In chapter thirteen, Jonas talks to the Giver about choices. His community protects the people from wrong choices by making all of their choices for them. Life is predictable, but safe. Jonas relives memories of choices with bad results—pain, hunger, war. If given a choice between safety with no choices or freedom to choose with…

What do you  think of when you think of a shadow? Funny shapes? Long and skinny? Short and squatty? Eclipses? Creepy, scary shadows at night? In Texas, it gets very hot in the summer. Shade and shadow are good things because it’s cooler in the shade. It’s also darker. Look at Psalm 91:1 (NIV): He…

What is your favorite gift of all time? Think about who gave you the gift and why it was so special. Now, look at James 1:17 (NIV): Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” God is the giver of…

Last week, Jonas began his training as the new Receiver. The Giver transfers memories from the distant past to Jonas. He experiences color, snow, and hills. Will the memories change how Jonas views his own community? Join us this week as we read chapters thirteen through eighteen of Lois Lowry’s The Giver.

Did you enjoy this week’s reading? Lois Lowry gives many clues about Jonas’s community. We learn about Sameness: climate control, the absence of color, the same skin tone, flat land. Is this a good thing? What was sacrificed to achieve sameness? Would you be willing to make these sacrifices? Why? Differences can be great—colors, seasons, mountains…

Psalm 23 begins: “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want…” (NIV) “I shall not want” means I have everything I need because God, my shepherd, provides for me. To be “in want” means that you need something. For a long time, when I read: “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want…”, …

Have you ever opened your mouth only to have words spill out that you wish you could get back? Me too. The Bible compares our mouth to fire or a wild animal that can’t be tamed. Listen to what Solomon tells us in Proverbs 10:19: “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he…

The Ceremony of Twelve begins today as we read chapters seven through twelve of Lois Lowry’s The Giver. The Chief Elder selects Jonas for a special assignment, and the community honors Jonas above all the other twelves. What is the mysterious assignment and why was Jonas chosen? Look for ways Jonas’s community is different from…

What did you think of Jonas’s community? Would you like to live here? When I first read The Giver, I felt uneasy. This community is nothing like mine. To me, Jonas’s community is like a doctor’s office, cold and sterile. Did you notice the rules of the community? Word choice, hair ribbons, how to park your bike,…

We love a good swordfight at our house. With three boys, we have not only watched numerous swordfights (from movies like The Princess Bride, various Robin Hoods and Zorros,  and The Scarlet Pimpernel) but also have staged many of our own. Plastic and foam swords leave little damage, but the real thing—it can take your…