The Correspondent

Once again I return to the list of "I have no idea who recommended this book" to talk about The Correspondent by Virginia Evans.

Seriously: I have so many recommendations from so many people and websites that I'm not sure where I heard about this one or how it made it on my list. It obviously looked interesting enough and it's very popular; I waited a long time for it to come in at the library and there are currently 712 holds on it (I'm returning it this afternoon so the next person can read it).

I really enjoyed the story. It's told in letter form (with some emails) over about 10 years. The main character, Sybil, is in her early 70s when the novel opens. She has written letters all her life and is not willing to give up and make the switch to email completely. Most of the letters are ones she writes, although some are written to her.

As the story unfolds, we learn more about Sybil's life, her past, and her family. We see her interact with other people: old friends, her brother and children, her friend's young son, a customer service rep whom she manages to befriend, and other characters. We start to get a picture of what type of person Sybil is and what influences in the past have shaped her present.

As a bonus, Sybil is a reader and often writes about books, either writing to the authors or sharing "what I'm reading now" with a friend.

The story is not action and adventure, but character and life. It held my attention and I read it quickly, over a couple days of riding the bus (my best reading time right now). I'm very glad that I picked it up and happily recommend it to others.

The Woman All Spies Fear: a book review

My local branch library has moved across the road. The space is larger and brighter and nicer, and I think there are more books. Especially when it's very cold, I tend to hang out and browse the shelves for a few minutes before leaving in time to catch the bus and not have to wait outside.

In my perusal of the 900s, I came across The Woman All Spies Fear by Amy Butler Greenfield. She tells the story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, a code breaker who worked for various U.S. government and military branches during, between, and after both World Wars. I had read a children's picture book about her and was interested in getting to know her more. (Just as an aside, her parents spelled her name with the extra "e" where and "a" would usually be.)

The book was excellent and I enjoyed it very much! I didn't realize that it's officially a young adult book, and I don't really care who it was written for; I just care that the story is good. I enjoyed reading about Elizebeth's life and work, and that of her husband, William (also a code breaker). Elizebeth cracked codes during both World Wars, including being part of cracking the Enigma code in the U.S. She also helped decode messages from rum runners during Prohibition, smugglers, and spies. She also helped various people and institutions develop codes; as a master cryptologist, she knew how to make sure codes were virtually unbreakable.

Interspersed in the book are short sections (2-3 pages each) teaching about various types of codes and ciphers. I found those bits equally interesting and had fun thinking about types of codes I could create, despite having no real need for codes!

Overall, it was a very good, very well-written book. It discussed Elizabeth's challenges as a cryptologist, some of which were because she was a female in the early 20th Century doing "men's work", but also of her triumphs and joys. It also told of her family: her husband, William, and his own work and mental challenges, and their two children, Barbara and John. 

I would recommend it for anyone interested in that particular period of history or codes and codebreaking.  

A Town Like Alice: A Book Review

I am not entirely sure how A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute made it onto my book radar. Maybe it was part of a recommended reading list (but which one?), or mentioned in another book, or I just saw it online somewhere. It's a bit of a mystery!

(Please note: the following two paragraphs contain spoilers, but nothing that you wouldn't see if you read the back of the book.)

The book was written in 1950 and encompasses World War II and a bit beyond. The main character is Jean Paget. She was living in Malaya at the start of the war, with several other women and some children, was forced into a 7-month death march around the island by the Japanese (side note: in the author's note, he says that it's based on an actual event in Sumatra during the war; it seems the Japanese didn't know how to (or want to) deal with a group of female and child prisoners and so kept sending them elsewhere). Eventually Jean and what is left of her group settle in a village for the remainder of the war. Once they are rescued, she goes back to England and tries to forget.

Of course, it's not that easy. There's an unexpected inheritance from a rich uncle, a return to Malaya to help the village who helped her, news that the Australian soldier who saved her life didn't die after all, a trip to Australia, and the challenges of outback life.

The story is good, and I really enjoyed it. I learned something about Malaya (now part of Malaysia) and Australia in the 1950s. The characters are complex enough to be interesting.

The most interesting part is that it's written in first person, but not from Jean's perspective. The story is told by Noel Strachan, the elderly lawyer who oversaw her uncle's estate. It starts with him telling us about his meeting with the uncle, and then his later meeting with Jean after the uncle dies. The uncle left the money in trust for Jean until she turns 35 (she's still in her 20s in the book), so Noel stays involved and gets quite interested in Jean's situation. We learn her history as she tells it to him. When she leaves for Australia, it is easy to forget that the lawyer is telling the story; she has been writing to him regularly so he feels he knows what it going on and he pops up occasionally as an advisor and in relation to the trust. It isn't until the end that it comes right back to him, and the book ends with the Noel talking.

So: Is it her story or his story? Maybe both. Either way, it is worth reading.

Do More Better: A review of sorts

In my on-going quest for an organized life, I just read Do More Better by Tim Challies. To be honest, I started it during my outrageously busy time, then realized that I did not have time to implement ideas, and finally finished it this week!

I like the book. Challies starts with "why" we need to do more better: for God's glory. And what is "better": to do good for the glory of God and the benefit of others. He defines productivity as "effectively stewarding your gifts, talents, time, energy, and enthusiasm of the good of others and the glory of God." I work much better with a purpose and one that makes sense to me.

I'll be upfront with you: I am not implementing everything he suggested the way he suggested it. My life doesn't quite fit into nice categories simply because of the mix of "somewhat busy", "wildly busy", and "fairly quiet" months, and what works well for one month might not work for the rest. Also, Challies is very much a tech guy and I still prefer taking notes on paper and using my paper agenda. Just as with Redeeming Productivity by Regan Rose (see here for my review of his book), I read everything, started up things that I could see would help me, and will go from there. In fact, I'm now using my own system built from pieces of both books.

What did I find very helpful? 

First, listing my areas of responsibility and breaking down what each one actually looks like. That gave me the opportunity to decide if I wanted to keep being responsible for all the tasks, if I was missing anything, and what to do about it.

Second, despite my desire for non-tech methods, I did download a task tracking program (a free one, at least to start). I have all of my current and summer responsibilities set up and I can see what needs to be done. I have a number of lists for this week, upcoming, regular items, and long-term plans, some of which are broken down into many steps; for example, there are 31 different tasks under "Sunday School Fall Prep"! It's a good system and I can add things as I think of them so I don't have to worry about forgetting things.

I suspect that someone who has a different sort of work and life schedule than mine might benefit more from this book. That said, I'm glad I read it and found some help in getting things more organized so I can be more productive for God's glory and the good of others.

Librarians and Scholars Rock

Yesterday I finished reading Book and Dagger by Elyse Graham. It is, as the subtitle says, about "How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II". 

I really, really enjoyed it. I like books about spies anyway, especially nonfiction. I like knowing how the world of spies really works, and while I like spy movies, it's not really that way in real life. Throw in librarians and university professors, and I'm in my happy place! 

Basically, they needed people who can read large amounts of less-than-thrilling materials (and often enjoy it), do piles of research, and put all the ideas together in a way that makes sense and helps with strategic planning. It was just the job for scholars who like to do that anyway.

And no one suspects a librarian or scholar; they're too boring and too academically-minded to be any good at spying or warfare. They're just around to look at some books, right? Not to use those books to figure out how the enemy thinks, or where to sabotage a factory to do the most damage, or what type of ink the enemy uses on their paperwork so the forgeries look extra legit. Move along, nothing to see here.

They're also incredibly easy to overlook. One gentleman was so forgettable that he ended up basically running one branch of they spy agency in Istanbul, the one place where it was assumed that everyone was spying on everyone else, and no one suspected a thing. He was just that guy who sometimes came by to purchase rare books.

The book was interesting and entertaining and a good lesson on the importance of librarians and scholars in the world of espionage.

Evidence Not Seen: A book review

A friend recommended Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Deibler Rose, and I'm very glad that she did. The book was heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time.

The book is subtitled A Woman's Miraculous Faith in the Jungles of World War II. Darlene tells her story as a young, newly married missionary to New Guinea. She left her home for language school in January 1938 and landed in Indonesia that August. The plan was five years and then a furlough; the reality was almost 8 years, four of them in a Japanese POW camp on one of the islands. 

Darlene's story is heartbreaking. Anyone who has studied WWII history knows that the Japanese POW camps were not a good place to be: they included hard labour, little food, unsanitary conditions, sickness, beatings, and fear. The camp was for women and children; Darlene and her husband were separated and she was never to see him again as he died in a different camp. At one point she was taken to a notorious prison and interrogated/tortured as a suspected spy. It was a dark time.

Darlene's story is also beautiful. Her faith shines through in the midst of everything. She learns again and again to trust God and that He will never leave her. She witnesses to the much feared Japanese leader of the camp; her faith and words touch him and he becomes more gentle, eventually visiting her in the prison and saving her life. Many years later, she will learn that he eventually became a believer. Her faith in the middle of horrendous circumstances was beautiful and encouraging.

I absolutely recommend Evidence Not Seen.

A War Within: A Book Review

One of my former Sunday School children has written a book: A War Within by Maddison Ford. 

It's the story of Tobias who, at the ripe old age of 14, thinks that he's already a man and wishes that his family would treat him like one. He works hard on the family farm and to earn enough money to pay off their debt and frets about still being considered a child. Then war comes to his kingdom and Tobias is recruited to fight and realizes that maybe he's not so grown up after all.

Tobias deals with long marches, hard training, bullies, and trying (somewhat unsuccessfully) to tame his tongue and keep out of trouble. The book has all the necessary adventures and experiences that one would expect in an adventure book and was fun to read (with a couple tense moments to add to the enjoyment). By the end of the book Tobias is still impulsive and often speaks without thinking, but he is learning to get along with and understand his (now former) rival, Hadrian; he sometimes shows bits of maturity; and he is maybe on his way to actually being the man he thought he was.

I definitely recommend the book for anyone who wants to read about adventure. It would also make a great read-aloud for families. There might be a couple places that are too intense for younger listeners, but there is no description of blood or gore, so they may be okay (it probably depends on the children). 

I am eagerly looking forward to the sequel!

As You Wish

I was first introduced to the movie The Princess Bride at a World Vision 30-Hour Famine gathering. A rather large group of high schoolers from various churches would gather every year at two churches (they were side-by-side) to do the famine and have fun together. One year, around 1990, The Princess Bride was our late-night movie. I loved it from the start and have watched it many, many times since then. As such, I was pleased to stumble upon As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales From the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes (aka Westley, the farm boy who became the Dread Pirate Roberts).

The book was an interesting and entertaining look into the making of the movie, starting with the day Elwes first heard he was being considered for the role of Westly. As he is the author, most of the story is his experiences, but Elwes also provides the backgrounds of many of the major (and minor) players in the making of the movie. I particularly enjoyed learning about Andre the Giant's life. There are also text boxes throughout giving the perspectives of various actors, Rob Reiner (the director) and William Goldman (the author) on different aspects of the making of the movie.

The book almost ends sadly because the movie was not marketed well and did not have great box office success. People who watched it loved it, but it was hard to get people to watch it. Then everything changed when the movie came out on video. Suddenly everyone was watching it and quoting from it, including strangers on the street, waitresses, Pope John Paul II, and President Clinton and his daughter. From box office disappointment to cult classic that is still loved today, 37 years later.

If you enjoyed The Princess Bride, I definitely recommend As You Wish as a companion to the movie. Learning about how it was made in no way detracts from the movie; in fact, I found that it adds to it as I read about the work that went into preparing for the sword fight, the challenges along the way, and the absolute fun they had making it.

When Time Stopped

 My most recent read was When Time Stopped: A Memoir of My Father's War and What Remains by Ariana Neumann. 

Ariana grew up in Venezuela with a Czech father and a Venezuelan mother. She knew nothing about her father's experiences in World War II. She did not even know he and his family were Jews. He never talked about it. Only after his death did Ariana start to learn about those years. Her father left her a box of documents and her cousin sent her more (her uncle had also not talked about the war year). There were letters, government documents from Czechoslovakia and Germany, and photographs of people Ariana had never heard about. All of this led her on a journey to find out what happened; in the process, she found family she had never known.

I quite enjoyed this book. It starts with Ariana's childhood memories, especially of her father. It then becomes a mix of the story of her father's life and the story of Ariana's quest to find the truth. The book is heartbreaking at times; after all, it is the story of a Jewish family in Prague during the Second World War. It is very intense at times as well. Even knowing that Ariana's father survived the war, there were still some very tense moments where it looked like he might not.

It is the story of survival, of a man who hid right under the nose of the Nazis, working in a Berlin factory for roughly the last two years of the war. It is the story of how a carefree boy became a careful man. It is the story of secrets kept, not because they were dirty secrets but rather because they were too painful to talk about.

I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in World War II from the human side.

Before Green Gables

 A few years ago I read Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy and I quite enjoyed it. It gives the backstory of Marilla Cuthbert, with the author imagining her experiences growing up through her teen years and into early adulthood. My only major quibble was that Matthew was not quite right and had that one romance (when Anne of Green Gables makes it clear that he had never even considered courting). It was a good story and didn't mess with the character of Marilla too much.

This summer, I read Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson. It purports to be the prequel to Anne of Green Gables and fills in Anne's background. I liked it even more than Marilla; I thing the author stayed more true to the character of her heroine. There were bits that I remember Anne talking about later in life, about her parents, the Thomas family, and the Hammonds with their three sets of triplets. Anne seemed as real to me as she did in the books. My main problem was remembering that she was much younger in Before Green Gables; she was written as an advances, precocious child. Granted, she was very smart and was forced to grow up too quickly. As she says in the book, "Sometimes I hope I get the chance to be young before I get too old to enjoy it."

The book begins with Anne's parents as newlyweds and ends as Anne gets off the train on Prince Edward Island, right before Anne of Green Gables starts. Now I need to read Anne of Green Gables again!

Mandy: A book review

While visiting one of the many used bookstores my friend and I went to while on vacation, I stumbled upon Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards. I knew that the book existed, thanks to reading Julie Andrews' autobiographies, but I had forgotten about it until I saw it in the store. She had originally written the story for her daughter Jennifer as a forfeit in a game (it was going to be a short story, but it grew). In fact, Julie Andrews has written several stories, many with Emma Walton Hamilton, her daughter from her first marriage. Mandy is the first of her books that I've read.

Mandy is 10 and lives in an orphanage (a nice one, not one of the miserable ones that show up in many stories). She is exploring one day and finds a small cottage that seems abandoned. Mandy starts to clean up the cottage and the garden, clearing weeds and planting flowers. She keep the cottage a secret and enjoys having a place of her own.

In time, there are troubles with her constant disappearances, a mysterious stranger leaving her messages, and a very bad illness that leads to everything being discovered. And....I will not spoil the ending, but of course Mandy gets her happily-ever-after!

Mandy is an interesting and well-written story. The main character is sympathetic and, despite her faults, is a rather likeable girl. The other characters generally exist to keep the story going and lack a lot of depth, but it's meant to be a story about Mandy. It's a fairly straight-forward story with no major plot twists (although younger readers may not see the ending coming as quickly as I did; as an adult, I have a lot more book experience); even with it being somewhat predictable for me, I quite enjoyed the story. It's the type of book that I would have read over and over as a child and probably invented my own day dreams about.

Mandy intended for the 8-12 year old range, and I think they will enjoy it. 

Almost a book review by a student

One of my tutoring students has been reading Romeo and Juliet. She is not overly impressed by it; in fact, rather than view it as either a romance or a tragedy, she has declared it a comedy. She finds the entire story over-the-top absurd! I love talking with her about it because I view it as a cautionary tale: don't rush into a relationship and always listen to your parents. Between the two of us, we've really torn the entire story apart and it's been so much fun!

A couple quotes from her essay:

Romeo and Juliet is one of the most famous dramas in history, and yet it is quite silly.

It goes on and on. In the end they are both dead. There is quite a lot of drama in this drama.

Suffice to say, she is not a huge fan of Romeo and Juliet! It's quite nice to teach young ladies who don't think the whole thing is just sooooo romantic!

Once Upon a Wardrobe

I recently found Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan on a suggested list of books about the 1950s. I had read her book Becoming Mrs. Lewis some years back and enjoyed it well enough, so I thought I'd give this one a try.

It is a wonderful book. The story starts with George, an 8-year old boy with a bad heart and the knowledge that he is going to die, probably soon. He has recently read a new book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and absolutely loved it, and he wants to know more: where did Narnia come from? George has an older sister, Megs, who is attending one of the colleges at Oxford, and he asks her to find Mr. Lewis (who teaches at Oxford) and ask him where Narnia came from. 

Megs is a mathematician and loves numbers and figuring things out. She does not understand George's love of fantasy and his insistence that Narnia is real somehow. Because she loves him, Megs agrees to at least try talking with Mr. Lewis. And we discover that Once Upon a Wardrobe is really Megs's story, as she visits Mr. Lewis, learns about the role fantasy can play in the world -- neither more nor less important than her beloved math equations, and begins to see a bigger world than the one she knew.

The visits don't go exactly as Megs expected; Mr. Lewis answers her questions by giving her stories about his childhood, growing years, schooling, war years (both World Wars), and faith. Megs goes home and tells the stories to George, and so we get stories within the story. 

The book was fun to read, even the tough parts. The main story is well-written and interesting, and the stories-within-the-story are delightful and, so far as I know, quite accurate to Mr. Lewis's life. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves Narnia.

The Boys in the Boat: A Review

Confession time: I only put The Boys in the Boat on hold at the library because I thought it was written by Laura Hillenbrand, the author of Unbroken. It isn't; it was written by Daniel James Brown. It was a happy mistake, though, because I quite enjoyed the book.

The full title of the books is The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The library copy had a picture of them rowing on the front. There was no big mystery about the topic or the ending of the story. Despite this, it was a very, very good book and there were times when I was concerned that they wouldn't win one of the key races (to be America's team to the Olympics; their heat in Germany) even though I knew how it ended. There were other times when I wondered how they would overcome the obstacles. Keeping the story interesting and the tension of the races high when I already knew the ending is the sign of a good writer.

The book centers on one of the boys, Joe Rantz, a young man who had been abandoned by his family more than once, who was fighting to find his place in the world, and who saw rowing as a way to stay in university. His story alone is worth reading the book. It also delves into the backgrounds of other major players: the rowers, to various extents; the coaches; the man who makes the boats and knows the art of rowing inside out; the young lady Joe marries in the end. Brown weaves all their stories together.

Brown also delves into some of the history of rowing and its various events. He talks about the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl years. Periodically, he moves over the Germany for a glimpse into Hitler's plans and how the Olympics were designed to make the world think that everything was fine and dandy in Germany (even though it was already getting dark there).

Overall, I found this to be a well-written and very interesting book. I'm thankful for the happy mistake that led me to it!

Redeeming Productivity

A bit of a review of Redeeming Productivity by Reagan Rose

I really enjoyed this book. The chapters switch between the "why" and the "how" of being productive; so many books have only focused on one or the other and I was happy to find both. I found the "why" chapters to be clear and demonstrating, through Scripture, a proper motive for our actions (e.g., to glorify God, to use the gifts He has given us, and to bear fruit). The "how" sections were very practical and had ideas that I could implement without too much trouble (e.g., establishing a morning routine, getting organized, and sorting out tasks and projects). It wasn't so much "you're doing everything wrong" as it was "this is how you can do better". 

I read the book slowly, taking time to consider the "why" parts and then to implement at least some of his ideas after the "how" parts (adjusting things to fit my life and preferences) before moving on to the next pair of chapters. By the end, I found that I was more organized and productive and that, since I had the proper motivation, it was easier to keep on track. The author also encourages regular reflection (weekly and yearly) to see how things are going, make adjustments, or get back on track. He doesn't expect (or promise) perfection, but improvement.

I read Redeeming Productivity several month ago and have found that, for the most part, I am getting more done for the glory of God, as the subtitle suggests. It wasn't a "good intentions that fail in the second month" thing, but a gradual movement towards using my time wisely. I enjoy the morning routine (although mine doesn't quite match his) and the end-of-week tidy and planning time. Not only my workspace but also much of my apartment is more organized, which just feels good. Planning my days, especially during my slower times of the year, has helped me get more done, although there will be more to work on in that area over the summer.

I definitely recommend Redeeming Productivity for anyone who wants advice on how to be organized and productive in a way that brings glory to God rather than self.

Something from Nothing

Last week I read the little guys Something from Nothing by Phoebe Gilman. It's a retelling of a Jewish folktale about a grandpa and his small grandson, Joseph who firmly believes that Grandpa can fix anything. Grandpa made a blanket for baby Joseph, and as Joseph grows the blanket becomes tattered and worn and mom wants to throw it out. Joseph brings it to Grandpa who makes it into a coat for Joseph. The story is basically how Grandpa keeps making new (and smaller) things as the items too small, dirty or tattered. I won't tell you the end!

It's a pretty simple story with a lot of repetition, but the kids seemed to really enjoy seeing what Grandpa could make. The illustrations are wonderful as well. There's so much to see on each page and I had to make sure to take time for everyone to see everything. A family of mice live under the house and use the scraps of fabric from Grandpa's sewing for pretty much everything, including blankets, clothes, curtains, and a tablecloth.

It's a delightful story with delightful pictures.

The Wilderking Trilogy: A Book Review

 Friends of mine gave me The Bark of the Bog Owl by Jonathan Rogers for Christmas last year and assured me that I would love it. They had been reading the trilogy out loud to their children and everyone was enjoying it (and they were kind enough not to switch to a different read-aloud book when I was visiting until I had a chance to catch up). 

I started reading it and was enjoying the story. The young hero, Aidan, longs for adventure and wants to be part of a "quest, adventure, or dangerous mission" that might come along. A couple chapters in, I realized that I was reading a retelling of the story of King David, if David had lived on an island, on the frontier, near the swamp, and dealt with panthers and giant alligators. It does follow his life, to some extent: he's caring for the sheep, he's destined to be a king, and he fights a giant. There are also feechiefolk (the wild men of the swamp) to befriend, cannons to deal with, and miners helping him find his way to the enemy camp. Perhaps it is better to say that it's based on or inspired by the story of David.

While he enjoys the adventures that he eventually finds, Aidan also clings to his faith in the One True God. What I like about how the author includes the faith of many of the main characters is that it isn't forced into the story or seen as something irrelevant; rather, it is seen as a normal part of life that play an important role in dictating their decisions just as it does for many, many real Christians in my life. It is why Aidan does not try to force the prophecy or even worry about it, but rather learns to take the advice of the Bayard the Truthspeaker and prophet to "live the life that unfolds before you".

The Bark of the Bog Owl was a fun story to read, as were the sequels (which I eventually borrowed from the same friends). There's adventure, fighting, conflict, and (mostly) unexpected twists. It is written for the junior high age, but can be enjoyed by any age, as can all good stories.

Getting Over Yourself (a book review)

 Getting Over Yourself by Dean Inserra; subtitled "Trading Believe-in-Yourself Religion for Christ-Centered Christianity"

Inserra has written this to discuss a problem that he has seen in many modern churches: the "Instagramification" of Christianity, with "trendy pastors who preach a message of personal success, betterment, and victory" who are social media celebrities, which "allows one to have a theistic source of faith and an emotional connection to Jesus without the demands of biblical discipleship and conduct." (pp.12-13) He refers to it as "pop-Christianity" or "new prosperity theology" that has replaced rags-to-riches and immediate healing with God-sized dreams and visions and achieving "God's best" while ignoring the tough parts of Scripture.

Inserra does a good job showing the problems with "pop-Christianity" from different angles, looking at what it is, where it came from, and what it is doing, all the while comparing its teachings to Scripture. He looks as the dangers of being gospel and doctrine-lite and trying for church growth through pragmatism (what you draw them with is what you draw them to, so if you're not drawing them with Christ, you're not drawing them to Christ). He shows how Scripture is being misused in these churches and by these teachers to encourage self-fulfillment instead of being disciples, and he does it while pointing clearly to the gospel. 

At the same time, he does not deny that God has a plan for our lives or that His plan is good and amazing; the problem is that His plan isn't necessarily what we think it is and it was never meant to focus on us (or to encourage us to focus on ourselves). Inserra isn't making Christianity into drudgery or something boring, but shows that it is actually bigger then we imagine when we make it about ourselves.

In the final chapter, he points to how we can have abundant life in Christ: Ask God to help you be gospel-centered; by grade, through Scripture, seek to increase your knowledge of God; pursue the ordinary life; find godly community; and pray for willingness to be marginalized.

Getting Over Yourself  is written in a simple, straight-forward way that is accessible for anyone.

"I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this

review."

Jack vs. the Tornado: A Book Review

Official disclaimer: "I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review."

Jack vs. the Tornado by Amanda Cleary Eastep is the first in the Tree Street Kids series. It's a simple story, quick to read and quite enjoyable. I read it in a couple hours one evening and found it good enough to keep my interest despite being intended for the preteen years. It's not overly predictable in the details (and that's saying a lot given that I've been reading for years and can often tell you how preteen fiction -- especially newer fiction -- will turn out after the first chapter).

The main character is well-written and easy to empathize with. Jack just turned 10 and has to move from the farm to the suburbs. He's homesick and just wants to go back to the best fort in the world: his hayloft. He has a plan, and of course his plan doesn't work out the way he had intended (or there would be no story). Instead, he gets pulled into the lives of his neighbours and ends up happier than he had thought he could be in the suburbs. I like that while everything doesn't go smoothly for Jack, all his issues are normal 10 year old problems and complications: homesickness, a younger sister who can be annoying, a disagreement with a friend, dealing with storms. Aside from it being tornado season (a normal thing for where he lives), there are no excessively dramatic incidents. The story reads like something that could happen in any suburb.

The supporting characters are a bit 1-dimensional just yet and gather to form the Tree Street Kids group with all the necessary characters: the bookworm, the one with the backpack full of everything, and the one who takes photos of everything. I am hoping that their backgrounds and characters get fleshed out in future books (this one was focused on Jack, of course). 

The book is published by Moody Publishers and has a distinct Christian feel: the family prays together and attends church; there are some Scripture verses; Jack prays when he is afraid; and Jack tries to figure out God's plan in having him move. At no time do the Christian elements feel forced or like they've been inserted to make the book a Christian book; they are simply a reflection of who the characters are. 

Overall, it was a good read and one that I will happily pass on to friends with preteen aged children.

Misused Bible Verses

Today, for your reading enjoyment...a book review!
I picked up The Most Misused Verses in the Bible by Eric J. Bargerhuff when I was at Masters last month. I read most of it on the trip home. It's an easy read with sound teaching and I enjoyed it. It's subtitled "Surprising Ways God's Word is Misunderstood" although I didn't find many surprises in it. Most of the verses I'd heard misused (and some I have misused myself in the past), although there were a couple unexpected verses.
Bargerhuff looks at 17 different verses (or passages) that are misused. I am not going to go through them all, although I will list the references for you here:

• “Judge Not” - Matthew 7:1
• “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you” - Jeremiah 29:11-13
• “Where two or three are gathered” - Matthew 18:20
• “Ask for anything in My name” - John 14:13-14
• “All things work together for good” - Romans 8:28
• “If My people who are called by My name” - 2 Chronicles 7:14
• “Jesus as the firstborn of all creation” - Colossians 1:15
• “Money is the root of all evil” - 1 Timothy 6:10
• “No more than you can handle” - 1 Corinthians 10:13
• “Train up a child” - Proverbs 22:6
• “I can do all things through Christ” - Philippians 4:13
• “An eye for an eye” - Exodus 21:23-25
• “Prayer offered in faith” - James 5:15
• “Repent and be baptized” - Acts 2:38
• “Guard your heart” - Proverbs 4:23
• “Where there is no vision” - Proverbs 29:18
• “Lifting up the name of Jesus” - John 12:32

Just some notes about it.
First, I had never heard Proverbs 4:23 misused. It seems that it's used by people to keep from getting close to others. I also did not know that John 12:32 (which is about Jesus being lifted up on the cross) was the basis for lifting up the name of Jesus. Those were the ones that surprised me.

Second, he doesn't quite make it on Proverbs 22:6. He's quite right that proverbs are principles, not promises. This should at least comfort people who do everything right and still get rebellious children. At the same time, he misses what the verse is really saying. It's more of a warning: if you start a child out in the way he wants to go, he will never, ever turn from it. (Read God's Wisdom in Proverbs, appendix 3, by Dan Phillips, for the full explanation).

Third, Bargerhuff is absolutely correct in his emphasis on context. So many of these verses wouldn't be misused if people refrained from pulling them from the Bible and ignoring their immediate context. You can't do that. You have to read the Bible as a whole. That is why I encourage people to have their Bibles open in church and when reading Christian books to double check what is being said. And you need to know your Bible.

Overall: I think this is an excellent book and a very useful reference tool. It doesn't hurt to double check your own favourite verses as well.