Posted by Chris on Sep 19, 2011 in
God,
Life I have always read a lot of books. I love having books around and talking about books. I think that bookshelves are the best way to decorate a house. So the idea of digital books didn’t used to be too appealing to me. However, during my trip to Fuller, I was embarrassed to see so many people carrying iPads and Kindles, while I had a second suitcase full of books. This was compounded by a 200 page , two column PDF that I had to read on my Macbook. Partially joking and partially exasperated I tweeted:
This has been a tough summer. In many ways, I feel like God has put me on hold. I’ve been waiting a long time for a lot of things, trying to be faithful with what I do have. But living in between is tough, and it’s worn me down.
The question that comes to mind is “why isn’t God working in my life?” I hear stories of God providing in emergencies, providing opportunities for vocation, or providing little things. It would be a lie to say that God has never worked in my life this way, but it feels like it’s been a long time.
Last Sunday I was handed a box that had been shipped to an old residence. I wasn’t expecting anything, much less the 1/2 lb. e-ink masterpiece I had been pining for. Shocked, I raced home and dug through my receipts just to make sure I had not accidentally bought it. Nothing. I tore apart the box for a shipping form, and saw my address and a short line that said:
#alwaysask
I’ve spent the last week attached to the little gizmo. A co-worker saw me smiling and said: “You look like you’ve got a new girlfriend.” I’ve devoured two books already.
It hasn’t fixed any of the problems that have got me down. But it is a reminder that God is out there, he listens, and other people do, too. I may have some complaints, but I have a good life. While I may still be on hold with God, I feel like he’s letting me know that he hasn’t gone anywhere. He cares. He wants to take care of me. Maybe he’s just waiting for me to let him.
#alwaysask
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Tags: books, depression, God, MAGL, prayer
Posted by Chris on Sep 7, 2011 in
Church,
Life I recently had the chance to publish some thoughts on Eugene Peterson’s Pastor. The book is a memoir of the a man who never aspired to be anything more than a faithful to loving the people around them and teaching them about Jesus. He has also probably been the most influential Christian writer since Lewis.
Enjoy.
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Tags: book review, books, Eugene Peterson, Pastor, Peterson
Posted by Chris on Jul 25, 2011 in
Culture,
God 
Warning! Spoilers and Theology Ahead!
The funny thing about the criticism that J.K. Rowling received over the years from right wing Christian groups was the fact that they could ignore the obvious Christian undertones that characterized the books from the beginning. A chosen child who saves his people from an evil snake? Come on people, how did you think this book was going to end?
However it would be wrong to consider Harry an outright “Christ figure.” The truly analagous Aslan is both the creator and lord of Narnia, and the one who dies to redeem his people from their evil choices. Harry on the other hand, must kill the evil inside of him, so that he and those he loves will survive.
Harry is like any lover of Jesus: an imperfect replication of Christ.
Christ’s story is the God who died so that all might live. What Christ accomplished in his death for the cosmos, so we accomplish in our baptism and throughout a life of growing in the way of Jesus.
Jesus put it this way:
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
So we have this image of Harry, having been murdered by Voldemort. In between worlds, the spirit of Dumbledore points out that a little piece of Voldemort is dying. Voldemort was inside Harry all along. There was a part of Harry that made his life miserable. It disfigured his forehead, gave him migrains and fits of depression, and strange abilities that scared his friends. That piece of Harry was a piece of Voldemort buried inside of him, and it had to die so that Harry and his friends could live.
Paul, an early follower of Jesus put it this way:
“Our old self was crucified with him
so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with
that we should no longer be slaves to sin
because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.”
Harry Potter is not so much a Christ figure as a Christian Figure. His is not a Passion Play so much as a Sanctification Story. Christ has already died for the world. Now we must die ourselves.
What it took Rowling tens of thousands of pages to say, Bonhoeffer put in one sentence:
“When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.”
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Tags: A Jesus Way, books, Dumbledore, fantasy, Harry Potter, Jesus, movies, sci-fi, Science Fiction, Snape, wizards
Posted by Chris on Jul 11, 2011 in
Life 
I recently bought a book off of Amazon that was so marked up I almost couldn’t read it.
My friend and fellow MAGL cohorter Margaret Yu suggested I check out Peter Palmer’s Let Your Life Speak. Palmer is a Quaker, which is really the closest thing that Protestantism has to a mystically tradition. Mystic’s are concerned about the inner journey, and are often having a much different conversation than fundamentalists are.
The previous owner of the book marked almost every page in pencil with a clear and effeminate script. For the statements she agreed with there were little checkmarks. For those she disagreed with, she cross them out and write a diatribe, including scripture references to prove the author wrong. Time and again, she would argue with a word, phrase, or her misrepresentation of Palmer’s point.
My definition of a fundamentalist, whether it be Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Marxist, Atheist or Anarchist, is a person who is so rigidly committed to a set of beliefs and practices, that they are unable to accept, converse with or perhaps even live near someone who doesn’t agree with them. For a fundamentalist, life is a constant witch hunt.
Reading a book is really no different than having a conversation. You engage the other person by listening to what they have to say. The goal of reading a book should be to gain some sort of insight in to how another person sees the world, which may at some point help you navigate it yourself.
The previous owner of my book was incapable of learning what Palmer has to say. For her, you can only listen to a person who agrees with how you see the world. Because of this, she’ll never see beyond herself, will understand very little of how the world works, and will never grow into a better person.
A fundamentalist can’t read a book because they don’t want to learn. They just want to be affirmed in how they already see the world. Learning doesn’t meant that one cannot hold to a lifestyle or worldview. It means that one values another’s ability to think, their life experiences and imago dei enough to put their desires on hold and listen.
This is too bad. Because there’s a lot you can learn from a book. Or a person.
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Tags: books, Faith, fundamentalism, Let Your Life Speak, Peter Palmer, quaker
Posted by Chris on Jul 6, 2011 in
Life 
To be fair, this is the only book I’ve read on Sport. But it was amazing.
You can read my original thoughts about Born to Run, but here’s a few reason that EVERYONE should read it.
1. It’s really fun. At it’s core, the book is a mystery story: how can seeming Stone Age Native Mexicans accomplish feats that allude the best trained American athletes? The journey takes you through badlands, past drug dealers, to the Rocky Mountains and Death Valley, and back in time thousands of years.
2. It’s a must read for runners. The stories of average people doing things that seem superhuman inspires you to get out there and push yourself.
3. It explains the funny toe socks everyone is wearing. It will convince you to wear them, too.
4. It will make you proud of your sweat. It’s the reason you can outrun a deer.
But seriously, one of the most fun and fascinating reads ever. When you’re done, let me know, and we’ll discuss it over a chia fresca.
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Tags: barefoot running, books, if you could only read one book, marathon, running
Last Sunday I was handed a box that had been shipped to an old residence. I wasn’t expecting anything, much less the 1/2 lb. e-ink masterpiece I had been pining for. Shocked, I raced home and dug through my receipts just to make sure I had not accidentally bought it. Nothing. I tore apart the box for a shipping form, and saw my address and a short line that said:
