Our Favorite Christmas Books

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

by Robert Frost

illustrated by Susan Jeffers

The Legend of the Candy Cane

Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend

by Julie Stiegemeyer

OR

The Secret of St. Nicholas

by Ellen Nibali

A New Coat for Anna 

by Harriet Ziefert

This classic tale of redemption needs no explanation. I highly recommend it for big kids.

The Little Fir Tree

by Margaret Wise Brown

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey

by Susan Woiciechowski

When a widow asks the town hermit to carve a nativity set for her son, a new friendship is slowly formed and a man gets a reminder of joy. We always follow up the book with the movie. Love both.

Christmas in the Barn

by Margaret Wise Brown

One Wintry Night

by Ruth Bell Graham

This is the Star

by Joyce Dunbar

Christmas Tapestry

by Patricia Polacco

The Donkey's Dream

by Barbara Helen Berger

Stop What You're Doing

. . . and go right now to your local library and get this book:

It is fantastic! This book, full of very fun onomatopoeia and plot surprises, was written by the author of other classics I'm sure you know: Blueberries for Sal and Make Way for Ducklings.

You'll love it!

“180” Movie Producer Answers Angry Critics

LOS ANGELES , CALIFORNIA. A new 33-minute award-winning movie has stirred up a hornet’s nest on Youtube. “180” has had a record-breaking 12,000 plus comments, many of which were so angry it left ears tingling. In 16 days, close to a million people have freely watched the movie on www.180Movie.com. The fiery controversy is over the comparison of the Jewish Holocaust with American abortion. The Huffington Post quoted author and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel as saying,

"It is blasphemy to reduce a tragedy of such monumental proportions to this human tragedy, and abortion is a human tragedy." He added that those who compare the holocaust to abortion “prove that they do not know what the Holocaust was."

The movie’s producer, best-selling author, Ray Comfort, disagrees. “I’m also Jewish, and I spent months researching for a book I wrote calledHitler, God, and the

Biblehttp://www.amazon.com/Hitler-God-Bible-Ray-Comfort/dp/1936488248 and wept my way through the Holocaust. It was a horror beyond words. But I have to agree in one respect. Nearly 60 million Americans have been slaughtered by abortion, and that’s ten timesthe amount of Jews who died under the Nazis. So as far as numbers are concerned, there is no comparison.”

In “180” Comfort argues that Hitler justified killing six millions Jews by saying that they weren’t “human,” and he maintains that that’s what those who are pro-abortion do with babies in the womb. Comfort, who is also a TV co-host, added, “But the Nazi comparison doesn’t stop there. Many people think that it was a mystery as to what motived Hitler to kill so many Jews. It’s not mystery at all. He seized the assets of wealthy Jewish families, and each one he murdered added up to billions of dollars.” According to the experts, Hitler financed a massive 30 per cent of the German war effort by killing Jews and stealing their wealth. “Jewish murder was a lucrative and lawful business--from the taking of their homes, their paintings, their savings, the gold in their teeth, to the hair on their heads—all of it added up to money in the bank for Hitler, and American abortion has the same big incentive.”

Comfort pointed to abortion provider’s prices, by saying, “If you don’t believe that it’s a huge money-making scheme, check out your local provider’s current prices. They will perform a procedure for just $765 for up to a 16-week-old child, but the price increases if the baby is over 19 weeks. You will be shelling out three times the amount, and paying a whopping $2,165 http://www.fpamg.net/fees. That’s pretty good income for a few minutes of ripping off the arms, the legs, and head of a baby onto a table; checking the body parts to make sure they’re all out, and then putting them in the trash. And it’s all legal, just like the Holocaust.”

Book Review: Attack at the Arena (Imagination Station)

We are big fans of Adventures in Odyssey audio dramas, so I was excited to get this book for the kiddos. We all loved it. It has all the drama and intrigue we love in Adventures in Odyssey and the Christian integrity we trust. Attack at the Arena is the second book in the Imagination Station series, this historical ficton takes place in Rome. This is an a chapter book for 2nd-4th graders, but would also make fun family read-aloud.

Book Review: Slave

I received this book from Tyndale House Publishers for my honest review.

I jumped at the chance to get the new John MacArthur book and I was not disappointed. "Slave" is an enlightening treasure, making sense of our relationship to Christ. John MacArthur discovered through study that most modern translations of the Bible, KJV included, use the word "servant" in place of "slave", entirely altering the meaning of the text. Before we come to Christ, we aren't servants of sin, we are slaves to it. When Christ saves us, we become slaves of righteousness. (Romans 6:16-20) We belong to Christ and as such, we lovingly submit to Him as Master.

Our status as slaves, and not merely servants, has serious implications for how we think and act as believers. He has exclusive ownership and we are completely dependent on Him and accountable to Him. Unlike worldly masters, Jesus supplies all our needs, strengthens us to do His will, and gives us grace, sufficient to accomplish His purposes.

I was so blessed by all that I learned through this book. MacArthur brings all the scriptures together in one place to explain our true identity in Christ. He starts and ends with scripture; rather than making his point and taking scripture out of context to back him up. This book is solid.

Book Review: God Gave Us the World

I received this book from Multnomah Publishing for my honest review.

We all loved this book, mom and dad included. God Gave Us the World is a sweet book about a little cub who learns that not all bears are Polar Bears, they don't all eat the same food, look the same, or live in the same climate. His world grows as he learns about the creativity of his creator. I love the charming illustrations in this book. The mama bear speaks affectionately to her little cub, explaining to him about the God who loves him and created a whole world displaying His majesty and creativity. This is a new family favorite, especially for my little ones.

Book Review: Unplanned

I received this book from Tyndale House Publishers for my honest review.

I learned so much from this book and I couldn't put it down. I was totally enraptured learning how this girl raised in a pro-life family was persuaded to volunteer for Planned Parenthood and eventually worked her way up to clinic director. The whole time, Abby Johnson, tells her story from her perspective at the time. Because her parents were pro-life, but never talked much about it at home, she grew up not able to defend her supposed pro-life stance. Thus, she was easily talked into the volunteer position. She was told that Planned Parenthood's goal has always been to make abortions rare. Because she firmly believed what she was told, she never questioned the abortions that happened every week.

She truly believed that she was caring for and helping women. It's what made her so passionate about her job with Planned Parenthood for the eight years she worked there. She was deceived. And she deceived many women as a result.

It wasn't until the day she was asked to assist with a sonogram-guided abortion, that she realized the truth. That day, she left her clinic and went straight to the Coalition for Life, the pro-life group right down the street. She switched sides. Her eyes were opened to the awful truth of what she had participated in and she switched sides. Her story is amazing.

Book Review: Radical

I received this book from Multnomah Publishing for my honest review. I was so impressed with this book. From the start, I was expecting a "Get up off your duff and do something for God" message, but I was so mistaken. The message of Radical is much more and much greater than that. It's not about missing out, it's about missing the point. We have so Americanized the gospel, it's not even recognizable biblically. The gospel of Christ isn't about repeating a simple prayer and getting your ticket to heaven. It's about salvation from the hell you and I deserve for all the words, deeds, and thoughts that violate God's standard. In light of the wrath and torture we've been saved from, our gratitude to a holy God leads us to live radically for him. Not spending a life filling our big houses with beautiful furniture and working hard saving up for a relaxing retirement, but living a sold-out life for the Jesus we love.

I was absolutely transformed by this little book. I strongly recommend it to every American.

Book Review: A Time to Embrace

I decided I wanted a break from non-fiction for awhile. Karen Kingsbury is one of those few Christian writers who thinks Christian fiction should be more than just clean fiction. I trust her as an author and she didn't let me down. I really enjoyed this book. It deals with forgiveness, trusting in God's sovereignty, and the covenant of marriage. A Time to Embrace is a follow up to A Time to Dance, which I loved but read so long ago, I only vaguely remember the details of it. No matter. This book stands alone.
I was a little irked that all the loose ends are tied up in one perfect bow at the end. Life doesn't always work that way, and more importantly God is glorified whether we receive the answer we wanted or not. But other than that, it was a great read. Not just pleasant, but convicting-- what Christian fiction should be.

I received this book from Thomas Nelson for my honest review.

Book Reviews: the Good and the Not-So Good

In his new book, Max Lucado uses the Book of Acts to challenge Christians to make the most out of our lives by making a positive difference in the lives of others. Adopt, feed the hungry, give to the poor, care for the homeless, etc. I was very excited about this book and kept waiting for the bottom line: share the gospel with those you are ministering to. But in the chapter with that exact theme, Lucado misses the point entirely. He reduces evangelism to telling people that Christ died for their sins. That's the good news, only if you first know the truth of the bad news: you are a sinner. Nowhere does Lucado suggest pointing out to sinners their true state, although it is clearly how Jesus witnesses every single time. I was so eager to praise this book and was so very disappointed. The goal of this book was to remind us all that we are called to be servants in Christ and we can all make the most out of our lives. But unless our ultimate goal in serving is to share the true gospel of Christ, "all our good deeds are like filthy rags". (Isaiah 64:6)

The book that changed Kirk Cameron's life and led him to join forces with Way of the Master ministries, is changing my life as well. This book is will open your eyes in a way that will make you ask: How did I miss this?!
If you are dismayed by the overwhelming number of so-called Christians who are turning away from the faith, this book will give you the reason and a hope for change. If you want to share the gospel with unsaved friends and family, but are afraid of rejection, this book will give you the encouragement you need. If you aren't sharing your faith at all, you desperately need this book. It will change your life.
I cannot recommend it highly enough. Truly.

Book Review: The One Year Book of Encouragement

This devotional boasts seeds of wisdom from such great theologians as C.S. Lewis, John Wesley, Spurgeon, George MacDonald, A.W. Tozer, and Oswald Chambers to name a few. Still, I was wary of a book including "encouragement" in the title, a word that has come to be used to mean: words that make you feel good. This gem is not simply full of words that make you feel good, but each day's devotional takes amazing spiritual insights from these great Christian leaders and convicts with their words. Each devotional ends with a prayer and scripture to meditate on and memorize. I will be gleaning wisdom from this book for a long, long time.
I received this book from Tyndale Publishers to review.

Book Review: Your Money God's Way

I received Your Money God's Way from Thomas Nelson to review. I was surprisingly impressed with this book. The scriptures she quotes fly in the face of all the bad financial concepts so many professing Christians hold. According to the author, Christians make more financial mistakes than the rest of the population, which is because so many "counterfeit convictions" are taught in place of sound biblical principles. When we enable family members who consistently make bad financial decisions, that's not ministry. That's unwise. Taking great financial risks and calling it great faith is ignorant, not spiritual. Treating God like an ATM may be "prosperity theology"; but it's not correct theology at all. The subtitle tells you what to expect: "Overcoming the 7 money myths that keep Christians broke".

Dave Ramsey calls the message of this book "common sense and biblical wisdom". I couldn't agree more.

Indoctrination

IndoctriNation Trailer from IndoctriNation on Vimeo.

Book Review: The Soul of C.S. Lewis

Being a fan of the works of C.S. Lewis, I was drawn towards this book. "A meditative journey through twenty-six of his best-loved writings" (so says the subtitle), it is part biography, part Cliff's notes, and part devotional. It is a great book to have alongside one of Lewis's great works, to learn more about the man, his theology, the apologetics he conveys through his writing, and the scripture behind his ideas. C.S. Lewis was a genius and this book celebrates not only his life, but his biblical theology. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading it many times over. All of my children will be introduced to The Soul of C. S. Lewis when they are ready for his works. If you want to know more about C.S. Lewis, understand his writings more fully, or are seeking spiritual growth, I recommend this book.

I Was Wrong About Modesty

I have seen this book/CD several times, but figured I didn't need it. I already know that as a Christian, I should seek to be modest.

women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control. . .

1 Timothy 2:9

I was talking to a friend about a problem we are having with our children. They know all about modesty and they are quick to point out when they see someone dressed immodestly. While we definitely want them to dress modestly themselves and protect their eyes, we also don't want them to ruin their witness by being judgmental.

My friend loaned me this CD and I was blown away. The main point is: modesty is not an issue of behavior, but it is an issue of the heart. We can dress modestly and still have the wrong heart, just as we can claim "Christian liberty" while wearing form-fitting shirts and skin-tight jeans. It's not about what we wear. It's about our heart. Is our heart's desire to draw attention to our bodies or to draw attention to the glory of God?

What I found very interesting is: the book was written for pastors and fathers. I'm sure you can guess that it is largely women who read it. But can you also guess whose attitude really needs to change in order for ladies to understand the importance of modesty? Their pastors and their fathers.

Think about it.

Book Review: Mind Your Mortgage

I was really excited to get this book as I love all things related to saving money, living frugally, and debt-free living. Mind Your Mortgage did not disappoint. If you ever plan to buy a house or refinance, you need this book. It's like a cheat sheet for getting the best loan and being confident that you aren't taken advantage of in the process. Ignorance is so dangerous when it comes to a mortgage. It's a terrible thing to not know what you're doing when it comes to the single biggest financial commitment in your life!

Through this book, I learned the difference between a mortgage lender and a mortgage broker (a difference that can save you thousands!), how to shop for the best loan (it's very simple to compare prices if you just know what to ask and are willing to take the time), and when it's a good deal to refinance (tip: you should never refinance just for a better payment). Reading about the very common mistakes borrowers make will both embarrass and educate you. With Mind Your Mortgage in hand, you can confidently buy a home, refinance your home, or pay off your home. I love this book!

I received this book to review from Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Just Another One of My Obsessions

I love Pilgrim's Progress. I was given this comic book version when I was 13 and have loved the story since.
It's a story I want them to know so well, they quote it while I read it the same way they quote Julie Andrews when they're watching Mary Poppins for the 34th time. So, when they were in 1st grade, I read this version to them:
And the next year, we read this fabulous picture book version:

Well, when it was time to introduce the real deal, I started talking to friends about it. Not having received a rich literary education myself, I was nervous about reading something so "hard". Nevermind that I'd already seen my kids sit through original Shakespeare plays, all while telling me what was going on in the story.

My homeschooling mentor (Lori dear, that's you) strongly recommended that I get the audio drama that Vision Forum sells. Now, you have to know Lori to understand what I mean when I say she strongly recommended it. Lori has very strong opinions about books (thus the website dedicated to all her precious paper friends). She went on and on about how much she and her kids loved this audiobook. So, naturally, I had to have it.

Lori was right. My kids were riveted.

So t h e n when I saw this DVD at a friend's house, I was curious.

We borrowed it and were watching it when I was in early labor with Julia. I must say, I was impressed. It was a great way to cement the story in the minds of my little ones. It was so great to hear them saying: Oh, this is when Christian's gonna get stuck in the mud! and etc.

And for once, we weren't disappointed with the movie after reading the book! I highly recommend it.