Review: ICR’s New Creation Video Series

Homeschooling? Part of a church? Know some young people? You won’t want to miss this!

A few weeks ago I saw ICR’s invitation to preview a brand new series explaining creation for everyday people. I expected a nice, high quality video page (to see what I mean, check out That’s a Fact). They do indeed have one on the new site, but it was just the beginning.

Unlocking the Mysteries of Genesis

is the title of the series. It’s designed to present to groups over 12 half hour (or less) sessions. Here’s the heart of what ICR is seeking:

Click to read more at your Origins Matter

“…to reach beyond our faithful constituency to the millions in evangelical churches who are unaware of the full extent of information revealed in the early chapters of Genesis. One of our goals is to guide the millennials to God’s Word and equip them with truth.”

You’ll enjoy reading the rest of the article, especially the behind the scenes photos along side.

Things really get exciting when you find out how they’re getting the word out. If you are a homeschooler or pastor, they’ll send you the first episode free. I signed up to check things out, plugged in my address, and a few days later a package with the DVD showed up in the mail.

Right after lunch today I sat down with my kids to see what the show was like. The whole thing took just under 22 minutes. Here are our thoughts:

5 year old, “It was silly.”

I spotted at least four points that made us laugh.

7 year old, “That was so cool!”

The footage and graphics are not just professional, they are stunning. I particularly enjoyed the fastforward overview of Creation Week.

8 year old, “I loved what he had to say about it. Especially how he showed the missing links in the hay.”

The host was great: warm, positive, with a great sense of timing.

10 year old, “I like the car. The car was so funny. I love all the creation pictures.”

My favorite bit was at the junkyard, too, but I’ll leave that and the “missing links” for you to discover yourself.  🙂

ICR has set up a website just for this series. The 12 part set will be available for purchase in May, 2014. You can go straight there to find out more, but….

It would be great if you’d comment below so I can add you to my referral list. As soon as I have three names/email addresses to send in I qualify for a 50% discount to purchase the whole series for myself. You’ll get notified nearly as fast anyway! Technically, you’re supposed to be homeschooling, too, but I don’t think ICR will mind if you’re a pastor since they have a whole section for them. 😀

Now present yourselves, that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous acts of the Lord which He did for you and for your fathers. I Samuel 12:7
Amplified Bible

PS, I’m saving ICR a little money by passing on my DVD to my pastor. I have the feeling it’ll be just what he’s looking for.

Astronomy Book Review: The Work of His Hands

 

by Colonel Jeffrey N. Williams published by Concordia Publishing House

Click to see the publisher’s page

My dad is really hard to shop for. It’s not that he “has everything”, but he does have everything he wants. In fact, what he really wants can’t be bought, especially grandchildren!

So, last Fall, when Grandpa asked me what I thought would make a good present, I felt for him. But, this time I had the answer. Dad loves astronomy and Jesus. I’d just heard about this book and thought of buying it for him myself. How much more special coming from his father!

Sure enough, Dad loved his present. He’s even let me borrow it for a while so I could read it and tell you about it.

Have you ever wanted to be an astronaut? Ever imagined being strapped into a rocket shooting towards outer space? What would it be like floating around in a spacecraft and having to strap everything down to keep it from drifting away?

What  about being stuck in the International Space Station (ISS) for months on end?

Colonel Williams does an amazing job letting us know what it feels like being an astronaut. He doesn’t cover the years of training much, but from the weeks leading up to the launch he gives us an insider view of the emotions they go through. The text is easy to read and more about the relationships and thoughts he experienced than the “techie” stuff he was doing.

Of course, the highlight of the book is its photographs. The book is a smaller sized coffee table book with glossy pages and a hardbound cover displaying them to full advantage. Things are divided into subjects so you can look at amazing cloud formations one time and city-scapes another. Whole sections are just pictures with just enough captioning to know what you’re looking at and where.

Most of the photos were taken by Col. Williams himself. There aren’t any pictures of the stars or nebula in here, Col. Williams kept his focus on our home, the “spacecraft” Earth. If you’ve ever had a window seat on an airplane, you already know how fascinating earth can be from up above. It’s only better from the ISS!

Colonel Williams is bold in his confidence in God as Creator. Except when he’s describing the events of his mission to the ISS in 2006, his focus is always on God. He pulls in Scripture often and is unapologetic about his acceptance of the Bible’s testimony.

Marcos Pontes, Brazil, Col. Williams, Pavel Vinogradov, Russia

He also gives us a great example of what it looks like to see all people as God’s creatures. The multi-cultural nature of the International Space program is brought out with no hint of superiority. There’s plenty of pride in who he is and acknowledgment of comfort in the familiar. At the same time there is acceptance of the unique dignity other cultures have. We see this in both the text and the fascinating pictures of farming and other elements across the globe.

Everything about the book is top quality. The reading level is within reach for a sixth grader and the concepts even younger than that. I will probably add this to my Summer reading time with my kids as it fits into science, geography, meteorology, and culture so beautifully.

For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. Isaiah 45:18 

Is Your Family Watching the Cosmos Series?

My family doesn’t have time to watch anything on Sundays, so we aren’t keeping up with this program, but that doesn’t mean you all aren’t!

In fact, if you have kids 12+, I recommend watching shows like this. Eventually, one way or another, your kids are going to hear the kinds of ideas presented in the series. The last thing you want to do is leave them ignorant until they’re out on their own, never having thought through the worldview, logic, and assumptions presented as facts by the world.

If you sit down with your kids and examine things like this carefully, they will develop the spiritual muscles they need to discern the difference between fact and fiction. But, this doesn’t mean you have to get a degree in science to help your kids. Others have already, and they love to share with us!

Since I can’t tell you what I think, I’ve looked around for those who have already put up reviews. There aren’t too many yet, but here’s what I’ve found:

Answers in Genesis has a lengthy article just on Episode 1

Creation Evolution Headlines has one that’s not so long. As usual, the editor’s thoughts are in green toward the end.

Then the other day I listened to a podcast on Challenging Cosmos (it doesn’t matter if your kids are in a school system instead). Starting just after the 12 minute mark, the host talks with Jay Ryan of Classical Astronomy, about the first episode of Cosmos. Ryan likes to ramble, so the show is almost an hour long, but you’ll learn a lot if you have the time! You’ll also see not all creationists walk in lock step. In fact, I don’t know too many who do. It’s a science community after all. 😀

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16 

Book Review: The Berenstain Bears Keep the Faith

by Mike Berenstain, published by Zonderkidz

Every once in a while, I’ll run into a book to check out on a general Christian review list. This one looked extra interesting because it’s a kids’ book and the preview mentioned science. So, I asked my 5 year old if he’d like to read it with me and we ordered it. Here’s what I think:

The book is a great way to get kids thinking about why they believe in God while others around them don’t. I was especially pleased that they recognized many non-believers use science to say there is no God.

First, we are introduced to many of the bear cubs’ friends, leading us to a special friend, Ferdy. His dad runs the science museum and they’ve learned all kinds of cool things from him, but then they find he doesn’t give God the credit for the things they see:

“I don’t believe that God created the world,” said Ferdy. “In fact, I don’t believe in God, at all.”

“You don’t believe in God?” asked Brother, surprised.

“No,” said Ferdy, “I believe in science–in things you can see and test and prove.”

Well done! Mike caught a big part of the issue we face. For this alone I‘m glad to have the book around.

Naturally, the bear cubs don’t know what to say to their friend, and soon Mama Bear finds out what’s bugging them. She explains we believe in God because of the Bible and choose to have faith. We also experience God for ourselves in our hearts. Again, kudos to the author!

From this point on I got more annoyed at the book. Unfortunately, I bet it’s all too realistic. When the cubs want to know what faith means, both Mama and Papa pass the buck. At least they know where to take the cubs: the pastor.

The pastor does something wise and gives them a Bible example, telling them the story of Daniel in the lion’s den. That’s fine, the author of Hebrews does the same thing.

But the book gets to the thought: faith = trust and stops.

In fact, Sister’s practical use of her new understanding of faith is rather scary. The family walks home in a thunderstorm and she decides not to be scared.

What was Mama thinking taking her family for a stroll with lightning around?

Plus, neither Sister or Brother do any actual talking to God to strengthen their faith. Prayer wasn’t once mentioned.

So, if you can fit this book in your budget (it retails for $3.99) or run across it somewhere, get it. Your kids will have their appetite whetted to think about this super important question. Then, take the time as their mom and dad to develop answers to questions like theirs.

If you’re a pastor, please give your flock more substance than just saying Daniel had faith and trusted in God’s love!

So, how do we teach our kids about faith?

Looks like I could (and should) write a whole post on this, but here are some resources to get you started:

A great article for parents by Eric Hovind starting with his experience growing up in a Christian home and guiding parents in what to focus on with the next generation.

Answers in Genesis has a set of books for students and leaders. I found the list of topics on the Student Workbook helpful to know where to start.

Apologetics Press has a bunch of articles on Faith and Reason

Nevertheless when the Son of man comes, shall he find faith on the earth? Luke 18:8b

Disclosure: I received a free review copy of The Berenstain Bears Keep the Faith from the publisher in exchange for my review. All thoughts are my own.

Book Review: Questions God Asks

by Israel Wayne, published by New Leaf Press

Have you ever wondered why the God Who Knows Everything asks people so many questions? Or, maybe, like me, you never stopped to think about this much at all. You will be amazed by the wealth of wisdom we can learn from slowing down and thinking through what God is really doing.

A few weeks back, I saw this title come up for blog reviewers and for once wished my own blog had a wider subject because it looked so interesting. Then, through the miracle of social media communication, I was able to ask Israel Wayne himself if there was enough in his book for me to be able to share about it here. He assured me there was plenty- and he was right.

First of all, the book is an easy read. The ideas are big, the vocabulary and style aren’t. So, you could hand this book to your older kids (about 10 or so) without trouble [Warning: there is a bare bones description of the Assyrians’ cruelty in the Jonah chapter]. Better yet, you could use it for family study time with the everyone.

Then there are the subjects covered. Do you know the first time God asked a person a question? Yes, indeed, it was when He asked Adam where he was. Why did He ask Adam that? So Adam would have a chance to ‘fess up and face what he’d done and the consequences. Most importantly, God wanted Adam to turn to Him for help rather than trying to fix things himself. All of Adam’s children have needed to face these issues for themselves, including each of us. It’s the starting point for our relationship with our Creator and Savior.

Actually, Wayne doesn’t even start his book with Genesis, so this is the 2nd question he covers. The first chapter of his book opens with this bedrock question:

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.” Job 38:4

How many people get their whole way of looking at the world wrong because they think they should be the ones asking the questions and making God prove Himself?

The whole book is this practical for helping us to think God’s thoughts after Him.

Each chapter is like listening to a well-done mini sermon, or even a workshop on how to live the Christian life. From one of the many personal examples Israel Wayne presents, this isn’t surprising since he’s been speaking at conference workshops since he was a young man.

Oh, yes, there was one chapter I’d never seen in the light Wayne shines on it. Do you remember God asking, “why did Sarah laugh?” when announcing Isaac was coming? I’d always imagined it was God’s way of talking to Sarah when she’s behind the tent door. I’d never thought of God actually addressing Abraham (and through him, husbands) with that question.

Origins science is directly covered in the book as well. It’s even part of the “Look Inside” feature on Amazon so you can check it out right away (starting with page 10).

Is any thing too hard for the LORD? Genesis 18:14

Find more reviews at New Leaf Publishing Group’s blog post: Questions God Asks

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic version of Questions God Asks from the publisher in return for this review. The thoughts are my own; no one made me write nice things about it.

And, congrats to Israel Wayne and his wife. They had their 8th child a few days before my own daughter was born!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryJvlcqHnm0

Kids’ Book Review: Exploring Geology with Mr Hibb

by Michael J. Oard, Tara Wolfe, and illustrated by Chris Turbuck

Huzzah, a serious Creationist kids’ book to review!

Click to go to CMI’s product page

Just after the New Year, we had a small order to get from CBD. To qualify for the free shipping deal, we had to purchase a bit more. I’d been wanting to get a copy of this book for a while and, sure enough, they had it! Thank you, Lord. 😀

The book is a nice sized hardcover with fun illustrations decorating it. Even better, every page inside has similar drawings to hold your interest as well.

I was a little worried when reading the vocabulary in the preface that the whole thing would go over kids’ heads. That didn’t end up being a problem at all. The writing does have a tendency to slip into school textbook style, except when the authors remembered it was supposed to be about Mr. Hibb, but it’s always a quality textbook!

I’ve been rather hogging the book for myself until writing this, but have no doubt my 10 year old can handle this on her own. An 8 year old who likes geology and can read well is going to have no problem either. The best part is all the pictures. They match what’s being talked about in the text and are really well done. Even my 3 year old wants me to snuggle with him and look at Mr. Hibb and his crazy adventures!

….OK, I took a break to do just that. My 3 year old sat for over 15 minutes as I ad-libbed what the illustrations showed. Now, my 10 year old is hogging the book: “whoever made this did a really good job.” And my take, “the illustrator is genius.”

Besides the illustrations, the best feature of this book is the Hands On Activities. A dozen times throughout, there are simple things for kids to do picturing what they’re learning or even recreating a process. Since I like to keep my hands clean, I just read about them, but next Summer I’ll hand the book to the kids to do them for themselves!

There’s a fair amount of worldview thrown into the book. It’s not designed for teens and adults, rather more than less presuming the Bible is completely trustworthy. But, there are whole books written about those topics for later.

The main points of the book are:

• Introduction to rocks with later descriptions of metamorphic and sedimentary rocks
• The World-Wide Flood:
  • a. Noah’s ark
  • b. The power of rushing water
  • c. Sedimentation processes
  • 1. Making sense of fossil formation (some of the best i‘ve seen on dinosaurs, their tracks, and eggs)
  • d. Late flood runoff processes
  • The Ice Age

That last section is particularly well done since Michael Oard is the author. He’s spent vast quantities of time studying the Ice Age and written other books on it. His viewpoint comes through quite strongly and this book makes a great case for him.

The one area I wish they’d been more careful to address is the Geologic Column. Without it, Evolutionists don’t have a leg to stand on. So, you’ll have to supplement there, but it’s not too hard. 🙂

Altogether, I’m putting this at the top of my “suggested resources” list. Geology is the strongest area the Evolutionist and Uniformitarian has. Even Bible believers who understand the problems with Evolution are often deceived by the case geologists make for slow, gradual changes in the rocks.

This book gets things down to a 10 year old’s level clearly and attractively.

In fact, any person who doesn’t feel silly having the main character be a four-legged grasshopper (picky, picky, I know) is going to learn a lot from this book. I’d heard a tiny bit about sea mounts and water gaps before this. The book lets you “see” how things can happen.

Oh, yes, part of why I’d not handed the book over to my kids yet is I need to get out some tape to reattach the glossary at the back. The book is published by Creation Book Publishers and whatever stitching machine they used let a whole section fall out.

Now, I can’t wait to get my hands on The Case of the Missing Mountain also produced for Creation Ministries International. 😀

Review: Transformed by the Evidence

Click to visit product page

Edited by Doug Sharp, B.S. and Jerry Bergman Ph.D. Published by Leafcutter Press

A year ago I told you about one of the most delightful creation books I’d ever read (after the one on Mount St. Helens). Persuaded by the Evidence is a book it would be wonderful for every family with older kids to have in their home library.

I was excited to hear the editors had just published a second book of testimonies and I could even get a review copy straight from them! 🙂

As in Persuaded, Transformed by the Evidence is a collection of stories by over 20 people somehow connected with the Creation movement. Some of the authors get rather eye-crossing with their science speak. A few turn their section into a display of the scientific evidence rather than personal experience. Plus, the book wasn’t published by Master Books and could have used a bit more editing in spots.

But, none of these dampen the impact of the accounts of people who have found Jesus as their Savior and had their lives turned upside down by recognizing God as Creator.

Several of the writers were superb in their ability to express what their lives were like before and after finding their Creator, drawing us into the process. A couple weeks after finishing the book, one lady’s transformation (they picked the right title) is still incredible to me. A missionary kid’s testimony of his parents warning him to stay away from science completely is a wake up call for us parents.

I was especially pleased by those who had gone some distance down the path towards destruction. None of them did any glorying in their sin. Usually, you were left guessing just what was so awful about their behavior. The focus was always on God and His power.

There is one account where the author is serving a life sentence for what he did. Nothing graphic, but the barest of facts are sad enough. It will be important for my kids to understand just how far evolutionary, godless thinking can take a person when they hit their teens, but I’m not going to hand them this book before then.

Many of the stories in both books would make great family reading. Dad or Mom could read through them first to find appropriate ones for their family. This would naturally lead to questions and opportunities to discuss what happened in each life and the kinds of worldview issues our kids need preparation for.

Some of the stories are just awesome reminders of the power God has to draw people to Himself.

There were several authors whose names I’d run into online but didn’t know anything about until now. The testimony of the guy who started (Grand) Canyon Ministries, Tom Vail, is amazing. I’d met Karl Priest online a while back and now know a lot more about him. I’d heard of Dr. Jean Lightner a tiny bit through Answers in Genesis and Creation Today. Now I wish I had a couple hours with her to ask questions about chromosomes and homeschooling!

If I were just building my creation library, this would be in the 2nd set of books I’d get. Like Persuaded, it is a book about people. People Jesus interacts with and draws to Himself using His natural world as a major tool.

As mentioned, I received a free review copy of Transformed by the Evidence from the editor/author. He didn’t tell me what to say, just to let you all know what I thought about it. Thanks, Dr. Bergman!

To get your own copy, check out the Revolution Against Evolution, which is run by the other editor, Doug Sharp. You can even get it cheaper as a set of both books. Or, find it at any number of places, except Christian Book Distributors- yet.

Book Review: The Creation retold by Janice D. Green

Book Review: the Creationist Notebook

by Todd Elder.

I know it’s plain, but your kids can always recover it

I’m extra thrilled to introduce you all to what I think is a great resource for all families, including mine!

Some time back I ran into a new creation website run by Mr. Elder. He hadn’t finished pulling things together, but the pictures were great, and his photo especially caught my attention. He looks like he does a lot of Biblical or American Civil War reenactments with his long brown beard. So, I plugged his link into my collection and forgot about it.

Then, last month, I was wandering around Google+ and recognized Mr. Elder right away. I added him to my “circles” and shortly afterward was pleasantly surprised to see an announcement he put up about a new book he’d written.

Of course, I asked him about it and he volunteered to let me have a look at it (on PDF) in exchange for a review. His ploy worked: I’m going to fork over the (little bit of) money it costs to get some paper copies ASAP. 😀

When I sat down with the book, I was expecting a long, careful read through like usual. I guess I should have read the title more carefully. It took all of 20 minutes to review the whole thing cover to cover.

Why? Because this isn’t a book he wrote for us to study, it’s a book he outlined for us to write.

The Creationist Notebook is divided into sections covering the major areas of Creation studies. They open with a brief paragraph on the topic and a Bible passage that ties in. Then, most of the pages are filled with key phrases followed by several blank lines for us to fill in with the definition and/or short thoughts on the subject.

He starts with the Bible’s teachings on creation and the nature of God, etc. It then moves to general scientific terms we need to understand in order to discern between what can be known vs. what must be assumed. And that’s just the beginning.

Every section is well marked in the index so you won’t have to search around for the area you want to work on next. It’s a good thing, too, since there are 79 sections, not counting the extra “resources” at the end. (I’ll forgive him for skipping me, he didn’t know CS4K existed at the time.)

For us as parents, the list of terms and subjects alone is worth purchasing a copy. If we and our kids have a basic understanding of even half of what he covers, we’ll be well ahead of average. Plus, at the end of each scientific section, Elder has a list of recommended resources. Many of them are books, but he also lists a number of DVDs. It’s a great place to collect a wishlist of materials (or contact Midwest Creation Fellowship to borrow from their extensive library).

For kids, it’s an awesome place to collect your thoughts on science and what God has to say about it. Some of the topics are simple enough you could start writing things in as soon as you can handle college-ruled paper. Other topics are complex or “mature” enough to keep you busy through high school.

Personally, I’m looking forward to having his list of keywords to help me think of new areas to cover. Some of the terms he used I’d never run into before- what is “juvenile water” anyway? Although I’m sure the resources he recommends are top notch, you can find huge amounts of info online if you have the right search terms to plug in. This book provides a wealth of them!

In the light of complete honesty, there were a couple phrases he used which I found more limiting than I could have wished. If you spend much time in Creationist circles, you’ll know there are differences of opinion on dozens of issues. This book presents things as Todd Elder sees them. Nothing stood out to me, but as your kids mature, they might plug in alternate views as they run into them.

Overall, this book gets a five star, top priority to purchase on my list. 🙂

Scientists Prayer & a Dinosaur Book Review

Book Review & Prayer Request: Buried Alive

Book Review: Examine Your Faith

Examine Your Faith! Finding Truth in a World of Lies by Pamela Christian

I found this book a convenient, all in one family resource for introducing world religions and the specialness of Christianity. It systematically introduces us to our basic need to believe in something, then explores where our faith can find a true and trustworthy resting place.

It can be incredibly difficult to state even basic information about a group of people so they all agree with you. Yet, this is the task Pamela Christian assigned herself here. After briefly sharing her own faith journey (ending in the Bible and Jesus Christ), she takes us through a course in major world religions. Next introducing us to people who were dissatisfied with each example given, leading them to Jesus Christ. The last section of the book presents reasons we can trust our fate to the God of the Bible.

Reading this book with families in mind, I was quite pleased with her handling of some delicate topics. Pamela Christian’s treatment of the other major beliefs (including Secular Humanism) came across as even handed and fair, but not worded in such a way as to make them seem more appealing than Jesus.

Her opening chapter was a little misleading when she stated that she was going to leave the choice of what faith we liked best up to each of us. In one sense this is always true and doesn’t need to be added. But usually people who claim this are following an “anything goes, so I don’t care” mentality. Mrs. Christian strongly disagrees with such thinking!

I especially enjoyed the section devoted to the answers various religions give for the Big Questions: for example, on the Question Of Evil. The book gives a short overview of major religions take on evil (does it even exist?) and then gives the Christian position. A few things she put in I would adjust slightly (the creation didn’t become “sin” when Adam ate the fruit, it became tainted, corrupted, infected by sin), but the over arching reasoning is clear and orthodox.

Her handling of Genesis is delicate and seems to be carefully worded to not offend either long-age creationists or Biblical ones. This isn’t surprising considering she attended Biola. But you won’t find anything to weaken your family’s confidence in the plain reading of Scripture. Evolution is addressed, but only as one of the tenets of Secular Humanism.

The last section of the book covers many Biblical and extrabiblical proofs for the Scripture’s trustworthiness. Several topics are covered in some detail providing a good primer for people starting out on a Biblical apologetics journey.

I wish she hadn’t been quite so dogmatic about several of the fulfilled prophecies. That they were fulfilled is beyond question, but from what I’ve read the precise dates she gives (such as for the crucifixion) are falsifiable in a way I don’t think she intended. Why expose people to danger if they hear the information they were told isn’t actually true and have their faith unnecessarily shaken?

All in all, Examine Your Faith is a straightforward, easy to use family resource for worldview and apologetics I am delighted to have run into. It would be safe to hand the book to a young person as soon as they are ready to look beyond their own upbringing (reading level 12 and up). Of course, a book like this is ideal to read and discuss as a family. The chapters are short enough to just about cover in a single session if you don’t get to talking too much (like my family would!).

You can follow Pamela Christian on:

Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7179552.Pamela_Christian

Book Fun: http://www.bookfun.org/profile/PamelaChristian

Twitter: http://twitter.com/plchristian

Facebook: www.facebook.com/PamelaChristianMinistries

Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/pamelachristian/

There’s even a Giveaway!

The author is giving away one copy of Examine Your Faith! and a $25 Gift Card to Amazon or Paypal for one blessed reader. U.S. addresses only. Please use the Rafflecopter below to be entered:

Examine Your Faith! Rafflecopter giveaway

The winner will be chosen from those entries and announced November 15, 2013.

Disclosure: I’d never heard of Pamela Christian until being provided with a free copy of Examine Your Faith! to review. She sent me one even knowing I could have told you all it was terrible if I wanted to. 😀

Links: The Genius of Ancient Man Blog

One of the most exciting things to learn about is just how smart and talented our earliest forefathers actually were.

I just started a book with my six year old on people around the world and right at the beginning they had the usual “people slowly developed from ape-like animals” story. They tell kids with all the confidence in the world how fire was accidentally discovered and then another accident inspired them to continue dropping their meat into the warming blaze.

It would be really interesting to see their sources for such statements.

With my older kids I’ve been reading about inventions that changed the world. They start out with the same kinds of stories. “Accidentally”, “perhaps” a million, or “approximately” 50,000 years ago, things like the wheel and cooking were discovered, revolutionizing the poor things’ lives.

Now, the dates they give starting at about 50,000 years ago are based on actual discoveries. To find out what’s going on and how trustworthy such statements are, check out my article on Carbon Dating. But these story lines also have to ignore a huge amount of discoveries we have made about our ancestors.

Chinese Farming Terraces

On this blog I collected some of the cool findings I ran into over the past few years. You can check them out under the categories Ancient Technology and Ancient Civilizations. My favorite posts are the ones on Farming Terraces and the Sewers from ancient times. Not only are they really cool, they also have nothing to do with idolatry!

Recently, I haven’t been adding any more articles to these categories. Not because I lost interest, but because I haven’t been running into any more discoveries, plus….

Another Creationist group is specializing in presenting these findings in a Christ-honoring light!

Last Autumn I was thrilled to buy a copy of the new book The Genius of Ancient Man published by Master Books, but I never bothered to tell you all about it because there was very little new info in it. It is, however, worth having in your family library for the worldview training alone and the pictures are cool.

So, when I found Jackson Hole Bible College was continuing their research and sharing with a blog I was ecstatic! This time my excitement has been justified. Every week or so the Alumni of the school post an article about some new place, artifact, or finding illustrating our forefather’s brain power.

Even better is the manner of presentation. They are careful to use credible sources, always have a couple good pictures, and best of all, they point people to Jesus. Some of the cultures and practices of the ancients were completely sold out to sin. That didn’t mean they lost their brain power right away, it meant everything they did was corrupted.

The Genius of Ancient Man blog provides us a safe environment to learn the truth about our past. They also continue to expand their worldview training. For example, they’ve recently posted about brain power not having to be connected to technology. This will be a relief to all of us who struggle to learn computer skills others already designed let alone create new things!

(Photo credit: jepoirrier)

They’ve also just taken on the popular fascination with aliens. If you (or your kids) know someone interested in the new TV series, or who just feels drawn by this subject, these articles are for you. Ancient Aliens: Part One and Part Two.

You can easily sign up to receive updates about new posts on their blog and, if you’re on facebook, follow their page. It takes a while for the new articles to show up there, but it makes it super easy to share with your friends.

Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; Deuteronomy 7:9

Book Review: Don’t Miss The Boat

Click to see Master Books Product Page

Paul Taylor has pulled together a great overview of the history of Noah’s Flood. He covers both the science and the spiritual/moral implications of this seminal event in our history for ordinary people.

Although Mr. Taylor doesn’t bring the language down quite to a child’s level, he does a great job accomplishing his goal of reaching everyday adults. There are a few points he brings up repeatedly, but that’s because the book is designed for you to search for a topic rather than having to read straight through.

It was especially nice to see the last section is laid out to give a study group starter questions to work through. Paul Taylor planned his book with the goal of helping churches lead their entire congregations into a deeper understanding of the Flood.

Don’t Miss the Boat draws out aspects of the Bible’s account of the Flood that will be sure to interest people no matter what they most enjoy. There is science, yes, but also theology, history, and the picture of Jesus’ salvation the ark so clearly gives us.

Having studied this topic for years, very little of Taylor’s points were new to me, but there is something extraordinary about this book that makes it worth having in any well stocked Creation library. Just before the wrap up bits of the book, Taylor plies his hand at some fiction writing.

I won’t go into detail, but will tell you the snapshot accounts included are NOT from Noah’s perspective. They are gut wrenching views of what would inspire God to wipe the slate clean. It isn’t stuff for kids, but neither does Taylor revel in sinful gore. By the time someone is well into their teens, they should be aware of the kinds of sins mentioned.

For me, I found the stories hit home in a way I’d never experienced. They are powerful, and likely to make us wonder why Jesus hasn’t returned to wipe sinful humanity out again already. Although, today there is a far larger remnant of people sold out to Jesus.

Paul Taylor doesn’t load his book with bibliography, but he does mention enough to give you places to go if you want to learn more. There were at least two books I hadn’t heard of that are now on my list to check out ASAP!

If you want to find out more about Paul Taylor’s work, you’ll enjoy checking out his articles on Answers in Genesis and catching up on two and a half seasons of co-hosting the Creation Today Show with Eric Hovind. I think you’ll find he’s a delightful, wise, and understanding British gentleman. I know he’s done a video series on the Six Days of Creation and from what the book says, there should be a video on the Flood to go along with his book soon.

Disclaimer: Thanks to all of you, Master Books gave me a free copy of Don’t Miss the Boat to review! They didn’t tell me what to say about it, though. Want to check out more reviews (generally much more gushy than mine)? Check out the link up page for us at New Leaf Press’ Blog

Movie Review: The Mysterious Islands

Last week our family went to check out our new local library and I was excited to see they had a copy of this video in their collection. In a way this is even better than getting a review copy because I know lots of other people have the chance to see it for free.

Speaking of which, lots of libraries aren’t horrified at the thought of having a Creationist resource in their collection. If you want to check out something, ask them if they’d get a copy. It’s worked before!

The Mysterious Islands is a production of Vision Forum who run the big San Antonio Christian film festival. That alone tells you what to expect for quality. Personally, I found the footage and music the equal to anything I’ve seen from the BBC or PBS. It’s a visual and auditory feast.

Marine Iguana , Galapagos Islands (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The theme of the film is the Galapagos Islands. They take time looking at a number of the extraordinary creatures inhabiting them and then look closely at Darwin’s experiences there.

At 90 minutes, the video is long enough to enjoy each animal and environment showcased. It was a delight to watch the tortoises, iguanas, and (my favorite) blue-footed boobies in their natural habitat at a leisurely pace.

The whole film is set up as if we were members of the expedition exploring the islands. For me, even better than seeing the animals was spending time with John Morris (president of ICR), Doug Phillips (the founder of Vision Forum), and the guys with the film crew. We got to watch the camera men do their thing and then see through their lenses. It was like being there without the sun and grit!

A Blue-footed Booby on Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It’s always hard to be sure how much of the “plot” of a reality film is authentic or not, but the head videographer seemed to be the spokesman for the theme of the movie. Here’s a young man, committed to Jesus, but with little knowledge of the controversy over origins. This is the kind of person the film appears to be aimed at.

Which leads me to the one negative I have to say about the movie: this is not a film you would hand a confirmed evolutionist to help them overcome their arguments. It would most likely irritate them into throwing it away before they were 10 minutes in.

Galapagos giant tortoise (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Especially near the beginning, Doug Phillips would say things like, “we’re here to see whether evolution or creation make more sense based on what we observe.” And then proceed to state things clearly showing his Creationist bias. I obviously have no problem with having a preexisting bias, holding the same one myself, but why bother pretending you’re open to other interpretations when you aren’t?

Right at the end, the film gets into the heavy social Darwinian consequences the world experienced especially during WWII. The photos they used weren’t likely to turn your stomach (much) or give little kids nightmares, though. Christians need to be keenly aware of the results of following a worldview to its logical conclusion. The battle against treating humans like vermin is hardly over!

I don’t know that I’ll put this on my family wish list to purchase for now, but this is one to watch at least once. I won’t be surprised if my kids ask to check it out again soon so they can watch all those cool animals! 😀

But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? Job 12:7-9

Kids’ Book Review: Timothy: A Little Fish with a Big Purpose

Colorful illustrations and a gentle story of God working through little things make this book a delight for kids and parents.

This story was born when Pastor Brad Riley asked, “how did that fish end up with a coin in its mouth for Peter to fish out?” By showing us the fish’s viewpoint (Timothy in this case), he gives us an example of being “faithful in that which is least” and the backstory for a “coincidence” miracle children can understand.

I don’t want to give away the whole plot, but the thing I found most refreshing was how the story wasn’t driven by the main character doing something wrong. Instead, adventure finds him when he goes out of his way to follow his grandmother’s request to care for the local environment.

As with the best kids’ books, it isn’t the author who puts the story over the top, it’s the illustrator. The one Pastor Riley got is perfect. His style is cartoony enough it didn’t bother me at all to have Peter and Jesus portrayed. The watery environments are lovely and you can’t help liking Timothy.

My kids were so enchanted, they begged for the story again the next evening, which is a first for any book I’ve tried to share with them on the computer.

Pastor Riley and Gary Heiney, founder of Samuel’s House Orphanage

I didn’t get a paper copy of the book to review, but just a download. I’m not completely sure why, but my guess is this keeps overhead low so they can send more money where they really want it to go. Namely, 25% of the proceeds from Timothy the Fish go to help an orphanage in Venezuala. You can find out more about this on Brad Riley’s Amazon author page.

OK, I’ve been careful to start with the half of me that just loved the book. Now for the other half that’s had a bit of a tough time with it.

Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee. Matthew 17:27

The book messes with the verse! If you can’t stand watching Veggie Tales Bible stories or movies where Moses is raised by Pharoah’s wife instead of daughter, this book will drive you crazy. It’s not too hard to figure out why a kids’ story from the fish’s perspective didn’t want to put a hook in his mouth, though.

I ran into the book’s facebook page and was able to ask if the change was purposeful or not. I got an answer and my hunch was right, he didn’t want to traumatize the poor kids. As long as your children learn what Jesus really said from you, I don’t think the slight deviation is going to mess with them. 🙂

My other wish was to have had a hand in the editing before the book came out. You know how English teachers are always getting their feathers ruffled by bad grammar? This book has fine grammar and such, but it could have used a fair amount of word trimming and a few more explanations.

There was even one point I couldn’t suspend my disbelief. It doesn’t take more than a split second to feel terror that you’re about to die. Don’t tell me Timothy didn’t have time to feel frightened, tell me a strange peace filled him despite the danger!

In closing, when I opened the Amazon author page I was shocked to see such a young writer. The story feels like it is being told by a grandpa: warm, wise, and comforting.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of this story in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Free Book Friday: Frozen In Time

I’m thrilled to be the hostess for Master Books weekly giveaway today!

Frozen in Time, by Michael Oord

Living in Alaska, we all had seen the skeletons of Mammoths and Mastadons. Hearing about how some had been frozen with buttercups still in their stomachs was terrifying and exciting. What would the tundra have been like with such, well, mammoth beasts wandering around? It turns out, pretty unrecognizable.

I hadn’t realized until reading this book Michael Oord was the one who came up with the most popular Creationist theory of how the Ice Age could have worked. He looks at all kinds of evidence for this period, much of it from the 1,000s of preserved bodies and bones of the Mammoths.

From what the table of contents shows, it looks like about half the book focuses on the big extinct Proboscidea [members of the elephant kind]. The other half shows all sorts of factors and evidences for the Ice Age. Oord has included some exciting stuff and has given me several ideas for more posts.

Tent of Nomads in Tibet

There is even a section on how the Ice Age would have affected people. Oord doesn’t cover everything, it would take several books this size to cover all the info I’m aware of, but what he does talk about was eye opening. I’m itching to tell you about some of those things, too!

As we’ve come to expect, Master Books does a great job giving us a book that is high quality and well researched.

The reading level isn’t too bad, but is written for the serious layman. It would be good to have in your home library by the time the kids get to be about 12.

New Leaf Publishing Group has an article with a longer description of the book HERE

Alright, now for the giveaway rules:

If you’ve signed up for any of Master Books offers, you know they usually have a “Rafflecopter” to earn points by signing up for things or sharing about them. I don’t think that works on WordPress.com where my blog is hosted, so we’re doing it the “easy” way.

You get one entry by leaving a comment

Here’s what I’d like to ask you to do. Book selling (and author marketing) is all about connections. We need you.

So, if you use social media, please help us out. In your comment, let us know which form is your favorite for following us and if you’ve let your friends know about Master Books giveaway today (I know, it’s tempting to keep the odds in your favor by not letting anyone know, but the one time I got a free book I’d shared with my followers and won anyway. 🙂 )

If you only use email, that’s fine. You could send a link about what you think of this giveaway to your address book.

Here’s where to find us (go ahead and click, it opens a new tab):

Master Books on:

facebook

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And my accounts:

facebook (has the most content/interaction)

Pinterest (only my researched articles)

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The “Follow this Blog” button on the right works for all my posts by email, too

(I’ve got a Google+ account, but haven’t had time to make heads or tails of it. If you have another favorite media outlet I should check out, let me know!)

The stormy wind comes from its chamber,
    and the driving winds bring the cold.
God’s breath sends the ice,
    freezing wide expanses of water. Job 37:9-10 NLT

Book Review: Chronicles of Dinosauria

Review: Awesome Science, Mount St Helens

Back at Christmas, a church group gave us some spending money. We had enough socks already, so I decided the best thing for the kids (OK, it was really for me) would be to get the Awesome Science DVDS done by the Justice family. Here’s what I think of them.

If you can’t afford the whole set, get the St Helens one at least. Why? Because that volcano has given us observational science opportunities like no other. My personal favorite way to learn about the events there is the book by Dr. Austin, but my kids haven’t once looked at my copy. For them, a video is the way to go.

The idea of the Awesome Science series is really good. Having a “kid” do the talking gives it an instant connection with young people. The graphics and footage are well done, you can turn off the rock music in the settings, and there is a lot of information on each episode (they’re nearly an hour long).

The reason I didn’t write before is one major beef I have with the series; you need an adult vocabulary to fully understand what’s going on. I can’t imagine Noah (the c.14 year old host) wrote the script himself. In the Grand Canyon DVD (the first) he talks about how scientists “infer” things. I’ve got the study guides and that word didn’t even make the vocabulary list, they forgot how unusual it is for kids to talk about anyone ‘inferring’ anything.

Here’s a list of words I pulled from the Mount St Helens episode to give you an idea of what you’re in for. All of these were used without explanations. He wasn’t introducing you to these words, he expected you to already know how to use them:

• empirical
• lateral
• equivilent
• estimated
• alleged
• direct observation
• homogenized
• indications are
• subsequent models
• lakes were breached
• hence
• displaced the lake
• interpret a geologic site
• hypothesised
• aniseptic waters
• waters prevailed
• subsequent
• ultimate authority

A few of these terms are mentioned in the teacher’s guide where it would be easier to pause and find out what he was talking about. But for kids watching a movie on the weekend, that’s a lot of big words!

With my family, I’ll probably sit down and teach them the big words Noah uses (“if he can understand them, you can too”) so they can expand their vocabulary. The problem comes if you want to show the films to everyday kids, they will miss some of the more important scientific points. At the same time, they’ll still learn a lot, so it’d be worth it anyway. Plus, my kids enjoy them. Watching for the 2nd and 3rd time, most of them wandered off to play, but my 6 year old stuck it through to the end ’cause he loves volcanoes!

I’m looking forward to what the Justice family is able to film this year. The more images of real geology not filtered through the Uniformitarian mindset we get in our heads, the better!

Remember your Creator while you are young, before the bad times come—before the years come when you say, “I have wasted my life.” Ecclesiastes 12:1 Easy-to-read Version

PS Check the “Resources” page under the For Parents section to find the easiest places to order the series from.

Book Review: Tower of Babel

by Bodie Hodge published 2012 by Master Books, a division of New Leaf Publishing Group

I’ve been really looking forward to sharing this book with you. It was next on my list to purchase when I found out New Leaf was making it possible for more bloggers to get review copies. I asked for mine the same day!

If you’ve ever had questions about how the tower of Babel fits into world history, this is the book for you. It answered everything I’d ever wondered (disappointingly, sometimes the answer is “we don’t know”) plus covered a lot more issues I’d never thought of.

Apparently, so many people wonder how  to pronounce the word “babel” the book spends a whole chapter talking about it! Mr. Hodge did a great job tying this into the changes in language which began at Babel.

Others wonder whether the tower was ever finished or not. The book discusses not only this but whether it was round (like some European paintings) or square like a ziggurat. It takes the time to cover the purpose of the tower and how high it would have been.

But, don’t worry about the book just dealing with trivial details, most of it is spent talking about more important things. Mr. Hodge isn’t afraid to tackle slightly controversial topics, like whether Nimrod led the rebellion at Babel or if the continents didn’t split until the time of Peleg. This is an area where the book really shines. Mr. Hodge is fair and detailed on why and what each side believes. He isn’t afraid to share what he believes, but you know he would still like you if you disagree with him (which I do on one issue: the timing of Job).

The largest section breaks down the descendents of Noah mentioned in Genesis 10 one by one. It gets rather dull slogging through unfamiliar names and I wish there was a reverse index so we could look up our most likely relatives, but it’s worth it. There are general “they headed this way” maps for each one, which helps a little.

Dry as the genealogy/migration section is, it makes some important things clear:

• Interesting mixes of blood lines happened everywhere. (Just wait til you find out whom Japan is named for!) Which means, the idea of anyone being a “blue blood” is absurd. We’re all hybrids, just like good old Americans. 😀
• All people are valuable. The way the book draws out God’s care for and knowledge of every group is delightful and encouraging. This is not a Euro-centric book!
• We may not know exactly where far-flung groups fit in, but the Bible makes a lot of sense of our ancestry. Not only does it describe where we split, but you can start from the other end…

Many people groups carried memories of their early founders, and the more you study them the more you find the names at the beginning match what the Bible states. The better a people’s memory, the easier it is to see where they fit in to Genesis 10. Plus, like Noah’s Flood, many people around the world remember Babel. Awesome stuff!

I especially enjoyed Mr. Hodge’s explanation of common elements of early beliefs and false religions. I won’t spoil it for you, but he addresses ancestor worship, legendary heroes, demigods, and other interesting phenomena. All of this in a God-centered, Jesus honoring format safe to leave around the house.

I highly recommend this book as a family resource for showing how our history ties in with the Bible. I also plan to go through the people group sections looking for all the likely ancestors for my own family’s tree.

PS One aspect of this book is making me take some extra time going over my own manuscript. When you write over a period of time, redundancies are unavoidable. That’s part of the job of editing. None of the errors were major, but there were about 4 or 5 places I got the impression no one took the time to really polish the manuscript. It doesn’t interfere much with the content, but I hope they can do an update (with newly uncovered answers?) to correct them.

Find out what other people are saying about the Tower of Babel on New Leaf’s Blog

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the Tower of Babel from New Leaf Publishers in exchange for sharing my honest opinion of the book.

Book Review: Organic Outreach for Families by Kevin and Sherry Harney

This book takes us on a journey learning how to introduce our children, families, and communities to Jesus and His life through everyday life. It is full of practical applications and links to more resources in each area. Several times I thought the only way to improve on what they’ve done would be to have them visit each of us and help tailor things to our particular situation.

Starting with reaching our own children, moving through how to share with unbelieving relatives, and ending with practical ways to make an impact on our communities, the Harneys set themselves a big task and fulfill it winsomely.

The Harneys are experienced in many ways and it shows throughout the book. Their 3 grown sons each contributed essays to support their parents’ message, which is a wonderful testimony for a pastor’s family involved in the public school system. Sprinkled throughout the book are examples of how their lives have been used by God in each area they are covering.

Being a 3rd generation on-fire Christian, I was pleased to find there were specific ways to present Jesus which I’d never thought of before. For example, they would share their stories of finding Jesus with their children on a regular basis; I know my parents’ stories, but not because I heard them often! What I most appreciated about this book was the balance the Harneys achieved, both inspiring us to aim higher, and encouraging us no matter how far we have to go.

It was just a little discouraging trying to picture myself mimicking Mrs. Harney’s style of outreach. She’s a born server who revels in cooking and casual entertaining. I’m not. The book does point out outreach will look different for each person but doesn’t flesh out what this might look like. If you tend to think you have to “do it all” you’ll probably find parts of the book overwhelming!

My suggestion is to keep in mind your family’s spiritual gifts and ask God for wisdom to find how to consciously reach out to people around you based on the way He designed you. The Harney’s book is certainly a great place to start the conversation.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 NLT

Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review;  this review reflects what Cheri Fields thinks of the book.

Copying God the Engineer

Biomimicry: the Panel (Photo credit: elizaIO)

Book Review: Evolution Impossible

I’ve mentioned this book and its author, Dr. John F. Ashton, regularly over on facebook, but never bothered to write up a review over here. Why? This book is not for kids under 12 although it’s great from high school up (unlike the book “In the Beginning was Information” which seems to be directed at computer programmers and other info junkies).

So, how come I’m writing about it now? Because I owe Dr. Ashton one. We had struck up a correspondence when he was the expert at Creation Conversations, then, when I got the idea for my book, Dr. Ashton was the natural person for me to ask for advice. He has been more than helpful. Last week I sent the end of the manuscript which covers biology to him for review. He took time from his busy schedule (he’s a professor) to look it over and sent me some helpful corrections and much needed advice. So, the only right thing to do is recommend his excellent book and tell as many people as possible why!

The first thing I noticed about Evolution Impossible is all the footnotes. I checked the whole thing and only found 11 pages out of 179 which didn’t have references. Most of those 11 pages were the half pages at the beginning or end of a chapter! Dr. Ashton expects you to search out the truth for yourself.

Then there’s the amount of math involved. I’ve heard there are fewer atheistic mathematicians than in the other sciences. Math is very unforgiving. It’s much harder to make up a believable story by bending numbers than by inventing Just So stories.

Dr. Ashton builds his case for the impossibility of evolution slowly and carefully. Each point adds to the weight of evidence making the whole idea show up more and more clearly as a paradigm disconnected from the facts. It’s been a couple of months since I read the book but the power and concreteness of these arguments still stands out to me.

Being in the biomedical field, Dr. Ashton starts out with the complexity of living cells. But that’s just the beginning. He has sections on geology, radiometric dating, and the memories people retained of the Flood.

His chapter on the Big Bang was well researched but closed with the wrong conclusion. When I read his statements about the universe being static, he was still listed on the expert forum, so I shot him a note (to see what the Bible says, read my favorite post). A few weeks later he sent back the nicest reply saying he hadn’t realized this concept was in the Bible. Unfortunately, the book was already in print, so it will have to wait for a reprint before correction is possible.

One of the most delightful and unexpected things he included was the impossibility of explaining visions and foreknowledge from a naturalistic viewpoint. If you talk to enough people, you will know true dreams didn’t stop with King Nebuchadnezzar. There are things people have known before they happened or in ways impossible to explain using just matter and energy. I have the feeling this line of reasoning will influence people who otherwise would remain unmoved.

One of my facebook ladies says she’s buying copies of this book for graduating seniors. She is a wise woman. To insist on believing evolution is real after understanding the things presented in it, you have to have a serious bias. Let’s catch our young people before sin has a chance to!

Find out more about the book and author on the Author Talks podcast interview.

You can follow Dr. Ashton and the book Evolution Impossible on facebook and purchase the book in a number of places. I like to support Creation Today ($12.97), and of course, Creation Book Distributors carries it for less ($10.99)

Book Review: Understanding Science While Believing the Bible

Right after realizing I needed a book to hand out to my church kids, I asked around on Creation Conversations (if you want to be “in the know” about the creation community, sign up!) for recommendations. Dr. Carolyn Reeves contacted me right away and insisted on sending me two copies of her book Understanding Science While Believing the Bible.

It was quickly obvious Dr. Reeves book and mine won’t be in competition (a big relief for me), Her book is more focused on parents helping their kids. In fact, her book is so clear and compact I plan to use it with my kids when they get to about 10 or 11.

Here are some of the areas she covers:

• What is science? The answers are sure to expand your brain without blowing a fuse
• A brief, drawing-filled introduction to the branches of the “science family”
• How Evolutionary thinking is majorly different from the other sciences, including…
• All the guesswork required to put together any Evolutionary picture.
• Several sections for teens and adults to think through on what should be taught in our schools and the reasons why some topics are or aren’t allowed
• Why believing in a Creator matters
• What to say and how to treat your teacher when Evolution is an issue

That’s a lot of information to stuff into 80 large-print pages, but Dr. Reeves does it beautifully.

Her main focus is on the big picture of scientific thinking. It’s common to find texts focusing on a particular area of science, going into detail about how things work and what you are learning about. On many topics, a creationist teacher is going to cover practically the same information as an Evolutionary one. This book adds an overview, helping young people plug each area into a logical framework.

Which reminds me, the other day I was listening to a scientist sharing about his workplace. He is a strong believer in Christ Jesus, but noticed how many of his coworkers never think about these things. It is easy for anybody to become focused on just the here and now and scientists are constantly working with physical, testable things. After all, if you can’t use an instrument to study it, it’s not regular science. So, having a reminder of the higher thoughts behind our thinking is a healthy thing!

The only section I wish she had expanded was the science family; after briefly introducing each character, you don’t read about them again. As is, it makes a good way for parents to check comprehension and be sure they know the different areas under the name of “science.” Plus, knowing the right titles will make it easy to find out more about each branch.

Also, as a writer, I’m convinced there’s a better way to introduce her big analogy of reassembling a genealogy from crumbled fragments. But, her point is clear: no one can truthfully say they scientifically know how living things got the way they are. We all must use faith in something not scientifically provable.

This book makes an excellent supplement to a general science education. Especially if your kids are in public schools, reading this together will arm your kids with the big picture they need to process information accurately. It’s a small price to pay for wisdom!

Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. Proverbs 23:23

Dr. Carolyn Reeves spent 30 years as a public school teacher and holds a Ed.D. degree from the University of Mississippi. She’s also co-written the Investigate the Possibilities science books with Tom DeRosa.

Recommended Resources: Persuaded by the Evidence

With the help of family and friends, I’ve been collecting Creation resources to check out and sort based on importance for you. This is one I’ve been wanted to share most. It’s going in the top-tier spot, aka “your family needs this!”

Why? Because Persuaded by the evidence is all about people. It has enough eye-crossing science-speak for me to hold off giving my kids until they’re about 13 or so, but that’s just part of the focus. This book is about how these scientists and others came to dedicate their lives to Jesus and recognize Him as the Creator God. Which means a lot of people who don’t care much about science will connect to this book.

Being a lady, I found this book much better than a romance story. You have the same tension wondering how they will find their Savior: What did it take? What held them back? How did God break through to them in the end? What most attracted them to Jesus? And the best part is, I have the same Lord and Savior! Ahhh, the wonder of it! 🙂

So, for girls, this is especially good. For guys: well, it’s all written by guys, so there’s nothing mushy about it.

For young people, It addresses a lot of the questions and doubts they experience now, or will when college starts. A few stories were of men who stayed firm about the Bible their whole lives, but the rest came out of the Evolutionary worldview.

For parents, some tell how they strayed from the Bible’s account and came back later; which is particularly important as their stories can serve as warning for us to avoid the same mistakes.

Some had never been exposed to anything but Evolution. Some became Jesus’ followers first and then struggled with the Bible’s claims about origins. A few accounts are from the early 20th Century when very little Creationist material was available. Their stories are all over the map in every way.

Large parts of this book are filled with the science leading them to doubt the Evolutionary storyline and turning them to the claims of the Creator God. The subjects range from “why are there still continents if the world is as old as claimed?” to “how can we know right from wrong if everything is random?” Lots of people saw the impossibility of Evolutionary changes producing the order and complexity we see in living creatures.

The last section of the book is a treasure in itself. It is accounts of some founders of the modern Creationist movement. Did you know Dr. Henry M. Morris rose on the shoulders of other outspoken men of God and science? Dr. Duane T. Gish, Dr. Gary E. Parker (who has a particularly poignant story), and Dr. Andrew Snelling are all in here. Morris, Gish, and Snelling are names you can’t avoid in our field. How delightful to know their stories of God leading and preparing them for the places they fill!

I recommend this book for every home which has teenagers or older living in it (yes, that means you, parents). 🙂

In the same way, my words leave my mouth,
    and they don’t come back without results.
My words make the things happen that I want to happen.
    They succeed in doing what I send them to do. Isaiah 55:11

Christian Book Distributors sells the book for $10.99

Creation Today sells the book for $11.99

The Institute for Creation Research has another review to check out as well.

Video Review: Incredible Creatures that Defy Evolution

Thanks to a doting grandma, my family got a set of these 3 videos for Christmas. We finally remembered to pull them out the other night and quickly devoured them!

I’m planning to make a page of recommended resources so you all can make well-informed decisions on how to spend your valuable money. This set will make it on the list, probably on the 2nd rank just under the “GET THIS FOR SURE” necessities. 😀

Here’s why. I learned stuff from these films. Rather a lot of stuff, way more than I expected to since animals are a favorite subject of mine. That puts it firmly in the “get this to share with your local group” category by itself.

Then there is the filming. Some parts come across at less than BBC and National Geographic quality, but that didn’t bother my kids. Sometimes it is nice to spend a few minutes just hanging out with manatees and giraffes without something dramatic happening or being yanked on to the next jaw dropper after just a few seconds. There was one spot on the 3rd video with horses that could make you ill if you’re prone to that, but it was just for a few moments.

I was a bit surprised when my kids volunteered to put in the 2nd video the day after watching the 1st. Although I had found the information interesting, it hadn’t seemed nearly as exciting as their usual kid’s animal programs. But, even my younger boys wanted to see it and all but the 2-year-old stayed to watch the whole show. That put the ranking higher by itself.

Besides cool nature footage, these videos are built around the testimony and teaching of Dr. Jobe Martin. It’s rather like listening in to a lecture with really good graphics. At first I considered this a drawback to recommendation, but I’ve been thinking about his style for a bit now and here are my thoughts.

One of the most important things to guarding our minds and training our children to guard their minds is to learn how to think. Dr. Martin was fully immersed in the Evolutionary worldview for a number of years, he knows how they explain everything. He also understands the void such thinking leaves.

Every video opens with Dr. Martin’s testimony, although it is presented in more detail in the 1st one. It was the complete lack of ability to explain animal’s survival features that eventually forced him to look for a different answer to explain reality. Praise the Lord, his search eventually led him to Jesus Christ as the solution to the puzzle of life.

I suppose it could get old listening to Dr. Martin point out how impossible it is for Evolutionary thinking to account for feature after feature. The way he does it isn’t grating, though, and I have the feeling hearing this line of thinking repeatedly will be helpful to my kids. Without having to think about it, they will be aware of some of the major hurdles blocking the way for any animal to develop from a less complicated one.

Some of the other materials I plan to recommend are going to be over my kids’ heads until they reach their teens. These videos meet them where they are. Even a 5-year-old animal lover can begin to see how much more sense it makes to believe in a “genius” Designer than random chance.

It is also a lovely break to have piece of media that already has praise for our Creator God built into it. This is true of every video put out in the creation science field, but it is important to consider as well.

You can watch the 1st film through Netflix (with snide reviews on the order page) or purchase the set for yourself. There are more places you can get these (my mom got them at AiG) but CBD has the best price (surprise, surprise) and Creation Today is the one I’d appreciate you helping out if you can spare a couple extra dollars.

“Do you find food for the lions?
    Do you feed their hungry babies? Job 38:39

Who feeds the ravens when their babies cry out to God
    and wander around without food? Job 38:41

“Have you given the horse its strength
    or clothed its neck with a flowing mane? Job 39:19

Book Review: Dire Dragons

Review: AiG’s Creation Museum: Part 2

Continued from Part 1:

Before heading into the main part of the museum we caught the Men in White show. It was fun to watch, especially when the Flood misted us all with water at just the right moment. I don’t think it is likely to change a hardened unbeliever but I doubt that was their purpose. The website with all their well-documented articles has much more information to show the science behind our beliefs. The touch of frustration the angels had when the lady couldn’t hear them was just the right reminder that if we don’t share, nobody will.

I’ll just skim over the main exhibit maze. It was all quality stuff and my daughter really liked the special kids’ entrance area that I couldn’t fit into.  Everything was broken up into bite sized pieces, but if it was crowded, I know we would have missed a lot.  It was a bit disappointing to see how few interactive stations there were.  Probably their choice of layout had to do with space considerations, but hands-on learning is the greatest asset of having a physical location rather than just books and videos.

The ark section was really cool. If the full-sized replica is anywhere near as well done (as I’m sure it will be), it will be incredible.  The way AiG has thought through the practical aspects of smart people stuck in a boat with a zoo of animals for a year has my full admiration.  I’d never considered them having a garden in those low light conditions or using posts to gradually expose more hay to the grazers as needed.

After finishing the maze we visited the traveling collection of Bible related materials off the pizza plaza.  It was small but awesome with cuniform and other writings dating back to nearly the time of Abraham.  I hope the sponsors are able to accomplish their goal of a permanent museum in D.C.

Then we stopped at the chapel for a kids story reading time.  My mom and I were both impressed with the book Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers: The Gospel.  It put things very gently and in similar ways to how we have always shared Jesus and God’s message with little ones.  The reading lady very kindly took one of my calling cards and has e-mailed me letting me know she likes my site. 🙂

This photo was taken before they’d finished landscaping, but you can see the eating terrace on the right

If you can afford to eat in their cafe, DO! The pizza is great (large enough for two kids to share) and my pot-roast-connoisseur mom highly recommends theirs. The wait staff is very friendly and keeps the counters so clean they lay their knitting and crochet on it for between customers. And, in warm weather you can eat on the deck overlooking the pond and garden.

The grounds- sigh! It was chilly the day we went, so my kids and I just ran down the steps by the cascades to see the pond for a minute.  It would be worth having to deal with more company to come on a lovely June day and spend a few hours enjoying the garden paths.  They weren’t too large, so you could enjoy everything in an hour or two, but the whole place is worth a second visit.

If you can, take advantage of their 2nd-day-free offer and make a double day trip when you go. The book store alone needs a couple of hours to really check through everything! My mom went on a spending spree (thanks, Mom) and they even shipped it all back for us at a very reasonable rate.

The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. Psalm 111:2 

PS no sign of my photos on the memory card, so I’m afraid you’ll have to go and take your own to see more.

Review: AiG’s Creation Museum: Part 1

It’s been two weeks since my mom, kids and I spent a lovely day at the Creation Museum.  The forced delay has been kind of nice because the things we still remember are the best!

All the main speakers with Answers in Genesis were out of town, so we didn’t get to say “hi.”  I can’t say I blame them; there were only a handful of visitors on the last Wednesday in November.

BTW, having museums, zoos and such almost to ourselves is one of the nicest perks of home schooling.  I’m completely spoiled about this; it is so pleasant getting the best seats at shows and strolling leisurely through the coolest exhibits. Plus, getting practically private waitstaff is addictive!

The first thing we did was visit the planetarium.  The show was very well done with 3D effects and a step by step expansion of size to keep your brain-fuses from getting fried within the first minute.  It was a little disappointing not to have the narrator mention how easily the Bible explains why we can see things “millions of light years away” in a very young universe. My guess is that Dr. Lisle and the rest decided it would take too long and they have other resources to address the issue.  Personally, I think it would have been worth the extra 30 seconds to mention “stretching the heavens” as God so carefully told us.

My favorite bits of the whole building were the hallway displays of fossils and other rocks.  It was awesome to be only inches from rocks that once floated in outer space.  Seeing real fossils in full scale was worth the visit all by itself!

The scale of things was one of the best parts of being there in person.  AiG is very generous in sharing their information and pictures free online, so there was very little that I learned by going to their location.  But, the size of things is difficult to show in a picture.

Some things were way bigger than you might think.  My 5 year old got scared in the dinosaur den (upstairs past the pizza plaza).  Since that experience he has decided all dinosaurs are no fun. I bet there would be a lot more kids glad we don’t run into living dragons too often if they all saw just how big and scary they could get!

A photo of one of the real fossils. An adult’s hand reaches from about the elbow to the foot

Other things were smaller than you would expect. You know that new Lucy display they were so excited about? It is very well done, very clear, very convincing.  But, it’s small.  The whole display is in a column about 4 feet [1.3m] deep. Lucy is puny. Archeopteryx is even smaller.  I “knew” he was dinky, but there is nothing like being next to his bones to help you realize a person could have easily picked him up one-handed.

Unlike most of the fossils on display, archeopteryx was a copy.  Unless a Creationist digs one up and donates it to the Museum, they don’t have the money or power to get ahold of a game-changer fossil like the “dinobird.”  God needs His people to get out in the field and find things on their own so they don’t get ignored or used against Him!

I would have had this review up a couple of hours ago, but my photos are missing! My dear husband says there’s a way to get the memory card to cough up deleted pictures, so I hope to get them back for tomorrow’s post.  *Please God, some of them were really good ones!* Anyway, I’ve got a lot more to share, but it will have to wait ’til tomorrow.

Part 2 HERE

Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. Malachi 3:16

Book Review: Footprints in the Ash