Journey to Christmas

By Journey to Christmas, I don't mean the long drive from Fayetteville, Arkansas back to home in Johnson City. Tennessee. That journey involved a detour around construction on I-40 and letting our student driver take the wheel at Bald Knob. Which turned out to be a bad idea because the new navigator(Terry, as I had moved to the back of the van to watch Scarecrow and Mrs. King on DVD) didn't know we were supposed to be on Hwy 64 instead of 67, and we ended up going to Memphis by way of Jonesboro. A flat tire in Nashville added a bit more adventure to our Christmas journey.

From Flat Tire

No, the Journey to Christmas of which I speak is the title of a DVD series that our family recently previewed for Tyndale House Publishers. This 4-part series follows five individuals who are given a trip to the Holy Land to help them discover the true meaning of Christmas. The five travelers include an agnostic, a person experiencing a crisis of faith, an artist looking for inspiration, a native American who wonders if Jesus can identify with her culture, and a "normal" enthusiastic believer (at least I hope that it's normal for believers to be enthusiastic about their faith).

The cinematography was wonderful, and it was interesting to see the five travelers bond through their journey. But, my family found the series to be quite boring. Each episode (except the first) started with a great deal of review and the action was very slow. I had hoped that watching this together would make a great family advent experience, but we were underwhelmed. I even fell asleep during one episode. I had hoped at least to see some dramatic life-change occur with the travelers, but they didn't seem all that different.

I received a complimentary copy of this DVD series from Tyndale House Publishers and was not required to post a positive review.

Return of the Living Dead

I posted before about the book, Night of the Living Dead Christian by Matt Mikalatos. This is a book I agreed to review for Tyndale House Publishers, and I read it aloud to the boys back in October. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but we all loved it and couldn't wait to sign up for the blog tour!

In the book, Matt uses a hilarious story to explain how we all need transformation and how that can only be accomplished by the work of the gospel in our lives. We had some great discussions about our own "monsters." I know I struggle with my anger - though,like a werewolf, I appear normal most of the time. I also have some of the controlling issues of a mad scientist. My boys could relate to the anger of the werewolf and the selfishness of the vampire. And we all thought that, unfortunately, zombies are a very good analogy for the church as a whole. Our favorite scenes were at the zombie church and at the therapist, where the werewolf learns how to use behavior therapy to change his actions without truly changing his heart. We could all relate to how our own efforts only succeed in making us "a vampire with a tan."

Nathan thought that most Christian teens would also enjoy this book - though he said to warn them to persevere through those first few chapters when you don't know what the heck is going on. I actually think it's even better to share this book by reading as a family or as part of a discussion group (discussion questions are provided in the book).

Spoiler Alert: I must say that the boys did not like the ending because the "guy didn't get the girl." They said this was hard to take after what happened to Captain America. I never would have pegged them for such romantics. I, however, really liked the ending. It was a refreshingly realistic ending to a very improbable story.

We liked the book enough that we decided to read Imaginary Jesus by the same author. It was also very funny and thought-provoking. You could read either book first, though it might make more sense if you start with Imaginary Jesus. I've read a lot of Christian literature, but I think these two books have been the most unique and creative approaches to sophisticated theology that I've encountered.

As part of the tour, we are very excited to present author Matt Mikalatos on our blog, answering the questions that we prepared for him:

Q: You've got more monsters in your self-diagnosis guide than appeared in your book. Does this mean you have a sequel planned?

I actually pitched a series of short novellas looking at the lives of some of the minor characters in this book... specifically Robert zombie, Lara the vampire and the minister in the end of the book as he goes to reconcile with his (other) son, but with various sorts of busyness, that's on hold for other projects right now. I had a lot of fun with this book, and I'd love to revisit some of them and see how their lives are shaping up! I have plans for the mummies and the sasquatch in some of those follow up novellas, but most of the others were either things I had originally thought about using in this novel or some I put together specifically for the monster guide.


Q: Who/'What is Borut supposed to represent? Is he Satan or just the death that follows us all or something else entirely?

Ha ha. Well, no one has seen Borut the way I see him yet... I saw Borut as a physical manifestation of the Pauline concept of The Law. The implacable, unstoppable reality of your sin equaling death. By all rights, someone like Luther belongs to the Law and his penalty is pre-determined. In that sense, the Law can be seen both as adversary and death sentence, so I don't see those interpretations as too far off from what I was shooting for.

Q: We couldn't quite figure out Matt's dream in Chapter 18 where he swallows the tiny silver bullet. Is that supposed to represent salvation, a longing, an answer to prayer, or what?

Hmmm. That's what I like about dreams. You probably learn more about the interpreters than anything else. I think your interpretations are more interesting than anything I had in mind. For me, I would look at it through the lens of Matt's concerns about leaving his neighbor alone with a loaded gun, and concerns that he might harm himself, feelings of helplessness, lost, worry, working themselves to the surface.

Q: When did you start writing?

I wrote a couple little things here and there as a kid. I did a good amount of writing in high school in my drama classes, though at the time I thought of it as acting. In college I really buckled down and it became a regular part of my life.

Q: Have you ever done NaNoWriMo?

No, though I love the idea of it. I'm already squeezing as many free moments into writing as I can, so in some sense it would be redundant for me. This year on about November 23rd I thought, "I should try to do it!" but obviously it was folly by then to try to catch up!

Q: Was the secret lair in your book inspired by reality?

All the space in our home (aside from the bathrooms) is really shared space... my wife and I share a room (of course) and our kids do, too. The one place I feel like is "mine" is my car when I'm driving to work. So, when I asked myself where my secret lair might be, my first thought was that that car! I don't, however, have any sumo wrestling equipment in the trunk. I just thought it was funny.


Q: Clockwork Jesus can quote from different versions of the Bible? What's your favorite version?

I most consistently read out of the NIV personally, but for family devotionals we use the NLT. I grew up largely with the King James, so a lot of verses I've memorized are KJV, and I still enjoy the poetry of the Shakespearean language in it. I actually like the New Berkeley for a change of pace now and then, as the unfamiliarity of it sometimes shakes me into taking a new look at phrases I know too well. There aren't any translations I absolutely loathe, but the more stilted the language gets as a translation moves toward trying to capture Greek or Hebrew sentence structure and things like that, the less I enjoy it for casual reading.

Camo Cupcakes

During the week of Thanksgiving, I had fun helping Carol make "camo cupcakes" for Samuel's outdoor laser tag birthday party. It's always fun to make a mess in someone else's kitchen, so we made this at Ann's house.

We used some brown and green food coloring to make several ugly shades of cake batter and randomly placed them in muffin cups.

From Art Museum in Arkansas

From Art Museum in Arkansas

Then we made a rather unpleasant but authentic shade of green buttercream frosting.

From Art Museum in Arkansas

From Art Museum in Arkansas

They looked pretty disgusting - just perfect for a 10-year old boy's birthday party. But they tasted good, and they also blended in perfectly with dirt and leaves just like camo should.

A Visit to Crystal Bridges

From Art Museum in Arkansas

The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art opened in Bentonville, Arkansas on 11-11-11, and we enjoyed a fun visit there during the Thanksgiving holidays.

Being hillbillies from Arkansas, we admittedly don't know that much about art, but that's part of the fun of seeing a place like this in Bentonville, a small town of 35,000 (after all, we are from nearby Fayetteville, which has twice the population).

There were some very interesting pieces there.

Here's a salute to a modern artist made out of televisions and pieces of a piano:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

Here is a picture made entirely of puzzle pieces:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

And one made of upside-down spools (well, I guess the spools weren't upside-down, just the image):

From Art Museum in Arkansas

With this cool globe that allowed you to see it right-side up:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

This huge sculpture gave Hannah the creeps, but I was very impressed:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

I guess art is supposed to invoke certain thoughts or feelings. This one made Ann and I think of "Batman":

From Art Museum in Arkansas

This one made me think of a porthole to space (Rebecca is in the doorway wearing black):

From Art Museum in Arkansas

And we definitely know the feeling represented here:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

Some art was very whimsical:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

From Art Museum in Arkansas

From Art Museum in Arkansas

Other pieces were unusual but beautiful:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

And some were downright odd:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

Here's the piece that Alice Walton paid $35 million for. It's called "Kindred Spirits" and it's by Durand.

From Art Museum in Arkansas

It was very nice, but I can never imagine it being worth that much money! But unlike the Occupy Wall Street folks, I support Alice Walton's right to spend her money however she pleases. I think it's wonderful that she is pursuing her passion while creating jobs and tourism for her hometown. The art was expensive, but entry is free! What a deal!

The museum is going to be a lot more impressive when it is finished. A sunny day would help, too. When we visited, the water was murky and the sky was gray.

From Art Museum in Arkansas

From Art Museum in Arkansas

I wasn't a huge fan of the architecture, but it did seem sufficiently "artsy."

Krispy Kreme is Back!

From November 2011

Today, Noah and I got up at 5 am to go to the Grand Opening of Krispy Kreme in Johnson City. We were among the first one hundred in line, so we got free commemorative T-shirts!

When I first got married twenty-one years ago and moved to East Tennessee, I tasted Krispy Kreme donuts for the first time. I can truly say that I think they are the best donuts in the world - especially when they are hot and fresh!

Sadly, over ten years ago, the Krispy Kreme in Johnson City went out of business. There was a store in Kingsport, so occasionally we would stop by there after (ironically) visiting the dentist or after a late-night rehearsal with the Kingsport Theater Guild. Then it, too, went out of business last year.

I hope the return of Krispy Kreme is a sign of good economic times coming. At any rate, we'll all enjoy a little sweetness.

From November 2011

From November 2011

From November 2011

From November 2011

From November 2011

From November 2011

From November 2011

And yes, a little strange timing after the post about fasting.

A Woman's Guide to Fasting

I haven't fasted in a long time - and have never fasted for a long time (as in more than a day). I think for about ten years, I had the excuse that I couldn't fast because I was pregnant or nursing. Then I starting feeling like maybe my motives were not right. I think that I, along with many, sometimes have erroneously regarded fasting in Ghandi-fashion, as a hunger-strike of sorts against God - a way to manipulate Him to answer my prayers. Another error it's easy to fall into is legalism - somehow thinking I'm better because I fast. In order to avoid errors, I pretty much decided not to fast at all. But I can't escape the fact that Jesus fasted and he also said "When you fast" in the gospels, not "if you fast."

So when I got the opportunity to review this book, I decided it was time to revisit the idea of fasting.

Lisa Nelson does a great job of discussing the subject - addressing the very issues I felt were problematic in the chapter "Should You Fast?". There is NO legalism in this book. It is written in a very humble way with lots of practical advice for everything from a one-day fast to a forty day fast. The author also deals with aspects of our spiritual lives like dealing with temptation, journaling, etc. My only criticism is that the author didn't address the subject of exercise during fasting. It really seemed like an oversight.

"A Woman's Guide to Fasting" is a quick, easy read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is considering adding the discipline of fasting to their life.

My New Wall Clock!

I finally got this done! This project has been about two years in the making. Not that it takes long at all - I just procrastinate a lot!

From For Clock

I saw a clock like this in a magazine several years ago - I think it was Family Circle, but I'm not sure. I tore out the page and filed it away in a drawer somewhere. Then Terry got laid off, and we put a moratorium on unnecessary spending.

I guess at some point I decided that it was necessary that we have this clock! I purchased 12 black frames, 4 that were 5X7, 8 that were 4X6. and one 2X2 for the middle of the clock. In retrospect, I wish I would have gone with bigger sizes since I have such a big wall. I also bought clock hands and a working clock piece.

Those frames sat in a drawer for over a year while I decided what photos to use. This was by far the most painful part - not only choosing the photos but deciding if each child should have the same number, whether they should be portrait or landscape, etc. I started collecting potential shots in a folder on my computer.

Then one night I printed out 20 or so potential photos (printing them in miniature on regular paper) and played around with them. I ended up choosing four family photos for 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock. Then since I have four kids I chose two pictures for each child - one landscape and one portrait. And yes, it didn't seem right not to put them clockwise in order of birth. And I still was not pleased with some of my choices - but it's only 50 cents or so to print out a new photo to update the clock.

After ordering the photos and receiving them, they stayed in another drawer for about a month while I figured out exactly how to hang them.

I ended up cutting a long wire type string to a 2' length (because I decided I wanted my clock to have a 4' diameter). I put a hole in the wall and used a protactor to mark the center where each picture needed to go. And since pictures don't hang on their center point, I measured each framed picture to find out where it's center was and how far up from center the hanger was (see the dots below).

From For Clock

Then it was pretty easy. I just measured the correct distance up from center on the 12 dots I had made on my wall, put in the nails and then hung the photos.

From For Clock

From For Clock

I am thinking of putting some words from Wise Decor in the middle of my clock. I am thinking of "My times are in your hands" from Psalm 31:15 as that verse has meant a lot to me these past few months.

From For Clock

Night of the Living Dead Christian

What Does it Mean to Be Truly Transformed?

I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I decided to review this book. I'm not normally into reading about zombies, werewolves, and vampires (in fact, thanks to Dark Shadows, I had an enormous fear of vampires throughout my childhood). I got the book because I thought it might appeal to my teenage sons and might be something we could read together and discuss during our homeschool devotional time.

It has been a great read - the funniest book we have read in a long time - but also extremely thought-provoking. And while it's sometimes hard to get my boys to talk about spiritual matters, Mikalatos' humor seemed to break down some barriers and allow for deep discussions. We used the discussion pages included in the book but also had plenty of our own insights to share.

This book tells the story of some Christian friends hilariously helping a neighbor (a werewolf whose marriage is crumbling as he struggles with his inner beast). In fact the neighborhood is full of monsters - vampires (those struggling with selfishness), zombies (those who appear to be alive but are in fact dead), etc. Each one provides a mirror that we can use to think about how each of us desperately need the transformation that only God can provide.

The back of the book described the author's style as "Monte Python meets C.S. Lewis." I thought that would be pretty hard to pull off, but Matt Mikalatos has done a superb job!

Here's a link to Matt Miklatos explaining why you should read his book. You can add my recommendation as well!

Men in Black

We spent a quiet Halloween here - only Caleb and Noah dressed up and went trick-or-treating in the neighborhood - as a Ninja and as Wesley from The Princess Bride.

From Oct2011

They got a lot of candy for their efforts, and fortunately Terry and I got all the Almond Joys (since the boys don't like coconut).

From Oct2011

From Oct2011

Ascent from Darkness

This book is the true story of a transformed life. I believe God transforms all believers, but sometimes those changes are a bit more subtle - especially for folks like me who came to know the Lord at a very tender age and live a fairly sheltered life. Sometimes its easy to forget God's transforming power. This book was an excellent reminder. It told the story of how Michael Leehan, a Satanist, came to a believing faith in Jesus Christ.

The darkness of Michael's life before Christ is such a contrast to the joy he feels now. It's a bit disturbing to read the details of his former dark life, but I felt what he shared was necessary to understand the delivery he has experienced.

Michael also has some disturbing things to say about some of the church-goers he met that were just "playing the game" versus the authentic Christians he met who had a palpable spiritual brightness about them.

The book is honestly told in first person and gives insight into true transformation and how no one is beyond God's reach.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Table Rock Family Hike

From Oct2011

Terry's birthday is tomorrow, and he wanted to celebrate by going on a family hike.
We decided to try out Table Rock in North Carolina - about an hour and a half from our house.

It was a beautiful drive, but the curves made a few of the kids a bit carsick. We arrived and had a little picnic at the base.

From Oct2011

It was only a mile (but all uphill) to the summit. The view up there was great - probably the best I have seen in this part of the mountains.

From Oct2011

From Oct2011

From Oct2011

From Oct2011

From Oct2011

From Oct2011

From Oct2011