Proverbs 31 Woman

Archive for the ‘Book Reviews’ Category

If you happen to be looking for an interesting, musical, hands-on approach to learning science, check out www.lyricallearning.com !! Introduced to this several years ago, we have found out that there are several sets to choose from: Volume I called Lyrical Life Science, promotes scientific literacy through song. Chapters include Scientific Method, All Living Things, Intertebrates, etc. Volume II focuses on Mammals, Ecology, and Biomes. Volume III is about The Human Body. There’s also a set all about Geology.

Home Education Magazine says, “Lyrical Learning, a group with a solid grasp of science and a zany sense of humor….” Homeschooling Today says, “…a fabulous, comprehensive resource for teaching about the systems of the body…this belongs in the car where it can be enjoyed often. The quality of the music is exceptional and fun for the whole family.”

Each set comes with a CD of the songs that go along with each chapter, plus a textbook and a workbook. These aren’t overwhelming tomes but rather well put together 8 1/2 x 11″ bound books of about 40-50 pages for the workbook and 90-110 pages for the textbook.

The songs are very well done and help cement scientific terms and concepts. The tunes are well-known traditional, patriotic, and camp songs of long ago.

These are very reasonably priced and the 3 parts can be purchased separately or together.

Excerpt from Lyrical Learning. The Scientific Method.

The word science means to have knowledge of or to know, it also means the organized system of knowledge that comes from the observation, study and experimentation.

Many scientists spend their time making observations, asking questions and finding problems to solve.

We heartily recommend the Lyrical Life Science sets; however, we do add a disclaimer that in Vol. II about Mammals, Ecology and Biomes there is a chapter on pages 36-41 called Primates. We do not agree with the bent of this chapter; we believe humans are created in God’s image and are not offspring of apes.

Check out www.Lyricallearning.com and get your children hooked on science! That’s what happened with my 13 year old; she LOVES to study about God’s awesome creation! And Lyrical Learning helped a great deal!!

Today, as part of my devotional time with the Lord, I was going through another chapter of Gate Keepers of the Home – How to Guard Your Home by Nancy Campbell. The chapter dealt with how we can bless/minister to/encourage others. I share with you this entry from Matthew Henry’s commentary discussing Proverbs 11:25 which reads, “The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”

“So backward are we to works of charity, and so ready to think that giving undoes us, that we need to have it very much pressed upon us how much it is for our own advantage to do good to others, as before, v. 17. 1. We shall have the comfort of it in our own bosoms: The liberal soul, the soul of blessing, that prays for the afflicted and provides for them, that scatters blessings with gracious lips and generous hands, that soul shall be made fat with true pleasure and enriched with more grace. 2. We shall have the recompence of it both from God and man: He that waters others with the streams of his bounty shall be also watered himself; God will certainly return it in the dews, in the plentiful showers, of his blessing, which he will pour out, till there be not room enough to receive it, Mal. 3:10. Men that have any sense of gratitude will return it if there be occasion; the merciful shall find mercy and the kind be kindly dealt with. 3. We shall be enabled still to do yet more good: He that waters, even he shall be as rain (so some read it); he shall be recruited as the clouds are which return after the rain, and shall be further useful and acceptable, as the rain to the new-mown grass, he that teaches shall learn (so the Chaldee reads it); he that uses his knowledge in teaching others shall himself be taught of God; to him that has, and uses what he has, more shall be given.”

Recently, I read a book called Under the Overpass which was a quick read because the reader is drawn into the life of 2 young men who choose to live on the streets for 5 months. They want to put their faith in action and see if it really does make a difference. There’s a website called http://www.undertheoverpass.com for more information.

Prov31 in conjunction with IX Publishing, Inc. is pleased to announce a correspondence course available by snail mail called, “Financial Footings”. This can be taken for home-school credit or just to learn more about finances.

The course costs $125 which includes the textbook (called The Motley Fool Investment Guide for Teens). Coursework includes 5 assignments and 2 projects. To get started, send a money order for $125 to:

IX Publishing, Inc. PO Box 2578, Dearborn, MI 48123-2578.

If you have any questions email: jane@vvn.net.

On the right side-bar of this page under Business you will see Hearts for Family.  That is the website of the Crawford Family.  In this short entry I will review the E-Book offered at their site.  The E-Book is called “How I Make Money Sellling Homemade Skin Products (And how you can too!)”.

The E-Book begins with a description of the Crawford Family, a single income large family, and a project they had of making more homemade gifts.  This soon became their home-business.  There are many helpful tips on starting up, about how much money you need to start up, helpful websites, where to find recipes and such.  Also, Mrs. Crawford also gives suggestions on pricing, keeping financial records, and marketing.

I would recommend the E-book for anyone wanting to start a small business, especially a skin-care business.

Well, the wonders of computer technology, ha! Yesterday I spent a good bit of time reviewing 3 books from Above Rubies and when I pressed the publish button, they seemed to have disappeared into cyberspace. So, I will try again but will give a more simple description this time.

Above Rubies is a ministry that reaches out to the moms/families of the world. They also offer an array of helpful resources. I would like to briefly mention a few and would encourage you to check out the website (Above Rubies).

1. Rejuvenate Your Life – Recipes for Energy is a no-cook book chock full of recipes that have been tried, information about the benefits of eating fresh foods, living on a tight budget and eating well, and more. This is written by Serene Allison.

2. Be Fruitful & Multiply – What the Bible Says About Having Children is a very forthright book about the blessing of children. On the back cover we read, “There is no escaping the fact that the Bible is dogmatically pro-child. In fact, it declares unapologetically that the birth of many children is a source of blessing, that a key reason for marriage is to bring forth many children for the glory of God, and that parents should actively seek such blessings.” Some chapter headings are as follows: Gifts from God, Trust and Obey, God’s Provision, The Vision, What Do Children Say? and many others.

3. The Power of Motherhood – What the Bible Says about Mothers is a wonderful volume that talks about the most influential career in the nation. Loaded with Scripture, this volume is a great springboard into a lifelong study of motherhood and what God has to say about it. If you are wondering if the role of mothering is worth it, this volume would be helpful. There are 24 chapters and more!

So, check out the Above Rubies website and consider reading one of the books recommended.

Stay tuned for a brief review of a family and the natural soap business they started a while back.

Hi everyone.  I trust that the Lord is leading you and guiding you in His ways this summer.  I wanted to highlight a few resource materials from Above Rubies in the next few blog entries.  Today, there are 2 dvds I want to mention.  The first is called The Family Meal Table.  I’ve mentioned it before, but it’s such a great resource that I mention it here again.  Nancy Campbell (Above Rubies) clearly explains the importance of the family meal table.  Making the meal table a priority is her vision.  Although Nancy does most of the teaching, there are wonderful clips of various families who explain how the family is fed physically and spiritually at the family meal table.  If you’re wondering how to begin implementing this too often lost way of life, you will want to get this.  I have a couple copies for sale, but you may check the Above Rubies website as well.  Email me at    jane@vvn.net if you want to buy a copy from me and we’ll make arrangements.

The second dvd is called Rejuvenate with Serene and focuses on the basics of healthy eating.  This can be enjoyed by the whole family and is available from Above Rubies.  Serene is one of Nancy Campbell’s daughters.  There are recipes included and an interview with Nancy Campbell.  You will enjoy seeing Serene at work in her kitchen preparing different dishes and discussing the importance of healthy eating.

Our church denomination’s magazine, called New Horizons, recently had an uplifting article called “Family Devotions: Passing Down a Tradition.” The article gives many examples of families forming the habit of reading Scripture together,memorizing it, praying, singing hymns/songs to the Lord, and discussing the Lord’s work in their lives. What struck me was the evidence of God working in a covenantal way in families, from generation to generation to generation.

That could be a whole study in itself, and entire books have been written about covenant theology. What is important in this brief column today is the importance of family devotions. Deuteronomy 11:18-19 says, “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul…You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house.”

Having family devotions does take discipline. It means keeping children at the table in order to open up the Word. It means saying no to the doorbell ringing, phone ringing, the computer clamoring for attention, a host of activities that could usurp some time to read and pray. Forming the habit takes effort and time. But we need to take advantage of these family eating times to feast also upon our Lord, too.

We are anticipating a challenging time at our church’s missions fest this weekend. There will be speakers from out of town coming to talk about how God is working in different parts of the world. One will speak about the spread of the Gospel in France; another will talk about local churches sending teams of people out to different parts of the world. We will have times of worship together, and times of prayer together.

This is a time for the whole family to come out and sing, pray, learn, and grow together. We are to go into all the world and make disciples, teaching them to do what Jesus taught us. There will be a book table, too. If you know of any books about missions to add to the book table, let us know!

Hi Everyone: Treasures of Encouragement is the title of a book I borrowed for a couple weeks. The woman who lent it to me said it was one of the best books she’s ever read! The subtitle reads, ‘Women Helping Women in the Church’. The author is Sharon W. Betters and it is published by P and R Publishing.

Sharon explains that from a stable and secure relationship with Christ we can reach out to those around us, especially when they are needing encouragement. Some chapter titles are: Priceless Treasures of Encouragement and Taking Responsibility for One Another in part one, Thinking Biblically. In part two, Living Biblically, a few chapter titles are: Spiritual Mothering, Apples of God in Settings of Silver, and Treasures in the Wilderness of Suffering.

Looks like the book is available from several sources, so pick one up — it’s worthy study.