Maxwell 46: Relegating the Kids' Table to the Vestibule

[Coconut Flan 45,521]

Continued from here:

The "extended family" has gotten large enough that this past holiday season, the Maxwells even put a table in the front hall.  It may be time to settle for dessert only gatherings.

[IReallyAmHopewell 8,534]

I love this title, hard as it will ever be to top the last one!

[Bethy 4,505]

Re: Sarah's concussion...

Concussion healing isn't an instantaneous thing. I think from the fact that they quoted the doctor saying "3-6 months" they realize this. But...

I'm a teacher. Concussion protocols have become a really big deal in recent years. I've seen students get authorization to wear baseball caps and sunglasses all day for months after a concussion. A concussion stays in a student's profile for years afterward because the effects can linger. And one of the biggest things I have heard about concussion treatment is that people with concussions really need to stay away from screens while they're healing. All screens. But Sarah was writing/editing a book. She was pushing to make deadlines. Was she able to really rest from screens? I don't know. And someone in the previous thread mentioned Bible time. As someone who grew up in a fairly legalistic fundie environment, I know I dealt with a lot of guilt when I tried to manage my time well by listening to an audio Bible on my commute instead of sitting down and READING my print Bible. It didn't feel like it actually "counted" as Bible time. (I recently learned that the term for this sort of OCD is "scrupulosity," and it sounds a lot like Steve's thought process.) Would Steve be okay with Sarah doing her individual Bible time via an audio Bible? As someone in the other thread asked, would he allow her to sleep in to get the additional rest a concussion recovery requires? I kind of don't think so. He regards Bible reading as more important than eating food. And all of the WFH jobs we know she and her sisters do or have done (bookkeeping, IT support) seem to involve being online. Again...screens and small print.

All this to say, I really hope she's allowed to rest properly and recover. She acts like this will be a great opportunity to work on her next book and says she's resting and adequately caring for herself, but...I hope she's right.

[Dominionatrix 4,417]

This is my first time having a quote make it into a post count title and I am unabashedly elated! 

[Coconut Flan 45,521]

Sorry I am terrible at keeping track of who makes the comments that I save for titles.  I loved this one.

[Dominionatrix 4,417]

11 hours ago, Coconut Flan said:

Sorry I am terrible at keeping track of who makes the comments that I save for titles.  I loved this one.

No need to be sorry! It’s not realistic to remember everything. I’m just pleased. 😊

[Bajovane 4,161]

I have had many concussions in my life and one actually caused me to lose what little hearing I had in my right ear (and it was my "good" ear.)

I haven't worked since.  People look at me and think "she's just being lazy" (I know my in-laws think that) but people don't realize how much a concussion can change their lives.  Just the loss of hearing alone is bad enough to cope with.  My memory is pretty bad and it's getting worse.  Mentally,  I am not doing well, but I get by.  Sarah, hopefully will recover but it's probably going to take a lot longer than she thinks.  

[mango_fandango 38,781]

I noticed someone talking about Bible time in the previous thread. 
The Maxwells have individual Bible time in the mornings (so they’re reading their Bibles silently), at their own speed/pace and then they have family Bible time in the evenings, where they’re all reading the same bit and discussing it. I think they go round and read out a few verses, so Steve might do verses 1-5, Teri would then do 6-10 and so on. 

[Bajovane 4,161]

I cannot imagine how boring it would be to read the same book over and over and over...  how many times have each actually gone through the entire book?  I would jump off an overpass if I had to do that!!

[ElizaB 2,779]

What gets me about their evening Bible time is how legalistic they are about it. I imagine it can be a nice family time- they read a few passages of something they really believe in and have a discussion. But they don't ever miss it- no matter what. I just can't imagine having something so rigid in my daily schedule. What if they went out to dinner and got home late? It seems crazy to not have any flexibility in your evening ever. 

The same is true for their morning Bible time. Even when they are trying to start a hike at 4:00 am they have to sit down to do Bible time first. Couldn't they do it when they were done? The rigidity would drive me crazy. 

[Jana814 18,802]

Steve Maxwell believes that Bible time is the more important then anything else. Let’s say their grandchildren are over for a fun activity. They must stop what they are doing because they have to read the Bible. 

Edited February 14 by Jana814

[fundiewatch 5,372]

When the extended family stays for Bible time, several posts over the years have said that they have prayer time after they leave. Soooo much god. 

[Black Aliss 46,815]

1 minute ago, fundiewatch said:

When the extended family stays for Bible time, several posts over the years have said that they have prayer time after they leave. Soooo much god. 

When certain members of my family come to visit I have be known to have prayer time after they leave.

"Thank god that's over!"

 

[Tatar-tot 7,445]

Why wouldn’t they have Bible time as a group?  It would be nice for the kids to put a skit together on a gospel reading or explain their favorite psalm.  I thought a large part of Christianity was sharing the good news of the Lord. This family is very confusing. 

[ElizaB 2,779]

4 hours ago, Tatar-tot said:

Why wouldn’t they have Bible time as a group?  It would be nice for the kids to put a skit together on a gospel reading or explain their favorite psalm.  I thought a large part of Christianity was sharing the good news of the Lord. This family is very confusing. 

They do both. In the morning they have "personal Bible time" and at night they have "family Bible time."

[allyisyourpally5 2,919]

Im

having vague recollections of them having Bible Time in public too - I’ve honestly got pictures in my head of them having it right in a hotel lobby and a restaurant (because they take pictures of that and nothing interesting). It must have been from when they were in the road, I know they usually slept in Uriah but I feel like on the odd occasion they had different accommodation. 
Im just picturing how I would react walking into a hotel lobby and being told to take a seat - and finding no seats, because the Maxwell family is using all of them for Bible time. Or better yet one spare in the middle!

[Bethy 4,505]

2 hours ago, allyisyourpally5 said:

Im

having vague recollections of them having Bible Time in public too - I’ve honestly got pictures in my head of them having it right in a hotel lobby and a restaurant (because they take pictures of that and nothing interesting). It must have been from when they were in the road, I know they usually slept in Uriah but I feel like on the odd occasion they had different accommodation. 
Im just picturing how I would react walking into a hotel lobby and being told to take a seat - and finding no seats, because the Maxwell family is using all of them for Bible time. Or better yet one spare in the middle!

I don't remember this, but by the time I started following them, they already had Uriah. It makes sense, though - when they stayed in hotels, they had 7-8 kids traveling with, so they'd have been staying in a minimum of two rooms, and even if that took the form of a suite/connected rooms, there wouldn't be seating for 9-10 available. And since Bible time is more important than anything of course it wouldn't bother them to monopolize a public space for Bible time every evening.

[SPHASH 12,441]

They co-opted game night at the assisted living place once and snuck Bible Time into it.

https://blog.titus2.com/2015/07/22/young-and-old-a-perfect-match/

Edited February 15 by SPHASH

[smittykins 18,083]

I wonder if the Maxwells have convictions against regular playing cards?(Some Christians do, but dedicated Old Maid, UNO, Go Fish decks are OK).

[Bethy 4,505]

5 minutes ago, smittykins said:

I wonder if the Maxwells have convictions against regular playing cards?(Some Christians do, but dedicated Old Maid, UNO, Go Fish decks are OK).

I grew up in a household just like that - regular playing cards weren't allowed, but Old Maid, UNO, and the like were fine. My grandma gave me a book when I was probably in middle school that claimed that the face cards all represented somebody/something and the Joker was Jesus. I have no idea if that was actually the intent when playing cards were invented or if it was a fundie urban legend designed to keep kids away from gambling with playing cards. That information never bothered me much as once I started learning to play cards with friends in high school, none of the games we played even used the Joker.

I had a friend who attended a really fundie Bible college and when she came home on breaks the rules still applied - including this very specific rule that they weren't allowed to play cards with traditional playing cards, but that if they were a "specialty" deck (like, Looney Toons playing cards) that was okay. So they functioned EXACTLY the same and played the same exact games but because they had cute characters they were okay while regular playing cards were sinful.

Legalism is weird.

[smittykins 18,083]

I once heard a radio interview with The Pointer Sisters(both of their parents were Church of God ministers), who not only weren’t allowed playing cards, but dice as well, even in games like Monopoly.  They could only have games with spinners.  If they brought a game with dice into the house, their father would throw the dice away and the girls would have to make their own spinner.

Edited February 15 by smittykins

[fundiefan 32,512]

55 minutes ago, SPHASH said:

They co-opted game night at the assisted living place once and snuck Bible Time into it.

https://blog.titus2.com/2015/07/22/young-and-old-a-perfect-match/

Notice that they played Apples to Apples but had to make a point of saying they skip some cards.

What in the world is offensive about Apples to Apples? And in the comments they link an Apples to Apples bible version? Can the bible please stay the hell out of everything? 

[Black Aliss 46,815]

7 hours ago, allyisyourpally5 said:

Im  having vague recollections of them having Bible Time in public too - I’ve honestly got pictures in my head of them having it right in a hotel lobby and a restaurant (because they take pictures of that and nothing interesting). It must have been from when they were in the road, I know they usually slept in Uriah but I feel like on the odd occasion they had different accommodation. 
Im just picturing how I would react walking into a hotel lobby and being told to take a seat - and finding no seats, because the Maxwell family is using all of them for Bible time. Or better yet one spare in the middle!

IIRC, they used to post photos of themselves studying the bible and praying in public quite often. In particular, at the start of every trip there'd be a photo the whole crew standing in a circle next to Uriah, praying. I'd like to think that I and some other FJers mentioning Matthew 6:5-6 every time they did it that finally got to them. (Hi, Steve!)

5 hours ago, Bethy said:

I don't remember this, but by the time I started following them, they already had Uriah. It makes sense, though - when they stayed in hotels, they had 7-8 kids traveling with, so they'd have been staying in a minimum of two rooms, and even if that took the form of a suite/connected rooms, there wouldn't be seating for 9-10 available. And since Bible time is more important than anything of course it wouldn't bother them to monopolize a public space for Bible time every evening.

With the added bonus of virtue-signalling! How would anyone else know they were so very devout if they did Bible time in their hotel room?

3 hours ago, Bethy said:

I grew up in a household just like that - regular playing cards weren't allowed, but Old Maid, UNO, and the like were fine. My grandma gave me a book when I was probably in middle school that claimed that the face cards all represented somebody/something and the Joker was Jesus. I have no idea if that was actually the intent when playing cards were invented or if it was a fundie urban legend designed to keep kids away from gambling with playing cards.

That's what I was told, too. Also that it was a slippery slope from playing Spoons or War to playing poker and losing your life savings. Gin Rummy was obviously out because Gin and Rum!

Edited February 15 by Black Aliss

[Black Aliss 46,815]

2 hours ago, fundiefan said:

Notice that they played Apples to Apples but had to make a point of saying they skip some cards.

What in the world is offensive about Apples to Apples? And in the comments they link an Apples to Apples bible version? Can the bible please stay the hell out of everything? 

Oh this could be fun! Here's a list of all the adjectives (green cards)   https://www.wordnik.com/lists/apples-to-apples--green-cards

and the nouns (red cards)    https://www.wordnik.com/lists/apples-to-apples--red-cards

[indianabones 7,565]

6 minutes ago, Black Aliss said:

Oh this could be fun! Here's a list of all the adjectives (green cards)   https://www.wordnik.com/lists/apples-to-apples--green-cards

and the nouns (red cards)    https://www.wordnik.com/lists/apples-to-apples--red-cards

Well, at first glance there's sexy, sultry, sensual, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Going to School... I can't see Steve allowing any of those.