Reflections on Old Testament Law and History #5

A final contrast is found in the centre of 1 Samuel, where three relationships with David are described. Jonathan ‘made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself’ (1 Sam. 18:3). Michal ‘was in love with David’ (1 Sam. 18:20) and was given to him in the covenant of marriage (1 Sam. 18:27), but later despised David and bore him no children (2 Sam. 6:16,23). Sandwiched between is Saul, who is so angry at and jealous of David that he tries to kill him twice (1 Sam. 18:9-11).

Though these three relationships were all historical, metaphorically they illustrate three ways of relating to God’s ultimate king, Jesus. Saul may be interpreted as a metaphor for the new atheists and others who seem angry and afraid of Jesus while claiming to be the ones with knowledge (in Saul’s case, power). Michal may be understood as a metaphor for people who have a formal connection to the church but no long lasting love for Jesus.

I considered: how am I like Jonathan in my relationship with King Jesus? Just as Jonathan surrendered to David his robe and tunic, sword and bow (1 Sam. 18:4), I have recently had to mentally hand over to God my human means of providing for myself, trusting him to provide my husband with a new job in another pastorate. These months of unemployment have been a period of considerable uncertainty for our family, but I made a commitment to trust Jesus in this situation. By God’s grace and with the encouragement of Jonathan’s example, my faith has not wavered.

My brain appreciates patterns, so God caught my attention with these and other incidents, allowing me the opportunity to reflect upon their application for my life. It has been a worthwhile exercise.

Reflections on Old Testament Law and History #4

As I read 1 Samuel I noticed several antithetical stories juxtaposed in the text: the book begins with the birth of the last judge and ends with the death of the first king, for example. The first chapters of 1 Samuel consider the story of two families, that of Elkanah and Eli. As a mother, I had previously overlooked Elkanah's story and focussed on Hannah's prayer and its results. But when compared with the sons of Eli, Elkanah’s positive attributes are magnified. Elkanah went up to worship and sacrifice ‘year after year’ (1 Sam. 1:3), generously granting portions of the sacrifice to his family with extra for his beloved, yet barren wife (1 Sam. 1:4-5). He was even willing to give up his own son to the LORD (1 Sam. 1:21-23). This diligence in worship and generosity with sacrifice is a stark contrast to Hophni and Phinehas, who regard the LORD and his offerings with contempt (1 Sam. 2:12-17).

I reflected upon these contrasts, asking myself: am I selfish in my worship of God? Sometimes I am unwilling to share what I see as “my worship time” (early morning Bible study, or a church service) with my often noisy or restless kids, so I need to learn from Elkanah’s example. I can be impatient with other people’s worship, wishing the church would do things the way I like; seeking only my benefit, not that of the church. So I must heed the warning of Eli’s sons’ fate. And although I was not willing to give up my children to the service of the LORD at the tender age of three as Elkanah gave up his son, it is my abiding hope that they will all serve him in their adult careers and indeed with their whole lives.

Reflections on Old Testament Law and History #3

Another pattern relates to the location where people interact with God. Once instituted at Mount Sinai, the tabernacle is the official place of worship (Lev. 9:22-24) until Solomon builds the temple (1 Kgs 8). Yet significant religious events occur not in the tabernacle or temple, but on mountaintops. This pattern begins when Abraham attempts to sacrifice his son on Mount Moriah (Gen. 22:2). Moses hears God’s call on Mount Sinai (Exod. 3:1-4) and receives the Law on the same mountain (Exod. 3:12, 19–20). Aaron dies on Mount Hor, where his priestly robes are passed on to his son (Num. 20:27-28), then Moses dies after seeing the Promised Land from Mount Nebo (Deut. 34:1-5). When Israel enters the land, they offer sacrifices and Joshua reads the Law at Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim (Deut. 27:12-13; Josh. 8:30-35). Elijah contends with Baal’s prophets on Mount Carmel (1 Kgs 18:16-40) before being recommissioned by God on Mount Horeb (1 Kgs 19:15-17). The altitude at which these events take place is not solely a reflection of the mountainous terrain of the Promised Land. Indeed, God instigated most of these events and selected their locations, suggesting mountains are generally good places to meet with him.

In contrast, the ‘high places’ of pagan worship were to be torn down by Israel (Num. 33:51-52; Deut. 12:1-2). They were used by Israel before the temple was built (1 Kgs 3:2) and later kings were criticised by the historical author for building them, using them and not tearing them down (1 Kgs 3:3; 12:30-32; 14:22-24; 22:43; 2 Kgs 12:3; 16:2-4; 21:3 etc). The key feature distinguishing the mountaintop events from high place paganism seems to be God’s word, either spoken directly or read from the Law.

So should I, as a Christian, seek God upon mountains? They are sadly lacking in Perth! When I travelled to the USA several years ago and visited the Rockies, the Olympic Mountains, and the Sierra Nevadas at Yosemite, I certainly felt awe for their creator:I felt the same fear and awe for the LORD in Death Valley, USA's lowest point, though:From this reading, I now understand that it wasn’t until I shared my responses with my husband, praising God aloud, that my awe changed from a pagan high place experience to true Christian worship involving God’s word.

One privilege of being Christian today is my ability to access Scripture any time, anywhere, in the pages of my Bible, on a screen via the internet or an app on my phone, or simply from my mental store of memory verses. I don’t need to climb a mountain to hear God’s voice, but I do need to be ready to listen to his word.

Reflections on Old Testament Law and History #2

In another pattern, the Genesis text lists twelve sons not only of Jacob but also of Abraham's brother Nahor (Gen. 22:20-24) and Isaac's half-brother Ishmael (Gen. 25:13-16), yet only six through Keturah, Abraham's third wife (Gen. 25:1-2). The significance of these numbers may indicate their identity as people chosen to be blessed by God; for Nahor's family through intermarrying with Abraham's descendants, and for Ishmaels's family as recipients of the blessing God promised to Hagar (Gen. 21:17-18). By contrast, Keturah's sons are sent away from the Promised Land (Gen. 25:6).

Other people of interest in the Genesis narrative also fail to have so many sons: Lot has two, who become the fathers of the Moabites and Ammonites (Gen. 19:36-38), and Esau has five, from whom descend the Edomites (Gen. 36:2-5, 8-9). The contrast these families provide is evident in the role their descendants play later as bane to the LORD's people. Together with the Philistines, the Moabites, Ammonites and Edomites contend with Israel as the means of God's punishment of his people.

Reflections on Old Testament Law and History #1

In my reading of the Law and History this semester, I observed the plan of God to choose, save, bless and judge his people announced and demonstrated. Yet the process of reading entire books over several days focussed my attention on smaller patterns. This week I'm posting a series on my observations and thoughts on how these apply to the way I understand the Bible and apply it to my life, most of which made it to my final "reflective essay" for my Old Testament Foundations lecturer.

I observed similarities in the events leading up to the marriages of Isaac to Rebekah (Gen. 24:10-51), Jacob to Rachel (Gen. 29:1-20) and Moses to Zipporah (Exod. 2:15-21): each bride was met at a well while watering her family’s flock. While the community well may have been merely a convenient place to meet people, Genesis 24 emphasises God’s sovereignty in providing a suitable wife. This clarifies the nature of Abraham’s descendants as God’s chosen people. Furthermore, perhaps the author of Exodus included this event to demonstrate continuity between the patriarchs and Moses. Moses also replicates Joseph’s marriage, marrying the daughter of a foreign priest (Gen. 41:45; Exod. 3:1; 18:1), again strengthening his connection to the forefathers. These similarities suggest that the author of Exodus was at least aware of Genesis, if not its author.

Wacky Hat Day

Sam, the Box Man:

Abi, the "Coloured Hat Girl":

Anna, the "Star Witch":

Joshua, the Samurai Warrior with Orc Teeth:

Anna won her year level prize for the best hat, and gained a $5 voucher to spend at the school Book Fair:

A thousand thanks to Jeff, who helped the kids with their hat-making while I escorted Sam to a birthday party and then went to karate with Josh yesterday.

Reading Aloud: Ranger's Apprentice

Having read Horrendo's Curse by Anna Fienberg, the author of the Tashi novels, in five nights, I decided to tackle another slightly longer term Read Aloud project. After checking out the entire Top 500 children's book list on Dymocks Bookstore's website, I chose the popular Ranger's Apprentice series, by John Flanagan, beginning tonight. I read aloud the prologue and five chapters - no, make that six - before finally closing the book for the night. Admittedly, both the five and six year olds were asleep by this time; it was after 8pm. But Joshua and Anna had begged me for more each time I suggested the previous chapter might have been the last. And from the end of chapter three, Jeff, who was listening from the kitchen where he was busy making fresh fruit juice and washing the dishes, added his voice to the pleas for more reading. An auspicious start, I believe.

What to read aloud next?

We've finally finished reading the Borrowers books by Mary Norton, taking four months to read 700+ pages of very small text, loving every night of reading aloud. Now I just need to work out what to read next! Any suggestions?

Tertullian wrote:

"We, little fishes, after the example of our ikthus Jesus Christ, are born in water."
On Baptism ch. I

(My favourite quote from my research on baptism for Church HIstory.)

My Baptism

Jeff: Welcome and prayer
Bible readings

Shelley: Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Acts 2:36-41a
Joshua: “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
Anna: When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles,
Abigail & Samuel: “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Anna: Peter replied,
Joshua: “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
Anna: With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them,
Joshua: “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
Anna: Those who accepted his message were baptised.
Shelley: Ephesians 1:3-14
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Sharon: Why I am being baptised
Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended to the grave.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again to judge
the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Pastor John Campbell: On Baptism
Amazing Grace
[John Newton]

Amazing grace - how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I’m found
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear
And Grace my fears relieved
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.

Baptismal confession
Triple immersion into the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
What the Lord has done in me
[Hillsongs]

Let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich”
Let the blind say, “I can see,
It’s what the Lord has done in me.”
Let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich”
Let the blind say, “I can see,
It’s what the Lord has done in me.”

Hosanna, hosanna
To the Lamb that was slain
Hosanna, hosanna
Jesus died and rose again

Into the river I will wade
There my sins are washed away
From the heavens, mercy streams
Of the Saviour’s love for me.
I will rise from waters deep
Into the saving arms of God
I will sing salvation songs
Jesus Christ has set me free.

Hosanna, hosanna
To the Lamb that was slain
Hosanna, hosanna
Jesus died and rose again

Let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich”
Let the blind say, “I can see,
It’s what the Lord has done in me.”

Prayer
Afternoon tea

Why I was baptised today

This is the short talk I gave at my baptism celebration this afternoon:I think of baptism as a bit like a formal, public, citizenship ceremony. At an Australian citizenship ceremony, people officially become Australian citizens. At a baptism, the person is officially recognised as a member of God’s church, a citizen of the kingdom of God. It’s possible, of course, to be a Christian who is a sort of permanent resident of God’s church, without any formal recognition of citizenship. But I want to be an active, loving and serving member of God’s church, so I’ve asked to be baptised. I’ve chosen to be baptised by full immersion, according to the rites of the Baptist Church, which I believe reflect well the original New Testament practice of baptism of new Christians.

Hopefully, it won’t surprise most of you to hear that I am not a new Christian. I became a Christian on Ash Wednesday, the 28th of February, in 2001, in the middle of an Alpha course. So you might wonder why it has taken me over a decade to decide to be baptised.

Well, I was baptised – by sprinkling of water according to the rites of the Uniting Church – at the age of 12. But at that time I wasn’t a real Christian. It was sort of like being made a citizen of a country that I hadn’t even visited (though I knew people who lived there).

I wasn’t a Christian because I didn’t understand what it meant to be saved by Jesus. I understood that I should obey God. But despite attending classes with the minister, I didn’t really understand that when Jesus died on the cross, he – Jesus – took the punishment for my sins completely. Because of what Jesus did, his righteous and goodness became mine. So I didn’t have to win God’s approval by my good behaviour. I just had to allow myself to be saved!

Baptism is, of course, a public recognition of trusting in Jesus Christ as one’s Saviour. So my baptism at the age of 12 was essentially worthless. But when I became a new Christian, I didn’t understand that. I was new to Christianity and I had a lot to learn about what it meant to be a Christian. Recently, I’ve been reading and studying about baptism, and I’ve seen friends get baptised as new Christians, and I’ve been challenged to rethink the idea of my own baptism. Today, as I’m baptised, I am announcing to you that I really do trust in the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection to save me from the consequences of my sins, so I can have eternal life in joyful fellowship with the LORD God.

The Apostles’ Creed sums up what I believe about God. It has been recited at baptisms since the earliest times, and I am going to repeat it today. If you are a Christian, you might like to say it with me now.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended to the grave.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again to judge
the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

I am truly grateful to God for choosing me (as Shelley read from Ephesians 1) to be pure and blameless in his sight. As I am baptised in this water today, it will be a symbol of the washing that I have already received, when God washed away my sins and made me a new creation, righteous in God’s eyes.

So these are the three reasons that I am being baptised today:
Because I want to be publicly recognised as a faithful citizen of the kingdom of God;
So I can make a public announcement to you that I do place my faith and trust in the saving power of Jesus Christ, through which my sins have been forgiven and my eternal life with God the Father has been guaranteed;
And as a public sign that my sins have been washed away by the act of Jesus’ death, and now I am a cleansed, purified, new creation who has been made righteous in God’s sight.

Thankyou, my friends, for coming to bear witness to this public testimony of my faith in Jesus.

What does baptism mean?

Being baptised is, in a sense, being made - officially - a Christian. It's the rite of initiation which grants membership to the church. Some early Christian writers saw it as granting entrance not just to a particular church, but actually granting citizenship to the kingdom of God. So you might think of baptism being a Christian citizenship ceremony, which makes official what is recognised: that the person's allegiance is now to God through his Son, Jesus Christ. Just as a person could be a permanent resident of Australia without being a citizen, it is possible to be a Christian without being baptised. But just as citizenship confers particular benefits and responsibilities (voting, jury duty), baptism confers the benefits of being publicly recognised as a Christian.

Baptism has a whole lot of other, deeper, meanings as well. It is a sign that the person is linking themselves to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. They are "dying" to a lifetime of sin and selfishness, and being "resurrected" to a life of love of God and service for him, an act which is only possible because of Jesus' death and resurrection. Another way of looking at baptism is to think of it being a bath, but not one that washes off dirt: instead, baptism symbolically washes away the person's sins. In the early church, the time of baptism was seen as the time when a person received the Holy Spirit. From then on, God's Spirit lived in the baptised person, protecting them from evil and guiding them to live rightly. The baptism was seen to be granting "enlightenment" because once the Holy Spirit was living in a person, he would give them understanding and wisdom that an unbaptised person would not have. Baptism was also described as "dyeing" because the person was completely changed - made new - by the process of being wet, just as a piece of cloth wet in dye is completely different when it comes out from the dye.

In my case, I am being baptised by a retired pastor of the Baptist denomination, in accordance with the rites of the Baptist group of churches. Some denominations recognise other's baptisms, and some do not. For example, I don't think the Catholic Church recognises any other denomination's baptismal rites as being meaningful (or at least they didn't until very recently). However, a Baptist baptism would be recognised by the Anglican or Uniting denominations.

Some denominations insist that a proper baptism occurs a certain way. For example, many Open/Christian Brethren and Baptist churches would only allow membership to people baptised by immersion (that is, one's entire body gets wet in the process), unless some sort of sickness prevents the person from getting well and truly dunked. This insistence is partly because these churches believe that immersion was the original way that baptism was done. It is also because of the symbolism involved in identifying with Jesus' death (when one goes completely under the water) and new life (when one is then brought up out of the water). The apostle Paul wrote about this in his letter to the Romans:
"Or don't you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been set free from sin."

The Anglicans and Presbyterians generally baptise by sprinkling or pouring water over the person, rather than by immersion, and I have seen both done in Uniting churches. In my case, the baptism I had (by sprinkling) in the Uniting church would not be considered enough to allow my membership in most Baptist churches - which could be a problem if Jeff wants to be employed as their pastor!

Many immersion-only churches also generally insist on baptism only being performed on people who actively profess to believe in salvation through Jesus Christ, rather than (as for the Anglicans, Catholics and Presbyterians, for example) allowing the baptism of infants, who are usually babies of Christian parents. I wasn't a real believer at the time of my baptism, which to my mind makes that baptism worthless. If you think about my citizenship analogy, my baptism was kind of like someone else making me a citizen of a country that (at that time) I'd never been to and had no real interest in.

On Sunday, I am going to be baptised by immersion in the Swan River. Jeff and John will pray for me and my friend Shelley and my kids will read some passages about baptism from the Bible. I'll "make my confession" (give a short talk on why I am being baptised). I will also recite the Apostles' Creed, a simple outline of what I believe as a Christian, which was first used during early Christian baptisms in a question and answer format. Once in the water, I will kneel down and John will bow my head forward into the waters three times (symbolic of the three persons of the Godhead; Father, Son and Holy Spirit). We'll also sing two songs, "Amazing Grace" and "It's what the Lord has done in me". I happen to be doing a research paper on baptism in the first three centuries AD at the moment for college so the liturgy (procedure) for my baptism is somewhat influenced by early baptismal practices!

Baptism

(Click on the image to open larger version and/or to print.)

The Patriarchal Narratives

I've just finished writing a book review on Essays on the Patriarchal Narratives for my Old Testament Foundations class, and I'm posting it here as well. It's pretty dense - I had a word limit of 1500 +/- 10%, and managed to get down to 1648 words - and because of that, I didn't get to write much about the significance of the implications of this book. So I'll preface this posting of my review with what I would have included if there had been room.

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The historical reliability of the stories of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, which is the subject of the book, underpins several Christian doctrines:

With respect to the faithfulness of God, there are implications for Christians, who rely upon God's promises of Jesus' return in glory to judge and renew creation. If God really did make and keep the promises to the patriarchs recorded in Genesis 12-50, then Christians have a sound basis for their faith that he will keep the promises recorded in the New Testament.

With respect to the relationship between God and his people, there are implications for Christians, who are God's chosen people today. The sovereign nature of the God who elects his people in mercy is discussed in Romans 9:7-16 with particular reference to the patriarchal narratives as the doctrine's foundation. If God really did choose the patriarchs in order to bless the whole world through them (Genesis 12:3 and 28:14) and to have a relationship with them (Genesis 17:7), then Christians have a sensible reason for trusting in his election of the saints (1 Peter 2:9-10) and in God's provision of the perfect priest through whose sacrifice we are sanctified (Hebrews).

With respect to the relationship between God's people and their home, the implications for Christians apply to both the land of Israel - is it still the land of promise, or does that mean something different since the time of Jesus? - and the eternal land of promise: heaven and the new creation. If God really did grant a land for his people (Genesis 15:18-20), then Christians have a strong foundation for their hope in the reality of a new creation (Revelation 21-22).

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Now you know why the content of this book is important, you might like to read what I thought of it.

Millard, A.R., and D.J. Wiseman, ed. 1980, Essays on the Patriarchal Narratives (Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press).

Essays on the Patriarchal Narratives contains seven essays by seven scholars, examining the archaeo-historical background and literary content of the patriarchal narratives contained in Genesis 12–50. They assess relevant scholarship in various disciplines, and present new analyses of data from their fields, seeking to support the historicity of the biblical accounts of Abraham’s family and their origins in the Ancient Near East (ANE) during the second millennium BC. These essays provide a broad, comprehensive and convincing analysis of studies of Genesis, although it is fairly inaccessible for the novice biblical historian.

The book begins with John Goldingay’s essay, which sets the tone for the entire book. Goldingay exegetes the central theme of the patriarchal narratives as God’s blessing, promised and provided, despite problems and people (pp.12-23). He argues for the examination of the patriarchal narratives in the context of the story arc from Genesis to Kings (pp.25), showing that the theme is derived from God’s blessing of the whole world in the earlier chapters of Genesis (pp.26-27), and extended by Israel’s reliance upon the promises (pp.28-35). Later generations based their faith on the authenticity of the promises and their partial fulfilment as recorded in the patriarchal narratives: ‘Israel … refers to it … in such a way as to make it rather clear that she understands the story to be fundamentally factual’ (p.39-40). Goldingay considers the approaches of T. L. Thompson, G. E. Wright and von Rad (p.35-39) and, finding them lacking, concludes we must take the ‘risk’ of faith, given the inherent credibility of the narratives (p. 40).

The second essay by A. R. Millard, argues that the patriarchal narratives should be studied as ANE texts (p.45), not compared to culturally and chronologically remote texts (such as the Icelandic sagas), and highlights the importance of comparing multiple texts from a range of sources and dates before conclusions are drawn (p.47). He asserts the patriarchal narratives should be considered reliable until proven otherwise, without allowing the religious element to automatically label the text mythical, as would be the case for comparable ANE texts (p.53). Millard promotes a critical but not hypercritical analysis of the text, searching not only for archaeological anachronisms but also for evidence of reliability (p.56), a task his fellow writers strive to undertake.

In the third essay, J. J. Bimson considers possible time frames for the patriarchal narratives. From Genesis 12—38, he distinguishes between sites associated with Abraham’s life and later sites (p.68-69). He then assesses the evidence for dates of occupation from each of the major biblical archaeological sites individually (p.69-79). Bimson argues for a Middle Bronze Age I date for Abraham and Isaac and a Middle Bronze Age II date for Jacob and sons (p.80), which agrees with the majority of the archaeological evidence (with some discussion of possible solutions to conundrums posed by Hebron and Ai [p.80]). He then compares this to intra-biblical dates (p.81-83), achieving a consensus dating Abraham’s life primarily to the 21st century BC (p.84).

The fourth essay, by M. J. Selman, continues the examination of archaeological data, considering parallels that may be drawn between ANE social customs (observed or extrapolated from relevant cuneiform texts) and the practices of the patriarchs. Selman assesses where scholars have overreached in their attempts to draw parallels (p93-102), and where the best balance of support lies from the presently available cuneiform evidence. Granting of birthright privileges to eldest sons, the role of brothers in arranging marriages, and the use of slave girls as surrogates for barren wives (p.126-128) are used as indirect supporting evidence for the historical background of the patriarchal narratives (p.125) and the basis of their content in events of the 2nd and possibly 1st millennium BC (p.128), rather than either solely as a 1st millennium construct of the monarchy to justify its existence, or as an imaginary myth with no basis in actual events.

D. J. Wiseman’s essay rejects the classification of Abraham as primarily a nomad, using the biblical text to show that while he re-located several times, he predominantly settled near populated centres (p.139-142). The meaning of Abraham’s description as a ‘Hebrew’ is discussed and its use in characterising him as a wanderer is discounted (p.143-144). In contrast, it is asserted that Abraham was a ‘prince’ according to the customs of the time, a title of distinction with responsibilities for government (p.144-149). The implications of the nomenclature ‘father’ are considered with respect to the timing of the Abrahamic narratives’ composure and their correspondences to Mesopotamian and Egyptian texts (p.149-153). Evidence for possible origins of the name-type ‘Abraham’ are assessed, emphasising the uniqueness of the name, while acknowledging the renaming process (Gen. 17:5) has Mesopotamian parallels (p.153-154).

‘The religion of the patriarchs’ by G. J. Wenham analyses the uses of various names for God, particularly Yahweh, and El and its derivatives, together with religious practices, across the narratives of each patriarch, as well as between passages attributed by critics to different sources and times (p.159-164). He examines and evaluates the work of A. Alt, F. M. Cross, and C. Westermann in this area (p.164-175). Interpretations of the key passage, Exodus 6:3, are discussed, revealing problems with the application of source criticism (p.179-180). Wenham proposes that the pattern of use of the name ‘Yahweh’ within the Genesis text best fits with ‘the Yahwistic editor’ (p.183) conflating the identities of Yahweh and the God of the patriarchs with careful additions of the Tetragrammaton into earlier text (p.183). The God revealed in Genesis is described in unique ways that would not be appropriate if the text had been composed after Sinai or in the monarchical period (p.184-185).

In the final essay, David W. Baker* considers the connections between parts of the Genesis text, showing that it should not be interpreted merely as a conglomeration of discrete passages, although textual units may clearly be distinguished. He examines lexical endings and beginnings that are indicators of time gaps, and subject and location changes (p.190-195). He also delineates repeated word and phrase forms (such as tôledôt [p.196]) and rhetorical forms (for example inclusio and chiasmus [p.197-199]), which serve to unify certain passages. Baker observes that the use of pronouns as anaphora in the text is sometimes incompatible with the source critics’ document hypothesis (p.200). He states that his analysis cannot be used to determine a definite date for textual composition, although it compares favourably with ANE texts at the structural level (p.201).

The individual arguments are well reasoned, balanced, and flow clearly both within each essay and throughout the order of the book, despite being written by scholars with very different spheres of expertise and interest. Furthermore, coverage of the topic of the historical origins of Genesis 12—50 from a broad variety of perspectives gives weight to the argument as a whole, that there are good archaeological and literary grounds for an acceptance of the patriarchal narratives as based in actual historical events, originally recorded near the time of those events. There is a good balance between comprehensive analysis of previous scholarship and presentation of new attempts to reconcile various data with the Genesis text, as proposed in the preface (p.7).

The authors uphold the significance of the Bible, without seeking to distort or twist data or the text to fit what obviously does not fit. They are unafraid to explain where flawed or hasty methodology has led to failed attempts to prove patriarchal historicity. They also expose several difficulties for the documentary hypothesis.

The analysis of Hebrew and cuneiform is generally clear for the reader who knows no Hebrew. Transliteration of the Hebrew, necessitated by the publication’s formatting style, is particularly helpful.

This book has been written for an academic audience, but its utility in strengthening faith in the face of biblical criticism warrants a wider audience. In order for the essays to be read and easily understood by novices to the arena of biblical archaeology, such as pastors, a map needs to be included to show the sites and approximate dating of relevant archaeological digs, particularly the locations of significant cuneiform finds referred to in the text (such as Nuzi, Mari, Ugarit, Larsa and Akkad).

At present, each essay may be read individually. They do form a combined picture, which is, unfortunately, never clarified although it is hinted at in the preface (p.7). The inclusion of a final essay (perhaps by the editors), drawing together the conclusions of each author, would be valuable if the book is to be read by a wider audience.

It is clear from reading these essays that new archaeological finds or publications of cuneiform texts can change the evidence for or against particular theories very quickly. Hence the age of the work, which is now thirty years old, suggests some of it may be already outdated (However, it is beyond the scope of this review to determine where and how.)

For many people, the only challenge to the veracity and reliability of the Old Testament they are aware of is the Creation/Evolution debate, with its implications for understanding God as Creator. However, the historical reliability of the patriarchal narratives underpins significant theological doctrine: the faithfulness of God in making and keeping his promises; and the relationship between God, his people and their home. In arguing for the veracity of the Genesis record of the patriarchs, this book provides supporting matter for apologetics and biblical theology for Christians, who set their hope in promises of God originating with the promises made to the patriarchs.

This book lays bare the scope of threats to the fundamental historicity of the later chapters of Genesis: from form critics who consider the patriarchal narratives to be the product of oral tradition with little basis in historical events, and from source critics who seek to place the final writing of the Genesis accounts during the monarchy and postulate the existence of multiple source documents from which these accounts were drawn. It also exposes the dangers of over-zealous attempts to reconcile the biblical text with hypothetical constructs of life in particular locations and times within the ANE, without clear and balanced evidence. Fortunately, in its wide-ranging and complex examination of the evidence from seven disciplines, supporting the historicity of the Genesis 12—50, Essays of the Patriarchal Narratives succeeds where those it criticises have failed.

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* David is my Old Testament Foundations lecturer.

Guest Post: Jeff's review of Amy's Devotions for Lent

The traditional festivals and calendar of the church are not things that I generally put much thought towards. The particular protestant traditions I have been part of threw some (small) babies out with the bathwater when they split from the more established traditions, and Lent is was one of those. But I must admit that somewhere deep down inside I have a desire to continue on with some of the more traditional practices. As such, I find it quite useful to stand on the shoulders of someone who is a step or two ahead of me. Amy’s family devotions for Lent fall within that category.

I don’t usually use devotional material, and so having a go at this one was a bit of a new experience for me. I like the fact that Amy has put thought into what passages to look at, questions with answers that the kids at different ages can handle, and answers in case I haven’t done any preparation and am not sure which direction she is going over the study. Sometimes the kids and I get caught up in the study and head off on our own direction, but it has been a good experience to be working through a devotion together.

The focus on Jesus, on different responses to Him from the Gospels, and an engagement with what each passage tells us about Him – and how we should respond to Him – has been very much appreciated. I also really appreciate that Amy jumps around in the devotions (without giving the impression of randomness) including some narrative passages about Jesus, some of Jesus’ teaching, and some testimony about Jesus (from John the Baptist). This helps to build a more rounded picture rather than a narrow focus on a preferred topic.

As we’ve worked through the devotions I’ve loved it when the kids remember a story from their Sunday School classes and want to tell the story before it has finished being read, and are able to engage with the material and explore their knowledge of Jesus in more depth as a result.

Well worth getting and working through with your family.
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Amy's book is available in paperback (for $US9.99) and kindle ($US2.99) versions from amazon.com.

Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mother

Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mother appears to be a fairly honest selective autobiography, focussed on Amy Chua's mothering of her two daughters under very strict expectations. Frankly, I think the mother was too strict and demanding, and I'm not surprised it backfired on her in a culture which doesn't 100% back up submission to parental authority.

I was extremely disappointed to continually read of Chua's unwillingness to follow or submit to her husband's direction in parenting. Towards the end of the book she recalled many arguments she had with her husband over her mothering. And despite the fact that they had earlier made an agreement to follow her parent-raising method of choice, I was very disappointed to read that she never considered reassessing this earlier choice, and her husband never required her to either, despite clear problems with the chosen method. For me, Chua's unwillingness to submit to her husband was an even bigger problem than the way she dealt with her daughter.

I did find some of the author's reflections and explanations helpful in thinking about the height of my own expectations for our kids. This is what I was looking to get out of the book. I know I'll never be a "Tiger Mother" and I don't want to be one, but I can use some inspiration to reach higher than I do at present. In particular, Chua wrote (p29):

"What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you're good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences."

I vaguely remember reading something similar in a homeschooling book or two several years ago. In general, this does apply to education, but also to life skills. What child enjoys dressing themself before they can do it competently? It is a daily struggle. But once they master the skill of getting those little arms and legs through the right gaps, they're eager to dive into and out of three changes of clothes a day, not to mention several trips to the dress-up drawers, in my experience!

Continuing the quote:

"This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist; things are always hardest at the beginning, which is where Western parents tend to give up. But if done properly, the Chinese strategy produces a virtuous circle. Tenacious practice, practice, practice is crucial for excellence; rote repetition is underrated in America. Once a child starts to excel at something - whether it's math, piano, pitching, or ballet - he or she gets praise, admiration, and satisfaction. This builds confidence and makes the once not-fun activity fun. This in turn makes it easier for the parent to get the child to work even more."

Chua argues that Western parents often give up too early, and I agree with that. But from the rest of the book we see that the problems of resistance are not "always hardest" at the beginning. The book chronicles the increasing resistance of Chua's daughter Lulu to the increasingly extreme demands of her mother, until the mother is finally "humbled" and forced to give up. I think Chua would have done far better to decrease her demands earlier (once she saw the warning signs of rebellion) instead of increasing them. She might have ended up with a more desirable result, according to her own desires, had she done this. But she was unwilling to settle for anything less than the best, even when the requirements of extracting the best from her daughter meant her daughter was forced into open and outright rebellion, and that's a clear flaw in the Chinese method.

The Bible says parents are not to exasperate their children. Yes, often Western parents give up long before the point of exasperation is reached because they misunderstand or misinterpret the behavioural responses exhibited as part of their child's testing of, or searching for, appropriate boundaries. There is a middle ground, where the parent doesn't exasperate the child but also doesn't fail to bring them up properly. It's a tricky ground to find, and I'm not sure I know exactly where it falls in every situation. But applying a parenting method that you expect to push your children to the point of exasperation is wrong, without doubt.

Furthermore, this quote seems to describe Chinese-style parenting as a method which aims at fun as its end point, or at least a major benefit. I did not see that reflected in Chua's description of her ambitions for her daughters. The book describes how Chua continually pushed her daughters to play harder musical pieces and achieve better musical honours (the right to play at Carnegie hall, a position of Concertmaster, etc). However, she only rarely comments on her daughters' enjoyment of playing, and almost always in the context of providing a justification for her demanding parenting in particular cases. The daughters' joy in playing their musical instruments is never a main goal, according to Chua's own recount of her choices.

This brings me to question Chua's choice of focus in her parenting. She has chosen musical excellence as the focus of her Tiger Mother efforts. For the first-born daughter Sophia, this meant excellence in playing the piano. Of the second-born daughter Lulu, Chua required excellence in playing the violin. Numerous times throughout the book Chua makes the point that offspring of "Chinese parents" (a generalising term, which does, Chua admits, include parents of other racial backgrounds, most of whom are Asian) are very over-represented among programs for musical excellence in the young. I seriously question the worth of this choice of musical excellence as a standard to aspire to. Spelling, yes, it is important to spell correctly - that's why I'm going to accept Chua's point about pushing past the initial recalcitrance and require Joshua to knuckle under and work hard at excelling in spelling this year. Reading, yes, it is essential to be able to read fluently and enormously enjoyable to be able to read with verve and expression - that's why I plan to require Abigail to practice her reading more with me this year. Bible study, yes, this is a beneficial discipline - that's why I get up early to do it and Jeff is training the kids to do it. But I don't see why music is chosen as the arena of excellence by so many Asian parents. What is its inherent value and utility, given that "fun" is clearly not the goal? Chua admits at one point that she chose violin for Lulu because it was inherently difficult. Is that all this parenting method boils down to, requiring excellence in a manifestly difficult endeavour purely for the sake of its difficulty? Disappointingly, it appears so.

Now, I have to admit, I do think learning a musical instrument is a worthwhile endeavour. For me, however, its worth is in its utility, not in its difficulty. This year, Jeff and I have decided to encourage and challenge Anna in her playing of the recorder, as a lead in to piano lessons, because Anna aspires to be involved in music ministry with a church in the future. She loves singing and dancing and already is involved in our school's junior choir, but we can't afford private singing lessons. I'm not even sure how we'll afford piano lessons; I'm hoping she'll be able to practice on our church's piano, and we'll be able to barter for piano lessons with someone we know through church. So, given Anna's interest in music, I can see that lessons and drill and diligent practice for her are worthwhile. But for Joshua, who needs to focus his energies on learning to spell, and for Abigail, who needs to focus her efforts on learning to read fluently, neither of whom have significant interest in music playing or singing, requiring musical excellence would be a source of unnecessary conflict and exasperation, without the benefit of utility.

Chua has neglected to reflect upon this aspect of her choice of such a demanding parenting style. And in doing so, she has also failed to consider how such a demanding parenting style has influenced her own life, although she clearly chronicles her lack of enjoyment of her chosen academic studies and profession, despite her admirable success in those arenas. Given that Chua describes herself as experiencing little joy and fun in her adult life, which she entered as a direct result of her own experience being parented under the Chinese model, I wonder why she chose to inflict it upon her own children. There is no answer to this in the book, except Chua's fear that her children might succumb to a typical third-generation immigrant slide into an "average" life. Is fear a good basis for parenting choices? I don't think so.

So what is a better basis? Is it reasonable to go all Tiger Mother on even one aspect of child rearing? It has to come down to the goal that God sets for us: to do all for the glory of God. Realistically, I don't think Tiger Mothering can be done to the glory of God, because the glory of the child and the glory of the parent get in the way. However, I think those of us with very relaxed "Western" attitudes to our parenting, like - at times - myself, can learn a bit from Chua's determination and Type A personality focus.

Tenacity and diligence in overseeing the teaching of life or academic skills are good things. But the lesson Chua herself learned, that Tiger-style Extreme Mothering is not always a good thing, needs to be kept in mind.

Equip Academy 2012

Our youngest child Samuel started "away" school last week, registered as a Pre-Primary student.For those who don't live in WA, that means his education is not legally mandated (although PP will become compulsory from 2013, I understand) but the schools run a full-time (5 days a week) program, rather than a part-time program as for Kindergarten. So Equip Academy - as a homeschool - does not exist any more. We decided several years ago to begin enrolling our children in a carefully chosen "away" school, and after moving Joshua from our first choice Christian school to a smaller, nearer - and better - one after his first term, we enrolled Anna and Abigail from the last term of Pre-Primary, to give them a taste of school before it became compulsory for them. Since Samuel was born at a time of the year that means he would be at home for 6+ months longer than his siblings, we decided to enrol him from the beginning of PP, rather than the end. All of these decisions took time and prayer. Some of them I have written about on this blog, but others have happened at a time when I wasn't blogging much.

So what will happen to Equip Academy in 2012, since there is no longer any Equip Academy Homeschool? Well, I'm going to keep this blog because Equip Academy, as a concept, is still well and truly up and running. It's just changed what it looks like. Now, Equip Academy involves away-school, after-schooling, and added-to-schooling (aka "extracurricula activities") for the kids:

Jeff has been reading the Bible with the kids each morning, using Amy's Lenten devotional (yes, we got a few week's early start).

I am about to embark on remedial spelling work (using LEM Phonics materials) each weekday with Joshua. That is in addition to the homework for all four kids, which I am committed to supervising more diligently and closely this year than last.

Anna is practising the recorder under my supervision each weekday morning as I eat breakfast, working towards a promised reward of piano lessons if she can keep recorder practice up for an entire year.

Both Anna and Abigail have been studying Italian in free after-school classes since they started school, and they'll continue in 2012.

Samuel is going to join his siblings at Brigades this year.

We've been reading to the kids after dinner most nights. This year to our regular novel reading (currently The Borrowers Afield) Jeff is adding some World History reading. Once a week he'll read from The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer, while I'm off studying Church History.

And this morning we went to our first family karate class in over three years. We've chosen to take up karate lessons - for the second time - because it's a sport for the whole family that requires discipline and rewards improvement. (Jeff and I would both love to take up archery as well, but for now that is just a dream.)

In addition, the Equip Academy blog has also always been about me and "how God has been equipping me for the life He has planned for me". Nowadays, that also looks different. I have attended BSF, an international, inter-denominational Bible Study that is run in over 1000 classes in 38 nations on six continents, for the last 7 years, but now I am taking a break from that. So I'm reading my Bible alone daily, following my own plan for reading, which is a learning experience of its own since I have studied with the BSF questions for so long. While Jeff was studying full-time at Trinity, I was studying the Certificate III in Christian Studies via their Trinity@night courses. Now, it's my turn to study for my Graduate Diploma of Divinity, and I'm doing that part-time, studying 2 subjects this semester. My lectures in Church History and Old Testament begin this week.

I have also planned a "12 books in 2012" reading program to take me through some of the practical theology, godliness and autobiography books I've had on my shelves waiting to be read for years, reading at least one book a month. Here's the list:

January:
The Trellis and the Vine by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne.
(also The Story of Christianity Volume 1 by Justo L Gonzalez, pre-reading for Church History, and the whole Old Testament of the Bible, pre-reading for Old Testament).
February: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua.
On Becoming Childwise and On Becoming Preteenwise by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam.
March: Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas, which I began reading last year with my friend Shelley, but never finished.
April: Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney.
May: Gunning for God: Why the New Athiests are missing the target
 and God and Stephen Hawking: Whose design is it anyway? by John C Lennox, whom I heard at the Oxygen11 conference and was deeply impressed by.
June: The Shaping of a Christian Family: How my parents nurtured my faith by Elisabeth Elliot.
(June/July: The Story of Christianity Volume 2 by Justo C Gonzalez, pre-reading for second semester.)
July: Desiring God by John Piper - a Christian classic, I read the first few chapters of this at the time of the Oxygen11 conference, and I'm eager to read the rest. It was on my To Read list for last year, so I really hope I get through it this time!
August: Leading Women to the Heart of God edited by Lysa TerKeurst. I bought this in Singapore six years ago and read it then. With my possibilities horizon opening up now that all four kids are in school, I think it is a good time to re-read this practical book.
September: A Call to Spiritual Reformation by Don Carson, which I began several years ago and deeply appreciated, even though I only read half. This time I am looking forward to reading the whole book!
October: "Don't Make Me Count to Three!" by Ginger Plowman.
November: God is the Gospel by John Piper and Helping Children Understand the Gospel by Sally Michael, Jill Nelson and Bud Burk, from Children Desiring God ministries.
December: The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards.

I'll be reading one more book in December as well: Shopping for Time by Carolyn Mahaney, Nicole Whitacre, Kristin Chesemore and Janelle Bradshaw. I read this book in December 2011, because it's a great December book. It gives practical suggestions for evaluating the way you use your time, and how to make better use of it. I have to admit that the first time I read this book, I didn't apply much of what I read. That was several years ago. The second time I read it, I was determined to put into practice what I read, and it helped me to formulate my New Year's Resolutions for 2012. One month into 2012, and I'm actually keeping up with them so far. It did help that I put them into my iPhone Notes App, rather than publicising them on this blog, so I can re-read and be reminded of them frequently. Downloading and using the Due App helps heaps as well (Hat Tip: Amy). The biggest differences have been getting up consistently at 6am and beginning my day with reading the Bible instead of leaving it till later. I've also begun exercising 6 days a week with Jillian Michaels' Biggest Winner DVDs before breakfast. And kept up with the laundry for a family of six. There's no way I could have have consistently done all that without reading Shopping for Time first!

So that's what 2012 looks like for Equip Academy. God willing, I'll share some of it with you as I go, starting with that book review of The Trellis and the Vine...

“Love Australia or Leave”?

The letters to the editor have been filled, for the last week, with responses to the bumper sticker phrase, "Australia: Love it or Leave". That's a false dichotomy! I'd like to offer a third option, since as an Australian-born citizen of this country, the 8th generation descendant of Cornish immigrants, I can’t just leave. I am stuck here, with nowhere else to go.

But I don’t love the drunken violence that plagues our nightspots. So I never drink more than two glasses of alcohol at a time, and I don’t drink alcohol in public venues at all.

I don’t love the hoons who laid blackies on my street corner the other day, and I don’t love road rage. So I have begun leaving home earlier than I need, so I can drive in a calm manner that doesn’t inspire such rage.

I don’t love the way our society seems determined to communicate primarily through the internet. So I try to restrict my facebooking, emails and Skype calls to those people who live away from Perth and I ring my friends regularly and organise to meet with them face-to-face for a good ol’ fashioned chat.

I don’t love the way so many children seem to be growing up here without any sense of belonging or purpose, or even a basic knowledge of right and wrong. So I work for my church’s children’s ministry. I teach the kids that God is our Boss and we need to obey him, but Jesus died for us so our choices to disobey God can be forgiven – and God has given us two basic instructions to obey: love God, and love other people, our “neighbours”.

I also don’t love the way many couples choose careers and big home loans over time with their spouse and children. So my husband and I have chosen for me to be a stay-at-home mum since the birth of our first child, and I only began working outside our home part-time once our youngest child turned four. We’ve also decided to be content as renters, rather than buyers, so we aren’t forced into high-paying, long-hour careers.

I don’t love the way so many “boatloads” of potential refugees seem to be almost "invading" Australia, rather than immigrating here in an orderly fashion. I don’t love the thought that they might bring with them the very culture of hate they are fleeing. But I also don’t love the way these same “boatloads” of people (not export cattle as that description would seem to suggest) are locked up indefinitely in what amounts to a prison. So our family supports four sponsor children overseas, living in countries and conditions many would love to flee. And I’m trying to teach my own kids not merely basic commonsense politeness and kindness, but also compassion, generosity and mercy.

I do love my Sudanese refugee friends. I love their children, some born in Ugandan refugee camps and others born here, after the couple lived on separate continents for three years, when the wife’s refugee application was approved but the husband’s was not. So I show this love by taking them a box of fruit and veg each week, making their life here a little bit easier and helping them to get their “fair go”. And we’ve given money so the husband can bravely fly back to the new country of Southern Sudan to encourage and train native Sudanese pastors and evangelists, in the hope that the Christian message of forgiveness will make a difference in a country still riven by unforgivenness and torn by retribution killings.

I don’t like the new carbon tax, high petrol prices, or my escalating electricity bill. I also don’t like the thought that my over-use of the earth’s resources might make this earth inhabitable for future generations. So I’m learning to switch my appliances off at the wall when I’m not using them. I recycle so much my yellow-lid bin overflows. I fill my tank when fuelwatch says it’s a cheap day, and I walk where I can. We only water the lawn on our dedicated watering days.

I don’t like the epidemic of obesity I see all around me. So I’ve asked my doctor’s advice for ways I can lose weight and I’m following his suggestions. I’m eating smaller meals and exercising to a Jillian Michaels DVD six times a week. I’m trying to feed my kids junk food less often, as well.

I don’t like the way kids are growing up glued to screens, rather than playing outside or reading good books. So we limit screen time, even in the holidays, despite the whinging. We borrow audio books from the library, read aloud to our kids after dinner, and have taught our kids to read and to borrow their own library books. We have bought bikes, scooters, balls and water guns for our kids to play with. We’ve gratefully received gifts of a swing set and a trampoline, and my husband has built a tree-house. We're re-joining our local karate club and going to karate classes as a family. We wrote a letter to the local council thanking them when they put in a footpath so our kids could safely scoot or ride to the nearby playground without going on the road.

I don’t love racism. I do love my country, Australia. On Australia Day, I had morning tea with my friends, one born an Aussie, the other a naturalised citizen born in Zambia. I made plans to read the Bible with my Thai immigrant friend, who doesn’t yet speak English well enough to get a good job, but is working hard to bring up her son well as a single mum. I shared dinner with my neighbour from down the street, an Iranian woman who immigrated here this year and is looking for work as an engineer, and with an Australian who has spent much of the last decade living overseas as a missionary. And I smiled as my four kids, who with their looks could easily be poster children for a White Australia, ran in the rain under the glow of fireworks and lightning.

The truth is, I don’t always love Australia the way it is. But rather than leave, I’ve chosen to make Australia better. Even if I can only affect my own family and my own neighbourhood, my efforts will be worthwhile.

Holidays with Audiobooks

These holidays, as with previous holidays spent at home, our days have been ordered around two activities: swimming lessons in the morning and Individual Quiet Time aka Audiobook Hour after lunch.

We spent an hour a day for four weeks in the local pool and Sam passed Level 1 and Anna passed Level 4 and Level 5. Abigail practised Level 3 and Joshua struggled with floating and perfect form in Level 4. The physical exercise has been great for the kids.

Meanwhile, the quiet provided by an hour of kids in separate rooms reading their own books, or together in the lounge listening to an audiobook, has been great for me! Having something interesting to listen to has helped us all cope when 30+ and even 40+ temperatures have kept us cooped up inside for all but the very early and very late hours of our days.

(Jeff has also finished - after the better part of 2011 - reading aloud the Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkein, and I've begun reading the Borrowers sextuplet. Our after dinner read alouds sometimes get missed in the business of term time, but we really get into them during holidays.)

This summer, we have enjoyed the following audiobooks, for most of which we are very thankful to our local public library:

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
The BFG by ditto
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by ditto
Charlie and the Great Glass elevator by ditto

Clarice Bean Spells Trouble by Lauren Child

Cry of the Cat by Emily Rhodda

Anne of Avonlea by LM Montgomery

We're finishing the holidays with The Incredible Journey by Shiela Burnford. It has indeed been an incredible literary journey.

Playing Church

Abigail invited her siblings to join her and the dolls and teddies for church this morning:Abigail chose to start with a prayer and then two songs, "No More Tears" (from A Very, Very, Very Big God) and "Away in a Manger". Anna read the Bible reading. Joshua served Holy Communion with bread and grape juice, after I had led a discussion of what the elements remind us of. Anna preached and Joshua taught the memory verse. Abigail led two more songs, "If You're Happy and You Know It (Praise the Lord!)" and "Praise Ye the Lord, Hallelujah!". All had a good time being "church" together!