Steve Maxwell Emailed Me....

[TMS]

Well, I admit to banning Barney in our house. I have 4 kids, and my firstborn was addicted to that show. By the time #2 came around, I banned it. None of my younger kids know anything about Barney, and 2 of them are in their teens. Someone mentioned "growing up with Barney" the other day and my kids looked at him with blank expressions because they had no idea! ::Evil laughter:: it worked!!!!

My grandson, who just turned 3, loves to run around singing "If I Was Your Boyfriend" at the top of his lungs. Much cuter than Barney songs.

[Sola]

Well, I admit to banning Barney in our house. I have 4 kids, and my firstborn was addicted to that show. By the time #2 came around, I banned it. None of my younger kids know anything about Barney, and 2 of them are in their teens. Someone mentioned "growing up with Barney" the other day and my kids looked at him with blank expressions because they had no idea! ::Evil laughter:: it worked!!!!

My grandson, who just turned 3, loves to run around singing "If I Was Your Boyfriend" at the top of his lungs. Much cuter than Barney songs.

Oh I agree with that :lol: My friend's kids, who are little older than my kids, were obsessed with Barney. I made sure that my house was a Barney free Zone for my kids :lol: There was no way in hell that that demented purple dinosaur was getting a foothold in my house. I swear if either of my kids had got into Barney I might well have stabbed someone in an effort to get away.

[Minerva]

The words to those might have needed revising, too -- too much Jesus, not enough Steve.

Hmmmm . . . let me see . . .

To the tune of "Jesus Loves Me:"

Dad controls me, this I know,

'Cause my Mommy tells me so.

Little ones to him belong,

We are weak but he is strong.

Yes, Dad controls me! (3x)

My Mommy tells me so.

Dad loves to discuss who died,

All my fears to open wide,

Loves to focus on my sin,

If I'm scared, he yells "I win!"

Yes, Dad controls me! (3x)

My Mommy tells me so.

Dad controls me, even still,

When I'm very weak and ill;

Tells my that I dare not cry,

In my sickbed where I lie.

Yes, Dad controls me! (3x)

My Mommy tells me so.

Dad controls me, he will stay,

Close beside me all the way;

He's prepared a home for me,

Hope of freedom I don't see.

Yes, Dad controls me! (3x)

My Mommy tells me so.

:(

:clap: :clap: :clap:

[gardenvarietycitizen]

To the tune of "Jesus Loves Me:"

Dad controls me, this I know,

'Cause my Mommy tells me so.

Little ones to him belong,

We are weak but he is strong.

Yes, Dad controls me! (3x)

My Mommy tells me so...

:(

GAH. Scary, but awesome... :D

[thoughtful]

:clap: :clap: :clap:

Glad you liked it - you too, GVC. It is one of those "don't know whether to laugh or cry" things, isn't it?

Oh, and I didn't know "Jesus Loves Me" had a bunch of verses until I checked (when attempting a song parody, I like to have the original lyrics in front of me, to make sure everything scans and is a close to the original as possible).

So I learned something today!

[anniebgood]

All of his emails have been on the bizarre side. I think that last email is just him trying to shake her off because he knows he can't argue with her and he probably doesn't feel up to it. If he knew the emails were being published, I think he'd put more effort into them.

I won't be that easily shaken off. But I will check on the blog now and again and if I see something that's totally idiotic I'll call him on it.

I did tell him that Sarah needs to have real conversations with people other than her family to grasp syntax and manner of speaking. It would improve her writing so much. The stilted manner she writes is poorly constructed. She needs some real life experience Of course he won't allow that. And the Moody books will continue to be at a 2nd grade level.

I'll let steve enjoy his stewing for a while. I'm not in the mood today to bug him.

[Lainey]

ITA, I think that many non-Christians are pretty well informed about the Bible, and it's just not for them. I don't get why so many Christians don't understand this. I know it, I lived it, I decided it wasn't for me.

Because it's TEH TROOOTH!!!eleventy!!11!!!

[Coconut Flan]

I asked a fundy-lite about that. First I got the party line about how that's surely the only reason someone hasn't accepted Jesus - they just don't really know or understand. Probing deeper, I got well that's what all the "good books" about evangelism say and the pastor and assistant pastor and surely they would know, right?

::sigh:: No thought about questioning what they read or are told as long as the source is considered "worthy."

edited to clarify I didn't accept the fund-lite thinking.

[waterlily]

Then they should white out/black out their precious bible. Oh wait, that would be defiling it!

It's a secular song. So it's pointless entertainment and does nothing to serve Jesus. He didn't want to put pointless lyrics in the children's heads so that meaningless words would get "stuck in their heads," no, even their earworms should be used for the glorification of God, the things running through their heads for no particular reason should all be religious.

Remember, for the Maxwells it's very much NOT okay to merely "not sin." They would never ask "is this hurting anyone? If not, then why not go ahead and [play ball/sing secular songs/read novels]?" No. Every moment, they should be ACTIVELY serving God. It is the only purpose in life, to serve and glorify Jesus. Every moment must be justified, and every potential activity must be weighed and scrutinized to answer the question, is this actively helping me achieve goals in life and serve Jesus (and your goal in life IS only to serve Jesus)? If not, it goes. End of.

They discuss this philosophy in "Hearts." Rather than banning some specific activities for their kids, they take the opposite approach - they BAN EVERYTHING, and then consider each potential activity one at a time and only add back in those things which are actively helping them achieve goals and serve Jesus.

You can read about the Maxwells' music studies here: www.familiesforjesus.com/music/ (yes, the Maxwells are "families for Jesus," you can see it painted on the back of Uriah too).

On that same page Steve-O also gives a review of one course they used to study.

[anniebgood]

Steve emailed me back and said this:

Also, Joseph is greatly at peace and not angry with God, Elizabeth or anyone else. Grieving and brokenhearted yes, but angry no.

We have had some special times and will over the next few weeks. ]/i]

I bet Joseph is angry, but being raised in that family means to show no anger no matter what. Notice how he points out anyone else. The master of steering away from the truth then.

Such is life.

[moreorlessnu]

Maybe Joseph is even relieved.

I can see how the giant home depot project would be a lot of fun for him. But living with a woman he doesn't know, having the responsibility of providing for her and all the kids that would come along might have been intimidating for him. He was so unprepared for this next step.