Book Review: Counterfeit Gospels by Trevin Wax

As Christians, it’s easy to fall into various traps that cause us to view the Bible through a worldly lens. People start relying on human logic instead of scriptural truths, and what results is a false, or “counterfeit gospel”. Trevin Wax explores six specific counterfeits common in American culture, along with ways Christians can counter them. He first describes the gospel as a three-legged stool, with each leg being a different approach to the gospel: the gospel story, the gospel announcement, and the gospel community. Although many Christians stand by one of these approaches, all are in fact necessary and interdependent. After each chapter describing one of these true gospels approaches, he then describes two counterfeits associated with each one.

I will admit I spent the first couple of chapters trying to figure out if the author’s theological beliefs lined up with my own. I couldn't find any flaws in his approach to the gospel, however, because he has a strictly Bible-based view. Each chapter ends with lists of Bible references to back up several points he made throughout the chapter. After a solid explanation of each approach he delves into the counterfeits. It’s pretty easy to recognize them when he describes them, as they are so prevalent in our society. There is the “all roads lead to Heaven” approach, the “God is Love and won’t really judge” counterfeit, and the “I don’t need to be part of a Church” among others.

What I really liked was the time in each chapter spent on ways to proactively avoid the counterfeits. Several of them are difficult traps for most Christians to avoid and it helps to have tools to actively protect one from falling in to them.

I highly recommend this book for Christians looking to strengthen their faith. It is not a difficult read and is well backed up by Scripture.

I received this book for free from the publisher through the Moody Publishers blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions and thoughts I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Experiences on Breastfeeding in Public

We've all heard some version of a story about a mother who tries to feed her hungry baby in a restaurant and is asked to either leave or feed the child in the public restroom (yuck!). As the proud new mother of an adorable baby girl, I have had stories like these on my mind lately. I've also read stories about the plight of women trying to pump while travelling, or transport breast milk while away from her baby and running into issues with TSA... All these reported experiences are enough to put a new mother almost in a state of fear when leaving the house with her newborn, because it's enough stress trying to get used to breastfeeding in the first place without having to worry about what someone might say to you for doing it.

Understandably, when first venturing out with my newborn I was a bit wary of the reactions I might get. Well, here is the list of negative experiences I have had so far, as an exclusively breast feeding mother of an eight week old baby.

Exactly none.

Yep.

No dirty looks and no negative comments.

I'm not saying it doesn't happen by any means, I am merely saying that I have had nothing but positive experiences. People rarely even pay attention! My daughter, in the words of my husband, is a "traffic stopper". She elicits adoring glances from people every time we take her places. But when it's time to feed her, most people have been polite enough to not give me a second glance, or just to continue talking as if nothing is going on. I really think many people don't even notice! A couple weeks ago at the Texas State Fair, when a GMC rep that was talking to my husband (and casting adoring glaces toward my child) could see that I was about to have to feed her for the second time, she let me know of a place nearby I could sneak off to if I wanted privacy for a minute. I had the distinct impression she was genuinely being kind.

I've noticed that in general, people are more focused on themselves and what others might think of them than what they think of other people. I say "in general" because there are those who like to constantly criticize others. However, I have been fortunate not to have run into any of them recently (and noticed it anyway).

As I have become more comfortable feeding my daughter I have been less worried about being secretive. Of course, I'm not about to just whip out my boob in plain view to feed her, but I have come to realize that people aren't really paying attention to me. This takes away some of the stress that used to result when she got hungry in an inconvenient location.

So why am I bothering to write this?

It strikes me that hearing stories about how women are treated negatively for breastfeeding in public puts fear on new mothers about what they might encounter. I realized this, also at the fair that day, when I sat down near the Chevy test drive area to feed the baby while my husband and father in law drove some cars. Another lady was nursing her 10 week old and we started talking. She said that she hadn't breast fed her first two children, but wished she had. She had been worried and nervous about what people might say to her in public for breastfeeding her daughter as well but has also not encountered anything negative.

Hmmm...

As with many social issues today, when something negative occurs the news hits the Internet and everybody gets upset over it. BUT just because it happens occasionally that doesn't mean that every time you try to feed your baby in public you have to worry about what people might say or do. Trust me, I have my comebacks ready just in case. There will always be rude people, but I really think the American public is not so uptight about the matter as one might think from the news stories. Who knows, I haven't been a mother for long so maybe it's just a matter of time before I have my own bad experiences, but I'm not going to worry about it.

I am concerned that the negative stories we read on the Internet or see on the news are instilling a sense of fear in new Moms, and it's mostly unnecessary! Even if you have a bad experience, any apprehension leading up to it is probably not helpful.

So my point is this: Mothers, don't be ashamed of the beautiful and natural thing your body is doing. Don't worry about what anyone else thinks either, because as long as you aren't trying to be an exhibitionist about it, chances are most people won't even notice, and anyone who does either won't be offended or will be supportive. If anyone is rude, you are probably surrounded by more support than they are!

I will add one more thought to this discussion. I can see the other side only when it comes to breastfeeding in public without a cover. I realize that when the child is latched on you can't see anything, but for some people who aren't parents or haven't been around it that much, particularly men, I can see how they'd be distracted by the fact that it's obvious that someone is sucking on someone else's nipple. With a cover, it's easier just to think that something private is underneath it. This hasn't been an issue for me because I am blessed with a daughter who couldn't care less whether or not I use a cover, as long as she is getting fed! I've also discovered that nursing in a ring sling is quite comfortable for my little one, and also discreet. I've had people come over to adore her, not even realizing that she is eating. I honestly think that even without a cover many people won't really notice.

Whatever you breastfeeding Moms choose to do in public, do it with confidence!

Book Review: Yuletide Ice Cube Fair by Karen Poth, Illustrated by Ron Eddy and Robert Vann

The Veggie Tales crew is all excited about the ice block carving contest at the Yuletide Ice Cube Fair! The fair is in full swing with lots of festivities, and all the contestants have something to carve to win the grand prize. Whose artwork shows what Christmas is all about?

Yuletide Ice Cube Fair is a Veggie Tales book for children age 4-8. I have been a Veggie Tales fan since I was in middle school, and I’m sure my kids will love them too. This book sends a message in true Veggie Tales fashion, with Junior Asparagus carving a humble nativity scene to take in the big prize. The book presents the true meaning of Christmas in a lighthearted manner without going into too much detail. It is a good message to kids to remember the reason for Christmas around the commercialized version they are exposed to each year. The pictures are great, with full color pages that are visually appealing.

The only thing I didn't like about the book was that the Bible verses at the beginning and end were in the New International Reader’s Version. I feel that it takes away from the beauty and meaning of those verses to present them that way. I understand that with young children as the target audience, the author/publisher may have wanted it to be more easily understood, but when I was a child I had no problem with the King James translation or any others that used adult language. I wish the verses from the Christmas story were in an actual translation of the Bible.

As far as the story, pictures, and message, I do recommend this book for young readers age 4-8, and I am sure my daughter will enjoy it when she is old enough to read!

I received this book for free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions and thoughts I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

The House: Kitchen and Final Inspection!

I won't be going into as much detail in this entry since I have a bit to catch up on. It's been about two months since I blogged about the house, but we've been a bit distracted. Our beautiful baby girl made her entrance on August 24th! Little Anabelle has taken center stage for the last six weeks, and I haven't been out in the house taking pictures and keeping tabs on progress as much, although Bruce has been hard at work getting things done.

On Monday September 15th we had our final inspection and passed! No, the house isn't 100% done, but the permits are signed off and the remaining work is "finishing" that doesn't require a permit. So the gas is back on, and we will be able to move back in before long. This was a big deal and a huge load off our shoulders!

Since my last blog entry we have come a long way on the kitchen. The granite and appliances are installed, and all we have left is some trim, the glass panels for some of the cabinets, and finishing the lighting installation!

Bruce is hard at work as I write, installing crown molding and LED mood/counter top lighting. I was able to get out there a few days ago to work on some touch up paint in the front bathroom while my Mom helped with Anabelle and took over painting when I had to feed her. It's nice to be able to help out again now that I'm not pregnant or actively recovering!

In addition to working on completing the remodel, we have been busy prepping the front wing of the house to live in. It will be missing a floor and trim for a while, but we temporarily laid down a carpet remnant in the two bedrooms to keep the dust down. We will stay and live in the two front bedrooms and bathroom until we complete the remodel.

I took some pictures of the front two rooms with carpet. As you can probably tell by my setup, one of them will be more of a living space. 

Now, back to the recent improvements on the kitchen!

Here is a picture I took of our range top and downdraft before the granite was installed. It's pretty grandiose, with a grill top underneath the white cover (the cover is actually stainless but still has the plastic on it).

Below is the wet bar, with Bruce working on the plumbing. We had a conundrum he had to figure out that had to do with the hot water making it into the kitchen properly. It's fixed now!

This is the wet bar from another angle. Notice the sink? We had the granite fabricator cut out the hole for the sink (he had to take it somewhere to use a different machine so as to remove it in one intact piece). They installed the sink with a lip to rest the cut out on, so we have more functional counter space when the sink is not in use. Plus it looks really nice!

In the bar pictures and this one, you can see we haven't put glass in the cabinets yet. We are still shopping for glass. If you want anything even slightly fancy it's really expensive so we're trying to find an affordable option that still looks nice.

Here is a view of the rest of the kitchen. The island is blocking the view of the dishwasher, but it's stainless steel like all the rest of the appliances. Also, the microwave isn't built in, but sitting on a shelf so it looks built in. We had the cabinet designed that way so we could take it out and replace it more easily if needed. The lights over the island are on in this picture, but when the kitchen is 100% finished I'll take some close ups of them. They are really pretty and I fell in love with them while perusing Houzz.com a year or so ago. I was very excited to put them in my kitchen!

One last bar pic... Notice in this picture and the picture of the kitchen above that the cabinet trim under the upper cabinets has been installed, courtesy of Bruce and my Dad! Once the crown moulding and the rest of the trim is in it will look awesome!

As you can see, the kitchen is really taking shape! The pictures really don't do it justice, especially for the granite. We are very excited with current progress and can't wait to move back in in a few weeks. Of course, once the interior is finished, we will have some more exterior work and then landscaping! The house and property will be a project for a long time I am sure, but we are nearing a point where we can live in it and enjoy it!