Post Category → books

Books: Olly and Me

Olly and Me, by Shirley Hughes

This is our newest library find, and a super-enjoyable one, at that! It’s a book of poems about a little girl, her little brother, and their family life. Jameson loves the subject matter, as it’s all familiar to him. And the paintings are fabulous. Often, a long poem on a two-page spread doesn’t hold his attention because of the illustration to text ratio, but not in this case. I think our favorite poem is one about fireworks — Hughes’ illustration of vibrant colors exploding in energetic brush strokes against the dark sky captured both our attention for quite some time. (In fact, I suddenly can’t wait for the 4th of July!)

honeycomb; p.s.

I’ve been trying to read more. In theory, if I keep a book nearby to grab during all of my nursing sessions, I could read quite a bit. Of course, this means staying on top of things and making sure there’s a book I’d like to read in the house!

Right now, I’m [re]reading Future Men. This is not a book review. Perhaps one will be forthcoming, but I just had to note something so good, so interesting.

As you would assume, this is a book on raising boys to be men. (Believe it or not, becoming a man doesn’t happen by simply allowing to Time to do its thing!) One chapter is titled, “Secret Sin, Tolerated Sin.” Here’s the snippet and thought I wanted to share:

But not all sin is hidden away. In many homes there is another category, that of open, tolerated sin.

Pause. What do you think he’s going to address? Something pretty big and bad, right? Something scandalous that certainly we would never allow, right? I guess that’s what I was ready for. But instead:

This is usually tolerated verbal sin — words spoken around the house. There are many aspects to this because we sin more with our mouths than any other way…

Isn’t that interesting? The sins of spreading falsehood, foolish presumptions, just too much talking, spite, haste, gossip — things that are so often right under our noses, and we don’t even notice. (Perhaps we easily grow accustomed to the stench?)

Can I just say one more thing about how awesome my parents are? Sorry to sound like a Johnny One-note (but you would, too, you know!)

My parents didn’t tolerate these sins in our house. No one got off the hook because, you know, it’s just home and family and we should be free to let our guard down a bit now and then… We weren’t allowed to blow up at each other, get snippy and rude, make sarcastic comments, and Mom piped up when the conversation was veering quickly into the muck and mire of gossip, mockery, or just plain foolishness. No one got roasted around the family dinner table. Well, except for a few choice politicians now and then, and even so, we’d end up getting called on the carpet and told to honor and pray for our leaders. See? It just wasn’t allowed.

And I really appreciate that! There is no loophole in the scriptures for speaking wholesome words — unless you’re just talking with a sibling, in which case you can enjoy all the tasty trifles you want.

If anything, our family relationships should be where we learn the art of holding our tongues, guarding our words, cultivating speech that is seasoned with grace. There, we learn how to repent for hasty words, foolish conversations, barbed comments, taking full responsibility for the effects of such actions.

Because watching our speech isn’t just something we can do to be more pious. Words count. More than you or I even understand. And they count at home just as much as they do anywhere else.

p.s. Another post on mom and us today.

a. carmichael: useless

Another letter from the collection, Candles In The Dark

To one who felt useless

My first feeling was to write and tell you that you are mistaken, but though I think you are, in part, I won’t write so. Instead, I will say what our heavenly Father said to me a long time ago, and says to me still very often: “See in it a chance to die.”

Perhaps the brave love of God is touching is touching with death the I in you, that it may be in very truth “not I but Christ”. This is your heart’s desire, your deepest desire, and He counts nothing too much to do, that it may be fully fulfilled. “Ponder the voice of my humble desire.” He has pondered it; He is answering it. So be of good cheer. Don’t heed the devil’s whisper about uselessness. Is he not the father of lies? Why believe a liar? God is working out a most beautiful purpose.

Not good night, and let the Lord give His beloved sleep untroubled by the unkind remarks of the enemy. Believe me, he is not at all trustworthy, and you well know your Lord is. Does He ever break His word? No, never, and He knows that you know it. “For Thou, Lord, has never failed them that fear Thee.” No, nor ever will.

papa small

Papa Small, by Lois Lenski, has been our most recent favorite. In fact, Jameson, Mama, and Daddy all like it so much that I immediately tracked down a copy to purchase. The size of the book is, I think, part of what has endeared it to Jameson (about 6″ square). Perfect for little hands! Lenski’s illustrations are simply darling (I’ve borrowed several of her books from the library, and now want to find all the rest of them!) Most of all, though, we love the simple story of a family’s daily and weekly life: a picture of Daddy shaving while the kiddies watch, waving goodbye to Daddy as he drives to work, going to church together, eating the dinner that Mama cooked all around the dining room table… It’s the special moments all in one little book! Highly recommended.

a. carmichael: soldiering

A bit more Amy?

It matters a good deal that your book-food should be strong meat. We are what we think about. Think about trivial things or weak things and somehow one loses fibre and becomes flabby in spirit. Soldiers need to be strong.

Soldiers have not time for everything. ‘I have no time for anything outside my profession,’ a young officer said once, and in measure that is true. We can’t be entangled in the affairs of this life if we are to be real soldiers. By its affairs I mean its chatter and its ways of thinking and deciding questions, its whole aspect and trend. emphasis mine

Am I filling my time with weak or trivial things? Am I spending precious moments on things “outside my profession?” Most of all, am I caught up — in any way, on any subject — with the world’s way of thinking, its trends, its chatter?

(Related: 2 Timothy 2:4; Romans 12:1-2; Colossians 2:8)

a. carmichael: grey days

When I was 16, I spent two months in India. It was my first overseas trip, my first independent travel, and my first length of time away from home. A special friend gifted me with this small book before I left — a compilation of letters written by one of our heroes, missionary to India Amy Carmichael. (Do you read this blog, Erin? If you do: this book is the most well-worn on my bookshelf, save for my first Bible. It has been read over and over and over. Thank you.) May I recommend it to you? Small little snippets — deeply inspiring, convicting, and full of love for the Savior.

I remember the first time I read a particular page from this book for real. I was sitting in the library at school. The windows behind me let in the dull gray light of a wet, dreary day. I was taking a break from the monotony of study on a totally routine day. This booklet had made its way, again, to my devotional rotation, and so I pulled it out, ready to read anything that had nothing to do with polytonality.

I read, and the words burned in my heart:

All sorts of days come and go — they go, that’s the best of them. Don’t let the dull days pass without giving you what only dullness ever can give. It isn’t the days of high tension that try us most, and so give us most; it’s the days that seem all grey and dull. They test the quality of the gold.

Of all the truths I stumbled upon in my singleness, perhaps this one has helped me most on the path of motherhood. Learning to value gray days. Realizing they do happen. And realizing that the question asked of me is, Will I be found faithful? Even on the days that could easily be discounted, wasted, seen as not really counting — will I serve 100%? There is the ability, when you’re single (or at least childless) to get a “gray” moment and immediately squirm your way out of it — go somewhere, do something, you know. Add some spark. Live from high to high, drama to drama, event to event. I know. Hey, it’s more fun. But learning to just do my best and plod on when it was an active choice was phenomenal training for this role in which I now find myself.

Certainly there are plenty of dull moments, if not entire days, of dullness in this current season. I’m not trying to be negative; there simply are. Sometimes I think I must have done something wrong to have landed such a dreary day, but no, not always. Sometimes they’re there because there is gold that needs testing: my faithfulness and steadfastness of heart.

Most of all, it’s reassuring to know that God can be found, even on days when there’s no prayer meeting scheduled, no cell group meeting at your house, no emergency that requires ten hours of speaking in tongues. He’s there, watching for my response in those moments that don’t seem to matter. Smiling when I choose diligent service. And encouraging my heart with His songs of delight.

So whatever season you’re in, don’t discount the gray days. Sometimes they’re the best ones.