Irresistible Revolution

"Love is a harsh and dreadful thing to ask of us, but it is the only answer."
- Dorothy Day

I just finished reading Shane Claiborne's book "The Irresistible Revolution" yesterday, and if you haven't read it, I would highly recommend it. It has definitely made the top charts of summer reading.

There's quite a lot of controversy surrounding this book, or at least I've experienced some of that this summer. What Shane has to say is pretty different and something that hasn't been heard of for many years (like since the Monastic movement pretty much), but I think a lot of what he has to say is worth hearing and acting on. Shane is a very convicting writer and brings a lot of good points to the table. I also trust his points (most of them) due to his credentials. Shane isn't some spiritual guru who woke up one afternoon, donned his bandanna, threw up a few peace sign spray paintings, and decided to write a book. He really knows his stuff. He researched, went to seminary, university, and all that jazz. I'm frustrated with those who blow off his book because he isn't smart enough when we've got writers in the Christian circles who try to draw an entire book out of two verses like the Prayer of Jabez.* So know that Shane is talking pretty intelligently about this stuff, even if he does passionately rant for awhile.

The only thing I didn't like about his thoughts were his ideas on politics and civic duty. I feel like some of what he said is ok, but he seems to take it a bit too far. I believe strongly that Christians need to be involved with the political world and fulfilling their civic duty as members of a country instead of completely removing themselves from it. I think there is a lot to be said for Christian ethics influencing how we interact with politics and the world needs more people that are willing to do so intelligently, which means actually researching and learning and making valid opinions based on that information rather than reading some junk off the interweb. It also means being able to converse intelligently about topics rather than shutting yourself in your own opinion. Regardless, Shane's political views were tangental at best in this book.

The rest of it, however, is incredibly convicting. My favorite part of the book was Shane's great and purposeful use of quotes from people like Mother Teresa, Soren Kirkegaard, Dorothy Day and Dr. MLK Jr. I love quotes. He also has some really powerful stories of God moving to help the poor and the outcasts of this world that are great in the book, but even better heard in person.

If you haven't read this book, seriously consider reading it, even if you have to borrow it from someone else. It will, as the book says, "comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable."


*please, save yourself the time and don't read the Prayer of Jabez book. Instead, read 1 Chronicles 4 as a whole and see that there's more than just "enlarging your territory" or whatever that means.

Saw that Golden Compass in Half

Ok, I don't really have much to say tonight, but I just want everyone to know these two things in a "half" review. (Great title, right? I'm so funny).

1. "Saw" is a terrible movie. Not much else needs to be said after that. Waste of my time. Good thing I have a lot of that to waste this summer though. 

2. I just finished reading The Golden Compass (the first book in the trilogy) and I have to say, in case you were unaware, it is blatantly atheistic. I knew going into it that it would be, but it kind of caught me off guard with how obvious it is. This doesn't really offend me or anything like that - it isn't a surprise that Christianity has some people who don't like it, so I'm not upset or annoyed or irritated or offended by this book, but I am a little surprised as to how it was written. Every book or novel has something to say (just like in film although I think what Saw is trying to say is watch out for crazy dudes with tumors and cut your foot off if you need to). In fiction, I would typically expect the author to portray his point in a subtle, roundabout fashion with themes, motifs and other literary devices. Not so with The Golden Compass. It has its fantasy element and it's plot and themes, but then BAM, Pullman (the author) hits you square between the eyes with his view of God and organized religion. 

That being said, don't watch Saw, but read the Golden Compass. Save your eyes the pain and stimulate your brain. 

Noah's Ark

Joanna came to visit today and, I have to say, it was a blast. We didn't do anything spectacular or off-the-charts, but it was really fun to be with her and we did make peanut-butter-oatmeal-chocoloate-chip cookies which are really awesome. But speaking of charts, we did make a chart for me to keep baseball standings updated while I'm here over the summer. I must say, its a very sexy chart. You'll have to see it sometime. But, alas, she had to leave today, and next weekend, she'll be in Texas as well as the following weekend. Basically, this means I'm going to be bored and lonely for about two weeks. Woohoo.

I decided to set aside some time tonight to share a little about my experience thus far as an intern. I have to say, this experience is far better than my devil-camp experience*, but it has been incredibly challenging. Not really because the work is hard or anything along those lines, but because God is challenging the way that I view His church.

I've never been a part of a mega-church before, and while Newpointe isn't a huge church, it is definitely the biggest I've been a part of. With over 4000 attending on a Sunday, it far exceeds what I've been a part of before. This is a struggle for me, honestly. I'm excited to see how God is moving in this church, but I also wonder about quite a few things. I have yet to come to many conclusions about my views of the church, but I've taken to reading three solid pieces this summer about different views of the church. I'm reading Acts (seems like a really good place to start**), Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne, and An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus. Each present their own view on some part of the church, and I love comparing and contrasting how each one portrays it. But rather than posting my unresolved thoughts on certain matters, I will leave you, faithful audience (hi mom and dad), with the main issues I'm struggling through.

1. How relevant should the church be in today's world? As far as allowing culture in, shaping culture, or shying away from it, how far should we go? How "seeker-friendly" should the church be? The church is offensive at some point, but where is that and how are we to approach it?
2. Where do numbers come into play? Should we look at numbers in the church at all, or just leave that up to God? Should we count how many people came to Christ, or should we just be thankful?
   
3. What is the point of a youth group? Should we have them?
4. What about the poor? How much money should we spend on signs and how much should we give away? Is a 15million dollar (real number) building too much or worth the expense to make people feel comfortable inside the building? (I've pretty much already decided my feelings on this one, but that's for another post.)

Needless to say, this has been a stretching summer so far, and I know that Jesus isn't quite done yet. I heard this analogy from Shane Claiborne when he came to speak at Taylor: The church is kind of like Noah's Ark - it smells really bad and is cramped and uncomfortable, but if you get off, you drown.

I look forward to sharing stories with you all at some point and hearing your thoughts on these things as well.

*It wasn't a satanic camp or anything, but it sucked. Ask for more details and you shall receive a long explanation that you won't really want to hear.
**Get it, "start"? I'm so punny.

The Road

I love reading, but sometimes, I hate what it does to me. Last night, in an effort to finish this book, I stayed up waaay to late as I sped through the final pages of Cormack McCarthy's "The Road". I just couldn't put it down. In the front cover, there was a review that said exactly how I felt, that "you can't put it down because it feels as though your very reading is necessary for the character's survival." Very true of this book.


"The Road" is a moving story about a journey a father and his son take through the barren and ashy wastelands of a post-apocalyptic world. As they journey to the coast line, searching for God knows what, they encounter bandits, thieves, and even worse. Not a day goes by when they aren't hungry to some degree, and most of the time, they're starving. As they continue down the road, the relationship of the father and son unfolds and gives a glimpse into their hearts.

I was really moved by the love the father had for his son. He spent all his energy protecting him and attempting to encourage his son when things got tough. The relationship between them was a beautiful thing. While the situation they were in may be far off from they way the world is now, the theme of the father's undying love for his son transcends that difference.

Another theme that made a big impression on me was the idea of hope. I don't want to ruin any of the book for you, so I won't give any specific examples; however, the idea of hope pops up everywhere in this book, and how necessary it is for human existence. If we don't have hope, then what is life worth living for? Hope is what carries us and what makes each day worth it in the end.

I would highly recommend this to anyone who hasn't read it.* It definitely has made my favorites list. Some other reasons you might want to read it are:

1. Entertainment Weekly named it the "Best Book, fiction or non-fiction, of the past 25 years" (above Harry Potter and Beloved).
2. It's in Oprah's Book Club (which is actually really good).
3. He wrote it while he was in Ireland.
4. It's really good.

*This is being made into a movie that's coming out in October. Read the book first for sure, but I'm excited about the movie.

I'm So 3008

The summer is a great time to find new music as well, which I endeavor to do each time around, so here's a quick look at what I've been listening to lately.

Regina Spektor - Far
Her new album is a great listen. I've heard some say that it just isn't Regina, but I really like the way she took this album. Her songs are thought-provoking and deep, and her music is incredibly good. "Eet" and "Laughing With" are two songs that I really enjoy from the album, as well as the creative and poignant song "Machine".

Ray LaMontagne - Gossip in the Grain
Good cd. I'm glad I bought it in the end, although I won't say that I could listen to him all day. The live songs are really great, and I really enjoy the songs "Trouble" and "Achin' All The Time".

David Crowder Band - How He Loves
This single excites me for his new CD that will be coming out in September, called "church music". If this is only the radio edit, I'm pumped to hear what the real deal will be when it comes.

Cage the Elephant - Ain't No Rest for the Wicked
I really like this song. It's probably my guilty pleasure of the summer. Nothing special, but catchy and reminds me of Modest Mouse in a folksy-weird-bangs-and-random-instrument-sounds way.

Black Eyed Peas - Boom Boom Pow
Because I'm so three-thousand and eight. You're so two-thousand and eight.

Can't Get It Right Today - Joe Purdy
Love this song. So simple, but so good. I love getting this song stuck in my head. Definitely would recommend. And its on some commercial for some car or something like that.

That's all for now. I'm cheap so I don't just go buy albums whilly-nilly anymore, although I'd really like to check out Andrew Bird and Wilco's new album, as well as DMB's new CD. Alas, such is the life of a poor college student.

1000 Splendid Suns

Summer reading has returned!! I just finished reading Khaled Hosseini’s second book A Thousand Splendid Suns. I loved reading his first book, The Kite Runner, a few years back and was really looking forward to reading this new one. I have to say, I wasn’t disappointed with this novel. I really enjoyed reading this book and it helped open my eyes a bit more to the various struggles in Afghanistan and especially the struggles of women in that country.

There were some parts of the book that I was outraged to read because of the injustice. Husbands beating their wives, women having to cover up their whole bodies to go outside, lack of money given to orphanages, things that just don’t happen anymore in the United States. The severe lack of social justice in this situation is appalling and I can’t believe it never really hit me until now. Hosseini does a great job of portraying his characters in this novel just as he did in his first. I felt so connected to Laila and Mariam and Tariq by the end of the book that it was like saying goodbye to an old friend when it was done. But then again, that may just be the way it is when I read books I like. Adam Trask is still one of my best friends.*

I would highly recommend this book to anyone. I think that more people need to be aware of the issues that Hosseini presents here and need to be aware that women are treated differently even in the US, while it may not seem like it all the time.

Props to Jo for letting me borrow her copy – like I’ve said countless times already, she’s an awesome woman and I’m glad that everyone can see how cute she is instead of being covered up by a big sheet.

*East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Not A Miserable anymore!!

Finally. I'm done with that stupid book. In case you don't know the story around why I read Les Mis, this is for you.*

My girlfriend, Jo, and I decided to do a Book Swap before we left for Christmas break and before I left for SE Asia. We had recently discussed how she had a part in her school's production of Les Mis, and I had expressed interest in reading it. When the time came to swap books, we decided that I would read Les Mis, but since it is so huge, I gave her three books in return. She got The Posionwood Bible, Ender's Game, and East of Eden (favorite book). THat's not the point though. THe point is that there are certain rules to doing a book-swap, namely, that the person trading the book in question must have read the book in advance.

Guess what. She hadn't read it. HOW LAME. And no, if you were wondering, I'm not letting this go.

So instead of writing a book review about a book that took six months to practically finish**, I just wanted to let you know how slighted I was in this swap and how now she has to give in a read Harry Potter (which is a lot easier to read than Les Mis I might add). I'm asking you, web-community, to hold her accountable and to encourage her on to love and good deeds and to getting the rightful comupance for her actions.

In all fairness, I liked Les Miserables. It was an interesting read, but it was ridiculously long. The ending made up for the long descriptions and the unncessarily lengthy descriptions of characters not present within the book. I know that they are put there for literary devices and to support the themes and whatnot, but they've always irritated me. That's why I dropped the English major.

And don't worry, Jo has two copies of Cliff Notes for her own reading pleasure when she chooses to read up on Les Mis instead of reading it herself.

And for clarification's sake, and my own as a boyfriend, I have to say that although we both have our faults, my girlfriend is absolutely incredible!

*abbrev's are cool. get with it.
**not because i read slow, but because more important things got in the way, like school and my girlfriend.