Wed - January 12, 2005
The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart
This is a pretty boring book, but I like the
author and thought I'd give it a
try.
Don't bother reading it.
Don't bother reading it.
Posted at 06:41 AM Read More
Thu - January 6, 2005
The Last Juror by John Grisham
One of his flatter books, strong start, but not a
strong finish. Still if you read everything he writes, you'll enjoy the easy
reading of another Grisham
novel.
Posted at 06:39 AM Read More
Fri - December 31, 2004
Being Spied on by my Daughter
This morning my daughter spied on me. I wanted
some time to reflect and write so I told Jenny I wanted some Quiet Time. It's
usually associated with drinking coffee, reading the bible, journaling, praying
and doesn't include Snood. Snood is the new game I stole from my mother in laws
computer yesterday. It's the dumbest thing in the world, a cannon shoots shapes
at a ceiling of other shapes that fall to the ground, sort of reverse Tetris.
But I'm sort of hooked now which is why when Lily walked by and saw me playing I
just casually mentioned to not really let Jenny know that my Quiet Time was
spent in the digital world of snood, and not the hallowed halls fo scripture.
Sin of omission, not commission.
Of course Lily told her right away. Sin of tattling, which I'm sure really annoys my Heavenly father. (Almost as much as playing Snood during Quiet Time. I was actually telling him, "only one more game".
So I hear this clunk, clunk, clunking of my daughters feet on the stairs and then the door handle turns, but not enough to open the door, and I hear this sweet (you can't believe how sweet my daughter sounds) voice sing out, "What you doing Daddy!".
Unbelievable! My wife sent my daughter to spy on me!
Which makes me think about this little spy, dressed as a princess, wearing a tutu and princess slippers. She so owns me, well sort of. I told her I was reading a book, which was true in the technical sense, because I had switched to the book as soon as I heard Lily tattle on me. Anyway, my little investigator looked until she saw the book, gave me a kiss and started downstairs again.
By the way she's the cutest spy in the world.
Of course Lily told her right away. Sin of tattling, which I'm sure really annoys my Heavenly father. (Almost as much as playing Snood during Quiet Time. I was actually telling him, "only one more game".
So I hear this clunk, clunk, clunking of my daughters feet on the stairs and then the door handle turns, but not enough to open the door, and I hear this sweet (you can't believe how sweet my daughter sounds) voice sing out, "What you doing Daddy!".
Unbelievable! My wife sent my daughter to spy on me!
Which makes me think about this little spy, dressed as a princess, wearing a tutu and princess slippers. She so owns me, well sort of. I told her I was reading a book, which was true in the technical sense, because I had switched to the book as soon as I heard Lily tattle on me. Anyway, my little investigator looked until she saw the book, gave me a kiss and started downstairs again.
By the way she's the cutest spy in the world.
Posted at 09:18 AM Read More
Wed - December 29, 2004
Maniac Magee
This is a great story of a kid who's life is
turned upside down when his parents die. It has almost a Forest Gump innocence
about it and is a great book to read aloud. It was Ruth Herndon's book of the
year.
Posted at 06:42 AM
Mon - December 20, 2004
Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas
This is a great book for anyone who's been
married long enough to know that it isn't all fancy restaurants and bed and
breakfasts. Which is anyone back from their honeymoon. Actually I thought that
reading it after about 6 years of marriage worked pretty well.
The main point of the book isn't about how to fix your marriage, in fact it doesn't really prescribe much in the way of changing. It really focuses on a perspective that God is using marriage, even the hardest marriages to form saints. That God's design in marriage isn't happiness, but solid character.
Gary makes the point that most spiritual formation literature has been written for and by celibates, and that marriage as a spiritual formation tool has been largely ignored.
The main point of the book isn't about how to fix your marriage, in fact it doesn't really prescribe much in the way of changing. It really focuses on a perspective that God is using marriage, even the hardest marriages to form saints. That God's design in marriage isn't happiness, but solid character.
Gary makes the point that most spiritual formation literature has been written for and by celibates, and that marriage as a spiritual formation tool has been largely ignored.
Posted at 07:59 AM Read More
Wed - December 15, 2004
The Sexual Man
Ok, so I really debated putting this and Secrets
of Eve on my blog. "What would people think", I wondered, "Will they think that
I'm a pervert"?
So then I realized, I want to put this in my blog because so few christians acknowledge sex as a part (a healthy part) of life. I started having questions about sex right after I was born, and by and large they haven't gone away. Despite it being one of the most natural, and God instilled desires in men and women, the church has such a silence on the topic of sex that I want to contribute to a sense that sex should be talked about and read about, especially in appropriate and Christian ways. (Because while the church is silent, the rest of our culture is VERY LOUD on the topic, and they may not be saying something GOOD with all their NOISE.)
I'd recommend that all males read this book. It is about basic normal, middle of the road sexuality, and uncovers issues that NO-ONE has EVER talked to me about. Nor have I talked to anyone else about them.
So then I realized, I want to put this in my blog because so few christians acknowledge sex as a part (a healthy part) of life. I started having questions about sex right after I was born, and by and large they haven't gone away. Despite it being one of the most natural, and God instilled desires in men and women, the church has such a silence on the topic of sex that I want to contribute to a sense that sex should be talked about and read about, especially in appropriate and Christian ways. (Because while the church is silent, the rest of our culture is VERY LOUD on the topic, and they may not be saying something GOOD with all their NOISE.)
I'd recommend that all males read this book. It is about basic normal, middle of the road sexuality, and uncovers issues that NO-ONE has EVER talked to me about. Nor have I talked to anyone else about them.
Posted at 08:15 AM Read More
Thu - December 9, 2004
Secrets of Eve by Archibald Hart
Archibald Hart is the president of the School of
Psychology at Fuller in Southern California. His work on depression for men
(see Unmasking Male Depression ) has been a landmark
book for me, and he recommended reading both the Secrets of Eve and The Sexual
Man, both by him.
Secrets of Eve is a must read for all husbands and fathers of daughters. It raises the importance of sex in marriage and also sex education for daughters. Both of these are largely ignored by the church (when was the last time you heard a bible study on the importance of understanding sexuality in marriage?) and points out that given the silence of this subject in our churches and families, where are our children learning about sex?
I'm really grateful that Archibald is writing on the subject of sexuality and that he's a voice that can be trusted (unlike all the tv shows, books, magazines, music artists, and movies which talk about sex all the time).
Secrets of Eve is a must read for all husbands and fathers of daughters. It raises the importance of sex in marriage and also sex education for daughters. Both of these are largely ignored by the church (when was the last time you heard a bible study on the importance of understanding sexuality in marriage?) and points out that given the silence of this subject in our churches and families, where are our children learning about sex?
I'm really grateful that Archibald is writing on the subject of sexuality and that he's a voice that can be trusted (unlike all the tv shows, books, magazines, music artists, and movies which talk about sex all the time).
Posted at 08:10 AM Read More
Tue - November 30, 2004
The Monk Downstairs by Tim Farrington
Rating:
A
A single mom rents her inlaw unit to an ex-monk and they become romantically involved. The plot is really that simple, but Tim Farrington explores the in's and out's of Service vs. Contemplation. The single mom's daughter is named Mary-Martha and provides the living balance of service and "the one thing required" (see the story of Mary and Martha in Luke).
A warning to christians reading this, they sleep together before marriage and sometimes it's racy.
Recomendation: Fantastically written and a great book to read out loud to your spouse! Jenny and I loved it together.
A single mom rents her inlaw unit to an ex-monk and they become romantically involved. The plot is really that simple, but Tim Farrington explores the in's and out's of Service vs. Contemplation. The single mom's daughter is named Mary-Martha and provides the living balance of service and "the one thing required" (see the story of Mary and Martha in Luke).
A warning to christians reading this, they sleep together before marriage and sometimes it's racy.
Recomendation: Fantastically written and a great book to read out loud to your spouse! Jenny and I loved it together.
Posted at 09:14 AM Read More
Mon - November 15, 2004
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
Rating:
B+
Description: This is a classic on the intertwining of relationships even in the urban setting (a sense that is really developing in the post-modern scene with ideas like "urban tribe"), and on the unlikely nature of romance and fortune. For Dickens the ending is almost too sanguine but it would be so depressing to read 700 pages and then not have it end on some upbeat.
Recommendation: Reading Dickens is like walking through a suburb and then strolling through Pacific Heights in San Francisco. Dickens uses ornamental victorian language that (when you get used to it, which takes a few hundred pages) that starts to make the nuance of language incredibly vivid. Once used to it, the story becomes richer. I'd hesitate to recommend this book to anyone who didn't like to read for a long time on one book, or who isn't interested in past lives and cultures.
Description: This is a classic on the intertwining of relationships even in the urban setting (a sense that is really developing in the post-modern scene with ideas like "urban tribe"), and on the unlikely nature of romance and fortune. For Dickens the ending is almost too sanguine but it would be so depressing to read 700 pages and then not have it end on some upbeat.
Recommendation: Reading Dickens is like walking through a suburb and then strolling through Pacific Heights in San Francisco. Dickens uses ornamental victorian language that (when you get used to it, which takes a few hundred pages) that starts to make the nuance of language incredibly vivid. Once used to it, the story becomes richer. I'd hesitate to recommend this book to anyone who didn't like to read for a long time on one book, or who isn't interested in past lives and cultures.
Posted at 07:52 AM Read More
Fri - October 29, 2004
Of Minor Prophets and Their Prostitue Wives: by Pedro the Lion
Pedro The
Lion
Of Minor Prophets & Their Prostitute Wives
all the time you were burning my letters
you were only acting the part
you think without me you'll get on much better
but you dont even know your own heart
come home, darling
come home quickly
come home, darling
all is forgiven, so come home quickly
i treated you as if you were a princess
you treated me like a cop
i gave you boundaries to save you from certain death
dangling from the end of the rope
come home, darling
come home quickly
come home, darling
all is forgiven, so come home quickly
but your still playing for a love you'll never find
outside of these arms of mine
the whole town is one step behind you
with the hang man on call
they've got the judge and you're convicted without a plea
darling, they will listen to me
darling, they will listen to me
darling, they will listen to me
Of Minor Prophets & Their Prostitute Wives
all the time you were burning my letters
you were only acting the part
you think without me you'll get on much better
but you dont even know your own heart
come home, darling
come home quickly
come home, darling
all is forgiven, so come home quickly
i treated you as if you were a princess
you treated me like a cop
i gave you boundaries to save you from certain death
dangling from the end of the rope
come home, darling
come home quickly
come home, darling
all is forgiven, so come home quickly
but your still playing for a love you'll never find
outside of these arms of mine
the whole town is one step behind you
with the hang man on call
they've got the judge and you're convicted without a plea
darling, they will listen to me
darling, they will listen to me
darling, they will listen to me
Posted at 07:43 AM
Wed - September 15, 2004
The Giver
Rating:
A-
Set in the future, humans have opted out of the risk and uncertainties of life by becoming as "same" as possible. Unlike so many of the future community genre, Lowry doesn't make the community unfeeling and inhuman. People are known and known well in the community. There is still a sense that the science of life has been communally adapted, but has lost it's memory of art. The Giver is an interesting book for anyone, but a must read for those interested or living in community as it highlights the importance of Memory and History.
Newbery Award Winner
Set in the future, humans have opted out of the risk and uncertainties of life by becoming as "same" as possible. Unlike so many of the future community genre, Lowry doesn't make the community unfeeling and inhuman. People are known and known well in the community. There is still a sense that the science of life has been communally adapted, but has lost it's memory of art. The Giver is an interesting book for anyone, but a must read for those interested or living in community as it highlights the importance of Memory and History.
Newbery Award Winner
Posted at 06:01 AM Read More
Fri - September 10, 2004
Cold Feet
It's 4am and I'm in the my chair not sleeping
again. I haven't started sleeping through the night since being back in San
Francisco after my trip around the world but this morning I'm here because I'm
scared. I've talked the church into doing something that I think is a great
idea, and they've agreed with a hybrid mixture of support and grace, but now
that things are starting later today I'm coldly aware of all the things that
could go wrong, aware of all the ways that the plans we made weren't thoughtful
enough and how few people I ended up involving when I had hoped to capture the
imagination of everyone.
By the way, this is routine for me to be nervous like this before something.
Anytime I start anything, or try something new, I get really, really nervous. I think it's God's way of making me pay attention. If it isn't his way, then it's certainly a sideline benefit! Because I'm paying attention to God right now in a way that borders on desperation.
So the thing we're doing, since I've written around it I should probably explain it a bit, is an apprenticeship. What we as a church have noticed is that it takes years of practice and dedication to become adept at living as a member of any community, but especially an intentional church community. To learn the culture, to know the people, to find a place in it, and to contribute in a way that shapes it doesn't just happen overnight. So our church has embarked on a way that invites interested parties to live with us for a year as apprentices. To give them a taste and see on why we find life together to be such a great and exhausting adventure. Jesus didn't just tell people about his life, he invited them to follow. Or as it says in the John version, "Come and see." The apprenticeship is our way of saying to people who are interested in our church, "Come and see."
So why would anybody be nervous about that? Well, I've talked 4 people into making this experiment the primary vocation of their spiritual life over the next year, and I feel the weight of that responsibility. That's one thing but also this is uncharted water and I'm not just swimming by myself, I've talked a whole church into swimming past the lifeguard sign of known territory. It makes me realize how many times Moses must have woken up at night and replayed the conversation at the burning bush.
Strangely it isn't all about good things like responsibility and casting a vision that comes from God. A good bit of it comes simply from worrying about my image. I'm worried about looking like an idiot. Which isn't probably a worthwhile fear or something, but you know how fears go, they don't take the time to make sure they are noble or rational. At least mine don't. I will say that this fear, while ignoble, is very rational. Asking people to give their life up for something for a year is a quick way to looking like an idiot. I already have!!! And will again.
I'm aware of the distance between what I had hoped for and what I accomplished in terms of helping people in the church participate. What I was aiming at was everybody in the church getting to contribute. What I know is that having to many expectations can turn the "getting to contribute" into a "having to contribute", and that saps a community of it's energy and passion. The leadership tightrope-walk on these things is so tenuous. Inspiring while expecting. But then one of the things that I realize is that I can't leave on a month long trip and come back a week before something like this starts and expect to have done a perfect job on setting it up. Still, the distance remains between what I had hoped for and what actually happened.
I should mention, before I make anybody who reads this too nervous, that this is a very common conversation to myself and you don't need to worry about me. It sounds worse than it is. It's just pre-game willies and once the bell sounds things will have their own inertia.
So if you're reading this and you have a few moments to pray for the apprenticeship, please do.
By the way, this is routine for me to be nervous like this before something.
Anytime I start anything, or try something new, I get really, really nervous. I think it's God's way of making me pay attention. If it isn't his way, then it's certainly a sideline benefit! Because I'm paying attention to God right now in a way that borders on desperation.
So the thing we're doing, since I've written around it I should probably explain it a bit, is an apprenticeship. What we as a church have noticed is that it takes years of practice and dedication to become adept at living as a member of any community, but especially an intentional church community. To learn the culture, to know the people, to find a place in it, and to contribute in a way that shapes it doesn't just happen overnight. So our church has embarked on a way that invites interested parties to live with us for a year as apprentices. To give them a taste and see on why we find life together to be such a great and exhausting adventure. Jesus didn't just tell people about his life, he invited them to follow. Or as it says in the John version, "Come and see." The apprenticeship is our way of saying to people who are interested in our church, "Come and see."
So why would anybody be nervous about that? Well, I've talked 4 people into making this experiment the primary vocation of their spiritual life over the next year, and I feel the weight of that responsibility. That's one thing but also this is uncharted water and I'm not just swimming by myself, I've talked a whole church into swimming past the lifeguard sign of known territory. It makes me realize how many times Moses must have woken up at night and replayed the conversation at the burning bush.
Strangely it isn't all about good things like responsibility and casting a vision that comes from God. A good bit of it comes simply from worrying about my image. I'm worried about looking like an idiot. Which isn't probably a worthwhile fear or something, but you know how fears go, they don't take the time to make sure they are noble or rational. At least mine don't. I will say that this fear, while ignoble, is very rational. Asking people to give their life up for something for a year is a quick way to looking like an idiot. I already have!!! And will again.
I'm aware of the distance between what I had hoped for and what I accomplished in terms of helping people in the church participate. What I was aiming at was everybody in the church getting to contribute. What I know is that having to many expectations can turn the "getting to contribute" into a "having to contribute", and that saps a community of it's energy and passion. The leadership tightrope-walk on these things is so tenuous. Inspiring while expecting. But then one of the things that I realize is that I can't leave on a month long trip and come back a week before something like this starts and expect to have done a perfect job on setting it up. Still, the distance remains between what I had hoped for and what actually happened.
I should mention, before I make anybody who reads this too nervous, that this is a very common conversation to myself and you don't need to worry about me. It sounds worse than it is. It's just pre-game willies and once the bell sounds things will have their own inertia.
So if you're reading this and you have a few moments to pray for the apprenticeship, please do.
Posted at 04:33 AM Read More
Sun - September 5, 2004
The Fourth Deadly Sin
Rating:
C
Genre: Murder Mystery
Your typical murder mystery, person dies in the first three pages and the retired detective puts it together. One thing I liked was the attention to police politics and coordination in an investigation. No shootouts, mostly just grunt work by a lot of cops.
By the way, the butler didn't do it.
Genre: Murder Mystery
Your typical murder mystery, person dies in the first three pages and the retired detective puts it together. One thing I liked was the attention to police politics and coordination in an investigation. No shootouts, mostly just grunt work by a lot of cops.
By the way, the butler didn't do it.
Posted at 03:37 AM Read More
Wed - August 25, 2004
Mary Stwearts Arthur Quartet
Rating:
A-
This is the first in a trilogy by Mary Stewart about the Arthur saga (knights of the round table and all that). It's more comprehensive than "The Once and Future King", both are worth reading. Mary Stewart writes the saga from the point of view of Merlin in the first three books, and the point of view of Mordred, Arthur's bastard son, in the fourth book. Excellent realism which is easy to trace out the legend that followed. Highly recommended.
Purchasing tip: you can pick up the first three in as one volume for much cheaper (click here).
This is the first in a trilogy by Mary Stewart about the Arthur saga (knights of the round table and all that). It's more comprehensive than "The Once and Future King", both are worth reading. Mary Stewart writes the saga from the point of view of Merlin in the first three books, and the point of view of Mordred, Arthur's bastard son, in the fourth book. Excellent realism which is easy to trace out the legend that followed. Highly recommended.
Purchasing tip: you can pick up the first three in as one volume for much cheaper (click here).
Posted at 03:22 AM Read More
Fri - August 20, 2004
The Powers that Be: by Walter Wink
Rating:
B
Walter Wink poses some intense ideas about Pacifism and the necessity of the church to rethink it's part in perpetuating violence. Extremely provocative, and very challenging in parts. There can be no doubt but that much of what is written here needs wider acceptance in the hearts and minds of American believers especially. At the same time the concepts in this book require more articulate formation in large areas, especially treatment of the Old Testament, and the early churches understanding of the primary vision of the church.
Not recommended as a first foray into the concepts of pacifism. But for those who are used to hanging around pacifists, a provocative read.
Walter Wink poses some intense ideas about Pacifism and the necessity of the church to rethink it's part in perpetuating violence. Extremely provocative, and very challenging in parts. There can be no doubt but that much of what is written here needs wider acceptance in the hearts and minds of American believers especially. At the same time the concepts in this book require more articulate formation in large areas, especially treatment of the Old Testament, and the early churches understanding of the primary vision of the church.
Not recommended as a first foray into the concepts of pacifism. But for those who are used to hanging around pacifists, a provocative read.
Posted at 03:30 AM Read More
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Published On: Jan 12, 2005 06:41 AM
Published On: Jan 12, 2005 06:41 AM