Denominational Differences?

My friend and I have been discussing the differences in the Presbyterian denomination. Changes to the PCUSA have brought about a possible choice for change in our local church. Some of the options include switching to the EPC (Evangelical Presby) or the PCA, at least these are the ones we’ve talked about. I have begun researching at least five other branches.

While I won’t delve into the details, I find it surprising that one denomination has such disparity in its approach to biblical authority (liberal, moderate and conservative). When one says, I’m a Presbyterian, it’s not enough to simply say that but one should identify what branch to give a clearer picture of what it means to be a Presbyterian.

This has all led me to think about other denominations as well – do all “branches” of the faith have their own separate branches with differing viewpoints.

Is this what Jesus intended when he created the church? Surely not.

Cross Pen Review

Cross Pen
http://www.cross.com/

There’s just something about a good pen: a sturdy, stylish, fluid pen. I don’t know exactly what it is, but holding a nice pen in my hand just feels good. I enjoy writing with it. I enjoy owning it. I threaten my kids never to touch it lest they lose it.

As a BzzAgent, I got the thrill of test driving a Cross pen. It’s right pretty, isn’t it? This pen even features a cartridge allowing the pen to become a pencil. A luxurious pencil. Ok, I know, I’m a little silly about my pens. But, I teach writing for a living, so I should be more conscious than most about writing and what I choose to write with.

The Cross brand has been around for 150 years. Obviously, they are doing something write… uh, I mean, right. The stand by their pens offering a lifetime mechanical guarantee. Nice to have a product that truly focuses on quality! In fact, they also offer a 30 day money back guarantee on any non-engraved product to ensure your satisfaction.

Looking for the perfect Father’s Day or Graduation gift – may I suggest one of these pens? They come in a variety of styles sure to impress. Right now, using the code SHOPCROSS, you can get 20% off of your gift giving. I love a good discount! Not sure which one to give, use the Cross Gift Finder to get help selecting just the right one.

My grad is getting a Cross pen. He’s always loved a good writing instrument, just like his mama.

*** As a BzzAgent, I received my pen free for my honest review.

Branded: Sharing Jesus with a Consumer Culture Review

Branded: 
Sharing Jesus with a Consumer Culture
Author: Tim Sinclair

Branded aptly points out that Christians are losing their potency when it comes to “making disciples of all nations.” We have become antiquated in our strategies, comfortable in our own circles, and unmotivated to move out of routine in an effort to reach the unchurched. The Christian “brand” is experiencing a slump.

As the author, Tim Sinclair, aptly puts it, “Many people have no problem with Christ, but a big problem with Christians. Expressed in marketing terms, the product isn’t the problem – the spokespeople are. Instead of bringing people to Jesus, it seems we’re more effective at turning them away.”

Sinclair highlights the Christian proclivity for displaying our Christianity through our jewelry, t-shirts, bumper stickers, and more. Just like we take a negative view of those with the Darwin fish on the back of their car, an unchurched or non-Christian person would not want to approach one of us displaying these symbols. These symbols attract like people; they don’t encourage those on the outside to come on in.

So, what are we to do? Sinclair uses examples of marketing greats like Apple, Best Buy, and Google to show that it’s really all about relationship. When a Best Buy employee is knowledgeable, friendly and works to meet your needs, you buy their products. Were that employee unapproachable, speaking in terms you couldn’t understand and quick to move on to another customer, you’d be unlikely to develop a long-term commitment to that company. Much like churches – we need to communicate, be friendly, offer a relationship, and encourage the seeker to ask questions and feel comfortable so that he/she will stay.

The last chapter of the book focuses on radical ideas for change. What about not tithing to the church one week and instead giving the money to someone you know who is recently unemployed? What about visiting other churches of people who believe differently? Would they be more willing to visit our church is we had a willingness to visit theirs? I love that he is thinking outside of the box. It appears to me that the box is the problem – we are comfortable where we are, with our fellow Christians, worshipping the same way we have for decades with the occasional Christmas outreach or mission trip or Habitat house without ever having to really welcome those on the outside in.

Tim Sinclair gets us thinking. He takes seriously the mandate to “become fishers of men” and seeks to make Christianity relevant while maintaining the truth of the Bible.

***I received this book free of charge from LitFuse in exchange for my honest review…

Last Week of School

I really can’t believe how time flies. This completes our third year of homeschooling and it feels like we just started last August. It’s a little scary because in four years, my older son will graduate. I just don’t want it to go by that fast!

We’ve had a great year – lots of learning, lots of experiences, lots of growing. Exactly as I had hoped it would be. Not perfect, of course, but a blessing.

Teaching Textbooks was our favorite discovery for this year. The boys went from hating math to tolerating it. I can’t ask for much more than that! I also got to review for The Old Schoolhouse magazine’s Homeschool Crew, which allowed us to try different curriculum we otherwise would not have. The boys were hesitant at first, but they got into the idea of trying something new and giving their opinions.

The big plans for next year are set. It’s amazing how much has to be done in May in preparation for August. Both the boys will be in Gavel Clubs next year working on their public speaking. Older has been accepted into the Homeschool National Honor Society and has begun working toward his Congressional Award. Our co-op has sent out the classes for next year, so we’re set with what they’ll have there and what we’ll tackle independently. I hope to help lead yearbook at the co-op with my older participating and will be coaching a Battle of the Books team with my younger as a member. Most of the curriculum has been bought with the exception of a few items I’m hoping to snag used or on sale.

Next year marks a new adventure for me as I tackle computer science with the homeschoolers. At the co-op, we’re offering Computer Applications and Alice, each a semester long. It’ll be easy teaching the Computer Apps, but Alice will be a new horizon. I’m blessed to be able to attend a two week program at Duke to learn how to integrate it into the classroom. It’s exciting!

Now, it’s time to think of summer and sneaking in all those “educational” opportunities under the guise of having fun. Learning never stops – it’s just not called learning during the summer.

Are you ready for next year?

A Pictorial View of our Mountain Expedition

My older son setup a homeschool expedition for us. He decided we were going to climb Crowder’s Mountain in Gaston County, NC. It’s the highest peak in that county and at one time served as a dividing barrier between the Catawba and Cherokee Indian hunting grounds.

It was quite the hike taking us a couple of hours, but what fun! Spending the day exploring the wilderness with my boys and hiking a mountain can’t be beat. Here’s a little pictorial view of our day… Enjoy.

 

 

 

Math Dog Math Review

Mad Dog Math

http://www.maddogmath.com/

Cost:  One year - $19.95  Second year - + $10. Perpetual license -  $39.95. 

Ages:  K - Early Middle School

We were offered Mad Dog Math computer-based program for review. While my boys are a little old for the subject matter (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), I still opted to review this product because of the opportunity for practice, speed and repetition.

My youngest is eleven. He knows his facts, but he doesn’t like to move quickly. In testing situations, or even when doing advanced math, the ability to recall facts quickly and on demand is very important. That's how we used this program – as a tool to increase his speed.

Math Dog allows the student to choose what numbers to practice (1 through 12), what skill set to practice (+, -. *. /), and how much time to put on the timer (30 sec, 1 min, 2 min, unlimited). Additionally, once mastery is achieved, the student can choose the Challenge level to combine the skills being perfected.

My son liked the practice. They number of problems, twenty-four, was very manageable. It allowed him to really push himself without getting too stressed out with too many problems. He’s a big dog lover, so the Mad Dog theme really appealed to him.

What I really like about the program are the Club Stickers that students can earn for learning a set of facts.  My son has been practicing speeding up on his mulitiplication by earning his 2 minute, 1 minute and now 30 second stickers.  This little incentive lets me track where he's at and gives him a sense of accomplishment.

For us, I really like the concept and the program, the issue is that it is a bit pricey. There are several free internet based sites that provide the same timed tests for free. Since we are just using it to build up speed, the investment wouldn’t be worth the return. If my child were just starting to learn these concepts or if I had several children to use the program so that we’d use it for several years, I would consider the perpetual liscense a good investment.

To see other reviews by the TOS Homeschool Crew click here.

*** I was provided this program free of charge as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew for my honest review.

Turnaround Turning Fear into Freedom Review

Turnaround: Turning Fear into Freedom

http://www.myanxiouschild.com/

David A. Russ, Ph.D.

Christopher T. McCarthy, M.Ed.

Cost:  Currently 20% off – 167.95 (payment plan is available)

If you have a child with an anxiety disorder, you know how difficult it is for that child to branch out or sometimes even get through each day, not to mention the hard task of dealing with night time.

My son has struggled with anxiety – it has been heightened with the onset of puberty. My heart breaks when I see him struggle with day to day tasks that many wouldn’t think are a big deal, but to him are sometimes insurmountable. He worries – constantly. To the point of freezing up.

I emailed doctors Russ and McCarthy, the developers of Turnaround, to see if they felt this program might be something that could help my child. After emailing discussions, we agreed that while my child is a little older than the target audience (ages 6-12) it was certainly worth a try.

Turnaround is a thirteen CD set. There are ten lessons or ten “days” that the child works through. There is also a “Chill” disk that the child can use at night to help with relaxation, and two Parent Guide disks. Additionally, the set comes with a workbook that allows the student to work through what they have learned each day and identify their areas of fear and how to overcome them.

The set was developed by Dr. David A. Russ Ph.D and Christopher T. McCarthy M.Ed. who together have over thirty-five years of trained clinical therapist experience.

The audio CD’s for the child are setup as a camping trip where kids with different anxiety based disorders go to get help overcoming their fears. Along on the camping trip is a previous child who overcame her fears the year before, two doctors, and several characters that help the child identify and face his/her fears.

The fears covered include – OCD, school phobia, separation anxiety, generalized anxiety and panic attacks. Each disorder is addressed through a child on the camping trip allowing your child to identify with that character and see how he/she goes through the journey of identifying and facing down his/her fear.

You can listen to examples of the CD’s and the kids on the trip by clicking here.

What really helped my son was realizing that his anxiety was a separate thing from who he is. He isn’t his anxiety; anxiety is just one facet of his personality that he can overcome so that his other strengths can shine. Using the CD’s advice, he was able to identify the anxiety by name and recognize when symptoms of anxiety were coming upon him and focus on trying to control them rather than have them control him. He still has a long way to go, however. My son is very logical, and when what scares him appears logical it’s very hard to overcome. The CD’s talk about differentiating between What If’s and What Is. He’s still working on that.

Parents should listen to the CD’s with their child. What I found interesting while listening to the CD’s is that I too exhibit anxiety traits. Now I have a better sense of where he gets these fears and realize that I need to model strategies to overcome them.

This is a terrific tool for parents of children with anxiety. I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to try it with my child. He has learned and will continue to learn from the lessons provided. Additionally, we have a branching off point to discuss further what his fears are and to try to come to reasonable and safe ways for him to face them.

If you have a child suffering from any of the listed fears, please take this opportunity to visit the Turnaround web site to better understand how this program can benefit your family. Now is the time to help your child so that he/she can grow into adulthood with confidence. Turnaround has a 90 day money-back guarantee – you can return it if you find it isn’t working for your child.

*** I received a copy of Turnaround free for my honest review.