BestWords Blog

2011-10-27T12:28:00.004-05:00

Remembering Nonna

As a fiction author, people often ask me where the inspiration for my stories comes from. I love to write about women who struggle, who overcome adversity through grace, whose lives are transformed by an encounter with the living God—imperfect people on a journey to being made perfect by Christ, though their circumstances may not change. The characters in my books, so far, have come from my imagination. But one day I will write the compelling story of one such person who was very real in my life—my Nonna.

My maternal grandmother Pierina, celebrating in heaven, has been with Jesus for fifty years this month (on Halloween.) She was a true survivor—a woman who experienced being left behind when, as a young bride, her husband sailed for America seeking a better life for his family. After his leaving, she gave birth for the first time, and then endured a tragic mishap in which her beautiful firstborn infant was severely burned. She travelled across the sea to an unknown place with only her scarred daughter at her side. In her new home she faced a life of religious persecution, as well as long-term personal illness. Yet she was a woman whose devotion to the Lord never wavered.

One of the joys of my life is visiting the little northern Italian village, nestled among olive groves high up in the Apennine Mountains, where my maternal grandparents were born, grew up, and married before emigrating to America. A short lane connects their two families’ farmhouses. In between them stands a small, vacant vine-clad house of ancient, mellowed stone where my grandparents lived as newlyweds. How full my heart felt as I first walked over that threshold! I pictured them as a young couple in the first blush of matrimony, with all their hopes and dreams…before their brave, separate journey across a wide ocean to a strange land where all was unknown. Within those aged walls, did they speak of their fears as they prepared to leave their homeland, certain they’d never see their parents again? What kind of courage did that require? What words did they use to comfort and reassure one another? I wondered. I could see, in my mind’s eye, my grandmother stirring a pot of freshly handmade pasta as my grandfather stoked the fire—their last meal together before parting. I could even hear the crackling of the firewood, smell the slight woodsmoke…

But life for my grandmother would be much different than that idyllic picture. After stepping on American soil at Ellis Island in 1923, she would make her way, pioneer-like, to the Chicago area, joining her husband and settling in among extended family. A mother of three daughters, life during the Great Depression would be difficult. She would be invited to a prayer meeting in the home of a friend, where she would be introduced to a new spiritual reality, discovering a life she’d never thought possible, through a dynamic, personal relationship with Christ. The joy of the Lord she would know would come at a great price: being ostracized by her family of a different faith. She humbly poured out her love on them and on my unbelieving grandfather, even though her prayer time would have to be done behind the locked bathroom door, her devoted study of God’s word secretly enjoyed in the coal cellar, threatened when her Bible was burned repeatedly, her church attendance in clandestine fashion. A medical mistake meant she would suffer physically for the rest of her life. Yet—yet—she knew the inexplicable peace of God, and was a bold witness and shining example of a godly woman who clung to her faith despite great adversity. She shared what little she had, feeding homeless strangers as she told them how much Jesus loved them.

Years later, after becoming a widow, she lived with my family until her death. My early childhood memories of Nonna are colored with hearing her fervent prayers for the least and the lost during her daily devotion time—always in Italian, always out loud, now—and her singing worship choruses in that lovely language. These images remain with me, along with a few rustic artifacts, which I was delighted to bring back with me from my visits to that little stone house on the family farm in Italy. Now I treasure and display them in my own home, because they connect me with that place and time. My grandmother’s Italian Bible sits on my desk. But what I treasure most is my rich spiritual heritage from Nonna, the first Christ-follower in my lineage. I envision her now, in heaven singing with the angels…

Come bello camminare/con Gesu, nostro signore...

“How beautiful to walk with Jesus, our Savior…”

There was much that was not beautiful in Nonna’s life, but her profound joy despite her circumstances continues to inspire me. I have come to realize that, here at my keyboard, she is a part of everything I write. My desire to tell the redemption story in my books is a fruit of her legacy in me. Perhaps, because of what she endured, I am more deeply touched by the plight of the countless women across the globe who live in fear and bondage. Perhaps, by God's grace, as I strive to make known their plight, as I work to expand the feminine voice with my words, Nonna's soft voice, in her small circle of influence, can become louder and larger in me. The strength of her walk lets me know that I can be strong, her courage shows me I can be bold. How she lived encourages me to try to live in that same kind of faithfulness to God through the struggles of my life, reflecting the love of Jesus, to give like He gave, to be a woman of the Word even when it’s challenging. To relentlessly pursue a godliness that will spill over into my writing, telling the beauty of walking with Jesus, even when life is hard.

100 Most Beautiful Words

emollient
A softener.

encomium
A spoken or written work in praise of someone.

ephemeral
Short-lived.

epicure
A person who enjoys fine living, especially food and drink.

epiphany
A sudden revelation.

Quotes

“Life is not a straight line leading from one blessing to the next and then finally to heaven. Life is a winding and troubled road. Switchback after switchback. And the point of biblical stories like Joseph and Job and Esther and Ruth is to help us feel in our bones (not just know in our heads) that God is for us in all these strange turns. God is not just showing up after the trouble and cleaning it up. He is plotting the course and managing the troubles with far-reaching purposes for our good and for the glory of Jesus Christ.”

— John Piper

"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others."

—Pericles

"Relying on God has to start all over everyday, as if nothing has yet been done."

—C.S.Lewis

"Your walk with God does not depend on people, places, things or events."

—Dr. Henry Brandt

"Humility is perfect quietness of heart, It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord, where I can go in and shut the door, and kneel to my Father in secret, and am at peace as in a deep sea of calmness, when all around and above is trouble."

— Andrew Murray

Book Review: Grumble Hallelujah:
Learning to love your life even when it lets you down

Caryn Rivadeneira (Tyndale House)

From the cover:

"This is not how my life was supposed to be."
If you had told Caryn Dahlstrand Rivadeneira while she was crying on the kitchen floor that she could find a way to praise God in this situation, she wouldn't have believed you. In fact, she might have thrown something at you. Looking around at a life that was disappointingly different from what she'd dreamed, she couldn't imagine honestly singing out a hallelujah. But the it occurred to her that...well, maybe she could grumble one.
Have you been there? During life's lowest moments, it is so tempting to blame ourselves, our circumstances, or God. But what would happen if we turned to God with praise instead, in whatever way we could? Might he help us find the things in our lives that he made to be loved?
If you're desperate for hope, relief, and perspective form a friend who understands your struggle, Grumble Hallelujah offers humor, candid stories, and solid scriptural backing that will help you see clearly just how your life is meant to be lived—and loved.

I must confess that I been dismayed at the way authenticity is sometimes lacking in Christian community. We all know that everyone "has stuff" but somehow we've bought into the message that it's not okay to express ourselves in our struggles, that doing so makes us somehow less spiritual. In this book, the author, with great insight and humor, gets real, and shows us how, within our struggles over disappointment at life's unexpected twists and turns, we can still find a way towards transformation and spiritual growth. She does this with very practical steps on how to let go of the things that deter us from moving forward. There are helpful questions for reflection and discussion at the end of each chapter. I was especially impacted by the chapters on grieving our losses, living satisfied, and letting go of the things that hold you down. Some important quotes:

"If we can't exhibit the depths of pain, neither can we fully share the heights of our joy."

"More often than not, the junk that holds us back and keeps us stuck is our desire to be in control and our own fear."

"We need to be willing to let go of what's supposed to be and grab hold of what God has in store."

We all live with disappointment, and there are countless treasures to be mined here for wherever you are in the process of "getting real" about it—all backed up by scripture and illuminating stories. I found this book to be deep, refreshing, hopeful and helpful, and I highly recommend it—both for individuals as well as to work through in a small group.

A Gaggle of Geese

2011-09-30T12:05:00.020-05:00

It’s that time of year—in the Midwest, at least—when the amazing happens: the Canada geese make their annual trek to the warmth of the south for the winter, passing through on their way. I am always awestruck at this God-given impetus within them as I see a gaggle flying, in tight V-formation, against a clear blue autumn sky. What is it that triggers their need to get going? As the leaves begin to fall, and the wind cools, does God whisper in their ears of the shortening days?
There’s a lovely little pond behind our home, and it seems it’s become a popular wayside inn for a number of our feathered friends each year. I love hearing their earnest honking, sometimes in the middle of a foggy night—their plaintive, somewhat melancholy sound matching the plaintive, melancholy feelings in my soul upon having to say goodbye to another summer, not able to fly south, like they do, to escape the coming grey days of the winter cold.

With this increased seasonal population of geese, it’s not at all unusual to have to hit the brakes for a group of them as they make a valiant march across any number of local roadways. It’s not so bad on a side street in town at 30 miles per hour, but alarming on a 4-lane highway outside of town that cuts across the prairies where they graze, at 55 or 60. It would be almost comical, the way they take their time—waddling and then pausing to crane their necks, webbed feet on dirty pavement, unhurried, totally unaware of my hurriedness in getting somewhere—if it wasn’t so precarious for them. I hold my breath as cars from the opposite direction speed toward their graceful bodies. Will the drivers see them and stop in time? Unfazed by the squealing tires, they purposefully cross in single file, as the line of traffic builds in both directions...

So I’m sitting in my car, tapping my fingers on the steering wheel with a bit of impatience, and I say out loud, as if they can hear me, “But you can fly ! Instead of risking your lives, you can easily glide above the road, out of danger! Use the wings God gave you!”

And in that moment, I am stunned by this thought: Isn’t that so like me. How often I don’t use the wings God gave me, stubbornly tethered to the earthly, bent on doing it my own way (which inevitably ends up being the more perilous, precarious way) even when I know His ways are higher than my ways, even when he's proven this to me over and over. I trudge along my road through the danger, toil and snare du jour, often coming at me from both directions, mostly on my own steam. Slogging through, sometimes joyless, with gritted teeth, to get to the other side. This, when my powerful God has equipped me with everything I need to soar, to mount up with wings as eagles in a clean, clear, wide open sky, and do it the heaven way. His way. The far superior way. The way of joy.

Which is followed by another stunning thought: Isn’t it so like God, who is not tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, who is not impatient with me, as he looks on while I waddle along on the low road for a season, when I could be flying. How beautiful is his long-suffering, how he waits, waits for me to use all he’s given me to live victoriously in this life, being all he has designed me to be in Christ. To let go of, rather than hang onto, the things that weigh me down. To rise above. He lovingly watches, allowing me to learn from my mistakes, only encouraging, with no condemnation.

Dear God, please whisper in my ear about the shortening days, and let me fly, O Lord, let me fly.

100 Most Beautiful Words

ebullient

Bubbling with enthusiasm.

effervescent

Bubbly.

efflorescence

Flowering, the opening of buds or a bloom.

elixir

A good potion.

Quotes

It is the consciousness of the threefold joy of the Lord, His joy in ransoming us, His joy in dwelling within us as our Saviour and Power for fruitbearing and His joy in possessing us, as His Bride and His delight; it is the consciousness of this joy which is our real strength. Our joy in Him may be a fluctuating thing: His joy in us knows no change.

James Hudson Taylor

If you don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is no because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Your soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great.

John Piper

When you find that weariness depresses or amusement distracts you, you will calmly turn with an untroubled spirit to your Heavenly Father, who is always holding out His arms to you. You will look to Him for gladness and refreshment when depressed, for moderation and recollection when in good spirits, and you will find that He will never leave you to want. A trustful glance, a silent movement of the heart towards Him will renew your strength; and though you may often feel as if your soul were downcast and numb, whatever God calls you to do, He will give you power and courage to perform. Our Heavenly Father, so far from ever overlooking us, is only waiting to find our hearts open, to pour into them the torrents of His grace.

Francois Fenelon

If you want your own way, God will let you have it. Hell is the enjoyment of one's own way forever.

Dorothy Sayers

The moment we make up our minds that we are going on with this determination to exalt God overall, we step out of the world's parade... We acquire a new viewpoint; a new and different psychology will be formed within us; a new power will begin to surprise us by its upsurgings and its outgoings.

A.W. Tozer

Book Review: Abundant Life Day Book: 365 Blessings to Begin Your Day

Nancy Guthrie

From the back cover: "Over 365 days these readings will take you through the Bible, inviting you to savor the abundant goodness God intends for you to experience and enjoy through Christ. Each day you'll be reminded of yet another way God has loved you and will still be loving you into eternity."

This devotional is my new favorite. It is written as if it is God who is speaking, so it is very intimate and personal, using a scripture as its focus each day, and ending with a prayer. Nancy Guthrie writes with great depth and feeling. An excerpt:

So many people have made promises to you and let you down. So many opportunities have held out promise to you and have left you disappointed. So it makes sense that you might wonder if I will ultimately disappoint you. But I am wholly other. Every promise I have made, I will keep. Every longing channeled toward me, I will satisfy. Every sorrow entrusted to me, I will redeem. I will not disappoint you in the end. I'm not suggesting that you will never feel disappointment in this life, but I want to use your disappointment in the here and now to cause you to sink in the anchor of your life deeper into the hope of heaven.

I have found great encouragement in these pages. I highly recommend it!

Bestwords Blog

2010-03-20T12:42:00.007-05:00

100 Most Beautiful Words

desuetude
Disuse.
diaphanous
Filmy.
diffuse
Spread out, not focused or concentrated
dulcet
Sweet, sugary.

Reflections on Lent: Dennis Bratcher

Lent is a way to place ourselves before God humbled, bringing in our hands no price whereby we can ourselves purchase our salvation. It is a way to confess our total inadequacy before God, to strip ourselves bare of all pretenses to righteousness, to come before God in dust and ashes. It is a way to empty ourselves of our false pride, of our rationalizations that prevent us from seeing ourselves as needy creature, of our "perfectionist" tendencies that blind us to the beam in our own eyes. Through prayer that gives up self, we seek to open ourselves up before God, and to hear anew the call "Come unto me!" We seek to recognize and respond afresh to God’s presence in our lives and in our world. We seek to place our needs, our fears, our failures, our hopes, our very lives in God’s hands, again. And we seek by abandoning ourselves in Jesus’ death to recognize again who God is, to allow His transforming grace to work in us once more, and to come to worship Him on Easter Sunday with a fresh victory and hope that goes beyond the new clothes, the Spring flowers, the happy music.
But it begins in ashes. And it journeys though darkness. It is a spiritual pilgrimage that I am convinced we must make one way or the other for genuine spiritual renewal to come. I have heard the passage in 2 Chronicles 7:14 quoted a lot: ". . .if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." This usually is quoted in the context of wanting revival or renewal in the church, and the prayer is interpreted as intercessory prayer for others. But a careful reading of the passage will reveal that the prayer that is called for here is not intercessory prayer for others; it is penitential prayer for the faith community, for us. It is not to call for others to repent; it is a call for us, God’s people, to repent. It is our land that needs healed, it is our wicked ways from which we need to turn, we are the ones who need to seek God’s face.

Perhaps during the Lenten season we should stop praying for others as if we were virtuous enough to do so. Perhaps we should take off our righteous robes just long enough during these 40 days to put ashes on our own heads, to come before God with a new humility that is willing to confess, "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner." Maybe we should be willing to prostrate ourselves before God and plead, "Lord, in my hand no price I bring; simply to the cross I cling." That might put us in a position to hear God in ways that we have not heard Him in a long time. And it may be the beginning of a healing for which we have so longed.

O Lord, begin with me. Here. Now.

Receiving Forgiveness: Ruth Haley Barton

“While the truth that we cannot escape God’s all-seeing eye may weigh us down at times, it is finally the only remedy for our uneasiness...Only under God’s steady gaze of love are we able to find the healing and restoration we so desperately need.”

Marjorie Thompson, Soulfeast

Confession is good for the soul because it opens us to the extraordinary experience of being forgiven. All of the lectionary passages for this week affirm the joy of forgiveness and the excitement of new beginnings as part of our Lenten journey.

The Gospel reading, in particular (Luke 15:11-32), records Jesus’ powerful parable in which the prodigal son returns home radically humbled, seeking forgiveness, and finds himself in the middle of a party—not a birthday party or a wedding party or a retirement party but a forgiveness party! He discovered what we all have the opportunity to discover—that while the “godly grief that leads to repentance” is real, confession does not ultimately lead us to shame or obsession with our sin; rather it leads to the experience of cleansing and release. You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free, Jesus.

Lenten Quotes

Oswald Chambers:

It is not repentance that saves me; repentance is the sign that I realise what God has done in Christ Jesus.

Sinful men and women can be changed into new creatures by the marvellous work of God in Christ Jesus, which is prior to all experience.

Martin Luther:

There is no justification without sanctification, no forgiveness without renewal of life, no real faith from which the fruits of new obedience do not grow.

Lord Jesus,
You are my righteousness,
I am your sin.

You took on you what was mine;
yet set on me what was yours.

You became what you were not,
that I might become what I was not.

Jean P.F. Richter:

Humanity is never so beautiful as when praying for forgiveness, or else forgiving one another.

Frederick Buechner:

Romantic love is blind to everything except what is lovable and lovely, but Christ’s love sees us with terrible clarity and sees us whole. Christ’s love so wishes our joy that it is ruthless against everything in us that diminishes our joy. The worst sentence Love can pass is that we behold the suffering which Love has endured for our sake, and that is also our acquittal. The justice and mercy of the judge are ultimately one.

Francois Fenelon:

When you find that weariness depresses or amusement distracts you, you will calmly turn with an untroubled spirit to your Heavenly Father, who is always holding out His arms to you. You will look to Him for gladness and refreshment when depressed, for moderation and recollection when in good spirits, and you will find that He will never leave you to want. A trustful glance, a silent movement of the heart towards Him will renew your strength; and though you may often feel as if your soul were downcast and numb, whatever God calls you to do, He will give you power and courage to perform. Our Heavenly Father, so far from ever overlooking us, is only waiting to find our hearts open, to pour into them the torrents of His grace.

Rain at Winter's End
Ruth Haley Barton

‟Look, a little cloud no bigger than a person's hand
is rising out of the sea!″
~I Kings 18:44

I love the way the rain comes at winter's end
     to hose down the sooty earth,
          and wash away the dirt that comes from who-knows-where.
Oh God,
I need a cleansing rain in my life,
     dirty as I am with the grit and grime of these dark years.
My heart is hard and crusty
    like patches of old snow in the yard,
            my life littered with trash I don't recognize
                             and dead, brown grass where it used to be so green.
Today I would settle for a little cloud
    no bigger than a person's hand
            far off in the distance
                 rising out of the sea of this disillusionment.
Today, if I saw such a cloud
     I would run like Elijah--
            loins girded,
                 strengthened by the hand of the Lord
                        in hopes that I could be there when the deluge came.
Warm rain
            Softening the hardness of my heart
                        Washing away the pain
                                    Enlivening this dead earth.
Today, if I saw even a hint of such a cloud,
            I would lay myself down upon the earth
                        and bow my heart low
Waiting for the miracle that would signal the changing of the season
            the end of this drought
                        the coming of spring
                                    in the winter of my heart.

Whoever wishes to be my follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day, and follow in my steps.
Luke 9:23

Go and learn what the Scriptures mean when they say, `Instead of offering sacrifices to me, I want you to be merciful to others.' I didn't come to invite good people to be my followers. I came to invite sinners.

Matthew 9:13

God's kindness leads you toward repentance.
Romans 2:4

Bestwords Blog

2010-03-04T14:23:00.008-06:00

100 Most Beautiful Words

colporteur
A book peddlar.
conflate
To blend together; to combine different things.
cynosure
A focal point of admiration.

Reflections: On Creation

G. K Chesterton (England/1874-1936)
"Perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, 'Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that he makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never gotten tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned, and grown old, and our Father is younger than we. The repetition in Nature may not be a mere recurrence; it may be a theatrical encore."

George Appleton (England/1902-1993)
Glory to you, O God, Creator and Father,
for the universe in which we live,
and for men made in your own image.
Glory to you, O Christ,
who took a human body
and redeemed our fallen nature.
Glory to you, O Holy Spirit,
who made our bodies
the temple of your presence.
Glory to Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
whose will it is that we should be made whole
in body, mind and psirit.
Glory to God to all eternity.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (France/1881-1955)
"Our duty, as men and women is to proceed as if limits to our ability did not exist: We are collaborators in creation."

From Spoken Worship, by Gerard Kelly (Zondervan, 2007)

Fit me in somewhere
in this giant jigsaw, God,

somewhere in this work of art.

You're working,

select a space my shape can fill

and with a puzzle maker's skill

let my contours find their fit without contortion.

Evidences of a Creator, by Regis Nicoll

It is said that if you really want to know an artist, don’t read his biography, study his art. Whether it is a painting, drawing, or sculpture artwork says something not only about its subject, but its creator as well.

In the beginning was the Word. (John 1:1)

In a recent episode of Antiques Roadshow, a furniture expert was presented a rather unexceptional-looking table. I’m no carpenter, much less an accomplished woodworker, but the table struck me as something I could put together in an afternoon in my workshop.

The piece was unimpressively simple with no decorative embellishments and no maker’s mark; yet the expert identified it, on the spot, as the work of George Nakashima, an innovative furniture maker of the last century. Cradled in that unadorned, unmarked piece of wood was information sufficient to identify the craftsman with the certainty of a DNA analysis. I was duly impressed.

The universe is also a crafted work and, as scientists have plumbed its depths and probed its expanse, they have marveled at its information-richness.

From the eerie behavior of subatomic particles, communicating instantly over galactic distances, to the biological software of cellular machinery, to the host of delicately balanced parameters that govern the cosmos, information, as scientists are coming to learn, is the fundamental ingredient of the universe. Physicist John Archibald Wheeler once put it this way, “Every physical quantity derives its ultimate significance from bits, binary yes-or-no indications.” In computer-ese, that’s information.

Paradoxically, the fundamental ingredient of the material world is not material. While its transmission depends on material means—sound waves, electromagnetic signals, ink and paper, photographic images, and the like—information itself neither consists, nor is a product of, matter.

Consider the cells of our body. During the course of a normal life span, every cell in the body, including the brain, is replaced many times over. The molecules that make up our bodies are undergoing constant change and, yet, those changes have no commensurate effect on the instructions that govern cell activity, or our personal library of knowledge, memories, beliefs and aspirations.

The existence of information is evidence that reality is more than matter moving under the influence of physical forces. At the root of nature is order, an order we neither invented nor imposed. So where did it come from?

In the beginning

When John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word,” he was revealing something elementary about the Creator and his creation: God is a communicator whose handiwork, like the Nakashima table, contains no artist stamp, but teems with information made intelligible through words.

We think in terms of words. We process our feelings with words. Words are information carriers that, when governed by rules of vocabulary and grammar, form language, the organizing structure of information. Words and language are in-built into creation itself. As the Psalmist writes,

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hand. Day after day they pour forthspeech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all of the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

The logocentric creation reflects its logocentric Creator who, with three words, “Let there be,” filled the void and turned chaos into cosmos, giving form and order to what was formless, making it intelligible. He is no ADD-afflicted deity who begets and forgets as He moves on to other divine amusements. Instead, with three more words, “Let us make,” He fashions a pair of intelligent beings to tend His creation and enjoy fellowship with Him.

Like the rest of creation, the proto-couple come factory-equipped with language. No sooner are they formed from the dust of the earth, than Adam and Eve are given instructions and, from the get-go, they get it! Not only do they understand God's utterances, they understand how those utterances relate to their earthly home and their moral duties—they recognize and make sense of relationships. More on that in a moment.

Adam proceeds to apply his inboard lexicon in naming the flora and fauna, as Eve uses her language skills in the epictete-a-tete with the Serpent. All this, mind you, without ever having had to diagram a sentence, memorize a vocab list, or endure a course in earth science.

The story of Genesis opens with the Creator creating an intelligible world with intelligent beings endowed with a tool, language, enabling them to apprehend, communicate and use information.

Relationships galore

Language presupposes relationships—true and knowable correlations between objects and subjects, causes and effects, sensory inputs and human perceptions, man and his environment, matter and energy, forces and the objects they affect. The arresting successes of science and the practical utility of mathematics confirm that there is congruence between what is, and what can be known. Real and cognizable relationships make our universe comprehensible.

That realization has provoked comments from the palace guard of scientism that would peg-out any “baloney detector” within shouting distance. Consider this from Princeton physicist and Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg: "The more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless."

Comprehensibility suggests point-less-ness? To the contrary; comprehensibility is evidence of point-ed-ness—purpose, goals, ends. For example, gravitational effects point to the purpose of objects to follow the contours of spacetime, quantum behaviors point to the purpose of matter stability, and DNA coding instructions point to the purpose of cell manufacturing and repair. Teleology forms the warp and woof of the universe.

Dr. Weinberg is flummoxed to explain how all this teleology came about from a non-intelligent process; so it is “pointless.” This is an uneasy Article of Faith that he has to accept if he’s to keep divine fingers off the machine.

A divine gift

The pre-eminent relationship presupposed by language is that between creation and Creator. As intelligent design theorist William Dembski writes, “Human language is a divine gift for helping us to understand the world and by understanding the world to understand God himself.”

Language enables intelligent beings to say intelligent things about the intelligible world they inhabit; it points to an immaterial reality, and a Source of intelligence who desires to be known. Human knowledge is not confined to the Kantian sensible world; humans can know and say meaningful things about the super-sensible world, as well. In this unified schema of reality, the knowledge-building power of language is immense, as was evident at the dawn of civilization.

From language to tongues

Within a few generations of the Flood, a universal language enabled the descendents of Noah to build the World Trade Center of Babylonia. Aiming to “make a name” for themselves, they laid the foundations of a skyscrapered-megalopolis in the plain of Shinar. The enterprise was a double affront to God. Not only were they shirking God’s command to “fill the earth,” their monolithic tower was a bid to achieve divine-like status through human effort.

The divine response was quick and effective. The language God had given Adam and Eve was atomized into a multitude of “tongues,” thwarting communication and putting an end to the ambitious urban project. Thus began a deepening of the alienation man had experienced with the Fall.

With no common language, mankind was forced into tongue-centered enclaves. Enclaves became cultures that, over time, became increasingly isolated from each other with their own set of social customs, conventions, and values. Within each culture, language, which had created culture, was being changed by culture. Still under the conviction that truth existed and could be apprehended through language, new words, and new meanings to old words, were introduced reflecting changes in cultural needs, attitudes and beliefs.

But the malleability of language and the relativization of truth gradually led to the denial of language as a carrier of meaning. According to the late deconstructionist Jacques Derrida, a linguistic expression is nothing more than a string of characters with no fixed truth content or relevance. Ironically, Derrida, and his fellow deconstructionists, spent decades writing libraries of books and essays, filled with, uh, language, to educate the logocentric masses with the “truth content” of their philosophy.

From Eden to the philosophy wing of modern universities, language is a gift that ever points to the Giver. The Lord of Hosts is also the Lord of language, whose gift is given that we may have fellowship with Him and, in fellowship, know Him.

Regis Nicoll is a freelance writer and a BreakPoint Centurion. His "All Things Examined" column appears on BreakPoint every other Friday. Serving as a men’s ministry leader and worldview teacher in his community, Regis publishes a free weekly commentary to stimulate thought on current issues from a Christian perspective. To be placed on this free e-mail distribution list, e-mail him at: centurion51@aol.com.

Romans 1:20
Since the earliest times men have seen the earth and sky and all God made and have known of his existence and great eternal power so they will have no excuse when they stand before God at judgement day.

Psalm 136:5-6
Give thanks to him, who made the heavens so skillfully.
His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who placed the earth among the waters.
His faithful love endures forever.

Book Review: The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

From the cover:

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.
By her brother’s graveside, Liesel Meminger’s life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Grave Digger’s Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordion-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor’s wife’s library, wherever there are books to be found.
But these are dangerous times. When Liesel’s foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel’s world is both opened up and closed down.
In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.
My review:
This is one of the most unique books I’ve read. Both in writing style and format, it sets itself apart from page 1. To begin with, the narrator is Death. One review sums it up as follows:

Death recounts all this most dispassionately—you can tell he almost hates to be involved. His language is spare but evocative, and he’s fond of emphasizing points with bold type and centered pronouncements, just to make sure you get them (how almost endearing that is, that Death fells a need to emphasize anything.) “A NICE THOUGHT,” Death will suddenly announce, or “A KEY WORD.” He’s also full of deft descriptions: ”Pimples were gathered in peer groups on his face.”
Death, like Liesel, has a way with words. And he recognizes them not only for the good they can do, but for the evil as well. What would Hitler have been, after all, without words? As this book reminds us, what would any of us be?
The narrative is completely absorbing, both triumphant and tragic, with a richly-described setting and vivid historical detail. It is a very intimate glimpse into the wartime lives of ordinary people in a small German town, struggling with the frightening changes in their everyday lives and in the world swirling around them. With a cast of interesting and well-developed characters, there is wry humor and sadness, both in the relationships and in the circumstances in which they find themselves. It is compassionately written and filled with very touching moments that will move you and remain with you. One particularly poignant passage:
Those first few months were definitely the hardest.
Every night, Liesel would nightmare.
Her brother’s face.
Staring at the floor.
She would wake up swimming in her bed, screaming,and drowning in the flood of sheets. On the other side of the room, the bed that was meant for her brother floated boatlike in the darkness. Slowly, with the arrival of consciousness, it sank, seemingly into the floor. This vision didn’t help matters, and it would usually be quite a while before the screaming stopped.
Possibly the only good to come out of the nightmares was that it brought Hans Hubermann, her new papa, into the room, to soothe her, to love her.
He came in every night and sat with her. The first couple of times, he simply stayed—a stranger to kill the aloneness. A few nights after that, he whispered, “Shhh, I’m here, it’s all right.” After three weeks, he held her. Trust was accumulated quickly, due primarily to the brute strength of the man’s gentleness, his thereness. The girl knew from the outset that Hans Hubermann would always appear midscream, and he would not leave.
* * * A DEFINITION NOT FOUND IN THE DICTIONARY * * *
Not leaving: an act of trust and love, often deciphered by children

To add an additional layer to the story, it is apparently based on the true story of the author’s grandmother. This is a must-read, a book that stands out on my list of favorites. I am wondering at it being classified as a young adult book, because I would never have thought it to be so, and would stress that it most certainly deserves the attention of adult readers. I highly recommend it. An exceptionally great choice for a book club discussion, our group talked about it for hours and everyone was equally enamored with both the writing and the story. It has won numerous awards. I only wonder why the Pulitzer isn’t included in that list.

Best Words Blog

2010-01-13T13:23:00.000-06:00

100 Most Beautiful Words

chatoyant
Like a cat's eye.
chairoscuro
The arrangement of dark and light elements in a picture.
cockle
A heart-shaped bivalve or a garden flower.

Reflections on Amazing Grace
Charles Colson/Breakpoint

At the end of December 1772, an Anglican priest in the poor parish of Olney worked by candlelight on his New Year’s Day sermon. He would preach on the text of 1 Chronicles 17, verses 16 and 17.

That passage was David’s response to God after Nathan informed him that his descendants would be enthroned forever as kings of Israel. David, the once poor shepherd boy, the man who had repented of adultery and murder, responded to the news by saying, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me thus far?”

That pastor was John Newton, and those words struck a deep chord in his heart.

In those last days of 1772, Newton found himself running out of empty pages in his journal, a bound book of 300 pages holding 16 years worth of entries. As he came to finish that journal and start another, his mind was drawn to the pages of his past—the story of his life from his days as an unregenerate slave-trader to becoming a child of God.

Newton would have remembered when his rebellious spirit got him thrown off numerous ships, publicly flogged, and ousted from His Majesty’s Navy. He would have remembered the shipwrecks and the mutinies -- and then the transformation of his heart by the power of the Gospel. As Newton considered those days gone by, he would have asked as David did, “Who am I, O Lord...that you have brought me this far?”

As was his habit, Newton set to work composing a hymn to illustrate his New Year’s Day sermon. In that hymn, he would tell his poor congregation of lace-makers and low-paid artisans about the dangers and snares he had faced. He would reflect on the amazing grace that had saved a wretch like him.

Those now-famous words of “Amazing Grace,” first sung in the small parish of Olney on New Year’s Day, 1773, lingered in obscurity for many years. Even as Newton counseled the young William Wilberforce and encouraged him to stay the course in the long battle against the slave trade, the words to “Amazing Grace” were little sung in England. But the Olney hymnal, later published by Newton, caught on in the Americas.

The words of “Amazing Grace” would surface again some 80 years later in a book that would change the course of this nation, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. In it, the slave, Tom, at his lowest point, sings the words of “Amazing Grace.” Two verses hardly sung today were sung by Tom: “And when this mortal life shall fail/ And flesh and sense shall cease,/ I shall possess within the veil,/ A life of joy and peace.” These words of the ultimate hope in God, even in the face of deep injustice, forever entwined the words of “Amazing Grace” with the plight of the slaves.

But it all began in that dark little study in the waning days of a year gone by, when one man took the time to reflect on God’s goodness to him.

This New Year’s Day we would all do well to pay tribute to Newton by imitating his gratitude to God and his heart for the lost. We would do well also to set aside some time to reflect on what God has done in our lives -- how He has delivered us from slavery to sin. And we would do well to consider how we, in this new year of 2010, can sing God’s praise with our lips and with our lives.

Amazing Grace

Amazing grace!

How sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found;

Was blind, but now I see.

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears relieved;

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares,

I have already come;

‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,

His word my hope secures;

He will my shield and portion be,

As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,

And mortal life shall cease,

I shall possess, within the veil,

A life of joy and peace.

The world shall soon dissolve like snow,

The sun refuse to shine;

But God, who called me here below,

Shall be forever mine.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun,

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

Than when we’ve first begun.

Quotes on Grace

A.W. Tozer:

"Grace is the good pleasure of God that inclines him to bestow benefits upon the undeserving. It is a self-existent principle inherent in the divine nature and appears to us as a self-caused propensity to pity to wretched, spare the guilty, welcome the outcast, and bring into favor those who were born before under just disapprobation. Its use to us sinful men is to save us and make us sit together in the heavenly places to demonstrate to the ages the exceeding riches of God's kindness to us in Christ Jesus."

"Abounding sin is the terror of the world, but abounding grade is the hope of mankind."

Nancy Spiegelberg:

"Lord, I crawled across the barrenness to you with my empty cup, uncertain in asking any small drop of refreshment. If only I had known you better, I'd have come running with a bucket."

Erwin W. Lutzer:

"When the mask of self-righteousness has been torn from us and we are stripped of all our accustomed defenses, we are candidates for God's generous grace."

Yusufu Turaki:
"What a contrast between God's character and ours! While human beings are disobedient and rebellious, God is gracious, merciful and loving."

Ephesians 2:4—9

Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by Grace you have been saved.

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

2009-12-23T10:32:00.002-06:00

A GATHERING FOR CHRISTMAS

Meditation: Peter Abelard (France/1079-1142)

"The purpose and cause of the Incarnatiion ws that He might illuminate the world by His wisdom, and excite it to the love of Himself."

Nativity Prayer: Augustine of Hippo (Algeria/354-430)

Let the just rejoice,
For their justifier is born.
Let the sick and infirm rejoice,
For the Saviour is born.
Let the captives rejoice,
For their Redeemer is born.
Let the slaves rejoice,
For their Master is born.
Let free men rejoice,
For their Liberator is born.
Let all Christians rejoice,
For Jesus Christ is born.

Reflection: Thomas Aquinas

"Salvation, which was to be accomplished by Christ, concerns all sorts and conditions of men; because, as it is written, in Christ 'there is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female'...and so forth (Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11). And, in order that this might be foreshadowed in Christ's birth, He was made known to men of all conditions. Because, as Augustine says in a sermon on the Epiphany...'the shepherds were Israelites, the Magi were Gentiles. The former were nigh to Him, the latter far from Him. Both hastened to him, together as to the cornerstone.' There was also another point of contrast: for the Magi were wise and powerful; the shepherds simple and lowly. He was made known both to men, and to women—namely, to Anna— so as to show no condition of men to be excluded from Christ's redemption."

The Return of the King: J.R.R.Tolkein (England/1892-1973)

"The night sky was still, dim and pale. There, peeping among the cloudrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him, that in the end, the Shadow was only a small and passing thing; there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach."

Isaiah 60:1-3

Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see.
For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you.
Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth.
but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you.
All nations will come to your light;
mighty kings will come to see your radiance.

Luke 2:30-32

I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations; and he is the glory of your people Israel.

Best Words Blog

2009-10-19T11:20:00.009-05:00

100 Best Words

#9 caliginous
Dark and misty.

#10 champagne
An effervescent wine.

Meditation
Martin Luther (Germany/1483—1546):
God's love gives in such a way that it flows from a Father's heart; the well-spring of all good. The heart of the giver makes the gift dear and precious; as among ourselves we say of even a trifling gift, "It comes from a hand we love," and look not so much at the gift as at the heart.

Augustine of Hippo (Algeria/354—430):
Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.

O Lord, my God,
Grant us your peace; already, indeed,
you have made us rich in all things!
Give us that peace of being at rest,
that Sabbath peace,
the peace which knows no end.

Quotes: Kallistos Ware

The church as a whole is an icon of God the Trinity, reproducing on earth the mystery of unity in diversity. Human beings are called to reproduce on earth the mystery of mutual love that the Trinity lives in heaven.

Quotes: Mother Teresa

Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway.

Passages: A. W Tozer, from Knowledge of the Holy (a MUST READ for all Christians!)

...In spite of the tears and pain and death we believe that the God who made us is infinitely wise and good. As Abraham staggered not at the promises of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving the glory to God, and was fully persuaded that what He had promised He was able to perform, so do we base our hope in God alone and hope against hope till the day breaks. We rest in what God is. I believe that this alone is true faith. Any faith that must be supported by the evidence of the senses is not real faith...
   The testimony of faith is that, no matter how things look in this fallen world, all God's acts are wrought in perfect wisdom...
   It is vitally important that we hold the truth of God's infinite wisdom as a tenet of our creed, but this is not enough. We must by the exercise of faith and by prayer bring it into the practical world of our day-by-day experience.
   To believe actively that our Heavenly Father constantly spreads around us providential circumstances that work for our present good and our everlasting well-being brings to the soul a veritable benediction. Many of us go through life praying a little, planning a little, jockeying for position, hoping but never being quite certain of anything, and always secretly afraid that we will miss the way. This is a tragic waste of truth and never gives rest to the heart.
   There is a better way. It is to repudiate our own wisdom and take instead the infinite wisdom of God. Our insistence upon seeing ahead is natural enough, but it is a real hindrance to our spiritual progress. God has charged Himself with full responsibility for our eternal happiness and stands ready to take over the management of our lives the moment we turn in faith to Him. Here is His promise: 'And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known; I will make darkness light before them. and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.'
   God constantly encourages us to trust Him in the dark. 'I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron; and I will gee thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.'
   In is heartening to learn how many of God's mighty deeds were done in secret, away from the prying eyes of men or angels . When God created the heavens and the earth, darkness was upon the face of the deep. When the Eternal Son became flesh, He was carried for a time in the darkness of the sweet virgin's womb. When He died for the life of the world, it was in the darkness, seen by no one at the last. When He arose from the dead, it was 'very early in the morning.' No one saw Him rise. It is as if God were saying, "What I am is all that need matter to you, for there lie your hope and your peace. I will do what I will do, and it sill all come to light at last, but how I do it is My secret. Trust Me, and be not afraid.'
   With the goodness of God to desire our highest welfare, the wisdom of God to plan it, and the power of God to achieve it, what do we lack? Surely we are the most favored of all creatures."

Sermon Snips: from the current series "The Gospel of Grace and Peace" by Dr. Josh Moody, Sr. Pastor of College Church in Wheaton, IL—September 27, 2009—Galatians 4: 17—20

…Instead, there is Christ and His servants. They have agony at times. They have a parental attitude, not so they can keep their disciples hanging onto their apron strings. Which is what the false teachers were doing. But rather so that they can help them move on to mature independence in Christ, formed in them themselves. I think of an unknown visit to a hospital; a prayer there, a word of witness. It think of a sermon that feels like casting bread upon the waters, trusting that it will do its work. I think of the foolishness of preaching Christ crucified at all. I think of the failure of truly devoted lives to Christ, in the world’s eyes. “Poor things, they give their money away, and no one even knows they do. Poor things, they send their children to the mission fields—who’s going to care for them when they’re old? Poor things, they are serving and caring and no one ever notices.” They are like the glass in a greenhouse through whom the sun of Christ’s righteousness shines, and the plants grow under their care, but all they see is Christ, and they do not even notice the glass through which the light shines hotly.
…all the while the true engine of the church runs by people who write an anonymous card of encouragement, who sign a check, who pray a prayer, who preach a sermon, who visit a sick man or woman, who get on their knees in the quiet of the night when no one sees nor notices, and pray that Christ would truly be formed in them. Their scars are unknown, their agonies are often unseen, and they seem to have nothing—that is, in the world’s eyes. But to be cared for by such a one, to care ourselves for people in this way—well, my friends, that is the grand root to having Christ formed in us. And I, for one, despite all that we leave behind, would rather have Christ than all that this world—even this religious world—with its baubles and temptations, affords.

Fiction Book Review: Those Who Save Us, Jenna Blum

The review from Publisher’s Weekly:

Blum, who worked for Steven Spielberg's Shoah Foundation, takes a direct, unsentimental look at the Holocaust in her first novel. The narrative alternates between the present-day story of Trudy, a history professor at a Minneapolis university collecting oral histories of WWII survivors (both German and Jewish), and that of her aged but once beautiful German mother, Anna, who left her country when she married an American soldier. Interspersed with Trudy's interviews with German immigrants, many of whom reveal unabashed anti-Semitism, Anna's story flashes back to her hometown of Weimar. As Nazi anti-Jewish edicts intensify in the 1930s, Anna hides her love affair with a Jewish doctor, Max Stern. When Max is interned at nearby Buchenwald and Anna's father dies, Anna, carrying Max's child, goes to live with a baker who smuggles bread to prisoners at the camp. Anna assists with the smuggling after Trudy's birth until the baker is caught and executed. Then Anna catches the eye of the Obersturmführer, a high-ranking Nazi officer at Buchenwald, who suspects her of also supplying the inmates with bread. He coerces her into a torrid, abusive affair, in which she remains complicit to ensure her survival and that of her baby daughter. Blum paints a subtle, nuanced portrait of the Obersturmführer, complicating his sordid cruelty with more delicate facets of his personality. Ultimately, present and past overlap with a shocking yet believable coincidence. Blum's spare imagery is nightmarish and intimate, imbuing familiar panoramas of Nazi atrocity with stark new power. This is a poised, hair-raising debut.

My review:

This book is certainly a page-turner. I tore through it in a couple of days. I’ve read several books on the Holocaust, but what makes this one so compelling is that it is told from the perspective of ordinary Gernans. It explores how they responded to the atrocious treatment of the Jews in their town—whether they chose to ignore what was happening or secretly become part of helping them, and how they survived themselves through this dark period. It not only does a great job of conveying not only the historical events, but probes deeply into the personal themes of intergenerational damage caused by the actions taken when survival is at stake: the moral/ethical questions, the loss of identity, self-respect and conscience, and keeping secrets of the past. I found myself caring about the characters and wondering how I would have dealt with life in their circumstances. This is not a book for the faint-hearted or those sensitive to a very raw and graphically descriptive telling of horrific situations, but it certainly brings home what it must have felt like to be a German unwillingly caught up in a change in their world over which there was little control and which made choices very difficult. The writing is excellent, the plot grabs you and doesn’t let go, and it is crafted with intimate passion.

Scripture: Psalm 139

O Lord, you have examined my heart
      and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
      You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel
      and when I rest at home.
      You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say
      even before I say it, Lord.
You go before me and follow me.
      You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
      too great for me to understand!
I can never escape from your Spirit!
   I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave,you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
   even there your hand will guide me,
   and your strength will support me.
I could ask the darkness to hide me
   and the light around me to become night
   but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
   and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
   as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
   before a single day had passed.
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
I can’t even count them;
   they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
   you are still with me!
O God, if only you would destroy the wicked!
Get out of my life, you murderers!
They blaspheme you;
   your enemies misuse your name.
O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?
Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?
Yes, I hate them with total hatred,
   for your enemies are my enemies.
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
   test me and know my anxious thoughts
Point out anything in me that offends you,
   and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

(Are there any better words than these?)

2009-09-22T14:46:00.012-05:00

100 Most Beautiful Words

#7 blandiloquent
Beautiful and flattering.

#8 caliginous
Dark and misty.

Meditation: Prayer When Words Don’t Come, George Matheson (Scotland/1842—1906)

O my Father, I have moments of deep unrest—moments when I know not what to ask by reason of the very excess of my wants. I have in these hours no words for Thee, no conscious prayers for Thee. My cry seems purely worldly; I want only the wings of a dove that I may flee away. Yet all the time Thou hast accepted my unrest as a prayer. Thou hast interpreted its cry for a dove’s wings as a cry for Thee. Thou hast received the nameless longings of my heart as the intercessions of Thy Spirit. They are not yet the intercessions of my spirit; I know not what to ask. But Thou knowest what I ask, O my God. Thou knowest the name of that need which lies beneath my speechless groan . . . Thou knowest that because I am made in Thine image I can find rest only in what gives rest to Thee; therefore Thou has counted my unrest unto me for righteousness, and has called my groaning Thy Spirit’s prayer.

Book Review: The Help, by Kathleen Stockett

From the cover:

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

My review:

With great humor and compassion, Stockett gives us a very intimate, compelling look at southern life in Jackson, Mississippi during the tumultuous 60’s, narrated by a privileged white woman and two black maids—“the help.” From these two perspectives, we see the relationships between white people, between black people, and between white and black close-up, at a time in which smothering social/racial rules existed. These rules are about to be broken, but not without cost, and we are caught up in the suspense as we anxiously anticipate what will happen when barriers are crossed and conventions challenged. This book is heartbreaking, funny, eye-opening, and completely absorbing. I could barely put it down. The main characters are so endearing, we come to ache for their struggle, while we come to detest some of the characters around them as their hypocrisy, fear, racism and dishonesty are exposed, and at the same time we’re made to understand how they are products of their environment. The writing is superb, skillfully capturing the essence of the life, language and culture of both the white and black communities. You will find yourself completely engaged in the unique setting and swept up in the story. I highly recommend this book. Another great choice for book club discussion.

Quotes: Walter Wangerin, Jr.

O, Christ! When you died, you broke the wall that divided us from God; you struck it, you cracked it; you tore it apart—you made a door of that which had been death before.

Quotes: Wendell Berry

We clasp the hands for those that go before us,

And the hands of those who come after us.

We enter the little circle of each other's arms

And the larger circle of lovers,

Whose hands are joined in a dance,

And the larger circle of all creatures,

Passing in and out of life,

Who move also in a dance,

To a music so subtle and vast that no ear hears it

Except in fragments.

Sermon Snips: The Manifold Wisdom of God—Matt Chandler, Sr. Pastor, The Village Church, Highland Village (Dallas), Texas

…So what we want to do here week in and week out is very, very simple. We want to teach the gospel. So what’s the gospel? I think sin, when all is said and done, although it’s viewed very negatively, is really a good thing. Let me you why. Sin gives you framework for why it’s not working. Let me give you some examples of sin that are kind of unorthodox. You’ve got, “Okay, killing someone is a sin,” or “I get the Ten Commandments. Those are sin,” but here’s what I would tell you. Sin is really you taking anything other than God and making it ultimate. If you make anything other than God ultimate in your life, you’re going to eventually be dashed on the rocks. Let me give you some examples.

Yesterday I was in my office working when my five year old daughter ran in. She was just beaming going, “Look! Look! Look!” She has her first loose tooth, so she’s showing it off. So I play with her little loose tooth in my office. And it would be so easy for me to take my daughter, take my son and make to make them ultimate in my life. But here’s what happens if they become ultimate. If they become ultimate then my identity is built on what happens with them. What happens if one day they just turn their back and walk away? I get dashed on the rocks.

…So what’s going to happen when they leave and they start their family? Well now I have no identity anymore. I love my wife. I way out-punted my coverage. I have a very, very beautiful wife who is fun and brilliant and one of my best friends. But women make horrible gods. They can’t fulfill, they can’t sustain, they can’t transform. Husbands make horrible, horrible gods. But here’s what I would tell you. If you’re tying to make your husband your god and he doesn’t fulfill you and he doesn’t satisfy you, the sin is yours, not his. He is not God. To find your fulfillment or even seek it in him is in the end preparing you to be dashed on the rocks.

So take money, take your career, take any good thing and make it ultimate. It’s just a matter of time before it betrays you. Not only that, but you’ve got to become very insecure and very manipulative and very greedy because you have to protect your god. So anytime somebody flirts with your spouse or anytime your kids look bad or anytime you get demoted or anytime somebody gets promoted above you, there are these things that happen, jealousy, anger, bitterness, rage. Why? Because your identity is in temporary things that will always fail you. That’s what’s gone wrong. That’s why it’s not working. And not only that, it’s a blatant offense to God on High, who has created you to worship and love Him, to make Him ultimate. And when that happens, it just works. Because now I’m not putting a weight on my wife that’s unbearable. Now I’m not putting a weight on my children that’s unbearable. Now I’m not making more of my job than what it is. Now money doesn’t define me anymore; I get to give it away. Power doesn’t define me; I get to use my power for good, for the glory and kingdom of God. This what happens, you just get free.

There’s a difference between religion and the gospel. Religion would say that God accepts me because I do; the gospel says God accepts me because of what Christ did. That’s why we celebrate the cross. It’s the wrath absorbing work of God that forgives us. That’s why it’s such a weird thing to watch Christians boast. They have nothing to boast in. I’ve heard people say that Christians are more moral. That has not been my experience. I have met many a pagan who are more moral and better people than some Christians, which makes sense because when you come to Jesus, you come all busted up and He starts sanctifying you over a period of time. This is the gospel.

…This is the gospel, it’s what we want to teach here. Week in, week out, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, the cross of Christ. What you’re about to see is men and women show this to you by being buried with Christ and resurrected. He’s making Him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf that we might become the righteous, perfect life of Christ. What an exchange.

About Books:

While readers are stampeding to buy Dan Brown’s latest novel, The Lost Symbol, the critics of his writing are no less harsh than they’ve been about his last two books. I think you will enjoy the humor in the following from an article in the British publication, The Telegraph by Tom Chivers:

The Lost Symbol and The DaVinci Code author Dan Brown’s 20 worst sentences

…Edinburgh professor of linguistics Geoffrey Pullum says, “Brown's writing is not just bad; it is staggeringly, clumsily, thoughtlessly, almost ingeniously bad.” He picks out some excerpts for special criticism. The female lead in Angels and Demons learns of the death of her scientist father: “Genius, she thought. My father . . . Dad. Dead.” A member of the Vatican Guard in the same book becomes annoyed by something, and we learn that "his eyes went white, like a shark about to attack."

Below we have selected 20 phrases that may grate on the ear. It’s not a definitive list. It couldn’t be: he has published five novels, each around 500 pages long, and the arguments over which are the worst bits will go on for a while. But it’s our list. Add your own in the comment box below.

20. Angels and Demons, chapter 1: Although not overly handsome in a classical sense, the forty-year-old Langdon had what his female colleagues referred to as an ‘erudite’ appeal — wisp of gray in his thick brown hair, probing blue eyes, an arrestingly deep voice, and the strong, carefree smile of a collegiate athlete.

They say the first rule of fiction is “show, don’t tell”. This fails that rule.

19. The Da Vinci Code, chapter 83: "The Knights Templar were warriors," Teabing reminded, the sound of his aluminum crutches echoing in this reverberant space.

“Remind” is a transitive verb – you need to remind someone of something. You can’t just remind. And if the crutches echo, we know the space is reverberant.

18. The Da Vinci Code, chapter 4: He could taste the familiar tang of museum air - an arid, deionized essence that carried a faint hint of carbon - the product of industrial, coal-filter dehumidifiers that ran around the clock to counteract the corrosive carbon dioxide exhaled by visitors.

Ah, that familiar tang of deionised essence.

17. Deception Point, chapter 8: Overhanging her precarious body was a jaundiced face whose skin resembled a sheet of parchment paper punctured by two emotionless eyes.

It’s not clear what Brown thinks ‘precarious’ means here.

16. The Da Vinci Code, chapter 4: A voice spoke, chillingly close. "Do not move." On his hands and knees, the curator froze, turning his head slowly. Only fifteen feet away, outside the sealed gate, the mountainous silhouette of his attacker stared through the iron bars. He was broad and tall, with ghost-pale skin and thinning white hair. His irises were pink with dark red pupils.

A silhouette with white hair and pink irises stood chillingly close but 15 feet away. What’s wrong with this picture?

15. The Da Vinci Code, chapter 4: As a boy, Langdon had fallen down an abandoned well shaft and almost died treading water in the narrow space for hours before being rescued. Since then, he'd suffered a haunting phobia of enclosed spaces - elevators, subways, squash courts.

Other enclosed spaces include toilet cubicles, phone boxes and dog kennels.

14. Angels and Demons, chapter 100: Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers glorified the four major rivers of the Old World - The Nile, Ganges, Danube, and Rio Plata.

The Rio de la Plata. Between Argentina and Uruguay. One of the major rivers of the Old World. Apparently.

The Da Vinci Code, chapter 5: Only those with a keen eye would notice his 14-karat gold bishop's ring with purple amethyst, large diamonds, and hand-tooled mitre-crozier appliqué.

A keen eye indeed.

13 and 12. The Lost Symbol, chapter 1: He was sitting all alone in the enormous cabin of a Falcon 2000EX corporate jet as it bounced its way through turbulence. In the background, the dual Pratt & Whitney engines hummed evenly.

The Da Vinci Code, chapter 17: Yanking his Manurhin MR-93 revolver from his shoulder holster, the captain dashed out of the office.

Oh – the Falcon 2000EX with the Pratt & Whitneys? And the Manurhin MR-93? Not the MR-92? You’re sure? Thanks.

11. The Da Vinci Code, chapter 4: Captain Bezu Fache carried himself like an angry ox, with his wide shoulders thrown back and his chin tucked hard into his chest. His dark hair was slicked back with oil, accentuating an arrow-like widow's peak that divided his jutting brow and preceded him like the prow of a battleship. As he advanced, his dark eyes seemed to scorch the earth before him, radiating a fiery clarity that forecast his reputation for unblinking severity in all matters.

Do angry oxen throw their shoulders back and tuck their chins into their chest? What precisely is a fiery clarity and how does it forecast anything? Once again, it is not clear whether Brown knows what ‘forecast’ means.

10. The Da Vinci Code, chapter 4: Five months ago, the kaleidoscope of power had been shaken, and Aringarosa was still reeling from the blow.

Did they hit him with the kaleidoscope?

9. The Da Vinci Code, chapter 32: The vehicle was easily the smallest car Langdon had ever seen. "SmartCar," she said. "A hundred kilometers to the liter."

Pro tip: when fleeing from the police, take a moment to boast about your getaway vehicle’s fuel efficiency. And get it wrong by a factor of five. SmartCars do about 20km (12 miles) to the litre.

8. The Da Vinci Code, chapter 3: My French stinks, Langdon thought, but my zodiac iconography is pretty good.

And they say the schools are dumbing down.

7 and 6. The Da Vinci Code, chapter 33: Pulling back the sleeve of his jacket, he checked his watch - a vintage, collector's-edition Mickey Mouse wristwatch that had been a gift from his parents on his tenth birthday.

The Da Vinci Code, chapter 6: His last correspondence from Vittoria had been in December - a postcard saying she was headed to the Java Sea to continue her research in entanglement physics... something about using satellites to track manta ray migrations.

In the words of Professor Pullum: “It has the ring of utter ineptitude. The details have no relevance to what is being narrated.”

5. Angels and Demons, chapter 4: learning the ropes in the trenches

Learning the ropes (of a naval ship) while in the trenches (with the army in the First World War). It’s a military education, certainly.

4, 3, and 2. The Da Vinci Code, opening sentence: Renowned curator Jacques Saunière staggered through the vaulted archway of the museum's Grand Gallery.

Angels and Demons, opening sentence: Physicist Leonardo Vetra smelled burning flesh, and he knew it was his own.

Deception Point, opening sentences: Death, in this forsaken place, could come in countless forms. Geologist Charles Brophy had endured the savage splendor of this terrain for years, and yet nothing could prepare him for a fate as barbarous and unnatural as the one about to befall him.

Professor Pullum: "Renowned author Dan Brown staggered through his formulaic opening sentence".

1. The Da Vinci Code: Title. The Da Vinci Code.

Leonardo’s surname was not Da Vinci. He was from Vinci, or of Vinci. As many critics have pointed out, calling it The Da Vinci Code is like saying Mr Of Arabia or asking What Would Of Nazareth Do?

Scripture:
Psalm 13:5-6

But I trust in your unfailing love.
I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
I will sing to the Lord
because he is good to me.

Psalm 107:33-35

He changes rivers into deserts,
and springs of water into dry, thirsty land.
He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands,
because of the wickedness of those who live there.
But he also turns deserts into pools of water,
the dry land into springs of water.

2009-09-16T15:29:00.009-05:00

100 Most Beautiful Words

#5 beautific
Befitting an angel or saint.

#6 bealeaguer
To exhaust with attacks.

Meditation: Thomas Watson (England)

A true christian grows in beauty. Grace is the best complexion of the soul; it is at the first plantation, like Rachel. fair to look upon; but still the more it lives, the more it sends forth its rays of beauty. Abraham's faith was at first beautiful; but at last it did shine in its orient colours, and grew so illustrious, that God himself was in love with it; and makes his faith a pattern to all believers.
   A true Christian grows in sweetness. A poisonous weed may grow as much as the hyssop or rosemary, the poppy in the field as the corn, the crab as the pearmain; but the one hath a harsh sour taste, the other mellows as it grows: an hypocrite may grown in outward dimensions, as much as a child of God—he may pray as much, profess as much—but he grows only in magnitude, he brings forth only sour grapes, his duties are leavened with pride; the other ripens as he grows: he grows in love, humility, faith, which do mellow and sweeten his duties, and make them come off with a better relish. The believer grows as the flower; he casts a fragrance and perfume.

Sermon Snips: John MacArthur—'How to Get in the Game"

When I played college football, my coaches constantly drilled our team with the admonition: "Play your position!" They had to repeat it often because when we saw the play develop toward another place on the field, we were tempted to dash over and try to tackle the guy with the ball. About that time the play would reverse direction to the spot we had just left.

One of our best players was very aggressive and often strayed far from his position. He was all over the field tackling people, and invariably the wrong ones. Finally, he was benched. Though he was a good athlete, he proved worthless to the team because he wouldn't stick to his position.

Since we all tended to make the same mistake, the coach would take us back to the locker room to draw the plays on a chalkboard. He would first make everyone's position plain to see, and then he'd explain how the plays were supposed to run. There's a parallel to that in Christian experience. God has put you on His team and given you both the resources and the obligation to "play" your position in the Body of Christ. He has given you spiritual gifts for carrying out your assignment.

Your first obligation as a Christian is to learn about your position in the Body of Christ. You've got to study the chalkboard, so to speak, and see where you stand; see who's on either side of you, who's behind you, who's in front of you. Unfortunately, many Christians don't know how to live, partly because they don't know their position. I want to draw your position on the spiritual chalkboard so you can be an effective player in the game.

Basically, God's gift of salvation in Christ brings a believer into a position of righteousness. God imputes the perfect righteousness of His Son to the believer, and thereby declares him righteous positionally. But as you know full well, believers still have sin in their lives--Christians are not practically righteous, 100 percent of the time. However, it is on the basis of our positional righteousness, that we are exhorted to strive for practical righteousness in our daily lives.

If you can set your personal struggle with sin aside for a moment, I want you to consider what the Bible says about your position in Christ. As a Christian you are: spiritually alive unto God, dead to sin, forgiven, declared righteous, a child of God, God's possession, an heir of God, blessed with all spiritual blessings, a citizen of heaven, a servant of God, free from the Law, crucified to the world, a light in the world, victorious over Satan, cleansed from sin, declared holy and blameless, set free in Christ from the power of sin, secure in Christ, granted peace and rest, and led by the Holy Spirit.

You're probably thinking, "The Bible may say all that, but I sure don't always live up to those descriptions." That's why in the New Testament, for every one of those statements about your position, there is a corresponding practice you're to follow. For example, the New Testament tells you:

- Since you are spiritually alive to God, live according to that new life.
- Since you are dead to sin, don't give sin any place in your life.
- Since you're forgiven, count on that and don't go through life feeling guilty.
- Since you've been declared righteous, live righteously.
- Since you're a child of God, act like one of God's children.
- Since you are God's possession, yield to Him in humble submission.

I'm convinced that if you will honestly study your position in Christ, your life will change. You'll understand that failure in some aspect of Christian living doesn't mean you lose your position. The position of a true Christian is settled forever--it's unchanging and permanent. And on the other hand, just as stumbling won't change your standing for the worse, growth won't add to it for the better either. God's favor doesn't depend on your works. God "has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity" (2 Timothy 1:9).

Positionally, you cannot increase or decrease in the favor of God. As a genuine Christian, nothing you do, or fail to do, can change to the slightest degree your perfect standing before God--for "in Him you have been made complete" (Colossians 2:10).

Thankfully, that completeness does not mean that when you understand your position you will remain as you are--no, you will see changes in your life. The New Testament continually emphasizes your identity as a believer and urges you understand and apply your spiritual resources. As you continue to mature in Christ, you will not only come to a greater understanding of who you are, but you'll also rely more consistently on your resources--those granted to you as a result of your position in Christ--to handle the practical aspects of Christian living. That's the thrust of Paul's appeal in Ephesians 4:1: "Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called."

So what about you, Christian--do you know your position? If not, go back to the locker room and study the chalkboard--your Bible--and you'll discover afresh the joy of who you are in Christ. If so, get in the game, play your position, and become in practice what you already are in position.

Passages: From Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life, by Shauna Niequist

Shalom
“There is a way of living, a way of harmonizing and hitting a balance point, a converging of a thousand balance points and voices, layering together, twisting together, and there are moments when it all clicks into place just for a split second— God and marriage and forgiveness and something deep inside that feels like peace—and that’s the place I’m trying to get to.
I have glimpses every once in a while of this achingly beautiful way of living that comes when the plates stop spinning and the masks fall off and the apologies come from the deepest places and so do the prayers, and I am fighting, elbowing to make more of my life that life. I want that spirit or force of happiness that is so much deeper than happy—peace that comes from your toes, that makes you want to live forever, that makes you gulp back sobs because you remember so many moments of un-peace. I search for those moments the way I search for beach glass, bits of glitter along a desolate expanse of sand, and I want those moments to stretch into hours, into days.
            The word I use for it is shalom, It is the physical, sense-oriented, relational, communal, personal, ideological posture that arches God-ward. That’s the best way I can describe it. It’s an equilibrium and free-fall, balance and shake. It’s a new dance, and new taste, the feeling of falling in love, the knowledge of being set free. It’s that split-second cross between a d fact and a feeling, something you would swear on in a court of law but couldn’t find words for if you tried.
To get there, I’m finding, is the hardest work and the most worthwhile fight. Shalom requires so much, so much more than I though I would have to sacrifice, and it scrapes so deeply through the lowest parts of me, divulging and demonstrating so many dark corners. It’s something you can’t fake, so you have to lay yourself open to it, wide open and vulnerable to what it might ask of you, what it might require you to give up, get over, get outside of, get free from. I feels sometimes like running farther than you thought you could run, legs shaking and lungs burning, feeling proud and surprised at what little old you can do…
Shalom is about God, and about the voice and spirit of God blowing through and permeating all the dark corners that we’ve chopped, locked down. It’s about believing, and letting belief move you to forgive. It’s about the whole of our lives becoming woven through with the sacred spirit of God, through friendship and confession, through rest and motion, through marriage and silence.
            Shalom is the act of life lifting up and becoming an act of worship and celebration, a sacrament, an offering….
            I have been surprised to find that I am given more life, more hope, more moments of buoyancy and redemption, the more I give up. The more I let go, do without, reduce, the more I feel rich. The more I let people be who they are, instead of cramming them into what I need from them, the more surprised I am by their beauty and depth.
            When we can manage to live this way of shalom, even for a moment, we pull each other up toward something bigger, wider, more beautiful, because left to my own devices, chances are, I will spiral down until life is nothing more than the mildew smell on my kitchen towels and the guilt I feel about all the things I thought I’d be.
            The truest thing, it seems, is the biggest: the big idea of making a life with God, with honor, with honesty and community and beauty and the fragile delicate recipe of those, searching for the place where they all come together, where hope and struggle and beauty and tears swirl together into the best, brightest moments of life. That’s wheat I believe about God.

Quotes: A. W. Tozer

Many ordinary treasures may be denied the man who has God, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness. Or if he must see them go, one after one, her will scarcely feel a sense of loss.

A generation of Christians reared among push buttons and automatic machines is impatient of slower and less direct methods of reaching their goals. We have been trying to apply machine-age methods to our relations with God. We read our chapter, have our short devotions, and rush away, hoping to make up for our deep inward bankruptcy by attending another gospel meeting or listening to another thrilling story told by a religious adventurer lately returned from afar. The tragic results of this spirit are all about us. Shallow lives, hollow religious philosophies, the preponderance of the element of fun in gospel meetings, the glorification of men, trust in religious externalities, quasi-religious fellowships, salesmanship methods, the mistaking of dynamic personality for the power of the Spirit; these and such as these are the symptoms of an evil disease, a deep and serious malady of the soul.

Book Review: A Thread of Grace, Maria Doria Russell

This extraordinary historical novel is the kind of book that I found myself thinking about long after finishing the last page. It is the little-known story of a group of Italian citizens that sheltered more than 40,000 Jews from the horrors of the work camps and executions during the Italian resistance to the Germans in the last two years of WWII. Three cultures mingle uneasily in Porto Sant'Andrea on the Ligurian coast of northwest Italy—the Italian Jews of the village, the Italian Catholics, and the occupying Germans invited by Mussolini. While there are several narrative threads, the book moves swiftly, and we come to know a cast of vibrant characters, set against meticulously researched historical detail. The intensity and intimacy of Russell's storytelling, her sharp character writing and fierce sense of humor bring fresh immediacy to this riveting wartime saga.
   The book is extraordinary in that, unlike other dark novels about this era that leave one with a feeling of hopelessness, it reminds us that even in the worst of times, there are good people who willingly sacrifice themselves when they see the suffering around them. We witness with the characters both the heartbreaking journey they will make in their struggle for survival, and the grace extended to them by the Italian people, which crosses the boundaries of faith and ethnicity. An incredibly compelling read. I highly recommend it! P.S. Let's hear it for the Italians!!!

Song Lyrics: I Know My Redeemer Lives, Nicole C. Mullens

Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning
Who told the ocean you can only come this far?
Who showed the moon where to hide 'til evening
Whose words alone can catch a falling star?

Well I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
All of creation testify
This life within me cries
I know my Redeemer lives

The very same God that spins things in orbit
He runs to the weary, the worn and the weak
And the same gently hands that hold me when I'm broken
They conquered death to bring me victory

Now I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify
Let this life within me cry
I know my Redeemer, He lives

To take away my shame
And He lives forever I'll proclaim
That the payment for my sin
Was the precious life He gave
But now He's alive
And there's an empty grave
And I know my Redeemer, He lives

I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify
This life within me cries
I know my Redeemer lives

Watch the video of this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cwoXr27XGY&feature=related

Scripture: Psalm 19:1—4 (NLT)

The heavens declare the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth.
and their words to all the world.

2009-09-08T09:11:00.067-05:00

100 Most Beautiful Words

#3 aestivate
To summer, the spend the summer.
#4 ailurophile
A cat lover.

Reflection: Menno Simons (Netherlands,1496-1561)

"He [the Holy Spirit] guides us into all truth; he justifies us; he cleanses, sanctifies, pacifies, consoles, reproves, cheers and assures us; he testifies to our spirit that we are the children of God. The Spirit all receive who believe on Christ."

Fiction Book Review: Jayber Crow, by Wendell Barry

This tender story, about the barber and church sexton of the small town of Port William, Kentucky in the late 30's to late 60's, is not only about a person, but more so about a place and its people. Beautifully told, against the backdrop of the winding Kentucky River and its rolling hills with compassion, rare insights and both humor and sadness, it brings you poignantly back to a more simple time, a rural way of life and its gentle rhythms. After his parents' death, Jayber is sent to an out-of-town orphanage at the age of 10, and returns 13 years later to the place of his birth and carves out a spare life for himself there. We are along for his gently journey, to see how a community shapes a man and how a man shapes a community, in times of war and peace, poverty and plenty, seasons of the year and seasons of the heart. Jayber's unrequited love for Mattie, another man's wife, remains pure and bears the fruits of faith and serenity in his life. We are privileged to be in on his observances of a town and its people on the brink of change, as the twentieth century rolls on and threatends to obliterate an agricultural way of life in the wake of progress. We get to know and love, along with Jayber, a cast of truly memorable characters. The prose can only be described as elegant, exquisitely reflective and fine-tuned, and resonates with the very heart of the land itself. There are so many beautiful passages that I could share, it's hard to choose. The following will give you a taste of Barry's incredible skill at descriptions:

I came to feel a tenderness for them all. This was something new to me. It gave me a curious pleasure to touch them, to help them in and out of the chair, to shave their weather-toughened old faces. They had known hard use, nearly all of them. You could tell it by their hands, which were shaped by wear and often by the twists and swellings of arthritis. They had used their hands forgetfully, as hooks and pliers and hammers, and in every kind of weather. The backs of their hands showed a network of little scars where they had been cut, nicked, thornstuck, pinched, punctured, scraped, and burned. Their faces told that they had suffered things they did not talk about. Every one of them had a good knife in his pocket, sharp, the blades whetted narrow and concave, the horn of the handle worn smooth. The oldest ones spoke, like Uncle Othy, the old broad speech of the place; they said “ahrn” and “fahr” and “tard” for “iron” and “fire” and “tired”; they said “yorn” for “yours,” “cheer” for “chair,” “deesh” for “dish,” “dreen” for “drain,” “slide” for “sled,” and “juberous” for “dubious.” I loved to listen to them, for they spoke my native tongue. (Page 127)

I highly recommend this book. It is a superb choice for a book club discussion.

Here's the link to it on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Jayber-Crow-Wendell-Berry/dp/1582431604/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252419635&sr=1-1

Sermon Snips: Mark Batterson, Pastor—National Community Church, Washington, D.C.

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Grab life by the mane. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing if safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and the last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.Chase the lion.

Quotes: Mark Twain
"It's better to keep your mouth shut and give the impressions that you're stupid than to open it and remove all doubt."
"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightening and the lightening bug."

Quotes: Jim Elliot, Missionary/Martyr
"Wherever you are, be all there."

Quotes: A.W. Tozer
"The sovereign God wants to be loved for Himself and honored for Himself, but that is only part of what he wants. The other part is that he wants us to know that when we have Him, we have everything—we have all the rest."

Song Lyrics: Revelation Song, Jennie Lee Riddle

(most recently recorded by Kari Jobe and Phillips, Craig and Dean)

Worthy is the

Lamb who was slain...

Holy, Holy, is He.

Sing a new song, to Him who sits on

Heaven's Mercy Seat.

Holy, Holy, Holy

Is the Lord God Almighty

Who was, and is, and is to come.

With all creation I sing:

Praise to the King of Kings!

You are my everything,

And I will adore You…

(Chorus)

Clothed in rainbows, of living color,

Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder.

Blessing and honor, strength and

Glory and power be

To You the Only Wise King,

(Chorus)

Holy, Holy, Holy

Is the Lord God Almighty

Who was, and is, and is to come.

With all creation I sing:

Praise to the King of Kings!

You are my everything,

And I will adore You...

Filled with wonder,

Awestruck wonder

At the mention of Your Name.

Jesus, Your Name is Power,

Breath, and Living Water,

Such a marvelous mystery.

(Chorus)

Holy, Holy, Holy

Is the Lord God Almighty

Who was, and is, and is to come, yeah

With all creation I sing:

Praise to the King of Kings!

You are my everything,

And I will adore You!

Link to the video of this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lbx8ua1B1p4&feature=related

Scripture: Psalm 145

I will exalt you, my God and King,
and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
No one can measure his greatness.
Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts;
let them proclaim your power.
I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor
and your wonderful miracles.
Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue;
I will proclaim your greatness.
Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness;
they will sing with joy about your righteousness.
The Lord is merciful and compassionate,
slow to anger and filled with unfailing love.
The Lord is good to everyone;
He showers compassion on all his creation.
All of your works will thank you, Lord
and your faithful followers will praise you.
They will speak of the glories of your kingdom;
they will give examples of your power.
They will tell about your mighty deeds
and about the majesty and glory of your reign.
For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.
You rule through all generations.
The Lord always keeps his promises;
he is gracious in all he does.
The Lord lifts the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads.
The eyes of all look to you in hope;
you give them their food as they need it.
When you open your hand, you satisfy the hunger and thirst
of every living thing.
The Lord is righteous in everything he does;
he is filled with kindness.
The Lord is close to all who call on him,
yes, to all who call on him in truth.
He grants the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cries for help and rescues them.
The Lord protects all those that love him,
but he destroys the wicked.
I will praise the Lord , and may everyone on earth
bless his holy name forever and ever.

(New Living Translation)

2009-09-02T01:22:00.044-05:00

100 Most Beautiful Words:

#1 — adroit

Dexterous, agile.

#2— adumbrate

To very gently suggest.

Reflection: Longing, John Chrysostom (Antioch)

Prayer and converse with God is a supreme good: it is a partnership and union with God. As the eyes of the body are enlightened when they see the light, so our spirit, when it is intent on God, is illuminated by his infinite light. I do not mean the prayer of outward observance but prayer from the heart; not confined to fixed times or periods but continuous throughout the day and night.

Our spirit should be quick to reach out toward God, not only when it is engaged in meditation; at other times also, when it is carrying out its duties, caring for the needy, performing works of charity, giving generously to the service of others, our spirit should long for God, and call him to mind, so that these works may be seasoned with the salt of God's love, and so make a palatable offering to the Lord of the universe...

Prayer is the light of the spirit; true knowledge of God, mediating between God and man. The spirit, raised up to heaven by prayer, clings to God with the utmost tenderness; like a child crying tearfully for its mother, it craves the milk that God provides. It seeks the satisfaction of its own desires, and receives gifts outweighing the whole world of nature.

Prayer stands before God as an honored ambassador. It gives joy to the spirit, peace to the heart. I speak of prayer, not words. It is the longing for God, love too deep for words, a gift not given by man but by God's grace.

Sermon Snips: From the current series "The Gospel of Grace and Peace" by Dr. Josh Moody, Sr. Pastor of College Church in Wheaton, IL
August 23, 2009—Galatians 3:15-18

. . . Faith is not a work. It is not a combination of faith plus works, it is the covenant, it is the promise. It is God’s will. And our faith is not something we “magic up,” or make happen, or project onto some screen of reality in our own innate psychological power, anymore than if I really really believe I have inherited a million dollars, that will make me a millionaire. But if I have inherited, then faith is simply accepting that inheritance gratefully and living a changed life as a result.

And so, as we conclude, I want you to see how wonderful if is to live as people of the covenant.

Perhaps you are someone who does not; perhaps you are someone who is religious but has never understood that it is not by works. So many Christian people from good Christian homes spend their lives living as it if was a work, a moral effort that will get them to heaven.

The great evangelist George Whitfield once cried out, “Works! Works! A man would as soon get to the moon by a rope of sand as get to heaven by works”, which is typically Whitfield in his rather creative use of metaphors, but—he’s right. But not only is it impossible, it’s not necessary. It is not how God has designed things in His salvation plan. He has a will, a covenant, and the seed of that will, that covenant, is Christ. And if we believe in Christ, then we are the recipients, the inheritors of all that promised blessing.

But perhaps, on the other hand, you are a person who is a real Christian believer, and is looking at the next few months and weeks with a degree if trepidation; some great new challenge is ahead of you, and you’re not sure whether you are up to it. Well, remember God’s covenant with you. “The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.” I’m not saying that no Christian ever struggles. I’m a pastor; I know Christians struggle. But I am saying that whatever the physical struggles may be, every Christian—and that includes you, if you are a Christian—every Christian has a perspective on life because of this covenant, which frees them from the sting of all the troubles in the entire world. They can walk through fire and not be burned. They can run and not grow weary. I’m not being fanciful. This is not preachers’ rhetoric on a Sunday morning that is no good to cash on a Monday morning. It is a matter of the Spirit revealing through the Word the real state of affairs. Christ is God’s promised seed. I am in Christ. And therefore, what do I have to worry about?

A fellow called Jeremiah Burrows put it like this, in his reflections on Christian contentment, which I think in our day we might really call reflections on Christian flourishing. He writes this: “It is not trouble that troubles, but discontent. It is not the water without the ship, but the water that gets within the leak which drowns it. It is not outward affliction that can make the life of the Christian sad. A contented mind would sail above these waters. A mind, with the revelations of the Spirit through God’s Word, that rests in the covenant of Christ.”

We all have our troubles and our own fears, our trepidations about the future. The Christian can float above them and smile at adversity, not with that "cheesy" Christian smile, you know. But even if it is not natural for you to beam, inside you’re okay. The water of adversity is not getting in. You know where you stand in Christ, all because of this covenant and your relationship to Christ, the seed.

My friends, I think it is a matter of awesome majesty, the more I have reflected upon this this week—this will of God—that He has bound Himself in Christ to rescue a sinful people. It is a matter of such grandeur and such beauty that if we could but touch a tithe of it, I think it would change our lives and give us such a fresh view of the universe, and our place in it, that we would, as it were, walk on air, and give our lives with sacrificial joy to all that God has for us.

We are a covenant people, we Christians. We gather in church—covenanted, promised, guaranteed, willed by God Himself—all the way back to Abraham, all those thousands of years ago. We are no new creation of the moment, we are not a speck of dust on the guillotine. You and I, if we are Christians, are born in the mind of God to be included in Christ. It is His will, His covenant.

My prayer for you is that it would be of deep encouragement and strengthening as we seek to give God all praise forever and ever.

Quotes: John Piper

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Or: The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever. My life is devoted to helping people make God their God, by wakening in them the greatest pleasures in him."

"People that make a difference in the world are not people that have mastered a lot of things; they are people that have been mastered by a very few things that are very very great."

Quotes: Victor Borge

"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people."

Book Review: The Art of Racing in the Rain, Garth Stein

Of all the fiction books I’ve read lately, this has to be one of my favorites. It caught my attention because of the uniqueness of it’s narrator: it’s a heartwarming tale told by Enzo, a much-loved, loyal family dog, about his human family. Enzo is not an ordinary canine. He’s a philosopher with a human-like soul. His master, Denny Swift, is a racecar driver, who is trying to make it in the world of professional racing to support his wife, Eve, and daughter, Zoe. Through listening to Denny and watching television extensively, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition. He’s learned that life, like racing, isn’t simply about going fast, and knows that all of life’s ordeals can be successfully navigated using the same techniques employed on the racetrack. When Denny is faced with a series of serious, life-changing crises, Enzo comes through heroically to preserve the Swift family, and realize his dream that Denny will become a racing champion, and that he himself will return after death as a human. I loved this book, not because I agree with the theology of its ending, but because it is a deeply funny, uplifting story of family, love, loyalty and hope. You don’t have to love dogs (I do!) or believe in reincarnation (I don’t!) to enjoy this book. The writing is superb. You will laugh, you will cry, and remember it long after you've read the last page. Here's the link to it on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Racing-Rain-Novel/dp/0061537969/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251903935&sr=1-1

Scripture: John 14:27

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid.

(Are there any better words than these?)

Now Available: THE TRANSFORMATION, Book 3 of the Project Restoration Series

2009-09-01T08:08:00.013-05:00

It is the story of Oliver Barnett, a contractor who specializes in the restoration and remodeling of old buildings. Samantha Cohen is a savvy real estate investor and developer who has purchased an empty historic church near downtown Pittsburgh and plans on turning it into a restaurant/night club. Oliver, who has always considered himself a good Christian boy, wonders if he should get involved in the project. He is in the throes of being pursued by an old girlfriend (with the enthusiastic encouragement of his mother) but he’s smitten by Samantha. There’s another complication: Samantha is Jewish…and she has a less-than-innocent past. Oliver finds himself in a most unsettling dilemma. Does he do what’s right by the nice girl his mother has chosen for him, or does he do what his heart is telling him to do? And what should he do about the church project?

From Romantic Times Magazine Book Reviews: 4 stars

"Family secrets and a tenuous romance make this story of second chances highly satisfying. Readers will find the secondary characters in this story equally appealing."

From Milwaukee Christian Living Examiner:

The Transformation: Blue Church—
A compelling story of restoration

Unforgettable. A realistically crafted story of restoration that will touch you, surprise you, and change you.
Every character’s remarkably crafted personality becomes vital to the tapestry of Oliver and Samantha’s private and public journeys as they transform the Blue Church and God transforms them. As in life, others come to recognize the transformation occurring is not just for the building’s Jewish owner (Samantha) and the Christian contractor (Oliver), but that God is in their midst, and His presence has a claim on them too.
If you read much, and tend to assume or expect certain results you will be pleased to discover that Terri Kraus does not limit her skillful characterization or unique storyline to the expected. Several unique twists made this realistic drama exceptionally satisfying. I particularly liked how the story began long before the main plot. It made me appreciate the invisible or unknown people and events God caused to be created and used for my transformation, and gave the tale a sense of the eternal.
Ms. Kraus’ expertise in the world of design is evident and the desire and love of God for all of mankind’s “interior design” and possibilities of renovation permeates every page with hope. This is a book you will surely recommend to others, and likely want to read again yourself. A great choice for book clubs or discussion groups.