On putting books on hold...

My son and I have been reading through The Hobbit.  We finished it this afternoon, and tonight he said, "Ok, now we're ready to read through The Lord of the Rings (TLOTR)."  I reminded him that it is a REALLY long book, and that this version has no pictures.  He says he knows, but wants to read it, because "now I know who Bilbo Baggins is."  He then reminded me that we began reading TLOTR over 6 months ago, and that the first words in the book were "Bilbo Baggins", and, he says, "Now that I  know who Bilbo is, we can read TLOTR."  Sure enough, I opened to the first page, and the first sentence introduces Bilbo Baggins.

Now, I understand the importance of putting off an item of interest until one is ready to enjoy it the most, but most 5 year-olds have no context for such endeavors.  A good lesson learned today by all in the family. 

Chandler on the Gospel

I preached Sunday on Luke 11:5-13, a passage that immediately follows Jesus' giving of the Lord's prayer.  While preparing to preach I listened to Matt Chandlers sermon on the same passage and he made this statement about the gospel: 

The gospel is not that if you love Jesus then you'll get everything you want. The gospel is that you'll get Jesus and he will be enough no matter what.

Well said Mr. Chandler, well said.

World War Two Books

This week I finished a book called The Third Reich at War by Richard J. Evans. It's the third in a series on the Third Reich by a history professor from Cambridge. This volume addressed the years from 1939 to the end of the war in 1945. At 900 pages, it is thoroughly researched and heavily referenced, yet also easy to read. But the title is a bit misleading. Evans certainly deals with the "war" part of the war, but if the title was meant to described the content of this book, then it would likely be named, How the Germans Killed Lots of People During WWII. The level of detail Evans provides throughout the book on both how they were put to death and the amount of people killed is overwhelming at times. I know, sounds encouraging. So why would you want to read this? After turning the last page and closing the cover I thought "more people must read this book. Especially high school students." It is too easy to forget the atrocities this world has endured, especially when we live in such a comfortable time. No culture that forgets God is very far away from repeating the acts of the Nazis. In fact, the book makes a pretty strong case for Hitler being primarily driven in his desire to eliminate the Jews by his Darwinistic convictions related to the 'survival of the fittest' and the need to protect the integrity of the master race. 

Evans concludes the book this way:

The Legacy of the Third Reich… extends far beyond Germany and Europe. The Third Reich raises in the most acute form the possibilities and consequences of the human hatred and destructiveness that exist, even if only in a small way, within all of us. It demonstrates with terrible clarity the ultimate potential consequences of racism, militarism and authoritarianism. It shows what can happen if some people are treated as less human than others. It poses in the most extreme possible form the moral dilemmas we all face at one time or another in our lives, of conformity or resistance, action or inaction in the particular situations with which we are confronted.

Or, to summarize, it shows what happens when sin reigns and controls a nation.

Though the book is very readable, the literary quality pales in comparison to the WWII book I completed just prior to picking up the Evans volume. For my 2009 birthday, my parents bought the six-volume set Churchill wrote on the history of WWII. I finished volume one in December and picked up Evans immediately afterwards. Churchill is a master writer, one of my favorites (in fact, one friend recently accused me of having "a man crush" on Churchill) and his ability to turn a phrase is among the best in the English language. Churchill had a team of writers accompany him on this book, and these guys were no slouches. Read what they said about Churchill's influence on their writing style in this work:

From the Foreign Office, Sir Orme Sargent and Professor Savory submitted notes on Britain, Poland and the coming of war.  Sir Alexander Cadogan sent extracts from his then unpublished diary of the Churchill-Roosevelt meeting in 1941.  From Cambridge, Professor Goodwin, a former flight-Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force, submitted a 150-page account of the Blitz.  Kelly was given the task of reducing this to three typewritten sheets. 'They seemed quite good', Kelly recalled, 'till I sat beside him and he pulled out his red pen and slowly and patiently corrected what I had written.  My sloppy, verbose sentences disappeared.  Each paragraph was tightened and clarified, and their true meaning suddenly stood out. It was like watching a skillful topiarist restoring a neglected and untidy garden-figure to its true shape and proportions.  In the middle of this penitential process he gently turned to me and said: 'I hope you don't mind me doing this?'

 

Finally, I'm in the process of re-reading The Red Horse, a novel about the Italian involvement in WWII. This is likely the best work of literature I've ever read. I'd put it up against all the great classics: War and Peace, Les Miserables, the Count of Monte Cristo. This is one of the few novels I have ever read a second time. It apparently won an award as the "European novel of the decade" (though I've not been able to find the evidence of the award recognition). The first time reading this book, after putting it down, I felt like I had lost a good friend, not wanting the story to end or the people to go away. If you have wanted to tackle a larger novel but haven't found the right one, this would be a good one to try.

On a humorous note (maybe), my son occasionally asks about the books I'm reading. Since WWII themes have lately dominated this list, much of my responses are related to War History. So occasionally the Nazis will come up and we will discuss who they were and what they did, trying to keep the conversation within the realm of what a 5 year old can handle. Last week he had a new friend over to play. They began in his room and within a few minutes he came out crying frantically and wringing his hands. Julie asks "whatever is the matter?" The child said, "Are the Nazis going to kill me? Please tell me they are not real! Please?" Apparently our son was trying to teach his new friend a little war history. Julie calmed him down and the boys went back to playing together. Now, I can only imagine how the conversation went down that night in their home…

Get Fit in 2010

One of the keys to exercising is to make it easy and enjoyable.  That's why I don't run - no fun and takes too much time - plus it hurts my back and knees and makes me feel like a hamster.  I've mostly lifted weights and played Basketball instead, but going to the gym takes time as well.

Early in college, my Bible study leader said he does 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups in the evening before going to bed if he doesn't have time to make it to the gym.  Great idea - and I've been amazed how effective this simple step can be. I usually do them in 2 or 3 sets, but if you can't start with 100, then set a timer for 5 minutes and do as many as you can of each, alternating back and forth between the two.

I've also wanted to add pull-ups to this regiment, and this Christmas my father-in-law gave me this great pull-up bar.

I've used it for a couple of weeks now and have been pleased.  Partly because my exercise routine has started to shift from heavier weights at a gym to body-weight exercises.  This is a style of exercise that I've been learning more about over the last few years and I wish I would have known more about when I was younger.

Having equipment readily accessible makes exercising easy - and a pull-up bar hanging in your doorway (one that requires NO INSTALLATION and can easily be moved out of the way) is as about as easy as it gets.  You can do a few at night and a few in the morning and get as much effect - if done properly - as 30 minutes in a gym (when adding the sit-ups, push-ups, and dips).

The push-up feature on the bar is great as well. Usually, I can do anywhere between 50-70 standard push-ups at a pop.  But using this bar - which allows you to go much deeper - I'm lucky to get 15.  And I feel stronger as well after using it for just a few weeks.  One of my fitness goals this year is to be able to do a planche push-up like this guy (at the end of the video) and I'm hoping this bar will help get me there!

So if you're looking to start the new year with some exercise, try ordering this pull-up bar and giving it a go.  At $40, it's much cheaper than a treadmill or gym membership, so your risk is much lower.  Start small so you don't get discouraged - even 5 minutes makes a difference.  And if you can't do even 1 pull-up, you can still use this bar because it's so close to the ground, you can use your feet to help you get up (you can pull your knees up once you are able to do a full one).

Finally, if you are already in the habit of exercising, but wanting to do more body weight exercises at home to avoid the cost and time of a gym, try following this guys routine.  And maybe, as I continue to use this fancy new bar, I'll be able to avoid any further embarrassing losses to theologians in a pull-up contest!

A Great Book to Read at Christmas

Last year I picked up the book On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius.  This is a short read (about 100 pgs) that I highly recommend, especially the edition with an introduction by C.S. Lewis.

In the book, Athanasius defends the need for God to come to earth as a human and builds a case against pagans who would laugh at this "absurd" notion.  And who better to write on the topic than Athanasius, since he is best known for his relentless fight for the belief in the deity of Christ. In fact some say that he alone stood in the gap to protect Orthodoxy against ultimate corruption.


As a result, he faced much persecution.  As Bishop, he was in and out of exile four more times, spending a total of 15 years away from his work in Alexandria.  But even in exile, he was able to redeem the time,   fellowshiping with monks, eventually writing a 'best-seller' about the life of Antony, one of the first monks. Many would see an exile as time wasted, but God used Athanasius' writings from this period to lead many to faith in Christ. In fact, his book on Antony played a key part in Augustine's conversion!

I can say from my experience teaching through the book of John in Rwanda that there really is nothing sweeter to the soul than to dwell on the person and work of Christ.  Reading this book will help you dwell there.

Books to Read with your Son... or Daughter

Since college I've dreamed of reading through The Chronicles of Narnia with my children some day.  We've already been able to pick our way through most of Prince Caspian, which has been a joy.  But I've been surprised by how many other books my son has been able to enjoy already.  I've listed a few of my favorites below.

Pilgrims Progress - This is a new edition of the 300 year-old classic work, re-published by Crossway.  I picked this up at a recent conference, though I almost went with a more kid-friendly version with more pictures and less text.  This version has 30 high quality illustrations spread throughout the 200 page book.  The pictures look like many paintings you'd expect to see hanging on the walls of a mega-Baptist Church.  They are pleasant to look at and keep my son's attention enough to last him through 10-15 pages of text. Which is quite surprising, since the language of the book is only 'lightly edited' from the original.  There are long sections of theological discussion, most of which I read word for word, and yet he keeps asking for more.  I don't really have a category for this.  Maybe the length of the Bending Light book (mentioned next) prepared him for this. 

You can read a sample chapter as well.


Journey to the Bending Light by Todd Sorrell.  This book came into FamilyLife, but the radio program  rarely features fiction, so I took it home to see if my son would want to listen to it.  Boy did he ever!  He was hooked from the first page.  I was so surprised because this was one of the first long form books without many pictures in which he was interested.  The story is set in a make believe world, where a boy has to journey through seven "circles" (or lands) to arrive at the final destination - the bending light (a euphemism for heaven).  It's a good read and drives home many important character truths.  Some were even moving to read for me, such as seeing the consequence of sin portrayed in such vivid ways (like the chapter on the allure of  'toys' for both children and adults, and how they erode the soul).  I must warn you that this book, as well as King Lear (see below) and even Pilgrims Progress for that matter, has a fair amount of violence.  It seems that people die quite a bit in this book (because they do).  I honestly wondered if I shouldn't have pulled back a bit, since I don't want him becoming de-sensitized to violence at such a young age.  But I decided to keep reading, since most of the violence was either fantastic (i.e. mythical beasts dying) or the result of sin, rebelliousness, and foolishness.  When it was the latter, I wanted to talk about it!

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas - at 1312 pages, it's a big bite of book to take on.  I started reading and discussing the book with a friend of mine earlier in the year.  One evening my son asked me about it, so I summarized the plot up to that point (I was at 200 pp or so).  He then asked me to start reading to him.  He sat and listened for 30 minutes that night.  Every night thereafter for a week or two, he would ask me to read more.  Eventually, around the 500 page mark, the pace of the story began to slow (though still very gripping for adults).  So I would read after he went to bed, and then summarize the story for him the next day.

I recommend the book, and of all the long, classic literature novels I've read, this one is definitely the most gripping.  It is a page turner and does not have the long political discourses of other works.  However, If you've not read the unabridged Les Miserables by Hugo, then you should consider it as well.  I've not read any other book with so many shocking plot turns.  Truly a masterpiece.  (Note - Hugo does go off on a few 50 pg political rants.  Feel free to skim through those!)  I'll write more in a later post about the importance of reading good literature.

King Lear by Shakespeare.  For those parents who haven't already introduced their pre-school children to Shakespeare (because, come on, really, what good parent hasn't?!) then this would be a good intro.  Actually, we just stumbled upon it at the library... oh the glorious library!  But beware, it's not written for a 5 year old.  It's Shakespeare's original words, but depicted in a graphic novel form, and set on the early American frontier (instead of Britain) with Lear cast as an Algonquin Indian chief.  Yes, I'm serious.  The illustrator is witty with the collision of styles, blending Victorian dress with Indian motiffs.

And in all actuality I do not think I would recommend reading this with most 5 year olds.  We got about 1/2 way through the book and the brutality and nuance of the dialogue was just too difficult to translate.  But the images are pretty stunning and kept his attention until that point.  Now for those adults who have always wondered what Shakespeare was really saying, you may find this and others in the series quite entertaining!

Buy some books

My dad recently snapped a photo of this sign and thought of me:

So in order to help those who "have a little money" and are thinking ahead to the books they may want to read next year, in the coming days I'll be posting about a few of my favorites reads of 2009.  If it's not too late, you can add them to your Christmas wish list!

Grudem on the Poverty of Nations

I recently returned from the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in New Orleans.

It's a pretty intense conference and unlike any other event I've ever attended.  The meeting allows for many of the evangelical academic leaders to gather and discuss various theological issues and to build relationships.   It's a fun but exhausting atmosphere, as there are roughly 500 academic papers presented in three days.  Since you can't attend them all (nor would you want to), you have to choose wisely.  Usually, my mind is fried by about 2 or 3 PM each day, trying to absorb all the deep content.

One of the better presentations was a paper by Wayne Grudem titled "Fifty reasons why poor nations stay poor."   I had heard him share on this topic years ago in an ethics class and was excited to hear more. 

Though the talk from ETS is not available, you can listen to the longer version, in 4 parts, that he gave to his Sunday School class here:

50 Factors within nations that determine their wealth and poverty.

You  can also download the message outlines here, and on the class website.

Driscoll on Idolatry

I am WAY late on posting this.

But... the message Mark Driscoll gave on "Ministry Idolatry" at the Advance '09 conference (video here) had a profound effect on my life. It is well worth the time to listen to it.

A helpful follow-up post to the conference was by Piper on Idolatry.  Also worth reading and evaluating.

Pastor Dad

On the flight home from Rwanda, I read one of Driscoll's new "books" (at 45 pags – it's really more of a long pamphlet) called Pastor Dad. This is a book that was written to be given away, and can be downloaded for free here. I really admire big time Christian pastor guys who give away books. It says a lot about their character. (Incidentally, Rick Warren, after his Purpose Driven Life book sold like hand sanitizer at a mom's convention, wrote a check back to the church for his salary up to that point - all 20+ years. And Dennis Rainey has given every penny of book royalties back to FamilyLife for ministry use – well over 1 million dollars).

So I read the book and it was interesting – though a bit heavy handed at points (which is to be expected at times with Driscoll). There were some parts that will resonate with many (Italics are my comments):

"The safest place for children is with a man who fears the Lord."

"Before any father disciplines his children, he is commanded to delight in them." This is so true, and would solve many discipline problems men face with their children.

"One night while tucking my daughter into bed, I asked her, 'What should a good daddy do?' She said, 'A daddy should make a lot of money, read his Bible, teach his kids, love his kids, be silly and have lots of fun.'" – Well said!

"A wise dad may realize that a personal quiet time for himself is unwise; rather than hiding away in a quiet place to read the Bible, it is often best to do so in the noisy living room where the kids can see and climb on their dad while he reads his Bible." - This reminds me of a man who had it as his goal that his kids would always find him studying his Bible at the kitchen table when they woke up. One of his Children recalled that they could only remember a handful of times when he wasn't doing that very thing.

He also tells a great story (Ch7) of how he disciplined his out of control son and restored their relationship in the process. He concludes the story with the biblical truth that it is the father's role to "lovingly lead their children toward heartfelt repentance of sin." These two pages (35-36) are worth reading for every father.

A few good pointers along the way and lots of encouragement to be a man. Might be a good resource to pass along and discuss with other men in your church. But please review it yourself before doing so.