Periodical Reviews -- By: Anonymous

Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 149:593 (Jan 1992)
Article: Periodical Reviews
Author: Anonymous


Periodical Reviews

“Waking Up from the American Dream,” Dave Branon, Moody Monthly (September 1991): 28-30.

This article is part of a special report by Moody Monthly on the shape of today’s family. Branon explores how losing a job and incurring overwhelming expenses affected the lives of three Christian families.

The first family is Norm and Karen Scoles and their two children. Norm loved teaching school but gave it up because of the stress of keeping up with all the many details that accompanied the job. He moved to another position but experienced much the same problem with the result that he gave up that job as well. After a series of part-time jobs, he was diagnosed as having attention deficit disorder (ADD), which proved to be the cause of his many problems on the job.

Through it all, the Scoles had to give up the American dream. They barely had enough to live on. Yet they have learned to put their trust in God, not the American dream. As they brought all their needs to the throne of God’s grace, He supernaturally supplied their physical needs at just the right time.

The second family is Richard and Vicki Huffman and their children, Cole, a college senior, and Christa, a high school student. Richard did not move from job to job as did Norm Scoles. He was let go from his job as the manager of a clothing manufacturing plant. Basically the Huffmans knew they needed to trust God for their circumstances. They had been teaching this to their children for years. However, they had never been in this situation before. Vicki writes, “Suddenly, we had no income. We even had an unsecured bank loan. It was frightening to think that if we don’t get a job, we are not going to pay the bills.”

In His own sovereign timing, God eventually supplied Richard with another job. This meant that the family had to move to another state. What did God teach them through this situation? Richard and Vicki already knew

all the answers and so did their kids. They were well aware that their true source of strength was God and not themselves. The question was, Would they practice what they had taught their kids for all those years? The kids were watching Mom and Dad. Would they fall to pieces or would they trust God for their circumstances? To do the former would mean that their children could not trust what Richard and Vicki had taught them about God. They passed the test, but not without experiencing fear and a strained family relationship.

The third family is Rick and Judy Wattman and their infant child. Rick was a managing editor and writer for a Southern California advertising agency. Like Richard Huffman, he lost...

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