However, when it got down to it, what I learned was too personal for me to want to post. Sometimes that's the way it happens and I don't consider this site a personal diary. Yet. ;)
My review of The World According to Narnia, by Jonathan Rogers

And now I'm curious to find out what all of you read and wrote about.

Because I am desperately afraid of losing links with a Mr. Linky, I refuse to use him for conclusions of challenges. (I frequently go back and read your old links and I've lost some thanks to Linky let-downs so no more!) Just leave your links in the comment section.

But! For each post you wrote up this month, leave a second comment. Because each post gives you one entry to win the following:




Companion To Narnia (2004 edition) and Narnia Chronology: From the Archives of the Last King (which is super cool and fun for younger kids to look at.)

Again, in order to win, simply leave a comment below. (I'll open this contest up to anyone.) But! If you participated in the challenge, each post you wrote up earns you an extra entry. So don't forget to leave a separate comment for each post.

This contest will be open through Friday, August 6th so please leave your links in the comment section sooner rather than later!

Lastly, I was extremely (extremely!) remiss in not selecting winners for the two copies of The Magician's Nephew that I offered up for grabs. The winners of these two copies are Welcome to Our Wonderland and Page Turner. (I'll be sending you an e-mail shortly. However, if you see this post before you see an e-mail - feel free to send me your mailing address and I"ll get these right out to you!)

I hope all of you enjoyed our foray in the world of Narnia and, of course, we'll be going back again next year. (I really enjoy doing this in the summer months, personally. But would anyone care for a move of this challenge to another season of the year? If so, let me know in the comments.)

Penguin Books Anniversary Bash (with a gift for you!)

Any prolific reader would recognize the Penguin book logo when they saw it. It's everywhere - and well it should be. Penguin Books is turning 75 years old! They've been around long enough for anyone to take good notice of them!

Now, honestly, could you spout off a list of Penguin paperback titles if asked? Here are some titles we can thank them for:

At Home in Mitford, by Jan Karon

The Memory Keeper's Daughter, by Kim Edwards (which I still have on my TBR list!)

Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson

...and tons more.

Here are some children's book authors you might recognize in their lineup:

The Mitten, by Jan Brett

Animals, Animals, by Eric Carle

Penguin created a 75th Anniversary website if you'd like to learn more about them. One cool feature is the Penguin Timeline. It starts in 1935 when founder Allen Lane published the first Penguin title in England, which sparked a "paperback revolution."

Best yet, they are hosting a huge giveaway and offering bloggers some of their favorite titles. I was asked if I would like to select a title for myself and one of my readers. I picked The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde because I had been wanting to read it! So, I'm being sent a copy and one of you will also be sent one!

I have not yet read this book but was intrigued by the premise. Here is the description from Penguin's website:

In Jasper Fforde's Great Britain, circa 1985, time travel is routine, cloning is a reality (dodos are the resurrected pet of choice), and literature is taken very, very seriously. England is a virtual police state where an aunt can get lost (literally) in a Wordsworth poem and forging Byronic verse is a punishable offense. All this is business as usual for Thursday Next, renowned Special Operative in literary detection. But when someone begins kidnapping characters from works of literature and plucks Jane Eyre from the pages of Brontë's novel, Thursday is faced with the challenge of her career. Fforde's ingenious fantasy—enhanced by a Web site that re-creates the world of the novel—unites intrigue with English literature in a delightfully witty mix.

I have high hopes!

Would you like to win a copy to read alongside me? To win, simply leave a comment below. This contest is open to U.S. Residents only and will be open through Thursday, August 5th. I will announce the winner on Friday, August 6th. This contest is open to U.S. Residents only.

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED

What I'm most afraid of is that I will absolutely love this book series and then will have to track every title down. Oh the horrors of it all, right?

Here's a HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to Penguin Books and thanks for the gift of the book to myself and one of my readers!

Let's just take it back...

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:27

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Genesis 2:24

Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate. Matthew 19:4-6

Now for the matters you wrote about: it is good for a man not to marry. But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. 1 Corinthians 7:1

In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery - but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Ephesians 5: 28-33

God has set the standard and the pattern for marriage: one man and one woman. Through that union He chooses to extend great blessings. If we honor and preserve the model presented by God, then it follows that we will receive the blessing of committed love, faithfulness, support, children, grandchildren, and healthy relationships.

But there are those who don't agree. There are those that want to go their own way and do their own thing. And CNN really likes those sort of people and gives them a great deal of publicity.

Take this article for example that suggests that monogamy is unnatural for our species. You should know that the author of this article, Christopher Ryan, approaches marriage from the standpoint of an atheist. He rejects an idea of a Creator. He steps in and declares his own rules. And he does so in a perfectly tasteless way. But when you reject standards and rules point blank, and insist on doing things your own way, you can't really expect beauty. You've eradicated it on point of pride and arrogance.

I did agree with him on one point though. He said this:

Thus, couples are led to believe that waning sexual passion in enduring marriages or sexual interest in anyone but their partner portend a failed relationship, when in reality these things often signify nothing more than that we are Homo sapiens.

I do agree. Failed relationships do come about because we are humans and we have fallen short of the glory of God and are sinners. Sin destroys. God restores. BUT for God coming and sending His son to die on the cross for our sins, we would be subject to unfulfilled and broken relationships.

Ryan wants society to think of marriage as being in bondage.

Unfortunately for him and others like him, that is not how God views marriage. It isn't so broken and decrepit and "limiting" as all that. Marriage is the most freeing type of relationship, designed perfectly by God but spoiled by sin. However, if you taken that brokenness to the cross you may be surprised. There is healing there. There is freedom. There is restoration at the foot of the cross.

And yes it is possible to be perfectly satisfied in a monogamous relationship.

I think articles like this should make Christians sit up and take notice. The longer we're quiet and let people like Ryan do the talking, the faster other people will accept his position as fact. More unfortunately, the faster we too will accept it as fact. I don't want Christopher Ryan's opinion to be considered normal. Because it isn't.

Despite the fact that the article is tasteless (especially towards the end) I do feel like Christians ought to read it and be aware of what is being said. For the sake of our own marriages, and for our children also, we should go 'back to the basics' of scripture and see what it has to say about marriage. Once there we discover the beautiful union that God arranged. It was designed with purpose and intent. If we, as Christians, truly believe that the Creator knew best, then we should not only stand up and say so - but we should live so. Your marriage relationship is the most important in your life and the most valuable. My marriage relationship is the most important in my life - and also the most valuable. So let's live that, shall we? And when we live it - society will see it and will know that it is good. But not because we said so.

Nature Explorer

A box of DK Books arrived on my doorstep quite by surprise this past week. We opened it with excitement and curiosity and one of the treasures we found inside was Nature Explorer.

Nature Explorer is awesome for a million reasons, but I'll just share one in particular:

It teaches you how to make a squishy egg (which we did!)

This book is divided into six sections: Birdwatcher, Bug Hunter, Star Gazer, Rock & Fossil Hunter, Nature Ranger, and Weather Watcher.

Inside of each section, the young nature explorer is given tips and tricks, advice and information on how to better understand and explore the world around them. This book could not possible be a better fit for Bookworm1! (Not to mention the fact that it's a bit fascinating for us older explorers as well.)

Getting back to the squishy egg.....

In the Birdwatcher section, it talks about how eggs have an outer shell which is hard in nature, being fortified with calcium. It suggests putting an egg in a jar half filled with vinegar to see what happens. So we did this and discovered that vinegar causes the calcium to be removed from the egg. After sitting in the jar overnight, the egg comes out all squishy. It is weirdly awesome and was a fascinating experiment for everyone in the household. (It also prompted us to learn and add a new word to our vocabulary: "bizarre"!)

We live in a log house and birds seem to like it very much. So we've had our fair share of birds "knocking" on what I'm sure they think is a big tree. We had one bird try to build a nest on one of the extremely shallow eaves, giving credence to the term 'bird brain.' All of our experiences with birds this spring have made Nature Explorer all the more intriguing for Bookworm1 as we now have points of reference.

He has also developed a wonderful (?) fascination with bugs and insects of late and so we've been reading anything about insects that we can get our hands on. We've also gone "bug hunting" a time or two in our yard. Nature Explorer gives tips in the bug section about the best places and time of day to find insects, tells you what you need to have in a "collection kit" and a various assortment of other things.

On the whole, I'd say that this 251 page book is an absolute winner for toddlers - elementary aged children. There are simple experiments scattered throughout the book, photographs which help explain everything being described, and a glossary in the back to help defined any unknown terms.

We couldn't be more satisfied with Nature Explorer and think it was a pretty awesome treat to land in our mailbox.

Thanks, DK Publishers for providing it for our perusal!

The World According to Narnia, by Jonathan Rogers

The World According to Narnia: Christian Meaning in C. S. Lewis's Beloved Chronicles is one of the books about Narnia that I picked up at the library a few weeks back. I knew I definitely wanted to get to this one and so I read through it as quickly as possible - no doubt learning some good lessons along the way due to the speed at which I was plowing through it (ha). Nevertheless, I did finish it and I thought Jonathan Rogers had a lot of quality thoughts to share with his readers.

Definitely and absolutely written from a Christian perspective and to a Christian audience, Rogers draws from the tales biblical and moral lessons which the characters are learning, to encourage the readers to pursue God on their own.

In his introduction he argues that through Lewis' imagination as well as our own, Christianity becomes more true. Reason and imagination together, he argues, allows us to walk by faith. It's an interesting argument and one I haven't quite heard worded exactly this way before so I think I'm going to let him speak for himself:

"Over and over again, the Narnia books demonstrate that imagination is more than just make-believe. Sometimes it takes imagination to see what's right in front of your face. It's the way we step outside ourselves, challenge our assumptions. Imagination, you might say, is just another word for open-mindedness.
But we must not make the mistake of thinking that Narnia represents the triumph of the imagination over reason. Rather, it presented the triumph of reason and good sense by way of imagination.
. . .
[In] a moment of real enlightenment for Peter and Susan [where they] had been unable to reason about the contradictions between Lucy's story and Edmund's because they were starting from the wrong set of presuppositions. As the provfessor makes clear, to say that a thing is unexpected or event unprecedented is not, logically speaking, the same thing as saying it's impossible or untrue.
The professor doesn't defy reason. Rather, he insists on a more rigorous logic than Peter and Susan had applied before. There are three logical possibilities, according to the professor: Lucy is lying, Lucy is insane, or Lucy is telling the truth. From a strictly logical point of view, the third possibility - that Lucy is telling the truth - seems at least as likely as the other two. And yet pure logic doesn't seem to be enough to justify such an unexpected conclusion. It takes a certain amount of imagination even to leave such a possibility on the table." (Introduction, The World According to Narnia)

Rogers goes on later in the book to talk about how Lewis argues that the enemy of faith isn't reason, but emotion and imagination. Kick those two in gear and I think Lewis is making a point that you need a little imagination, (and a good dose of reason!) to live by faith. Rogers points out that the character of Susan allows changing moods to determine whether or not she believes in Aslan in the story Prince Caspian. Her desire to sleep overrules her desire to follow the lion. She listens to her fears and doubts and doesn't trust that Aslan will take care of the children or of Narnia. Rogers says this:

"In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis argues that the real enemy of faith isn't reason, but emotion and imagination. Even if our beliefs are based on sound evidence, that doesn't mean we will always believe them - or always act as if we believe them. When we stop believing, it's usually because of changing moods, not a reassessment of the evidence. A child learning to swim knows the water will hold him up. It is irrational fear that makes him lose faith in his own buoyancy and sink. Faith is "the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, inspite of your changing moods." (Chapter 2, Prince Caspian, Myth Becomes Fact)

Rogers visits the Chronicles of Narnia book by book drawing lessons from each title. This review could become fairly long if I quoted from all of the passages I marked. Suffice it to say, I thought that The World According to Narnia was quite thought-provoking and interesting. I would be delighted to own a copy for our own home library and will, in fact, make a point of adding it to our collection as soon as possible.

There are a lot of Christians out there that think that reading fiction is a less than godly practice. I disagree and think Rogers and Lewis would argue against them as well. Imagination is a gift that God has given to His people. Clearly God has an imagination and through His son He chose to teach us through stories (/parables.) We who are made in His image are gifted with the same imaginative tendencies and ability to tell stories. I think Lewis told marvelous stories, such that we can know Christ better in our own world for them.

I'm definitely glad to have made the time for The World According to Narnia and recommend it to you for it's ability to make one wrestle with their own beliefs. As we say - further up, and further in!

Nightstand - Challenge Edition

Yup, yup, yup! Time for another "Nightstand" run down, courtesy of 5 Minutes for Books!

Top of the stack on my Nightstand for the past month has been The Voyage of the Dawn Treader which I'm reading as part of the Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge I'm hosting during the month of July. (Mostly, I think I've just been focused on my favorite mouse - Reepicheep!)



As if I wasn't looking forward to the movie before re-reading this book - I'm now especially keen to see it.

As for what's on my Nightstand for reading in the weeks ahead - I'm reading the following:



Yeah. I've never read it. But it's on my list now and I'll be participating in the To Kill a Mockingbird reading challenge which is being hosted by Amy from Hope is in the Word during the month of August. Hop on over to Hope is in the Word to find out more about that. If you haven't read this book yet - maybe this is the month to rectify the situation! That's my plan anyway . . .





Heaven to Betsy/Betsy in Spite of Herself will absolutely be read during the month of August. I'm trying to pre-read and get a head a bit in preparation for Sarah's (Library Hospital) Maud Hart Lovelace Challenge that will be up and running come October. I'm excited to FINISH reading the Betsy-Tacy books this year. Last year, during Sarah's challenge, I got about half way through. This year my goal is to finish off the series.

Beyond these, I make no promises. Summer is feeling rather lazy, what with it being wedding season around here and all. I'm reading when I can, and relaxing as much as possible. I'll be as surprised as you are to see what else stumbles forth from the bookshelves to my hands in the next few weeks. Mostly the goal is to have fun. That's the most important thing, right?

Lazy Summertime Blogging

I'm sure everyone has noticed (because a few of you have said so!) that people are reading and commenting less on blogs during the summer. True enough! But there are still some of us out there. Just a friendly hello and links to other sites that I think are worth a visit for one reason or another. If you have a few moments, stop and "wave hello" (i.e., leave a comment saying 'hi') to a new person or two this summer.

We have a house guest/roommate for the summer months and so I kinda feel like I'm in vacation mode a bit. I honestly haven't been reading as much and between getting ready for my friend J to arrive (apparently the one thing I forgot was the coffee maker - we don't have one!), having her around, and wedding season -- I'm kinda zapped. Having a friend here is great though and it's been nice to share the cooking responsibilities. Furthermore, I introduced her to Jillian and the Biggest Loser and we've been working out together. (Bwaaah hahahaha!!!)

(I had to go looking for a picture of Jillian Michaels in her non-workout attire - if you know what I mean - to feel comfortable posting a picture on this site!) Stephanie (of Stephanie's Mommy Brain) wrote a post talking about her experience using Michael's 30-Day Shred. I'm chuckling away at Stephanie feeling like she was going to die after the first few days. (I feel your pain, S!) My friend J started doing the Shred too (since she's here) and we've also been going on whole family bike rides and have been hiking to waterfalls so as to provide a little variety in the workout routine while having fun at the same time!

As most of you are aware, I'm sure, Jillian Michaels used to be larger herself. Here's an article/picture of her way back when but please don't think I endorse the article or the way she speaks in it. I just looked at the picture and skipped her commentary!

Moving on.....



Janet from Across the Page shared a list of 25 Reasons to Read. All of the reasons she list are good and I couldn't agree more if I tried. That is definitely a "list post" that is worth reading through!

I consider this a laying down of the gauntlet, but my friend "Caniad" is threatening to read The Faerie Queen this summer (within the next few weeks.) If she does this, she'll beat me. So, I'm feeling a challenge. ;D (But she'll probably beat me.) And she'll likely have way more intelligent things to say about it so if you are interested, check out her site - Dwell in Possibility. (For the record - I personally have only made it through Book One and Book Two thus far.)

For those of you who are always looking for something new to cook up - you might want to check out Cooking With Martha Stalwart which is a team food blog. The lovely ladies at Martha Stalwart are either personal friends or personal acquaintances made through personal friends. I was excited to see that they are starting the site up again so if you'd like to snag some tasty new recipes - check them out!

Another note on J-friend being here - I don't have to cook every night. She's cooking some nights. And she makes homemade ice cream. And she makes it really good. It's absolutely not Jillian-approved but as an occasional treat it's downright awesome! Key word being "occasional."

And lastly, a little horn tooting for the Offering Hospitality blog....

My friend Crista is taking us on a journey through the book A Life That Says Welcome (click on the title to see her first post/thoughts). If you're interested in tracking with her as she shares her thoughts on this book, please join us over at Offering Hospitality.

I'll leave you with two "story book" songs today. Both make me want to go out and buy a hammock.

#1 - My Cathedral, by Chris Rice (for summertime and Narnia)



#2 - Return to Pooh Corner, by Kenny Loggins & Amy Grant (self explanatory)



Enjoy! And Happy Summer to you!

Well, well, whatdya know?

Forgive me, for I normally don't post on Sundays. However, yesterday I noticed that A Library is a Hospital for the Mind was having a blog anniversary.

I had no idea when I started blogging so I looked it up and - lo and behold - it's my anniversary today! I've been blogging for four years now. Here's my first post explaining my original purpose for the blog. (It's still my purpose today, for the record!) To read more critically. To be discerning. And while I thought the idea of blogging was a fun one, I didn't quite realize all the places it would take me!

Most notably, it connected me with Jennifer and 5 Minutes for Books (leading to a total of 382 reviews over there! It's kind of hard to say goodbye to that team after all the time and effort put into it. Not to mention the friends . . .) Blogging has taken me all the way to New York City! I've made a wonderful set of friends who pray for me and my family and who share life with me in many small (and big!) ways. I've enjoyed making friends at publishing houses and learning more about books in general.

Blogging IS fun. It has also proven to be quite the learning experience. I know I still have tons more to learn and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for me and blogging.

To my regular readers and personal bloggy friends, thanks for hanging around and sharing the joy of reading and blogging with me. YOU put the fun in it and that's the truth!

Enter if You Dare!

How do I describe this? Morbid fascination and summertime fun/curiosity.

For some reason, I've always been intrigued by Ripley's Believe it or Not. I can remember, back when I was younger, wondering what it would be like to go through one of their famous museums. I remember the first (and so far the only!) Ripley's I was able to go to - the one in San Fransisco. (Somehow, I find that strangely fitting.)

Whenever a new Ripley's book comes out, I'm always curious. So in the spirit of summer fun and craziness - (fyi - this might be as crazy as I actually get) - I give you Ripley's Believe It or Not! Enter If You Dare!

There should probably be no reason for me to want to gross myself out by looking at a picture of a disfigured cat (who has now become a "therapy cat" to help people with disfigurements improve their confidence.) I most certainly don't want to know about pythons discovered in toilet bowls. (I've had a long term fear of sitting down unawares and there being a snake in the pot anyway. TMI? Perhaps. But this is a Ripley's review, after all!) But it is kinda cool to hear about the cat who catches the same bus and rides the same route every single day. (That would be Casper - the friendly cat? - in England.)

There's a funny horse who got her head stuck in a tree trunk. (She was freed with a chainsaw and is alive and healthy today, in case you were wondering.) And it's also cool to see the "tiny teen" - a 16 year old girl who is only 23.5 inches tall! Her actual size is included as a full-page fold out inside the book so you can see how far up your leg she actually comes in height. (She is about halfway up my thigh.)

I don't know why I like Ripley's really. There is no justifiable explanation. It's just the curiosity of the thing. DOES the turtle really have two heads?! DOES the kitten really have two faces?! DID American Airlines really save an estimated $40,000 in 1987 by removing one olive from each salad served to first-class passengers?! DID the first class passengers notice and did they suffer because of it!? Questions to ponder, my friends. Questions to ponder.

Ripley's Believe It or Not! Enter If You Dare! is a little more tame than the last Ripley's book I perused. Fascinating still. Especially since in this edition, I finally found out how Siamese twins Chang and Eng Bunker died. (So bizarre to think about!) Maybe that's why I like it. It's just bizarre. It's less serious than the news and more interesting than who Jennifer Anniston is currently with. You see strange and miraculous things from all over the globe. Interesting. It's just interesting.

And I suppose that's all I have to say. If you like Ripley's, then you'll be excited to know that the newest edition of oddities is out.

I will also tell you that although Ripley's had a booth at the Book Expo that featured the most tatooed woman in the world, and although Jennifer offered to go with me to meet her, I took a pass. (Looking at pictures in books is one thing . . .)

Thanks, Ripley's, for entertaining, grossing me out, and making me wonder yet again.

Lucy Maud and the Cavendish Cat

Huge grins. We all have our favorite things around here but one of my favorites, as any of my long-time readers know, is Lucy Maud Montgomery. I think her work is fabulous.

In the past year, I've grown to not only love her works, but things that remind me of her work. (Please do not read this to mean that I like any of the prequels to Anne written by people not of the name Montgomery.) I mean that I like stories about fairies and legends. I like to read books that I know Montgomery was inspired by. Things like that.

Someone, quite some time ago, let me know about Lucy Maud and the Cavendish Cat but somehow I had managed to forget about it! But now I cannot forget it as I have read it and have created a hallowed place on my "Anne" shelf (which is now really two shelves) for it to reside.

As any reader of Montgomery knows, Lucy Maud was awfully fond of cats. For everything that I like about Montgomery's works, I've never gotten the "cat thing." I'm more of a dog person myself. However, I will pardon this fascination and fixation with the felines because, well, there are a lot of things I'm willing to excuse about LMM.

Lucy Maud and the Cavendish Cat tells the story of Lucy Maud and her beloved cat, Daffy. The story was edited and woven together from Montgomery's Journals (Volumes I & II) and document her friendship, loyalty and devotion to her little gray cat.

Daffy became Maud's cat when she lived with her grandmother. This picture book tells about Daffy watching Maud create Anne of Green Gables and witnessing Maud's excitement when the book was accepted for publication. It talks about how Daffy was left behind on the Island after Maud was married and how he later joined Maud in her home in Ontario.

This book basically tells of the love affair that Lucy Maud Montgomery had with cats in a charming and endearing sort of way. (I can almost excuse the fact that she kept a tuft of Daffy's fur in her scrapbooks. If you want to see the fur, you can visit the Lucy Maud Montgomery Museum in New London, PEI. Oh yes, you can!) I love the illustrations in this book by Janet Wilson. They feel classic - which is how I picture LMM in my mind.

Adore this book! Thank you Tundra Books for not only publishing it, but for allowing me to read and love it for myself!

Why Johnny Can't Sing Hymns, by T. David Gordon

Guest post by Jonathan

I'm here today with some thoughts on the book Why Johnny Can't Sing Hymns: How Pop Culture Rewrote the Hymnal, by T. David Gordon. As you probably know, occasionally Carrie will receive complimentary copies of new releases by some publishing houses, and I saw this one arrive and snatched it up!

This particular subject is near and dear to my heart, having originally been trained as a classical pianist, and then participating on church worship teams over the last 10+ years. Churches we have been involved in have run the gamut of worship styles, from Sunday-morning services matching Christian radio's countdown of hits, to environments where "How Great Thou Art" would be considered contemporary worship music.

Of course, just like everybody else, there are particular styles of music that I feel most comfortable and "at home" with. If you pop open the CD player in my car, you'll recognize at a glance the music I enjoy the most. And, yes, Carrie and I have quite different tastes in this area! But that's just fine with me, and you're welcome to your own musical styles also. I am A-OK with diversity when it comes to music preferences.

That was always the philosophy that I approached corporate worship with, as well. Particular churches found their musical identity in one form or another for Sunday morning services, and that was fine with me -- after all, who am I to judge? And, more specifically, who is T. David Gordon to judge?! So, I was eager to read through this book. (A process which still took me about 100x as much time as Carrie seems to be able to read books in, but whatever! It's not like a competition or anything. Right, honey?)

So, having just finished it up, I have a ton of thoughts flying through my mind that I will try to articulate. First of all, from the perspective of being a well-written, thought-provoking, scripturally-based treatise on music and worship in the church, this book is an ace in the hole. But what's more important than the presentation in my mind are specifically the arguments made.

Let's start out with some fundamentals. Why do we, as a congregation of believers on any given Sunday morning, express worship in the form of music, at all? Well, because it is a God-ordained method of doing so, solidly endorsed throughout scripture. (Start with the book of Psalms and work your way in either direction.) We can certainly express worship individually through a variety of art forms, but singing has the distinction of being a corporate activity, with participation by young and old.

So, then, what is our goal in singing songs of worship corporately? Based on the examples of scripture, to declare God's glory, righteousness, mercy, and grace. Any other motivation should absolutely be swept off the table. This is where it gets uncomfortable. There is absolutely no scriptural basis for worship songs which are written to:

• Make us feel good
• Draw unbelievers to Christ
• Adopt popular styles to minimize "uncomfortable" differences between the church's culture and the world's culture

Where does this leave us? Quite simply, we don't get to decide what makes a particular song more or less suitable for corporate worship based on our personal musical preferences; we have to evaluate the song based on how effectively it serves the purpose of ascribing glory to God.

Incredible attention to detail was given by the hymn selection committees of earlier years, who chose which songs to include (or exclude) when compiling hymnals. At least half a dozen criteria were used to determine if each hymn was suitable for corporate worship, considering the music and lyrics in great detail. But, in an amazing number of churches today, that type of thoughtful process has been thrown out the window and replaced by the simple requirement, "Does its musical style match what our church likes to play and listen to?"

The author does not claim that 100% of all contemporary worship music should be discarded without a second glance. He (and I) agree that there are some recent worship choruses to be found which have every quality necessary for corporate worship. However, he does argue that these specimens are few and far between, and that we, as thinking Christians, should be using our brains to evaluate a little more carefully the music we're using to worship God.

One example that comes to my mind is a song by Mark Schultz which seems to be stuck on "repeat" on most Christian radio stations lately. Here are some of its lyrics, which, by the way, score a 100% on the "tuneful chorus which will get stuck in your head" meter:

Every knee shall bow,
Every tongue confess,
That God is love
And love has come for us all

What an incredible distortion of the gospel! This kind of phrasing, while you might be able to argue could be interpreted in a way which technically resembles the truth, is rife with ambiguity. Following the "Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess" phrase (which absolutely comes from scripture, but in a totally different context) we run into statements which sound like to the average Joe like God loves him and is coming for him regardless of any particular faith or action on his part. How comforting! Not. Universalism deserves no more place in Christianity now than ever, and this kind of drivel should be never be allowed into our radio stations or churches.

Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes, getting off the soapbox now.

So, as I was saying, the primary emphasis of this book is to make you think about the way you use music to express worship. I believe that we should all, as Christians, be doing more of this. T. David Gordon has done quite a lot of research and presents some interesting facts and arguments. (And, along the way, debunks the myth that Martin Luther set hymn lyrics to bar tunes.) If this topic sparks your interest in any way, check out his book. If it doesn't... well, maybe my next post will be sharing a casserole recipe. Right.

If You're Happy and You Know It - Kids' Picks

It's time for another Kids' Picks carnival over at 5 Minutes for Books and this time I'm going to share one favorite from each of my kids. Both books happen to be Barefoot Books, and both suit each of my children so perfectly in personality that it's amazing. Check these out:



Bookworm1 was a huge fan of Barefoot Books' musical books with singalong CD's when he was younger - his favorite being Knick Knack Paddy Whack (which I reviewed before and if you click on the title it will take you to my prior review.) Therefore it should really come as no surprise that Bookworm2 is equally attracted to stories through song, Barefoot-style. Then again, it really doesn't come as any surprise to me that any child would like these music/book compilations because they are engaging and fun, welcoming children in to a world with singing, dancing, and much clapping of hands.

There are two songs that I have sung with Bookworm2 since his arrival into our family: Eensy, Weensy Spider and If You're Happy and You Know It, that caused some fun interactions between the two of us. When I saw that Barefoot Books had a singalong for If You're Happy and You Know It, I knew he'd be a huge fan. I was completely right! He loves it!

(By the way, singing this song with a child who breaks out into huge dimples when singing makes it even more fun. Not to show prejudice against non-dimpled children. I have one of those too! There's just something about singing, "then your face will really show it!" and having those two cuties pop out.)

In this particular version of the song, they chose the phrase, "If you're happy and you know it, and you really want to show it" instead of the original "then you're face will really show it" but he doesn't seem to mind the change up.

Read this book or sing along with it - either which way it's guaranteed fun.

Drum roll for the next one please...



It didn't take me long to figure out that Octopus Opposites would be a hit around these parts!

"Octopus fat, octopus thin."

And the thin octopus, he declares, is actually a squid. This does not bother him in the least because his second favorite tentacled creature is the squid (third being the jellyfish) so this book just got better, as far as Bookworm1 is concerned!

Illustrated by Stephanie Bauer, (who apparently lives in Oregon!), this book is bright, lively and creative good fun. There are all kinds of creatures in here that we've found reason to love from pelicans, to beluga whales, to kookaburras! The book is very bright and cheerful and deals with some fun opposites such as bold and shy, empty and fall, climb and fall, etc.

Octopus Opposites is absolutely a winner in our home and we recommend it to you.

Of course, we tend to be quick to recommend Barefoot Books because they are a fantastic children's book company. To find out more about why I like them, see my post over at Reading My Library.

In the meantime, thanks, Barefoot Books, for providing two perfect titles for two kids that I think are pretty special.

This Week in Words - Reepicheep (2)

This Week in Words is a meme now hosted by Barbara H. at Stray Thoughts. I thought I'd chime in this week with some of my favorite Reepicheep quotes (from Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C.S. Lewis.)

Reepicheep, while looking for Eustace who has inconvenienced the group by disappearing without notice, displays honor, loyalty and respect for Eustace's position:

"And a good riddance if he has, I says," muttered Rhince.

"Master Rhince," said Reepicheep, "you never spoke a word that became you less. The creature is no friend of mine but he is of the Queen's blood, and while he is one of our fellowship it concerns our honor to find him and avenge him if he is dead." (Chapter 6, The Adventures of Eustace)

That's a good thought on gossip too, if you think about it.

Two quotes re: Reepicheep's bravery:

"But what manner of use would it be ploughing through that blackness?" asked Drinian.

"Use?" replied Reepichee. "Use, Captain? If by use you mean filling our bellies or our purses, I confess it would be no use at all. So far as I know we did not set sail to look for things useful but to seek honor and adventures. And here is as great an adventure as I ever heard of, and here, if we turn back, no little impeachment of all our honors." (Chapter 12, The Dark Island)

****

In the darkness, the crew hears a voice and it is Reepicheep who responds.

"Who calls?" it [Reepicheep] piped. "If you are a foe we do not fear you, and if you are a friend your enemies shall be taught the fear of us." (Chapter 12, The Dark Island)

To learn more of why I like Reepicheep so much, you can visit my post about Reepicheep and children from earlier today.

Reepicheep (1)

In re-reading Voyage of the Dawn Treader, I fell in love with Reepicheep. Sure, he was an amusing little bugger in the movie Prince Caspian, but I didn't pay mind to him in a serious capacity. However, the glaring beauty of his tiny little character overwhelmed me in Voyage. I'm probably the most excited to see the movie to see Reepicheep play his noble roll on film. And yes - I will cry. Hard. (I cry every time I watch the movies. The deep truths of the film are very impacting. Don't watch them with me if you fear tears.)

Reepicheep is a character who deeply impacted my faith and understanding of certain scriptures this time around. I'll share more about what I learned from him later this week, but I wanted to share how I introduced him to my son.

It's great that the animals talk in Narnia and that some are indeed as small as a mouse. Fierce and noble, yes. But kindly to look upon. C.S. Lewis apparently had a fondness for mice and never set traps, preferring to watch them stick their little noses out of holes and run around his rooms. I can't say I identify with that, but I do like the idea that such a small creature can be so valued and admired. On that note . . .

. . . I had picked up a copy of Prince Caspian: The Tail of Reepicheep which is a children's picture book based on the movie version of Prince Caspian. (Normally I dislike adaptations of any sort for kids. I make an exception for Narnia because I'm so eager to take my children into this magical land!) When the Voyage of the Dawn Treader movie comes out, you can rest assured I will be picking up every picture book I can find based on the film! And I want to find a little miniature Reepicheep (or two, or three or four!) to put on my desk and around my house to remind me of the type of character I am focused on building in myself and my children - fearless, brave and true to the King. There is so much to admire in this "little mouse."

To introduce my son to this noble mouse of Narnia, we read the above picture book and watched the following video clip, courtesy of Youtube (so that he'd know that Reepicheep is a warrior mouse):



And we listened to the lullaby that Reepicheep had sung over him when he was just a wee mouse:



This is the verse that comes to mind when I think of Reepicheep and so it's the one we've memorized this month:

"Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." 1 Timothy 4:12

In order to help us memorize the verse, we listened to this song from Seeds Family Worship:



I know that Reepicheep isn't exactly young, but he is small, giving him the appearance of an innocent. Isn't that exactly how we view children? We are frequently surprised by how much they see, hear and know and have taken to heart.

Reepicheep had a song sung over him by a Dryad when he was very young though which became the heart beat of his personal mission aboard the Dawn Treader. What was spoken over him had great impact, causing his heart to desire Aslan's country above all else. His focus was sure throughout the whole book. I'm reminded of Proverbs, chapters 3 and 4 but primarily these verses from Chapter 3:

My son, do not forget my teaching,
and let your heart keep my commands
because they will add length of days, years of life
and wholeness to you.
Do not allow mercy and truth to leave you.
Fasten them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will find favor and good sense
in the eyes of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight. (vs. 1-6)

Checking the Proverbs (Concordia Commentary) Steinmann notes that to "keep watch" or to watch over means "to be vigilant about preserving" the word of the Lord that was taught early on. There is a direct benefit to holding tight to truth and applying it to one's life. These are action words: Keep. Guard. Protect. Preserve. Faith is not a lazy man's game. Reepicheep embodies that truth.

Looking at Reepicheep I see the lesson that he held on to a prophesy that was said over him from the time he was young. He held fast to these words telling him where Aslan's country was and he pursued Aslan's country with his whole little mouse heart. He never wavered in his dedication or focus and repeated the prophesy to himself and to others in order that he would not be distracted from his ultimate goal.

I'm not trying to twist scripture here, but use a story in a character to teach my sons scriptural principals. Hang on to truth, little sons. Guard it well. Pursue the mission and the purpose that God has over your lives. Be fierce and brave and stand against lies from the enemy. Know in your hearts that God is God and seek His country. That's what I want my children to hear and to see and it starts with their father and me. We have to speak truth consistently over their lives. We must guard and protect again untruths and speak words of life to them. No small task.

There is a lesson in Reepicheep for young children and the parents of them! And there are lessons for old children too. I'll share what I learned (painful though it was) within the week.

Where sky and water meet
Where the waves grow sweet
Doubt not, Reepicheep
To find all you seek
There is the utter East.

Books About Narnia (2)

Yesterday I shared some books about Narnia for you to use as resources, should you be feeling so inclined to learn more about the man, the faith or the stories behind Narnia. Here are a few others that I found at the library:

# 7 - Revisiting Narnia: Fantasy, Myth and Religion in C. S. Lewis' Chronicles (Smart Pop series)



Absolutely not a book I would recommend but it's out there so here it is for you to be aware of, if nothing else. (Actually, it would be a curious sort of read if I wanted to devote the brain cells - which I do not.)

This book wants to find the secular in Narnia. Is there Universalism in Lewis's theology? It takes a post-modern approach to explaining why Christianity should be experienced or felt rather than studied or interpreted. It suggests that Lewis's religion failed him when it came to his view on animals.

Frankly, if you read anything by Lewis, I can't see how you can separate his Christian faith from Narnia. It's just intricately woven into the tales.

I DO find it kind of interesting though that the secular wants to claim these stories. It's kind of a nice change of pace, in some ways. Most of the time I see Christians trying to take what is secular instead of Christian and twist it for their own giggly purposes. I'd much rather the original work be written and presented from a Christian worldview in such a way that it's "terrible beauty and devastating brilliance" (quoting the back of this book) is appealing to the secular and is of such a high quality that non-Christians sit up and take notice.

THIS, my friends, is how Christian authors today SHOULD be writing. They should be pursuing the very best and putting pen to paper to create "devastating brilliance", such that it draws people to it. It's leaps and bounds better than (essentially) stealing from the culture because we couldn't come up with something original on our own.

In a way, I guess I could take Revisiting Narnia: Fantasy, Myth and Religion in C. S. Lewis' Chronicles as something of a compliment. Or encouragement that Christians can write well (and mostly just choose not to.)

Ok, that's way more than I meant to say....

Moving on.

#8 - Into the Wardrobe: C. S. Lewis and the Narnia Chronicles



Looks to be a basic overview and look into the Wardrobe and the Narnia series. This book is written by David C. Downing who, according to the book flap, is a "leading C.S. Lewis expert, award-winning author, and professor of English at Elizabethtown College in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania." He has written many articles about Lewis that have appeared in Christianity Today. If you're interested, you can read this Q&A With Downing about Into the Wardrobe.

#9 - The World According to Narnia: Christian Meaning in C. S. Lewis's Beloved Chronicles



From the back cover: "Readers will be captivated by the masterful way Rogers shows how the story lines and characters from Narnia Sing with biblical truth. The particular magic of The Chronicles of Narnia is their ability to awaken the reader to the imaginative possibilities that have been in the Gospel all along."

This one I do hope to read sometime this month.

#10 - The Way Into Narnia: A Reader's Guide



This book is written by Peter J. Schakel and takes the approach that Narnia should be read as a series of fairy tales. The back cover lists him as an "internationally respected student of C.S. Lewis's work" who has "written or edited" five previous books about Lewis. I like the way he has labeled his chapters with titles such as: "Magic and Meaning," "Freedom and Obedience" and "Endings and Beginnings." I'm definitely intrigued and am putting this on my "Read Before You Return it to the Library or You MAY Just Regret It" stack.

#11 - Further Up And Further in: Understanding C. S. Lewis's the Lion, the Witch, And the Wardrobe



True confessions: I decided I'd read this one for sure based on the title alone. It's designed to be used for "classrooms and casual discussion groups" which tells me that I'm probably not going to be a ginormous fan of it. I'm quite certain that there are better and more indepth books to read about Narnia, but again - it's the title and the cover art. Which just shows you what a good marketing team can do! (I confess it!)

Lastly, here's one from my own home book shelves:

#12 - Roar!: A Christian Family Guide to the Chronicles of Narnia



I bought a copy of this book last year after reading Amy's (at Hope is in the Word) review of Roar! which is a guide book for parents to use with their kids as they are working through the series. Awesome, AWESOME resource. Amy wrote up such a nice review that I really don't need to add to it. Click here to read her thoughts! Definitely check this one out though if you have kids and want to open up the world of Narnia with them. I'm excited to use this one with my children as they grow up! (Thanks, Amy, for the tip!)

Ok, folks! This was a nice little stack of Narnia books. If you can believe it - this seems to merely scrape the surface! There are so many more titles that I found online when looking up the cover art for the ones I brought home from my library.

If you have a good Narnia resource book that you haven't seen on this list, tell us about it!

In the meantime (I can't resist) -

Further up, and Further in!

;)