Seriously Steve 4: Judging and Hating

[HereticHick]

Steve was meant to live as Massachusetts Bay Colony Puritan in the mid-17th Century. Or perhaps as a extreme ascetic monk.

[kpmom]

The thing is, even when they all lived at home, the Maxwell’s did do some fun things. 
They gave each other gifts at Christmas and birthdays, had little parties, had picnics with games, drove around looking at Christmas lights in the neighborhood (ok, while listening to the the Bible on tape, but still), went to see a production of Handel’s Messiah several years in a row and went to dinner afterwards, went to drive through zoos, went out for meals or just coffee, played board games. 
 

I mean those are things most families do, religious or not. So, I’m not sure why he keeps yammering away at fun, when I could picture my own family enjoying doing some of  these things, especially when the kids were younger (definitely not the Bible on tape). 

[Black Aliss]

4 hours ago, Hane said:

This column reminds me of one of Teri’s, in which one of Nathan’s daughters is effusively praised for writing a book report in which she excoriates an otherwise entertaining and worthwhile book for not being “edifying.” (Unfortunately, Teri never specified the book.)

For some reason I thought it was Watership Down.

[Granwych]

11 minutes ago, Black Aliss said:

For some reason I thought it was Watership Down.

I think the book was Gullivers Travels.

[Expectopatronus]

On 8/20/2023 at 8:24 PM, anniebgood said:

I keep getting TEMU ads. I don't remember going to their sites. I get Zulily ads because I like to go there for OXO when they have it on sale. But TEMU is annoying. 

 

I haven’t got TEMU ads but I have had « Date Asian Women » ads pop up. Um, never have I ever searched this as I am female, straight and would never date anyone based on their ethnicity alone. That is, in fact, the last thing I care about. 
I’m so sorry for your loss! What a beautiful dog! 

[kpmom]

1 hour ago, Black Aliss said:

For some reason I thought it was Watership Down.

I think some people here figured out what book it was based on Abbey’s description, but I don’t recall what they thought the book was. 

[Hane]

The heck of it is, books like “Watership Down” or “Gulliver’s Travels” are full of thought-provoking content and interesting concepts to discuss and debate—but there’s no overt Christianism, so they can’t possibly be “edifying.”

[Expectopatronus]

My daughter and my niece both love the Bruce books by Ryan Higgins. The Great Bruce Swap describes Bruce as a bear who does not like fun. Steve’s rants against fun remind me of Bruce, a slightly cranky bear. With a major difference; Bruce is loveable and actually cares about the motley assortment of mice and geese who live with him. Steve-o seems incapable of deep love for anyone (including himself). 

[Bethy]

On 8/31/2023 at 4:10 AM, Maggie Mae said:

Wait, that's not the one I didn't understand at all. The one dated August 23 was incomprehensible to me and included a sentence that ended with a person's name. 

Ha! I didn't even catch that. There's quotation marks at the beginning of the first paragraph and at the end of the second. Must be an email he got from a reader, and then he tacked a verse on the end. But the tone was so Steve-like that I didn't even notice the attribution. Specifying it as a contribution from a fan would've made things clearer. But the message is the same as I said - be stricter and say no to more stuff, which Steve seems to have doubled down on this week. 

On 8/31/2023 at 12:15 AM, theologygeek said:

He has officially lost his damn mind.  I really think he is going off the deep end.  Someone in that family needs to reel him in because he is embarrassing himself.  

Who, though? As the head of his household he answers to no one. 

 

But yeah, I'd be concerned if I was his kid. Particularly Joe and Jesse, whose livelihood hinges on them being able to interact with people of all walks of life. I wonder if Joe has ever lost a prospective client because they realized he was from THAT family, where Dad literally thinks kids playing Little League is on par with the opioid crisis? Thankfully Maxwell is a really common American surname and none of the kids have unusual first names so there's not an automatic link. Unless you happened onto the Titus2 site and noticed that Joe is smiling on the cover of the book about preparing sons to buy their homes in cash, you wouldn't necessarily connect them. 

[Bethy]

On 8/31/2023 at 5:05 PM, kpmom said:

The thing is, even when they all lived at home, the Maxwell’s did do some fun things. 
They gave each other gifts at Christmas and birthdays, had little parties, had picnics with games, drove around looking at Christmas lights in the neighborhood (ok, while listening to the the Bible on tape, but still), went to see a production of Handel’s Messiah several years in a row and went to dinner afterwards, went to drive through zoos, went out for meals or just coffee, played board games. 
 

I mean those are things most families do, religious or not. So, I’m not sure why he keeps yammering away at fun, when I could picture my own family enjoying doing some of  these things, especially when the kids were younger (definitely not the Bible on tape). 

Yes, but some of those were justified in different ways. Going to see the Messiah performed is literally scripture set to [non-offensive classical] music. The zoo trips probably got marked down as "field trips" for the homeschooling younguns. They used to specify that they tried to focus on practical gifts like clothing and Bible covers. Their what-some-might-call vacations were full of grueling 3AM marches that required months of physical training beforehand. Let's not forget when NR-Anna's family visited for the courtship/engagement trip and they spent a day polishing cupboards with the Hamiltons. And the picnics/games that the aunts did with the little kids was probably justified as "exercise" for the children, or "allowing their mom to rest" when she was perpetually pregnant. The coffee habit surprised me (especially given the family history with Teri and Pepsi) as did the one time they all built gingerbread houses. But most of the "fun" things they did had a distinctly practical component. 

[Hellothere]

It must be very sad, depressing and hard to live in that big empty house with Steve. Do grandkids and other family members even enjoy visiting there?   Wonderful for the girls' physical and emotional health for them to be out and living in more nurturing and upbeat environments (school, new home with spouse, etc.) where they can experience and learn new things.  Steve's version of "christianity"  is quite warped and makes me question his sanity. His maniacal writing and seeming distrust of all others outside of his nuclear family is certainly not healthy.  Surely people who subscribed to that newsletter he sends out have read it over the past couple years with increasing skepticism and surprise,  if not just deleting it entirely without a read through.  He turned off comments so can never know what people think or engage in any discussion with any regular readers that might be left.  

Teri gets to escape the house periodically by attending the church's Missions Ministry meetings - I wonder if she is involved in other church activities that give her a chance to interact with others?  My guess is that any non-church activities would not be allowed by Steve.  I can't imagine that with his narrow distorted view of the world and his religion that Steve participates in any church ministries or activities or even tries to make friends with other church members.  In addition to Teri, Sam & Mary, also Nathan's family actively volunteers with the church there in Leavenworth. But Grandpa does not! Weird. 

[Caroline]

On 9/1/2023 at 11:39 PM, Expectopatronus said:

My daughter and my niece both love the Bruce books by Ryan Higgins.

Ryan was one of my high school students many years ago. He was a great guy and was always drawing

I enjoy his books as well.

[Bethy]

11 minutes ago, Caroline said:

Ryan was one of my high school students many years ago. He was a great guy and was always drawing

I enjoy his books as well.

The Bruce books are some of my favorite children's books. They stand up to repeated readings without getting flat or boring. And the illustrations are *chef's kiss* Half the story is in the pictures. SO well-crafted. Jealous that you know him personally!

[Naga Viper]

47 minutes ago, Caroline said:

Ryan was one of my high school students many years ago. He was a great guy and was always drawing

I enjoy his books as well.

But how was his French? 😀

[Bethy]

11 hours ago, Hellothere said:

His maniacal writing and seeming distrust of all others outside of his nuclear family is certainly not healthy.  

This fact makes me wonder if the Maxwells had heavier ties to Gothard than they let on. There's a quote in Shiny Happy People that says, "Gothard turned every father into a cult leader and every home into an island." The Maxwells' obsession with modesty (pretty sure that airport "eye traps" activity is straight out of a Wisdom Booklet) and with Making Brothers And Sisters Best Friends align with Gothard's ideals, as does the House In Cash requirement (I mean, even Dave Ramsey allows for mortgages!) I forget which thread I read it in, but Gothard conferences apparently had a "reversal baby choir" so that was clearly something that would've been celebrated there in large numbers. Could Steve be coming unglued over the fact that that particular movement is starting to topple, and so he's grasping at any means he can think of to keep it alive?

[Botkinetti]

I think that Steve is realizing every day that he is increasingly irrelevant not just to the world at large but to his own family. He is a dour man trying desperately to convince everyone that nothing should be fun and no one is listening to him.
I’m sure most of his children are deciding for themselves how to live their lives and are simply not telling him how they spend their time because either they don’t want to hear his judgment or don’t care about it.

He lost control of them and has no idea how to regain it. Makes me happy.

[Caroline]

14 hours ago, Naga Viper said:

But how was his French? 😀

FERPA

[theologygeek]

In his new corner... The crazy man is publicly repenting for not handing out tracts.  He needs to publicly repent for making a living off selling the Gospel.  Everything in that house came from selling God's word.  Not cool in God's eyes, Steve.  You should have had a regular job and asked for donations if you would be doing that too.   

[anniebgood]

If I saw Steve coming towards me with paperwork, I'd think he was a process server and go the opposite direction. 

That corner, honestly I laughed when I read it. He's trying to be sincere but I doubt there's a sincere thought in his head. So he's been saved for 50 years and missed out on passing out tracts all of those years? What were they doing with their conventions and church visits? 

One question????? Were the missionary parents of the groom actively passing out tracts at their sons wedding to make sure the guests were properly evangelized? 

I guess I'm not Steve's target audience. 

[SPHASH]

Wait a minute wasn't Anna aka Lolly the Ass Clown passing out tracts at the county fair.  And didn't they get told to leave a parade for passing out tracts to the spectators?

Didn't they also pass out tracts to trick or treaters when Nathan was little, in fact he was so scared of a costume he went running to Mommy.

And in one of the Moody books the dad gives a tract to a pizza delivery guy.

Nathan also passed out tracts at the fair https://blog.titus2.com/2007/07/13/gospel-tracts/

Edited September 21, 2023 by SPHASH

[kpmom]

14 hours ago, SPHASH said:

Wait a minute wasn't Anna aka Lolly the Ass Clown passing out tracts at the county fair.  And didn't they get told to leave a parade for passing out tracts to the spectators?

Didn't they also pass out tracts to trick or treaters when Nathan was little, in fact he was so scared of a costume he went running to Mommy.

And in one of the Moody books the dad gives a tract to a pizza delivery guy.

Nathan also passed out tracts at the fair https://blog.titus2.com/2007/07/13/gospel-tracts

I believe it was another family we follow who was asked to leave a St. Patrick’s Day parade, but, yes, the Maxwells passed out tracts at the fair for many years  

And didn’t they leave those Million Dollar tracts for wait staff in restaurants?  Hopefully alongside a nice tip, but who knows  

I remember Sarah writing that she left some tracts somewhere in Home Depot and was so happy to see somebody reading one when she passed that area on her way out. 
 
I don’t know what Steve is talking about. And neither does he  I imagine. 

[anniebgood]

Something must have gone wrong with his sending program, I got a 2nd email from him Friday. I would have replied, but then he'd know I was female and not of the sex he'd want reading this tripe. I would have reminded him of the fair and other instances of tract delivering. 
Steve!!! You've got selective memory or you're forgetting things. Take the Prevagen and try again. 

[anniebgood]

He's getting lazy. One paragraph and then Bible verses. 

Perhaps seeing Sarah's bare shoulder in Chelsy's recap of her brother's wedding set him off. 

Life goes on and Steve stagnates.

[SPHASH]

New post up.  Steve wants his followers to fill out a survey.

[Red Hair, Black Dress]

Oh ....... I am soooooooo tempted to do that.