Hatmaker's "For the Love": my new favorite book

The first thing you should know about this book and this author is that she's hilarious. If you're tired of boring and dry, this is the antidote. However, if you're like me and consider yourself a serious thinker, you might worry where the opening humor, light hearted self-deprecation and self-helpy prose are leading you. Happily, there's depth and wisdom and maturity bubbling beneath Hatmaker's big personality.

What's striking about pastor and popular blogger Jen Hatmaker's newest book For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards is that she blends personal stories, theology, humor, and practical tips for child rearing, marriage and Christian community so seamlessly. There's even recipes for Roast Lamb and Pad Thai in there. In this way, it's somewhat like a blog. Yet all the parts send a cohesive message, which I think is summed up in these freeing words Hatmaker gives to her five children: "God measures our entire existence by only two things: how we love Him and how we love people. If you get this right, you can get a million other things wrong" (189).

"Flipped" promises thought revolution but underdelivers on citations

It's hard not to be intrigued by a the title of Solomon's Porch pastor Doug Pagitt's new book, Flipped: The Provocative Truth That Changes Everything We Know About God. Inside, Pagitt promises that he'll be telling a story about Jesus and how revolutionary His words were when he lived and now, if taken in their proper context. That context, Pagitt contends, is one in which we Christians are "In God" and where we live, move and exist in Him. This is in opposition to the prevailing religious story of a transaction-based relationship between us and God.

I love this line of thought. And I wanted to read more about the author's view of being in Christ (as opposed to simply Christ in us), which he hints is that revolutionary truth that changes everything. In his third chapter, Pagitt writes, "The preposition in is a profoundly meaningful word. And flipping the order of words from 'God is in all' to 'all is In God' is more than a semantic move. It offers a clearer, more honest, more biblical understanding of who God is and who we are In God" (40). At this point, I'm hooked.

I found something sacred in Rachel Held Evans' "Searching for Sunday"

I've been looking forward to Rachel Held Evans' new book Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving and Finding the Church for several months. Her excellent blog has challenged, affirmed and inspired me over the last few years. Books written by bloggers often read like scrapbooks of their greatest hits: A rehash of the post that went viral here, an astute observation from commenter Mary L. from Kansas there. Thankfully, Searching for Sunday is not that.

It is an honest, hopeful meditation on her disorienting drift away from her childhood church into the wilderness of doubt, then back to a renewed search for community and the discovery of Christ's Bride in unexpected places.

While many topics covered in her book have been discussed extensively on her blog, Evans resists recycling popular posts. Instead, the book benefits from her versatility as a blogger. Chapters like "Chubby Bunny" humorously relive Evans' childhood growing up small town Baptist. Chapters like "The Meal" showcase her training as a journalist as she interviews the pastor of an innovative, inner-city "dinner church" in New York. Chapters like "Trembling Giant" meditate on the awesome single organism that is an entire forest of quaking aspens in Fish Lake, Utah, as a metaphor for the universal church.  Still other chapters, like "Dust," stem from Evans' Bible college education, reading like beautiful sermons that explore stories from scripture.

Review of "Jesus Outside the Lines"

Presbyterian pastor Scott Saul's new book, Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who are Tired of Taking Sides tackles issues that bring out the "unchristian" side of many believers on Facebook or Twitter. He looks at issues from many angles and borrows thoughtful quotes from both Christians and atheists to send a message of respect and tolerance.

Early in the book, Sauls tells the story of how Dan Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A, and viewed as either a hero or bigot depending on one’s views on gay marriage, never “personally affirmed or joined” the Christian rally to support Chick-fil-A after the LGBTQ community boycotted the restaurant chain. In fact, in the aftermath of Cathy’s public statements about viewing marriage as between one man and one woman, he discreetly reached out to a gay activist in an attempt to dialog. Instead of defending his rights to religious freedom, Cathy approached the activist in an attitude of learning and expressed regret that people were mistreated in the name of his company. Sauls sums up this model of being Jesus outside the lines of our particular Christian tribe’s doctrines on page xxvii with this:

Deep disagreement and no apologies for what he believes. 

Love, respect, listening, and friendship. 

At the same time.

The author also takes this posture as he expresses his views in chapters addressing politics, abortion, same-sex marriage, the institutional church, money matters, constructive critique, hell, hypocrisy, suffering, and true humility. Without apologizing for his conservative views on issues that often polarize Christians from nonbelievers (and from each other), Sauls follows his own advice to see the good in all viewpoints by striving to find points of agreement with those who might disagree with him.

I thought the best chapter in the book was “Chastity or Sexual Freedom,” which firmly maintains the Evangelical perspective on sexual purity before marriage and marriage between one man and one woman, but also urges the church to be the place where singles and celibate homosexuals could find unconditional love and deep, meaningful relationships. Here I need to pause to say that I’m not 100 percent sure of my views on gay marriage. Though I grew up holding the belief that the Bible expressly forbids homosexuals from acting on their desires, I honestly wish that maybe one day most Christians will interpret the biblical passages on homosexuality differently, just as Christians see verses mentioning slavery much different today than 300 years ago. I wish that those born with the desire to have a loving, exclusive marriage relationship with a soul mate of the same sex could do so in good conscience. I know there are many gay Christians who wish this as well.  As a pastor of a large  Presbyterian church, the author says he serves many such men and women in his congregation, so he speaks from a place of humility. But to the argument that gay marriage is a civil rights issue and Christians are going to be on the wrong side of history, Sauls makes a passionate, loving observation that when gay Christians surrender their inborn desire to pursue a homosexual relationship, “it is a surrender that each of them has considered worthwhile, not because Jesus is a roadblock to love but because Jesus is love itself” (144).

Again, it’s this characteristic attitude of being unapologetic for his Christian beliefs, yet respectful and open to what others experience and believe that makes this book worth reading to those who follow Jesus, no matter on which side of the issues they fall. 

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale in exchange for my honest review.*

Review of Metaxas' "7 Men"

I was excited to get a paperback copy of Eric Metaxas' celebration of Christian role models 7 Men and the Secret of Their Greatness for two reasons. Regular readers of my blog know I'm a bit of a feminist, but I'm also mom to three boys and I want them to aspire to the best kind of life. Second, I enjoyed reading Metaxas' 600-page biography of German theologian and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer two summers ago. While I highly recommend getting to know this hero of the faith and the aforementioned tome, 7 Men is far easier read, which provides a primer on Bonhoeffer as well as inspiring chapters on George Washington, British abolitionist William Wilberforce, Olympic runner Eric Liddell, baseball player Jackie Robinson, Pope John Paul II and Prison Fellowship founder Chuck Colson. In seven miniature biographies, Metaxas showcases each man's personal faith in Jesus the centerpiece and secret to their enduring influence.

For me, the first half of Washington's chapter was the hardest to read. Our nation's father struck me as an entitled social climber with a shocking lack of compassion in some early battles. But eventually, I was impressed that Metaxas could transform the "grumpy grandfather" he appears to be on the dollar bill to a valiant hero who not only fought for our country's independence, but also the subtler battle against pride in order to birth a democracy. My favorite chapters, Eric Liddell's and Jackie Robinson's stories, moved me to tears. The protagonist of the 1980s blockbuster Chariots of Fire, Metaxas aptly argues, lived a life far more amazing after his Olympic victory as a missionary in China. As the first black baseball player to enter the major league, Robinson's ability to take the brunt of racist backlash scorn and abuse, all without retaliation, struck me as truly supernatural.

Readers should know that each story is clearly filtered through the Metaxas' lens as both a Christian and unabashed fan of each of these men. Some might find that the author's insertion of himself into each chapter detracts from the stories, but I felt that each story was really inspiring enough to make up for this slight drawback.  I recommend this book to anyone looking for historic Christian role models. And I eagerly await the release of 7 Women, which is excerpted (a bio of Corrie ten Boom) at the back of this book.

*I received a copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.*

Review of Carlos Whittaker's "Moment Maker"

My bookish friend and I recently finished reading worship leader and blogger Carlos Whittaker's Moment Maker: You Can Live Your Life or It Will Live You. It's a quick read fully of interesting stories, at turns heart-wrenching and humorous. But at first, I was a little frustrated by this book. I was waiting for it to methodically instruct me in the art of living in the moment and making the most of life's moments. That sounds a little absurd now that I've typed it. But my misconception was fueled in part by phrases on the back cover like "Carlos guides..." and "Carlos shares... his methodolgy for living on purpose." The book's many emotionally charged stories are also loosely organized into three sections, "Created Moments," "Received Moments," and "Rescued Moments" and the book's Afterword outlines the "Moment-Making Method." However, when I tried to imagine what I needed to do in order to be more moment-oriented, I found that the actual steps Whittaker shares are somewhat vague and at times conflicting. Should I be capturing moments with my pen and camera, or should I put down my lens so I can really live these moments? Whittaker seems to argue both in his chapter on the birth of his second daughter. Should I heed the call to "Go! Blaze!" or should I pause? Whittaker argues both.

So I stopped trying to read it like a guidebook or a How-To, and that made all the difference. I let this book be what I think it really is: a memoir of moments from the life of one of my brothers in Christ. From this perspective, I could receive some lessons that instructed my heart.

Here's what I gleaned:

• When my kids are having a moment, I don't need to push them or try to fix them. Sometimes drawing out the awkward pause, listening rather than trying to offer solutions, allowing the tears to drop and holding them in a full-attention hug is the best I can give. See Whittaker's stories about of the tragic end of his daughters' butterfly farm, his daughter's accepting Jesus and their family trip to help recover tornado victims' prized belongings.

• Explore every day. Whittaker sets his alarm to remind him to take in his surroundings and get inspired for future moment-making possibilities. And then he writes them down in his folder of more than 34,000 ideas!

• Allow God to speak through others. Even the bearded barista or the music-loving homeless guy.

• Value others through my actions. Even strangers and people with completely different life experiences. In Whittaker's case, this involved a rowdy group of soldiers newly returned from Afghanistan and a group of transgendered divas ready to beat up some rednecks in a Nashville honky tonk. I'm guessing I'll probably insert myself into different situations :)

• If you can't measure up to your competitors, use creativity to showcase your unique skills. It might work, as it did for an out-of-shape college student auditioning to be a roaming character at Disneyland.

So, in conclusion, I like the intention of this book, and even though his personality is probably the polar opposite of my own, I like Carlos Whittaker's spontaneity, creativity and interest in others. He doesn't really have a method to his moment-making maddness, but he does exemplify the greatest commandment to love God and love others as himself.

Review of "Faith Shift" by Kathy Escobar

I was attracted to the title Faith Shift: Finding Your Way Forward When Everything You Believe Is Coming Apart by Kathy Escobar because my own Christian beliefs have evolved significantly since I first fell in love with Jesus in high school, and I suspect I'm not quite done shifting yet. Because of my past, I related to Escobar's own unnerving journey away from a belief system that once sustained her and framed her entire life. Through her new church plant, The Refuge, and her website, Escobar has learned the stories of hundreds of Christians who, though psychologically married to a church culture that requires adherence to an extensive set of beliefs and practices, are desperate for a a change. With these stories in mind, Escobar invites readers to "consider the possibility that your soul is not at risk," as they shed those once deeply-held convictions.

Perhaps because my own shift has been gradual, I found the first half of the book difficult to really embrace. Escobar reaches out to those who began as Christians and have shifted to spiritual-but-not-Christian, agnostic or even atheist. She offers multiple examples of ex-pastors becoming atheists as they heal from an abusive church setting. I expected this book to be about a shift in faith, rather than a complete severing of one's faith; however, "Severing" is actually one of the points on Escobar's diagram depicting the process of shifting.

For example, Fiona is a former pastor's wife who has dabbled with atheism, agnosticism and Christian agnosticism since a crisis of faith. To this, Escobar asserts, "Regardless of which label she wears on a particular day, the crucial truth she has needed to embrace for her healing is that she really is okay. No matter what she believes, she is going to be all right" (113). Since Escobar doesn't qualify or explain this sentiment, I felt pretty uncomfortable and wondered where where she would finally land. I'm guessing many readers who turn to the book in an attempt to salvage their Christian faith would also be troubled by this.

Because it contains so many anecdotes of those who completely left Christianity, the first half of the book seemed to present a contradictory message: Believe what you want to believe in order to heal from abuse or legalism or burn-out. Do what you need to do to recover emotionally, physically and spiritually. Question your long-held beliefs without fear because it will lead you to a deeper faith. Except when it doesn't. Which is also OK.

I just couldn't get OK with this message. But, fortunately, I didn't have to for long. If things were completely foggy a few pages before, Escobar makes it clear, "I am not promoting walking away from God" (115). And beginning in chapter 10, which discusses "The Stage of Rebuilding," I found the much needed glimpses of hope Escobar promises in her introduction. Here, Escobar beautifully articulates many things I've longed for in my own faith journey, such as a "desire for freedom, mystery and diversity -- instead of certainty, conformity or affiliation" (127). She proposes a Christian life that sees the world through a filter of "hopeful realism," honoring to those we meet from the "fused faith" of our past, accepting of our own doubts and expectantly open to new possibilities.

Escobar also encourages shifters to consider what remains of our previous faith, because each remaining essential belief is like a "treasured gem" that can illuminate a simple path forward (143). She offers the following sentence stem as a template for hashing out the diamonds: "Despite my doubt, I still believe ____________________" (146). In chapter 12, "Finding What Works," she provides plenty of examples of ways to connect with God that might be outside readers' previous church tradition. Trying a new prayer practice or reading books or bible versions considered taboo in one's former circle can be particularly freeing, Escobar writes, because it's less likely to trigger old memories, habits and shame.

The book closes with more resources, such as tips for those who find themselves shifting while their spouse is not, those concerned about their children's nascent faith during a parent's shift and non-shifters looking for ways to connect with friends or family members who are shifting. Additionally, a nice fat reading list of memoirs, theology and spirituality had me on Amazon looking up future reads.

I would tentatively recommend Faith Shift to someone who is really at a crossroads in their faith, but feels alone in the process. Despite Escobar's emphasis on the full process of Fusing, Shifting, Unraveling, Severing and Rebuilding, I would probably recommend that readers who are disenchanted with religion but still in love with Jesus, skim the first nine chapters and jump right to the good stuff of Rebuilding.

*Thanks to Blogging For Books for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*

"50 Ways to Pray" by Teresa Blythe

I've been using 50 Ways to Pray: Practices from Many Traditions and Times by Teresa A. Blythe to help structure my devotional time in the morning. After reading Seeing is Believing, by Greg Boyd, I was intrigued by the concept of imaginative prayer and other prayer traditions outside my range of familiarity. The book is arranged into chapters focusing on various types of prayer, including biblical reflections, contemplative practices, lectio divinas, life reflections, discernment processes, body prayers, prayers of the imagination, reflections on media and praying for others.

Each exercise begins with a short paragraph of background into the practice's origins. Blythe gives the intention for the exercise, a step-by-step description of the exercise and a tip for overcoming common difficulties or distractions.

I've only made it through the first two chapters so far.  I don't normally post about books I haven't finished yet, but since I don't use the book every day, I'm working through it at a prayerful snail's pace. So far, this book has led me to hold an imaginary conversation with the midwives in Exodus 1, create my own psalm, craft my own personal prayer of the heart, and to get comfortable with silence.

I'm still looking forward the exercises on imaginative prayer, reflecting on life, prayer walking and art as prayer. Several of the exercises in this book are meant to be done with a partner or in community, so I've had to skip over them, in hopes that I'll find someone to join me in these prayer experiments. Additionally, I read carefully, but skipped over a few of the prayer exercises, such as praying with beads or icons. I felt Blythe made a good case for why using tools while praying did not necessarily confer idol status onto them, but the thought of "not making a graven image" was too distracting for me to complete these exercises fruitfully.

Overall, I'm really grateful to have this book. It packs in so many ideas and suggestions for expanding and deepening my understanding and experience of prayer.

Review of "The Brainy Bunch"

After seeing some of the Harding kids on a video online, Joe purchased the Kindle version of their book, The Brainy Bunch: The Harding Family Method to College Ready by Twelve. Written by Kip and Mona Lisa Harding and many of their ten children, the book chronicles Lisa's experience homeschooling her enormous brood at an accelerated pace, while intermittently taking on part-time jobs to help pay the bills and put her husband through college, grad school and a PhD program. The bulk of the book seems to be written by Mona Lisa, with an occasional sidebar by Kip and several essays from the kids-- possibly meant to showcase their college-readiness but mainly showing that the kids believed their home school method to be a positive experience.

First, let me give a summary of "The Harding Family Method." After reading the book in a few sittings, I gleaned these basic points for achieving college ready by age 12:

• Teach kids to read between 4 and 5 
• Acquire home school curricula of your choice
• Teach them math at an accelerated pace (Lisa writes that she didn't get hung up on whether they knew 7 x 8 before moving on to more advanced concepts)
• Journal every day, starting by a parent writing what the child says and eventually having the child write
• Teach grammar by correcting their journal entries
• Read history and science related books each day
• Allow kids to read for pleasure after math, writing and history/science reading is completed
• Ask the child what they want to be when they grow up
• Based on their answer, give them high school or college level textbooks for that subject to peruse
• Fill out child's high school transcripts like a checklist rather than in chronological order
• Begin ACT prep around age 8, with the goal of passing the minimum entry requirement for whichever college is close to home and has a program that matches the child's interest
• Shoot for the minimum entry requirement
• Dual enroll in a community college as early as possible, using loopholes or downplaying the child's age while applying

While Mona Lisa does write at length about how she juggled so many different children and how she kept a close watch over her tweens as they attended college, she is a little bit vague on her actual teaching methods. I guess this is because she did rely heavily on home school materials and educational websites to do a lot of the teaching. As someone who is not really planning to home school, I still found some good inspiration from this book. 

Here's what I liked:

The Hardings emphasize helping a child find his or her passion and really running with it. They tailor the child's lessons for an actual career of the child's choosing. They see each of their children as individuals and promote each family member as their resident expert in something. Home schooling's biggest benefit, in my mind, is that students are not bound to study "core" material that would obscure their passion for a particular subject or bog down the process of honing their natural abilities. In addition, teaching key skills in a way that links them to the child's dream job seems like a great way to motivate them to work hard and see the importance of learning.

The emphasis on teaching children to learn on their own was another highlight. Lisa admitted she never did science experiments because the materials seemed too costly and potentially dangerous, but she is a big fan of responding to her kids' curiosity by telling them to "Google it and come back and tell me the answer." Probably when ten children are asking questions, this is the most efficient way to satisfy their curiosity without going crazy finding all the answers yourself. But I also think that teaching children to search out their own answers is important. I would also add that children should be taught how to discern whether an online source is credible.

Daily reading and journaling also struck me as the antithesis to the glut of busywork that I remember from my public school education. To be lifelong learners, children need to love reading. Helping them find quality literature and nonfiction from a young age can kindle that love. As a journalist, I also think that as children get older, it would be incorporate current events into that daily diet by encouraging children to read news stories about their areas of interest. Keeping a journal of things learned is useful on so many levels. Children learn to distill large amounts of information into a single page and they can admire their progress by looking back at previous entries. I've been working with Stephen to keep a journal of books from the library. He draws a picture and copies the title or writes a few words to describe what he's drawn. Then, I ask him to tell me the story in a few sentences and I copy them onto the page. Eventually, he will be able to write more on his own. We also have a "STEM" journal for science and nature observations, though right now it's mostly filled with Stephen's drawings of various Wild Kratts episodes. 

What I didn't like:

Though I agreed with the above approaches, I did have some qualms.

The book is poorly written, organized and edited. I'll cut Mona Lisa some slack on her writing style and lack of focus on many of the books chapters, with ten kids and all :)

The book never convincingly explains why getting through college by 17 or 15 is so beneficial. One Amazon reviewer suggested the real aim was to skip from the innocence of childhood to the responsibility of adulthood while cutting out the potential rebellious phase of adolescence. I'm not quite so cynical, but I found the Harding's argument that it made sense financially (as college tuition costs are rising every year!) to be less than compelling. Why not allow children to pursue their passion at a more standard pace and help them to go to the best program for their field? As a writing tutor, I know that some college students write at a grade-school level. I feel that pushing children to a no-name college at a early age is not necessarily a testament to their academic prowess. Rather, it might reveal the weakness of the college. Will any college degree do for achieving one's dreams? Will all colleges offer the same quality of education? And what will a college grad do at age 15 when they are too young to be hired or even drive? Oh yeah: get a master's degree.

The chapter written for those who aren't homeschooling begins encouragingly enough by saying that there are many things parents can do for their public or private schooled children. However, the list of practical suggestions is thin and quickly tilts toward suggesting that one should home school after all. I got the impression that the publisher required the Hardings to include this chapter to broaden the market for the book, and the authors obliged them by cobbling together some random thoughts to show that such a chapter doesn't belong in their book.

Many times, the book feels like a platform for other purposes besides outlining the "Method." In particular, for promoting the Hardings' particular brand of quiver-full Christianity, for bragging about their fleeting moments of would-be stardom, and for promoting their phone consultation business and skiing website. It's their book, so they should be free to share their beliefs and promote themselves, but I felt that the addition of so many recommended resources (Harding Hip Hop Dance Party Playlist anyone?) really cluttered up the main idea of the book.

Finally, I have a beef with the authorship of the book. Kip's name is listed first, but from what I can tell the book was mainly written by Mona Lisa and padded up with essays from the kids. Kip is the one working on a doctorate in education, so ideally, he'd be showing how educational theory supports or enriches this approach. Instead, Kip writes a "chapter" near the end of the book that's basically a sappy group thank you note to his wife and ten children. 

The Take-Away:

If you are home schooling and like watching the Duggars, you might enjoy reading this book for the stories Mona Lisa tells and to glean God-centered ideas for balancing the busyness that comes with educating a big family. However, I've pretty much summarized the main educational content of the book in the first section of this review. For that reason, I don’t really recommend buying this book, as I didn't feel it was really worth the $10 Kindle price. On the other hand, I often wag my finger at my husband for his purchases, so I might be biased. Perhaps I can get Joe to weigh in as well.

Review of "Benefit of the Doubt"

Even though I've only read two of Greg Boyd's books, the Minnesota pastor's cerebral yet entertaining writing style is fast making him one of my favorite authors.

In a style that is both methodical and approachable, Benefit of the Doubt: Breaking the Idol of Certainty lays out Boyd's argument against "certainty-seeking" faith in favor of an "Israelite faith" that allows generous room for honest questioning and that lays hold of one thing: Jesus Christ crucified as the glorious center of Scripture, our faith and the universe. 

He uses logic, philosophy and biblical exegesis to make his case against a contract mindset that combs through scripture looking for legal loopholes and freebie promises to claim. In its place, Boyd presents a beautiful picture of a covenant faith that mirrors the Jewish practice of betrothal. 

This book is also full of stories from Boyd's own faith journey, from a dynamic initial salvation experience at a fundamental Pentecostal church to losing his faith in college to regaining his faith and going to seminary to a gradual paradigm shift in the way he looked at his faith. The final section of the book lays out a road map for exercising authentic faith in the face of the inevitable doubts that might pop up in a thinking Christian's mind while interacting with our increasingly global, scientifically advanced and pluralistic world.

This is a book I'd recommend to any Christians who have felt they couldn't fully commit to the entire belief package their church or denomination asserts or who have struggled with parts of the Bible or who have been afraid to let their mind even go to places of questioning for fear of judgement from other Christians or even God.

For example, if you believe the Bible is inspired by God, but have trouble reconciling the sometimes violent, vindictive portraits of God in the Old Testament with the humble servant Jesus of the New Testament, this book might be for you. If you sometimes wonder whether the stories in Genesis aren't 100 percent historical, this book might be for you. If you wonder how so many devout Christians can have such widely different sets of beliefs, this book might be for you. You might not expect or even agree completely with Boyd's conclusions from grappling with these same issues, but I think you'll find a wealth of freedom and grace to wrestle with God without fear of becoming untethered from Him. 

Review of "Letters from a Skeptic"

I love brainy books from time to time, and Letters from a Skeptic: A Son Wrestles with His Father's Questions about Christianity by theology professor turned megachurch pastor Greg Boyd fits the bill. Not only is the book a compilation of apologetic essays from a very smart person, but a dual between Boyd and his then agnostic father Edward Boyd as they exchanged correspondence over a period of three years back in the early 1990s, culminating with the senior Boyd's joyful conversion at age 70!

These 30 letters were a quick and interesting read as Edward Boyd raises some of the most common criticisms to the Christian faith, while also revealing deep-rooted hurts from his past, including the premature death of Greg's mother.

The father and son touch on issues that anyone seriously considering or contending for the Christian faith should chew on: reconciling unthinkable human violence with an all-powerful and loving God and understanding why God gave humans free will, the nature and occupants of hell, the sometimes odd and mythical nature of many Bible stories, and how and why Christ's death is God's acceptable propitiation for mankind's sin. I suppose some Christians might find places to nitpick with some of the responses. For example, the younger Boyd is slightly open ended about whether Hell is eternal conscious torture or whether those sent there will eventually cease to exist and cites verses that could validate either view. This might bother some Christians who feel the strength and quality of their faith relies on their level of certainty on all matters of theology. I'm not one of them, so I found Boyd's answers to be sensitive, intellectual and nuanced in a way that really invited and encouraged faith.

Overall, the author's thoughtful responses encouraged me to test the rational ground on which I base my own faith, and it was exciting to watch Edward Boyd's gradual salvation unfold. Also valuable is the way the younger Boyd models a loving, respectful, hopeful attitude as he witnesses to his father, who in early letters expresses his disbelief that his Yale and Princeton educated son would "buy into" Christian beliefs. Whether or not they agree on all the minutia of his answers, I think all Christians can learn from Pastor Boyd's example and be encourage by the result.

As with many of the books I review and reflect upon in this blog, you can find the hard copy of Letters from a Skeptic at the Hopkinsville-Christian County Public Library... as soon as I return it!

Review of "Jesus Feminist"

Over the weekend, I finished reading Sarah Bessey's Jesus Feminist: An Invitation to Revisit the Bible's View of Women: Exploring God's Radical Notion That Women Are People, Too. Let me just begin by saying it's not what you think. Despite its controversial title and sarcastic subtitle, much of Bessey's book resonated with me. Written in the popular blogger's conversational, metaphor-saturated style, Jesus Feminist is very much an invitation to those disenchanted with their church's stance on or treatment of women to join others at a "bonfire on the beach" to be bandaged up, edified and commissioned to a new, fresh calling of living fully as God intended.

For the completely uninitiated into the world of Christian feminism, the early chapters briefly probe how traditional "clobber" passages like 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 (keep your mouths shut, ladies!) and 1 Timothy 2:11-12 (no teaching men either!) should shape our theology and culture. Bessey gently suggests that Paul's apparent silencing and subordinating of women in these verses should be taken within the particular context and for the particular audience for whom the letters were written. This is an argument that I've heard articulated more effectively by Greg Boyd, Rachel Held Evans, Richard Foster and others, so I didn't feel Bessey added anything "radically" new to the conversation. But for those who aren't familiar with Christian egalitarianism or have been taught that biblical womanhood unequivocally means silently submitting, ever-yielded to the men in their lives and churches, glorifying God best and only in their proper sphere at home, Bessey's ideas might be new and might prompt some thoughtful questioning.

The Canadian author describes her own "ah-ha" moment when she realized her upbringing and her own marriage didn't match her local church's female narrative during her brief years living in Texas:

Everywhere I turned, evangelical sermons on marriage were filled with "Oh, you know women" jokes. Generally speaking, women were perceived as soft, emotional, and naturally nurturing, while men were positioned as natural leaders, hating to talk about relationships, and requiring more sex. ... There was a lot of talk in those days of the "feminization of the Church" and how guys needed to step up and be men, which apparently resembled the ideal of benevolent dictators, rather than the Son of Man. (44)

While I've definitely been exposed to books and teaching that contains elements of what Bessey described, I thankfully do not feel that level of oppression in my own church, be it smack in the middle of the Bible Belt. Instead of stirring up my inner rabble-rouser, this book allowed me to know Sarah Bessey more-- from her "happy-clappy" Jesus-loving Pentecostal upbringing to her beautiful, accidentally egalitarian marriage to her traumatic experiences in childbirth to her eye-opening trip to Haiti. And I like her. I like a lot of what she says:

About biblical womanhood:

Biblical womanhood isn't so different from biblical personhood. Biblical personhood becomes a dead list of rules when it becomes a law to keep. If we have a long list of rules-- Put others first! Be generous! Give money! Believe this! Do that!-- it's a dead religion from a glorified rule book.  

When our hearts, minds and souls are deep within the reality of living loved, we discover most of those "rules" from Sunday school are simply our new characteristics and our family traits. They are the fruit born of a meaningful life-changing relationship-- they are the flowers of life in the Vine. And there are many expressions and ways to live out love, joy, peace, kindness, patience, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control, and goodness--as men, as women, as wives, as husbands, as mothers, as fathers, as friends, as disciples. Marriage and motherhood are not the only way to biblical womanhood... (98)

And this:

We are not biblical women because we achieve status as a stay-at-home mother and home-cook every meal. We are not men of God because we alone make the "hard decisions" and exclusively provide for our families, let alone because together we live our some version of the Greco-Roman household code. We are not living biblically by stuffing our true gifts and callings and passions into worn-out cliches, turning scriptural encouragement and invitations into new rules.
Our work in this life grows from the tree of his great love for us, birthed out of a growing and real relationship with Love itself. The organic blossoming of the fruit of the Spirit is only because of our life in the Vine. Whether we turn to the right or to the left, our ears will hear a voice behind, saying "This is the way; walk in it." (100-101)

On God's "Father-Mother heart" (And I love, love this):

... my Abba gave me a glimpse--just a glimpse-- of his great unconditional love for us through my love for my own tines. After that, I could not see him the same anymore. He wasn't in the fire or in the hurricane or in the earthquake; he was in the still, small voice--the creaking of my rocking chair in the wee hours of the morning, and the daily practices even in the never-forgotten lines from the old praise chorus "As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after thee" on my lips, sleeping milk-drunk babies, one after another, in my arms. He was in the sacred every-day of my life, redeeming it all, teaching me to pray, filling me with joy in my weakness, teaching me to rely on him. Here, I learned how I am more than my daily work, and yet he kept showing up in the mundane. (113)

On women's ministry:

You have a great women's ministry when there is room for everyone. You have a great women's ministry when you have detoxed from the world's views and unattainable standards for women and begun to celebrate the everyday women of valor, sitting next to you, and when you encourage, affirm, and welcome the diversity of women-- their lives, their voices, their experiences-- to the community.
You have a great women's ministry when your women are ministering -- to the world, to the church, to one another -- pouring out freely the grace they have received, however God has gifted them, including cooking and crafts, strategy and leadership.
There is not one way to be a woman; there is not one way to do women's ministry. There is only loving and serving God, doing life together in the full expression of our unique selves. Make room for them all and give glory to God." (132-133)

On the Kingdom of God:

As we follow Christ in the counsel of the Holy Spirit, resting in the love of our Abba, we no longer fear-- ... this fearless love allows the mission of God to infuse our smallest seed lives, growing through to our families, our communities, our culture, our government--tendrils twining

That's just a taste of what got me scribbling in the margins. I've always loved the idea of the Body of Christ, with each member knit together in life, functioning and expressing the Head. Much of what Bessey writes seems rooted in this biblical principle.

The short of it:
Overall, Jesus Feminist argues gently that women should be allowed to teach, lead and work in their marriages, their churches and other spheres of influence. Marriages and all relationships within and outside of the church work best and glorify God the most when all members are allowed and encouraged to use their unique gifts, which, contrary to some patriarchal views, might look like a woman "leading the charge" as the breadwinner of her household, as the CEO of a company or as the lead pastor of a church. But it doesn't have to look that way. It could also simply be women taking the lead to serve where they see needs. And it absolutely does look this way in many, many churches across the full range of the patriarchal/egalitarian spectrum.

My take-away:
Bessey's oft-repeated metaphor of coming outside to join others at the beach-beacon bonfires, I now see is not as a call to eschew socially conservative churches or to shirk a love-and-respect-complimentarian-style marriage. No, her message is much less controversial. Bessey is advocating that all women (and men) seek God earnestly and obey His still small voice. That we initiate justice and Christian community through servanthood in the places where injustice runs rampant-- be it the lonely corridors of a state-subsidized nursing home or the slums of Haiti, the local shelter for battered women or the well-greased machine of child-trafficking in Asia. That we be led by God's stirring in our spirit and use our unique, God-given gifts to act upon those motions. And that we are commissioned to initiate genuine community with other women, to together take a step toward our true Head and submit to Him our eyes, ears, hands and feet. We are called together to identify with Christ and His unifying mission.

I finished this book in the wee hours of Saturday, and then eagerly discussed it with my husband, Joe, as he rinsed and loaded the dishwasher (to give you a little hint of where we're at on the complimentarian-egalitarian spectrum). As I pondered what Abba's still small voice was whispering to me, I felt renewed encouragement to pursue a little wish-dream of mine: to lead a parenting study/prayer group with other moms. It begins this Tuesday, and, bolstered on Bessey's stirring prose, I'm so excited to light my own little bonfire.

Refections on "Freedom of Simplicity" (Part 1)

I've mentioned in previous posts my interest in simplicity. Lately, I've been pondering how I can simplify my life, pare down my possessions and live more purposefully. Over the last year or so, I've also been grappling with social justice and how to live a good life without diminishing the lives of others.

I stumbled upon Richard J. Foster's Freedom of Simplicity: Finding Harmony in a Complex World while searching my library's ebook catalog for another book with "simplicity" in its title. I devoured this book in three days and feel like God must have arranged it that way!

"Freedom of Simplicity," despite being originally penned in the late 80s, felt so current and resonant to me. Foster spends the first portion of the book putting the idea of simplicity within the context of discipleship and seeking the kingdom of God first. He emphasizes the need for having a single eye for Christ (Matt 6:22) and striving to find ourselves in Him, or in obedience to the "Divine Center," as he puts it. The author takes readers on a whirlwind tour of Christians through out history who practiced the spiritual discipline of simplicity to show that intentional living and Christian minimalism aren't new concepts. I found myself highlighting the names of theses saints who went before, eager to learn and read more about their lives.

After a rather lengthy disclaimer that simplicity will look different for each individual based on the specific place, time and ministry in which God has placed them, Foster takes a risk and opens up a world of specific examples of what simplicity might look like in our lives. He touches on the culture of consumerism, materialism, busyness in order to be approved by others, unsustainable habits, exaggerated speech, social injustice and environmental destruction, all of which prevent Christians from a simple, single, effective walk with Christ.

I won't lie, some of his proposals made me squirm... especially the chapter on finances, but through it all, I felt my heart nodding slowly in agreement. I want to unpack some of the things Foster writes in my next post and some of my own ideas spurred by the practical suggestions he offers for living blamelessly in the world, but not of it. I would love to get together with some good friends and digest this book in community... anyone interested?

Living Artfully: Reflections on "A Million Little Ways"

I just finished Emily P. Freeman's new book, A Million Little Ways: Uncover the Art You Were Made to Live, which intrigued me because I've been going through a season of trying to live with a more purposeful, deliberate mindset. Freeman's premise is that just as God is the Master Artist who created the universe and you and I from the dust of the ground, we are made in His image as both his masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10) and as his co-laborers that create the art of declaring His glory when we live full, abundant lives in Him. She also briefly points out the original Greek for "masterpiece" is "poiema," the root of the modern English word "poem." This is not a scripture heavy read, but her thoughts flow from this biblical insight in a way that could inspire readers out of a ho-hum, hum-drum existence into a freedom to pursue the skills and creative endeavors that make them feel "fully alive." The book is broken into three parts, with the first part explaining how she defines the artist and artwork, the second part offering exercises to uncover your inner artist and preferred medium, and the third gently nudging you toward unselfishly making art regardless of your misgivings.

What exactly is Art?
While "art" is in the tagline of the book, Freeman tries to be inclusive by stretching the definition to include things like calculating, doctoring, train building, mothering and other skills that don't necessarily seem very artsy. I appreciate that the author wanted to inspire even those who never liked art class, but I don't think she needed to try to convince such a broad audience. The majority of readers interested in this book probably already have some aspirations to traditional artistry- be it cooking, woodworking, storytelling or crafting. I also found that trying to apply the artist metaphor too broadly made it harder for me to really uncover my own God-destined artwork. As a mom of three, when I read that mothering is included in valid artistic endeavors, I initially felt a little deflated and discouraged from pursuing my lofty, crazy ideas (currently, to write and illustrate one children's book each year and to get this blog up and running enough that people will start sending me free books to honestly review :). I'm passionate about my kids, but should mothering be enough for me? However, further reading found me nodding my head in agreement with Freeman once again.

In particular, Freeman proposes on p. 40 that there isn't necessarily One Big Thing you or I were put on this earth to do, other than to glorify the One whose image we bear, and we do this in many ways, if not millions of little ways each day throughout our lives. I love this concept. It takes the pressure off me to produce something for my own glory and it helps me see each task as an important opportunity to live fully in the moment and fully for God.

Freedom to Find Your Art
As I mentioned earlier, the book's second section suggests various ways of discovering one's hidden artist potential. Freeman uses examples from her own journey as a writer to show how we can find clues in our childhood dreams and preferences, remember our source in God, face our inner and external critics and take our craziest ideas seriously to ultimately uncover the art bubbling beneath the surface of our lives.

Two decades ago, when I was a teenager falling in love with Jesus, I would have never imagined that I was supposed to stir up those inner longings to create. My Christian upbringing was of the variety that discouraged introspection and cultivating one's identity apart from Christ. Even as a grade-schooler, I knew I was good at writing and enjoyed art, but I chose to pursue a college degree in biology because it seemed so much more practical and less likely to seduce my soul away from my First Love. Though I eventually ended up a writer (via an extremely circuitous route that took me to Asia and back), I often wonder what would have happened if I had felt the freedom to cultivate and cherish my God-given identity and skills from the get-go. I wish a book like "A Million Little Ways" had existed for me back then.

Overcome the Barriers to Releasing Your Art
In the third part of her book, Freeman discusses the many distractions opposing our newfound decision to take a go at making art.

When we finally admit there is something within us worth offering, when we finally recognize we have the ability, privilege, and calling to influence our families, our workmates, our neighbors, and our world in a way only we can, there still may be one statement that comes heavy with question: I don't feel qualified for the job. (124)

In addition to issues with self-confidence that might preclude us from saying "yes" to the task God's laid out before us, Freeman discusses the problem of not being able to say "no" to obligations that force us to put off more creative endeavors. Furthermore, Freeman argues we should view limitations, such as time or finances, not as signs to hold off on creating, but as challenges to fuel creativity. After all, didn't God limit Himself in a human body in order to do His great work on the cross?

Finally, the author reminds her readers that releasing art is not for self-glory.  I love this quote from page 152, where Freeman describes how the finished product-- a book, in her case--is not actually the most important creation happening:

The real art is the invisible work happening in the depths of my soul as I uncover, sink, see, listen, and wait. The book is just the souvenir. There is hope within you too, a desire longing for completion. It may not be a tangible work you can hold and point to. Your souvenir may be a relationship, an education, an investment, a charitable cause. As you stare at the stone of the hoped-for souvenir, remember the deeper work happening within you, where your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Having this view makes the pursuit of art not for art's sake seem more than worthwhile-- it seems to be what we were all made for and commissioned to do.

At the conclusion, Freeman encourages readers not to just strive to discover their art and share it with others, but to also encourage fellow artist-friends. I highlighted this passage as a hint of what such a artist community might look like:

If you are a surgeon or a dentist, we want your bag of skills. Use your training and your technique on me, I've got a cavity. But if you are a friend, leave your bag at the door. I don't need an expert. I need an artist. I need someone who will be willing to show up and let me be a mystery, someone who will appreciate me as a fellow image bearer, someone who looks to Jesus as their ultimate security and doesn't need me to be okay so they'll feel better.

I long for someone to be willing to ask me questions, not for the sake of knowing the answer, but for the delight of knowing me.

I echo Freeman's longing in my own creative journey and aspire to be such a generous friend to others so we can all express the little sparkling facet of God we were made to reflect.

Who Should Get This Book?
I heartily recommend this book for someone who feels a little aimless in their Christian walk or who might be pent up and discouraged in a church setting that looks down on non-conformity. The book is written in a meandering style, which despite being organized into several sections, chapters and subheadings, might feel a little disorganized to those looking for a clear how-to-be-the-artist-you-never-dreamed-you-could-be manual. But, if you're like me, and you appreciate an author who humbly shows vulnerability in her writing and don't mind mining through slightly rambling prose on a hunt for gems of wisdom, then you'll be rewarded with plenty of nuggets to encourage, enlighten and inspire you.

Review of Loyalty: The Reach of the Noble Heart

by Bob Sorge

Published by Oasis House, Kansas City, MO

I first opened my mind to this book for two words on the cover, neither of which was the title. I will always respond excitedly to the name Bob Sorge. My introduction to Sorge's work was his 2001 best-seller Secrets of the Secret Place,  quite simply the best resource I have ever found about cultivating personal time with God. Highly applicable and spiritually boosting. I have probably recommended Secrets more than any other faith-focused book. 

So I came upon this more recent work, Loyalty: the Reach of the Noble Heart (2004) with great expectations. Again, it wasn't the title that compelled me. How much could be made of a subject that Scripture, so I thought, pays scant attention to? Tell me honestly, fellow Bible scholars, how many verses on loyalty leap to mind? Go ahead, take your time. 

If the title provoked any emotion in me, it was guardedness. The only Bible study I knew anywhere in the vicinity of loyalty was John Bevere's Honor's Reward.  And that is a book which pounds the message of "submitting to God's sovereign arrangement" pretty hard. I wondered whether this going to be another 300 pages of uppercuts with "just take it so that one day you get to be the authority" printed on the gloves. (Sorry John, that last comment was more indicative of my immaturity than yours.)

Sorge quickly proved this fear false.  From the first page, he makes his case for loyalty as a central component of God's relationship with us on the back of  2 Chronicles 16:9: 

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

Loyalty, Sorge argues, is godliness itself.  It is not a ploy of men to control the masses, at least not in its original form. Loyalty began in the Trinity as affectionate allegiance between the Father, Son and the Spirit. In other words, not only did the Godhead to commit to one another in will but in emotion and mind as well. 

Affectionate allegiance: this is an important definition because it cuts loyalty out from the herd of relationship words that tend to run together in our use: love, commitment, faithfulness, devotion, submission, surrender, etc. I might mean mental and emotional investment in a relationship when I telling my brother I am loyal to him, but he might misconstrue my meaning as a surrender of my will to his. You can see the misunderstandings soon to follow that failed communication.

After mooring his thesis to both orthodoxy and clarity, Sorge then plunges into the sea of loyalty and disloyalty, with examples all throughout the Bible. 

God is always searching, and the object of His search is for a loyal man or woman. Once He finds a Noah, He can send a flood. Once He finds a Joseph, He can give Pharaoh a divine dream. Once He has an Elijah, He can turn a nation around. When He has a Jesus of Nazareth, He can save the world.

Sorge pulls fresh insights from these high profile personalities explaining how the key to their selection for great exploits was their loyalty or affectionate allegiance to God. But no one's story, besides Jesus', is more probed than that of King David, the man in whom God saw a mirror of His own heart. 

David's story becomes the center of gravity for Loyalty. Rightly so, for David could demonstrate loyalty even toward people trying to kill him (Saul) and become extremely close to those who could have been his rivals (Jonathan). Sorge proclaims David the gold standard of loyalty and goes so far as to use the term "God's Davids" to refer to any leaders deserving of loyalty. He even  studies David's psalms for evidence of criteria for choosing leaders.  

But the book doesn't photoshop David's warts out. I appreciate Sorge's honest treatment of the king. He is portrayed as someone who learned loyalty in stages, failed a few tests and even stumbled others in their learning. This makes David feel closer, as if he would nod sympathetically were he to have a conversation with you about your struggle to be loyal. 

Also accessible are the satellite characters that orbit around David: Amasai, Ahithophel, Joab and Absalom. Sorge takes the time to examine each one, even when the character occupies just a handful of verses to paint a picture of loyalty that one can frame one's own life in.

Even vengeful Absalom is shown to be "a man of like passions as we." Who couldn't relate to being mishandled by an authority figure as David botched his discipline of Absalom? Which one of us could fault Absalom for holding onto the offense after not getting an apology or being invited to reconcile? Could we too be so possessed by a grudge that we would lash out in rebellion against an authority? Many of us would have to say, "Been there. Done that."

Sorge's loyalty focus was so illuminating, it shed new light on all-too-familiar characters. I was so inspired by his study of Abraham and Lot and then Naomi and Ruth that I used these stories to preach a sermon on loyalty. The sermon connected well with the congregation.

True to the endtimes enthusiasm that marks most teaching from the International House of Prayer (Sorge has been associated with the movement for decades), the last few chapters are reserved for loyalty's role in hastening the close of the current age:

Mark my words, loyalty is a character quality that will receive increasing emphasis in the last days. Its emphasis will be an absolute necessity because of the profusion of disloyalty that will spatter the end time landscape.

He makes some good points about how the prophet Malachi foresaw the return of the hearts of fathers to their sons and vice-versa and how this showed that the return of the spirit of Elijah brings about a generation of loyalty. But I felt this comes across as a bit of a forced attempt to pull in Revelation and eschatology into a subject where it just doesn't belong.

And what of my misgivings about loyalty being another guise for pro-authoritarian teaching? Turns out I was too quick to judge. Sorge is very balanced in his counsel on when and how to exercise loyalty to a leader as is demonstrated in this passage:

Be cautious around a leader who requires loyalty. Wise leaders will watch for and honor loyalty but they cannot require or demand it. Anyone who requires loyalty doesn't really understand it and is using the requirement as a smokescreen to hide their insecurities.

…If you don't feel loyal toward the one who is over you in the Lord, that does not necessarily mean there is something wrong with you. It may mean that loyalty will take time to develop. The Lord will not require you to feel loyalty to every leader in your life; but he certainly will require you to show commitment to your leaders.

In other words, loyalty is ultimately given from the heart. Because it is affectionate allegiance, it is result of relationship rather than a substitute for it.

I should explain that I could never have reaped so much benefit from reading this book on my couch. My study was greatly enriched by reading and sharing it with a group of men. There is just nothing like a meeting of diverse minds to spark critical thinking about material. At times the discussion questions at the end of each chapter launched us into hour-long chats as we reacted to the ideas and compared them to our experiences. 

Whether reading with others or solo, I recommend taking your time with Loyalty. Chances are you will never come across another book on the subject. So let the ideas soak in as much as possible. 

  

Biographies to inspire and edify young ones

I'm always on the lookout for books to help cultivate character and confidence in my five-year-old son, Stephen. He loves nature and has a way with words. (Yesterday he coined the phrase "Oke doke Artichoke-y!") But most of all, his imagination and inventive abilities are out of this world. I just know that God has something special planned for him.

In searching for a birthday present for another friend, I stumbled upon Irene Howat's series of "Ten Boys Who..." and "Ten Girls Who..." put out by London-based Christian Focus Publications. After reading the sparse but overall positive reviews on Amazon, I settled on "Ten Girls Who Changed the World" for my friend's daughter, and "Ten Boys Who Used their Talents" for Stephen. Because the cover says the reading level is for ages 7-12, I figured that I'd read it first and determine whether to save it for when Stephen is a little older.

Well, I've perused a few of the 11-page biographies from "Ten Girls," including Joni Eackerson Tada, Corrie Ten Boom and Gladys Aylward. I thought they were both interesting and readable, perhaps because Howat didn't try to cram every detail of these heroine's lives into the stories. Or, perhaps because their dramatic lives are naturally suited to story form. Unfortunately, after reading "Ten Boys Who Used their Talents" from cover to cover, and wasn't as impressed as I so wanted to be. The book introduced me to several Christian men with whom I wasn't familiar, including Paul Brand (medical missionary who pioneered leprosy treatments), Ghillean Prance (environmental activist in the Amazon), Wilfred Grenfell (another medical missionary) and James Clerk Maxwell (electromagnetism expert). It also includes bios of more famous men: C.S. Lewis, C.T. Studd, Johann Sebastian Bach, Samuel Morse, George Washington Carver and John Bunyan. I love the concept behind this book. Howat attempts to connect each boy's talents and giftings to a life serving God. While many of the men included were missionaries, she also touched upon some other themes, such as environmentalism and equality, that lend depth to the message of serving God.

My main qualm with this book was the sloppy writing and research. (On page 109, George Washington Carver went to college in "Indiana, Iowa." Hmmm. So which was it? I looked it up; Simpson College is in Indianola, Iowa.) I also found many of the narratives disjointed and lacking transitions. Years pass abruptly without so much as a nice introductory clause like "Many years later." Howat also has an annoying habit of using unnatural sounding dialog to allude to facts that could have been conveyed more succinctly through narrative or in the "Fact File" sections that follow each chapter.

But while these details bother me as a journalist and writing tutor by trade, I will have to reserve final judgment for after I try reading the book to Stephen.

****Update: So, I read Stephen part of the first chapter, about Wilfred Grenfell. He was interested in Grenfell's bug collection, but he was snoring five pages into the story. However, it was already an hour and a half past bedtime. We'll try again tomorrow.****