The Sparrow's Home: Life is hard. God is good. We need each other.

Is Your Church a Pew-Filled Adult Daycare or a Hardcore Training Facility?

March 27, 2017 by Susan 9 Comments

When we create a judgement free church, are we dooming members to failure? The Planet Fitness model will not result in changed lives, reconciled to God.

My eldest began working out a lot a couple of years ago, and as a birthday gift last year, we told him we’d get him a gym membership. He talked to a few friends about their experiences with nearby gyms. One guy told him stories about Planet Fitness that had us rolling on the floor laughing in disbelief.

They serve pizza? Candy? Flashing lights and alarms go off to shame people for working out “too hard.” Does this ‘gym’ even want its members to get healthy?!

I had forgotten all about it until recently, when a well-meaning Christian friend posted something about how we should “create churches that the un-churched love to attend”. For some reason, the descriptions we’d heard about Planet Fitness immediately came to mind.

Mug Meals: A Happy Little Cup of Yum

March 22, 2017 by Susan 8 Comments

I’m kind of obsessed.

It was one of those nights. I was just ‘checking a few things’ before going to bed. An hour later…

Well, an hour later, I had watched an hour of videos by the most charming Irish woman, Gemma (who I was pretty sure was going to be my new best friend), and had about a dozen recipes bookmarked and visions of tasty mug meals dancing in my head.

I made it my mission over the next few weeks to try a bunch of her recipes so I could share them with you. There’s a bit of a learning curve, to be sure. After all, cooking in the microwave is quite different. And I did find some ways to tweak her recipes to make them work for me. But all in all…two thumbs up!

Paradigm Accelerated: Principles & Precepts of Economics Review

March 20, 2017 by Susan Leave a Comment

I have always said that one of the very best things about homeschooling is that you can do what works for you and your kids. One thing I’ve learned in teaching two boys who learn differently than I do: It’s my job to find what works for them.

That’s what we do as homeschool parents. We think about how our kids learn, try different things, and soon we start to see a pattern of what works and what doesn’t.

With that in mind, I’d like to tell you about an economics curriculum that I’ve had the pleasure to review and help you determine if it would be a good fit for your family.

Food for Thought #17

March 16, 2017 by Susan Leave a Comment

Education. I studied it in college (is that irony?) and have worked in the field most of my adult life. My week started with a number of interesting articles on the topic, then branched out into a larger variety of topics.

I would love to hear what you think, and see what you’ve had open on your desktop this week.

Here’s what I’ve been reading:

Upside Down Skillet Apple Pie

March 14, 2017 by Susan 8 Comments

Easy skillet apple pie. A quick apple dessert perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Ooey-gooey, homey and delicious!

Does anything taste more homey than apple pie? YES! This upside down skillet apple pie does. It has all the goodness of an apple pie – tender apples, flakey crust, sweet and spicy–but it has so much more.

The apples are nestled in the most luxurious warm caramel sauce, just begging to be spooned over a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Plus, it’s about 10 times easier than traditional pie.

I’m Really Tired of Hearing How Unloving Christians Are

March 13, 2017 by Susan 26 Comments

Unloving Christians. How often do you hear that? It’s bad enough that Christians are portrayed this way, do we really have to perpetuate the myth ourselves?

I’m minding my own business last week, when an article comes across my desk instructing me (and all evangelical Christians) how to show love to all of these people we supposedly hate. The conclusion? Stop being Christians and agree with everything the world says…then they’ll know you really love them. (my paraphrase)

The media has been telling us for years that Christians are unfeeling and unloving. But the evidence doesn’t show that. It’s a deception and it is not true.