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Review: The Sweet Taste of Providence by Christine Farenhorst

Jan 9th, 2020
by Annie Kate.
2 comments

I have been reading The Sweet Taste of Providence for well over a year. Last winter it was beside my fireside chair. A few times a week I would pick it up, read a story, and then ponder it, knitting thoughtfully. During the busy gardening season it sat on my bookshelf, and recently I took it down again. Inspiring, consoling, and a safe place for adults to consider the deepest questions of life, this would also be a wonderful book for homeschooling. I wish it had been around when my children were younger, and I am sharing tidbits with them now in the hope that they will read it on their own.

“History is like a large, beautiful cake. We can cut it into wonderful slices of providence, feast on them piece by piece, and be fed. The stories within this book are such slices.”

These words, on the back cover of The Sweet Taste of Providence, describe the book, its purpose, and its effects precisely. Christian Farenhorst, author of many historical books, has written 74 very short stories for this historical devotional. Each one leads the reader to reflect, in some way, on God’s grace, and discussion questions help with this.

Most of the stories are suitable for ages 8 to adult. Some of them may be too emotional for little ones, though. Life is rarely easy, and God’s people often face especially difficult times. This is good for all of us—including little ones, eventually— to realize. (The somewhat popular idea that good Christians have easy lives is contradicted by any study of history.) Yet it is also important for us all to realize that God cares for us lovingly even in the hard times, and Farenhorst reminds her readers of this over and over.

The stories in The Sweet Taste of Providence are about all sorts of people—old and young, famous and unknown, good and bad. Christine Farenhorst writes about Jonathan Swift’s prank, Elizabeth I’s toothache, conscience money, Diana of Poitiers, the stuffed mouse and Charlemagne, Reverend Smytegelt and the angels, Blondin the tightrope walker, Miss X of Bristol, the Bishop of Lichfield and lying, the architect of the Colosseum, Dwight Moody, and many more. Some of the vignettes are happy, some are sad; some have clear and obvious morals and others leave one thinking; some talk about our lives and others point to Jesus.  These stories bring us both encouraging heroes of the faith and sad examples of lives without God.

Open-ended questions, two per story, can lead to personal reflection or lively discussions; so can the Bible text at the beginning of each story. Although the discussion questions are geared to older people, they can be adapted for children.

Farenhorst ends the book with a pointed poem about Jonah Brown and the Great Commission:

…Statistics say and facts construe,

That many vessels have a queue

Of Jonahs anxious to board on,

To leave their calling and be gone

…

Yet through Christ’s grace, his great command

Vomits our presence on dry land,

And bids us walk our streets with dread

Leaving no prophecy unsaid.

These few lines say enough: once again we taste the sweet providence that reminds us of a responsibility Satan would have us forget.

In a Christian culture that speaks mostly of God’s love, Farenhorst’s tales and discussion questions remind us that we deserve God’s wrath and that that his love and care are pure grace. They also show that God’s love is not about making us comfortable but often involves difficult obedience or even suffering.

The Sweet Taste of Providence is an inspiring tool parents can use as they speak with their children and teens about the Lord. Although it does present great insight into everyday life throughout history, this is not a systematic book for history study. Rather it is a devotional look at historical individuals; it could easily lead to further historical exploration, but that is not necessary.

The whole family can enjoy and be blessed by this book. It is a unique devotional, a great read aloud, a helpful discussion starter for older children, teens and adults, and an effective supplement to history studies.

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Christine Farenhorst has written many books about history; I have previously reviewed Katharina Katharina.

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For more information about studying history from a Christian point of view, see my review of A Little Book for New Historians. I have also discussed the modern approach to studying history, a literature-based approach to Canadian history, and how one can give high school history credit for a literature-based history course.

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If you enjoyed this review, you might want to connect with me on GoodReads where I eventually share what I read or friend me on Facebook where I occasionally show up. 

Disclosure:I received a review copy of The Sweet Taste of Providence from the author and Sola Scriptura Ministries International. I am not compensated for providing my honest opinions.

This post may be linked to Booknificent Thursdays, 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge, Literacy Musings Monday, and The Book Nook as well as to Inspire Me Monday, Homemaking Linkup, Friendship Friday.

Posted in: 52 Books in 52 Weeks, Canadian, Devotional, Reviews, Reviews: Nonfiction, Reviews: Reformed.
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Review: Riding the Rails to Home by Cleo Lampos

Nov 8th, 2019
by Annie Kate.
No comments yet

When Stephen comes home with a hard-earned loaf of bread, his ill mother keeps him away so he won’t get cholera too. He runs to get his father from the saloon but is greeted with angry mockery and disbelief. Molly, his sister, is taken away to an orphanage, but Stephen continues to live on the streets, finding work and friendship as a newsboy.

With a bleak future in late 1800’s New York City and only a quilt square to remind him of his mother and sister, Stephen heads west on the orphan train. Will he find a home? Are there actually people who will love an orphan or do they just want slaves? From narrow escapes in New York City to adventures in the West, Riding the Rails to Home follows Stephen as he discovers aspects of life that he could never have imagined.

As Pop, the kind owner of the Newsboys Lodging House tells Stephen just before he gets on the train, “Some people don’t get the love that they need from their parents. But you’ve been here long enough to know that God loves you more than you can understand. He has a plan for your life, Stephen. Try to let God guide your footsteps.” And Stephen does.

A former educator, Cleo Lampos realized that the orphan train children of the past have much in common with today’s foster children—often there are abuse, addicted parents, loneliness, bitterness, and a deep distrust. She deals carefully with these themes, not letting them overwhelm young readers. Boys aged 9-12 will find Riding the Rails to Home a fast-paced yet tender story of a young boy who finds a home and learns about forgiveness and love.

I highly recommend this book for children, especially those who, as the dedication says, ‘face challenges that can be overwhelming.” I also encourage parents to read it and be prepared for discussions and questions.

You can find more fiction by Cleo Lampos on her website.

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If you enjoyed this review, you might want to connect with me on GoodReads where I eventually share what I read or friend me on Facebook where I occasionally show up. 

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.  I am not compensated for providing my honest opinions.

This may be linked to Saturday Reviews, Booknificent Thursdays, 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge, Literacy Musings Monday, and The Book Nook  as well as to Inspire Me Monday, Raising Homemakers, Friendship Friday.

Posted in: Reviews, Reviews: Children's Fiction.
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Review: The Next Right Thing by Emily Freeman

Nov 1st, 2019
by Annie Kate.
2 comments

The Next Right Thing by Emily Freeman

As a person with low energy, limited time, and a wish to do more than I physically can, I am constantly evaluating and prioritizing tasks and opportunities, trying to determine what is the next thing I should be doing. It is a daily, even hourly set of decisions: do I work on homeschooling records or freeze tomatoes, do I walk the dogs or take a rest, do I hang out with the kids or call my parents, and what should I do after homeschooling?

I am sure that you face your own set of decisions.

In fact, life is about making decisions, big ones and little ones. And sometimes they can all seem overwhelming. How should a Christian deal with this?

In The Next Right Thing, bestselling author Emily Freeman gives us her gentle, loving point of view, pointing out that no matter where we are in any decision, we are called just to do the next right thing, in love.

Emily wrote her book for those making big decisions and facing new situations yet her approach helps with the daily ones as well.

Calmly and gently Emily encourages the reader to spend time with God, name the things that are driving us, be humble, face our fears, see how God is working in our lives, ponder whether or not we should quit something, slow down, pay attention, let go of our need for clarity about the future, determine what we need to learn right now, learn carefully from others, be willing to accept the not-quite-perfect, put others first, and not be afraid, because God loves us and is with us.

Her central point seems to be this: the closer we live to Jesus, and the more time we spend with him just to be with him, the more he can, and does, and will speak in our hearts and inform our desires.

This is a tricky thing to say and a million red flags pop up because it can be such a misleading statement if taken out of context. After all, Christians are still sinners and our desires can still be sinful. But, if taken the right way it is, of course, perfectly true. I had a similar response to much of the book—it can easily be misunderstood, but if one comes at it from the point of a believer who loves the Lord and wishes to live for him, it is all perfectly true.

Thus The Next Right Thing is a book with a specific audience: Those who understand their sins and misery, who rejoice in the fact that Jesus saved them, and who are trying to figure out on an individual, personal, day to day basis, how they can show their thankfulness to God. Emily writes to those who have the Holy Spirit working in them, who love the Lord, and who delight in spending time with him.

And, because she writes to forgiven sinners, she emphasizes God’s love and care and our child-like freedom to serve in thankful response, although she doesn’t use those words. She points out ways in which we ourselves, the culture around us, and the devil can interfere with our service to God by filling us with worldly guilt, false shame, and fearful indecisiveness.

Each chapter ends with a prayer and a practical application of material in that chapter. To make the book practical, you really need to grab some paper and a pen and thoughtfully respond to the questions and do the applications. Not everyone will want to do this, but those who do will be rewarded.  On the other hand, you can use the book as a sort of devotional by reading and praying through it.

So, if you are a Christian, have a decision to make, and don’t know where to begin, you might want to pick up The Next Right Thing.

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Related book reviews, articles, and books include:

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If you enjoyed this review, you might want to connect with me on GoodReads where I eventually share what I read or friend me on Facebook where I occasionally show up. 

Disclosure: This book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. and is available at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

This may be linked to Saturday Reviews, Booknificent Thursdays, 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge, Literacy Musings Monday, and The Book Nook  as well as to Inspire Me Monday, Raising Homemakers, Friendship Friday.

Posted in: 52 Books in 52 Weeks, Devotional, Life, Reviews, Reviews: Nonfiction.
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4 Reasons our Kids Should Learn Handwriting

Oct 26th, 2019
by Annie Kate.
No comments yet

In this day of computers and smartphones, should we still teach our kids handwriting? Or can we just type or tap on our devices? This question comes up regularly, and the answer has not changed even though society has.

Handwriting—or at least printing—is absolutely necessary even in modern life. We no longer need to focus on it as much as in the past, but pen and paper communication is still vital to an educated life.

  1. Learning is apparently more effective when notes are taken by hand than by computer. It is not certain why this is so, but it seems valid across the board. Also, some kinds of learning, such as math, cannot be done effectively without using pen and paper.
  2. There are numerous occasions in everyday life when it is simply more effective or handier to use pen and paper than digital devices. Handwritten thank you or sympathy cards mean much more than a text or email. Shopping lists and to do lists are compatible with our devices, but such lists  easily become temptations to check social media and other addictive apps, thus hindering progress to our goals. Brainstorming, by its very nature, benefits from using pen and paper, although there are apparently brainstorming programs.
  3. University exams are largely handwritten in most disciplines. Students’ grades suffer, sometimes significantly, if they cannot write effortlessly, legibly, quickly, and for at least three hours at a time.
  4. The final reason is perhaps more philosophical now, although it could turn out to be the most important one in the long run: Writing and reading are basic skills civilization is built on. Our current digital society has some very fragile links and is, some suggest, actually only one Carrington event away from serious and widespread disruption.

Now, handwriting is not necessarily easy to learn. Often children are taught it long before they have the physical dexterity to succeed, and this can be difficult for them and their teacher. There is nothing wrong with delaying it, as the Moores’ Better Late than Early philosophy would suggest. But, as we have found out in our family, delaying it too long can have repercussions.

In fact, not teaching some form of pen and paper communication at some point just because it is difficult, as was suggested in a recent comment to my old review of Canadian Handwriting, can significantly handicap a person’s ability to learn throughout life. It will also impact, to some extent, his or her everyday life. Of course, it is not vital to have beautiful handwriting—my Oma’s perfect script and my cousin’s calligraphy are exquisite and beyond the reach of most of us—but it is vital to have functional handwriting.

These are important things to consider as you teach your children. My recommendation:

  • We need to teach our children how to write legibly, quickly, and effortlessly. This requires practice and may be boring, but it is important for all of our children. Some children may be ready to do this at age four and some not until age ten, but all should be taught at some age.
  • If a teen is heading off to university, we need to ensure he or she is able to write quickly and for long periods of time as well as type quickly. These skills require time and practice to perfect, but they are essential.

I wish you God’s blessing as you diligently, patiently, and creatively teach your children the skills and knowledge they need.

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My reviews of handwriting programs:

Posted in: High School, Homeschool, Homeschool Tips.
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Review: Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

Oct 18th, 2019
by Annie Kate.
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What is the single biggest factor shaping our lives today? Some suggest it’s our screens.

Although that is a simplistic answer, it is certainly true for many people. And this, obviously, is not good. First of all, we Christians should be most influenced by the gospel, not screens. Secondly, if we are controlled by screens, we are actually controlled by those who control what’s on our screens—and no one, thinking about it, would want to be controlled by the companies that make money from our use of apps and social media.

On the other hand, almost no one would advocate living without screens.

So what should we do, as society in general and as Christian homeschoolers in particular? First of all we need to recognize that

Technology is intrinsically neither good nor bad. The key is using it to support your goals and values, rather than letting it use you.

In Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World, Cal Newport aims to show how this can be done.   He claims that it is not enough to just tweak a few settings or apps here and there; instead we need a full-fledged philosophy of technology use. Newport proposes Digital Minimalism:

A philosophy of technology use in which you focus your online time on a small number of carefully selected and optimized activities that strongly support things you value, and then happily miss out on everything else.

In order to apply this, you need to determine what is the best way for technology to support your values and not allow it to diminish things that are important to you. In other words, digital minimalism means you should be in charge of your tech; it should not rule either your time or your attention.

To make this practical, Newport recommends a 30 day digital declutter in which you take a break from optional technology and use the time to explore and rediscover meaningful activities. He is convinced that, once you rediscover the joys of tech autonomy as opposed to tech addiction, this month of freedom will motivate you to reduce the power that tech companies have over you.

For it is undoubtedly true that tech companies, which are now some of the largest companies of all, need to capture our attention and time in order to make their money. The more ‘eyeball minutes’ they can get from us, the more ‘eyeball minutes’ they can sell to their advertisers and, from their point of view, that is the bottom line. Yes, they provide some useful services, but the vast majority of the time people spend on them does not involve these useful services. Rather, the time we spend is due to psychological manipulation cleverly designed to keep people’s attention. This is not a conspiracy theory; the tech companies admit it.

So, what does Newport recommend to replace tech time during the 30 day digital declutter? He mentions three general categories—solitude, meaningful relationships, and active leisure—discussing both research and practical implementation.

Solitude: For our personal well-being, including mental health, we need time alone with our thoughts, Newport says. This, of course, can lead to all sorts of objections from those who are not used to being with themselves and who are afraid of their own thoughts. It is noteworthy that the recent jump in youth mental illness parallels the advent of the smartphone; research suggests that this is no coincidence. What’s more, if we are never alone with our thoughts, we also have no time to reflect on our lives, to have meaningful relationships with others, or, I would add, to worship God.

Relationships: We seem to be geared for relationship, and the one-dimensional connection of social media is not adequate to meet this deep-seated need. Newport extols the values of conversation and suggests that online connection be limited to facilitating in person conversation, preferably face to face, but also by phone. Practically, he points out that telling friends and family when you are regularly available for phone calls increases the likelihood that they will feel free to call.

Leisure: A life that is only about solving problems, needs, and difficulties can lead to despair but wise use of leisure time can fill us with joy. Low value tech use has deprived us of satisfying leisure; conversely it is difficult to cut back on tech if there is nothing to fill the void. Newport discusses learning hands on skills, spending time with others, and thoughtfully filling time with activities that are valuable to you. He points out that demanding activities are, in the long run, more satisfying than passive consumption.

Finally, tech companies currently focus their research about attention-holding techniques on mobile devices. Thus a good first step to regaining control of your life is to use social media only on your computer where it will be less addictive.

As Newport points out, the goal of digital minimalism is to apply digital tools to yield big wins in your life instead of to waste time. Its goal is not to reject technology but to reject the usual way of interacting with it. Ultimately, we should use technology instead of being used by it.  This is, of course, similar to the Bible’s viewpoint that we may use anything with thankfulness but should not be enslaved by anything.  Thus Digital Minimalism is helpful for all, Christian or not, who wish to live according to their own values rather than according to tech company’s manipulations.

Throughout his book Newport quotes experts and books, leaving the reader with a list of fascinating resources to explore. He also, as is the fashion in many of these books, explains human psychology and relationships in terms of evolutionary psychology. While researchers in the relevant hard sciences continue to scramble to find scientific evidence for evolution (and to explain away the evidence against it), the softer sciences and evangelical atheists proclaim it as fact. It would be an intriguing exercise to reinterpret Newport’s explanations in terms of man’s function as a creature, now fallen, who was originally designed to be in relationship with God and others.

Fascinating and easy to read, Digital Minimalism would be helpful for anyone who is concerned about the power screens have over us and our children. It is both philosophical and practical.  A similar book, The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch (link to my review), shares many of the same conclusions, applying them to families from a Christian point of view, but it has a different philosophical approach. Because the battle for our attention is so lop-sided, with powerful companies wresting it from ordinary individuals, we really need to arm ourselves with as much information and continued encouragement as possible. Therefore I highly recommend both books to anyone who encounters screens.

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Related articles and reviews I have written:

“Reflections on The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch”, a Christian discussion about how use technology wisely in our families.

Review of Captivated:  Finding Freedom in a Media-Captive Culture, a Christian documentary that addresses similar issues.

“Glow Kids, Screens, and Education.”  It turns out that screens may cause more educational problems than we suspected.

“Screens and our Kids’ Mental Health, with Tips for Parents.”

Review of Glow Kids:  How Screen Addiction is Hijacking our Kids—and How to Break the Trance by Nicholas Kardaras.

Review of 52 Ways to Connect with your Smartphone Obsessed Kid by Jonathan McKee. Practical ways to connect or reconnect.

Review of Growing Up Social: Raising Relational Kids in a Screen-Driven World by Gary Chapman and Arlene Pellicane.  “Is it possible for children to learn about relationships and responsibilities when the vast majority of their time is spent absorbed in a screen?”

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If you enjoyed this review, you might want to connect with me on GoodReads where I eventually share what I read, or friend me on Facebook where I occasionally show up. 

Disclosure:  I borrowed this book from the library and am not compensated for this review.

This may be linked to Saturday Reviews, Booknificent Thursdays, 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge, Literacy Musings Monday, and The Book Nook  as well as to Inspire Me Monday, Christian Homemakers, Friendship Friday.

Posted in: Life, Reviews, Reviews: Nonfiction.
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