by Greg | Nov 25, 2008 | Blog Posts
I have added a few more books to my reading list for 2008. Like I have said before, not every book was a good book, but every book gives me an opportunity to dialogue. If you would like to dialogue further about any of these books mentioned here or those I have listed elsewhere on the blog, by all means write me. Fiction The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho and Alan R. Clarke. The story is a simple fable, a bit inspiring, and twenty years later still influential to the vast numbers who have read it. It is a journey, and what I am about to say will sound cliché, towards spiritual enlightenment. The Shack, by William P. Young. This is not a book I would ordinarily read but due to its popularity among many church members and that many fundamentalists have marked it as heresy, I had to read it. My thoughts are mixed. First, the author does a reasonable job in creating a “fantasy” envisioning the Trinity. Because of that, a reader is given the opportunity to dialogue about such important theological ideas like Trinity, incarnation, theodicy (the problem of evil) and such. While there are plenty of gaps in his theology, I did not find them heretical. It was simply incomplete. Christians with an ultra-conservative bent may have a difficult time with how he portrays the trinity (using masculine and feminine images) but the book itself rightly denotes that God transcends gender. I thought the book was poorly written, and therefore made for laborious reading. I did not care much for the story line or how he...
by Greg | Nov 20, 2008 | Blog Posts
Charles Dickens penned this opening line in his book A Tale of Two Cities almost 150 years ago. Could these be such times today? Our financial structures have been shaken to the core and whether you are a custodian cleaning bathrooms or an executive pondering spreadsheets, the trust in markets and commerce has all but completely eroded. It is not just finances that have us so worried. Wars outside our borders and violence within have us anxious. It is difficult to read the papers these days because there is so little to give us courage, or hope, or purpose. In spite of finally putting the election behind us, the letters to the editor, the comments, jokes and in some cases acts of racial violence remind us how divided we seem to be as a nation. To be a person of color is no longer about ethnicity, but about blue states and red states. It all seems so discouraging. Yet I am encouraged. This is our time – we who call on Jesus as Savior and Lord. This is our time if we remember whose image we bear. I was pondering this notion last night as I was teaching the weekly Wednesday night Bible study. I was addressing the familiar story of Jesus who was cornered by religious authorities and asked whether or not it was lawful to pay taxes. Most of us know the story well. Jesus asks for a denarius (the coin used to pay the poll tax in question), which he was promptly handed, and asked: whose image is on it? (Luke 20:20-26) What is interesting about...
by Greg | Nov 18, 2008 | Blog Posts
There is so much in life that is not fully appreciated until it is a memory. Relationships come quickly to mind. When Amy and I were newlyweds we lived on a very meager income, rented a garage apartment that smelled of mothballs, and did not have a television set for the first six months of marriage. It seems so long ago and as I now recall that first year of our life together my heart is warmed with gratitude that Amy and I said “I do.” A few years later children forevermore changed our lives as they do for all parents. I remember those early days when our boys were infants and the midnight feedings and diapering and the long sleepless nights of colic. To be honest, it was just about impossible to notice and be grateful. Yet looking back I am grateful, even for those grueling days of early parenting. Through the years we would gripe about driving all over the state to visit relatives during the holidays and wonder if we should just stay home. Now many of those same relatives are dead and we wish we could just share a sandwich. We do not always see our gratitude until it is a reflection of the past. And then we are often rushing right past gratitude on the way to something else. Perhaps it is too obvious to point out our indignation that Christmas decorations have been out since early fall. Already there is a radio station playing Christmas music 24 hours. I am not Scrooge, but I have a deep problem with our rush to Christmas...
by Greg | Nov 6, 2008 | Blog Posts
I try to keep a log of books I have read each year. Throughout the year I make periodic updates to this blog as I finish a book. Please visit the above tab titled “Reading Lists” that covers books I have read since 2005. Not every book was a good book and not every book I would recommend. Still, I find it helpful when people share with me what they are reading and why. I hope you will too. If you have read something of late that you would recommend, I would appreciate hearing from you. Just post a comment here and share the book with me and other visitors. Happy reading,...
by Greg | Oct 30, 2008 | Blog Posts
You could say this is “Part 2” from last week’s article. We have returned from our camping trip and, as always, there are more tales to tell along the hiking trail. This time I had company – my family. It was Amy’s idea that she and the boys join me and I thought, “Wow, that’s neat. We will hike into the mountains together as a family just like they do in the movies.” I picked out a trail loop that was just under six miles and followed one of the creeks. It also had several beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. Around mile two things were not going so well. Amy failed to factor in that mountain trails are, well, hilly. She was getting tired, did not bring water, and by mile four was wondering did the trail ever go down hill. She looked at me as if I designed the mountains that way on purpose. At mile four I leaned over to Aaron and said that in a few minutes we would reach the top and then begin a rapid decent back to camp. I was planning to move ahead “double time” and fetch some water for Amy. At about the time I shared my plan a heard a bumbling commotion alongside the trail and a black blur rush by. I turned around to Amy and Clark and said “catch up with me, there is a bear.” About that time Clark was staring at the bear’s face and Amy just passed all three of us on the way back to camp. A little motivation goes a long way!...
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