Galileo's Daughter

I just finished the book Galileo's Daughter. It was a surprising and an interesting read for a biography. I will say it was way more about Galileo than his daughter, but it really made me stop and think about the dangers of overzealous religious leaders and the desire for the control of thoughts within any group of people.

One of the startling things was the discussion of the plague outbreaks (it interrupted the publishing of one of Galileo's works as well as his heresy hearings). Considering the protests in Raleigh (to reopen the state) were starting about the same time I hit that chapter, it was equally interesting. People were allowed to keep working in one city as long as none of the workers (the owner and his apprentices or servants) showed any symptoms of the bubonic plague. Many workers would try to hide any symptoms of the disease so they could feed their families or keep their jobs. If people were caught doing that, then their hands were tied behind their backs and they were hung by their wrists. Whether that was a a temporary hanging or a permanent hanging the book did not specify. Regardless, it makes me shudder to think about that, and makes the people on social media whining about wearing a mask seem silly and childish. (And bear in mind, after wearing a mask for 5 hours at the hospital with Bobby, I'm no longer a fan of them, even if I do understand their importance.) The extremes in consequences is what I found so startling: one is pain and torture; the other is slight discomfort and inconvenience.

The other startling thing was his oldest daughter, who the book was about, took on some of his punishment for him (reciting the Psalms for thirty minutes every day and praying a certain prayer). The whole discipline concepts in the early Catholic church still astound me, but the idea that anyone can absolve or be a substitute for another's punishment seems strange and contradictory, even if that is what Christ did for us.

The ending took me by surprise, and I won't share it or it would ruin it for anyone who reads it. Let's just say that without it, I would have classified the book as interesting and okay. But with it, it bumps it up into a good category.

book reviews

We gave Bobby's great nieces and nephews books for Christmas this year (along with a small gift card to Five Below). Thankfully most of them love reading more than their parents did. We purchased a few books we weren't familiar with based on reviews, and all but one of them passed my inspection read. I did purchase one as a backup option (and because it piqued my curiosity). And I loved it.

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai  is written in poem. It's simple, but packed with description and emotion. Based in both Vietnam and Alabama, it shows some of the confusion and chaos that comes to people whose lives are impacted by war, and how our immigration system then (and even more so now) could use a serious overhaul. Despite the deep subjects the author introduces, it is written well enough that I wouldn't hesitate to share it with Mom who prefers light reads and romances. It's definitely a book I'd like to both keep and share.

Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy.  Bobby surprised me with this book for Christmas. I'm still undecided how I feel about it. The book itself is well written, and she does an incredible job of making up back story for all the older characters in the Anne of Green Gable series while introducing historical facts and situations into the story. And yet, I can't say that I truly enjoyed the book. It always bothers me when a person creates a fictional world, whether it be Anne of Green Gables or Harry Potter, and other authors suddenly start rewriting the story or editing it. McCoy's attempt to flesh Marilla out and show her as a more well-rounded character rings true in some places but falls woefully short in others (the wishing stone, the ending of the relationship with Blythe, etc). I finished the book with a twinge of unease. I'm thrilled that I received a surprise in a book form for Christmas, but it's not one I care to share or keep.

I'm hoping this year I can get a little more reading done than this past year, but I also recognize that it's more than okay if I don't. Meanwhile, my seed catalogue came this week, so I'm reading plant descriptions and trying to make mental diagrams of what can be planted where this spring. It will be planting time before I'm ready!

book reviews

There's an online forum for missionary women and Christian women who live and work overseas. I know two of the women who helped create that wonderful online community. Even though I'm not working overseas anymore, many of their posts still resonate. One of the many fellowship venues they offer is an online book club. They read 3-5 books a year and have online discussions. I've never participated in a discussion or small group since I'm not truly part of the community. But this past year one of the discussions on a book they read jumped from my "books I want to one day read" list to an Amazon purchase. Yeah, I know. I sometimes ignore the book and fabric moratorium I placed myself under.

So...A City of Tranquil Lights by Bo Caldwell. I LOVED reading this book. Even though the time frame is years before the China I knew, so much of it still resonated. I cried and hurt and nodded my head and laughed some as I read through it. And then I get to the end, read an excerpt by the author and discovered it's actually a novel, though based on the life experiences of several missionaries. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed by that, but the book was/is very well written. While the author does not go into a lot of detail about the feelings of the characters, he does touch on many issues and thoughts that people working in China have. And I like the fact that he covered the entirety of the life, not just the pleasant parts.

And then a friend of mine suggested a book to me called Same Kind of Different as Me  by Hall & Moore. For some reason, I thought this book was fiction, until I got to the end and discovered it was a true story. And that made me stop and think even more deeply on the topics it mentioned and thoughts about it subjects (wealth, poverty, homelessness, education, societal roles & obligations). I actually enjoyed reading the book, even though parts of it were hard to read. I commented to my friend the other night that I really enjoyed it, but didn't think my mother would. Turns out my friend was actually offended by the book. It was interesting hearing her viewpoint, which was totally different from mine, of the book.

And the last book is not a review of the whole book, but just one comment from chapter one. The ladies at our church are reading through None Like Him (10 Ways God is Different From Us) by Jen Wilkin. And rather than retell what she wrote, I'm just going to post it here.

This is why the Great Commandment takes such care to instruct us how to love those who are "only human." It tells a limited human to love God and others as limitlessly as possible. But to love self and others as limitlessly as possible, we must learn to die daily to our propensity to measure and compare our limits...

She then goes on to point out the God counts our sorrows and uses Psalm 56:8 as an example. I've heard this verse quoted SO many times by people who are struggling and hurting, finding comfort that God is aware of their struggles to sleep when overcome with despair, that He has counted EVERY SINGLE TEAR we will shed in our lifetime, and has a record of them. But yet, I've never considered this in relation to the fact that there is a limit to the amount of hurt and sorrow we experience, but his sorrow (He bore all of ours, after all), cannot be counted. Neither can we count his mercy nor his grace. So our infinite God asks us to love others the way he loves us...without counting. I've never looked at this passage this way before. I've often thought about I Corinthians 13 and how we're not to count the wrongs of others if we love them, but I've always limited that to wrongs. I've never stopped to consider that "measuring" or "comparing" people is one way to NOT love them. I hope I can remember that when those situations that rub me the wrong way arise and I can focus on them as the person God created and not what I want or how they're measuring up to my expectations of them. I fear this is going to be much easier said than done.

So that's what I've been reading/finishing lately.

book review and musings

The other night I FINALLY finished reading A Plague of Frogs by William Souder.

The first chapter or two was riveting, giving background details to what I remembered hearing on the news many years ago. It was horrifying to think about. Because so many scientists and areas and viewpoints were involved, Souder's book simply follows the timeline of the story, meaning a LOT of jumping around from viewpoint to viewpoint and area to area. It was a little hard to remember who was in what area if you're only reading the book a little at a time like I was. The last 125 pages of the book are probably the best. The pace has picked up and you think an answer is finally in sight. Only, it's not. Well, at least not in the way readers are accustomed to have endings. Basically, there are multiple reasons to the decline/extinction of the frog population, scientists don't agree on all of the answers, the tests are inconclusive, and other than the fact that frogs are dying in massive quantities and some breeds have become extinct in the last 15 years, that's about all the resolution you're going to get.

Climate chaos, climate change, global warming, (and my older cousins and aunts laugh that it had different names but same meaning back in the 1960s and 1970s) does play a factor in the environment, regardless of what we believe about its causes (or even its existence). The irony of the whole situation to me is the reaction from the various worldviews. Some of the scientists in the book were clearly Darwinists, and yet, they seemed to be the most concerned about the result. If the whole concept of evolution is that the fittest will survive whatever is thrown their way, then isn't extinction of some animals a good thing? And for the record, there were many scientists interviewed in the back, mainly biologists, who saw this as a very small part of a larger picture, one that was too complex to bullet point certain answers. I gathered from my reading (and my conclusion here could be totally wrong) that while they were very concerned, they were also somewhat acquiescent about whatever nature doles out.

To me the irony comes not only in the panic of those who believe this is how nature is supposed to play out - some make it; others don't - but also in the mirror image attitude of Creationists. Some deny the whole concept of earth warming and changing (yet to hear any explanation for why species are dying out or temperatures are clearly changing as any gardener will tell you), which means they're also denying the reality of Scriptures that there will come days of famine, a day when the sun will clearly die out (and if you remember middle school science, stars get hotter before they die) and they see no cause for concern or change in behavior - whatever comes, they'll accept. That whole mindset reminds me of the acquiescent biologists. And then there's the others who are concerned and think we should modify our behavior and fulfill our command to "tend the earth" and stop things from getting worse. They're very concerned, and like the Evolutionists, I can't help but wonder if they've forgotten their theology that will come to pass.

I'm not sure what camp I belong to. I do believe the earth is warming. What percentage is man-made and what is natural demise, I can't say, but it's quite obvious that it's happening. Bobby has commented that the frog population in the pond (which he helped his Dad build at age 5) is miniscule compared to what it was in his younger years. While we've not seen the deformities found elsewhere, in my adult years I've also not played with the frogs enough to notice such things. I have heard many bird watchers and older people comment lately about certain birds they always enjoyed hearing or watching when they were younger no longer being around. And I know there are certain trees that used to be everywhere you almost never see anymore. There's a small part of me that makes me wonder if the Amish didn't have it right. Granted, I have no desire to give my up heat, AC or electricity, but I also know that in China their source of heat is one of the many factors that is giving them excessively dangerous air quality these days. I can't imagine having to choose between being slightly warm (when I lived there I had "heat" and still wore 3-4 layers inside in the winter) and the ability to breathe.

So while I was disappointed with the book's ending, even in my own life I don't have definitive answers or thoughts about the issues and potential causes themselves. Perhaps that is why I found the lack of conclusion so unsettling - I was looking for a conclusive answer to an endlessly vague issue.

Go Set a Watchman

There's a lot about Alabama I love. There's a lot about Alabama I hate. I think that can be said for any hometown/state. And I think that's one of the reasons why Harper Lee's book To Kill a Mockingbird was so popular. It covered the best and worst of a society, in its historical context, with all its horrors and all its good. It's also why I hesitated to read Lee's latest published work.

If what I have read is true, Go Set a Watchman was her original work. It was also rejected by the editor with a suggestion that she rewrite it from Scout's point of view as a child. The manuscript of Scout as an adult confronting a myriad of thoughts, emotions, people, and societal views was supposedly left untouched with her important papers. I bought the book, but hesitated to read it for some time. This past week, I finally read it, and was both saddened and surprised. Saddened, because racism and the ugly part of my home state is never a pretty thing to read. Surprised, because it addressed things head-on in historical context without any political correctness. New York's racism is brought up, women's place in society, Scout's issues and struggles with the church, the NAACP, states' rights, reverse racism, and even freedom of speech. It's all there.

It's been many years since I've read her first published work. As an adult, I prefer the second book, her first writing, much better. For a classroom assignment, I'm not sure if I'd go with Mockingbird or assign them both as a comparison/contrast in viewpoint and ways of presenting the same matter in different ways.

But grown-up Scout is right in many ways - once you leave home, nothing is ever the same.

so thankful

First, the quilt page has been updated (I posted the final, quilted version of my third quilt of valour).

This last week I read the book Growing Up bin Laden by Osama bin Laden's first wife and fourth son. It was heart-wrenching, sad, and enlightening, all at the same time.  But so far, every book I've ever read about the middle east that involve women in the book, except one, have left me feeling overwhelmed and a little flabbergasted that God chose me to be born to American parents.

I do not consider myself a feminist, though the older I get the more I see many Christian males as male chauvinists. For example, a Christian group I know recently posted that they need assistance moving things. They specifically requested men to come move furniture and dismantle desk units, and for women to come pack up the office supplies. I do understand that most women do not enjoy lifting heavy objects and that men are typically stronger. But it also made me laugh. a little.  My roommate and I actually took one of those desk units apart and put it back together (Okay...I took it apart and she helped me put it back together and then cleaned up the mess I made on her side of the room...and never complained). I know women who move furniture and paint their own houses while their husbands are away on business trips or at work, women who till their own gardens (GO, go, GO! Barbara Ann (she has a pink tractor) and Charlotte (who used a small hand tiller), women who repair the washing machine and refrigerator and toilet because there's no money to call the plumber and hubby is working his tail off at work (thank you YouTube!), and women who build their own stone steps and patios and driveways. I also know men who want to help out but have injured backs or severe health issues that limit their movement, but gladly will sort paperwork or make phone calls. When we (and I use the church/Christian groups here as an example because those are the groups I work with the most) limit certain activities to male/female roles, we alienate potential workers...for no reason. I understand there are very clear God-given roles for men and women in the Bible...but these things do not fall in those categories.

Yet every time I read a book about women in the middle east, I am SO thankful to have grown up in a country with parents who encouraged me to use my mind, who allowed me to work and learn to drive, who saw me as more than "just a girl".  I am thankful for their Biblical teachings: that God made me and loved me, that I am not incomplete because I am a female, and that God clearly teaches every thing we do should be for His glory and honor - not mine. That, when the apostle Paul wrote Timothy to "study to show yourself approved as a workman to God", it's a good principle for every believer, and not just males who are becoming preachers.

There's a lot to be said for respecting your husband and being a keeper of the home, but I would never want to see that taken to the extreme where a wife can never question her husband or leave the home without his permission or an escort. I cannot imagine my only duties in life to be that of cooking food, cleaning house, and reproducing. I am so thankful that God gave me a godly example in my father, who has never seen it as a threat to his manhood to lovingly help around the house. As he used to inform us if we ever asked for an allowance for doing our chores "You live here. You're a part of the team. You don't get paid for teamwork."

But I was also reminded of why we should reach out to the downtrodden and those on the fringes of society...they're the ones desperate for acceptance and meaning to their life.

For me, reading about another culture and from a different viewpoint is a great reminder of why I believe as I do, and how important it is to truly listen and understand where a person is coming from before we make snap judgments about who they are and what they will do. Things are not always as they seem.

book reviews

This last month I've read Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi and The Year of Living Biblically, by AJ Jacobs.

And both have been interesting and enlightening. Bobby wasn't as excited about the first one as I was (he wasn't thrilled with all of Qureshi's theology, though I don't remember exactly what he found distasteful). But I enjoyed reading through his childhood thoughts and teachings, as well as his questions and answers about Christianity. Some of it also left me feeling very stupid. While I appreciated his scientific analogy of the trinity, it was over my head. Maybe if I had studied chemistry in college I might grasp the concepts, but I didn't.

On a different level, Jacobs' book came from a very different mindset, addressed a slew of different questions, and had a very different ending. Jacobs is an agnostic Jew, so it was interesting reading his perceptions of the Torah and New Testament. I was pleasantly surprised to read what he had to say about Answers in Genesis, Liberty and Bob Jones, and greatly appreciated his balanced approach in these areas. While some of his comments on other things disturbed me greatly, it also made me laugh and think through some of the things I believe and why.

So if you're looking for reads that are religious but not a Bible study nor fiction, these are two that I would highly recommend.

two up; one down

Earlier this fall I bought three books to give one of my nieces for Christmas. (Before you gasp in horror, this is for one of the nieces who enjoys reading as much as I do.) Two of the books were based on recommendations from World Magazine. One of them I haven't finished and I'm quite appalled by it (I won't be gifting it); the other, Letters to a Young Progressive, I actually enjoyed reading and am happy to gift it.

The third book I picked up out of curiosity in a Christian bookstore. A college friend of mine works in Afghanistan, and has for the last 13 or so years, and several of my high school classmates have spent time serving with our military in Afghanistan. Needless to say, their viewpoints and experiences are very different. It has taken me a while to work through the book, but In the Land of Blue Burqas has to be one of the best Christian non-fiction books I have read in a very long time. So many times I interrupted Bobby's reading to share a passage with him, and I have repeatedly found myself thinking on passages of Scripture and thinking back to George W. Bush's autobiography where he talked about how the Bible's influences on our society and our lives are profound. Reading this book has made me appreciate my faith on a deeper level, as well as forced a new appreciation for how dramatically worldviews alter society.

So if you're looking for a graduation gift next spring, especially if that graduate is heading toward a secular university, Letters to a Young Progressive, written by a M.Adams, a UNC-W professor, will make an awesome gift.  But if you're wanting to read to be enlightened, entertained, revived, and challenged, then I highly recommend Kate McCord (not her real name)'s In the Land of Blue Burqas. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Christmas book #3

Another book I read several years ago, but it's also one of those books that never quite leaves you. Grisham's main characters attempt to do what so many of us adults have longed to do at one point or another: skip Christmas. The whole book is hysterically funny, and the ending is pathetic and yet heartwarming, but it also made me evaluate how pointless so many of our the holiday traditions truly are. Ever since reading this book, it's made me want to boycott the things that aren't truly important (and several of those things I can't because those traditions are so important to other family members), and yet has also helped me realize that I too have traditions that are sentimental to me but have no intrinsic value.  If you're looking for a fun read, like the Best Christmas Pageant Ever, this is one that will have you laughing out loud, and yet thinking about its contents for weeks afterward.

Christmas book #2

 

Singer's book is different from most run-of-the mill Christian books. While a work of fiction, it addresses some of the political issues surrounding the holidays, but has a very unexpected ending. Some of the stereotypes in the characters bothered me early in the book, but as the story unfolded, I had to admit that I could identify several people who could adequately be the person the story's character was based upon. (So maybe it's not so much stereotyped after all!)

This book is one that leaves you thinking and pondering many issues, from the fine line between freedom of religion and government-sanctioned religion to the age-old debate of when to obey government or what prinicples and doctrines are truly worth fighting about. This book would be an awesome read for any group that loves intense discussions.

Christmas book #1

I read this book as a teenager, and I have read it several times since then. It is, in my not-so-humble opinion, one of the best Christmas books on the market. I like this story so much that I even considered its play version as a script for a Christmas play at church. After reading the copyright requirements of the play, I decided it wasn't the best match for our church. But that doesn't stop me from ranking this as my all-time favorite Christmas book, and I think it should be a must read for anyone who teaches Sunday school.

Kisses from Katie

Last night I finished reading a book that many people have probably already read. Of all the books I've read the last year (and that's quite a few!), this has probably been one of the best, and one that I'll keep.

Some of her reasonings/rationales reminded me so much of GO Conferences and prayer meetings with missions students while I was in college. (Why should dogs in America have better food and health care than people in other countries?, etc)  I was challenged by her constant use of Scripture and depth in the Word for not just her theology but also her day-to-day problems. And I was very thankful when she finally mentioned the hardness of it all. I was starting to think she was either very idealistic or was blissfully ignoring the reality of life.

There are two passages that I actually wrote down the page numbers so I could go back and re-read later. The last one dealt with one of her younger girls who suddenly decided she didn't like to take a bath. (It reminded me very much of another young girl that I adore.) Here's the excerpt:

The bath time struggle never is about the bath at all. It is about obedience. Grace is three years old and she simply does not want to obey. She thinks she should be the one to decide whether she gets in the tub or not...I shudder to think what I could have missed in life because o fmy disobedience. I am so thankful God in His grace does not allow me to win. It is not about the bathtub. It is about me, trying to figure out just how much control I have over my little life...So God picks me up, exhausted from struggling, and plops me in the center of His will fo rmy life. And then a funny thing happens. As I kick and scream and struggle, I remember: I like being in the center of God's will for my life. God's plan is usually pretty great. It is a whole lot better than mine, anyway. I am so glad that He does not allow me to win.

Just the very parallel: a child not wanting to take a bath even though in a dirty place it's a necessity for staying healthy, fighting her Mom every step of the way, and then ultimately crying when she's taken out of the water...that is such a perfect portrait of my walk with Christ.

There aren't many "preachy" books that keep my interest very long. This one did. It was good enough that I interrupted Bobby several times to read excerpt to him. I will admit that reading parts of this book were very difficult. It's not exactly easy to read about suffering children and adoption when God has so clearly closed the door in that area.  But as I've been reminded over and over and over this last month (from so many different directions!): God is sovereign.

There's not a whole lot of books I'll read more than once. This book will definitely make the list.

book review

Last week I had the opportunity to read Three Weeks With my Brother: A Memoir by Nicholas and Micah Sparks.  So far I've never read any of his works, even though I know he's not only very popular but also resides in NC. After reading his memoir, I plan to read his books, and if his memoir writing skills are as good as his novels, then they should be a treat indeed.

Parts of it are hysterically funny...so funny that I was laughing so hard I cried and had to hunt down Bobby to share it with him. Toward the end I hurt and cried as he shared the tragedies within his family, and I inwardly cheered him on as he honestly addressed areas in his brother's life. I won't give you the details, as that would ruin the book, but this is one if I owned it I would pass it on to my Mom to read and would seriously consider it a "keeper".

book review

For Christmas one of the books I asked for was Entertaining Angels: Stories and Ideas for Opening Your Heart and Home by Annie Chapman and Heidi Chapman Beall

Some of the things I liked about this book:

1. She addresses up front the cost of hospitality. It's not easy. It takes time. It uses up resources, both financial, emotional, and time. She uses a lot of different Scriptural passages to address all of these areas, from David's statement that he wouldn't offer anything to the Lord if it cost him nothing (II Sam. 24:24), as well as a quote from a preacher that "Some of you want to take authority over demons and devils and yet you haven't even taken authority over the dirty dishes in your sink or the piles of laundry waiting to be washed."  Diligence and perseverance in the little things enable us to serve in greater things.
2. She includes a lot of simply recipes (and most of them we've had in our Apples of Gold meetings from church!)
3. She addresses areas of hospitality we often ignore: meals and assistance to the sick, gestures of thoughtfulness to those grieving, activities to and for her children and their peers, welcoming guests, among others
4. She's honest. She talks about times she failed to be a great, or even good hostess, as well as some times she didn't exercise wisdom in her younger years in attempting to be a good host and entertain strangers.

What I didn't like:

1. There's nothing biblical equating hospitality with frills. I don't think we need to use our best dishes and have everything perfect to be hospitable. Her advice to get help if needed, (hire help, which isn't an option for many cash-strapped Christians), almost runs amok to Christ's rebuke of Martha for asking Mary to help while she was "fellowshipping".
2. While she readily admits some areas put her out of her comfort zone, I'm not totally convinced of the wisdom in stepping out of comfort zones. From personal experience, stepping out of comfort zones can sometimes cause more harm than good. I'm not so certain that we should waste time attempting to develop gifts we don't have when God has enabled us in other areas. Don't get me wrong. I think God can use us mightily when we're forced to depend on Him for strength, but I've seen too many situations where people have tried to make things happen and ended up doing more harm than good.
3. Following a command of Christ, such as showing hospitality, is not a reason to be stupid. I think we should feed the hungry and help the homeless, but I'm not going to go invite people off the street into my home for Thanksgiving dinner or to spend the night.

Sometimes I wondered if in attempts to make this book a little thicker she was stretching to add things under the hospitality umbrella. And I would have liked to have seen a more common-sense, practical how-to instead of personal stories that most people can't or won't replicate. The book's an interesting read, but I don't know that it's one I'll keep long-term.

an emotional roller coaster

A Table in the Presence by Lt. Carey H. Cash
Riveting...thought provoking...tear jerking... heart stopping....and definitely a motivational read.

I remember the first gulf war. Sadly I remember all too clearly 9/11 and its aftermath.
But I also remember the prayers. The heart-chilling 11:30pm phone call from my cousin, fearing I was about to hear the worst about his brother, only to have my own thoughts repeated to me "I can't sleep; Kev is on my mind." The next thirty minutes of prayer over the phone will be a night I remember forever. The following weeks it seemed every time I awoke I would be offering up a prayer for God's protection over my cousin and for His spirit to draw him back, for the WORD from his childhood to penetrate his mind, for a fellow Marine to be a believer and encourage him, for there to be a godly chaplain nearby. And then came the letters, about the worst fighting he had seen to date, and of being certain he was about to die, of fear.  And the timing of those battles? Those weeks God brought him to our minds again and again and again, even prompting long-distance prayer meetings over the phone.

Those memories came surfacing back this week. On Tuesday I took a dear friend for an outpatient procedure, and grabbed a "small" book from my reading pile on the dresser before I left. This book turned out to be anything but small. I was almost physically shaking and trying not to cry as I read portions in the beginning, with some descriptions sounding eerily familiar to things I've heard before. Chaplain Cash's book is a reminder to me of the power of prayer, of God's faithfulness, and his everlasting love. We read of miracles in the Bible and sometimes wonder (or at least I do) why we so seldom see God's miraculous works performed today. After reading this book, I realize they are happening...I just may not see them. The book was refreshing to me on another front, because it made me realize God truly answered the prayers of many Christians when the war began.

This book was a vivid reminder of just how much I have to be thankful for: my freedom in Christ, my freedom as an American, a citizenship in a country where I am not a second-class citizen because of my gender, and where I can live out my life and faith without fear of persecution. And truly, most American Christians are NOT persecuted, no matter how much the American Life Association and Christian Law Association likes to claim. We know almost nothing of persecution here.

If you want a heart-stopping, patriotic, religious read (but it's not a book you can read through in one setting), then this is a book I highly recommend.

four days and still not sure

For the first time ever, I've read a book and am still undecided what I think about its contents.
In the Land of Believers by Gina Welch is interesting. She gets off to a slow start, but she's also laying groundwork and foundation for this "weird" culture of Evangelicals, specifically, Thomas Road Baptist Church, the home of Liberty University. If you haven't heard of this book, an atheist Yale grad begins to attend Thomas Road for the sole purpose of writing a book explaining what Evangelicals are truly about. She fakes a conversion experience, is baptized, and even goes on a mission trip whose sole purpose is evangelism.
Like many non-southerners, her attitude toward the Bible belt is condescending and excessively arrogant. Unlike many, she does come to recognize that different doesn't necessarily mean inferior or uneducated, but I don't think she ever totally grasped southern culture. As for the religious culture, she did get a decent view of life with Evangelical Christians. But unlike most anthropologists who study people groups for more than just two years (and more than just one or two select groups of friends), Welch limits her "exposure" to a small handful, giving her a very narrow, albeit eye-opening, experience.
By the time I hit 3/4 through the book, I was absolutely appalled at her lack of compassion for people, her inability to tell the truth, and her supreme selfishness.  The last few chapters did reveal her to have some sense of feeling for anyone outside of her circle of thinkers, but not much. The last chapter revealed more than anything just how clueless she truly is to the fact that Evangelicals truly are people who are capable of loving and caring.
If you want a raw look at how someone with absolutely no Biblical knowledge views fundamental Christians, I highly recommend this book. If you struggle with things in the church or are easily offended, then it's best you stay away from it. I can hear Pastor Mike stating that had the altar workers at Thomas Road spent adequate time with this young lady and had been trained in the Netcaster program, her experience at Liberty could have been totally different. Regardless, it never hurts to look at yourself in someone else's mirror.

a book excerpt

I bought a book to give my parents, and after reading it, decided it wasn't one they would enjoy.  Written by a hoity-toity Duke divinity student, he shares a few of the lessons he learned from a small church.  Toward the end he wrote several paragraphs that resonate with a few thoughts I've been having the last few months.

The church is easy to bash because the church is full of knuckleheads, that is, human beings. we're all hypocrites, the greatest saints among us chiefly so...She's (the church) made space for the strangest among us, allowed us to be that way, worshiped alongside us, cared for our children, wept when we buried parents, and been our friend and neighbor. It's a greater gift than any of us has a right to expect. It's like grace -God's own mercy. And the trick is- there's no batch of perfect people someplace else to replace this batch of sinners. Sinners are all Go d has to work with to get His way in the world...This doesn't happen automatically in megachurches. In megachurches anyone can walk in and be anything they like. Nobody has to tolerate you because nobody has to tolerate anybody any more than one has to get on with the guy in the movie theater next to you. I can see the appeal of this - I've had stages in my life when I wanted no one in my business as I worshiped Jesus. But those were stages. Everywhere, the church makes a place for crazy people because the church is full of them. That is, all of us. But in the small church you have to shake their hands. Weekly...The church wounds us, like every parent wounds, hopefully unwittingly, penitentially, but in ways no less real. She marks us forever. And without her, we'd not be us. (107, Byassee, Jason.)

There are times I'd love to be swallowed in a crowd where no one knew my name or cared whether or not I made it to church. But the reality is, in such a place I'd not have a person to nudge me on, lovingly confront me, nor hold my hand through difficult times. I don't agree with everything Mr. Byassee had to say, but I appreciated the acknowledgement, however condescendingly made, that a small church has many gifts to offer.

quality vs quantity

I've sporadically been reading a book about fatherhood that Lifeway gave away last year. (It was written by their new president and his son.) The chapter I'm currently reading addresses the topic of how quantity time actually yields to quality time, in the son's opinion. He claims that most important conversations happened after spending vast amounts of time together. There is something to be said for that.
In the father's response, he shares about a time when he missed an "important" event in a son's life: a home run. He was pastoring and working on a degree at the time, and took work to his son's ballgame. While in the midst of writing, he missed the big event.
Perhaps I grew up in a very totalitarian regime. We were taught early on in life that 1) the world does not center around us, 2) there are priorities to what we do in life, 3) keeping food on the table and clothes on our back {Dad's job, in other words}, were a top priority. I remember in high school band each parent was required to work the concessions at two football games. Those games the parents were allowed in free. I always hated it that Mom and Dad were so close, but couldn't see our half-time performance because they were working. But I also knew that what they were doing enabled me to be in the band. Otherwise we never could have afforded the expense. Dad did figure out that if he helped grill the hamburgers and hot dogs, he was usually finished in time to see us. Mom's who came to all the games would occasionally offer to let Mom go watch the half-time show so she could see us. Did I want Mom and Dad to see us? Certainly! But I wanted our lights to stay on at home more. Had Mom or Dad paid for the extra games to watch us play, that might not have happened. So after reading this passage, I'm wondering what on earth this guy was even doing at a ballgame when he should have been at home writing his paper?
I'm also puzzled by this whole premise that every single thing a child does or expresses interest in must be nurtured ad naseum. You can encourage a child without doting on him.
Most likely my parents would have done a lot more with us had they been able. But I wouldn't trade the checker tournaments Dad set up for us one vacation for anything. Or the board games at the kitchen table. No uniforms, tickets, rental fee, or transportation required. (But a good attitude was!)
I suppose it's a good thing we don't have children. People would probably think we were the meanest parents around. And by today's lax but hovering parental standards, we probably would be.

in need of steel-toed shoes

My oldest niece turns 16 this weekend. Bobby and I will join them for supper tomorrow night and present her with two presents: one is a box of candles, and the other has books and an i-tunes card. Along with her candles, her Dad will receive an Amish courting candle holder. The stand is in the shape of a heart, the actual holder is a swirled piece of metal that has a wooden knob that moves around the swirl, pushing the candle either up or down. According to the card that goes with it, if an Amish father likes his daughter's suitor, he'll push the candle up high. The boy can stay until it burns down to the metal. If he's not overly crazy about the boy, he'll set the candle low, so the boy can only stay for a little bit.

And the books... I spent yesterday reading one and skimming the other. The one I read was "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" by Josh Harris. I had heard a lot about this book, and my niece actually informed me it's his younger brothers who wrote the best-selling "Dare to Do Hard Things" book. I was very impressed with the dating book. It's not an arrogant "this is the way things should be" book, but a heartfelt listing of why he personally quit dating. I was reading the book to make sure a) it was something Emily would read, and b) that there wasn't anything doctrinally off the wall. What I was not expecting to find was things that struck me, in my life, today. Here's some of the quotes from the book that meant something to me:

Every relationship for a Christian is an opportunity to love another person like God has loved us. If God sees a sparrow fall (Matthew 10:29), do you think he could possibly overlook the broken hearts and hurts we cause in relationships based on our selfishness?

We've been playing in the sandbox; God wants to take us to the beach.

Christians have always had a choice to imitate the Master or slip into the more enticing pattern of love provided by the world.

A model wears clothing to attract attention to the designer's creativity. The model displays the designer's work, but the designer's reputation, not the model's, is on the line. In the same way, as Christians, we model God's love, whether we realize it or not.

The world takes us to a silver screen on which flickering images of passion and romance play, and as we watch, the world says, "This is love." God takes us to the foot of a tree on which a naked and bloodied man hangs and says, "This is love." ...True love always expresses itself in obedience to God and service to others. Good feelings are nice but not necessary.

When we extract the poison of self-love, our entire motivation in relationships is transformed. ...We shouldn't allow feelings to set the tone or the pace for our relationships.

Part of the reason we've adopted the immediate gratification mentality is because we've lost sight of the biblical principle of seasons (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)...Just because something is good doesn't mean we should pursue it right now.

Waiting for God's timing requires trusting in His goodness and wisdom. We develop patience as we trust that God denies us what we think is good only because He has something better for us -both now and in the future.

We often have pricked consciences but unchanged lives.

If we really examine our hearts, we'll find lies, selfishness,lust, envy, and pride...It's like discovering your sweet old grandmother's picture on the FBI's most wanted list at the post office. This one made me laugh, but it's oh so true!

We don't define a person's true character by the image that person wishes to convey or the reputation he or she hides behind, but by the choices and decisions that person has made and makes every day.

I think this book will be one I'll pass on to other kids in the future. Whether they decide to date or not, like the author says, is a decision each believer must decide for himself. But he's got some excellent points that every single believer needs to evaluate and consider about the body of Christ and our role in it.

gifts

The problem I have with reading non-fiction is that it makes me think too much.

Last night I was determined to finish reading Chapter Three in the Book Club's book (Because He Loves Me by Elyse F.) I was making good progress, dotting some things, underlining others, until I hit this paragraph that talked about gifts. I read it, thought some, read it again, then woke Bobby up from his half-slumber to discuss it with him. I left a question mark by that section.

It's very possible that I am just a vile and selfishly, wicked person for whom there is no hope in sanctification this side of heaven. I love to give gifts. I like thinking about people and what they enjoy and finding a bargain on something that will thrill them. (Maybe I should just say I like to shop.) That's why I usually start my Christmas shopping very early. One year I even started shopping for the next year with the after Christmas sales. But I most certainly don't expect people to look at their gifts and think of me.

Granted, I have a few wedding gifts that often when I use them (a mini-food chopper, my dining room table) that I think of the person who gave them to us. But there are many other gifts that I use, that I'm very thankful for, but the gifts never remind me of the person who gave them to us.

I asked Bobby if he could tell me three gifts he's received in his lifetime that stand out in his mind. His face lit up as he told me about both the gifts and circumstances (one story I hadn't heard), but none of his recollections brought forth reflections on the gift giver.

I guess that is why I struggle with EF's suggestion that if we accept the gift of salvation then we focus on its giver. I understand the concept, but when I think about my salvation, I seldom make the jump from salvation to God giving up his Son. Well, maybe at Easter and Christmas, but the rest of the time I simply think about the gift itself...how it's life-changing, how it's free but also "costly", what a comfort it is, etc and so on.

So while I understand what she's trying to accomplish, I disagree with her premise. Meanwhile, she's got me thinking a LOT about Christmas!