September 28th, 2010
I know that it is now officially Fall, but it has been a while since I updated my reading list so I thought I would share a list of the books I read this summer. As with all other such post lists, some of these books I intensely enjoyed and others, well, I probably will not read again.
Non-Fiction
52 Loaves: One Man’s Relentless Pursuit of Truth, Meaning, and a Perfect Crust by William Alexander. As a bread baker I was intrigued with the title of this book and was entertained from beginning to end with the author’s near obsessive interest in baking the perfect loaf of peasant bread. This was certainly no “how to” book, yet I learned much more about the art of bread baking including yeasts, flour, and a good oven.
A Place of My Own: The Architecture of Daydreams, Michael Pollan. I read this during my sabbatical leave it coincidently complimented by visual journey it Rome. Part memoir and part journalistic, Pollan reflects on the purpose and aesthetics of a shelter.
The Snow Leopard, by Peter Matthiessen. This is a classic piece of modern nature writing first written in the 1970s. It is the interior reflection of one man’s journey – sojourn? – in the foot of the Himalayas for the snow leopard as well as the search for the self.
Iron John, by Robert Bly. Minnesotan poet Robert Bly wrote this insightful text which literally fueled a “men’s movement” in the 1990s. I first read this book twenty years ago and picked it up again this summer. What a difference it is to read something through the eyes of an older man. Filled with Jungian typology, it is still a relevant classic in the area of masculinity.
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, by Jared Diamond. One of my sons was assigned the Pulitzer Prize winner and I decided to read it along with him. It is more than a study of world history; it is thoroughgoing exploration of how and why some societies evolved according to geography, climate, and plant/animal domestication.
Shop class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work, by Michael B. Crawford. The author holds a PhD in philosophy from the University of Chicago and has chosen to repair motorcycles “for a living.” It was a wonderful read on, as the subtitle implies, the value of work (and by implication how many have little value for what they “do”).
God and the Art of Seeing, by Richard Kidd and Graham Sparkes. The authors selected several paintings from six artists and compiled essays reflecting on art’s contribution to the journey of faith. While the essays tended to be redundant and some of the observations seemed to be a bit forced, it was an overall good treatment of the nature of faith and art.
Fiction
Sons and Lovers, by D. H. Lawrence. This book has been around about one hundred years and was at one time banned for obscenity, which by today’s standard is “PG” rating at best. Beautifully written, which is part of the reason of its classic status, it is also a bit tiresome in its character development and elongated plots.
The Violent Bear it Away, by Flannery O’Conner. What can I say? I love Flannery O’Conner because her fiction can be read on several levels: theological, philosophical, or just well-written fiction that is entertaining. This is one of only two completed novels that O’Conner published before her death at the age of 39. The rest of her work are short-stories that carry equal weight in the literary world.
Poetry
Morning Poems, by Robert Bly. Bly is the author of the well-known book Iron John, a book I read and thoroughly enjoyed first in 1989 and again this year. He is first and foremost, however, a poet. His free verse style is laced with Jungian themes and images, which can make for some wearisome reading at times. Nonetheless there were lines beautiful and simple and in many places quite profound.
September 21st, 2010
Last week I shared with the congregation in worship about my most recent whitewater rafting trip. I went rafting with the guys’ 9th and 10th grade Sunday School class. They have terrific teachers who do fun things like this to bring the class together and they were thoughtful enough to invite me to tag along. The day was beautiful and the Ocoee River was churning. In these trips we are in a boat of six, heading for a common destination, guided around hazards as well as right through rapids. We work together and sometimes we capsize together. At our very first rapid – a powerful class IV I might add – one of the rafts belonging to another group hit the rapid at an awkward angle ejecting three in the boat, one of which was the guide. The end result was the guide broke an ankle and the two other paddlers were too shook up to complete the trip. Still, we all paddled on eventually making it wearily to our destination safe and sound.
Every time I raft I am reminded that this is a beautiful picture of the church, particularly the shared unity. The bigger the church the greater the complexity and therefore the greater the dispersion. On any given day there are numerous ministries taking place, mission endeavors being developed, and services being provided. On Sunday, the day when most churches around the world gather to worship the One Lord, we joyfully gather to 3500 Walton Way ext. to one of three morning worship services as well as one of 62 Sunday School classes. I believe our complexity is a gift that enables us to minister to a greater number.
Yet there are times and seasons in which we need to take a step back and simplify for a time of just being together. In October we have just such an occasion through the Four Great Sundays.
I have been asked the question more than once: why? Why make all of these changes, upsetting our schedules and routines, even if it is for just four Sundays? I could tell you it is matter of renewal and revival, and that would be true. I could tell you that it is a matter of having different experiences in the life of the church, and that would be true. I could tell you that as with traditional worship this will be a good opportunity to experience other valid styles of worship and I could say the same thing for the contemporary. All of this would all be true.
Yet it is more basic than all of this. It comes down to the very essence of what makes church a church. It comes in one word: unity. In 1 Peter 4:8 the author writes: Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
What is the church? It is the place where you and I gather in the name of the most High, the Holy One, God Almighty, Father of Jesus the Christ his only Son. It is where we put aside petty differences and labels that divide. It is the one place where we sit together, we cry together, we laugh together, we pray together and where we celebrate this fascinating and wonderful life that God has given us; this life that from the beginning of all time God created us to be in the unique image of God.
When we say “I Am FBC Augusta,” we are not claiming superiority to other churches; neither are we saying church is all about self-promotion; we are not saying that we all look alike, think alike, or are otherwise uniform.
We are saying the prayer of Jesus matters – that we be one. We are saying that Jesus was resurrected not just for the privileged few, but for all the world. We are saying that there are some things that are worth our coming together, that are worth committing our life, and if need be worth dying over.
This world needs that kind of church. This region and this city need that kind of church. And I want to be part of that kind of church. Don’t you? We will not be left “up the creek without a paddle.” Thanks be to God.
