Books/Reading
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Name: Mrs. B
Subject: Are You Serious About Marriage Discussion
I, too, think that 'Are You Serious About Marriage?' is the **best** marriage book I've ever read.....and I have read many! LOL I liked that it was practical and yet like Mrs. R said, points us to a better relationship with God. There were **many** things that stood out or spoke to me. Such as the two greatest commandments. If I truly loved God with my whole everything and then my neighbor as myself it would make for a wonderful marriage. I also liked the chapter called 'The Burden of Romance'. I have NEVER read that in any marriage book before and it is so true! It was so freeing to let go of 'expectations' and then be pleasantly surprised when things did happen. Another thing that stood out to me was in the chapter called 'A Wise Woman'. It's where the question sent to the Christian psychologist is talked about (pages 24-30). I learned that my focus needs to be off of myself and onto God and my husband. I don't need to search for a 'network of women friends'. The part about how we have so much free time in our current generation stood out to me as well. I could go on and on but I'll only give one more. I had believed the whole 'absolute submission' teaching and that is just not Biblical. A wife is to first and foremost submit to God and then her husband. If asked to sin by a husband, a wife has the duty to not partake. It's just a wonderful marriage book that I can recommend to people w/o any reservation. I don't have to give any disclaimers when recommending it. (o:
Name: Mrs. R
Subject: Are you Serious About Marriage? Discussion
Hi, I wanted to ask if any ladies would share their favorite passages from Are You Serious About Marriage? or how the book spoke to your heart. This is the best marriage book that I've read. I like how the focus is on getting your heart right with God instead of following a list of rules that another woman has made up. There were so many things that I learned from this book. I like how Susan said that our focus should be on our families and not on things outside of home, including being too involved in church activites. I liked that she said that men have disappointments in marriage too even though they may never verbalize them. I was really impressed by the story of the unsaved woman who held the ladder for her husband in the rain and wasn't even complaining. I liked the advise to allow our husbands to lead by making decisions. I really liked the part about giving up our ideals of romance. I know there is more, but I loaned my book to my friend and she read it so much that she said she needs to buy me a new one! What were your favorite parts?
Name: Margaret
Subject: Marriage Question
Dear Brethren at Keepers of the Faith, Thank you in advance for your thoughts and advice. I've read almost everything in your catalog and website, so I very much value your Godly perspective. My husband and our four children (2, 3, 5, 6--homeschooling) and I live within a porch-distance from my inlaws. (I'm from the States; they are Filipino; we live off the mainland on a US territory in the Pacific.) We've been here for five years and now--this isn't right I know--my patience is beginning to wear thin and I am getting frustrated and also fearful, because the inlaws I am living with are "nominal" Christians but worldly. My mother-in-law is a liberal, feminist public school principal, who admires, for example, someone like Hilary Clinton for "succeeding" in a "man's world" and her "care and compassion" for children. I feel very threatened to live nearby someone like this, and try to rear children for the Lord, with someone who pretty much has a foundational underlying philosophical difference with me. Scriptural appeals are not very strong with my inlaws, as they think that most of the Bible is good for "values training" but can't be followed to the letter as it was for a time and people hundreds and thousands of years ago. How should I be dealing with my emotions in a biblical way? What Scriptures would you put me in mind of at this point? Or is there any other suggestion you might make? (Moving is possible in the future, but isn't really an option right now.) My second questions is, what does a wife--what do I, that is--do, when she is convicted regarding something, like Biblical standards in literature (for example, not allowing Chronicles of Narnia, fantasy/fairy tales, etc.) and her husband doesn't have that conviction yet? My husband is very supportive of many things, we have no TV/video games, old-fashioned play, modest (dresses-only) dress for the girls, no "grunge" for the little boys, etc. But I would like the two of us to watch *no* Hollywood-type movies, whereas he doesn't mind one that doesn't contain immorality, profanity, violence, etc. and I would also like to have standards such as those your catalog addresses in regard to literature, but the Holy Spirit hasn't led him to that yet. I do know that my first priority should be submission, so I am not "fussing" about this with him. I just wanted to know, should I lay it to rest (in my mind) or keep praying (would that be "mentally unsubmissive")? Thank you very much! God bless you!
Answer From Jeff Zakula
Answer From Shawnon Glimpse
Name: Elanor
Subject: Lord of the Rings Review
I read your review on Tolkien/Lord of the Rings, but it seemed to focus mostly on Tolkien, not what what he wrote. Can you tell me what you think is bad about Lord of the Rings?
Name: Lucy
Subject: Talking Animals
I have been more careful about books with talking animals, but it makes me wonder about the use of animal puppets that talk. Children love puppets, but most of my puppets are animals, and I make them talk. Is it ok to explain to my Sunday School children that I am making the animals talk? Or is it better to remove all pretense at all? In a way, it is pulling children into make believe, and falsehood. What is the balance in all this? What about people puppets? It is still pretense. Is that fair and honest with children? Why is it that children are so drawn to puppets ? Thank you .
Name: Marivic
Subject: Fiction
Could you give your review on the works of George Macdonald and Patricia St. John?
Name: Lynn
Subject: Book List?
We have been following your book guidelines and wonder if the books you carry are the only ones you read. Is there a list you can recommend? The trial and error method is hard on us and slow going, although we will not give up and any help would be appreciated. So far the Christian lists we have found have a lot to be desired. Our children are ages 9, 12 and 13.
Name: Sent in by E-mail
Subject: Book Reviews
I have just perused your website for the first time, and your Keepers of the Faith books having caught my eye in another catalog. Your book reviews certainly contained a wealth of information I had never heard before or read. I was astonished at how few biographies you consider credible. Perhaps I misunderstood the intent of your list. My understanding is that of the hundreds and hundreds of books that you have read over the years, these are the only ones that met your criteria. Is that correct or incorrect? I look forward to clarification.
Name: Peggy
Subject: Fiction
I have several friends who feel that the Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis and the Left Behind series by LaHaye are some of the greatest analogies available for teaching Christian principles. In reading God's views on witchcraft, I cannot see how imagining a battle between a lion and a witch is something that should be used to convey scriptural principles. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the only C.S. Lewis book I have ever read and it has caused me not to want to read any of his other works. I have been harshly criticized for this by others who insist that I should read his other titles that are not part of the Narnia series. Can you please give some insight about C.S. Lewis, the LaHaye series, and others that are considered "must reads"? Thank you.
Name: M
Subject: Christian Videos
Hi! I just got through looking at your web page and I was really impressed by what I saw. I presently homeschool my two boys(9) and (10). I am interested in starting a club for them. I don't know how to begin though.
Also, I was looking at what you said about fictional books. I wonder if that could be related to some Christian videos as well. I was wondering what your thoughts are about them. We have some that depict vegetables as telling Bible stories, or some important lesson. But along with it there is music that my kids seem to really enjoy. Other video's have teenagers going back in time. Sometimes the story is true, but there is a little error in all of them. How can I get rid of these things without looking like I'm taking every type of entertainment from them. Another problem is that their grandmother has bought or given them most of the tapes so they feel that they can't just throw them away. I have been convicted to get rid of all of them. If I could get your advise on this I would really appreciate it.
Thank you for your ministry.
M
Answer from Susan Zakula
Answer from Lucy
