My last post was about prayer and how I have taken to prayer during CoVid 19. 

I am praying morning, afternoon, and evening.

I believe in prayer.

I think prayer.

I feel prayer.

I am praying.

​It would make sense to review the books that have touched my heart about prayer. 

I am starting with a children's book. The title is Prayer for a Child. 

This book is a classic for a reason! It so incredibly simple and it sweetly rhymes. 

It's a long list of things to be grateful for during the day.

We can be thankful for the food.

We can be thankful for the world as it is.

We can be thankful for family.

We can be thankful for the care received from others.

We can be thankful for light.

We can be thankful for fire. 

We can be thankful.

It is thankfulness that puts us in God's presence. 

It is gratefulness for life that allows to know that He loves us.

This is such a sweet, small book with profound truths inside.
​

This book won more than a few awards and deservedly so. Richard Foster does a brilliant job of delving in prayer.

Prayer brings you closer to God.

Prayer shows that you need God.

Prayer is an invitation to come near to Him.

Did you hear that? Invitation.

He goes through many kinds of prayer. 

There is the prayer that moves us inward.

Simple prayer.

Prayer of the forsaken.

The prayer of examen.

The prayer of tears.

The prayer of relinquishment

Formation prayer.

Covenant prayer.

There is prayer that moves up upward; this is seeking intimacy with the Savior.

The prayer of adoration.

The prayer of rest. 

Sacramental prayer.

Unceasing prayer.

The prayer of the heart.

Meditative prayer.

Contemplative prayer.

There is prayer that moves outward; this is seeking the ministry we need.

Praying the ordinary prayer.

Petitionary Prayer.

Intercessory Prayer. 

Healing Prayer.

The prayer of suffering.

Authoritative prayer.

Radical prayer.

It's an invitation. 

It's simple. 

God invites us to know Him. 

There is diversity and history here.

Come and know Him a little better than you did.

Prayer.

I bought this book ten years ago and I still remember it.  

This woman wrote about the limits of the rational mind. The rational mind? Isn't that a God we all put before us?

For, according to the ancient tradition known as Wisdom, the human mind's full scope includes heights and depths which rationality can never encompass.

Neglecting these other regions of our being leads to a limited state of mind, known by the Wisdom tradition as sleep.

Yes, that's right, the more invested we are in our intellect, our ego, and our attempts at logical control of the world around us, the more asleep we really are.

I know it all sounds very strange, but I absolutely loved this and I been a fan of Cynthia Bourgeault ever since. 

She defines wisdom.

She points to other traditions.

She invites us out of our sleep.

She writes about three-centered knowing. 

We balance mind, heart, and body.

This book was eye-opening and mind-bending. 

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Malcolm Guite has become a favorite for me. He posts daily during Advent and Lent. And he had a great post for the Monday of Holy Week this year. This Holy Week has been a bit strange with CoVid 19. I could so relate to his words from his own blog post and I struggled with life...

It has begun in tears: tears of frustration, tears of lament, and for so many who have been cruelly bereaves, tears of grief.

It's hard to see through tears, but sometimes its the only way to see. Tears may be the turning point, the springs of renewal, and to know you have been wept for is to know that you are loved.

'Jesus Wept' is the shortest, sharpest, and most moving sentence in Scripture.

I have a God who weeps for me, weeps with me, understands to the depths and from the inside the rerum lachrymae, the tears of things.

Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem

Jesus comes near and he beholds the city

And looks on us with tears in his eyes,

And wells of mercy, streams of love and pity

Flow from the fountain whence all things arise.

He loved us into life and longs to gather

And meet with his beloved face to face

How often has he called, a careful mother,

And wept for our refusals of his grace,

Wept for a world that, weary with its weeping,

Benumbed and stumbling, turns the other way,

Fatigued compassion is already sleeping

Whilst her worst nightmares stalk the light of day.

But we might waken yet, and face those fears,

If we could see ourselves through Jesus' tears.

This other poem is taken from Sounding the Seasons, a collection of sonnets that takes you through the Christian year. This one is based on the ancient idea of the four elements of earth, air, water and fire. It has both the foot-washing and the first communion, that all these elements of the old creation are taken up by Jesus and transformed in the making of the new. Jesus is both the fully human companion cleansing his friends with a gentle touch, sharing his last supper with them, showing the fullness of his love, and he is also the Word, God in his full creative and shaping power, the One in and through whom everyone in that room, and every element of the world is sustained in the beauty and particularity of its being. What we witness in the birth of the sacraments is both a human drama and a divine act of new creation. Although we cannot be in church to receive the familiar sacrament of this night, it may be, that if our eyes and ears are open we will sense Christ's all-transforming presence even through the ordinary elements of the place where we are.

Maundy Thursday

Here is the source of every sacrament,

The all-transforming presence of the Lord,

Replenishing our every element

Remaking us in his creative Word.

For here the earth herself gives bread and wine,

The air delights to bear his Spirit's speech,

The fire dances where the candles shine,

The waters cleanse us with His gentle touch.

And here He shows the full extent of love

To us whose love is always incomplete,

In vain we search the heavens high above,

The God of love is kneeling at our feet.

Though we betray Him, though it is the night.
​
He meets us here and loves us into light.

Have a blessed Easter Everyone! Remember that he overcame death to bring you light and life!

This is one of the books I am reading for Lent and I have to say that it is very good!

​It tells the story of Easter from Amon's perspective. Amon is thirteen years old. He is the son of the son Jotham and Tabitha. He enjoys playing with his friends but is also ready to join his father in the temple court where only men are allowed. He is very eager to be considered a man, but he struggles to divide his time between his friends and his duties to family and faith.

When Jotham is falsely accused of a terrible crime, Amon willingly sacrifices his childhood ways in order to save his father’s life. Along the way, he sees the crowds that gathered on Palm Sunday, outwits the Roman soldiers that planned to kill both his father and Jesus, hears the Messiah address the angry crowds, is present during the daring betrayal of Judas Iscariot, and witnesses the ultimate sacrifice made on Good Friday.

The first part of the book drags a bit but it picks up after that. Amon is initially upset that he will have a female house guest. Some readers may not  find him appealing because he seemed to make such a big deal of it. But the story picks up after this.

Another part of this book that I really like is the Bible verses at the end of the chapters. There are explanations that are one or two paragraphs long. These are short, and the verses tell a story. 

This would actually be a perfect read-aloud book if you have children. The chapters are not very long, the Bible verses are thought provoking, and there are all kinds of things you could ask questions about. 

It is Valentine's Day and I have been thinking about this gift we have been given. Love is amazing gift given from God. But there are other gifts along the way. Wisdom is one of them.

Wisdom is something that is earned by time. It is not guaranteed with age, but it is only comes to those that are aged. Part of what is required to earn wisdom is reflection. And that is what Madeleine L’Engle has done here. She is writing her thoughts and musings about life and her writing and meaning based on the journals that she has kept for her own purposes.

L’Engle was in her 50s when A Circle of Quiet was written. (And the fourth Crosswick Journal book was published 23 year later.) So she is not so old that she has forgotten what it is like to be young, nor was she that far distant from the failures of her life as a writer. (Did you know that A Circle of Quiet was published just 11 years after A Wrinkle in Time was published?)

A Circle of Quiet meanders quite a bit. Much of it is reflections on what it means to be a writer or story teller or how she taught writing and story telling to others. But mixed into all that are her thoughts on parenting and child development, living in a small town (Crosswick is the name of their home in rural Connecticut, where they lived for 7 years full time early in her marriage and that they kept it as a summer home when they moved back to New York City), living in a large city, love, church, and many other random thoughts.

It isn’t a book that goes from one point to another. I meandered through it for almost a month. I was enjoying her descriptive language and the ideas. So do not read it looking for an overarching story or plot. It isn’t that kind of book.

If you are a reflective, you will enjoy her thoughts. 

Here are a few of the gems for you:

"But a great piece of literature does not try to coerce you to believer it or to agree with it. A great piece of literature simply is."

"The children's writer clarifies things for himself,, not by wrapping them up in tight and tidy packages, but in opening himself up to them."

"I'm afraid of the dark - not afraid to go up the stairs in the physical darkness of night, but afraid of the shadows of another kind of dark, the darkness of nothing, of hate, of evil. So we rush around trying to light candles. Some are real: books are candles for me; so is music; so is friendship."

I like the way she put it. Books are candles. Little lights that show the way forward. For me, this is very, very true.

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:5

Adorning the Dark is a great book that is getting quite a bit of buzz right now.. It's a book for the Christian artist. It's a book for the person who is afraid to create. It's a book for the writer. It's a book for anyone who has a creative idea. 

I should tell you my story of how I heard the name Andrew Peterson. I saw something on Ann Voskamp's website and clicked on it. I think it was 'Be Kind to Yourself'. I watched it and thought that the lyrics were great. 

I started looking him up on Youtube. All kinds of country, bluesy songs. Again, Interesting. The Lyrics were amazing on everything!

Then I heard that he had written children's books. "Hmmm" is what went through my head. I bet those are good. 

Sarah Mackenzie had an interview with Andrew Peterson and another author quite a while back. He talked about books. He talked about C.S. Lewis and Tolkien. Again, I was curious. 

When I heard that he had written Adorning the Dark I ordered it out of curiosity. 

I received Adorning the Dark as a Christmas present from myself. I was excited about because I had heard so much about it on Hope Writers. 

He has an awfully big subtitle. "Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making". That seemed like an enormously large task for such a small book.

But he does it. All the magic that he packs into a song is there. All the truth, goodness, and beauty you can get. And it wasn't in the form of a song. 

Peterson has a personal way of elucidating his points. He is conversational. He is transparent. He is sincere. He is humble. And he is inspiring. 

The best thing I can say is that all kinds of writers should read it. Songwriters, essayists, novelists.

What will you get from it?

Well, you are going to get valuable insight into the Christian life. You are going to get valuable insight into the human condition. You are going to get valuable insight into the value of community. Most importantly, you are going to get deep insight into the beauty and power of words. 

It's not an academic book, but I know it will be read by many. 

There are just so many moments of providence. You also will be saying to yourself, "I needed to hear this!"

"You can't blame your equipment. You can't blame your lack of time. You can't blame your upbringing. Either you're willing to steward the gift God gave you by stepping into the ring and fighting for it, or you spend your life in training, cashing in excuse after excuse until there's no time left, no song, no story" (p. 125). 

Conviction is something I felt. Last week I wrote about not being able to sit and plan around New Year's. This convicted me to keep using my gift. 

it's also a book for those searching for beauty and truth. Peterson does a great job encouraging us. He tells us we all are creative and we are all made in the image of a Creator God. 

It's also a book the defies categories. You are getting a number of his life stories so it is somewhat autobiographical. And he has had quite a life because he said yes to what God what was calling him to do. 

Truth, beauty, honesty, encouragement. 

And as another amazon review put it, "And thank you Andrew for reminding me that generic store bought chocolate chip cookies are okay now and then, but nothings beats fresh, warm, homemade toll house cookies."

​Amen. Go and get the book. 

What are you reading for Advent? There are so many good books out there, and one of my favourites is this gem from Malcolm Guite. This man has poetry in his blood, in his family, and he is a pleasure to read! 

I am re-reading this one for a second time because it is such a great one to get you to slow down, think about Advent themes, and just enjoy the language in it. I recommended it last year along with two others, but this has lingered with me.

So, what does it have? There is a poem a day and a bit of commentary on it. It will slow you down, and it will give you hope.

He has carefully selected poets, old and new, for this beautiful book. There are older names, like Christina Rossetti and G.K. Chesterton. The newer poets include Scott Cairns and Robert Hayden. All the poems have been selected because there is something in them that relates to Advent and the themes of waiting, Grace, gifts, creation, and, of course, hope.

Each of these pieces is beautiful in and of itself. But taken together, it becomes more. It becomes hopeful and hope filled! His deep insight and spiritual wisdom created in me a new appreciation for each day of Advent and a deeper love for Jesus, Immanuel, the Light of the World!

Let's look at his entry for December 12:

The time draws near the birth of Christ:
  The moon is hid; the night is still;
  The Christmas bells from hill to hill
Answer each other in the mist.
 
Four voices of four hamlets round,
  From far and near, on mead and moor,
  Swell out and fail, as if a door
Were shut between me and the sound.

Each voice four changes on the wind,
  That now dilate, and now decrease,
  Peace and good will, good will and peace,
Peace and good will to all mankind.

This year I slept and woke with pain,
  I'd almost wish'd no more to wake,
  and that my hold on life would break
Before I heard those bells again:

But they my troubled spirit rule,
  For they controll'd me when a boy;
  They bring me sorrow touched with joy,
The merry merry bells of Yule. 
-Alfred Lord Tennyson

The man hears the peaceful calm of the bells but cannot listen. There is a fuller confession of grief and bitterness.

And grief does attack when we are in the midst of someone else's peace and beauty. 

And yet he returns to listen to the bells. It helps to control the grief. He returns to an earlier time when he was a boy and the bells were a comfort to him. 

There is healing, hope, in the sound of the bells. He is changed.

Malcolm Guite is Chaplain of Girton College in Cambridge. He has written a number of books that are similar in helping the reader to ‘see’ the Holy Spirit in the poetry.  He has written for the church calendar, including Sounding the Seasons, Word in the Wilderness, and The Singing Bowl.

Order this from Amazon or anywhere else and I am sure you will slow down like I did! You will see the Lord Jesus and his birth. Enter his world and be filled. Waiting, wonder, mystery, and mainly hope.

Can we talk about reading aloud for a moment? Can we talk about how magical that can be? Reading aloud can be an open window into the hearts and minds of a child, your child or even your students.

This book was recommended on a Read-Aloud-Revival Podcast and I am really glad I picked it up. It was recommended along with the The Read-Aloud Handbook and A Sense of Wonder. It’s all about the benefits of reading, specifically, reading aloud to your children. As a book-lover and someone who enjoys the magic of a read-aloud book, please read on!

First, this book is well written. I read the first four chapters in less than two days which is very unusual for my regular reading habits and full-time teaching job. Megan Cox Gurdon has a great conversational style without compromising her work as Wall Street Journal columnist. She is a book critic, essayist, and a book reviewer since 2005.

She explains how reading aloud to children is good for their brains from the latest brain science and behavioural research. She also draws widely from life and everyday literature. She knows that Good Night Moon is a wonderful picture book that most people have read and can relate to.

So, what are the advantages of reading aloud? She has many! Reading aloud is an antidote to fractured attention spans, atomized families, and unfulfilling distractions in the tech era. She also talks about the reader’s opportunity to re-visit stories from his or her childhood. Why wouldn’t you want to show enthusiasm for a story you loved as a child? I absolutely loved There’s an Alligator Under My Bed and I share that enthusiasm when I read it to my children at night. Third, she shares how stories keep far-flung military families connected. That really is a lovely thought in this distracted world.

There is the work that is done in the brain when a parent reads aloud to a baby. It’s soothing and stimulates cognitive development. Imaginative decoding of picture books is next and probably the most enjoyable aspects of reading aloud where children’s brains are stimulated.

There is the imaginative transport of classic novels. Which novel would like to visit? To Kill a Mockingbird? Pride and Prejudice?

There is the rejuvenating late-life consolations of poetry and prose. There is just so much “spoken syllable” (Charles Dickens) out there.

Other benefits of this book include the practical tips and the myriad of reading recommendations that are woven into it. You will find a way to work this into your family life and you will find many books that you can use to bring your children together, learn something, make connections with people in history, and even, possibly, enjoy it. And they won’t even know they are missing their screens!

And I have a few favorite quotes:
"Technology is training us to dart and react like hummingbirds, scrolling, clicking, tweeting, liking. For people in the sustained-attention business, not least book publishers, these developments are unsettling" (p. 121).

"Culture does not consists solely of art and writing, of course, but also fo attitudes, practices, and values. The things we say when we are talking about about stories and pictures, the emphases we make and the bits we skip over, tell them something about how we see the world" (p. 157).

"Literary art helps us live longer, and enjoying it together out loud makes us smarter, happier, and more contented" (p. 191).

"Entering into storytelling mode has a mesmerizing power of its own. The sight of a parent or teacher sitting with a book attracts young children like iron fillings to a magnet" (p. 201).

There are many books on reading aloud out there. This really is one of the better ones! This mother of three will be taking advice from Megan Cox Gurdon, mother of five, on reading aloud and all the enchantment it brings. And I’ll let her know I’m having my students read aloud to each other as well!
​

This book should be considered a classic! I am not exactly sure how Sally Lloyd Jones managed to take all these overly familiar stories and write them in such a fresh and original way, but I am so glad she did.

The first thing that she does is explain what the Bible is. It is not a book of rules. There are rules to follow in the Bible, but it is so much more. 

The Bible tells a story. It tells God's story. It's about a Prince who loses his first love and then goes to the end of the earth to get his princess back. In essence, it is a love story.

And that is just the beginning.

One of my favorite Bible stories is Jonah and the big fish. This book does a top-notch job showing how Jonah got in a book going to in the exact opposite direction of Ninevah! The description of the boat and being thrown overboard are vivid. 

Jonah is in the belly of the fish and he doesn't like it down there. He spends three days in the the belly thinking about the fact that he went in the opposite direction. He begins to feel very foolish and prays to God to forgive him. The fish gets some kind of tickle in his throat, opens his mouth, and throws Jonah on shore. Where does he go?

He goes to Ninevah. He goes to tell them God's message. 

What I love about this story, and other stories, is that Sally pulls out the link between Jesus and Jonah. Jonah was hidden in the belly of the fish for three days, before he miraculously shows up on shore to do what God originally asked him to do. Jesus was also hidden from the world for three days when everyone thought he had died, and then he came back to life. 

Sally Lloyd Jones tells each story simply and deliberately. It's perfect for little ears. It's perfect for big ears. It's perfect for anyone looking for a fresh take on so many Bible stories. 

If it were possible, I would love for Sally to write about the life of Paul. He has more than a few dramatic moments and I think her writing style could handle the beauty in the life of Paul. From him witnessing the stoning of Stephen, to his dramatic conversion of the road to Damascus, three days in darkness (again, like Christ), the myriad of meetings with other churches, Holy Spirit moments, and how common sense does not make sense at the end, Paul's life is vivid.

But it was the publisher who limited the stories past the life of Jesus.

The Jesus Storybook Bible is a classic. It should be read by the young and the old and everyone in between. It should be read by you! 

Go ahead and pick it up at the nearest bookstore if you haven't! 

And remember that Jesus loves you with a never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love!
​

I usually post a book review here but I wanted to do this movie review on Life is Beautiful! It really was a treasure!

So much of life involves letting go. This seems strange, our culture insists that our gains - not our losses - define us and that power and control are to be valued above all else. 

I don't believe it anymore. I am not sure that I ever did believe it.

I have manged to keep very little from this world. I have few possessions. Only books really. Not health. Not approval or status or money. Not even the certainly of family ties. I have savored each of these for a time but it hasn't been secure. Not in the ways that last. Every seemingly solid gift I've trusted has broken loose like floating ice when I've placed my full weight on it.

Apparently, I'm a rather slow learner.

I watched Roberto Beningni's 1997 comedy-drama Life is Beautiful. This is a film for those who are crazy in love, utterly hopeful, and for those who nearly untouched by illness or grief. Or at least the first half of the film.

The second half is more. I wept for the beautiful and tragic way that Guido Orefice let go. Bicycles, bookstores. Ringing bells, cobblestone streets. A world without gold stars or Gestapo or gas chambers. Of the simple, uncomplicated life of man and wife and child.

He let go.

He let go of language and love-making.

He let go of music and meat.

He let go of any hope beyond this present breath.

And in the letting go, Guido imbued each moment with the beautiful determination to keep on loving life.

No matter what.

I would love to be that brave!

I want to nurture hope. I want to nurture hope like a hothouse flower and make play-dates with pain and suffering.

I want to believe that love can last and friendship remain.

I want to believer that good will will sin and evil will be buried under its own monstrous, ugly weight. 

But for this I must let go. 

I must let go of my own expectations of comfort and safe.

I must let go of the sense that I am entitled to whatever version of "the good life" is currently in vogue (or that others are posting on Facebook or Instagram).

I must let go of the hope that I will ever feel completely at home anywhere but in God's arms.

Life is beautiful .. but not when I clutch at it, terrified of losing it.

Only when I learn to let go.

Take, my soul, thy full salvation;
Rise o'er sin and fear and care;
Joy to find in every station,
Something still to do or bear.
That what Spirit dwells within thee,
What a Father's smile is thine,
What a Savior died to win thee,
Child of heaven, shouldst thou repine?

"Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken"
by Henry Francis Lyte, 1793-1847

For whoever would safe his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

​Matthew 16: 25 ESV

I must confess that I have read the book of Ruth more than few times. And I have read many different books on Ruth. I absolutely love the story. I loved the story so much that I used Ruth's vows at my own wedding years ago. It really has been a life-long love affair with the actual book in the Bible.

I read this book years ago and wanted to revisit it this summer. I remember it rocked my world. Carolyn Custis James rocked my world with this gem that just put so much about Ruth and Naomi into context. 

Don't get me wrong. The book of Ruth is a love story. It is a story of how God redeemed two widows. One felt that God had turned his back in her and the other just refused to leave the other alone. She just clings. This is clingy at it's best. 

Widow really is a complicated word to understand. Naomi has lost everything. Her life is in ruins and her soul is drowning in grief. She is a female Job. If she was Job there might be an opportunity for her. Poverty is not inevitable for a man. He can work or rebuild. He may endure "the unjust accusations of trusted friends, but he will face degradation, discrimination, of physical abuse because he is male" (p 58). He has a level of stature in the community even though his character is under the microscope. He has rights and can take legal action. 

Noami faces a whole new layer of adversity because she is a woman in a man's culture. "Death strips her down until she stand nakedly before God without the usual props a woman counts on to justify her significance" (p 58). This is where the story enlarges to encompass every woman who is alone regardless of the reason. She is bitter and she says, "Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter" (Ruth 1:20). 

And yet something extraordinary is happening. This is the beginning of a female story. Generally, in the Bible, men rule to roost or command the spotlight. Male stories are being told. Women are written up as they relate to men. 

"Miriam was Moses' sister. It's easy to forget that was a prophetess and a leader of God's people in her own right. "Sarah and Hagar broke rod in Abraham's coat-tails. Rebekkah had her three minutes of fame because Abraham's son Isaac needed a wife and she matched the search criteria" (p 60). With patriarchy, everyone expected men to dominate the story. We really do take "it is not good for man to be alone" very seriously.

But this book breaks all the rules! Ruth and Naomi, two un-escorted woman take command of the story line and the men recede into the background. The three male names in the opening scene are forgotten in the credits. This is not to say that the male characters are not important. They are just not at the forefront of the story.

But God is there. He is there in every scene. He is there when Ruth is in the barley field. He is there when Boaz shows kindness to Ruth. He is there when Ruth responds to this kind with, "Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you would notice me - foreigner?" He is there when Naomi hatches her plan to get Boaz's attention. He is there in the threshing room floor where Ruth encounters Boaz sleeping. He is there with Boaz as he approaches the town gate. He is there when Boaz announces that Ruth is his wife. He is there when they have Obed. He is there when the women say, "Naomi has a son" (Ruth 4:17). All the small things became bigger than the sum of the parts. Obed is the grandfather of King David and Ruth is his great-grandmother.

God really does take care of everyone. He was very interested in the cry of Naomi's heart.

This female Job ministers right to my heart as well. He moved heaven and earth to let Naomi know that she is not forgotten, not unloved, not meaningless or purposeless. She is loved!

"Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz remind us powerfully that even in a dark era like the days of the judges, God always has his people the Blessed Alliance is still alive and well. He is working in our hearts, summoning us to be strong and courageous like Ruth - to embrace and embody his gospel on our 'bit of earth'" (209).

I pray that this story ministers to you the same way it touches me.