Feast for Thieves-A Book Review

The year is 1946, and former Private Rowdy Slater, a war veteran with a dishonorable discharge and time done in military prison, is drifting. No job and past debt to a jail cellmate, makes him easy prey to Crazy Ake, the cellmate, who tracks him down.  Crazy Ake plans to get his money back, using Rowdy to assist him in a bank robbery. In the ensuing skirmish with authorities in Cut Eye, Texas, the two separate and escape.  Rowdy ends up with the booty, encounters God in the local mission and decides to turn in the money to the local sheriff. Rather than going to jail, the sheriff offers Rowdy the choice to be town preacher for a year.  He will take over the struggling congregation which has been temporarily under the charge of the sheriff's daughter who has future plans to be a missionary.


The scene is set for the bumpy ride of proving himself to parishioners, meeting needs in the community, winning over the ill-reputed who frequent the local bar, and wondering if the interim preacher and Rowdy will have a future together. With Crazy Ake still on the loose and not about ready to give up on his money, there is bound to be trouble ahead. The narrative is told first person and Rowdy's speaking is written in the dialect and attitude of a Texan native of that day.

To make the strides and accomplishments that Rev'rund Slater makes in a years time seemed a bit unrealistic, and the story has more pages of telling about events than it does of drawing the reader into action. After the exciting start of the bank robbery, I had to read quite a few chapters before I found my critiquing giving way to 'getting lost' in the story.  However, the story is well written and made for a good, enjoyable read. The author upholds good moral standards throughout the book. The plot is not a common fiction theme, and I liked that it was hard to predict how things would turn out. I now have interest in reading more of Marcus Brotherton's writing.

After the epilogue, the author adds a note about his extensive study of World War II heroes, and in particular the Band of Brothers who jumped as paratroopers into Normandy and fought their way across Europe. The book is based on the little known information about one of these men.  Also, included in the last pages of the book, is a history and examples of the dialects the author drew from.
I would suggest reading these areas before starting the first chapter. It gave me a perspective that I think would have helped me engage with and appreciate the story much sooner.

I received this book from Moody Press in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review-They Say We Are Infidels

Journalist Mindy Beltz shows us a snapshot of life in parts of the Middle East over the last 10 years. Partnering with local natives, she travels into war zones and places of devastation to give us a realistic picture of the suffering of a people displaced and longing to live in freedom, politically and religiously.  We see behind the scenes of our media driven depictions of Saddam Hussein being toppled, U.S promises to build a democracy in a new Iraq and the decision to withdraw U.S. troops.

The book begins in 2003 as Mindy is entering Iraq with Insaf, an Iraqi eager to return to her country after having lived in Canada since fleeing the Iran/Iraq war in the late 80s.  She, along with many others returning, are filled with high hopes that things are better and that a bright future looms on the horizon. Yet American government was backing groups like the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, who were seeking a theocratic government, directly against what President Bush was promising and U.S. troops were trying to protect. As America withdrew its presence before establishing a secure government and military, Islamic militants began to infiltrate the void.

Much of Mindy's travels focus on Christians who continued to be harassed after Saddam's fall. Militants were targeting Christian communities. Some estimated 40,000 Christians left Iraq in 2006 because of violent attacks and threats of death. Saddam's execution only increased hatred and desire for vengeance among the sectarian divides. Mindy followed the plight of displaced families seeking to learn how they live and what the future looks like for them. She literally put her life in the hands of the network of Christians who helped her, building goodwill among them and growing her own faith. 

As the violence focused on Mosul in 2008, Mindy accompanies Eveline, a member of a provincial council over the area, into Mosul to try and understand what made the Christians keep going in the face of so much violence. Eventually, millions of Iraqis would flee to Syria, Christians making up 30 percent of the refugees. Some Christians would stay.  One bishop felt his presence gave historical context to the region and he was doing his duty in being a witness.

America seemed reluctant to get involved with any part of the Iraqi conflict, downplaying its severity, wanting to bring a quick end to the war, and failing to act when terrorists crossed the red line of violations the US had set.  ISIS would become bolder. June 2014, ISIS seized Mosul. President Obama's response two days later not only said we would take our time to do things right, but never stated any support for Iraqi Christians. By late July, 45 churches including some historic Christian landmarks had been destroyed.

The book includes touching stories of brave attempts to fight back.  An American soldier sent home who goes back to Iraq with weapons bought with his own savings. Or Gill Rosenberg, a Canadian-born Israeli citizen who declared that fighting ISIS was worth any personal risk, that this was not a regular war, but something beyond anything she had previously witnessed.  And like Father Najeeb, a Dominican friar born in Mosul who was determined to preserve ancient manuscripts.  He loaded material into a car every evening and had them transported to a safer town, twice, preserving 55,000 volumes of Scripture and dated works on science and medicine.

Mindy closes the book with appreciation for all she has learned from Christians who have and continue to suffer much. Christianity's "people took mustard seeds and with them moved mountains....Destruction brought comfort, in the words of the prophet Nahum; impossible hardships became possible to endure, and death became life-giving. Augustine said it well: 'For God judged it better to bring good out of evil than not to permit any evil to exist.'" p. 296.

I found the book enlightening, and I now have a better understanding of the happenings in Iraq in the last decade. This is not an easy book to read.  The contents describe disturbing atrocities.  It was challenging to follow the timeline of events, remember all the unfamiliar names of characters and cities when they were repeatedly mentioned, and absorb all the details that are packed into the 10 years the book spans.  A helpful timeline of events is included in the back of the book, as well as a few pages of photographs inserted into the middle.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Full of Grace-a movie review

FishFlix Christian movies sent me a complimentary copy of Full of Grace in exchange for my review. Mary, the mother of Jesus,is in her final days here on earth. It is 10 years after the resurrection and the church is struggling to find answers to the cultural and spiritual differences that are dividing Jewish and Gentile Christians.

The opening scenes show Peter's resistance to leading the church and we soon learn Peter is doubting the reality of his faith in spite of the miracles he experienced first hand in the months following the resurrection. Sensing her time is short, Mary sends for Peter and brings encouragement to him and a small group of other disciples and church leaders.

The scenery in the film is beautiful and the actors perform almost reverently as they match the solemn and serious tone of the movie. I appreciate the way the script upholds Biblical events and Scriptural text as Mary reminisces and reflects on  her life with Jesus. It is she who still holds him close to heart and reminds the others that Jesus has not left them.

I recently studied the book of Acts in a Bible Study class and it was good to see familiar characters like Peter and James and what life might have been like for them.  The problem between Jewish and Gentile believers was a very hot issue as the church grew in size.  However, I never got the impression from Scripture that Peter was discouraged or had lost the vision to lead the church as the film portrays. The conjecture works for the story in order to give Mary the role of mentor and minister to those who listen to her message.

This is not a movie to entertain.  The action is slow and many scenes are silent except for soulful music playing in the background as an actor wrestles with inner emotions. It might be good in a church setting with discussion afterwards. The theme of honoring Mary and giving her center stage may appeal most to Catholics. This is not a genre I would normally choose, but the film is well done and held my interest.  Even though the problems of the church are not revisited before the movie is over, we are left to believe that Peter, now inspired by Mary, will lead the church forward.

Thanks, again, to FishFlix movies for giving me the privilege of reviewing a film that was inspirational and outside my usual movie fare. If you are looking for a film to generate a faith conversation with a church group or to watch in a personal reflective time, you might find Full of Grace fits the bill.

Pleasure is the Measure of Our Treasure

Time magazines reports that a growing number of young men are getting the word out that their sexual responses have been sabotaged because of consuming explicit content of porn in ways and means never possible before and on devices that deliver it fast and privately.  As teens and pre-teens, this steady diet effected their young, impressionable brains and they are now reaping negative effects on sexual function, and as one porn user confessed, "I just want to enjoy sex again and feel the desire for another person."
Many are now sounding the alarm, speaking publicly, and creating online sites and apps to educate others and to help men quit porn. Time Magazine, April 11, 2016.

This is good news! We who believe that the God who created us and who gives clear instruction on how to enjoy all of life, including our sexuality, are encouraged to hear how even secular people are admitting the negative consequences of degrading this sacred gift and are trying to reverse the pandemic flood of pornography.

Our pastor is sharing a sermon series on enjoying God more.  Even greater than God's desire to have our service he wants our friendship and mutual enjoyment. Is God our pleasure?  Using a passage out of Jeremiah 2, where God expresses displeasure with his people for seeking after other gods, Jeremy's challenge was to stop finding pleasure in polluted water when God is offering living water that satisfies completely. Stop eating junk food, when we can eat the best of the best.

“For my people have done two evil things:
They have abandoned me—
    the fountain of living water.
And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns
    that can hold no water at all!  Jer. 2:13

Pleasure is the measure of our treasure! Often Jesus is presented as the means to the treasure--salvation, heaven, forgiveness.  But Jesus is the treasure! The reward of relationship! Enjoying God empowers us to enjoy everything else.  

Service too, comes out of this pleasure.  Jeremy illustrated this with a story about his children.  When asked to clean their room, there were as many responses as their individual personalities could come up with. And not a very satisfactory end result.  When he announced a fun event to take them to, only when the room was cleaned, the deed was finished quickly and thoroughly.  When motivated by pleasure, the work was easy and complete.

Can we ever become addicted to loving God?  I've heard it said that the more you get to know him, the more you want to know him. 

The definition for addiction from dictionary.com says:

-the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.

What do you think? Is loving God like an addiction? To know him is to want to know him more. But I don't think we're enslaved to the habit of loving him.  Isn't it rather that as we get to know God better, we desire to deepen our friendship, not as a consumer of his love, but as partaker in a mutual affectionate relationship?  I believe that no matter at what level we enjoy God, loving him is still a constant choice on our part. He never enslaves us or holds us as captive. He remains the lover who holds us but who would never force us to stay. Unlike the nature of addiction, we hunger and thirst for him and get filled.  We drink of his living water and are satisfied. We choose him because we've tasted and discovered that his love is always good. Being filled brings rest and contentment.  He makes his home with those who love and obey him. Home is comfortable. As I discussed this with a friend recently, we agreed we both want more intimacy with Jesus and just as in a marriage, there will be times of talking and times of quiet just being together. We don't measure our pleasure with our spouses by how much activity together or touching we sustain, but rather in the delight of just knowing we're united and we belong together, even when apart. This is love that has moved beyond romantic euphoria; love that has been seasoned through testing and continued trust.

 

Home is also where our hearts yearn to be when we're away. The Psalmist describes his longing for God's dwelling as yearning and even fainting for it. He likens his desire for God as a deer panting after water. So, yes, to know God is to crave more of him.  But it's still our choice.  Just as lovers can drift apart through neglect or allowing another attraction to turn their eye away from their beloved, so we can, and are prone, to leave the God we love. In fact, the book of Deuteronomy is the call of God to his people to choose him.  They are ready to enter in to the promised land and God knows that the attractions of other gods and the abundance of physical provisions will  test their relationship with him. They do eventually end up choosing to go their own way apart from him and they ultimately experience destruction. Without guarding our hearts against what can rob us of the pleasure in our Treasure, we will walk away from him also.

One of the advocates against pornography from the article mentioned earlier says, “I would tell my son, I’ll be straight up with  you, all superstimulating things, like Internet porn, junk food and drugs, can be fun and pleasurable, temporarily. However, they also have the potential to desensitize you to normal, natural things and ultimately rob you of the one thing you thought they would give you, the ability to experience pleasure."

May we fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith.  May our pleasure be in him, as we choose to remain in him,  even when we don't feel his presence, even when the cares of this life distract us and even when it means saying no to other good things so we can gaze on his beauty and be amazed at his goodness.  His pleasure in us never wanes or diminishes. What love could be better than that?

Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.  All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen. Jude 24 & 25.

When A Nation Forgets God-A Book Review

I was pleasantly surprised to find this book very insightful and less dogmatic then I expected. The author cites credible sources for his claims and presents a well balanced voice in making his comparisons between our culture today and the society that allowed Hitler's rise in Nazi Germany.

I confess I was drawn to this book because of frustration with the political system in our country and a growing deep concern for the future of the 'land of the free and the home of the brave'.  Lutzer begins the book stating that he hopes for the reader to see his concern is for the church even more than concern for the country.  The church has the important mandate to bear Christ's witness to God's saving grace, realizing that God is the only one who can save us from those "trends that have already evoked his judgment". Will we take the charge seriously and not react with anger, vindictiveness or self-pity?

As Hitler's methods advanced, freedom was traded for promises of a better economy, propaganda revolutionized thinking and eventually turned into law which no one could resist or reverse, and Germany's youth were taught to be loyal to the State and against parents who would dare to teach them anything contrary to the revolution.  Gradually, laws determined what pastors could share publicly. The role of the church was minimized; the State provided alternate ways to marry, celebrate holidays, dedicate children-no need for a religious ceremony. The book finds many parallels to our culture today, such as, propaganda that normalizes same-sex marriage, politically correct textbooks, hate-crime legislation, and media conformity.

While we can judge the church in Germany for not being an opposing voice to Hitler's evils, are we preparing now to respond any differently to times of persecution and suffering that are likely to happen even here in our country? There were heroes of the faith during Nazi Germany and the author tells some of their stories in a later chapter of the book.  It is not necessary to have freedom to remain faithful believers.  "As freedoms decrease, our witness becomes more focused...It is not how loud we can shout, but how well we can suffer that will convince the world of the integrity of our message".

What does it take to prepare? The author offers answers at the end of each chapter, pointing the reader to Bible promises and hope to live in this time of history where our faith truly counts.  It's more about  glorifying Christ, than winning political battles.  It's believing suffering to be a divine gift and not fearing it.  It's showing the character of Christ even when we lose.  According to Lutzer, the characteristics of those who can stand up under persecution are those who know the power of prayer and fasting, can recite large portions of Scripture and hymns, count it an honor to suffer for Christ and know that suffering is a gift God gives to the church.

This book encourages me to keep my focus on the cross of Christ and to live fully committed to his call to be a faithful follower, no matter what happens in the days ahead.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

A Treasure in the Midst of Sorrow

This was shared as part of Goshen College's Lenten devotions that were published online each day during Lent.

A Treasure in the Midst of Sorrow

March 25, 2016

By Ruth, Good Library day circulation manager
Scripture: John 19:16-30 (NRSV)

My husband’s aunt died recently. At the funeral, a grandson read the tribute his mother had written about his grandmother. His voice was steady and unfaltering as he shared with us the eulogy; words a grieving daughter found too difficult to speak for herself. Next, a son-in-law shared the story of how the family gathered together on that last day, not knowing when the final breath would occur, but hoping to be with her in that moment. The details were touching as family members each knew to come or were summoned to come in time to share this life event together. The speaker affirmed that God’s timing had been beautiful; a treasure in the midst of sorrow.

We see Christ in his final moments before death. His mother, his aunt and a handful of friends are there, staying… waiting… drawing near. In spite of agonizing pain, Jesus speaks one last love message, entrusting his mother to the care of his beloved friend, John, who agrees to provide a home for her. We’re touched deeply and marvel at this love. It’s this same great love of God that sent Jesus to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

As we believe and draw near to the cross today, how comforting to know Jesus is still providing a home for those he loves. Our eternal home will be glorious, but even now he makes his home in us as breadwinner, protector, companion and care-giver. He designs and executes renovation and remodeling for hearts that need transformation. His careful maintenance purifies and purges.

How comforting to know Jesus is acquainted with suffering, grief and death and can give us help and hope in our times of pain and loss. This is God Immanuel, God with us.

Jesus, thank you for making this Friday ‘good’, as we commemorate your death and amazing love for us.

Scripture: John 19:16-30 (NRSV)

Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; ¹⁷and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. ¹⁸There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them.
¹⁹Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” ²⁰Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. ²¹Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” ²²Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” ²³When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. ²⁴So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says, “They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.” ²⁵And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” ²⁷Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. ²⁸After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” ²⁹A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. ³⁰When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

 

Passing the Baton

The young staff  I work with are breaking the glass ceiling of library culture.  Besides changing the rules from finger-against-lip shushing to designating areas for group interaction, this gang is faithfully making coffee for the patrons every weekday.  Taking turns at washing mugs and spoons and filling and emptying the coffee maker, they provide this service with pleasure.

Lunch times become game sites and the library is hosting the first ever game night after hours this Friday night, these young-ins providing snacks, of course.  Never out of energy, another email emerged this week suggesting we welcome back our vacationing director with a pancake breakfast, on Monday morning, everyone chipping in with toppings, electric skillets or whatever suits your fancy.  While those flapjacks are flipping they will sneak into the director's office before he arrives and fill the space with balloons they've blown up at lunch breaks in between the game sessions. A welcome back worthy of milestone birthdays or other crowning events, I say.  I join in the fun, thankful that I'm not counted on for the planning or execution of such energetic proposals.

Maybe I should dub this time of my life as the Passing of the Baton. I used to come up with the crazy ideas for making fun, or volunteer to bring food, hoping to show off amazing culinary feats.  I remember one wise sage advising me to not "burn out" and to take the easy way-- order the food or plan a simpler menu.  I remember feeling disappointed in her attitude.  The result isn't the same.  Why not go for the best?  I found the perfect medium; let the younger ones do the work and enjoy going along for the ride.  :)

Other baton-passing moments come to mind. Like the first family camping trip with grown children and grand kids.  I wasn't the mom in charge!  How nice not to plan the menu; just bring what I was assigned to.  Hubby's and my camping paraphernalia massively shrunk in size as the younger adults took care of skillets and firewood, tablecloths and dishpans.  Grandma got to do the fun stuff--reading picture books out loud, playing games and buying treats at the camp store.

Or the change of leadership at church from a pastor my age to one 30 years younger and the service soon following where most of the Sunday morning leaders were not from my generation and my generation was being encouraged to recruit younger ones to take our place. There was a brief moment of nostalgia and a slight feeling of displacement, followed by relief and a new expectation for what the future might hold.

A family aunt died this week; another empty space, another baton passing...another realization of how a 60 something perspective makes the heart grow fonder for time with family, young and old, and for history discovered that fits more pieces into the puzzle of where I came from and why I am what I am, or in this case, new discoveries about my husband's origins.
 
We're studying Deuteronomy in my group Bible Study.  Moses is handing over leadership to Joshua and wants to make sure the people of Israel know what to do and how to live in order to stay in God's favor.  Listen and obey is the basic message of the book. There are important things every new generation needs to learn from the one before in order to preserve culture and ensure future success. Even more so, in order for a people to love the one true God, they need to learn his ways and stay faithful in following him. So after Moses pleads with Israel to not forget their God who had done great things for them in the past and to love him with soul, mind and strength so things would go well with them we have these verses recorded in Judges 2:7-13:

⁷ The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.
⁸ Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. ⁹ And they buried him in the land of his inheritance...¹⁰ After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. ¹¹ Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. ¹² They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger ¹³ because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.

No wonder the writer of Hebrews continues to warn God's people of his day and today :
 "We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away." Heb. 2:1.  And:  ^"See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. ¹³ But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called 'Today,' so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness."

Unless, we are keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus and loving him as first in our lives, we have the same tendency to drift away from the God who loves us and knows what is best for us.  Unless we teach the younger generation very intentionally what it means to love God and be Christ followers, God's truth and commands will not be valued.

Nancy Reagan died this week. As the news honored her and showed clips from her life, I felt another baton exchange, maybe even heard it being dropped.  How can it not be evident that our culture has forsaken the God who our founders acknowledged and based many of our values on --God's absolute truths?  When politicians get votes in spite of boldly uttering profanities or making light of lying.  When media and entertainment defy a Biblical world view and call evil, good and good, evil.  When people read and watch what God hates without cringing and give it high reviews. When few know who God is or have ever heard any part of his-story.  When God's people keep quiet when they should speak of the hope within them--at the very least, pray diligently for God's mercy and forgiveness. When individual's rights become gods for all to serve... I see the loss and grieve.

But God has always had a people.  Those who stay faithful to him, not perfect, but always seeking to know him better.  The older generation passing on the truths of Scripture to the younger ones.  

"Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deut. 11:19

Whatever generation you identify with right now, you are here for such a time as this. May we each lean not to our own understanding but in all our ways acknowledge Him and do our part in furthering God's kingdom here on earth.

 Jude 24-25
²⁴ God is strong and can help you not to fall. He can bring you before his glory without any wrong in you and can give you great joy. ²⁵ He is the only God, the One who saves us. To him be glory, greatness, power, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord for all time past, now, and forever. 

 Amen.