"Pleasing God" by R.C. Sproul

 

 My childhood attempt at pleasing God: My father spent the first twelve years of his life as a Holdeman Mennonite, who are strict in all aspects of day-to-day life - from attire to how they are to interact with the world. The times my husband had any encounter with them (to purchase food), the women were not to be in the same room as him (he was worldly). Every minute detail is controlled because they genuinely worked hard to live apart from the world, believing this pleases God. When my grandparents left the church, they were shunned from the community and the family. We did attend family reunions, but my only memory of these experiences was sitting at separate tables to eat and receiving a scolding because I introduced a child to Winnie the Pooh. (It was too worldly.) Though my father left this church with his parents as a young boy, there were still components of it that he dragged with him. 

I grew up unable to paint my nails, pierce my ears, wear makeup, etc. My behavior and my attire was closely controlled. All of this was done under the guise of "pleasing God".  I could have so much to say about this topic, but I will say that I spent forty years floundering with the concept of what it means to please God. I spent so much of my life living in fear of failing. If I failed, then obviously God was not pleased. If He was not pleased, then obviously I was hell-bound. So each night I prayed for forgiveness, but each day was wrought with failure. 

I lived in fear of Christ's return. 

I did not open my Bible to read it on my own. I did not have the experience of either of my parents teaching me Scripture at home or reading it with me. I had basic Bible skills (where to find books, etc.) and I grew up hearing Bible stories such as Noah and the Ark where I was taught that Noah was the hero of the story. It was a very man-centered view, definitely not God-centered. 

I hated it. 

Fast forward to where this began to change for me. My husband and I attended a church where the pastor preached word-for-word, book-by-book from Scripture. My first experience in expository teaching was with the book Romans. I hungrily ate it up. When my pastor discovered that I still had a child's Bible, he bought me one. Then I began meeting with his wife. That was an eight-year discipleship relationship that impacted me more than I can relate here. It was at the beginning of our time together that I read through my Bible for the first time at twenty-eight years old. Where I read for the first time that God shut the door to the ark, God brought the flood, God acted in mercy by saving Noah (even though he was not perfect - gasp - he got drunk!). God was the protagonist of that story. God is sovereign. He is faithful and perfectly upholds His promises despite human failures. 

A foundation built upon the character and nature of my Maker, according to His Word, was slowly being built up. 

That was the beginning of my understanding of how to truly please God. 

The more I read His word, the more God works in my life to reveal Himself and draw me near. The Bible is my primary source.

But every once in a while, He will use fellow believers to reveal the cobwebs of my thinking and help me clean them up. 

He used Sproul's book to help me put words as to why my sheltered childhood was not one I want to impose upon my own children! How to battle the world is of extreme importance. 

He used Sproul's book to help me differentiate between Biblical guilt and guilt feelings. I grew up in a fear-based home where guilt was often used to control behavior. Sproul's chapter on Fear and Guilt was transformative!

He used Sproul's book to reignite a fire in my heart in regards to the work He's called me to do every day. Afterall, God is a God who works, and He gave me work to do! And that work will change over time depending on my circumstances, but I am dependent upon an unchanging God who has given me a few minas. I fully intend to make a few minas more, no matter where He puts me.

He used Sproul's book to reignite a wholehearted pursuit of a deeper knowledge of God. 

"We need sound doctrine. The Spirit of holiness is also the Spirit of truth. Truth and righteousness go together. True living flows out of true thinking. Our lives can change externally without changing internally. All that achieves is to qualify us to be Pharisees. The Spirit goes to the root of the matter. It is good trees that produce good fruit. It is the transformed mind that yields a transformed life. How we think about God is the most vital influence to how we respond to God. ... 

Sound doctrine is a necessary condition for sanctification. It is a vital prerequisite. It is like oxygen and fire. The mere presence of oxygen does not guarantee a fire, but you can't have fire without it." p.216-217

He used Sproul's book to reinspire a more active participation in my sanctification. The past few years have been too busy. I was more like Martha serving than Mary, who loved to sit at the feet of Jesus soaking up His teaching.

"To be sanctified involves work. (Sproul quoted Philippians 2:12-13) Sanctification is cooperative. There are two partners involved in the work. I must work and God will work."

Gah! I loved that last line so much. God will work! 

He definitely used this book to work in my heart and mind. I imagine He'd use it to accomplish work in you too!

"The Mythmakers: the Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien"

Learn from my mistakes.

Mistake #1

This was a hard book to get into initially. Perhaps it was because I read it on my tiny iPhone Kindle app. I do not recommend reading it this way because the graphics are amazingly detailed. I know I missed so much! After completing it, I definitely want a copy for my personal bookshelf that I fully intend to reread. I always believe a physical copy is best, but I didn't have one readily available! Libby to the rescue! I'm thankful for my local library and the ability to check books out for free from the ease of my couch at home, but I don't think it would've taken as much time to get into it if I had an actual page-turner in my hands. 

Mistake #2

I thought it was clever that a lion and a wizard narrated this story. At first, the lion drove me crazy. I was expecting a wizard like Gandalf and a lion like Aslan. The wizard is a little like Gandalf, but the lion is nothing at all like Aslan. That's what I get for going into any work with expectations or preferences.

Worldview Notes

It definitely has religious elements. How could it not when diving into the history of a Catholic and an atheist who became a believer? Tolkien and Lewis' writing was deeply affected by their faith. Still, I was surprised by what I learned about Lewis and "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" and most Christians' assumptions about it as an analogy. (I won't spoil that for you, read the book!) You'll learn how a conversation with Tolkien was Lewis's lightbulb moment when he embraced the existence of God. You'll learn how these two were not perfect in any sense of the word and how sin affected their friendship. And that's just the beginning of everything you'll learn. Don't be surprised by talk of myths and Norse literature; that's part of their journey. It would be wise to listen and learn.

If you want to read more about this topic in particular, I encourage you to go to his website and scroll down to the following questions:

https://www.johnhendrix.com/about

• Tell us about your graphic novel: The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien.
• Why are mythic narratives still essential to understand our own stories? The title even mentions the concept of a “myth-maker,” what does that mean?
• How do you think about writing religious material? 

Would I recommend it?

Absolutely! It's a fun, interesting presentation of history - the history of a friendship and genres. I learned so much about Lewis and Tolkien and I learned so much about genres. So much that I finally found a graphic organizer for my genre study that I do with junior high students! It covers so much that it checks off the graphic novel for which I've been searching high and low, but Hendrix is clever in how he tells the history of genres. 

If you're into Tolkien and Lewis' work, this is most definitely worth reading!

If you're a literature nerd or ELA teacher, read this book!

The Purpose of this Blog

This blog has existed since 2012. Originally, I shared the happenings of our life as BecKyle. Entering my 40's changed what I want to share, what I want to focus on, and why. 

My Background

My speciality is in reading. I spent five years teaching in a Title 1 school as a JH reading teacher and a HS remedial reading teacher. Since there was not a curriculum, I wrote one while completing my Master's of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, specializing in reading. From 2012 to 2020, I worked as a one-on-one reading and writing tutor. In the middle of that time period, I also worked in our local library while pursuing my Reading Specialist degree. From 2020-2025, I was the reading and writing teacher at a private Christian school. Any occupation, book, conference, etc. that centered around books and reading was one I eagerly pursued. My career choice revolved around what I enjoy! Books! I enjoy books. I enjoy reading books, crafting with books, decorating with books.... all things books. 2025 brought a lot of changes to our lives, but the love of reading and writing has remained.

What does my background have to do with this blog? 

I want to focus on the books I read - how they relate to my life, my perspective on them, the units I write that pertain to reading and writing, anything books, books, books.

I believe reading is a vital and fundamental part of growth, intelligence, imagination, and even joy. It is brain exercise. It develops critical thinking and problem-solving skills. It encourages, improves memory, helps, teaches, improves academic success, inspires, and so on and so on. (The list of benefits could be endless.) So I want to share how reading does all of these things for me, thus (hopefully) encouraging and inspiring you as well.

Tuesday's Top Ten [Top Books of 2018]

I was quite a few books shy of my reading goal this year. Despite that disappointment, I can't say that overall the books I did read were disappointing! Minus a few here and there, I enjoyed them all. (Visit my Goodreads Year in Books to see more of what I read.) In the mean time, here are my top ten reads of 2018... (in no particular order)

1. Footprints of a Pilgrim by Ruth Bell Graham is a book of poetry by Ruth that her daughter encouraged her to publish and a few stories interspersed throughout of Ruth and her life with friends, children, and as a wife. Read it! You'll be inspired, convicted, and encouraged. You'll laugh, cry, and oooo and awww.

2. Katharina and Martin Luther by Michelle DeRusha is like reading a very interesting text book. It is so packed full of information, but it is so good. I appreciated DeRusha's efforts to remain as factual as possible, while giving a new understanding and perspective of this famous couple in history. It was one I checked out from my local library and one I want to make part of my personal library.

3. Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot is a must read for every Christian. This story is powerful and will change the way you think about evangelism, life, and death. To see my entire review, go here.

4. The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul blew.my.mind. I believe that if you call yourself a Christian, you have to understand who God is according to what HE said about Himself. Sproul was a master theologian who studied this well and I am so incredibly thankful he took the time to write about what he learned about the holiness of God - the central aspect of God's character. I am eternally changed as a result. Sproul once said that the number one problem people face is that they have no idea who God is according to His word therefore they have no idea who God created them to be. This book helps establish a foundational and mind blowing understanding of who God is, helping you understand who you are because of your Creator! Read.it.

5. J.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring is a book that we read as we travel. Since we grocery shop once a month in a city forty-five minutes away, this was one we savored slowly. Since Tolkien is a literary and linguistic expert, it is impressive. More than that, Tolkien is a master story teller and I thoroughly enjoyed reading and discussing it alongside my hubby.

6. What Really Matters for Struggling Readers by Richard Allington is a must read for every teacher in any subject, in any grade level. Reading is a foundational subject where many students struggle, causing issues for education for the rest of their learning lives. We cannot make life long learners without first teaching students how to read well. This book is incredibly helpful for teachers as we sift through the plethora of curriculum available, the so called research that goes along with this curriculum, and the researched strategies that are proven to work. I highly, highly recommend adding it to your professional library.

7. Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix by J.K. Rowling was the first book in the Harry Potter Series that I actually enjoyed from beginning to end. I seriously dragged through the first books, trusting a few of my literary expert friends that they were worth reading over and over and over again. It wasn't until reading this book that I began to understand that statement. (Also, I know, I know, don't judge. I'm 34 and reading them for the first time! Haha! Better late than never can apply to books too.) With that out of the way, I will admit that the next two were equally as enjoyable...

8. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

10. The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict was actually an infuriating book if what Benedict researched and wrote had an ounce of truth. While it's historical fiction, I imagine that there is some truth to the life of Mitza - Albert's wife. Einstein may have been a brilliant scientist, but his marriage failed. Why didn't he work as hard on that relationship as he did in his learning science? He may have been a genius there, but it's obviously lacking in other areas and this book brought that to light by revealing the spider webs in the darkest corners of the Einstein home. Every home has its secrets, but my goodness, my respect for Albert dropped significantly if he did what was claimed. If you want to be anything like Albert, do not mimic his "husbandry".

Tuesday's Top Ten [Fun Writing Tools]

If you read my last post about change, you'll get a glimpse into my thoughts as of late. It's been a long time since a top ten popped into my brain. Usually I have a growing list, however, my mind has been occupied with many other things. I'm not surprised by today's list because it has to do with my 1st graders school and the successes we've had just by implementing different tools for the betterment of her writing. Writing helps with memory, plus it is important to establish the reciprocal relationship between reading and writing at an early age. Anything to make the learning process more enjoyable for my student, makes the teaching process more enjoyable for the teacher. I love how her desire for writing her spelling words, or practicing her handwriting, or learning how to write a basic sentence increases with these simple tools and then varying them up...

1. A personal white board, 

2. chalkboard, 

3. and/or a magnetic write and wipe board. Giving your student something new and different to write on works wonders, plus saves a tree (which teachers are notorious for killing many in one day).

4. Invisible Ink Pens (with a uv light). The moment Brielle received these was the moment she wanted to begin writing her spelling words! Win, win. 

5. This roll-a-dice, Write-the-Word game where two dice are rolled and the result of the two numbers is what box the student is to follow. For example, if the sum is 9, then the student is to write the word with rainbow letters.

6. Window Markers. We have these crystallizing markers that Brielle really likes. I'll admit that the effect is pretty neat to watch. It was a gift from my mother for the win!

7. Stamps. We have a plethora of letter stamps that Brielle enjoys stamping and then coloring.

8. Window Steam. This one only works if it's cold outside, and then you may already have a steamy window, but to do this, just breath on a cold window and then write the word in the steam. For some reason this is super fun.

9. Write words in sand, salt, shaving cream or whatever item they could easily use their finger to write out their word, smooth out, and do another, and another, and another...

10, 11, 12, +.  A "Say It, Write It, Make It" Mat (like this one). You can make the word using blocks, LEGO's, play doh, beans, sticks, Twizzler pull candy, &etc. your options here are limitless because you do not necessarily need the mat to have a variety of items with which to make a word.

This list is great for teachers, home school parents, or homework practice! However you use it, I hope the variety of fun options helps your student to enjoy the process of practicing.

Tuesday's Top Ten [Favorite Childhood Books]

Some of my favorite childhood games revolved around the book and movie I read and watched as a child. There are many examples beginning with the fact that I used to dress up as Mother Goose (even making my own glasses to sit at the tip of my nose) so I could fly around reading stories to children.

The photo evidence.

My siblings and I grew up playing like our Barbies were Borrowers, or that we had a Secret Garden, and we thoroughly enjoyed dressing as the ladies in Little Women or Little House on the Prairie (that game we titled, "Old Timey"). If I wanted to play alone I pretended like I was the little orphan Mandy who found an abandoned cottage to make my own.

Books have a significant influence in the life and imagination of children. If my life isn't example enough look to my own children! Briella Bean, for example, chose to dress up as Stellaluna for Halloween because of her all-time favorite story. One librarian happened across a stuffed Stellaluna bat at some library convention and she couldn't pass it up. If any of her toys could be "real" like the Velveteen Rabbit, it would be her beloved Stellaluna - who is missing half an ear and has some stuffing falling out (which reminds me I need to do some repairs).

I swear that the only reason my Ele-monster was even remotely interested in potty training was because her favorite book was "Bye-Bye Diapers" with Miss Piggy as the main character. Each due-date stamp has been because we checked it out - over and over and over again. When the library hosted a "dress as your favorite book character day" my children did not hesitate in deciding what their costume would be...

I am so excited that my children's memorable moments in life revolve around books - or at least that's what I hope. I may not be able to afford a trip to Alaska for an adventure of a lifetime, but I can provide opportunities to create memories and go on adventures centered around books and the places those stories take us. Growing up, my fondest memories are because of books. My family couldn't afford to take vacations either, but we did go on adventures. I went to many, many places and participated in crazy, fun adventures - all because of these books - which I cannot wait to read with my girls...

1. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingall's Wilder is an all time favorite. We read all the books and watched every Little House on the Prairie episode - I could easily do this again! I have the books my mother read to us, can you tell they are well loved?

2. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is another favorite - not just because the book is wonderful but the movie is also worth watching over and over again (which we did quite often growing up). Did anyone else cry over Beth?

3. Polyanna by Eleanor H. Porter whose influence changes the way an entire town views life!

4. The Borrower's by Mary Norton was one my siblings and I used time and time again as the plot to our playtime. The Barbies became borrowers and when things disappeared it was always blamed on those little people!

5. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery was easy to fall in love with - Ann(with an e) was smart, witty, dream-filled, daring, dramatic, wonderful - a bosom friend character. (Also, who wouldn't love Gilbert Blithe?!) By the way, I was always amazed (and still am) at how well the movies follow the book! Definitely a favorite.

6. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls - I still remember my mother sobbing at the end of the story - book and movie!

7. Mandy by Julie Edwards is well worn (which = well loved). This story is all about a little orphan girl who climbs over the wall and finds an abandoned cottage that she makes her own. There were many times I pretended I found my own little cottage to call home.

8. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett inspired many secret garden quests. I loved the movie more than the book - it was eerie and wonderful. As an adult, however, I was quite disappointed rereading this story, but the idea behind a secret garden is one I do not want to keep from my children.

9. The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks - how often I wished that I could make a toy real with my own magical cupboard!

10. Heidi by Johanna Spyri was another I fell in love with as a child. Little Heidi and her adventures around the mountains, her energy and love for others, captured my imagination in so many ways.

I had so much fun pulling these books off the shelf. They conjured up so many childhood memories!

I have many more that I can't wait to read with them, like C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or any of Gary Paulsen (which my husband has many memories attached to his stories of adventure and survival) or Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine or Shiloh by Phylis Reynolds Naylor or or or or or... (this list could be endless, which means I should stop typing and start reading with my girls...) I encourage you to do the same. As a reading teacher for 7th and 8th graders who had over half of my students entering the 7th grade at or below the 4th grade reading level, I cannot even begin to tell you the difference it makes when children have one-on-one time each day reading with an adult. When I surveyed these struggling readers, over 90% of them had no memory of their parents reading to them. It is so easy to pick up a book and read it - you'll never know the difference it makes in their life until much later in life - so take the time, because it is well worth the time.

Book Review [Katharina & Martin Luther: The Radical Marriage of a Runaway Nun & a Renegade Monk by Michelle DeRusha]

Katharina and Martin Luther: The Radical Marriage of a Runaway Nun and a Renegade Monk by Michelle DeRusha
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Katharina was quite the inspiration! Although this book was not what I expected, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I wasn't expecting to learn so much on the difficulties women faced during this time period. I wasn't expecting to learn about Katharina's tremendous work ethic! I wasn't expecting to fall in love with the Luther household. And I truly wasn't expecting conviction upon reading of Katharina's work ethic. But these aren't the only unexpected, wonderful results of reading this book, which I encourage you to do as well! You will be thankful for it, I can promise you that.

I cannot even begin to sing my gratitude for living in the 21st century. The view of women in general has changed significantly. We have citizenship rights, for example, and if our spouse passes away (or if we choose not to marry at all) we will not be condemned or feared to be a witch with extreme sexual passions that cannot be tamed. Documents like Malleus Maleficarum (known as the Hammer of Witches) is now considered ludicrous for statements such as, 

"a woman was a liar by nature; vain in gait, posture, and habit; and insatiable in carnal lust, as well as wicked: "a foe to friendship, an unescapable punishment, a necessary evil, a natural temptation, a desirable calamity, a domestic danger, a delectable detriment, an evil of nature, painted with fair colors! A woman either loves or hates there is no third grade. When a woman thinks alone, she thinks evil. All [witchcraft] comes from carnal lust, which is in women insatiable." (p. 171) 

When I read those lines my jaw dropped to the ground. I was more than shocked and appalled for these women! My sympathy for their extreme adversity ran so deeply that my head was overwhelmed by my shaking it. With that, I thanked God for our equality in Christ. That before Him I am no better than a king, the president, a man, or any human in history - no matter the race, nationality, or physical disposition - like everyone I am a sinner in need of a Savior. And because of my faith in Jesus Christ's death, burial and resurrection I am like any other believer - whether king, president, man, or human - no matter the race, nationality, or physical disposition - I am righteous and holy because of the work of Christ in my life. Hallelujah!

I am also incredibly thankful modern appliances that only require me to walk up and down the stairs and not to the river to wash my clothing - even in the dead of winter! Or the ability to vacuum my rug rather than beat the dirt out. Or my dishwasher, crockpot, &etc. that have essentially made me lazier than the women during 1500's. Katharina woke at 4am and hit the floor running. Her 17 hour work day included being a brewmaster, house manager of the many guests who lived in their home, wife, and mother. She raised her own livestock, slaughtered them, and prepared them for meals. She tended her own garden and bees. She was also a nurse whose son, Paul (a doctor), commended her for her knowledge of the medical profession. In fact, when the Black Plague hit their town, she tended to the sick in the cloister where they lived. Still, that isn't the part that struck me - she tended to the sick and gave birth to a child right in the middle of it!

This woman!

Another fact that struck me was that Martin tried to pay her for reading the Bible through in a year. She refused, but he wrote of her that she knew the Psalm's by heart better than anyone he knew (including himself). Amazing.

Katharina is a woman I cannot wait to meet. Although this was a book about her revolutionary marriage (she was a nun and her husband a monk) and despite my joy in reading about their marriage and how they faced adversity together or reared their children (which was one of my favorite parts because of statements like, 

"Luther understood parenting as nothing less than a holy calling. "The greatest good in married life, that which makes all suffering and labor worthwhile, is that God grants offspring and commands that they be brought up to worship and serve Him, he wrote in 1522, before he was married or had children of his own. "In all the world this is the noblest and most precious work, because to God there can be nothing dearer than the salvation of souls." ... [Luther] considered there no greater or nobler authority on earth than that of parents over their children. Yet the comments and stories sprinkled throughout Table Talk, the ender letters Luther penned to his wife, and the portraits depicting Luther and his family also reveal something obvious yet not often mentioned: Luther and Katharina had fun with their kids and enjoyed spending time with them. They delighted in their children's antics and their innocent comments and expressions. Love and joy were obviously abundant in the Luther household." p.233-234) 

My favorite pieces to learn were that of Katharina and how Martin - despite what the world at that time said about women - had a deep and abiding love, trust, and respect for his wife. Even after he passed away, his trust for her was immense when you read his will which was revolutionary for that time. What he gave her and entrusted her with was unheard of which caused a lot of heartache for Katharina. Still, when her husband died she proved her resourcefulness, her intelligence, and her innovation. I am still amazed and inspired by her and how she came alongside her husband - a man who changed history by standing up for truth!

View all my reviews

Because I can't help myself (seriously, it's that good!) I had to share one of my favorite quotes, 

"[Martin Luther's] understanding of grace-based faith versus works-based faith was more than a personal revelation; it informed his entire rebellion against the church. After all, if human beings couldn't possibly earn salvation by their good works, if human beings had no righteousness of their own and were entirely dependent on Christ for their salvation and hope, where, then, did that leave good works like pilgrimages and fasting? Where did that leave the notion of purgatory? Where did that leave the monastic vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity? Where did that leave the pope, with his sales of indulgences, and the priests, doling out penance in the confessionals? Luther came to believe that the church to which he had dedicated his life was built on sand, and each abuse, each indulgence, added an unsustainable weight to the structure. In his eyes, Romans 1:17 obliterated the very foundation of the Roman Catholic Church." p.91-92