Good question. It's a divine mystery that makes today's celebration all the more amazing. That God came down in the form of a newborn babe.
1. The Cross of Christ by John Stott
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2. The Ancient Ship by Zhang Wei
3. Radical Womanhood by Carolyn McCulley
4. Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult
5. Confessions of a Reformission Rev by Mark Driscoll
6. No Graven Image by Elisabeth Elliot
7. Home From the Vinyl Cafe by Stuart McLean
8. The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jesse Wise
9. The Power of Play by David Elkind
10. Stuart Little by EB White
Marginalized as the Pro-Life movement may be in this country, it seems like they represent the values of your average Canadian more clearly. At least if this award means anything. Keep up the good work ladies!
Since there have been no (!!!) guesses on which books I've quoted from in yesterday's book meme, I thought I would help out and tell which hint belongs to which quote (in brackets):
1. One of these is popular amongst homeshcoolers. (#8)
2. One of these originated on a popular Canadian radio show. (#7)
3. One of these was this author's only work of fiction. (#6)
4. One of these is taken from a chapter called, "Why did Christ die?" (#1)
5. One of these was originally written in Chinese and was a bestseller in China. (#2)
Even though I wasn't officially "tagged" for this one, I decided to do the 5, 56 meme I saw on Leslie and Loraena's blogs since it's a fun one (if your bookish):
Here are the instructions:
- Take ten books, and transcribe the fifth sentence from page fifty six.
- Make sure that at least five books are fiction, provide five hints, and pass the meme on to six other bloggers.
1. Some have been convinced that he was a Jewish zealot, he had joined the liberation movement, and finally betrayed him either out of political disillusionment or as a ploy to force Jesus' hand and compel him to fight.
2. He said he'd been nearly killed three times, and each time he survived despite the odds.
3. But in mere print that can be hard to avoid when worldviews are so radically different between feminism and Christian faith. The quote from Manifesta sums it up well:" (4th sentence is given for context.
4. I was not just in love with him; I worshiped him.
5. Subsequently, our mighty nation of some forty-five assorted mixed nuts moved into the sanctuary of the church, which felt like we had metaphorically left the kids' table in favor of the adults' table. (page 56 is blank, so this is taken from page 58)
6. I asked him again if his wife ever came to market and he said that she would perhaps be coming the following week.
7. Dave let himself into Carl's house and found the mason jar of starter in the fridge. He pried the jar open and peered in. (4th sentence included for context)
8. Don't feel you need to complete every exercise if your child understands the concept.
9. This sets the stage for the next episode. Like Piglet, this game begins with a lot of trial and error learning.
10. And he threw a kiss toward Margalo's sleeping form.
Five hints:
1. One of these is popular amongst homeshcoolers.
2. One of these originated on a popular Canadian radio show.
3. One of these was this author's only work of fiction.
4. One of these is taken from a chapter called, "Why did Christ die?"
5. One of these was originally written in Chinese and was a bestseller in China.
Tag: Nicole, Mrs. M, Tryphaena,
A few years ago I read everything I could get my hands on regarding biblical womanhood. I was passionate about the topic. (I still am but have calmed down a little bit). I seized every opportunity to discuss the idea with anyone who was willing to engage.
Then I was asked why it mattered to me so much. It seems like a peripheral issue. It was important to the Christian life, but not central. The Gospel was central. Jesus is central. But marriage, and gender roles?
Well, I argued - they are important because marriage was intended to reflect the relationship between Christ and the Church. It is a central issue because it was about glorifying Christ! Nicole, while sharing what she drew from a John Piper talk, does a wonderful job in her recent post Creation, Christ and Gender explaining why. Here's a little sample of what she wrote:
But the John Piper talk helped me see how important it is that there is something even more fundamental than Creation - deeper magic from before the dawn of time!!! Before there was creation there was God's eternal plans and purposes to sum up everything in Christ, and to glorify Christ as the redeemer and husband of his people. It wasn't that God made us male and female, then decided some time later that marriage would be a good way to order our sexuality, then some time later thought that marriage might be a good metaphor for Christ and the church. No - according to Eph 5:32, "Christ and the church" is (ultimately, eternally) what marriage is for and about.
Coming to a clear, biblical understanding of our femininity and how that works out in relationships matters - it is central. The very way Christ relates to us and how the Gospel is conveyed to others is wrapped up in whether we were made male or female. Amazing!
I confess, it it the rare Christmas album that I enjoy and for the sake of honesty, it is the rare Christian album that I actually enjoy. So to find both in one was exciting. Advent Songs is really good; I would actually listen to this in July!
(I would love any suggestions for some good Christian music.)
HT: Between Two Worlds
It seems that for the thoughtful Christian there is very little helpful information to be found on birth control. There is a lot of information to be found, just not very helpful. Over the years what I've found is a lot has been written about using no birth control as the only truly Biblical option, with perhaps some consideration for Natural Family Planning. Otherwise there is silence.
Mark Driscoll does an excellent job of answering the question in a very realistic and balanced way. He goes through "Five Levels" of birth control and discusses whether each level is an appropriate option for Christian couples, while maintaining that children are absolutely, without a doubt, blessings from the Lord.
"Ironically, I've found that the parents who talk this way [of being burdened by their children] often have made the fewest sacrifices on their kids' behalf. It's a natural principle of life that the more time, effort, and energy we put into our families, the more we hold it dear."
HT: "Just A Smidge"