Book Review – Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl

The subtitle to Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl, “Wide-Eyed Wonder in God’s Spoken World,” (received through Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program) is a very apt description of this book written by N.D. Wilson. Although the analogy of the common fairground ride is the starting point for describing the world around us, more analogies, metaphors and colorful descriptions fill the book in Wilson’s feeble attempt to describe both the wonder of creation and the glory of the Creator. I say “feeble” because that is exactly how Wilson would describe it. Take the following excerpt for example:

“Ants are easy to describe. They have six legs. But what words do I have to capture the transcendent? The truest description I conceive is sure to have a false side. Which of these twenty-six letters should I use to try and shape you a bust of the Infinite?

Shall I tell you a poem about footprints in the sand?

Should we talk about spheres, about spinning, about war, about philosophy, about children and insects and soil and tombstones and stars and antimatter? It is not enough. [this is about as succinct a description of what he includes in this book as you can get.]

When the Artist set Himself to this same task, naked mole rats happened. So did haiku, Saturn’s rings, the three forms of water, fire, Greek people, and the occasional egg-laying mammal.

This is a task that God Himself cannot complete. He is infinite…and so His canvas is forever expanding….This is the only true challenge for the Infinite. Anything else is as easy as speaking. This is the only struggle for the Infinite, the only resistance He will ever meet.

The best of all possible tasks for the best of all possible Beings.”

The book is unlike any other book I’ve read. Imagine if you will John Piper, Willy Wonka and Billy from Family Circus all thrown together into one person and you’ll come close to N.D. Wilson. His writing style seems very “stream-of-consciousness” and while he has a point, it’s easy to lose him every now and then. Like Billy, he eventually gets to his destination but not without being easily distracted. Throughout the book though, he is awestruck by the glory of God and wants to pull everyone aside in his unorthodox, sometimes irreverent manner to join him in his reverie. But it is this constant “wide-eyed wonder” that will leave you breathless, laughing, and dumbfounded at the sheer amazement of the world and the God whose glory is only dimly reflected in it. (4/5 stars)

Crossway’s Trackback Thursday – Feminine Appeal

From Crossway’s blog:

We are excited to feature Carolyn Mahaney’s Feminine Appeal for this week’s Trackback Thursday!

Mahaney says, “Isn’t is telling that our culture requires training and certification for so many vocations of lesser importance, but hands us marriage and motherhood without instruction? Fortunately, God hasn’t left us to fend for ourselves. He has provided invaluable wisdom for women from his Word” (pg 20).

Published in 2004, Mahaney explores seven feminine virtues given in Titus 2 that have transformed her life and the lives of countless other women. She identifies with the challenges facing women in today’s world and meets them with the guidance of God’s Word.

Nancy Leigh Demoss encourages readers, “If you are a ‘younger woman,” you hold in your hands a mentor, an excellent guide to spiritual maturity.” Furthermore, “Perhaps you qualify as an ‘older woman.’ You will find in this book a practical tool to help you fulfill your mandate to invest in the lives of younger women.”

Here’s a reminder of how the contest part works:  Simply link to the blog post from your blog, leave a comment on Crossway’s Facebook Page, or re-tweet Trackback Thursday on Twitter @Crosswaybooks. There will be three winners picked on Friday morning, one drawn from each medium.

Music Monday – Before the Throne of God Above

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb.4:14-16)

Before the Throne of God Above, as sung by Selah.

Lessons from the past

[I was looking through some old journal entries of mine and came across this one written on August 1, 2006]

On Saturday, Carlos (my 5-year old) was sitting with me on the couch while I gave Jeremiah (my 1-year old) some juice. Sarah was out shopping so this seemed like some good father-sons bonding time. Not sure what started him going on this subject, but Carlos wanted to talk about God. I told him a few things about God, thinking this would satisfy him. Then I asked, “Do you want to go play a game with me?” To my surprise, he props his legs up on the couch and in his broken English, says “No, I want you tell me ’bout God.” Then he just looks at me expectantly, waiting for me to spill the beans and tell him everything there is to know about God. Okay, I’ve just been more than a little humbled! I tried to explain as best I could in a way that a 5-year old could understand how God created us, how he knew everything, that he was holy, and that he loved us so much that, even when we “disobey de law” (as Carlos says), he didn’t punish us but punished Jesus instead, even though Jesus never disobeyed de law.

The next day, we went to church and for awhile before the service began, he was talking and asking me when we were going to “cantar” (sing). Every time he asked about singing, he would raise his hands in the air (yes, we do that at our church!). Since we’re trying to teach him not to do things simply because other people are, I asked him why he raised his hands when he sang. Again, in broken English, he quickly replies, “Because cuando (when) Carlos asi (like this), I want hug God” and makes a big hugging motion. That’s probably the simplest yet most profound answer I’ve ever heard from anyone on why they raise their hands, and I can’t claim to have taught him that!

One final story. Our church has been having VBS this week starting this past Sunday and the theme is “The King is Coming.” Each evening he has come back with something he made and wanting to recount his lesson (last night he came home with a paper snake illustrating the fall of man.) And each evening so far, he says “Maybe the King come tonight?” As much as I try to explain that only the King knows when the King is coming back, he doesn’t seem to get it. But every night, before he goes to sleep, he asks “Maybe the King come tonight?” and every morning he gets up, looks around and then tells me “Hmm, the King no come last night.” Then he quickly and excitedly adds, “Maybe the King come today?” Now here is a perfect example of how us mature Christians should be eagerly awaiting the coming of our King. I don’t know exactly how much Carlos understands, but he has provided countless object lessons for me in my Christian walk.

Book Review – Truman

When it comes to making history not only readable, but intriguing, nobody writes better than David McCullough. Many of his books chronicle people, places or events that don’t really seem to stick out as being fascinating. But once you start reading any one of McCullough’s books, you are drawn into the subject matter, compelled to read and learn about subjects that you might not otherwise ever read about. You don’t simply read a McCullough book. You experience it. My introduction to McCullough’s work was in his biography of John Adams, our country’s second president and a key figure in the founding of the nation. After finishing this, I quickly devoured 1776, The Great Bridge, and The Johnstown Flood. I would highly recommend each of these books.

Like Adams, Harry S. Truman had the misfortune of succeeding a legendary figure. While Adams presided under the shadow of George Washington, Truman had to undergo the scrutiny of an American public who had been led through many great trials by the great Franklin D. Roosevelt. Truman proved that, while he was no FDR, he was certainly his own man and very well capable of holding his own during the many conflicts of his own presidency.

In Truman, we are brought into his story well before his birth as McCullough fills us in on the details of his family heritage. We follow Truman through his childhood, his stint as a gallant officer during World War I, his romancing of and subsequent marriage to Bess Wallace, and his rise up and into the political world. McCullough does an excellent job of covering several controversial topics such as the Marshall Plan, the Korean Conflict, the Manhattan Project, McCarthyism, and the firing of Gen. Douglas MacArthur without getting bogged down in presenting his own opinions on these matters, instead letting the historical accounts speak for themselves. We are treated to the often exciting, edge-of-your-seat workings of political campaigning, including Truman’s first presidential nomination as well as his momentous and astounding defeat of Thomas Dewey.

At well over 1,000 pages, Truman is a hefty read. But being already familiar with McCullough’s style, I knew it would be a great read and I was not disappointed. Not being a historian nor familiar with this period of U.S. history, I can’t speak to the factual accuracy of the book’s events. But once again, McCullough does a masterful job of bringing the person off the written page to the point where you feel like you know the person himself. By the end of the book and upon the account of Truman’s death, I felt like I had lost a friend. Truman is an excellent biography, an inspirational story and one that will have you keeping late hours just to read one more page.

Crossway’s Trackback Thursday – book giveaway

Crossway is starting up a new blog feature called Trackback Thursday where each week they’ll “feature a book (from a year back or 30 years back) that we think you should be familiar with.”  This week’s feature is Francis A. Schaeffer’s Death in the City.  Check it out at Crossway’s blog.  Here’s what they have to say about the book:

“Death in the City was Schaeffer’s third book, coming shortly after The God Who is There and Escape from Reason. First published in 1982 as part of The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer, Death in the City is based upon lectures given at Wheaton College (Illinois) in September and October of 1968.

“Here is an opportunity to encounter a prophetic voice from the past that speaks today with arresting understanding of our post-Christian culture. Written against the backdrop of the sixties counter-cultural upheaval, Death in the City reads today with the same ring of truth regarding personal, moral, spiritual, and intellectual concerns. The death that Schaeffer writes about is more than just physical death—it is the moral and spiritual death that subtly suffocates truth and meaning and beauty out of the city and wider culture.

“Here’s s an excerpt from Chapter 4, “An Echo of the World”:

What caused such a breakdown in our culture? The two world wars? Don’t believe it. If the house had been strong, it would not have come down with the earthquake. If the heart had not been eaten out of the culture, the world wars would not have broken it. “Don’t worry,” some say, “it’s only a technological problem, and technology will be the solution.” But that is not true. Man would not be in the position he is in simply because of technological problems if he had had a really Christian base. An energy crisis? Of course it is serious, but it is not the heart of the problem. The fact that the United States is now urban rather than agrarian? Is this the final problem? No. To solve only the urban problem would be to heal “slightly.” You can hear it over and over again—all kinds of secondary solutions to secondary problems. Of course these are problems, but they are not the central problem. And men who use theological language to fasten our eyes upon them as the central problem stand under the judgment of God, because they have forgotten that the real reason we are in such a mess is that we have turned away from the God who is there and the truth which He has revealed. The problem is that the house is so rotten that even smaller earthquakes shake it to the core (pg. 74).

Free book

Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson, Inc. is giving away N.D. Wilson’s book Notes from The Tilt-a-Whirl for free. Check out his blog for details along with a video interview of the author. I have just received this book through Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program and, while I haven’t read it yet, the little that I’ve skimmed through has me very intrigued. If you read it, stop back by and let me know what you thought of it.

Edit: Please note that it is Michael Hyatt that is/was giving away the book.  Please click here to learn more.  I’m not sure if he is still giving away the book, but it’s worth asking about.

Update to the edit: per Michael Hyatt’s blog, the promotion is closed.

A Change of Scenery

Welcome to my new and (hopefully) improved blog!  I’ve decided to move my blog from the Blogspot platform to WordPress.  I like the look and feel of WordPress much better than Blogspot.  I’m still working out some changes, additions, etc, so don’t mind any construction dust.  Any comments or suggestions for improvement are always welcome.  Any RSS users out there, don’t forget to change your settings.

Book Review – The World is Flat

(I’ve had this one in my files for awhile).

In his book, The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman writes in such a way that makes it very interesting to read. Unlike some books on economic issues, The World Is Flat is easy to follow without getting too bogged down in the mire of economic lingo. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily a good thing since Friedman picks and chooses his facts and how he applies his logic. In the book, he admits that he is not an economist and this is evident, even to this non-economist reader. Additionally, he comes off sounding like a broken record, repeating his mantra of “the world is flat, the world is flat” as if praising himself for coming up with such a novel concept.

My first reaction to the book was with the whole concept of flatness. He continually compares himself with Columbus, who set out to prove the world is round, except Friedman comes to the conclusion that indeed it is flat and this flatness is due to globalization mainly through the benefits gained by the creation of the Internet. However, Friedman seems to be mixing metaphors and doing a horrible job of it. Yes, you could say that there might now be more of a “level playing field” in that countries such as India and China now have a greater opportunity to take on parts of the service industry. Yes, you could say that the world is getting smaller due to the ease and swiftness of communication and travel. And if Friedman meant these metaphors, then it makes more sense. But I was left wondering “What in the world has gotten flatter?” Even after Friedman discusses his 10 Flatteners, the metaphor still wasn’t clearly defined.

The other misgiving I had with this book is that Friedman, in his overzealous attempt to push the “fact” of globalization, makes it sound like all our jobs will be done by Indian or Chinese workers next week, so we’d better get busy in improving ourselves. Friedman does indeed have a point that the U.S., along with every other nation, should constantly be striving to educate better workers. But example after example is given of how this Indian company or that Chinese corporation has taken on so much of some particular aspect of an industry that you have to wonder if any Americans are left in the industry and when they’ll be laid off in order to offshore the work to India. Never mind the fact that while there is certainly some level of globalization, it isn’t nearly the amount that Friedman would like us to think.

Personally, I’m all for globalization and the competition it creates among nations and industries. However, I would certainly not point anyone to this book to learn the merits of it. I’m sure there are far more useful books than one that repeats the same nonsense over and over again. At least, I sure hope so.

For all the Calvin & Hobbes fans out there…