Christians LOVE to say a book, movie or song has Christianity in it. You could probably pick out a lot of songs and find some sort of spiritual correlation. Watch different movies and you can start to see how the on-screen relationships may mirror that of ours with God. Read books and see how the different characters represent the trinity. We look so hard to find some sort of symbolism or meaning. Why do we do this? It's almost embarrassing to surf the Internet and see all the reviews of different songs and movies. Most people say there are Christian themes in certain books or songs. While others may rant and rave the themes are as close to satanic as it can get.
Can you really say something has a Christian theme if the authors had no intentions of portraying that? Sure, we can say there are parallels but that doesn't seem to make it a Christian song or movie. It's like comparing apples and oranges, they're both fruit and they both grow in trees. Those similarities don't make them the same thing.
I bring this up as we are going through the Harry Potter movie series (enter groan here for all you haters). It's actually one of the best movies series I've watched as each movie has done a great job keeping the quality of the story line and development of characters interesting. I'm ashamed to say I haven't read the books...yet. Back on topic. I know most Christians despise this series saying the magic and witches are satanic.
There are several viewers who have likened many plot lines and characters from Harry Potter to things in The Bible. This was also true with The Lord of the Ring series. Now I know J.R.R. Tolkien was a Catholic and friend of C.S. Lewis and he supposedly included Christian themes in his writings. I wonder though, were those his intentions? It would seem so. If he was fashioning plot lines, characters and stories after his life experiences and imagination wouldn't that incorporate his belief system?
After wondering why so many Christians work so hard to make things "Christian-themed" I had a thought, "What if that's just the result of God being who he is?" God is everywhere, he designed this giant rock we live on. He created humans who have relationships and function in certain ways. He has set up life to have certain norms and consistencies, society and human nature follow a somewhat cyclical pattern.
Now I can't say God created evil, that's a discussion for another time. So to say evil things in books are of God is not what I'm implying, evil is reality however. The battle between good and evil will always exist until Jesus comes for the encore presentation. So why is that bad to see in a movie or read about in a book? There are limitations, grey areas, blurred lines for certain things. I've wondered off topic a bit here.
Do Christians work too hard to put Christ into everything or is that just the nature of who God is, he can just show up anywhere?
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Reading
This is probably going to be boring for most but I want to blog and am having a momentary block on what to write about. Most know I love to read. For a while most of my fiction entertainment was in the form of children's books. Even through college I read children's novels for one of my children's lit classes more than any other text book. So once I stopped teaching I started dipping into several adult books. I even started a book club with several friends and have enjoyed it immensely. The great thing about the book club is everyone gets to choose a book for one month and while I don't necessarily like every book we read, I'm glad it's getting me to read some I wouldn't normally pick on my own.
Some of my favorites: The Help, The 19th Wife, Freakanomics, The Glass Castle, Half Broke Horses (prequel to Glass Castle), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Society, The Road, The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Some of my 'they-were-ok' books: Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, The Poisonwood Bible (really it was just the ending), Best Friends Forever, Falling Leaves, The Book Thief, The Zookeeper's wife, Three Cups of Tea, The Islander.
What are you reading? What are some favorites or not-so-favorites?
Some of my favorites: The Help, The 19th Wife, Freakanomics, The Glass Castle, Half Broke Horses (prequel to Glass Castle), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Society, The Road, The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Some of my 'they-were-ok' books: Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, The Poisonwood Bible (really it was just the ending), Best Friends Forever, Falling Leaves, The Book Thief, The Zookeeper's wife, Three Cups of Tea, The Islander.
What are you reading? What are some favorites or not-so-favorites?
Monday, August 1, 2011
Final Thoughts on Potty Training
I want to say we're done with potty training, well the training part anyway. I think we're on the maintenance portion now. We've taught her what she needs to know and now we help her stay dry and clean. The clean part is a little harder sometimes but she can hold it longer but she's getting better. This past weekend we had two full days of her staying dry. That includes waking up dry.
We're still using the pull-ups at church, nap time and night time until we're more confident in her willingness to tell us she has to go. Although she's getting better in that regards too. She's been more inclined to use the bathroom when we're out in a restaurant or store.
So, my final thoughts.
First of all, if you have absolutely no clue how to go about this potty training thing like I did, read up BEFORE you start. I checked out a book after we had already started and as I read through it I kept thinking, "man I wish I had known that before starting all of this. That makes so much more sense." For example focusing on staying dry and clean and not on just using, or sitting on, the potty
B: Don't give up too quickly. I heard from a lot of my friends that they fully potty trained their kids in like two weeks flat. Even other people who said it only took 3 days. Well it's taken us 4 weeks to get to where we are today and I know others who have taken even longer. It's that same ol' saying "every kid is different."
3: Naked is awesome! It's the best method I mean. Letting your kids run naked while at home really seems to help them make the quick association of needing to pee or poop and doing it on the potty. If nothing else it will help you get some quick initial successes.
Lastly, have every single trick in your bag, ready to use and start thinking up new ones. I have never had to use so many tricks to help Hadley be successful. Along with this goes patience. We started using M&M's as a reward, then it turned into playing in the water in the sink, then it went to fruit snacks, now she has all 3 rewards to choose from! She also likes to get behind the shower curtain afterward and then pull it back saying, "Ta Da!" The biggest roadblock for us was getting Hadley to want to tell us she had to go pee. She knew she had to before it happened, she was just too busy playing so we used tricks to make it happen. This created habit and now I think we're finally on the downward slope.
I'm tempted to say, ok ok maybe she wasn't really ready if we had to work so hard to get her to stop playing to use the potty. The thing is we knew she knew how to she just had more important things to be doing at the time so we had to teach her to take potty breaks in between. While most people say don't push I think there is a fine line of working against your child's will and making it a traumatizing experience.
Sure just about any kid may do it faster and easier the older they are. So if there are people who think we started too early, whatev. We did it! I feel like she's got it down and now just needs to practice, practice, practice. I know we'll still have accidents. My initial thoughts when starting was she'd be fully self-sufficient and then we could say she's potty trained. I think I was wrong to have that expectation though.
When I say we're done, I don't have to worry too much about her just peeing in her underwear anymore. It might happen once in a while but she's gotten better at knowing when to go and we're consistent in reminding her. I imagine, as I've witnessed with other kids, you remind for quite a while. I think Jon still reminds me to go before we leave the house.
We're still using the pull-ups at church, nap time and night time until we're more confident in her willingness to tell us she has to go. Although she's getting better in that regards too. She's been more inclined to use the bathroom when we're out in a restaurant or store.
So, my final thoughts.
First of all, if you have absolutely no clue how to go about this potty training thing like I did, read up BEFORE you start. I checked out a book after we had already started and as I read through it I kept thinking, "man I wish I had known that before starting all of this. That makes so much more sense." For example focusing on staying dry and clean and not on just using, or sitting on, the potty
B: Don't give up too quickly. I heard from a lot of my friends that they fully potty trained their kids in like two weeks flat. Even other people who said it only took 3 days. Well it's taken us 4 weeks to get to where we are today and I know others who have taken even longer. It's that same ol' saying "every kid is different."
3: Naked is awesome! It's the best method I mean. Letting your kids run naked while at home really seems to help them make the quick association of needing to pee or poop and doing it on the potty. If nothing else it will help you get some quick initial successes.
Lastly, have every single trick in your bag, ready to use and start thinking up new ones. I have never had to use so many tricks to help Hadley be successful. Along with this goes patience. We started using M&M's as a reward, then it turned into playing in the water in the sink, then it went to fruit snacks, now she has all 3 rewards to choose from! She also likes to get behind the shower curtain afterward and then pull it back saying, "Ta Da!" The biggest roadblock for us was getting Hadley to want to tell us she had to go pee. She knew she had to before it happened, she was just too busy playing so we used tricks to make it happen. This created habit and now I think we're finally on the downward slope.
I'm tempted to say, ok ok maybe she wasn't really ready if we had to work so hard to get her to stop playing to use the potty. The thing is we knew she knew how to she just had more important things to be doing at the time so we had to teach her to take potty breaks in between. While most people say don't push I think there is a fine line of working against your child's will and making it a traumatizing experience.
Sure just about any kid may do it faster and easier the older they are. So if there are people who think we started too early, whatev. We did it! I feel like she's got it down and now just needs to practice, practice, practice. I know we'll still have accidents. My initial thoughts when starting was she'd be fully self-sufficient and then we could say she's potty trained. I think I was wrong to have that expectation though.
When I say we're done, I don't have to worry too much about her just peeing in her underwear anymore. It might happen once in a while but she's gotten better at knowing when to go and we're consistent in reminding her. I imagine, as I've witnessed with other kids, you remind for quite a while. I think Jon still reminds me to go before we leave the house.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Mirror, Mirror on the wall....pt. 2
' This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel says; Reform your ways and your actions and I will let you live in this place.' (Jer. 7:3) Jeremiah saw all kinds of sin infiltrating the church in his day and no one showed remorse. It seems that even today as a church not only do we not show remorse, but we justify, defend, and with greater purpose continue in that sin.
Matthew 7:1-2 is where Jesus is teaching the sermon on the mount. A vast majority of his listeners were Pharisees who created their own laws and regulations and strayed from the scriptures and rejected the teachings of Christ. "Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Perhaps the Pharisees used even great standards (or so they thought) than what was given in the scriptures.
From what I've heard, and learned, we can and should be judging or speaking the truth according to the absolute truths presented in scripture, nothing else. Yes, there is a lot of stuff that can be interpreted differently so maybe those interpretations are not the absolute truths?
Here are a few questions the authors brought up in Moments With You, emphasis mine because it hurt:
- Why is the divorce rate inside the Church nearly identical to the divorce rate outside the Church?
- Why do so many Christian men perform aggressively at work yet remain disengaged and passive at home?
- Why do so many Christians say their secular job is their ministry but then show so little fruit for their efforts?
- Why do Christians talk about family values while their lifestyles are virtually identical to the average non-Christian?
- Why do so few Christians possess confidence that they are on a divine mission?
- Why do less than 10 percent of all Christians regularly tell others about God’s forgiveness through Christ?
- If Jesus really changes lives, why do 50 million Americans claiming to be born again have such a marginal impact on society?
Why are we so afraid to hold each other to the standard God has laid out for us? Aren't we to be fulfilling the Great Commission? Yes we need to offer compassion and grace so that should be incorporated within sharing the truth. People are not going to notice us, more importantly Jesus in us, if we don't live to the standards of the Bible. Church, let's grow up, get out of our comfort zones, and allow Jesus to change lives through us!
Are you looking in the mirror? What truth do you need to hear? What truth do you need to share with someone else?
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Mirror, Mirror on the wall....pt. 1
Our life group (aka bible study group) is going through a couples devotional book, Moments with You. I have to admit some of it is a bit cheesy and includes your classical "churchese" topics but I will say it has held the couples in our group accountable to spend time with their spouse discussing, reading and praying about what God has in store for their lives and marriage, DAILY.
One topic that was recently discussed in the book is speaking the truth to friends, or holding a mirror to them. This one has really stuck with me as I've been convicted the more I grow in my faith we are to hold each other accountable for our thoughts and actions as Christians. I don't mean passing judgement as I feel judgement is followed by a consequence and condemnation. Being truthful to your friends requires love, patience, and gentleness, but it also requires a certain strength. The motivations of speaking the truth is to bring about transformation so the other is brought closer to God. Although after I write those last few sentences I wonder, "are we too afraid of judgement to allow ourselves to judge each other (within the church)?" Yes God is the ultimate judge, but aren't we the children of God, the heirs to his throne? Should we not be keeping each other in line so as not to bring ruin to the family, especially (and only if) those standards are clearly biblical? This is a place I need to explore more scripture on.
I've always been afraid to speak the truth to others for fear of rejection and offending them. However, as I've grown in my knowledge of who God is, who he wants his children to be, and the revolution he wants to see started by his kingdom I've learned a few things. God wants us to care about each other and help each other grow, offense is the bait of Satan, defensiveness is immature, love knows no bounds, grace is sufficient, change is good, being uncomfortable is great, relying on God to work through us is even better.
I haven't always been good at listening and acting upon the truth others have brought to light in my life. I feel like I'm getting better and hope that my friends and family present the truth to me in areas where I might need to work on. I always hope their motives are to bring me closer to God and not just to point out the annoyances so I work to do the same for others. I certainly have learned becoming defensive or angry about what they say makes me a worse person and if I'm confident I'm following scripture what is there to defend?
Where are you in your journey to speak the truth to yourself and to others? What about others speaking the truth to you?
More to come tomorrow.....
One topic that was recently discussed in the book is speaking the truth to friends, or holding a mirror to them. This one has really stuck with me as I've been convicted the more I grow in my faith we are to hold each other accountable for our thoughts and actions as Christians. I don't mean passing judgement as I feel judgement is followed by a consequence and condemnation. Being truthful to your friends requires love, patience, and gentleness, but it also requires a certain strength. The motivations of speaking the truth is to bring about transformation so the other is brought closer to God. Although after I write those last few sentences I wonder, "are we too afraid of judgement to allow ourselves to judge each other (within the church)?" Yes God is the ultimate judge, but aren't we the children of God, the heirs to his throne? Should we not be keeping each other in line so as not to bring ruin to the family, especially (and only if) those standards are clearly biblical? This is a place I need to explore more scripture on.
I've always been afraid to speak the truth to others for fear of rejection and offending them. However, as I've grown in my knowledge of who God is, who he wants his children to be, and the revolution he wants to see started by his kingdom I've learned a few things. God wants us to care about each other and help each other grow, offense is the bait of Satan, defensiveness is immature, love knows no bounds, grace is sufficient, change is good, being uncomfortable is great, relying on God to work through us is even better.
I haven't always been good at listening and acting upon the truth others have brought to light in my life. I feel like I'm getting better and hope that my friends and family present the truth to me in areas where I might need to work on. I always hope their motives are to bring me closer to God and not just to point out the annoyances so I work to do the same for others. I certainly have learned becoming defensive or angry about what they say makes me a worse person and if I'm confident I'm following scripture what is there to defend?
Where are you in your journey to speak the truth to yourself and to others? What about others speaking the truth to you?
More to come tomorrow.....
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Sewing
I've been interested in focusing more on sewing lately. I've got a few quilts in mind I'd like to work on and some dresses for Hadley and/or her friends. I'd really like to get to a point where most sewing situations whether fixing seams or creating something new, is like second nature. I'm not really sure why. I think some times it has the stereo type of being an old lady thing to do, but I enjoy doing it. I think it's a useful skill to have. I always think it would be fun to create stuff and sell it but then I feel like there's not really a big market for hand-made stuff anymore. Target sells nice stuff for much cheaper than I can make it usually and that's just comparing the price of the fabric, it doesn't usually include labor (which I don't always charge for anyway, I just appreciate the practice). I definitely appreciate the friends and family who have humored me as I've passed on some of my projects as gifts.
I would totally love to help people sew things for their nurseries or kids bedrooms or whatever would be useful but I know it's hard to pay the money for an amateur. So off I go to get more practice and hone the skill.
Seriously though....if anyone reading this would ever like something done, just ask and we'll see what we can do! I would totally love to do it! I'll hold off on doing anything like a wedding dress though. ;)
I would totally love to help people sew things for their nurseries or kids bedrooms or whatever would be useful but I know it's hard to pay the money for an amateur. So off I go to get more practice and hone the skill.
Seriously though....if anyone reading this would ever like something done, just ask and we'll see what we can do! I would totally love to do it! I'll hold off on doing anything like a wedding dress though. ;)
Thursday, July 14, 2011
It just might work
This potty training thing. We've continued to let her run around in her birthday suit while we're at home. Just today she went #2 for the first time and then twice she was playing in another room and took herself to the bathroom unprompted. She did the whole process by herself and didn't call me in until she was washing her hands. Awesome!
Now the big conundrum.....how do we help her keep her underpants dry? We've let her wear her cotton ones around the house a few times but she inevitably wets them. I think she still has this mentality of I can pee of I have something covering my butt. I'm thinking we may try getting real underwear instead of the training pants since they are a little thinner and see if that helps. She'll let us know when she's peed in her training pants so she definitely doesn't like it but I'm still at a loss as to how to transition. I guess maybe you just do it and they'll get it.
Onward and upward!
Now the big conundrum.....how do we help her keep her underpants dry? We've let her wear her cotton ones around the house a few times but she inevitably wets them. I think she still has this mentality of I can pee of I have something covering my butt. I'm thinking we may try getting real underwear instead of the training pants since they are a little thinner and see if that helps. She'll let us know when she's peed in her training pants so she definitely doesn't like it but I'm still at a loss as to how to transition. I guess maybe you just do it and they'll get it.
Onward and upward!
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