Regrets of Summer

I've concluded that summer is my least favorite season. I enjoy the many opportunities summer can provide for camping, vacation, gardening, bike riding, and enjoying the outdoors. Unfortunately, life seems to afford little opportunity for those activities. For me personally, that's not too big of a deal. The larger regret comes for my children. I regret that since I work, and I do have to work through the summer, my children don't get the opportunity for just plain down time in the summer to ride their bicycles (which neither can ride yet), go swimming, go to the park, and just hang out. Although I know I have the three day weekend during June and July, I find that extra day is filled up with housework and garage sales instead of summer fun. Summers were different for me as a kid since I lived in the country and had more freedom. However, I really would like for my kids to look back at summer as enjoyable instead of simply going to the sitters house everyday.

If I Could Ask God Anything (Book Review)

Tommy Nelson, a division of Thomas Nelson Publishers, has recently issued a 2^nd edition of Kathryn Slattery’s book If I Could Ask God Anything: Awesome Bible Answers for Curious Kids. This children’s book is a compilation of questions concerning basic Christian doctrine, practices, and the church year along with accompanying answers. Reading the questions, it is easy to imagine children asking these questions. Slattery provides clear answers addressed directly to children with appropriate reference to scriptures. Frequent insets provide additional information such as how to read the Bible or a more extensive list of scripture references. Some pages include graphics with a continuing theme of God loves you (1 John 3:1).

This useful resource belongs in every church library and will be a welcome resource for children’s ministers and Sunday School teachers. Slattery’s clear biblically based answers will prove useful as a springboard for answering questions. This resource is also highly recommended to parents who desire to instill Christian faith in their children. It is designed more as a reference book than a devotional book although it could be used as such. Upper elementary children may find this book useful for personal reading and reference.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze 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.”

So Many Things To Do

Spring is here! This year I am really itching to get out and plant a garden. I've been reading about Lasagna Gardening and am really excited about the possibilities. I've also started a compost pile with an old garbage can, but it's not doing too much yet. It's a work in progress. I've also been reading about worm composting and think the kids would really enjoy that activity. They thought it was cool when we found an earthworm when we pulled a weed yesterday. However, I think I need to hold off on the worms until I get some other things figured out. One step at a time.

Unfortunately, spring is also just really busy. I usually take a class in the spring time which means I have papers and work to finish. Also May is so busy that it seems each Saturday is gone. An added task this year is that I really want to get the garage cleaned out. I think I might have to get my garden started first and then finish the garage. Now I just need to finish deciding what to plant. If I'm not careful I think I'd be prone to turn the entire yard into a garden.

In another blog I read occasionally, the author thanked a recent award winner for drawing attention to "those important [adoptive] moms who love like Jesus does." This statement bothers me for several reasons. First, because of its pat me on the back mentality that I'm being so virtuous and Christian by adopting. I'm sorry, but adopting does not equate laying down your life to the extent Christ did for us. But most of all, this bothers me because it leaves the birth mom out of the picture. How many of the birth moms, particularly in foreign countries, are NOT teenage moms giving up their babies but are moms and dads who desperately would love to keep their families intact but are unable to because of the bad economy and lack of community development where they live. God created families so what can we do to help families stay intact and thrive rather than encourage families to disband in hopes that their child may get a better future?

"There are 147 million orphans across our world today. If 1 in 10 Christian families were to adopt, there would be 0."

I love my Christian brothers and sisters who choose to adopt. However, there are so many logical fallacies with the above statement.

1. How many of these 147 million are truly orphans with no parents at all? So many children at orphanages have living parents who believe they can't afford to care for their children. With economic development in their home countries, these parents could keep their kids.

2. If all orphans were adopted, there would just be more orphans. I fear international adoption only increases the number of parents who abandon their children because they feel they are unable to care for them.

3. Let's encourage sustainable, economic development around the world to increase the standard of living and decrease the number of orphaned and vulnerable children around the world. By all means adopt, but let's tackle the needs of orphans and foster children here in the U.S.