Last week I wrote a guest post for a great blog called “Elk Jerky for the Soul.”
Check it out here.
We Can’t Just Swim Through Life
April 23rd, 2012Religious Liberty Is More Than Freedom of Worship
April 12th, 2012On one side are those saying religious liberty is under attack. On the other are those claiming that we have freedom of worship, so what’s the problem?
But are religious liberty and freedom of worship the same thing? Kathryn Lopez’s post gives a great argument for why they are not.
Brings to Life the Cost of Faithfulness
March 19th, 2012
Red Ink is the third installment in the Extreme Devotion series, and it is a powerful one. Based loosely on a true story, Red Ink tells of a young Chinese woman imprisoned for her faith. I’ve read many books in this genre, but this one does the best job of showing the emotional struggles of someone yearning to be with family (in this case, husband and young son), who knows that all she has to do to be reunited with them is renounce her faith. The fear of torture, of denying Christ, and the inner conflict are so well drawn that I felt I was experiencing them along with the heroine.
A parallel plot line centers on an old woman in an American nursing home who feels called to pray for China, as well as other residents in the home and the troubled granddaughter of one of them. Kathi Macias skillfully shows how the prayers of the faithful can be used by God, whether we are praying for someone we don’t know on the other side of the world or someone nearby we don’t even like.
At times I felt the dialogue did not ring true: the words the characters were saying seemed like a patterned Christian response, not expressed in a way that reflected the personality of the person speaking. However, this is a minor flaw in an otherwise engrossing read. Like other books I’ve read by Kathi Macias, I can hardly keep turning the pages fast enough. I recommend Red Ink (Extreme Devotion Series, Book 3)
Not the Usual Kind of Book
March 6th, 2012Geraldine Brooks’ The People of the Book drew me into world I knew nothing about: that of rare books, their preservation and history. The main character, Hanna Heath, is offered what she called “not her usual kind of job” when she was asked to analyze and conserve a priceless Jewish book (the Haggadah) with images that was rescued from the bombing of Sarajevo.
Interspersed with Hanna’s work on the Haggadah, the author takes us on a journey back into time. We learn what Hanna can only guess about: the book’s creation, the addition of the images, and the events that caused the marks and stains on the book.
Based on a true story, the author brings to life an amazing tale of how Muslims and Christians helped to preserve a Jewish historical treasure. The multiple layers in the novel, the historical detail, and the insight into the art and science of rare book preservation all combine with the mystery of how the Haggadah survived the centuries to create a truly engrossing read.
Any lover of history, mystery or books in general will be sure to enjoy reading People of the Book: A Novel
Tragic Stories of Stalin’s Other Victims
March 2nd, 2012A review of The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin’s Russia by Orlando Figes
Most memoirs or biographies of the survivors of Stalin’s Great Terror concentrate on those who were imprisoned or killed. The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin’s Russia gives us an intimate look at the devastation experienced by the family members left behind.
The spouses, parents and children of Stalin’s victims also suffered. Many were harassed and persecuted for being related to “an enemy of the people.” Others lost jobs or places to live. Routinely, if relatives of those who disappeared into the Gulag wanted to attend a university or hold a job, they were required to publicly renounce their relative and confirm their guilt:
“I do not know what my father and his brother are accused of…I feel ashamed and do not want to know. … [I]f they have been sentenced, then it means they deserve it. I have no feelings of a daughter towards my father, only the higher feeling of duty as a Soviet citizen to the Fatherland, the Komsomol, which educated me, and the Communist party. “(Page 301).
Chilling and sometimes painful to read, The Whisperers shows how the Terror impacted all of Soviet society and left a tragic legacy of broken families. The hope and healing the survivors now experience bears tribute to the resilience of the human spirit. The Whisperers is an engrossing story that also bears a warning of what can happen when a government attempts to rule every aspect of life.
Most painful to read were the sections that seemed like they should have been the happy endings: when survivors returned home from the Gulag, reunited with their families.
But the children they left behind had become adults during the intervening years, and the prison survivors were not the same people they were when they were arrested. The inability of the reunited families to connect was some of the most difficult to read.
Many of those taken away were targeted for their faith. Enormous pressure was put on those left behind to abandon their beliefs and embrace the communist worldview.
All of this gave me a greater appreciation for the Brynza family and all they endured.
When Gavril returned from six years in a concentration camp, he was welcomed back by his wife and children. Gavril’s family had endured much as relatives of “an enemy of the people” yet they did not succumb to the pressure.
Their example showed what the power of God in someone’s life can do, when compared to example after example in The Whisperers of how the people how had no faith despaired and caved in to the pressure.
Take A Stand
February 21st, 2012Take a Stand is an interesting read written by Nancy Bandusky about the loss of religious freedom in the US. The story really gets going after an openly gay man is killed by a man who claims he was only doing God’s work. The killer says he was motivated by his pastor and by reading the Bible. Soon after, Bibles are outlawed and only churches approved by the government can meet.
The question for the characters is do they take a stand or not. Many had observed how Christianity was becoming watered-down; many were disturbed by increasing hostility towards their faith. But most of them did not know what to do.
This is a timely novel, based on recent events in our country. And the question this book raises is a good one for all believers: how do we respond to the erosion of our religious freedom? Do we take a stand or not?
On Losing Liberty
February 15th, 2012“Freedom is like air,” said Boris Yeltsin. “You don’t notice it until it is gone.”
We’re hearing a lot about religious freedom and how we are losing it. Who would have believed that our government would make such a blatant attack on our right to worship and practice as we choose? And this is all in the guise of “women’s rights.” What about the right of women to enjoy religious liberty?
Chuck Colson has been following this debate closely.
His conclusion is spot on. We don’t want to live in a totalitarian dictatorship, ruled by people who think our rights come from the government.
We’ve seen the Russians many of the few freedoms they enjoyed for a brief while after the fall of communism.
Are we the next to let ours evaporate?
The Value of a Life
January 17th, 2012Who knows the value of another’s life? Our society values beauty, fame, wealth, success, accomplishment, independence and usefulness. Those who lack these qualities are inconvenient burdens.
How well I know this! Caring for a developmentally delayed/mentally ill niece has stretched me and brought me to levels of rage, frustration and despair I didn’t know I was capable of feeling. My husband and I are dipping into our savings to provide for her, and are draining our emotional resources as well.
In the midst of our confusion and pain, we have to ask ourselves why would God create such a person. Why would He allow her to suffer brain damage at birth? What possible purpose does she serve?
In calmer moments I can see glimpses. At times she is sweet and loving, and her enthusiasm for new shoes or a silly song I sing to her lightens my mood. We dance as we do laundry, giggle at the cat chasing squirrels, laugh as fallen leaves blow into our faces as we walk through the neighborhood.
But all that isn’t enough when I find ice cream bars melted in her drawer or have to ransack her room to find my shoes. And the good moods are only breaks from the whiny demandingness of a person who never learned to live within boundaries.
Feeling very low, I read an outstanding article by Cal Thomas, a eulogy of sorts to his brother with Down’s syndrome. And down at the bottom I found at least of piece of the answer I had been searching for.
A disabled person has a vital role in the lives of the people around him or her. Those of us who care for that person learn to care for someone who cannot always give back, to value people more than things or dreams or ambitions.
One more example of God using all circumstances to work for good in my life. May I have the grace to embrace His purposes.
No One Gets a Hall Pass
December 23rd, 2011“Some people seem like they have trouble-free lives,” my friend told me. “But as I get older, I see that no one gets a hall pass. Sooner or later, trouble comes to everyone.”
How right she is. We all get our share of heartache and trials.
We’ve been going through some ourselves. Opening our home to our handicapped niece while her mother was in treatment for cancer has been a trial that is stretching us to our limits.
We’ve dealt with temper tantrums and bed wetting, hearing voices and stealing shoes. Our attempts at discipline sometimes seem futile against her obsessions and stubbornness. We feel helpless, not knowing if her behavior is part of her disease or just plain sin.
But that is small compared to what is looming over our heads now. During a routine checkup, the doctor found a lump on my niece’s thyroid. Is it cancer? He couldn’t tell. Now we are waiting for tests to be scheduled, and then will wait for results, and then deal with whatever there is to deal with.
The days just seem to be getting darker and darker. Where will this end? When will God act to help us?
These are questions that fit the season of Advent. As the world waited for the savior, many wondered if conditions of their lives would get worse. God was silent. Would they ever hear His voice again?
The good news is that we know what happened. God came, and dwelt among us. He knows our pain, and He doesn’t leave us alone in it. And He will work in our situation.
What He does may not be what I expect or what I want. There may be more trials ahead or there may be a sudden breakthrough that brings happiness to all.
He doesn’t give us a hall pass to escape the testing in our lives. He does go into the classroom, teaches and corrects us, and sits with us while we are tested. He weeps with us in failure and rejoices in our success.
But while I wait for Him to act, the days, like the days in December, grow darker and colder. I can only wait in faith for the coming of the Savior.
In the meantime, when I’ve worn myself out with work and worry, I cling to His great command: Be still, and know that I am God. The Savior is coming, and I can rejoice.