JourneyForth

Sustaining Grace

May 26, 2015 by Cosette

In my determination to sort out and simplify my life, I decided to have a yard sale. While excavating through my mounds of boxed treasures, I found a plaque that had been a gift from a woman whom my children lovingly call “Grandma Mary.” The words once again challenged my heart.

The will of God will never lead you
where the grace of God cannot keep you.

I have desired to walk in God’s will since I was a little girl. Being saved at a very early age, I grew up wanting to know and obey God’s will for my life. But there have been times that in spite of my confidence that I was in His will, I felt the burdens seemingly overwhelm me. During a particularly difficult time, I was unable to define God’s grace. Yet this grace of God was what I heard would carry me through whatever I faced. I began a study—a searching—to understand what the sustaining grace of God really meant. I found many—sixty-three definitions—all of which described this commonly used biblical term. But my inquiring heart was settled when I put the various definitions into a nutshell: God’s grace is His enabling power that is given to me, His undeserving child.

Now as I read the words on this forgotten little plaque, the meaning is deeper. I realize that He’s proven it again and again in my life. I may not think He’s keeping me in the midst of the trial, but never has He forsaken me, never allowed me to be crushed by the burden He has permitted. He is there moment by moment—guiding me. Keeping me. Sustaining me. In spite of my resistance and fear. The words on this plaque are unchanged as they hang on the wall of my office. But the meaning is clearer to me now than ever before.

The will of God will never lead me
where the . . . [power] of God cannot keep me.

[Excerpt adapted from A Life Exalted by June Kimmel (Lesson 8, pp. 62–63). A free study guide can be downloaded from bjupress.com.]

Psalm 25: What Am I to Do?

May 14, 2015 by Cosette

Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.—Psalm 25:5

In this lesson we are glad to dig deeper into yet another inspiring psalm from David’s pen. It apparently was written on the occasion of serious, but unrevealed, trouble in his life. Like many of us, David had plenty of troubles to deal with, and believers of all centuries are grateful that the Holy Spirit directed him to record his thoughts and burdens. Psalm 25 presents to us truths that will help us handle our own times of sorrows and distress biblically.

When writing Psalm 8, David’s pen flowed with only praise to his mighty God. No prayer requests or cries for help were expressed. Not so in Psalm 25, where over fifteen requests are recorded. We will especially notice his numerous cries for heavenly guidance: “Show me.” “Teach me.” “Lead me.” Through these words David is saying, “What am I to do, Lord?” Thankfully the answer to this question is woven throughout Psalm 25. He was to pray, he was to fear the Lord, and he was to trust God. Good counsel not only for David, but also for all who love David’s God!

I Am to Pray (Psalm 25:1–7)

I Am to Fear the Lord (Psalm 25:8–14) In this portion of Psalm 25, we have David’s meditation on the character and work of his God.

I Am to Trust (Psalm 25:15–22) So far in this great psalm, David has been talking to God (25:1–7) and talking about God (25:8–14). In the final verses, he wrote about keeping his eyes on God (25:15) even when surrounded by great troubles and distresses. Our hearts are touched as we read his closing prayer requests. In spite of his serious trials, he firmly declared that he was trusting in God for help and deliverance.

[Excerpt adapted from Selah: Studying God’s Songbook by Betty Henderson (Lesson 5, pp. 34–40). The book is an interactive Bible study with several questions for the reader to answer regarding the three points above.]

Ready, Set, Read! (Part 3)

June 12, 2014 by Megan

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been sharing portions of an interview with Nancy Lohr, author and acquisitions editor for JourneyForth. In the first part of the interview, Nancy explained how the BJU Press Summer Reading Program works and gave a few tips on how to encourage reluctant readers. During the second part, she discussed how children with special needs can participate in the program. Nancy also shared some suggestions for choosing reading materials for children. Below is the final part of our interview.

Do you have any suggestions for dealing with objectionable content in children’s literature?

It is no secret that there are plenty of books published for children and teens that do not have a biblical worldview in either the philosophical foundation of the story or in the language and actions of the characters. So what are parents to do? One approach is to pre-read all of the books children read with the goal of presenting material that has no “warts,” but that can consume so much time that children will be waiting for you.

Another approach is to choose books carefully but be prepared to discuss the content when your children encounter something in print that doesn’t square with Scripture and the direction of your home. Children in my library loved to recognize statements in books about dinosaurs that didn’t square with the creation account in Genesis 1. Depending on the age and skill of your reader, you might want to purposely read a book from a different perspective to open discussions. Armed with a trustworthy anthology, search for books from authors and publishers that are a good fit for your family. Read the annotations and discuss with your child what kinds of concerns he or she might find in a given book, and then ask your child to share a sentence or paragraph with you that matches your concern. Make these talking points, and . . . well, talk.

Help your child build discernment as he or she reads. This is a perfect time to develop the concept of our being in the world, but not of the world. Show how to go to Scripture to determine a biblical response. And give your child permission to stop reading if the content is not suitable, and then move on to another, better book.

How can parents provide incentives along the way during the BJU Press Summer Reading Program?

Additional encouragement through the eight-week program may be helpful if it is suited to the individual children. Perhaps your avid readers would like to shoot for a specific number during their reading time, like a large number of minutes or pages or books. These readers might like to read from a variety of categories that include their comfort zones, but stretch them into types of books they haven’t read yet.

Maybe the whole family can go to a favorite place outdoors and enjoy a “book-nic.” Take a blanket, pack a picnic basket meal, and carry along a book for everyone.

If your children like stickers or trinkets or snacks, consider awarding these at milestones during the program.

Incentives can help keep your children motivated during the program, but the best outcome any of us could hope for is that the children begin to be motivated by reading itself with no additional motivation needed. You are there when you hear, “Please, Mom, just one more chapter?”

How can parents model good reading habits for their children?

Join your children during their reading time to read material that interests you, and if what you are reading makes you laugh out loud, I can almost guarantee that you will hear, “What? What’s so funny?” Be in the habit of sharing with them from your own reading. “Hey, listen to this” ought to be a common phrase in your home. Model for them what you are asking of them.

Do you have a reading-related question that we haven’t covered? Let us know in a comment, and we’ll do our best to answer.

Ready, Set, Read! (Part 2)

May 12, 2014 by Megan

We hope you’ve signed up your child(ren) to be a part of the BJU Press Summer Reading Program. If you haven’t, there’s still time! Registration is open until June 17.
A few weeks ago we shared part one of our interview with JourneyForth acquisitions editor Nancy Lohr. Nancy shared with us some great information about the BJU Press Summer Reading Program and gave us some tips for encouraging reluctant readers to read this summer. Below are some more great nuggets from our conversation.

What would you say to parents of special needs children who want to participate?

I would shout, “Hurrah for you!” The fact that your child cannot lift words from the page without some help doesn’t mean his or her literary taste buds won’t enjoy the story just as much as other children. Customize this reading program to maximize its effectiveness for your child. You may need to break the reading sessions into smaller segments, or “read” audio books while following along in the print book. You can do the same kind of seeing/hearing with eBooks by using the text-to-speech function of eReaders along with the on-screen text. Some books are available in DVD format so you can watch with the closed captions turned on. The Mice of the Herring Bone DVD from ShowForth is an example of this type of book. If you have other ways that you make reading accessible to your special needs child, we’d love for you share your approach with us on the JourneyForth Facebook page.

What’s the most important thing for parents to remember when choosing reading materials for their children?

Summer reading qualifies as leisure reading, so engage your children in the selection process to find topics of interest. Let your children read the materials that they didn’t have time for during the school year. Children learn how to read in school; they learn to love reading when they are immersed in topics or stories that they enjoy.

Don’t be overly concerned about whether the material is “hard enough.” Certainly you don’t want to let a capable reader slide by and gain little, but experts agree that regular reading in materials of the child’s choice is one of the best ways to strengthen reading skills as well as to develop a love for the written word. And the children who learn to love reading are the ones who will be reading long after the last school assignment is complete.

As a librarian, I often saw children who used their summer reading time to read all of the Hardy Boys^®series—in numerical order—or some challenge of that nature. Those children did a heap of reading during the summer and had fun in the process. That’s huge motivation regardless of their skills. Reading is an accrued skill that develops as children read regularly.

What are some reading challenges that your child faces? Let us know in a comment.

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Ready, Set, Read!

April 25, 2014 by Megan

The BJU Press Summer Reading Program has begun! In celebration of its launch, we spoke with Nancy Lohr, acquisitions editor for JourneyForth, about the Summer Reading Program and topics related to reading. Nancy, an avid reader herself, has also worked as a classroom teacher and a children’s librarian in the past. Below is a portion of the interview.

What is your goal for the Summer Reading Program, or what would you say is its purpose?

The BJU Press Summer Reading Program is designed to give parents a manageable and effective way to keep their children reading through the summer months. Research shows that children can lose ground educationally during the summer months, and parents can minimize or eliminate this loss by establishing a pattern of leisure reading at home. Reading contests and programs can be notoriously difficult for the parent or teacher to execute, so we’ve designed our program to promote regular reading for children—we’re asking for reading five days a week for eight weeks during your summer—with a minimum of paperwork for Mom and Dad and taking into consideration the varying skills and interests of the children who participate. This gives families time for vacations, summer camp, and family activities while still making reading a priority, which in turn advances reading skills and fosters a love of reading.

Do you have some suggestions or encouragement for parents of reluctant readers?

If you as parents know why your child is reluctant, then you have some idea of where you need to focus your efforts.

Maybe you need to start the summer with an engaging read-aloud for your family. This could be the fanciful My Father’s Dragon or the poignant Stone Fox or . . . you get the idea.

Help your child select books appropriate to his or her skills. Scour an anthology or your library’s catalog to find something that is engaging to your child and suitable for your family, or talk with your local children’s librarian for ideas. Get recommendations from the readers in your world. Try cooperative reading with your child, taking turns with paragraphs or pages or with each of you reading the words of specific characters. Or one of you signal the other when you are ready to handoff to the other reader. Some children like to reread books; that’s just fine. Who doesn’t like to spend an afternoon with an old friend? Reading skills are strengthened even in rereading. Consider why that book is your child’s friend, and then look for books that are similar in some way.

If your child has adequate reading skills but doesn’t like to read, then it may be that he or she just hasn’t found a home-run book yet. Reading fiction may not be your child’s cup of tea, so look for nonfiction that will answer questions or deliver information. It may be that a book about combustion engines or the Smithsonian Magazine can satisfy your child’s need to know. Use the summer to find the kind of reading material that scratches the reading itch for your youngster.

Do you have a reluctant reader in your home or classroom? What have you done to motivate that child?

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