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Lilies from Heaven

Walking on Water

3/17/2022

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I am re-reading Walking on Water by Madeline L’Engle for inspiration. I have read a number of her books over the years but this one goes down as the all-time favorite. Did you know that she wrote over 50 books of fiction, poetry, autobiography, and non-fiction? I loved A Wrinkle in Time, The Genesis Trilogy, and The Rock that is Higher. She was an amazing writer, and I believe Walking on Water is one of her best. 

Here are some highlights from the book that have stayed with me for years. 
First, let’s start with stories. “A friend of mine, a fine storyteller, remarked to me, ‘Jesus was not a theologian. He was God who told stories.’ Yes, God told stories. St. Matthew says, ‘And he spoke many things unto them in parables …and without a parable spoke he not unto them.’ When the powers of this world denigrate and deny the value of story, life loses much of its meaning, and for many people in the world today, life has lost its meaning, one reason why every other hospital bed is for someone with a mental, not a physical illness.” (P. 56)

This quote struck me in the midst of the COVID chaos. I know many of us are feeling less than quite whole at the moment. Mentally, I am reading more stories and watching more dramas. I need stories. Any dip into a story is healing for the mind, and our minds definitely need something with all the isolation that has gone on.

Another quote from the book that stands out is from Canon Tallis. “One time I was talking to Canon Tallis, who is my spiritual director as well as friend, and I was deeply grieved about something, and I kept telling him how woefully I had failed someone I loved, failed totally, otherwise that person couldn’t have done the wrong that was so destructive. Finally he looked at me calmly, ‘Who are you to think you are better than our Lord? After all, he was singularly unsuccessful with a great many people.’ That remark, made to me years ago, has stood me in good stead, time and again. I have to try, but I do not have to succeed. Following Christ has nothing to do with success as the world sees success. It has to do with love.” (P. 64)

That one kind of hurt because I could relate to it so well. Lately I have been reflecting on how ineffective I have been in teaching, leading, encouraging, and sharing Christ with others. The good news is that I am not even expected to be effective. I am expected to be faithful. I have expected to love others.

The chapter entitled A Coal in the Hand was also insightful. “We have to be braver than we think we can be, because God is constantly calling us to be more than we are, to see through plastic sham to living, breathing reality, and to break down our defenses of self-protection in order to be free to receive and give love … Paul certainly wasn’t qualified to talk about love, Paul who had persecuted so many Christians as ruthlessly as possible; and yet his poem on love in I Corinthians has shattering power. It not a vague, genial sense of well-being that it offers us but a particularly, painful, birth-giving love … It is a listening, unself-conscious love, and many artists who are incapable of this in their daily living are able to find it as they listen to their work, that work which binds our wounds and heals us and helps us toward wholeness.” (P. 71-72)

This is true for me. Writing helps. It binds wounds. It helps me deal with reality. It moves me towards wholeness. It helps me enter the narrow gate of heaven. It shows me I can walk on water. 

The last chapter is Feeding the Lake. This last chapter is all about vulnerability. It starts by describing Christ’s vulnerability. “We are, ourselves, as little children, and therefore we are vulnerable. We might paraphrase Descartes to read, ‘I hurt; therefore I am.’ And because of the great affirmation of the Incarnation, we may not give in to despair.” (P. 229)

I hurt; therefore I am? In all honesty, this makes sense. We are all on the winding road called life. We all hurt from something. The question is whether we wallow in it or not. 

I may wallow in hurt for a while, but I do eventually pick myself up, dust myself off, and get on with life. I doubt I am making great art, but I know I am working through my pain.

Some of the greatest artists of the past were able to overcome their hurt with their art. Milton wrote Paradise Lost. “Milton could have retreated into passive blindness and self-pity instead of trying to patience of his three dutiful daughters and any visiting friends by insisitng that they write down what he dictated.” (P. 232).

Beethoven was going deaf when he wrote the Ninth Symphony. “Beethoven could have remained in the gloom of silence instead of forging the glorious sounds which he could never hear except in his artist’s imagination.” (P. 232). 
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What does Madeline L’Engle discover? Over and over, her reflections come back to the fact that she is a Christian. She is an artist, and she is a Christian.

This book invites you to journey into mystery and beauty. She is earthy, passionate, and holy. She is worth following because she followed Jesus. This is so worth the read or re-read! 
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Emboldened: A Vision for Empowering Women in Ministry

1/12/2022

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I am reading Emboldened: A Vision for Empowering Women in Ministry for a class I am taking to become a pastor with the Nazarene Church. This book is was like fine gold dust. Tara Beth Leach is easy to read, there is a lot of biblical substance, and I am enjoying her story of struggling to become who God created her to be. Leach prophetically rallies and cheers us on to a new imagination and hope while refusing to hide the truth or reality that it will be a difficult journey.

Part I sets the stage with a historical overview of courageous women who have paved the way for what is happening right now. Tara Beth also shares her own conversion, her ministry calling, and some interesting stories, like the first time she stopped the car to preach to the cornfields. There are many incredible stories throughout the book, and the one about love and forgiveness for “Joe” really hit me.

Part II contains practical tips and tells how different men and women have effectively emboldened Leach. For example, some female leaders lay aside their own interests giving space and encouragement during formational years.


She sees beyond the justice aspect and goes right into the missional part. “This, then, is not merely a justice issue: it’s a mission issue.” I had to think through this, and I think she is right. Leach is not using the traditional feminist arguments based on social justice and human rights as theological arguments for egalitarianism are not the focus here. She is passionate and motivated to get the job done. I like her approach to change because she intentionally steers us in a very different direction that is countercultural. Leach's values are more in line with the Sermon on the Mount, a cruciform life of discipleship that includes love and non-violence.

Emboldened is an incredible buffet of ideas courageously rolled out to help provide women a place at the table. It is rooted in Scripture and delivered by a pastor whose heart is passionately in love with Jesus and the church. Whatever your age, status or gender, whether you are a leader, educator or lay person, Emboldened empowers us to enlarge our vision. She believes it takes all kind to change and the world. EVERYONE can join and participate in God’s mission.

Leach concludes that an emboldened church is a wonder. "..in a world that suppresses and sidelines women, that sees women as sex objects, that unfairly pays women, and that unfairly criticizes women, the church has an opportunity to be a witness, to be a sign and a wonder in all of this. We have an opportunity to be a drastic alternative - to be a light."

Tara Beth Leach is gifted, and she is a leader. And she knows how to embolden women to break stereotypes, overcome opposition, and to invite women to step into their God-given giftedness as leaders for Christ’s mission.

Another great aspect of the book is her knowledge and love for the Bible. Although she never uses the phrase, “spiritual intimacy,” almost every page of her book breathes a palpable, authentic, and intimate journey of an evangelical woman’s response to the call of God in her life to full time pastoring. All the way from a teenager to her present love, a Nazarene Church in Pasadena California, "PazNaz". 

She's a trailblazer. In her words, "I have never seen a female senior pastor lead." Great point, what does that look like? 


We get a peek into her first few months of being a senior pastor at PazNaz where she faced some difficult conversations about gender issues. We get an inside look into her particular struggles as she yearns to become her unique self in the presence of significant others.

Spiritual intimacy is appropriate because we see page after page her love for Christ, her love for her husband, her love for her children, her love for Christ’s church. And, yes, her current particular love for her church, PazNaz. She nurtures a desire for us to want to see Christ through all these loves.

I have no doubt that other gifted women will see themselves in these struggles because of abounding and embedded stereotypes about female leaders in ministry.

This is book that fills a huge void. I highly recommend it.
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The Brilliance of Sally LLoyd Jones

4/18/2018

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I'm a mother of three boys and a Children's Ministry Director and I have looked at many different Bibles. I've been excited to introduce my children to the Bible, but totally overwhelmed with finding a Bible that would faithfully communicate the Scriptures at a level that made sense to young children.

The Jesus Storybook Bible seeks to show how God's plan of salvation is unfolding through each story, and largely succeeds in doing so. Let me try and demonstrate what I mean.


First of all, there are children's Bibles like the Read With Me Bible that are simply bland. Granted, toddlers are not going to pick up on every nuance of a story from the Bible, but the Read With Me Bible often chooses the wrong points to emphasize, entirely leaving out important points of narrative along the way.

One story simply lists miracles Jesus did with no context, failing to communicate that Jesus' miracles actually anticipate and begin to realize a new world, a world where God's Kingdom and rule are breaking into the world in a new and exciting way. Now, children obviously won't grasp the entirety of this message (indeed, even the most mature Christian is still growing in their understanding) but Jesus is more than a magician, he is more than simply amazingly powerful, so why drain the miracle stories of their power? If salt loses its saltiness, what is it good for?


The Jesus Storybook Bible works to explain the big idea, and big picture of the Scriptures at every turn. The focus is on God's love for the lost, the great problem of sin, and the great hope we have in Christ. So, for example, the story of the Exodus is told not as the story of God's great magic show, but instead on the great, mighty, and terrifying rescue of God's people from their slavery, pointing forward also to humanity's slavery to sin and coming rescue in Jesus. That is why the subtitle to this Bible is "Every Story Whispers His Name." Every story anticipates the coming of Jesus and the great rescue he brings to those who put their faith in him. This is a great concept, and a great work for children. 

Now is this Bible perfect? No, and no translation is, much less a paraphrase. Other have commented on some of the shortcomings of this Bible. Sometimes the language and tone is a bit casual, although casual doesn't necessarily mean disrespectful. Every story doesn't say as much as it could, although this is a strength rather than a weakness for a paraphrase (See: The Message). Not all of the theology expressed in the paraphrase matches perfectly with my own, but I see that as a teaching opportunity rather than a fatal flaw, not to mention that I think children should know early on that there are many ideas in the world, and not all of them are equally valid, and certainly not all of them are true. But again, the strength of this Bible is that it gets the story right, interpreting the main idea correctly and always pointing toward Jesus.

This is the point. It continually turns you toward Jesus. From the beginning to the end, everything points towards Jesus Christ.

Here are a few other opinions:

“I LOVE to give people The Jesus Storybook Bible because from the very first chapter it paints a powerful picture of God’s epic love for each one of us. Sally Lloyd-Jones has a unique way of inviting the reader, young or old, to dive in and discover for themselves the truth and hope of the greatest story ever told.” Amy Grant (Amy Grant)

“Sharing the Gospel with The Jesus Storybook Bible has been one of the greatest privileges of my life.” Ann Voskamp (Ann Voskamp)

“I would urge not just families with young children to get this book, but every Christian–from pew warmers, to ministry leaders, seminarians and even theologians! Sally Lloyd-Jones has captured the heart of what it means to find Christ in all the scriptures, and has made clear even to little children that all God’s revelation has been about Jesus from the beginning–a truth not all that commonly recognized even among the very learned.” – Dr. Timothy Keller, NYC (Dr. Timothy Keller)

The last thing I want to mention is that the pictures for this are incredibly well done. Jago is one incredibly talented artist and this book is beautiful.

I would be so bold as to recommend anything by Sally Lloyd-Jones. She has a real gift for communicating truth to the very young or the very young at heart.
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My 2017 Booklist

1/10/2018

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It is quite late for. 2017 Booklist but it’s right on time for Easter!  Here is the trinity of books that gave me hope and inspiration last year.  Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Majors, The Lifegiving Table by Sally Clarkson, and Christmas Jars are my top pics from last year.
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I reviewed this book in the fall, and I still have lingering thoughts.  First and foremost, I needed the beautiful reminder that God is good and gives good gifts even when we are not recognizing them as good.  Beauty really is everywhere if we are willing to really look.
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In Daring to Hope, Katie shares stories from her life and ministry in Uganda that emphasize God’s goodness during those times in her life when God didn’t act the way she wanted God to. (I think every believer can relate to this!) Throughout the book, Katie continually wrestles with the question, “What do you do when God doesn’t show up in the way that you asked Him to?”  It's a question we all wrestle with when we are honest with ourselves.  


As she wrestles with this question, Katie tells stories that seem hopeless. More often than not, they involve death and despair. In Katie's words, “I unknowingly believed that when things turned out well, God’s blessing was evident. And so I kept asking and waiting for the beauty to be revealed on my terms.”  

When God doesn’t behave how Katie begs him to, she concludes, “This reality left me with two choices: either God is not actually who He says He is or He is and I needed to relearn how to know Him even in hardship.”  This is one of the stand out quotes from the book.  

As Katie shares stories of brokenness, she weaves them together with familiar Bible passages.  These various Scripture passages include Jacob wrestling with God, God providing a ram for Abraham when he’s asked to sacrifice Isaac, and the book of Habakkuk. As she wrestles with these scriptures, she learns, “A faith that trusts Him only when the ending is good is a fickle faith. A faith that trusts Him regardless of the outcome is real.”

Some of the most powerful stories Katie shares in Daring to Hope are those that involve her in someone else’s healing. In her words, “Jesus was to bring about my own healing by drawing me into someone else’s.”  Here is some of the beauty in our walk with God.  

As Katie walks with others, she realizes, “Maybe we are not called to alleviate suffering (as I had once imagined) as much as we are called to enter into the suffering of others and walk with them through it. We mourn with those who mourn, we weep with those who weep, we cry out with them for something better.” Katie goes on, “The most powerful thing we can do for another person is not to try to fix his or her pain or make it go away but to acknowledge it. I cannot heal… But I can be a witness.”

This is a heart stirrer.  I cried, I loved, I was with her when her friend died.  She has a gift for describing her own pain, but she also has a real gift for describing hope in dire circumstances and still coming to the conclusion that God is good and gives good gifts.  
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I am a big believer in the combination of food and fellowship.  And I make no secret of being an admirer of one of the early leaders in the homeschooling movement.  Sally Clarkson continues to astound with the sheer number of books on homeschooling, motherhood, and discipleship.  The Life Giving Table really is one of her best and its a great followup to The Life Giving Home.  

This book is a wonderful combination of biblical principles lived around the table.  It's chock full of stories of her children, her ministry with her husband, and it also is outstanding in the sheer number of practical ideas that will help any parent get started.

I love how Clarkson is extremely family directed. She loves sharing her heart and feelings about her family and encouraging the reader to do the same. In a society that is all about self, Clarkson stands out because of her focus on building up the family and nourishing them and this is very self evident if you have followed her for any amount of time on social media or know any of her other books.

What I really loved about The Life-Giving Table is that she is bringing back a part of family life that has been lost in recent years...gathering around the table for dinner and actually being a family. We have gotten so caught up in rushing around to different activities and grabbing dinner on the go, we are missing out on an important time where we can connect and learn about each other's day and touch base with our families more.

While encouraging the reader to gather with their family around the dinner table, she has built this entire book, and the inspirational words on the pages, in biblical foundation. Throughout the book she offers scripture that you could pull from the pages and use for scripture memory practice, posting around the house for long-term focus, or just using as a thought for the day to ground your family in scripture. Clarkson also has included some fabulous recipes that you can add to your families gathering or just a nightly dinner that could eventually become a tradition in your life and passed down through the generations.

I really enjoyed this book and the study guide that goes with it. If family is important to you, I highly recommend this book and any others from Clarkson. They will help you lift your family to a whole new height and hopefully create some traditions that you can pass down to the younger generations so that they can carry them on.



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I picked this up at a used bookstore a while back and it turned out to be one of the best Christmas reads ever!  The heart of this novella is about the transformative power of giving.  

This centers around a journalist who happens upon a human interest story that winds up teaching her lessons about love and forgiveness and renewing her own faith in human kindness. On Christmas Eve, twenty-something Hope Jensen is quietly grieving the recent loss of her adoptive mother when her apartment is robbed. The one bright spot in the midst of Hope's despair is a small jar full of money someone has anonymously left on her doorstep. Eager to learn the source of this unexpected generosity, Hope uses her newswoman instincts to find other recipients of "Christmas jars," digging until her search leads her to the family who first began the tradition of saving a year's worth of spare change to give to someone in need at the holiday.

This was short, heart-warming, and profound all at the same time!  There are great Christmas stories to be discovered that have nothing to do with commercialism and are not overly sentimental.  This is one of them.  I highly recommend this to those of you who love to read about things that can inform and strengthen your faith.



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