Cooke Addresses "The Dreaded 'J' Word"

In this month's issue of Charisma Magazine, media consultant and columnist Phil Cooke discusses the issue of "judging." He writes:

The view that we have no business judging other believers has become pervasive in the church today. The truth is, the Scripture from Matthew 7:1, "Do not judge" (NIV), has been widely misunderstood. Did Jesus really mean that we should never judge others?

It's interesting that when you examine Scripture, it's not just the act of judging that Jesus is talking about; it's also our attitude while doing it. Common sense tells us that making judgments is an important part of life. Whom our children play with, what church we attend, where we work and whom we associate with all are judgments.

However, today the culture tries to convince us that tolerance is the highest virtue. "Who are we to judge?" is the rallying cry of deviant behavior, heretical teaching and immoral living. Without proper criticism and judgment, living in real community would become impossible.

The question becomes, How do we judge like Jesus, and how can we be sure that love, repentance and restoration are the standards we use?

He goes on to lay out three guidlines which include:

1. Start with Scripture.
2. Lose the beam.
3. Judge results not people.

It's interesting that under the third point, he speaks of first examining within the church before "judging" mainstream culture. He writes, "The truth is, the church today has it backward. We spend too much time criticizing the outside culture, and not enough time examining the church."

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think there is a place for "the dreaded 'j' word"? Can Christians practice judgment, specifically among themselves, without it falling into the category of legalism?

New Episode of Soul Check TV

In 2006, the online show, Soul Check TV was launched. During the last year, host Sarah has interviewed CCM artists Kutless, Disciple, Barlowgirl, Superchic[k], Jadin Lavik, and Starfield.

In her latest episode, she spends some time chatting with Hyper Static Union. The band's debut release Lifegiver was produced by Third Day's Mac Powell and is the first project from Third Day's Consuming Fire Productions. You can watch their interview with Soul Check TV here.

Review of Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies

The Short of It

Artists: Andrew Peterson & Randall Goodgame
Release Date: December 22, 2006
Label: Square Peg Alliance
Audience: Children ages one to six (and their parents)
Available for Purchase: Randall Goodgame Store


The Long of It

Several months ago, my two-year-old daughter, Olivia, and I checked out a Laurie Berkner CD from the library. While Olivia loved the songs, I was concerned that she was listening to nonsense all day long. It was my desire to find a CD that was just as fun, but at the same time communicated spiritual truths, especially since she sings along to everything. About a month ago, I stumbled across an ad for Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies, a new children's CD from CCM artists Andrew Peterson and Randall Goodgame. Being an avid listener of Peterson's music, I immediately ordered the project.

The album -- whose linear notes read at one point "No children were eaten during the making of this record" -- is broken into two parts. The first two-thirds of it contains fun kids songs (many of them very silly), while the remaining one-third is tender lullabies. Styles range from swing to folk to jazzy blues to what Olivia calls "yeehaw music." There's even a little bit of pirate "yo-ho-hoing."

As a whole, the project has a very organic feel. What I mean by that is you'll find no auto-tune happening here. There are several songs where Goodgame could've used a bit, such as in "God Made Me" and "Beautiful Girl," but instead a decision was made not to use the tool. And frankly, it's refreshing. There are times when I want to hear a human voice sing without all the bells and whistles of technology. To me, children's music is perfect for this; it shouldn't be too polished.

While I know little about Goodgame, I've come to expect much from Peterson. In my book, he's one of the master storytellers in Christian music, able to beautifully craft songs that make me smile, cry, and think deeply. After listening to this CD, I've had to add laugh to that list. For anyone who picks up this album, get ready to be very amused.

The album contains songs that are simply silly, such as "Piggy Little Toes" (or "The Yeehaw Song" as Olivia calls it), "Bears," and "Tractor, Tractor," as well as songs that communicate spiritual truths including "Stop" and "God Made Me."

"Piggy Little Toes" tells the story of a dad (Peterson) looking for his daughter at a square dance. He sings:

Hey, little Skye girl, where did you go/Out of the holler in the rain and snow?/Maybe she's down at the Do Si Do/Just kicking her feet with the piggy little toes

My girl's got one bellybutton and two elbows/A cute little face and a pretty little nose/And one-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-nine-ten piggy little toes

In "Bears," we hear:

No grizzly bears don't wear underwear/Socks, or jammies, or gloves/No baby bears don't wear diapers/No Pampers, no Huggies, no Luvs ...

No panda bears aren't so scary/They're eatin' up China bamboo/But if you don't mind your mama/They might just come and eat you

One of Olivia's favorite songs on the CD, "God Made Me," uses humor to teach kids that God made them:

God made slugs and bugs and rats and bats/And nasty bees that don't say please/They'll sting your elbows and your knees if you chase them

But God made me like he made the sea/He filled it up with green and blue/He sent His Son, His Only One/To fill me up and make me new

What's great about this CD is that Peterson and Goodgame have managed to do what VeggieTales has done -- make an entertaining product for both children and parents. For example, kids may not understand the humor in a song such as "Chicken Wiggle," but any parent who's had problems burping their baby will love hearing:

You've got bubbles down in your tummy/And they'll be trouble if they don't rise/Well I know that milk is yummy/But the doctor says no matter how much the baby cries, you've got to ...

Burp, burp, Chicken Wiggle, don't spit up ...

It also has the distinct touch of "dad." Written, performed, and produced by two dads, it's no surprise to find an entire song about eating beans that ends with:

Why did you eat them beans, boy/Why did you eat them beans?/The neighbors done up and they moved to Queens, all 'cause you ate them beans

"Who's Got the Ball," also known as the "ballgame song" at our house, celebrates the fun of kids playing ball with their daddy. The track includes a sports announcer midway through the song, adding a fun touch to what would have otherwise been too repetitive if left solely to its lyrics.
The one complaint I have about the silly tracks is that I think Peterson and Goodgame were unknowningly influenced by already existing children's songs. The music to "God Made Me" reminded both Ted and me of something off of Blue's Clues, while "Dreams" brought to mind VeggieTales' "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything."

As a parent, my favorite part of the album is the lullabies. Let's just say, they've brought me to tears on many occasions. While auto-tune is clearly missing from Goodgame's "Beautiful Girl," I love this song because it reminds me of the times I've heard my husband singing our girls to sleep. In it, Goodgame sings:

I've got you swaddled and I've got your bottle/And you're too loud to ignore/Your mama is sleeping/The angels are keeping/So cry no more

Hey, beautiful girl/Daddy loves you, he loves you/Most beautiful girl in the whole wide world

However, my two favorite songs on the album are Peterson's "May the Lord Bless and Keep You" and "My Baby Loves to Dance." In "May the Lord Bless and Keep You," we hear:

Goodnight, my dear/Be at ease/Till you're floating like the sunlight through the trees/Be at ease

May the Lord bless and keep you/The Lord shine His face upon you, child/And give you grace/May the Lord turn His face toward you, love/And give you peace

In "My Baby Loves to Dance," Peterson sings:

My baby loves to dance/She loves to spin around/She's only two feet tall, but I don't mind at all/She hears a song in every little sound ...

My baby loves me so/She loves me as I am/She lifts her little hands/Her wish is my command/I'll pick her up forever if I can

In the end, the lullaby portion of this album is more than songs meant to soothe and settle down kids. It's also a beautiful testament to the joys of parenting; hence the reason it brings me to tears at each listen.

Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies. It's silly. It's moving. And to borrow a popular phrase, at our house, it's kid-tested. Parent approved.

Love's Abiding Joy Premieres Saturday

In 2003, the made-for-television movie Love Comes Softly premiered on the Hallmark Channel. Based on best-selling author Janette Oke's first book, the film was directed by Michael Landon Jr. and undeniably has a "Little House on the Prairie-esque" feel (I guess it can be said in the area of television production: like father, like son). Due to the movie's success, it was soon followed by small screen versions of Oke's next two books in the series: Love's Enduring Promise (2004) and Love's Long Journey (2005).

This Saturday, Love's Abiding Joy, the fourth movie in the Love Comes Softly series and the first to be released on the silver screen, makes its television premiere on the Hallmark Channel. In October, FoxFaith Movies distributed it to a limited number of theaters across the U.S. and it's scheduled to be released on DVD in early January. While I didn't make it to the theater to see this film, having a husband who's an editor has it's benefits. Ted received an advance copy of the DVD release, which he promptly brought home for me to watch.

When I turned on the DVD, my expectations were low. Although Love Comes Softly moved both me and Ted to tears with it's tender tale of grief, faith, and love, Love's Enduring Promise was, to put it bluntly, barely tolerable. The script was not well crafted and the casting of January Jones as Missie left a lot to be desired. When Love's Long Journey aired in 2005, I was relieved to see Erin Cottrell (who also played Caroline Ingalls in the 2005 ABC mini-series Little House in the Prairie) replace Jones in the role. Not only was the casting better in Love's Long Journey, but the script was an improvement.

Unfortunately, when I started Love's Abiding Joy on Monday night, I only made it through 30 minutes. But not for the reasons you may assume. In the past, I've turned off movies for inappropriate content and even boredom. But before this film, I'd never turned off a film because it affected me so deeply I was unable to keep watching. That's exactly what happened with this movie.

Here's where I should warn you that this review does contain some plot spoilers.

For those unfamiliar with the plot, Love's Abiding Joy is the continued story of Willie and Missie LaHaye as the strive to keep their cattle ranch financially secure and to raise their family in the frontier of the Wild West. About thirty minutes into the film they suffer an unimaginable blow -- the death of their infant daughter, Kathy. One morning she suddenly stops breathing. While I haven't experienced the loss of a child, the memory of seeing my youngest daughter Ava stop breathing for several seconds is still fresh in my memory. Because of this, I simply couldn't handle Kathy's death in this film. Hence, my need to turn it off.

This afternoon I finished the film, although not without many tears. It's a beautiful story of a family who walks through grief -- struggling and questioning in the process -- yet manages to survive it with family and faith intact.

So, for those of you looking for a film worth watching, tune into or TiVo Love's Abiding Joy this Saturday night. Just be sure to have plenty of Kleenex on hand. If you're like me, you'll need it.

The Mommy Wars Continue

Back in July, I blogged on Linda Hirschman's argument that educated women are doing more harm to society by staying home with their children, than they're doing good. Today, Hirschman is back in the spotlight with the release of her book, Get to Work: A Manifesto for the Women of the World. Both Al Mohler and Candice Watters have tackled Hirschman's past, as well as more recent, comments.

For those of us who Hirschman is comparing to what Mohler said are the "'untouchables' of India -- a caste consigned to sweep bodily wastes and care for the bodily needs of others," her views can be infuriating. However, as I posted in a comment on the Boundless Line, at the same time I'm angered by her statements, I feel bad for her. It's sad that she, as a mother herself, so misunderstands and misses the joy that can be found in motherhood.

I love what Shannon Popkin in her article "The Significance of Dog Hair and Trash Cans" (in this month's issue of Focus on the Family magazine) wrote concerning these "menial" tasks Hirschman thinks are below educated women.

According to God's standards for achievement, the last shall be first, and being great requires learning to be a servant of all. As the Father sifts our accomplishments, He assigns the most value to serving. This tells me that an office with mahogany furniture and a personal assistant is not the only setting for great accomplishments. In fact, caring for small children in the home provides incredible opportunity for advancement. Sticky messes and smelly garbage cans aren't detours and roadblocks; they are God's highway of significance.

She goes on to say, "Pleasing the Lord wouldn't be enhanced by bringing home a paycheck or having a title before my name. I have just as many opportunities to please Him within the four walls of my family room as I would in a corner office. As I wipe a little bottom, I have the same wherewithal to gain the Lord's favor as does a top strategist for Pampers. Tying little shoes, reading picture books and making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches grant me just as much potential to hear, 'Well done, good and faithful servant' as I would if I performed brain surgery."

May stay-at-home moms under fire for this choice find encouragement.