Jordan Sparks
Forum Replies Created
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After reading the first two chapters can I just say how happy I am that I am homeschooling. Not only because of the dismal state of public schools but because if I want education reform for my children…I grab a different book. 😆so thankful I don’t have to be warring against the beast that is the public school system.
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Starting mine in 3-2-1…! Love that Sunday afternoon nap time reading! 🙌🏻
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Yes! That’s how our gift time was and is as well! Slow and intentional. ❤️❤️❤️
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Well I completely loved this book! I know it’s supposed to be a two week read but I couldn’t put it down. I love that the entire premise of this book is basically like how did God show generosity to you? Ok do that. Seeing the 3 types of giving was really helpful as well. Tithe, offerings, and then celebratory giving. Interesting that even the pagans know how to give during times of celebration. Almost as it it’s engrained in our DNA as humans.
Also loved the illustration with a dad giving his son a dollar to buy him a present with. All of what we have is on loan God and he has been unbelievably generous with us. May we in turn be generous with all of His that’s entrusted to us.
I also loved the portion where he talked about those that give being a shrewd farmer. That giving is fertile soil. Just because the prosperity gospel folk have misused scripture doesn’t mean that we should why away from the promises of scripture when we give generously.
I could say so much about this book but one more line that I thought was helpful was that burnout is a function of a bad input to output ratio. When we try to strive and give and do with our own fleshly willpower we will always burn out, but when we trust the lord to supply all that we need we are empowered.
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Well thoroughly enjoyed reading all these responses! How fun! I love reading together with you all! On to something more cheery this week! Let’s dive deep into thinking about Christmas! 🎄🎄
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Ohhh! Lol I guess it was! I wasn’t sure about all those details in her room. I just assumed her husband did that to her room for her I guess. Now that you say that though I bet that’s what it was. And I thought the floor torn up, bed gnawed, groove in the wall, I thought they were all from her but she didn’t realize she had done it. But you’re reading makes more sense I think.
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Ok just finished it! Shew! That was a wild ride. Definitely couldn’t stop reading it. Such an interesting writing style with the first person narration you could see the unfolding of her condition. She says that she’s recently had a baby which makes me think this was some sort of postpartum depression/hysteria situation. It really is a blessing to live in a time where there are better treatments and more understanding available. The whole story centers around the theory of the “rest cure” being considered the best treatment of the time for this. Sadly, the author Charlotte Gilman wrote the short story because she dealt with this after her baby was born and was given treatment instruction for the rest cure until she met with a female dr. who gave other recommendations that better helped. This is considered “feminist lit” because of the male power themes of the husband. Which honestly, reading it through without knowing any of this, I didn’t get that. The husband seemed pretty caring to me 😆 Gave her tonics and took her to a mansion for the summer to rest and recover, had a nanny to help with the baby. Maybe I missed some abusive theme but seemed like he was honestly trying to help her. Knowing that mental health is STILL a very difficult area of medicine to treat and get results, even with all the medical advances that have happened since this book was written in 1892, I think we can agree that the patriarchy wasn’t to blame for misdiagnosis or wrong treatment plans back then. I also found myself thinking about how work and purpose are good for humans. That laying in bed all the time is terrible for your mental state. Ok medical stuff is always such a puzzle for me so I was also like hmmm I wonder if her thyroid is off, I wonder if theres some kind of crazy mold in that wallpaper making her like this. 🤣 I know, I know, it’s fiction! Overall, super thought provoking read!
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Finished book 2 today! Sam’s loyalty and friendship are one of my favorite parts of this whole book. So touching.
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Ohhhh I’m excited! Thank you for the reading guide!
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I just ended up ordered a paperback copy of the yellow wallpaper for $2.45 off amazon. I prefer to have it in my hands and our library didn’t have a copy! 🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️
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I am on chapter ten so almost finished! I have enjoyed it very much, but I feel that I could read it again and get a lot more out of it. So many things happening and so many characters that its hard to keep it all straight. The adventure, the glory of the sacrifice, the honor of friendship and support and protection. Lots of cool elements that you would pull out! I am excited about the yellow wallpaper!
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Hello Meredith! We pick ours when they are in season in Southern IL, which was about a month ago and I freeze then still on the stem. Then when needed I grab out a bundle and shake the frozen berries off to make syrup. When I haven’t picked them before I have bought dried from our local co-op. I’d just look for dried elderberries that that’s the only ingredient. Maybe check Azure if you don’t have a local co-op or health food store you trust. I’m actually going to be making a DIY video for how I make elderberry syrup soon! It’s on my list. And my recipe is in the Fruitful and Fearless cookbook if you need one. We use it on an as needed basis. When were sick we take about a Tbsp. every couple hours. If we are trying to boost our immune system we will take a Tbsp. or so everyday.