Wings like eagles

I first read this about 20 years ago. Then, earlier this year, I was helping to run a confirmation class and we were discussing the kind of books we like to read. One of the lads said he liked to read books about soldiers and war and that sort of thing. I thought maybe he'd like to read this...
Unfortunately, it's out of print, and therefore I didn't get hold of a copy straight away. However, I contacted MAF, who found some slightly beaten up copies in a store somewhere. They were happy to send me a couple (I figured I'd hang onto one to lend out!) and did so very speedily.
Anyway, I had a few vague memories of the book (like the story about narrowly avoiding flying into powerlines), but thought I should reread it before giving a copy to someone.
Anyway, I did so, and REALLY enjoyed it. It's amusingly and engagingly written, and does an amazing job of painting a brilliant picture of the coming together of two very different people. In some ways, this is the goal of the book - to bring together two people from opposite sides of the world. It starts with Marfleet's military work, and flips between this and the life of 'Moondi', a warrior. Moondi is a fictitious character from a very real tribe (the Hupla) in the Desa valley on Irian Jaya (now Papua). The authors explain that Moondi, while not a real person, is an amalgam of a number of people, and his story is one woven together from the stories and lives of some of his people.
After a number of years in military service, Marfleet says, "I - we - had a decision to take. Reference 'upwards' being the rule in the Christian's life, as well as in the army, I prayed very specially for some answers. They weren't long in coming." Throughout the book, his reliance on God for both safety and wisdom is crucial, and he refers and alludes often to the importance of his faith in his life. The result of the prayers led to work with Mission Aviation Fellowship, and a posting to Irian Jaya. Here, towards the end of the book, Moondi and Marfleet's lives begin to draw inexorably closer. Two 'warriors' whose decisions have brought them to within touching distance, despite the thousands of miles that once separated them.
This is a fantastic book. I really enjoyed rereading it and would recommend it most highly. It's both a fascinating story and a challenge to consider how we might best be able to serve. It's well written, with plenty of humour as well as an ability to retell a story and to paint a scene remarkably well.
Wings Like Eagles

Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the War Against the Taliban

Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the War against the Taliban
I was lent this book by a friend, with whom I'd been discussing Afghanistan.
I have to confess, I didn't read it cover to cover. It does cover a GREAT deal of time and I was not so interested in the really old stuff. I read some of the initial bits, and then skipped ahead past the Mongols and the like.

It's a fascinating read in many ways. Having lived next door to Afghanistan for a while, it was particularly relevant, and I guess you're unlikely to read it unless you're interested in the area, or in world history, but if you are, I'd recommend it.
It wasn't just fascinating though, it was also borderline depressing in some ways. The main things that bothered me I guess were 1) the ruthlessness of nations in wanting power in Afghanistan in order to further their own dreams and desires (England, Russia, America etc.) and 2) the way in which the country has been battered and bruised both from within and from outside. It evoked memories of listening to a young person talking about how they'd been abused. It all just seems so unfair on the country, and of course on the people who largely want no part in conflict, but do want to be free. They seem condemned to pursue the former in order to achieve the latter.
There are some interesting comments from the author in the afterword. (He generally remains dispassionate throughout the main text, sticking largely to the facts, though using irony and the like to demonstrate some clear follies on the part of invaders!). He suggests the possibility of a Swiss-like government, drawing parallels between the countries (terrain, ethnic diversity, independence from surrounding nations etc) to strengthen this argument.
All in all, I'd recommend it (I finished it on holiday in Spain - that's how much I got into it!) highly to those interested in the region.

Unlike the other books on here, I'm not currently in a position to lend this out, as it's not mine. However, I think I probably will get hold of a copy of my own.

Beyond Greed.

I haven't really fallen behind in my reading, just in my blogging about reading!

This is the latest book to help with the chapter on 'Simplicity'. I think the main themes are going to be simplicity, greed, generosity, contentment and stewardship (though the last one might not get much more than a mention...)

I bought the book yesterday, and read it today :o) The joys of a chunk of time to work in! (The HUGE downside is that I've spent the day working while Anna and Joshua are at Legoland - the sacrifice is great)

I found it helpful in the way it considers greed. There are also a whole bunch of 'Briefing' articles in this edition, which I guess fills it out a little, though obviously there's some overlap between the articles and the main text.
The book starts by claiming (I think rightly) that greed was viewed by the OT Jews and the early church as a very serious thing, and should be viewed no differently by us today. However, this is not a criticism of wealth, per se, but of greed. "Most of the hostility to wealth which can be found in the Old Testament is linked to the failure of the rich to act justly towards the stranger, the widow, the orphan and the poor."(p30)

There's a good (new) chapter on the 'prosperity gospel'. One thing that grabbed me was the prosperity gospel's interpretation of 2 Corinithians 8:9 [For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. NIV] The argument seems to be that Jesus left the riches of heaven so we could have the riches of earth... Two problems. One, the riches of heaven do not boil down to the fact that Jesus had piles of cash. They are not material-possession type riches. Two, it's ignoring the context of the passage, which isn't promising wads of cash, but equality in the (global) community of believers, so that no-one is in need (not so that everyone is well-heeled!)

Chapters 3 to 6 look at greed as idolatry, noting that greed is loving, trusting and serving the wrong thing.
Chapter 7 looks at contentment. "Enough is enough". Although, having said that, I think contentment would stretch to "less than enough is enough" otherwise Paul wouldn't be able to say he has learnt contentment, while also knowing what it is to be in need.
Chapter 8 looks at giving/generosity. Together with ch7, the 'solution' to greed is thus offered. "Giving and contentment are two sides of the same coin." Contentment is a willingness not to be grabbing possessions regardless of the cost, while giving is the willingness not to be keeping your possessions regardless of the cost.
There's a good section on Christian lifestyle (it's not really a chapter, as it's articles between chapters 8 and 9!)
The book concludes with a chapter on True Riches. Making the point, of course, that the greatest wealth is not financial, but spiritual. We are freed to be spiritually rich. There's a nice analogy in the final chapter. "The train is truly free only when it runs on the tracks, and, however inviting the alternative might appear, it would come to a grinding halt if it were free to plough into the field."

I think it's a great book. Challenges prosperity gospel and then challenges us to be radical in our Christian lifestyle. The trick now, of course, is to go and do it! To follow Christ's example in living sacrificially for the sake of others.

God's Economy

A newish book by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. Here's the blurb about the author:
J W-H is an associate minister at St. John's Baptist Church. A graduate of Duke Divinity School, Jonathan is engaged in reconciliation efforts in Durham, NC, directs the School for Conversion (newmonasticism.org), and is a sought-after speaker and author of several books. The Rutba House, where Jonathan lives with his wife, Leah, and their son, JaiMichael, and other friends, is a new monastic community that prays, eats, and lives together, welcoming neighbours and the homeless. Find out more at jonathanwilsonhartgrove.com
(I added some links for you!)

The book opens with a sort of gentle undermining of the author's original position on economy and justice - he questions his early desire to get to the White House (he was planning to become President and change things from the top down...) as simply another desire for power. His background and current life (as part of an 'intentional community) seem to lend more weight to his arguments. He clarifies some of the issues with economy and justice ("the rich spend more on diets than the poorest of the poor spend on food") and examines the desire for power as a means of helping others. He notes that, according to one survey, the average American wants 40% more than they have now, regardless of their current financial state.
Following Jesus' teaching, he suggests that we should live lives of service. He also notes that, in the time of Jesus, the main economic 'system' was family households, and when Jesus calls us to be like children, this is a state of financial worthlessness and utter dependence on the father of the house.

He reminds us that "we have to struggle with the challenge of how to rely completely on God in world where it looks like we have to fend for ourselves to survive."
He also makes a brave (considering it's a largely American audience) link between the methods of Jesus and those of Al-Qaeda. A subversive approach that offers hope and a future to those with little or none.

I'm still only about halfway through, but am enjoying the book at the moment.
Don't think I'll manage to convince the family into a commune right yet though...


*** part 2 ***
(Part two of the blog, that is - the book itself isn't in parts!)
JWH questions our desire to 'safeguard' our future on earth with insurance and savings and the like. He says rather that "God's children plan ahead by investing ourselves now in the never-ending kingdom of abundance". What God has given us should not be diverted to the world's system of abundance, but should be reinvested in the kingdom from which it comes. Thinking about it like that makes sense - when you have a guaranteed eternal future available, invest all you can in it! 'For where your treasure is...' Jesus doesn't offer us unbridled success in the world's system, but indestructible/irremovable certainty of 'return' in heaven. JWH does a better job than I'm doing of clarifying the Bible's position on prosperity though (read the book, not this blog...). Kind of like if you're wanting to get prosperous by following God's laws right, then you've missed the point. I guess because blessings on earth are a gift, not part of your earnings...

Theodore Boone.

Ok, so I loved this. I didn't even see it coming (he normally publishes in February, because that's when a mate and I swap the books for our birthdays!) but happened to be browsing on Amazon when I saw it was to be released on the 3rd of June. I pre-ordered and it arrived (1p less than advertised too) a couple of days ago. I read it a couple of days ago (why wait, with a Grisham) and I have to say I loved it.

Now, I've also read a few reviews online and people seem pretty critical of it. They seem to think it's a bit childish. I, however, loved it. I am a big fan of children's literature, so maybe that helped, but I wouldn't say it was just a kiddies book anyway! It is, however, more suited to a young audience than some of his earlier work. And if they weren't expecting something a little different, perhaps they didn't read the big letters on the back where it says, 'high intensity legal drama for a new generation of readers'. :o)

I liked the way it was written - there were a couple of expressions and phrases used that I really enjoyed, here's a couple of them:
"...he whisked by Mrs Goodloe at the curb without speaking because she'd lost her hearing and most of her mind as well. He did smile at her, though, but she did not return the smile. Her teeth were somewhere in the house."
"The man tried to look menacing, and he was successful"
Just thought they were nicely put, really.
I thought that the characters are well introduced, and there are various threads hanging at the end of the book, presumably for the next installment. The storyline works for me: sure, it's a little far-fetched, but it is fiction, after all...

Theodore Boone

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ.

As soon as I saw this book on the shelf, I guessed that it was going to be a weird attempt to undermine the gospel. And I was spot on.
Don't get me wrong, I think Pullman's an exceptionally good writer (in the ability sense, not the moral sense!). But I'd already felt let down in a big way by the end of 'His Dark Materials' trilogy, where God is reduced to a wizened old man in a cage. Thus the low expectations (which were, upon reading, met!) on seeing this book in Tesco.
Extraordinarily, the book is billed thus: "In this ingenious and spell-binding retelling of the life of Jesus, Philip Pullman revisits the most influential story ever told."
Having read the book, I'm not sure how it can be called either 'ingenious' or 'spell-binding'. I found the first large chunk of the book stilted and badly written. The back cover screams 'THIS IS A STORY' at you. My response would be, 'not a very good one'.
Brief summary would be to say that Jesus and his twin brother Christ are born to Mary, following a conversation with an "angel" (although Pullman seems to be desperate to suggest that the angel was some bloke at the window just calling himself an angel) Jesus grows to be a carpenter and then great teacher (inspired by John the Baptist's example) while Christ his brother follows him round with a pen a paper (tablet and stylus) taking notes. Christ has intermittent conversations with a 'stranger' who helps him to discover a great role and purpose. Christ goes on to betray his brother, be mistaken for him following his death and is then given the chance to 'rewrite history' by heavily editing all his notes to make Jesus sound better than he really was.
But lets look at some positives to start with. Firstly, Pullman does rely on scripture for much of 'Jesus'' teaching. Strangely, there are times when it seems that the author couldn't decide whether to write this in an archaic form, or a refreshing, up-to-date fashion... Secondly, the book itself will perhaps open up some lines of conversation with others about the truth.

However, the negatives are perhaps more glaringly obvious. Pullman makes a number of desperate attempts to 'demiraculise' (Ok, so that's not actually a word, I know) the miracle stories. Classic example being the feeding of the 5000 (or the 'crowd' as Pullman says). "[Jesus] took the loaves and the fishes and blessed them, and said to the crowd "See how I share this food out? You do the same. There'll be enough for everyone. And sure enough it turned out that one man had brought some barley cakes, another had a couple of apples, and a third had some dried fish, and a fourth had a pocketful of raisins, and so on; and between them all, there was plenty to go round. No one was left hungry." Well, we've heard that explanation before, and it never has been of any real value. Why would the disciples have wanted to send everyone away to eat? And why would those people who had thought to bring food have brought enough to feed others too? And why would there have been 12 baskets of leftovers? It's just all clutching at straws. And that happens time and time again. It's always trying to downgrade the truth and I found myself swinging between frustration at Pullman and pity for him. It's such a tragic waste of great talent.

But perhaps more insidious is the direct attack on truth, "...we must be prepared to make history the handmaid of posterity and not its governor. What should have been is a better servant of the Kingdom than what was." So basically, the gospel is made up, because it's a better story that way. Well, I have to say, Pullman's made this lot up, and it certainly didn't turn out any better!
Some of the storyline is woefully predictable, when you take into account the fact that this is written by someone who appears to have an axe to grind. Most notably, perhaps, the fact that 'Christ' (Jesus' twin brother...) has sex with someone. It had to happen. Any reason for a bit of sex these days!
I've written more than I intended to here. For another view on this book (well, similar view, different reviewer!) check this out.
Pullman's own website claims, "I'm not in the message business; I'm in the “Once upon a time” business." I don't think he's being entirely honest :)
I think if I could use one word to sum this book up, it would be 'lame'. That sounds really harsh I guess, but I mean it in both senses of the term. I feel that the book is crippled by the author's apparent desire to undermine the gospel.

Wonder, fear and longing.

Another Mark Yaconelli.
A fabulous book. Really gentle and refreshing. Splits into ten chapters:
Love
Longing
Fear
Suffering
Compassion
Rest
Reflection
Passion
Wonder
Gratitude.


A really practical book. It explains, illustrates and exemplifies prayer in each chapter. As it says in the introduction, "This is a prayer book - a book to seduce, cajole, trick, and playfully entice your heart into expressing the prayer you want to pray. More than a book to be read, this is a book to be tried."

Really good. Will go back to it time and again, and I highly recommend it.
Wonder, Fear and Longing: A Book of Prayers

Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology

Ok, I'll 'fess up and say I haven't read it all. Only the introduction and the chapter on angels (trying to deal with spiritual warfare at the moment!). But it's really good. It's not like mega-complex or anything, and is goes through Biblical texts pretty thoroughly (systematically, in fact!) It's only about £21 on Amazon too, which is a pretty good deal. Am going to tackle the bit on 'Satan and Demons' tonight (for the same reason as 'Angels') and will take it from there.
The intro was really clear and set out the case for what the book's trying to do. The stuff on Angels didn't have that much I didn't know in it I guess, but it was useful to have it all brought together and particularly to have the Bible passages behind what we believe :)

You might see it says 'over 250,000 copies in print' at the top. Well, mine says, 'over 300,000 copies in print' so I'm obviously not the only one who's bought it recently.

Helping teenagers to pray [part 2]

Well, I've just finished the book, so thought I'd finish the blog too.

It's a fabulous book, with loads of great stuff in it. I'll no doubt read it again, because it's got a lot for me to learn! I'd highly recommend it to anyone involved in youthwork who's looking to get beyond the pizza-and-games nights. I'd also recommend it to those who need to discover or rediscover something of the breadth and magnitude of prayer. It's a great resource and a great challenge.

Here's a bit from the last paragraph:
The truth is, we can't give young people happiness. We can't take away their pain and suffering; we can't shield them from the temptations that play upon their weaknesses and yearnings 24 hours a day. In the midst of a suffering world, it sometimes feels as though we have so little to offer young people - some fleeting friendships, a few nights of fun and understanding ... Our real gift is to give them God - a God who will be sweet and nourishing food for them. What we can offer even the most troubled teenager is prayer. We can teach young people that, in the midst of pain, confusion and brokennness, they can turn towards love. They can stop ... among the words of Scripture, and hear the One who whispers to each of us, "Taste and see that the Lord is good."

Helping teenagers to pray. (part 1...)

This is my current read. (well, one of them...)
It's a Mark Yaconelli book. His books were introduced to me by David Runcorn, and I'm loving them.
The general gist of his work tends to be helping teenagers to grow in Christ, and he doesn't have a lot of time for youth programmes that are aimed solely or primarily at exciting and entertaining young people. He draws heavily on 'spirituality' themes and encourages teaching some very well-established (but currently largely ignored, at least in youthwork) practices. He's a great author to read as I'm currently working on my chapter on silence and solitude :). He says this: "In my experience, young people crave the peace of Christ that waits beneath the frantic hamster wheel of modern society." Great way of putting it, and probably right, to boot! How often do we worry more about keeping the kids 'interested' than teaching them more of God?

Anyways, he also said this, which kinda hit me: "Youth learn through observation and experience [i.e. by watching and living with us lot!] that the real work of becoming an adult is to construct a hard, but attractive, shell - a barricade that keeps the soft and wild interior of a person hidden and protected. The culture teaches our young people to create hearts of stone rather than hearts of flesh." Made me wonder how much I contribute to this sort of teaching. How often is my life and my faith not just failing to teach young people the right stuff, but actually teaching them complete rubbish? Bit of a challenge :)