The Miracles of Jesus

The Miraclesof Jesus

Nest Family Learning

App available from Apple store, Google play, Amazon, or Nook

$2.99

Ages 3-6

The format of this ebook is fantastic! This one is designed for early readers and allows for the child to read it himself or for a recorded voice to read it as the child follows along (each word is highlighted as it is read). This is great for learning to read. Each page has a picture and as it is read the picture also changes so that in effect there are 2 pictures per page. Also included are some fun interactive games, coloring pictures (which can be printed) and trivia games. This concept is superb.

Where I had concerns was in content. As is common in bible stories for children, there is a mix of fact and fiction. In this case, I think it could be distracting or confusing since I think it will be difficult for children to know which parts are precisely true and which are made up. More significantly, there are factual errors in the book. For example the book says the apostles had returned to fishing when Jesus came to them walking on the water. That is not the case, but Jesus had sent them on ahead of him. Also, the book says Jesus was a great man and teacher and that the disciples thought he was the Son of God. The book never affirms that Jesus is the Son of God as the New Testament texts do.

The concept for this product is so good I hope the company will improve the content in future ones. A little attention to details or the use of an advisory board could clear up these things. I am not sure if the ambiguity on the person of Christ was intentional or accidental. Again, if accidental, that could quite easily be clarified. I will look for future products Nest Family Learning. 

"Daddies," by Edgar Guest

"Daddies"

I would rather be the daddy
Of a romping, roguish crew,
Of a bright-eyed chubby laddie
And a little girl or two,
Than the monarch of a nation
In his high and lofty seat
Taking empty adoration
From the subjects at his feet.

I would rather own their kisses
As at night to me they run,
Than to be the king who misses
All the simpler forms of fun.
When his dreary day is ending
He is dismally alone,
But when my sun is descending
There are joys for me to own.

He may ride to horns and drumming;
I must walk a quiet street,
But when once they see me coming
Then on joyous, flying feet
They come racing to me madly
And I catch them with a swing
And I say it proudly, gladly,
That I'm happier than a king.

You may talk of lofty places,
You may boast of pomp and power,
Men may turn their eager faces
To the glory of an hour,
But give me the humble station
With its joys that long survive,
For the daddies of the nation
Are the happiest men alive.

- Edgar Guest

George Grant on Reading Aloud

Reading aloud together has been a staple of our family experience, and I only wish we did more of it. I just came across a good article by George Grant on the value of reading aloud to your children. Here is an excerpt:

Adults who wear business attire and behave perfectly appropriately in steel and glass towers day after monotonous day transform themselves into snakes, mean old hags, princesses with snooty accents, and sorrowful baby bears when a small child is snuggled on their lap with a good book. Is it any wonder that a happy child’s evening litany includes “Read one more book, please?”

The whole piece is not very long and well worth reading. Make time for reading with your children.

The Boy and the Ocean, Max Lucado

The Boy andthe Ocean, Max Lucado

Paintings by T. Lively Fluharty

(Crossway, 2013), hb., 48 pp.

Ages 2-6

This is a simple little story which holds up the vastness of God’s love. It is not profound, but simply seeks to affirm the greatness of God’s love by comparison with the ocean, mountains, and the night sky. It also provides a positive setting with a boy enjoying time with his father and mother as they enjoy nature and talk about God’s love.

The best part of the book is the beautiful illustrations by Fluharty. The words of the story are exhausted quickly, but you can continue to look at the paintings for some time. The little puppy staring into a puddle and the look on the boy’s face as he flies on an eagle in his dream were favorites of ours.

The book affirms the comforting reality of God’s love. It does not raise the issue of sin or the reality that we are blocked from God’s love apart from Christ. This basic information is useful for the very young audience for which it is intended, though the price is a bit high for what it offers. 

Two Recent Articles on Fathering

Anthony Esolen and Grant Castleberry have recently given us moving, helpful articles on fatherhood.

Readers of this blog will not be strangers to Esolen, whom I have linked to and commended before. In this essay he eventually speaks to the the current situation of the Boy Scouts. However, the bulk of the article simply articulates a healthy view of masculinity from the view of a father seeking to nurture his son. In typical Esolen fashion it is powerful and motivating. I believe he is correct in asserting, "In this time, it is impossible to raise any real man without trying to raise a godly man"

Then, Grant Castleberry has written a particularly moving piece reflecting on the impact of the loss of his father and how his father's faith and purity shaped him even though his father died when he was young. The story of the photo was particularly powerful to me.

I hope these articles can encourage you as they have me.

Calvin on the Value of the Daily Tasks of Motherhood

The Reformers often stress the value of daily faithfulness in the seemingly insignificant things. This was one of the key truths recovered in the Reformation, that God is honored and pleased with obedience in everyday living, not just in what was considered "spiritual."

In Calvin's sermon on 1 Timothy 2:13-15 he makes this point in speaking to wives (and husbands). His comments are important for us to remember today, as well- plus, the reference to killing fleas is a bit humorous today!

although it seems to be a vile thing, a matter of no account, for a woman to take pains about housewifery, to make clean her children when they are arrayed, to kill fleas and other such like, although this is a despised thing, yes and such that many do not even want to look upon it, yet they are sacrifices which God accepts and receives, as if they were things of great price and honorable ... If we take pains, we serve God and not men. 

... and let them consider that when they do their duty and execute their office, God accepts well of it, although men despise it.

 there are a number of fools that when they speak of women’s distaffs, of seeing to their children, will make a scorn of it and despise it.  But what then?  What says the heavenly Judge?  That he is well pleased with it, and accepts it and puts it in his reckoning.  So then let women learn to rejoice when they do their duty, and though the world despise it, let this comfort sweeten all respect they might have that way, and say, “God sees me here and his angels who are sufficient witnesses of my doings, although the world does not approve of them.” 

 

McGrath's Children's Series Disappoints

Darkness Shall Fall, Alister McGrath

The Aedyn Chronicles, Book Three

(Zondervan, 2011), pb., 214 pp.

Ages 10-15

I have previously listed the first book in this series as one of our “Best Reads” in 2011.  In that post I noted that the second book in the series had been a disappointment. This third book was better than the second, but not as good as the first. It was another disappointment.

In this book Peter, Julia & Louisa complete their task of helping of protect the people of Aedyn and finally make it home. There is some good adventure as they hide from the vicious Gulnog and try to survive while looking for a way to defeat the Shadow. They await the arrival of help from the Lord of Hosts and are duped by an evil one who claimed to be a messenger from the Lord of Hosts. In the end deliverance comes from an unlikely source, and back in our world their fractured family is made whole.

What could be wrong with a story like that? First, let me hasten to say there are good things in the book to notice and enjoy. We had a good time reading portions of it. However, in order to enjoy it together I had to do some careful editing on the fly since the younger children were listening. Some scenes were particularly gory or intense. The book was not as sophisticated as what my older boys would typically enjoy, but it was more brutal than what I want for my younger ones. The worst example of this was the description of the family at the end of the book. The description of this dysfunctional family and the brutal beating the father gives his son was disturbing to me. I know these things happen and can deal with reading reports of such, but, this is not what I want in a book for my children.

For example, at the prospect of the father beating the older son, the younger son “rubbed his hands together greedily” and after the first strike the younger son claps and says, “Look Mother! He drew blood with only one strike! Hit him again, father!” The Stepmother is also described as eagerly anticipating the beating. Repentance and reconciliation does come, but this perverse portrait was not what we needed or desired.

So, we cannot recommend this book to you. Its positive aspects are outweighed by the negative and the overall story is only fair. There are plenty of other compelling stories to choose from.

Child Identity Theft: What Every Parent Needs to Know

Child Identity Theft:What Every Parent Needs to Know, Robert Chappell, Jr.

(Rowman & Littlefield, 2013), hb., 207 pp.

Unlike most books reviewed here, this is not a book for reading to your kids, but it is one to talk about with your kids. I suppose we have all heard about identity theft, but when I saw this book about child identity theft and noticed it was written by a decorated officer who has worked extensively in this area, it caught my attention.

Thieves are often particularly interested in stealing a child’s identity because they have no prior credit history and illegal activity on a child’s identity can go on undetected much longer. Chappell cites examples where this has occurred and gives wide ranging advice on how to protect your family from this sort of theft.

Chappell does not write in inflammatory tones or use scare tactics. I really appreciated the no-nonsense, common sense approach he used. Furthermore the book is laid out as a series of questions and answers making it very user-friendly, allowing you to go straight to the information most relevant to you.

Many who read this blog will be in families, like ours, who are nowhere close to some of the high risk behaviors mentioned in the book. Many, like us, will already have guidelines in place concerning internet usage and will generally be cautious about important items. However, if you appreciate the value of preparedness and carefulness, then you want to pay attention when a qualified person gives you further information and warnings. And, though we try to be quite careful, this book showed me areas where we needed to improve and things I needed to talk about with my kids.

I was unaware of the variety of programs available to thieves for tricking anyone, including our children, into giving sensitive information over the phone- free apps, for example, which allow you to disguise your voice and to disguise the number from which you are calling. I have seen how easy it is to be tricked by phishing scams online, but had not yet thought to warn my children about these. I also found helpful his warning about carrying in your purse or wallet more personal information about your kids than necessary.

Chappell also discusses potential vulnerabilities when travelling and issues concerning the safety personal records at schools 9which could apply to day-cares & churches).

After reading this book, I called together my older kids and went over some of the things mentioned here making sure they were aware and knew how to respond. I recommend this book to families, schools & churches as one more tool in doing what we can to be wise and careful.