A Word for Wednesday

"But when a thing has to be attempted, one must never think about possibility or impossibility. 

Faced with an optional question in an examination paper, 

one considers whether one can do it or not:

faced with a compulsory question, one must do the best one can. 

You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: 

you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. 

Not only in examinations but in war, in mountain climbing, in learning to skate, or swim, 

or ride a bicycle, even in fastening a stiff collar with cold fingers, 

people quite often do what seemed impossible before they did it. 

It is wonderful what you can do when you have to."

~from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis~

Let's Bust a Recap : Hinds' Feet on High Places

"The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places..." We find the title and the theme of this allegorical novel by Hannah Hurnard in Habakkuk 3:19 (KJV). Hinds' Feet on High Places was written in 1955 and since then has sold over two million copies. The story of Much-Afraid and her difficult and dangerous journey to the High Places has resonated with a lot of people over the years, and I am no exception. 

At the beginning of the book, we find Much-Afraid in the Valley of Humiliation, terrified and oppressed by the rest of her Fearing family. As she pours out her woes to the Shepherd one evening, she expresses the longing to go to the High Places and is surprised to hear the Shepherd encouraging her to trust Him to take her there. She always thought it would be impossible for her to get there with her crippled, lame feet and her ugly, stammering tongue, but she claims the promise of the Shepherd and eventually begins her journey. However, the journey does not look at all like she expects. The Shepherd gives her two guides for her way, Sorrow and Suffering, and at times, their path goes in the opposite direction from the High Places. All along the way, Much-Afraid is learning important lessons in how to trust the Shepherd and resist the Enemy until she reaches the High Places and is given Hinds' Feet and a New Name. 

This was a beautiful book, saturated with Scripture, and lovingly rendered by an author who drew from her personal experiences with fear and a stammering tongue. As a result, Much-Afraid was so relatable. Every time I felt myself getting frustrated with her for so quickly falling back into fear, I saw myself in her. 

The thing I think I loved most about this allegory was the way it showed that Sorrow and Suffering were not Much-Afraid's spiritual enemies. Sorrow and Suffering were Much-Afraid's God-given companions on her spiritual journey. They helped her. It was her relatives, Bitterness, Resentment, Self-Pity, and Pride who were trying to ruin her. And at the end of the book, Much-Afraid came to the realization that even her enemies were not beyond God's grace and saving power. Just as the Shepherd always chose to see Much-Afraid as the new creature with the new name He was transforming her into, so Much-Afraid came to realize that loving people meant seeing them as souls just as worthy of God's mercy as she had been in her sinful state. 

There were a few odd places in the book, such as when the Shepherd asked Much-Afraid if she could still love and trust Him even if He deceived her. I'm not sure what the Scriptural basis for this might have been or how important for us it is to say to God that we will love Him though He lie to us. Can anyone shed any insight on this? The book also emphasizes that there is no deceit in the Shepherd and He cannot lie, so this part really baffled me.

What encourages me most in reading Hinds' Feet on High Places and other books like it (The Pilgrim's Progress or Stepping Heavenward, for example) is the sweet reminder that God is our strength and He is making us more like Himself even when it seems we are utterly beyond His reach or that we're constantly failing. The process of sanctification will not be complete until we are united with Him in Heaven and knowing the truth of that is a balm when we are weary with seemingly endless failures. He doesn't see the creature dead in trespasses and sins when He looks at me, He sees the Righteousness of Jesus. What a glorious hope!

I would definitely recommend Hinds' Feet on High Places. It is beautiful and encouraging and worth every second. Have you read it? What part of Much-Afraid's journey resonated most with you?

A Word for Wednesday

"A real desire to believe all the good you can of others and to make others as comfortable as you can will solve most of the problems."

~from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis~

Let's Bust a Recap : A Tale of Two Cities

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." So begins Dickens' best known work. A Tale of Two Cities was published in 1859, but was set during the historical period of the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. In it, we meet the French Doctor Manette, his daughter Lucie, English banker Jarvis Lorry, Monsieur and Madame Defarge, Charles Darnay, Sidney Carton, and Miss Pross among others. 

At the beginning of the novel, we learn that Doctor Manette has been languishing in the Bastille, wrongfully imprisoned, for the past 18 years and is finally released to live with his daughter who had previously never known that her father was even alive. In the years that follow, Lucie and her father live comfortably in London with Lucie's childhood governess Miss Pross. Lucie marries and things are going well for the whole family until the French Revolution begins and her husband ends up going back to Paris to clear up some business there. Will his former status in Paris lead him straight to the guillotine? Will Doctor Manette's sympathetic position as a Bastille survivor save his son-in-law? Will anyone make it out alive?? 

This novel was brilliant. While it was a little slow getting started and slightly confusing following everyone's storylines, when Dickens brought it all together, it was truly a masterful tale and it's no wonder this is probably his most famous work. The sacrificial love displayed had me cheering for Miss Pross and crying for Sidney Carton. The bloodthirsty Madame Defarge made my skin crawl. And the gritty depiction of the Reign of Terror sent chills up and down my spine. 

After reading Great Expectations and now A Tale of Two Cities, it's easy to see why Charles Dickens is widely regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His work was instantly popular and remains so today over 150 years later. Critics and scholars have recognized him as a literary genius. I would definitely recommend A Tale of Two Cities. It is a phenomenal novel.

Having said all that, where do I turn next? We have Charles Dickens' complete works, and I have no idea which to put on my 2019 book list. I'm thinking it has to be Oliver Twist, but then I start looking at the rest of the titles and my certainty wavers. What's your favorite Dickens novel? Which ones are the absolute must-reads? And who was your favorite character from A Tale of Two Cities?

*SHOUT-OUT to my Dad*

Have the happiest of birthdays! 

Thank you for always encouraging my love of reading and recommending all the best books.

You're the greatest and I love you forever.

A Word for Wednesday

"When remedies are past, the griefs are ended
By seeing the worst, which late on hopes depended.
To mourn a mischief that is past and gone
Is the next way to draw new mischief on.
What cannot be preserved when fortune takes
Patience her injury a mockery makes.
The robb'd that smiles steals something from the thief;
He robs himself that spends a bootless grief."

~from Othello by William Shakespeare~

Let's Bust a Recap : Mere Christianity

Mere Christianity began as a series of radio talks C.S. Lewis gave during World War II while he was at Oxford. He was invited to give these talks by James Welch, the BBC Director of Religious Broadcasting, after he read Lewis' book The Problem of Pain (which I have not read yet but it's a strong contender for my 2019 book list). The talks were gradually published in three separate pamphlets entitled Broadcast Talks (in 1942), Christian Behaviour (in 1943), and Beyond Personality (in 1944). Later, all these talks were put into the single volume we now know as Mere Christianity, easily one of the most influential theological works of the last century. In these talks, Lewis succeeded in defending Christianity and explaining its fundamental beliefs. He chose to avoid denominational controversies and focused instead on what core beliefs all Christians have in common. 

This was my first time actually reading the complete book, cover to cover. I've started it several times (there was still a bookmark in there from a previous attempt). I've read excerpts, quotes, even full essays. But this was the first time I started from the beginning and read to the end. And, unsurprisingly, I found Mere Christianity to be an invaluable resource. Lewis was the master apologist, and it never ceases to amaze me how he could use the most mundane objects or activities in the most beautiful and helpful spiritual analogies. Lewis wrote for every man, and that is what makes his writing so profound. He wrote for the bricklayer and the philosopher, the ditch-digger and the intellect. As I was reading Mere Christianity, it was clear, it made sense, it seemed simple. And yet I know that if I tried to articulate or defend my beliefs in the way that Lewis did, I would trip over my tongue. Reading books like Mere Christianity make me thankful for men and women like C.S. Lewis who broaden my understanding of spiritual matters and give me resources I can pass on to others. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, and, much like The Weight of Glory, this book instantly earned a spot on my "To Re-Read Again and Again" list. 

What's your favorite non-fictional work of C.S. Lewis? I've still got a ways to go, but what should come next? As mentioned above, I'm really leaning toward The Problem of Pain but how do I choose?

A Word for Wednesday

"'But how? How can you just get over these things, darling?' she had asked him. 'You've had so much strife but you're always happy. How do you do it?'

'I choose to,' he said. 'I can leave myself to rot in the past, spend my time hating people for what happened, like my father did, or I can forgive and forget.'

'But it's not that easy.'

He smiled that Frank smile. 'Oh, but my treasure, it is so much less exhausting. You only have to forgive once. To resent, you have to do it all day, every day. You have to keep remembering all the bad things.' He laughed, pretending to wipe sweat from his brow. 'I would have to make a list, a very, very long list and make sure I hated the people on it the right amount. That I did a very proper job of hating, too: very Teutonic! No'—his voice became sober—'we always have a choice. All of us.'"

~from The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman~

Let's Bust a Recap : The Light Between Oceans

The Light Between Oceans by Australian author M.L. Stedman was first published in 2012, and this will probably be a short post because I don't want to spoil anything. I finished this novel way back on August 16th, but I still feel heartsick over it. 

First of all, after my last 10 minutes of extensive Google research, I could only figure out that the "M" in M.L. Stedman stands for Margot. This was the author's debut novel, and she has managed to maintain a level of anonymity despite the overwhelming success of her novel which sparked a bidding war between publishers and was adapted into a movie in 2016 starring Alicia Vikander, Michael Fassbender, and Rachel Weisz. 

Set on the fictional island of Janus off the western coast of Australia in the 1920s, our main character Tom has just served in World War I and is living the isolated life of a lighthouse keeper on one of the most difficult posts of the time. He meets and marries the vibrant Isabel Graysmark and the novel details the moral conflict they face when a boat washes ashore with a baby after Tom and Isabel have struggled unsuccessfully to grow their family. 

I found the moral and ethical difficulties raised by this story compelling, and, as is often the case in real life, there was no clear or satisfying resolution to the heartbreaking circumstances faced by different characters in the book. If you're looking for a book with a sweet happy ending tied up in a pretty ribbon, this would be the one to avoid. 

The writing was beautiful. Her descriptions of rugged Australia were breathtaking, and her accounts of lighthouses and their keepers were well-researched and interesting. The historical implications of post-WWI life and human sentiment was also well-depicted. My biggest bone to pick with this book was the author's inconsistency between past and present tense. She would switch randomly and unexpectedly for no apparent reason. It was just enough to really annoy me, but not enough to make me stop reading. 

Based on internet reviews I've read of this novel, it seems to be a love it or hate it kind of a book. While I would hardly classify my feelings for this book as "love" (the content was personally and morally difficult), I found it compelling, well-written (excepting the whole past/present tense issue I mentioned above), and worth the read. 

And....that's it. I'm not sure how to wrap this up. Have you read this book or seen the movie? 

A Word for Wednesday

"We believe that the death of Christ is just that point in history 

at which something absolutely unimaginable from outside shows through into our own world. 

And if we cannot picture even the atoms of which our own world is built, 

of course we are not going to be able to picture this. 

Indeed, if we found that we could fully understand it, 

that very fact would show it was not what it professes to be—the inconceivable, the uncreated, 

the thing from beyond nature, striking down into nature like lightning. 

You may ask what good it will be to us if we do not understand it. 

But that is easily answered. 

A man can eat his dinner without understanding exactly how food nourishes him. 

A man can accept what Christ has done without knowing how it works: 

indeed, he certainly would not know how it works until he has accepted it."

~from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis~

Let's Bust a Recap : The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God

Y'all. It's October (what?!) and I still haven't recapped books I finished in August (oy). And the book I'm recapping today, I just finished last Thursday. So obviously my priorities are completely whack and this whole blog is going to pot. Whatever. There's a pumpkin spice candle burning, and I've discovered the goodness of Cherry Vanilla Pepsi. We'll survive. 

The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God by D.A. Carson was first published at the end of 1999 and provides a compelling perspective on the nature of God and His complex love for the world. 

I know what you're thinking: What does the "D.A." in D.A. Carson stand for? I can't be the only one who has an irrational need to know what initials stand for. I'll answer: Donald Arthur. Bless him.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's talk about this slim power-packed volume before everything I just learned falls back out of my head. 

To start, let me give you a piece of the publisher's blurb about this book:

"The only aspect of God's character the world still believes in is His love. His holiness, His sovereignty, His wrath are often rejected as being incompatible with a 'loving' God. Because pop culture has so distorted and secularized God's love, even many Christians have lost a biblical understanding of it. The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God seeks to restore what we have lost."

This 93 page treatise (84 pages if you don't count the endnotes and indexes) on the love of God was originally a series of four lectures that Carson has given a number of times at various colleges and churches around the world. I thought it would be a quick Saturday read, but it ended up taking me a week to get through. And just like the book took longer to read than I anticipated, so this blog post will probably be longer than you'd expect for such a short work of non-fiction. Stay with me. We'll take it chapter by chapter.

In the first chapter "On Distorting the Love of God", Carson outlines why the doctrine of the love of God must be judged difficult in the first place, five different ways the Bible speaks of the love of God, and some preliminary observations on the distinctive ways of talking about the love of God. I personally found the first chapter to be the most interesting and helpful section of the whole book. As Carson explained five of the different ways God loves and how absolutizing and defining God's love in only one way is detrimental to a right view of Him, I found myself appreciating how vital it is to abide by the whole counsel of God and realizing anew that the only way to even begin to understand any attribute or aspect of God is to take it in context with every other attribute He has. Just reading this chapter alone would be worth your time.

The second chapter, "God is Love", goes over how not to proceed vs. how to proceed with the topic at hand, namely: context is key. We can't just pick one verse out of the Bible, John 3:16 for example, and get a complete picture of God's love from that one sketch. We have to view God's love in light of His justice and sovereignty and His many other attributes. This chapter was the most difficult for me as Carson delved more deeply into the intra-Trinitarian love of God. I felt that I was swimming a bit out of my depth with a lot of this chapter, but that's to be expected anytime you start to study the nature of the Trinity. God is so infinitely high above us that some most things about Him will remain a mystery that we will never understand. If we could comprehend Him fully, He would not be God.

In the third chapter, "God's Love and God's Sovereignty", Carson expounds more on God's love for humanity and argues the point of whether God's love is emotional or impassible. The answer, as you might imagine, is complex, but I found this chapter to be extremely interesting and educational. I ought to note that throughout the entire book, I found nothing to disagree with Carson on, and I appreciated the way he handled tired Christian clichés and even certain Christian terminology. It's rare that I agree with every aspect of a theological work of non-fiction, but in this instance, I did. 

In the fourth and final chapter, "God's Love and God's Wrath", Carson tackles the tough question of the compatibility between the two. He builds on the ideas he introduced in the previous chapter regarding the emotional aspects of God's love which naturally would translate to His wrath as well. He works out the intent of the atonement, and he also brings everything together by talking about our response to this difficult doctrine. 

This book is by no means an exhaustive or comprehensive look at the doctrine of the love of God, nor does it claim to be, but it is an intelligent, rational, and biblically sound introduction to it that I found exceptionally helpful. I would recommend this with fair warning that you may need a dictionary in hand to get you through. I think I'd eventually like to read The Gagging of God, but over 600 pages of Carson does seem a little daunting after the dense 84 I just read. 

Have you read anything by D.A. Carson? What book was intellectually challenging but ultimately highly satisfying for you? What does the love of God invoke in you?