Book Reviews

Product Review—Northwest Treasures

July 26, 2018 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

Many members of our family are quite interested in geology, especially in the context of Creation and the Flood. When I had the opportunity to sign up to review a course offered by Northwest Treasures, several of us thought it would be useful. There are six video classes in Geology and Apologetics, the course we chose, and each class lasts from 10 to 20 minutes. Each of them is a lecture by Patrick Nurre, illustrated with a slideshow of photographs and quotes. Only four of us ended up watching the entire series—Gayle and I, Esther, and Mr. Intellectual. Simon watched for awhile, and Mr. Imagination was in and out through several of them (a delay tactic to avoid bedtime!), but the other boys were not interested and we didn’t require them to watch.

Lesson One, Knowing the Scriptures in the Secular Geological Age, gives an introduction to what apologetics is. The Greek word Apologia, from which the word Apologetics comes, is defined, and Mr. Nurre talks about why we need apologetics. The foundation we must lay is to know the Scriptures thoroughly. We appreciated this encouragement, and took the time to read the list of Scripture references he gave in the middle of the talk, but we also believe, as a result of personal experience, that knowledge of the Bible alone is not enough in this particular area. We also need to have real facts from the physical world around us in order to be convinced of the authenticity and truthfulness of the Bible.

Lesson Two, Clarifying the Conflict Between Science and the Bible, explores and defines philosophy, history, and science, and their relationship. We have found these definitions useful already as we discuss various topics.

Lesson Three is titled The Genealogies and Chronologies of Genesis, Are They Accurate and Reliable? Genesis 5 gives a record of the names and lifespans of the 11 patriarchs from Adam to Noah’s sons. It begins with talking about the book, the record of Adam’s family. Mr. Nurre points out that because there is no place in the genealogy for a gap, we can trust the age of the earth as shown in Genesis rather than modern scientists’ statement that the earth is 4.6 billion years old.

Lesson Four talks about Evolutionary Gaps in the Fossil Record, How Serious Are They? Mr. Nurre asks, “Is uniformitarianism science?” One little gem that stood out to us is that rocks are dated based on dates assigned in the 1800s, nearly 100 years before radiometric dating was developed. He also points out the “abundant lack” of transitional forms of fossil animals.

Lesson Five is titled Dinosaur-to-Bird Evolution, the Story that Never Seems to Die. Mr. Nurre discusses Archeopteryx quite a lot. He shows two chronologies purporting to show the evolution of birds—and inserts the dates assigned to these fossils by geologists. The result is fascinating, and shows that these chronologies are a pure fabrication! This was by far our favorite lesson, and as we discussed it, we came to the conclusion that the reason we liked it so well was that he told us where the chronologies he showed came from. The lack of citations or a bibliography in the other lessons made them a lot less meaningful to us.

Lesson Six, Time and Chronology in the Secular Geological Age, shows how the geologic column was developed. I found it fascinating that the rock layers we all know about were named for the geographical locations in which they were found. They were not found stacked up, as the charts show; rather, because of the “need” for proving evolution, and as a result of the development of the evolutionary theory the layers were stacked up based on the fossils found in them.

Each of these lessons ends with four questions for discussion. We didn’t find the questions particularly helpful, because we were already discussing the lessons in some depth. They could be good springboards, however.

Taking the Mystery Out of Geology is a 20-minute bonus video that was included with our review. This is a very informative introduction to geology, and includes definitions of 13 terms used in geology, starting with Science and History. This video points out that geology is the foundation of what we believe about origins and about the earth. It is also done in slideshow format, with Patrick Nurre talking throughout.

We were disappointed by these lessons, and didn’t feel like they were what we expected. The trailer promised that this course would help us to resolve conflicts and defend our faith. As long as someone already believes that the Bible is true, the information in this series will encourage them and help to shore up their faith, but if we are trying to convince unbelievers or skeptics of the truth of the Bible, the information given here will not be of much help. We have had a number of encounters with unbelievers recently who consider the Bible to be merely a mythical story. Gayle, himself, has been confused in the past about which is true—modern science or the Bible. Because of his experience, and the people he has talked to recently, he feels that we really need evidence from the physical world, not merely from the Bible, to help prove our faith. There is a lot of evidence that has surfaced in recent years that backs up the Bible, which will go a long way toward convincing unbelievers. Some of this was presented in the course, but not enough to be very helpful to us.

I appreciated that the Bible is upheld as the standard of truth. However, as Esther pointed out, no hard proof of the Bible’s trustworthiness was presented; she felt like we were being told to blindly believe it. Also, as I mentioned above, the lack of citations detracted from the information that was presented. If we can’t confirm the facts given, how can we be sure they are true? So, as much as I want to love this course, I can’t truthfully say I do. It could potentially be very good, but we didn’t find it either very interesting or helpful. That may be our problem, since we have spent a lot of time already studying geology and palaeontology; I’m sure some people would get a lot out of this course. On the other hand, some of the other courses offered by Northwest Treasures look helpful. Rock Identification Made Easy looks especially useful; my little ones often ask me what type of rock they have, but I don’t know enough about rocks to answer!

Online Geology Classes{Northwest Treasures Reviews}

Book Review: Love, Honor and Virtue

July 24, 2018 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

Warning: This post may make some people as uncomfortable to read as I was when writing it. I have read a number of blog posts over the past few years on Raising Real Men. They have always been encouraging and convicting. With so many boys in our house, I need help to teach them in the way they should go. Because of all these boys, and some struggles we have faced with them already, I was eager to review Love, Honor, and Virtue: Gaining or Regaining a Biblical Attitude Toward Sexuality, from Great Waters Press. I was not disappointed in this book. It is very helpful to me as a mother, and I hope it will be a helpful tool in discipling our boys. I have started to read it aloud to the older three boys after the younger ones are in bed on Sunday nights, and they seemed to appreciate what they have heard so far, although I still haven’t decided if I’m going to read them the chapter that tells the details about human reproduction!

I hardly know where to start. This is a great book! Hal and Melanie don’t pull any punches—they tell it like it is. They begin by establishing the fact that God created sex and He also created gender. He made you a boy or a girl from conception (you don’t decide at some point what you are), and He created marriage. One point I really liked in the introduction was that in the Bible there are two stages of life—childhood and adulthood. Young men are just that—men—even though they are young. They face men’s temptations.

In chapter two, the authors describe the physical changes that occur in both boys and girls as they go through puberty, and, briefly but in enough detail to satisfy children’s curiosity, how sex works—but then they go on to describe how a baby develops, is born, and how the mother’s body works to nourish the new life, before and after birth. These details are included to impress on young men how the sexual act is not just about a moment of pleasure; rather, there are far-reaching consequences when it is indulged in outside of marriage.

There is a fairly thorough discussion about how God calls us to purity, leaving no room for allowing even lustful thoughts in our minds. Lust is defined, and so is pornography. The authors point out many reasons, both from the Christian and the secular perspective, why pornography is very damaging. Sexting and masturbation are also covered in some depth.

Now, what is a young man to do with all these things he has to face, and battle against? There is an entire chapter devoted to fighting temptation! Yes, this is a hard battle to win, and the authors acknowledge that, but victory is possible, and they give many tips to help a young man who is struggling. Actually, the points they give would help anyone in any battle. And what if when you fall? There is a chapter which deals with that, too! When you begin fighting against sin in your life, there will be times that you give in to temptation and fall into sin again. Don’t give up! Turn to God in repentance, and start over again. This chapter is very encouraging.

The last chapter gives many pointers about how to find the mate God has for you. The authors’ story of how they met and married is also included—what a great story! I definitely want my daughters, as well as my sons, to read this chapter.

I really appreciate this book. Anyone who has sons approaching their teen years should read it. I am thankful that this book has come into our family at this time, although I’ll admit the subject is very uncomfortable to read and talk about. However, I also know that we need to discuss these issues, for the sake of our sons and their futures. When problems are brought out into the open, they can be dealt with, and Love, Honor and Virtue is a great tool to help us, as parents who feel like we’re floundering, to help our young men. Another book from the same authors, which I would also love to read, is No Longer Little: Parenting Tweens With Grace and Hope. This looks very helpful, as well; sometimes I think I don’t know how to parent my older children, and most of the time I’m sure I am totally clueless!

Book Review—Breath of Heaven

July 2, 2018 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

Title: Breath of Heaven
Author: Alana Terry
Genre: Contemporary Christian Fiction
Release Date: December 9, 2017

My Thoughts:

I have a problem with Alana Terry. Her books draw me in so thoroughly that I end up not being worth much until I finish them. One thing I really appreciate about some of them, such as the Orchard Grove books that I have read, is the realism. Breath of Heaven is the kind of story I can imagine happening to me.

Katrina and Greg have only been married for six months. Their honeymoon was spent on the trip from Southern California to eastern Washington State. Their first six months have been spent learning to pastor the small church that seems to have more than its share of gossipers who love to mind other people’s business. Now, Katrina feels more alone than she has ever felt in her entire life. I could identify, to an extent, with her, in her struggles adjusting to marriage. I remember how hard it was, that first year after we got married, to learn to live with someone so different from me. This author has described the conflict very well! I’ve never been a pastor’s wife, but Katrina’s experiences felt very real in that area, too.

When a rather nosy, bossy woman in the congregation decided to “help” Katrina gain a skill she didn’t have, I realized what was going to happen long before Katrina allowed herself to see the danger she was in. For chapter after chapter, I had to keep turning pages to find out what would happen—would she do the right thing, or give in to yet another person who wanted her to act a certain way, as she had been doing all her life? Would she ever be able to regain what she had at the beginning of her marriage? Or would the church drive an irreparable wedge between herself and Greg? And would she ever be able to trust anyone enough to share what was happening inside of her?

I loved Grandma Lucy when she appeared again, as in the other Orchard Grove books. In fact, I had just started to wonder when she would show up, and then, after another short chapter or two, there she was. She’s great! Mrs. Porter, on the other hand, was very annoying. I did end up laughing at her once, though, the Sunday afternoon that she came to visit the young couple. Poor Katrina, though, ended up terribly embarrassed.

If you love books that sound like real life, that you can relate to, and that keep you turning pages, try the Orchard Grove books. These are not necessarily easy, comfortable reads, but they are thought-provoking and clean. I am really enjoying this author.

I received a free copy of this book from the author. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Author’s Synopsis:

She hasn’t fallen out of love with her husband. She just can’t stand his church.

Nobody told Katrina being a pastor’s wife would be easy. But she never imagined that the stress she and her husband would face from his new job could so easily destroy their marriage.

In spite of her mother’s disapproval, Katrina marries a pastor whose job immediately plucks her away from her music, her symphony, and the city life she loves and plants her in the small town of Orchard Grove, Washington.

If she knew going into her new life that she’d be sacrificing her music career for a congregation full of gossips and backbiters and that the pressure of her husband’s new job would turn him into someone she hardly recognizes anymore, she might have reconsidered marrying him in the first place.

Unfortunately, it’s too late to do anything about that now.

Or is it?

About the Author:
Alana is a pastor’s wife, homeschooling mom, self-diagnosed chicken lady, and Christian suspense author. Her novels have won awards from Women of Faith, Book Club Network, Grace Awards, Readers’ Favorite, and more. Alana’s passion for social justice, human rights, and religious freedom shines through her writing, and her books are known for raising tough questions without preaching. She and her family live in rural Alaska where the northern lights in the winter and midnightsun in the summer make hauling water, surviving the annual mosquito apocalypse, and cleaning goat stalls in negative forty degrees worth every second.

Guest Post from Alana Terry:

I used to think being a pastor’s wife would be glamorous. Now I know better!

Although I’ve loved the different churches where my husband has been called to serve, being a couple in full-time ministry can definitely take its toll on a marriage.

Breath of Heaven is a novel in my Orchard Grove Christian women’s fiction series, which deals with real-life couples facing real-life issues. In Breath of Heaven, two newlyweds are thrown into the world of church politics, and the honeymoon period is quickly over.

I wrote this novel to give an inside peek at what it’s like if you’ve never been a pastor’s wife as well as to offer some hope and encouragement to women who know the stress of being married to someone in full-time ministry.

Click here to purchase your copy.

Product Review—Persuasive Writing & Classical Rhetoric

June 20, 2018 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

About two and a half years ago, Mr. Intellectual told me that he wanted a more structured Language Arts program. I had been finding things here and there for him to do, but he didn’t like that and wanted to learn more. We started using the curriculum that I had grown up with, and he did all right with that for awhile, but by this year he was thinking he wanted something different. We switched to another, which focused mostly on writing all sorts of different types of things, and he liked that pretty well. Then, a couple of months ago, we were offered the chance to review Persuasive Writing & Classical Rhetoric: Practicing the Habits of Great Writers, from Silverdale Press LLC. I showed it to him and he spent quite a long time studying the website and the sample pages that were available, and decided this was what he was really wanting. He’s been using it now for about six weeks, and is really enjoying it.

I asked Mr. Intellectual to write a review of the course, since he has used it and I have hardly even looked at it, so this is what he came up with:

To start out, I will give you a overview of the course. It is a self- guided course. The student goes at his or her own pace, but there is a four-day chart that can be stretched out into five days if you prefer. On the first day, you read the lesson and the profile in rhetoric (talking about someone who inspired the subject); for example, Wendell Berry was used as a man who used rhetoric to argue on the subject of economics, Ida M. Tarbell on the subject of research, and John Locke on the subject of note-taking.The second day is reading something by the person in the profile in rhetoric, the third day is an activity expanding on the subject, and the last day(s) are taken up with writing an essay on a given prompt. Sometimes, of course, it is easier to come up with a fitting essay than others, but it is good for stretching your brain.

When we got the chance to get this course, I jumped for it, and I was not disappointed. It is both a course on talking and writing. Rhetoric is both, and I feel that to some extent it has helped me on both. Some of the prompts have been fairly hard for me to build on; in week four, they had an assignment to go to Walmart and write an essay on its pros and cons, but the problem is that we are in a country where Walmart is unheard of, so I had a lot of trouble with that one. Mom ended up letting me stick to a smaller word count as a result of getting stuck since I can’t go to Walmart (I could’ve if I could’ve gone to the states, but no one would pay the ticket : ( ). Otherwise I’ve had no problems with the course.

Now you are asking two questions, one is whether you really want the course, and two is whether or how the course will help you. I can’t answer that first question for you, but if you do decide to get the course, then it will help you do research better, which will help you have strong arguments in any sort of debate. That will help you be a better person and a better citizen. It takes perseverance, but if you do persevere, then it will help.

As he mentioned, there are four parts to each lesson. There are also four books that make up the course! The lesson book contains a lesson about some aspect of writing persuasively—from the beginning, where rhetoric is defined, on through the process of learning how to get people to see things your way, on through polishing your work. I even saw a lesson on correctness in punctuation. The five sections that lessons are divided into are Introduction, Invention (which includes an interlude for research), Arrangement, Style, and Conclusion, where the student is encouraged to keep writing.

The reader contains speeches and essays by famous historical figures, to give examples of rhetoric, or persuasive writing. These are from people such as Patrick Henry, Winston Churchhill, John F. Kennedy, and even Jane Austen! There is one selection per week from weeks 1-31, with the exception of two weeks toward the beginning, when the student is to do a research project, and again in about the middle, when there is another interlude for writing.

The workbook has four sections for each lesson. The first contains questions about the lesson; the second is review questions about the reading, and the third is designed to help the student explore the week’s topic more in-depth. The fourth is lines for the 500-word essay that the student is expected to write each week! We haven’t used that section, since Mr. Intellectual prefers to type his essays. There is also an answer book, although I’ll have to admit that we haven’t put that to use as we should have. As I said at the beginning, I have hardly taken the time to look at this, since Mr. Intellectual is a self-starter when it comes to academics.

Because Mr. Intellectual is quite interested in writing, this course is a good fit for him. It would not have been useful for his older brothers, and it won’t be for at least a couple of the younger ones, but for someone who has an interest in writing, it is very good. I’m thankful we found it and had the chance to use it!

Book Review—Joey

June 10, 2018 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

About the Book

Title: Joey
Author: Jennifer Marshall Bleakley
Genre: Inspirational, Memoir
Release Date: May 8, 2018
The heartwarming true story of a blind horse named Joey.

My thoughts:

A horse story for adults? This idea was quite intriguing to me when I read the sign-up information for Joey, so I looked into the book a bit farther. What I saw made me want to read the story. I was not disappointed—this is an incredible account!

The prologue is enough to draw you in, as a woman discovers a herd of horses dying of neglect and starvation. Although we are never told what happened to cause this, the book follows the life of one of the horses, Joey, an appaloosa, for the next several years. Because of the neglect, Joey was completely blind. Kim, who had recently founded an equine therapy ranch to help troubled children, took him under her wing—but would he be able to adjust to living in a new home, with a new companion, and be able to help children?

The account of the founding of Hope Reins, the ranch, which is in North Carolina, is very interesting. The story of how the ranch was founded and how God provided what was needed to build it and keep it going is interwoven with Joey’s story, as well as the stories of the people who volunteered there and cared for the horses.

I found it fascinating to read about the various solutions the staff of Hope Reins came up with to help Joey. I had never thought about what it would be like for a horse to go blind. It was also incredible to read about how he helped children who came into his life. I had never heard of equine therapy before, but it makes sense that hurting children would be helped by helping hurting animals. And, it wasn’t just children that found help and healing; some of the adult volunteers did, as well.

This is a book for horse lovers—but not just for horse lovers. This is also a book for anyone who likes to read about the different ways God works in people’s lives, and it is a book for people who care about hurting children. I highly recommend this true story.

I received a free copy of this book from the author; all opinions are my own.

The Author’s Synopsis:

At the height of his show career, this beautiful Appaloosa’s majestic stature, strength, and willingness to work made him the perfect partner. But when an injury cost Joey his show career, he moved from one owner to the next, ultimately experiencing severe abuse and neglect. A rescue group found Joey nearly dead from starvation—and blind.

Then he came to Hope Reins—a ranch dedicated to helping hurting kids who had been abused, emotionally wounded, or unwanted. By teaching these children to care for rescued animals, the Hope Reins staff were convinced they could reach kids with love and hope and show them that we are never forgotten by God.

But could the financially struggling ranch afford to take care of a blind horse that no one else wanted? Could Joey somehow learn to trust people even though the world had hurt him so badly? And what would happen—to Joey, the kids, and Hope Reins—if they failed?

A true story of friendship destined to become a classic, Joey will touch your heart and reveal the power of finding light in the darkness.

More Information About This Book:

When a blind horse named Joey meets a struggling ranch owner dedicated to helping troubled kids, the result is a story of friendship, faith, and overcoming–and ultimately, a tale of how God always cares for the cast aside and uses them for His glory.
Joey is an inspirational memoir-like read that delights readers with a story about finding healing and restoration in the unlikeliest of places.
What a blind horse can teach you about overcoming your past and living fully in the life God has called you to have.
An unlikely story of God using a blind horse to bring healing and restoration to hurting children.
A percentage of the author’s proceeds from her book, Joey, will go to supporting Hope Reins which pairs hurting kids with rescued horses.
God said “you’re worthy” when the world said “you’re worthless.” Joey, an inspiriting story of finding healing and restoration in the unlikeliest of places.
The Hope Reins ranch set out to save these horses, but in the end, the horses saved them.
How the story of Joey saved the ranch… and taught the most valuable lesson.
Joey… your family’s next read
Let God wake you up to life lessons learned in unexpected places!

About the Author:

Jennifer Bleakley graduated from Florida Southern College with a degree in biology and was planning to apply for medical school when her best friend’s father died of pancreatic cancer. Walking through that experience with a family she had loved for so long left a permanent mark on her heart, and she soon realized that God was calling her to stand alongside other families facing similar heartbreak and loss. Jennifer earned a master’s degree in counseling from Nova Southeastern University and began working at the local hospice in St. Petersburg, Florida, as a child and family grief counselor. It was a job she loved deeply and one she continued doing until she and her husband started a family.

When her husband’s job required the family to relocate to Raleigh, North Carolina, God began awakening in Jennifer a long-forgotten passion for writing. She began journaling—recording evidences of God’s hand at work in her new season of motherhood. Her journal morphed into a blog, and she still writes regularly about glimpsing God’s grace in her daily life at jenniferbleakley.com.
Jennifer now writes curriculum and devotionals for her local church, is a contributing author for Treasuring Christ curriculum and She Believes online Bible studies, and leads a community women’s Bible study. She loves introducing children at her church and in the community to Jesus, helping them discover his goodness. Even though she once asserted she was much too introverted to be a public speaker, Jennifer has found that God’s grace is big enough even for lifelong introverts, and she now delights in speaking to audiences about his extraordinary grace at work in our ordinary lives.

Guest Post From Jennifer Bleakley:

One October evening I stared into the eyes of the most unusual looking horse I had ever seen—his black and white spotted coat resembled that of a Dalmatian; his soft pink lips were chewing at some invisible morsel; and his charcoal eyes seemed to peer into my very soul.

And although I’m not what anyone would describe as a horse person, I was completely captivated by this horse.

I inched closer to him, compelled forward by some unseen force, until only a thin rail separated us. He stared at me. I smiled. Can a horse register a human smile? I had no idea, but I smiled anyway. The founder of the horse ranch was telling our small group about the ministry she had started—a ministry that pairs rescued horses with hurting children to help them find true hope and real healing. I listened to her words, but my eyes never moved from the horse. He looked at me as if he could read my every thought. As if he knew exactly why I was at the ranch that night. That I had been feeling a bit lost, struggling to find myself—my calling—in the midst of a new season of life. That I was on this tour in the hopes that I might find answers here—maybe even a purpose.

He bent his head toward the railing just inches from my resting hand. His eyes now level with my own, the setting sun reflecting brilliant hues in the depths of his eyes.

How beautiful, I whispered as my fingers reached toward him.

“And our Joey here is completely blind…” I heard the woman say. “He was a former champion…injured…sold…abused…abandoned….

The fragmented sentence floated around the picturesque scene, but the words just didn’t make sense. Surely the woman wasn’t talking about this horse? Not the one who could see into my soul. Not the black and white beauty who knew all my secrets with just one look?

The woman handed Joey a carrot. His greedy lips taking the treat from her hand, leaving it free to scratch him behind the ear.

“But Joey was rescued and now he lives here,” she continued, “Where every day his determination and blind faith, point hurting kids to hope. Kids who have also known abuse and abandonment. Kids who see Joey choosing to live, choosing to learn, choosing to trust, and realize that maybe, just maybe they can too.”

Tears flowed down my face as I watched the horse nuzzle the woman’s hand. A blind horse leading people to see hope. The phrase swirled around my mind, before settling in my heart.

I had gone to the ranch that day looking for a purpose. Thinking that I could volunteer—use my long forgotten counseling degree in some way. Thinking that time spent here would ease the transition from full-time mommy to mother of school-age children. However, days after meeting the horse his eyes still haunted me. His story still captivated me. And so in spite of knowing very little about horses, and having never attempted anything like writing a book before, I sat down to write about a horse named Joey. A blind horse who was helping me find my way home….

Click here to purchase your copy.

Product Review—The Critical Thinking Co.

June 6, 2018 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

When we had the chance to review something for The Critical Thinking Co.™ recently, I asked Mr. Intellectual to look over the choices with me, as this looked like products he would enjoy but no one else in the family would be interested in. Sure enough, he was very interested in Something Fishy at Lake Iwannafisha. He loves mysteries and puzzles, so this was perfect for him.

The first thing I had Mr. Intellectual do was study the Forensic Evidence Lessons, since he had never learned much about that topic. There were lessons about anthropology, arson, ballistics, counterfeit money, death investigation, document and handwriting analysis, and fingerprints. After he spent his spare time for a day or so studying this, I gave him the first part of the mystery to solve.

In Something Fishy at Lake Iwannafisha, A Whodunnit Forensic Mystery, you are given a scenario, and have to figure out what happened and who did it. Students first get a brief introduction and a map of the area in which the incident happened, and the police report for the case. The police department was called to a fishing cabin, where they found a shed in flames, a body, and a lot of money. After studying this initial report, they are to ask for the witness statements they think might be helpful, and whatever other reports might help them figure out the case. They aren’t given a list of what is available—they have to figure out what to ask for based on the crime scene report! I found it a bit challenging to know how to guide this investigation, since I knew the whole story already but didn’t want to give any information away prematurely. It’s laid out very well, though, and I really appreciated the checklist of all the documents I had available to give him. The instructions are quite clear.

Mr. Intellectual spent about 7-8 hours on this project, not counting the time spent on the forensic evidence lessons. He pretty much knew who did the crime by the four-hour mark, but it took a long time to work out the details and figure out possible motives. Recording all the supporting evidence meant a lot of thinking and writing, which was very good for him.

See all the pages he had to work through:

A few tips if you want to use this book: Buy the digital download rather than the physical book. You’ll want to be printing a lot of pages anyway. Print single-sided rather than double-sided, because it will be a lot easier to spread things out in front of you and compare notes. Also, it would be a good idea to do this in groups or teams so you can have two minds thinking about it. I asked a question once or twice to get him thinking in a different direction so he could solve the mystery, but as I said, since I knew the answers, I had to be very careful how I worded it. Having a partner who didn’t know would have been good, but none of the other boys was interested.

This made a great project during a week that we took off school a few weeks ago. It’s intensive enough that it would have been hard to fit in during a normal week, but makes a nice change-of-pace for a break. Incidentally, during that week a car crashed across the road from us in a high-speed police chase. Studying the tracks to see exactly where the car went gave the children some hands-on practice in forensics.

My final opinion? I would have preferred a scenario that didn’t involve murder, but I felt like this was valuable practice for my boy in searching out the truth of what happened, and thinking logically about evidence that he found. I know he really enjoyed it, and it was good for him.

Book Review—Love, Amy

April 27, 2018 by NZ Filbruns 3 Comments

About the Book

Title: Love, Amy
Author: Amy Young
Genre: Memoir
Release Date: June, 2017

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed Love, Amy! It is quite an unusual book, but a great one. Amy Young subtitled her book, An accidental memoir told in newsletters from China. She compiled ten years’ worth of the newsletters she wrote from China, with tips for people who write newsletters after each year. I found these tips very interesting, as well as the letters themselves.

Amy went to China in 1995 to teach teachers how to teach English. Her first newsletter talked about some of the challenges she would be facing as she anticipated her upcoming move. After that, most of her letters, except for a few in the summers, told about the events of her life. She has some very funny stories, such as the frequent battles with mice, as well as some very sober accounts. She was privileged to see a number of people come to faith in Jesus, and endured a serious health crisis.

You will learn a lot of very interesting trivia about China as you read these letters. For example, at least in the mid 90’s, buildings in Shanghai were unheated even though the weather was quite cold! Also at that time, if a person in charge of directing bicycle traffic found you guilty of some minor infraction, they could either fine you, or worse, make you wave the red flag for 30 minutes to stop traffic!

I appreciated some of the lessons Amy learned. One time a man grossly insulted her. She couldn’t sleep that night until she truly forgave him. She also had to learn to surrender to “the daily crosses in my life.” Her thoughts about that were quite challenging. I found her observations about Tibetan Lamaism quite interesting, as well. She said it is a very dark evil.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in missions, especially to China. Also, if you find yourself needing to write newsletters to financial or prayer supporters, Amy’s tips are invaluable. I don’t know if they’ll make any difference in the way I write ours, since I do it a different way, but she has some very good pointers.

I received a copy of this book as a gift from the author. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions given here are my own.

I received a copy of this book as a gift from the author. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions given here are my own.

The Author’s Synopsis:

She came to China with a lesson plan. What she found was a new sense of purpose.

Amy Young traveled to China in the mid 1990s to teach English to educators. But she never expected the profound way they would enrich her soul. With the influence of the enchanting country and its extraordinary everyday people, Amy extended a two-year assignment to nearly two decades far away from home.

Starting shortly after her arrival, Amy shared her stories and her unique perspective through a series of letters. Her nine years of correspondence demonstrated a country going through growing pains: from political unrest to the SARS epidemic to budding prosperity. Amy battled language barriers, cultural faux pas, and invasive mice with nothing to lose. She even fought for her life with a potentially deadly illness, unsure if she’d survive to share her tale.

Throughout her journey, Amy drew strength from God and came to appreciate the beauty and power of an ordinary life lived well.Love, Amy: An Accidental Memoir Told in Newsletters from China is one woman’s deeply moving journey of self-transformation. If you like humorous anecdotes, immersions in Eastern culture, and honest stories that aren’t afraid to dig deep, then you’ll love Amy Young’s heartfelt tale.

About the Author:

Amy Young is a writer, speaker, and advocate for embracing the messy middle of your one glorious life. Author of Looming Transitions, Twenty Two Activities for Families in Transition, and The Looming Transitions Workbook, she also created the blog The Messy Middle (www.messymiddle.com), has been a part of Velvet Ashes, (an online community for missionaries) from the beginning, and contributes regularly to A Life Overseas. Amy enjoys nothing more than being with her people, wherever they are in the world. She also enjoys cheering on the Denver Broncos and Kansas Jayhawks. After nearly twenty years in China, she returned to Denver and much to her shock, discovered she enjoys gardening.

Guest Post from Amy Young:

The tug for a life that is “Anything but Boring”

When I was in college the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie Sarah Plain and Tall changed my life. You’ve probably seen it and been moved too. Sarah, a spinster by the standard of her day, moves from Boston to the fields of Kansas to consider marrying a widower and help him raise his children and work his farm. Her brother could not understand why Sarah would move from so-called civilization to the middle of nowhere. But the longing she felt for her life to matter resonated deeply with me.

I was in the liminal space between adolescence and adulthood. Like Sarah, I knew I could stay where I was and live a good life, but I wanted more. And so I moved to China.

Our world is one that loves big, change-the-world stories. I love them too. I remember reading The End of the Spear, the story of Jim Elliott and his friends who were martyred for their faith. I also lost myself in the stories of Gladys Aylward, William Carey, Lottie Moon, and Amy Carmichael. I remember reading about a missionary that had some worm pulled out of his stomach that was the size of a large snake. Disgusting! Fascinating! All for the gospel! The life of faith was exciting and God was on the move all the time! While it is true, the life of faith is exciting and God is on the move, it is also ordinary, boring, disappointing, and confusing. When I started compiling the letters I wrote from my days in China, I was embarrassed by what “first year Amy” said. She was so clueless, so uninformed, so willing to display her lack of cultural knowledge. I wanted to put my hand over her mouth and ask her to please pipe down because she did not really believe what she was saying. But she did, “first year Amy” could not know what “fifteen year in China Amy” knew.

These change the world stories I love? Turns out they have been more sanitized than I realized without showing the cultural and ministry progression that must have taken place.

Even now, knowing what I know, part of me wishes my newsletters contained miracles and throngs coming to Christ because of my work. I thought throngs and miracles were what a “real” cross-cultural worker would do. I thought that would show that my life mattered, like Sarah’s when she moved to Kansas. Don’t we all want our lives to matter? I believed that mattering was measurable. By compiling and writing this book the lesson Love, Amy has taught me is that too often we confuse size with significance. I still hear the whisper that says, “Amy, really? You wrote about the cultural beliefs that influence standing in line and you think that is worth people giving of their prayer, money, and time?” Part of me is reluctant even now to publish these letters because they are common. In truth, I am happy with my life and the contributions I have made. Of course I have regrets and wish I’d handled certain situations differently. But if all we hear are the spectacular stories, we can miss the gift our beautifully ordinary lives can be.

Who made it into the Gospels? A widow and her two mites. A boy and his few fish. She is described as offering out of her poverty. His common lunch was used to feed more than he could have imagined. Jesus did not tend to elevate those in power or those who seemed impressive.

My first year, a fellow teacher in China told me, “You’re lucky you’re still in your first year. Wait until your second year and you have told all your stories. You’ll have nothing to say in your newsletters.” Isn’t that the heart of what we fear—that we will have nothing to say with our lives? The secret to combating this fear is not that secretive. Show up and be present. Taken individually, these letters don’t add up to much, but put them together and much to my surprise, month after month I wrote an accidental memoir.

As ordinary as it is, I do have to say, life in China was anything but boring! If you love memoirs and want to hear stories that will make you laugh or cringe (and sometimes both), join me on a college campus in China.

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Product Review—Carole P. Roman

March 27, 2018 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

Most of the time, when I review a product, it is digital. That makes the rare occasions when we are sent a physical copy of something quite special! Our most recent review is one of those; we were sent three books from the Carole P. Roman books and collections. Out of a long list of possible titles, I chose two about American history and one about Kenya. As soon as the books arrived in this house, they were being read—and reread! A couple of weeks later, Little Miss is still loving them!

I had never seen any books by Carole P. Roman before, so I enjoyed being introduced to some great new resources for our family. These are lavishly illustrated books, with text on one side of each two-page spread and a picture on the other. Many of the illustrations are full-color drawings; some I noticed were drawings inserted into a photograph. I liked all of them!

The first book I chose is If You Were Me and Lived In…Colonial America. Through the eyes of a young boy, this book tells about the reasons that the Pilgrims wanted to move to America. You will imagine traveling on the Mayflower, and surviving the hardships of the first winter in the New World. The main events of that time are touched on, but the main emphasis is on daily life. We are learning about Jamestown right now, and will be studying the Pilgrims next, so this book was a good fit.

The second book I chose was If You Were Me and Lived in…The American West. I chose this one because of our study of American History, although it will be a good while until we reach the Oregon Trail. This book mainly describes living conditions on the trail, as if you were a child traveling in a wagon train. A number of the pictures appear to be photographs of a scene, with pioneers, or covered wagons, or a log cabin, added. I really like the effect this creates. One detail I did have a question about was the dates given; the child in this story traveled in “The Great Migration of 1843”, after a relative who had gone to California for gold told the child’s parents about Oregon.

Our last book is If You Were Me and Lived In…Kenya. I chose this one because we have friends who were missionaries in Kenya for several years. I found this brief introduction to the people and country of Kenya to be very interesting. Several words and names that are commonly used in that country are included; thankfully, the pronunciations are given! Foods and games are introduced, as well as wildlife and an annual celebration. My boys did notice in one of the pictures that the children were not holding the cricket bat the same way they do when they play; they said their friend who is a cricket fanatic would have a fit if he saw that picture! Otherwise, I thought the book was accurate.

I wouldn’t mind having more of these lovely picture books on our shelf for reference. They are a good supplement to history and geography, and Little Miss loves just looking at them; in fact, I had to get one back from her to check on something just now as I was writing this review! She has the two history books with her at the moment and is making up a story to go with the pictures. In fact, she just informed me that she can read some of the words! In the Colonial America book, there is a picture of a boy holding a lobster. Her interpretation of the text beside it? “A spider is getting a boy to eat.” Maybe these books are good for developing imagination, as well as imparting information?!

One more thing…I noticed this afternoon a note in the back of the Colonial America book that there are additional resources available on the author’s blog. I took a quick look at what was available for the books we have. There wasn’t a lot yet, but for each of our two history books there were a couple of pages of study questions. The books are great on their own for younger children; the questions would help with creating a mini unit study for older children.

Product Review—Home School in the Woods

March 21, 2018 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

I’ve heard a lot about Home School in the Woods over the years. For awhile, we bought timeline figures from them, but that’s the only product of theirs that I’ve used. When I was offered the chance to review a few items from their Á La Carte collection recently, I decided that a couple of the products would fit in nicely with our history study for this year. Everything in this collection is in the form of downloadable PDFs, which is nice for those of us who live outside of the United States (saves postage and time!). Since we have a couple of good printers, this type of product works very well for us.

The first product we used was The Jamestown Replica. We are studying American History this year; Mr. Intellectual is using a high-school level course, and I’m doing an elementary-level course with the other three boys. Because we start our school year in February, Jamestown is one of the settlements we study early-on; Mr. Intellectual covered it a week or two ago, and we’re reading books about it right now for the younger ones, so this model fit in very well. I had to buy some card stock to print it with, and was thankful to figure out a way to make heavy cardstock go through our printer! Mr. Diligence colored the model, and then Mr. Intellectual cut it out and put it together. He has always enjoyed putting models together, and Mr. Diligence has always enjoyed coloring, so that worked well.

This model seems to be very historically accurate, from what we’ve been reading. It’s nice to be able to see what the books talk about. Mr. Intellectual had a hard time fitting it together right, and was quite frustrated—and then he read the rest of the directions! Apparently, it is made correctly, contrary to his first conclusions, but he didn’t follow directions. It ended up looking good, though.

Our other product for review is the game, High and Dry. It is intended to teach the meanings of various nautical terms and sayings that come from sailing days. There are three packs of cards to print and cut out for this game. Each card has a term and its definition. One pack is general geographical and seafaring vocabulary, one is specifically sailing terminology, and the other is sea sayings. We had a lot of fun with that one. Where did “groggy” come from? Or “skyscrapers?” And why did a neighbor of ours in Cheviot often say, “Shivers!” as an exclamation of surprise or shock? We found out, playing this game!

We made a couple of minor changes to the rules to make the game work better for us. Before starting to play, I read aloud all the cards we were going to use for that round. Otherwise, no one would have been able to answer very many of the questions. Because we have four boys that I wanted to play, since they are the ones doing history, I read all the questions, and didn’t play myself (there are four playing pieces supplied with the game). We ended up allowing Esther and Simon to help the two younger boys, because they had a lot of trouble remembering the definitions. They got some, and we always gave them a chance to get the answer before letting the big ones help. Our other change was to use two dice instead of only one, because the game got too boring when it lasted a long time.

We probably won’t end up playing this game very often, but I will pull it out when we study the days of exploration or the ocean. It’s a good way to learn some of the terminology from those topics. The younger boys enjoyed seeing some familiar places on the map used for a gameboard, from our study of Christopher Columbus.

It was hard to choose which two products to review! There are a number of other ones that look like good resources to supplement our studies. For example, I sort of wish I had chosen The Progress of Faith From Europe to the Colonies Timeline. That would have been a great thing to add. Maybe I’ll end up buying it, since these products don’t cost much.

Book Review—Fine Print

March 12, 2018 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

About the Book

Name of book: Fine Print, book 3 in the Meddlin’ Madeline series
Author: Chautona Havig
Genre: Historical, Mystery
Release Date: March 15, 2018

My Thoughts:
I’ve been enjoying the saga of Madeline Brown ever since the first book came out a couple of years ago. In Fine Print, she is back again, investigating another mystery—but with a twist this time. Previously, she saw things that made her curious about something, and started investigating a man’s character on her own. Now, Edward Gastrel has asked her to investigate something for him—not someone’s character this time, but a mystery his grandfather left for him.

Madeline first met Edward at a dinner party. He had heard her reputation, and tested her out with a riddle; when she answered it quickly, he asked her to help him solve the riddle in his grandfather’s will—if he couldn’t find the solution, he would not get most of his inheritance. Of course, Madeline couldn’t resist such a challenge—but what would she find? You may be as surprised as she was, in the end, but you’ll have to read to the last chapter for all the pieces to fall into place. Until then, it’s somewhat vague.

I was challenged along with Madeline as she saw how absorbed Russell was by the Bible. The advice he gave her is worthwhile for everyone! I’m appreciating the spiritual growth I’m seeing in her life from book to book in this series.

Madeline’s skills as a detective are definitely growing, from one book to another. I’m enjoying following her progress—and the next book is sounding quite interesting, too, if it continues on where this one left off! I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with Jimmy and Essie, two poor children Madeline has learned to know, as well.

I received an advance reader’s copy from the author and chose to write this review. Links in this post may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther if you chose to buy through them.

The Author’s Synopsis:

Budding detective, Miss Madeline Brown, has gained quite the reputation for “meddling” in the circa 1900 city of Rockland. With two successful “cases” under her belt, it was only a matter of time before she found something new to interest her insatiable curiosity.

This time, however, the “curiosity” found her.

Challenged by Edward Gastrel, to prove her deductive prowess, Madeline embarks on riddling out the puzzle of a journal left to him by his grandfather. If she can decode the contents, the local gentleman may find himself in the possession of something quite valuable.

As usual, however, things aren’t as they seem, and Madeline finds herself in a race against more than time and ambiguity.

About the Author:
Chautona Havig lives and writes in California’s Mojave Desert where she uses story to point readers to the Master Storyteller.

Guest Post from Chautona Havig

Denny’s. “America’s Diner.” It’s also my “office away from my office away from home.” Most nights I write at our local prayer house. But on Wednesday nights for a few hours, and then all night on Saturday, I sit in booth 14 and write.

It was a cold, frosty Wednesday night. With thoughts from Bible Study still swirling in my mind and heart, I ordered my loaded baked potato soup and began brainstorming with my writing and podcasting buddy, April.

She left around midnightish—as usual. And another evening regular began chatting.

Look. I like this guy. He’s a fascinating conversationalist. We have a lot of fun talking books, movies, politics, history, computers… He’s even given me a great idea for a book (without meaning to, but still).

But… that night, I needed to get a bunch done on Madeline and didn’t have time for chatting. So, when he started talking about his evening, I wanted to bang my head on the table. I kept repeating, “People are more important. People are more important. People are more important,” over and over in my head.

I can’t tell you how often this has happened at Denny’s. Employees stop to chat. Regular diners stop to chat. This guy starts a long conversation and always on nights I can’t afford to spend… chatting!

But everything shifted in an instant.

The man said something—what, I can’t remember—and my brain started churning.

I asked a question.

He answered.

The next thing I knew, he’d moved into my booth and began firing questions at me. Suggestions. Most of what he suggested wouldn’t work with the story, but he had no way of knowing that. Still, every time he did I got a new idea. And I’d ask a question. He’d answer, suggest. I’d counter—ask or answer. Ideas blossomed and exploded into seeds of even more ideas.

And right there, at two o’clock in the morning, with Angela the wonder server keeping me in fresh glasses of Coke, Fine Print went from not only my favorite of the Madelines (thus far) but also became much more exciting.

The whole thing taught me a couple of lessons. First, I always say that people are more important than the “stuff” I do. Sometimes, that’s not so easy to live. But the Lord is always faithful, like He did that night, to remind me that it sometimes helps me, too.

Second, sometimes a mid-book brainstorming session is just what I need to keep my excitement high. And, if that means a “wasted” Wednesday night in booth 14, then I’d say it’s worth it.

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