Jym Shorts

Jym Shorts - June 20, 2019

by Jym Gregory on June 20, 2019

I have occasionally shared with the church family what I am currently reading, not in an attempt to say “look what I’m up to” but to encourage you to be reading good books and to provide some ideas for those who may be beginning readers (or continuing readers who also appreciate some suggested reading).  This past week a young mother stopped by my office to inquire about some reading for her school-aged children, and suggested that I might share with the church family some of the books/resources I utilized when reading to my children when they were at home.

 

In response to this, I have been trying to recall over the past couple of days what some of that reading was.  Here are some of my suggestions based off what I can remember from those years.

 

*Little Pilgrim’s Progress by Helen L. Taylor:  A wonderful adaptation of Bunyan’s classic for children. 

 

*The Chronicles of Narniaby C.S. Lewis:  A riveting seven book adventure through the lands of Narnia with wonderful illustrations that depict our own walk of faith.  I read this series to our girls twice.

 

*Little House on the Prairieby Laura Ingalls Wilder:  I was a bit of a selfish reader with my girls.  I would not read something to them (not of any length, at least) that I did not myself find interesting.  There are few historical novels more interesting than this series.  Filled with real life adventures and outstanding pearls of wisdom and virtue.  Perfect for little and big ears alike.  We also read through this series twice.

 

*Soupand Soup and Meby Robert Newton Peck:  Dedra and I raised little girls, but I’m a little boy at heart, so I did not refrain from reading adventures with boys as the lead characters to them.  These little-known treasures by Peck, along with a few other novels (like A Day No Pigs Would Die– a semi-biography) were wonderful reads.  A caution here:  Although the Soupseries is for children, some of Peck’s novels (although not obscene) are not.

 

*The Hobbitby J.R.R. Tolkien:  I waited till Hannah was a teenager for this read (and until after Jordan fell asleep).  Although I did not dive into the whole Lord of the Ringsseries with her, this prequel to the series is a classic.

 

*Tom Sawyerby Mark Twain:  Hannah loved this classic, mostly due to the romance between Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher.  This is America at its best.  A must read in my humble opinion.

 

*The Boxcar Childrenseries by Gertrude Chandler Warner:  This nineteen-book series involving four orphaned children who solve mysteries is still not overly well-known but has been ranked as one of the top 100 books for children by the National Education Association.  I rarely agree with the NEA, but in this case, I am on their side. Wonderful books.

 

*Nancy Drewseries by Carolyn Keene: Little girls who like mysteries and Nancy Drew, and little boys and the Hardy Boys Mysteries.  They go together like chocolate and milk (or chocolate and anything for that matter). 

 

As the girls grew older, I naturally moved to books for adult readers, like A Chance to Dieby Elisabeth Elliot, Pilgrim’s Progressby John Bunyan and some of Aesop’s Fables.  I also read them poems and short stories from a great compilation work entitled A Treasury of the Familiarby Ralph Wood (out of print but you can find copies on eBay and at used book sellers).  We also read most of the Sherlock Holmesseries by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, along with The Screwtape Lettersby C.S. Lewis.

 

As you can readily see, not all these works are by Christian authors.  Our devotions always started with Scripture reading and memorization, often followed by other memorization (the Nicene Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, etc.) and prayer.  Relaxed reading followed as the girls lay in bed for the night.  I felt (and still feel) that reading from a variety of authors was best, not just Christian authors.  That is a choice for each family to make.

 

I hope this list is helpful for those of you with children at home.  Take time to be with your children/grandchildren.  Reading is not essential, but I found it very fruitful for our family.  And I loved spending time as a family together at bedtime. Time truly does fly and you do not get it back again.  Use it wisely (end of sermon).

 

Grace and peace,  

Pastor Jym

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