Homeschool Road Trip 2016/17: Rest Stop

It’s Thanksgiving break.

Already.

It seems like just a few weeks ago we started this school year, fresh and ready for the challenges, even though I myself wasn’t too sure of my footing. But here we are close to the halfway point, pulled over in a rest area for a few days.

So….what are rest areas, really? When I’m on a road trip I don’t actually stop too often at them. Maybe if the coffee I’ve been drinking won’t let me drive the remaining 40 miles to lunchtime. But for the most part I think of rest areas as rife with ne’er-do-wells waiting to prey on road-weary travelers catching a few winks (exactly how many horror movies involve gruesome roadside murders?) and vending machines that charge too much for stale donuts (wait the 40 miles till lunchtime, it’ll be worth it). I’m suspicious of them, I guess says it best. I don’t feel like I can really “rest.”  It’s a misnomer, this term “rest area”--to me anyway.

And I guess I feel the same way about this little week of rest in this homeschool year. Yes, it’s a week for thanksgiving and for extra sleep. It’s a week to break into holiday baking and make plans with family. A week to enjoy a wonderful meal with the people I love most in the world. I’m supposed to be able to let down my guard and….rest.

But I don’t feel like I can really do that, because rather than pulling out the map and realizing how far I’ve come since setting out that first day of school, I’m analyzing the places where I could have made better time. Kicking myself over side trips that, in my opinion, have cost us Important Progress. Agonizing over stretches of road where I dozed and took my eyes off Lesson Plan Road. Where is the oomph and eager expectation of what God is going to do this year? Like on any road trip, the out-of-the-starting-gate August school bravado does wear thin as the miles tick by underneath the wheels.

But God told me back at the start of the journey, in Homeschool Road Trip Rule #12 (see here), “I’ve gone ahead of you every single mile. I’ll clear the way before you and bring you safely to the end of the trip.”

More importantly, Jesus IS rest. In Matthew 11:28-30 He said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is weary, and My burden is light.”

Jesus knew about the importance of rest stops. There are many examples in the gospels of Him going away alone for periods of time, and in one notable story He led the disciples away after a busy season of preaching and healing so that they could rest and eat and debrief their experiences with Him.

So, real-world rest stops might really not be the place to let down my guard, roll down my windows and fall dead drooling asleep...but taking some time to shut off my Usual Routine and debrief with Jesus is a safe biblical choice: pull out the map and get His progress report on my journey so far.

He’ll perhaps tell me that the field trips we've done so far (a Sea World family trip, a couple of scenic photo shoots with my budding photographers, a train trip day to the California Surf Museum, a day exploring the history of Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo, and a first-time hike in a nearby national park) went far to make educational memories.

Maybe He'll remind me of His faithfulness to answer longstanding prayers. For example, one son finally got free learning disabilities testing at the community college in which he is dual-enrolled; he is now eligible for a host of special accommodative services and took advantage of priority registration to sign up for two more classes in the spring. Said son was also blessed with two amazing professors who made the transition to college, as a 16 year old dyslexic student, gentle and welcoming. Other son has nearly completed a full range of testing by the school district to finally determine the complex road map that is his brain :-) and--bonus faithfulness--this testing has given us the opportunity to show the IEP team what being in the world and not of it looks like. I have sensed strongly that we are a curious anomaly to these folks and that this story is not yet over; we are not the weird, sour, rigid people they imagined homeschoolers to be, and they are clearly drawn to us. It's possible that He'll say these areas of progress make up for some of those rabbit trail days I'm more likely to look at.

However, Jesus will probably tell me that texting or Instagramming or could-have-been-done-later-in-the-day grocery store/bank/doctor's appointment trips during school hours breaks His caution that “driving” is the most important thing I’m to do this school year. It's ok, Lord, I need to hear that too...and while we're at it, can we review the Homeschool Road Trip Rules?

Lastly though, He will likely surprise me with a perspective I’m missing and help me readjust the route to "lunchtime," aka Christmas BREAK (as in, where we will actually pull off the road, shut off the car, pause the journey, and do something different for a few weeks).

So, if you need to GPS me, I'm pulled over here at the Matthew 11 Rest Area just to catch a breath.

Hey, only 40 miles till lunch.

BOOK REVIEW: Crossing the Waters

Lately I've found myself spending more time in the gospels than usual, slowing down to read them through several times before moving on with my journey through the Word. I've wanted to look more closely at Jesus, so when I saw Crossing the Waters, by Leslie Leyland Fields, I grabbed it as an intriguing book. And it is.

As the matriarch of a large Alaskan fishing family, Fields lives on the water. She faces practical challenges inherent in this life she has chosen, such as storms, scant fishing grounds, and an often-seasick youngest child. In this book, she explores how the waters in which we see stories take place in the gospel speak to spiritual issues. Making connections between events in her physical life and those the gospels speak to in our spiritual lives, she takes us along on a sort of "thinking aloud" journey.

What I enjoyed most about the book was the way Fields flashes back and forth from what she is doing in the moment (for example, cleaning nets) to Jesus and the disciples doing something similar (for example, cleaning nets). She muses as to what Jesus was actually trying to convey in His parables as she "walks them out" in real time. She even takes us on a trip to Israel and intersperses her thoughts and Jesus' words as she goes out on the very waters that He traveled.

If you are yearning for a closer look at the gospels from a unique angle, this might be just the book you are looking for. For more information on the author, go here.

I received this book free of charge from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for a fair review.

BOOK REVIEW: Fraying at the Edge

Second in "The Amish of Summer Grove" series, Fraying at the Edge delves deeply into complex issues of living faith on both sides of the line that separates believers from unbelievers.

Picking up right where Ties That Bind ended, Ariana Brenneman has agreed to live with her biological Englischer parents for one year so that the midwife who mistakenly switched her and the Brenneman's daughter at birth will not be prosecuted. Her father, a vehement atheist, seeks to broaden her worldview by insisting she experience situations that her Amish world would refuse; his hope appears to be that she will "come to her senses" and realize faith is silly and unappealing. Her mother, with whom she lives during this time, has remarried; she also gets to know her sister, who likewise does not understand Ariana's faith. Ariana tests out new ideas and activities and filters them through the Word and ways that she loves and to which she yearns to return. She also filters them through Quill Schlabach, her longtime friend now living in the Englisch world...but this is complicated by her feelings about what she perceives as his abandonment of her at a critical time in her life.

Meanwhile, Skylar Nash, the Brenneman's biological daughter, has to fulfill her part of this agreement: she is to live with them for one year in order to avoid going to rehab for her prescription drug problem. Angry and rebellious against what she feels are ridiculous Amish ways, she attempts to continue running her wayward life without the family realizing she is still using drugs. When her life crashes, she learns that her Amish family really do love her...because Jesus really does love her.

What I liked best about this book was its honest look at the deep issues of faith. Do we believe because it's something we've always been told, or is our faith real enough to transcend the allures of the world? Can we be in the world and yet not be of it? Can we truly love those whose beliefs are different--even hurtful and destructive? The book doesn't end with easy answers; Ariana is unsettled when she returns to Summer Grove. I am looking forward to seeing how she processes these issues of faith in the next book.

I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers free of charge in exchange for a fair review.

Homeschool road trip 2016

So. August 22, 2016 we began our 12th year of homeschooling. This year I have an 11th grader and a 7th grader. They're not little anymore, and homeschooling is just what we do--they don't know any different--so it should have been a no-brainer, right? Plan the curriculum, map out the lessons, pull out the books, and go. Right? 

Nope. This is probably the most complex homeschool year ever. And here we are 7 weeks into it before I make the first entry on what I feel like is supposed to be a regular journal documenting our trip. 

What makes it complex? Well, for starters, both boys have learning challenges. The 11th grader has dyslexia and is an auditory learner. The 7th grader has profound dyslexia--just diagnosed a few weeks before the end of last school year--and, compounding that, probable processing problems of which we don't yet have a clear picture. Both are being tested this month and we'll know more soon. I do know my younger son needs 3 months of remedial dyslexia tutoring before he can even start the dyslexia tutoring program---the first case of such my dyslexia-screener friend had ever encountered!  If you know our family, you would know yep, of course it would be us. 

This means curriculum choices and lesson plans didn't come easy this year. In fact, with my younger son's brand new diagnosis, I have felt like this year is pretty much schooling in the dark. How best to teach him? What subjects to emphasize? What to drop? How to make sure he's retaining what we cover? (his brain is pretty much like a sieve at this point...synapses aren't firing like they should, and information pretty much just falls out of his head). The good news is that God showed me what I needed to get the year started. I just wasn't sure how to implement it day to day. 

Second, the 11th grader is taking two community college classes because he wants to get a head start on college. In order to get professors who are understanding and patient with a dyslexic high schooler, his classes run very-early-morning and very-late-afternoon, putting us back and forth twice a day (he won't be driving till next summer).  He's navigating classrooms full of adults and exams that don't allow (at least until he's eligible for special services) for extra time or do-overs. 

There are other factors that are affecting our year, a collection of miscellany--outside commitments, life problems, and individual stressors--that have these sons needing much of me and me needing much of Jesus. 

Put all the factors together, major and minor, and you can see why, as I drove home from our church's women's retreat the day before the school year was to begin, I felt a little overwhelmed. Ok, a lot. Part of me felt like maybe I shouldn't have gone to the retreat...should have stayed home and planned and/or beached through the weekend so that they were relaxed and I was prepared. I began praying as I hit the freeway south...Lord, help me get a grip on the year here so I know what to do after breakfast tomorrow. 

And suddenly, He began speaking. All the way home, He downloaded instructions to me as I drove. This is what He gave me. No joke. 

HOMESCHOOL ROAD TRIP RULES 2016

“My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth” Psalm 121:2 (the verse I'd just been handed, randomly, at the retreat)

1. Don’t get ahead of Me, thinking you know where I’m going. You’ll make wrong turns.
2. I’ll take the turns with you.
3. Follow the road signs to YOUR destination, and stay in your own lane. Other people are going somewhere else.
4. Watch for hazards. Sometimes they’re danger...and sometimes they're just empty boxes.
5. Hills can actually be fun!  So let go and enjoy.
6. Me RV. You little car I am pulling behind. Don’t get us confused. I will pull you up steep inclines (Colossians 1:29).
7. Be patient in slow stretches; some people may not drive the way you think they should.
8. Shrug off tailgaters. Just change lanes.
9. Keep your eyes on the road, but check your rear from time to time.
10. It’s ok to slow down when traffic gets heavy.
11. Keep a travel log. The journey is worth remembering!
12. I’ve gone ahead of you every single mile. I’ll clear the way before you and bring you safely to the end of the trip.

Driving is the MOST IMPORTANT thing you’re doing for the next 9 months. You can’t do anything that take your eyes off the road, because you will lose your pace and could wreck everyone in your car.

Yes, He really spoke all this to me as I drove home. By the time I pulled up in front of my house I had no specific curriculum or lesson plan ideas, but I had a heart full of peace.

No, we have not had an easy start this year. No, it is not going to be a routine year. There is no taking anything for granted this year or coasting on past laurels. But what IS promised is His presence, protection, provision, and path. And that's enough.

So, because He said to keep a travel log, I'm going to blog the year. Go ahead and take the journey with us. I know you will see God's faithfulness to us, and hopefully it will encourage you for whatever road stretches ahead of you.

BOOK REVIEW: Catching Heat

Catching Heat, the third installment in the "Cold Case Justice" series by Janice Cantore is a thrilling read. Picking up soon after Burning Proof ended, we find Detective Abby Hart, and P.I. Jake Murphy finally working together in an official capacity on the Cold Case Task Force of the Long Beach Police Department. Along with their beloved friend, retired detective Robert "Woody" Woods, the three take on two cases while all the while seeking to solve a third: the role of the governor's wife, Alyssa Rollins, in the murder of Abby's parents and Luke's uncle. All three cases converge in central California, where much of the book takes place. As Luke and Abby begin to acknowledge their feelings towards and to each other, Woody provides fond comedic relief.

What I have enjoyed most about the Cold Case Justice series are the side plots. In Catching Heat, I especially found interesting the case of Stuart and Victoria Napier. Both pointing the finger at the other for the murder of their children--while Victoria obsessively seeks Stuart's whereabouts and Stuart just as obsessively tries to anticipate and avoid detection--the couple is a macabre portrait in whodunit. I think the subplots add backbone to the ongoing thread of the Triple Seven murder investigation.

I received a free copy of this book from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for a fair review. For more on the author, go here.

BOOK REVIEW: Saffire

Set in the crowded, humid streets of Panama in the early 1900s, Saffire, by Sigmund Brouwer, captures machinations of political intrigue that wrested a country from the hands of another...only to threaten it with even further instability. 

James Holt, a cowboy from the Dakotas, comes to Panama at the request of his friend and President Teddy Roosevelt. Sent on a seemingly straightforward mission, Holt finds himself caught up in the schemes of a man desperate to hide his past deceit by creating future smokescreens. He also finds himself in love with a woman betrothed to an evil man...and protector of a young girl who yet appears to need no protection. 

The story is splendidly told, but I personally had a difficult time grabbing hold of the plot as the story began. I had to reread a few pages a couple of times and still couldn't make the connections.The main character was always a few steps ahead of me, to my frustration, and, conversely, sometimes the rationale for characters' actions didn't make sense to me. However, by the final few chapters I was up to speed, and the epilogue weaves all the loose threads together. I can close the book with appreciation for the writer's ability to weave a tale that isn't simple or predictable. Well done. 

I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah free of charge in exchange for a fair review. 

For more on this title, go here.

BOOK REVIEW: Eden Hill

Can I even say this loud enough? EDEN HILL NEEDS TO BE A SERIES! 

I loved this book. Told in a down to earth voice, with simple, old fashioned, believable characters, Eden Hill by Bill Higgs brings to life a very small town. Issues of big-city business and civil rights arise in the town, but the reader sees them through the eyes of those who, without the outside influence of corporate America and sit-ins, don't really understand quite what they are. Therefore, they are handled as personal issues rather than social ones. The conflicts between different characters highlight our human tendency to build ourselves up rather than serve each other's best interests, but the mediation of the a wise pastor and the power of the Holy Spirit bring resolution. 

I did not want to leave this town when the book was over. In a world such as ours, with so many loud and complicated conflicts swirling around us, it is good to be reminded that faith and family are really the basic foundations for whatever storms rage. Then, and now. 

I received this book for free from Tyndale Publishing Company in exchange for a fair review. 

To learn more about the author, go here.

BOOK REVIEW: Miriam

I've never quite understood Miriam, though I've read the Bible many times. To me she seemed like a woman who had good intentions, but got sideswiped by jealousy a few times. As do we all. After all, it must have been hard to live in Moses' shadow.

I looked eagerly to the opportunity to delve into a (granted, fictionalized) historical account of her life through Miriam, by well-known Christian author Mesu Andrews. I did indeed find myself looking at the time of the plaques in Egypt (the book ends with the deliverance at the Red Sea) through her eyes, and the book made a believable case for her mixed feelings about her brother. I enjoyed also seeing the addition of Hoshea (Joshua) to the story; also a believable character who, I realized, surely was close to Moses' family prior to the Exodus. And I'm thankful to Andrews for painting no one in the story as blameless--including Aaron, Moses and Miriam's brother. Even then, ministry families had their rough spots!

The story is delightful and very rich with behind-the-scenes-this-could-have-been-what-happened events. The only thing I had a difficult time with was that the events seemed drawn out more slowly than necessary. I found myself, especially near the end, wanting the plot to move more quickly. Minor details, such as what the dog was doing in every scene, made me feel like I was trudging a bit through the story. Other readers might not have this experience; it may have just been personal for me.

However, I feel like I understand better who Miriam could have been, and how she got to her insubordinate behaviors later on. Although she resolved her gentle, precious relationship with Yahweh during the book, the events in the wilderness would surely try everyone's humanity!

I received this book free of charge from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for a fair review. To learn more about the author, go here.

BOOK REVIEW: Having a Martha Home the Mary Way

Normally when I read a book for review purposes, I try to get the review done within 30 days. It's just fair. But this book, Having a Martha Home the Mary Way, I needed to get under my skin. I needed a big life change in the way I keep my house. So, I lived the book, completing each day's written and practical tasks; but (embarrassed face) it took me way more than 31 days. It actually took me (embarrassed face) about three months.

Now, be kind to me. First of all, my house isn't a hoarder's paradise or a clutterer's camp. My kitchen, bathroom, and living room are generally picked up. My kids each have daily chores, the laundry basket rarely overflows, and bedding gets changed on a regular basis. I've just found it hard to get to the beyond-the-superficial stuff because of those darn kids and our busy schedules. And, sometimes, laziness. Laziness is real when you're tired.

Second, we not only were finishing up a tough homeschool year, we were also in the midst of wedding planning (our second in 10 months), so there were days at a stretch when I didn't have time to sit down and read, journal, and clean. But that's just the point of the book: life happens, so give yourself a break and live it. To paraphrase Jesus, the laundry you will always have with you; weddings you will not.

I think I may adore Sarah Mae, because she made me WANT to make changes in my home. She helped me create a vision for what I want my home to look like and figure out day by day (or, day by every few days) simple, progressive ways to get there. After going through this book and making its principles my new reality, my house is shaping up and it's just onward from here. Best of all, the wedding's over (it was beautiful, thanks for asking), school is out, and the household schedule settled.

If you would like to know more about Sarah Mae, go here.

I received this book free of charge from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for a fair (if tardy) review.

BOOK REVIEW: How May We Hate You?

Because my son and daughter-in-law both work in the hospitality industry (at two different hotels), this title intrigued me. My daughter-in-law especially has many times expressed how stressful it can be to meet the needs of difficult guests (which she does extremely well). After reading How May We Hate You? by Anna Drezen and Todd Dakotah Brescoe, I now understand.

The authors, both actors who have worked as concierges at New York City hotels, use their comedic gifts to give us an inside look at how hotel employees see those of us who come through their doors. Taking on subjects such as how clean your room really isn't, whether housekeepers truly do steal your stuff while you're out seeing the city, and what requests employees can or never will accommodate, Drezen and Brescoe have done a great job of lightheartedly exposing truth.

The book is a quick read, formatted in short (1-2 page) narratives interspersed with bursts of infographics and comics. There are transcripts of real interactions with difficult guests, as well as "Actually Helpful" sections that give the reader genuine tips on travelling and hotel stays.

What I appreciated about the book was the authors' decision to keep all guests and hotel names confidential. This book is not an expose, out to slam and embarrass anyone. Further, my sense is that both of them are thankful for their jobs (especially since said jobs have provided material for a book!) and the opportunity to help guests, especially those who make kind requests and treat them with respect. What is disappointing is the general sense of entitlement from so many hotel guests and how poorly they believe they can treat employees.

I received this book free of charge in exchange for a fair review.

BOOK REVIEW: Saving My Assassin

Saving My Assassin, by Virginia Prodan, is a testament to courageous faith. As an attorney in Communist Romania under the brutal reign of Nicolae Ceausescu, she defended Christians targeted for minor offenses regarding the practice of their faith. Standing on the country's already-existing laws (laws the dictator had to abide by in order to maintain an alliance with the United States), she nonetheless angered government officials who wanted to silence those who dared to believe in the God of the Bible, rather than the god of the country.

As Prodan began to attract international media attention for her cases, the opposition to her actions grew. Continuing to defend her clients despite being detained, assaulted and threatened, the author finally found herself face to face and very alone with a man Ceausescu sent to kill her. What happens next is simply a mighty demonstration of God's desire that none perish, but all come to repentance.

Journeying with the author as she recalls her painful upbringing and how it brought her to saving faith in Jesus, I had difficulty putting the book down. Her life is indeed an example of just how much God can do with a life surrendered to His will...and His sovereign protection.

I received this book free in exchange for a fair review. For more information on the author, go here.

BOOK REVIEW: Eating in the Middle

I've never reviewed a cookbook before, but lately I've been looking for some good-tasting, easy recipes for my house full of men (and one almost-daughter-in-law). I've also been looking for how to keep from piling on pounds prior to aforementioned almost-wedding. Voila!  Eating in the Middle, by Andie Mitchell.

First, I really enjoyed sitting down to read the author's personal stories and thoughts. Not having read her book It Was Me All Along, I was curious to find out more about her life. Highly encouraging!

Then, I went though the book marking recipes I not only wanted to try, but felt were reasonable to try in terms of my time and the reality of how tired I often am at the end of a day. I was surprised at how many pages I marked!

Lastly, I made a couple of the recipes last week to see if they 1) were as easy as they looked and 2) tasted as good as they promised. I made the Chicken with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Feta, as well as the Lemon Herb Fish and Crispy Oven Fries. Both dishes turned out fantastic, and my family was happy. Voila!

Happy me, happy family.

For more on this book, go here. I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for a fair review.

BOOK REVIEW: Night Driving

When growing up Christian was just what you did, attending Christian conferences and singing Christian songs and reading Christian books and hanging out with Christian friends, life was easy. Those around you shaped your walk with Jesus and almost scripted how it would go with Christianese words to describe the pitfalls and peaks along the way. But once you reach early adulthood and nothing is scripted anymore, what do you do when suddenly you're at a loss for the God you thought you knew? Is something wrong with you when you no longer feel Him?

Addie Zierman, in her new book, "Night Driving," takes us along an honest, transparent, literal road trip that symbolizes the spiritual road trip her life is taking with or without her. A follow up to "When We Were on Fire" (here's my review), the book details her winter minivan trip with her two young sons from Minnesota to Florida in search of sun and that old "fire." Like most events to which we attach expectations, the trip falls short in some ways...but in the most important ways, she finds just what she needed.

I appreciate Zierman's honesty and am thankful for her willingness to lay her heart bare for those going through similar seasons with God. She reminds me that the answers to faith issues are not always scripted. Not only do I need to know that for my own life, but I need to remember it for others'.

I received this book free of charge from "Blogging for Books" in exchange for an impartial review. For more information on Addie Zierman, go here.

BOOK REVIEW: Five Days at Memorial

What a superb work of investigative journalism!

"Five Days at Memorial," by Sheri Fink, takes an excruciatingly honest look inside New Orleans' Memorial Hospital in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Beset by flooding, power failures, extreme heat, and a plethora of miscommunications with rescue personnel from a variety of organizations, doctors had to make unheard of decisions regarding patient care. Unfortunately, some of those decisions were truly horrific.

More than just a recounting of facts, Fink delves deeper into the issues of medical ethics during catastrophic failures of infrastructure. With limited resources, how exactly are doctors to determine which of their patients should be rescued first? Should it be the able-bodied with the best outlook for survival? Or the most fragile, even if transporting them in such condition could put them at greater risk? Without clear policies and procedures, some of the medical staff at Memorial made decisions that would later put them before a grand jury to face charges of manslaughter.

You will not be able to read this book without making a judgment call as to what you believe to be the way to best honor the lives most vulnerable in a natural disaster. As for me, I found myself horrified at the audacity of Dr Anna Pou, who led the lethal injections of patients she deemed too difficult to evacuate--even as helicopters arrived outside.

Sheri Fink has done an outstanding job with this book, and I believe she has honored everyone who was a patient of Memorial Hospital for those five days with a transparent and thorough account of the chaos.

I received a copy of this book free of charge from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers in exchange for a fair review.

BOOK REVIEW: Burning Proof

If you're looking for a fast-paced page-turner with a solid plot, pick up Janice Cantore's latest novel in the Cold Case Justice series, Burning Proof for a few days (or less, depending on how quickly you read). The sequel to Drawing Fire, this book finds Long Beach Police Department detective Abby Hart still trying to solve the mystery of the Triple Seven murders that killed her mother and Long Beach PI Luke Murphy's uncle. As this plot line unfolds during the book, Abby also finds herself drawn into a cold case Murphy is working with his partner, Woody.

However, before she can effectively do either of the above, Abby has to struggle with professional trauma and burnout after she pulls the trigger in an officer-involved shooting. Questioning her ability to even continue in law enforcement, she retreats to her aunt's home in Oregon. While there, however, she also has to face the unresolved relationship with Ethan, her boyfriend...especially since her feelings for Luke Murphy grow stronger every day.

With plenty of interesting twists and turns as realistic characters work out realistic crimes, this book is both suspenseful and heartwarming. It ends with some big questions answered and others hanging in mid-air for the next Cantore novel. I can't wait!

I received this book free of charge from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for a fair review.

BOOK REVIEW: He Wanted the Moon

This is one of the most unique books I have read in a long time. He Wanted the Moon, by Mimi Baird, is at the same time a biography, a psychiatric case study, and the lifelong achievement of a daughter's goal to connect with the father she never knew. 

Dr. Perry Baird, a noted dermatologist, had his life demolished by bipolar disorder, or, as it was called back in the 1940s, manic depressive psychosis. A multi-honored graduate of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Baird had a successful private practice and a young family when he began to experience manic episodes that led to repeated forced hospitalizations. Subjected to brutal treatment in several hospitals--including weeks of continuous immobilization in ice cold wraps and straightjackets--he lost his wife and family through divorce. While experiencing the loss of colleagues' friendships and the revocation of his medical license, Baird nevertheless sought to write down the internal narrative of his illness and treatments so as to preserve it for medical history. More than anything, he sought to help scientists understand the manic experience so that a cure could be found. He left a jumbled manuscript that records his life during a particularly difficult eight month period in 1944-45. 

Meanwhile, Baird's oldest daughter Mimi was seeking to understand why her father went away and never returned. Her mother divorced Dr. Baird early on in his psychiatric struggles and remained silent when Mimi inquired as to where her father had disappeared. It wasn't until her 50s that Mimi found the clues that would unlock the story of her life, and over the next 20 years she would painstakingly complete her father's work. 

As someone who worked for nearly 20 years in a psychiatric hospital, I found this book particularly compelling. It is sad to read about the outdated methods of dealing with bipolar disorder before lithium was discovered (just shortly after Baird's struggles with the disease), especially the prolonged, cruel physical restraint. I find the subjective accounts of Dr. Baird's manic episodes to resonate strongly with what I experienced in working with such patients. And the threads of this father-daughter tapestry add a dimension to the book that wraps it up in a fullness of emotion. 

I received a free copy of this book for review purposes from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers. 

BOOK REVIEW: Lights Out

"It would be the ultimate irony if the most connected, the most media-saturated population in history failed to disseminate the most elementary survival plan until the power was out and it no longer had the capacity to do so." 

In Lights Out, Ted Koppel gives a compelling, thorough overview of Americans' naivete and lack of preparation for a cyberattack that could disrupt the country's power grid in a catastrophic manner. Shocking in its reveal of avoidance and utter helplessness among the very agencies we would expect to be preparing for such an attack, he interviews numerous science, security, and military experts for their assessments and recommendations. Threading through these interviews is a consistent theme: we are not ready for that. 
This book should be distributed to our President, Cabinet members, and Congress. Leading members of agencies that would be directly involved in assisting Americans through a disaster lasting weeks, perhaps months, should familiarize themselves with the facts and warnings Koppel has worked so hard to gather in these pages. Then they should take heed and prepare. 

As for me, I am thankful for the wake up call. While I can't prepare on as a large a scale as some individuals and groups described in the book, I can step back and plan, with my family, what we would do for at least two weeks if the electricity failed in our city. 

I received this book free of charge from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers in exchange for a fair review. 

BOOK REVIEW: You're the One That I Want

What fan of the passionate, complicated Christiansen family isn't going to be excited that the sixth book of the series is hitting bookshelves? I can't wait to catch up with this amazing family as they conquer a new set of very honest, very believable struggles--and this book does not disappoint. 

In "You're the One That I Want," author Susan May Warren re-connects us with Owen Christensen, who has been missing in action since his regrettable fight with brother Casper at sister Eden's wedding. Oh yeah, remember that? While Casper has put his engagement to Owen's former girlfriend Raina (oh yeah, remember that?) on hold to search for his wayward brother, Owen has run from one city to another to flee his constant feelings of guilt and failure. Ending up on a crab boat in the Bering Sea, Owen impulsively jumps overboard to rescue Scotty, the new girl he has his eyes on--and almost dies in the process. When the brothers are reunited in Owen's hospital room, Scotty quickly sees the problems between them and is about to get as far away from them as possible. But a bit of a legal glitch--murder, actually--loops her into the Christiansen fold, and we're off and running through the pages to another gripping story of redemption among very real characters who, like all of us real people, fall short of it. 

I grabbed the opportunity for a free copy of this book from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for a fair review. 

For more on this book, and to download the first chapter for free, go here. While you're at it, peruse Warren's other series; you'll want to run through them too! 

BOOK REVIEW: Under Our Skin

Ferguson. Perhaps many in this country had never known of this city in Missouri before last summer. Suddenly, Darren Wilson and Michael Brown were household names, and many people debated for and against one and the other...their opinions on the situation perhaps determined by the color of the opinionee's skin.

Into this cacophony of strong emotions and words came a Facebook post by NFL tight end Benjamin Watson, after the grand jury voted not to indict Officer Wilson for Brown's shooting. The post, expressing strong emotions and yet seasoned wisdom, went viral. In Under Our Skin, Watson takes each point from his post and expands it, weaving in anecdotal information from his father and grandfather as well as his own experiences as a black man in 21st century America.

I found Brown's book to be thoughtful, balanced, and kind. He stands in the shoes of those on either side of the race problem (because it is still a problem today), both describing what the world looks like from that vantage point as well as how each view is faulty. He does this without anger or accusation.

The chapter "Fearful and Confused" was probably my biggest takeaway from this book. Watson describes the constant background fear for many black men, sometimes grounded in reality and sometimes not, of negative--perhaps even deadly--interactions with white police officers. Although he is an upstanding, educated Christian man who has a recognizable face from Sunday football and does not choose to violate the law, a simple police stop breeds a fight-or-flight response. This helps me to understand why I look at the news clips on my TV and see that yet again, another black teen or man has fled from what could have been a simple few moments of compliance with a law enforcement officer. My not understanding this to this point in my life is humbling. I get it now.

The solution, according to Watson? The gospel. Jesus' blood ran red for skin of all different hues, and the ground is even at the cross. We each need to admit that we are sinners in need of a Savior. Once we are set right with God, He transforms minds and hearts to bring unity. I agree.

The book ends with some practical suggestions to bridge the gap between races. We can start in our own neighborhoods and workplaces to step across lines of color and begin understanding.

If you would like more information about the book, you can visit the website here.

I received this book free of charge from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for a fair review.

What the devil doesn't want you to know

In Matthew chapter 4, satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness. He repeatedly challenges Jesus, "IF You are the Son of God..." do this, that, or the other thing. Plenty of Bible studies exist on this segment of Scripture, but I would just point you to--satan knows Jesus IS the Son of God. 

This is the first mention of Jesus as the Son of God in the gospel of Matthew. 

The second mention comes in chapter 8. This time it's the demons in the man from Gadarenes (a lot of them--legion refers to a Roman troop of 5,000 soldiers) who address Jesus as the Son of God:

 “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted." (Matthew 8:29)

Interestingly, the Pharisees accuse Jesus of casting out demons by the power of satan. They don't believe Jesus is the Son of God...but the demons He is casting out do. 

If satan knows Jesus is the Son of God...and so do the demons...why are we so often unbelieving of the power this represents? Two thousand years after these exchanges between Jesus and the demons, we're still debating and denying His true identity because satan knows once we really, really get this--he's defeated. 

One of the devil's best kept secrets...don't let him get away with it. 

Jesus, I believe afresh today that You are the Son of God. I believe You hold all authority in the spiritual realm. I believe that with a word You dispel demons and make the afflicted whole. I believe You are in the midst of my family, a mighty warrior to save and fight for us. I freely and newly give You Lordship over my life, worshiping You as Almighty God.