Ryan's Ramblings

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years--Book Review

I so enjoyed this book.  I received it in the mail on Friday, started reading it on Friday evening and finished the book on Sunday morning (and I had a very busy weekend!).  I didn't even have time to list it in the "What I Am Reading" sidebar of my blog.  I laughed, cried and reflected my way through this book and when I came to the last page, I was sad that it was over.  I will read this book again.

I love the idea of "story" as it relates to life and faith--and that is what this book is all about.  It is about realizing that our personal stories are important and significant parts of the larger story of God.  Throughout Miller's narrative he encourages the reader to recognize the important parts of our life stories, to acknowledge how they affect the overall stories of our lives and to realize that our stories can be edited.  Each person has a lot to do with the writing and the editing of their own stories.

As Miller shared stories about himself and others I was reminded that there is an "author" in each of our lives that give our life experiences purpose.  "Without story, experiences are just random." (pg. 27)  Miller doesn't skirt the issue that not all stories in this life turn out "happily every after."  Like the best stories, life is filled with conflict, antagonists and risk to overcome.

As I read Miller's book I found myself wanting to live a "good" story and help others get out of a "bad" story.  Reading Miller's words confirmed in my mind that I know what it takes to live a better story than I am living.  And now, I don't have a choice because, "Not living a better story would be like deciding to die, deciding to walk around numb until you die, and it's not natural to want to die." (pg. 66)

There is someone writing each one of us.  There is a plan, there is a way, there is a path--there is a great story that each of us needs to let God write in and through our lives.  "People love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work it takes to make it happen." (pg. 100)  When I landed on the last page of Miller's book I found myself wanting to live a great story and willing to pay the price for the joy that accompanies a great story.

"Sharing a story with somebody [makes] the story more meaningful." (pg. 154) This is true when you go to the movies and it is especially true when you are living life.  Thanks for letting me share a bit of the story of A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.  It is a good read.

Fearless--Book Review

Max Lucado’s newest book, Fearless, is a very satisfying read.  Every chapter touches on a very real place in the human heart and feeds that hunger with the promises of God.  The book is filled with illustrations, personal testimony and Biblical reflections that touch on the genuine places, feelings and experiences of life.

I love the way that Max Lucado casts the light of scripture upon the path of human experience.  He often puts into words what so many people feel, but can’t or are afraid to express.  As I read this book, I felt his voice was reminiscent of the Max Lucado that I enjoyed reading in his first books so many years ago.  He is an artist with words.  Max Lucado can say more in one sentence than can be read in a multi-volume set of theological textbooks—because he speaks to the heart.

In this book he addresses the issue of fear and moves the reader into the realm of fearlessness through many different perspectives.  He reminds the reader to avoid the things that lead to fear and he does so in a meaningful and memorable way.  Here is quote from the book that I won’t easily forget, “Worry is the darkroom where negatives become glossy prints.”

Fear is a very big and real issue in each person’s life.  It is not a place where God wants his children to reside.  Max Lucado makes this very clear in his book and he offers the reader a very clear picture of the Fearless life that Jesus offers and provides to all who will look to him.      

Must Reads

I have read these two books over the last thirty days.  I didn't have time to read them with my responsibilities in work, studies, family etc., but I had to read them.  I needed to read them.  For me, they were must reads. I carved out reading time wherever and whenever I could get it.  Most of my reading of these two books was realized in the early morning and late night hours of the day.  Every minute of lost sleep was worth it.

Both of these books are related to the story of the five missionaries that were killed in South America in the late 1950s.  End of the Spear is a book that was written by Steve Saint, the son of Nate Saint, who was one of the five martyred missionaries.  This book was made into a movie and I own the movie and have watched it many times.  The movie is great, but the book is better. (of course)  I loved the story (it is a true story) and I marked many portions in the book that I want to reread and share with others.

Unfolding Destinies is a book that was written by Olive Fleming Liefeld who was the wife of the martyred missionary, Pete Fleming.  Thirty-plus years after she lost her husband on a river beach in South America she wrote a book reflecting upon the "unfolding destiny" of God through the incident and throughout her life.  In the book she cites Pete's journals and affords the reader a "real life" glimpse into the hearts of the missionaries, their wives and their families, as it relates to God's ways, presence and work in their lives.  The book is another perspective into the seemingly tragic missionary tale.

I am fascinated by the story of these missionaries.  They were great men with great faith and a radical commitment to Christ, but that is not the part of the story that fascinates me.  I am amazed at God, who is undeniably enmeshed within and throughout the real life narrative.  From the first missionary calling in the men's hearts to me writing about the story nearly sixty years later--God is present and working for good and in love.

I became a follower of Christ as a teenager.  I was a reader and for Christmas one year my parents bought me the books: Through Gates of Splendor, Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot, and The Journals of Jim Elliot.  I am so glad that they bought me these books.  These books began my journey with the story of the five martyred missionaries.  These books served as my gauge for what real Christian commitment looked like.  These books and their story have inspired my service and haunted my theological wrestlings over the years.

Obviously, I can't say enough about the story of the Auca Indians and the lives of the missionaries who loved them enough to die for them.  The story is rich, multi-faceted and replete with the very essence of God.  God was there on that bloodstained beach in South America sixty years ago and he is present even now in each of our lives and he is working for good and in love.

All of the books I have mentioned are must reads.

(I would also recommend the biography of Nate Saint called Jungle Pilot.  I read this one a few years ago.)

Teach Us to Number Our Days--Book Review

This is a book review that I posted on Amazon.com of David Roper's book:  Teach Us to Number Our Days.

All of David Roper’s books are excellent, but I believe this to be one of his best.  In “Teach Us to Number Our Days,” he clearly communicates the Word of God and the words of the Spirit using both his immense Biblical knowledge and his personal, experiential wisdom.  The rich, concise writings in the book are filled with Biblical references, poems, personal narratives and lasting practical application.

The tenor of this book tends to speak to those that are in their advanced years.  However, I am entering the “mid-life” era of life and I found this book to be an extremely rich resource for my spiritual journey.  There are things in this book that I needed to hear so that the “number of my days,” honor God and are fruit bearing for the Lord.

I read this book as I would a devotional reader—one chapter a day.  The content of each chapter was so rich I found myself reflecting and meditating upon its precepts throughout the day.  This book served as a significant instrument in my personal journey of spiritual formation in Christ.

Personally, I think that David Roper’s books will stand the test of time and take their place in the genre of significant and classic Christian writing.  This most recent book, “Teach Us to Number Our Days,” is definitely a God established work of his hands.

Safely Home--Book Review

Safely Home. Randy Alcorn, (Tyndale House Publishers, 2001).

A friend of mine recommended that I read Randy Alcorn's book, Safely Home, but he also said, "Be careful, it will mess you up."  I read Safely Home and it "messed me up." 

Safely Home is a fictitious novel that compares and contrasts the modern day lives of two men.  One man lives and works in the corporate world of the United States of America and one man lives and serves in the world of the underground Christian church in China.  In the book, these two men are friends and former college roommates who haven't seen or interacted with one another for twenty years.  In the story they re-connect in China and the perspectives of Western Christianity and the persecuted church come crashing together.

In this story is found a glimpse into the throne room of heaven, the ground is stained with the blood of martyrs, the indifference of materialism is exposed, the cries and suffering of the persecuted church are heard and the beauty of committed faith in God is realized.

I came away from reading this book with an ache in my heart for a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.  Safely Home exposed my spiritual apathy and it inspired me to treasure all the more the Word of God and the priceless treasure that it holds within its pages.  I don’t want to share more of the story for fear that I might spoil it for you.  If you have the time or the inclination, I heartily recommend the enlightening, challenging and inspiring read of Randy Alcorn’s book, Safely Home.  But be careful because… “It will mess you up.”

Growing Slowly Wise--Book Review

Growing Slowly Wise: Building a Faith that Works. David Roper, (Discovery House, 2000).

For more than a decade I have been involved in leading various weekly early morning men’s groups, and out of all the excellent spiritual books that the men and I have worked through together, none can compare to David Roper’s book, Growing Slowly Wise.  This book plunges the reader directly into the Biblical book of James and focuses upon the idea of a holiness of heart and life—that works.  It makes an effective connection between the pragmatic writings of James and the issues of holy living in the very real moments of life.

Roper’s comments and reflections on the message of James resonate out of over thirty years of pastoring, a lifetime of biblical study and a knack for presenting and communicating the Word of God in a subtle, yet compelling manner that leads one to a response.  Roper knows what it is to live the adventurous life of faith and he is able to lead others in this way as they are in the midst of regular lifetime activities. 

The key idea in Roper’s book is that all of us, in heart and life, are being formed in Christ and this formation takes place in the continual instances of day-to-day living.  As Christians interact with the questions, challenges, joys and struggles of life in relation to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, growth happens—growth that manifests itself in wisdom, holy living and a “beautiful” life.  It is within this life of beauty and holiness that the gospel picture of hope and love resides and is realized by a seeking world.  Roper does a masterful job of taking the “faith that works” of James and melding it with a faith that resides in God at the deepest levels of the human heart. 
Every chapter of Growing Slowly Wise is a pragmatic look at the living message in the book of James.  Roper’s comments and insights into the scripture serve to focus the reader upon aspects of the message that are most relevant to current life and holy living.  It is an approach to the Word that rests upon the idea that the message of the Bible is dynamic and is guiding the reader to respond obediently to the grace of God at work in their life.

Upon completion of Roper’s book, Growing Slowly Wise, the reader is left with a sense of awe.   There is a mature aspect of wisdom and a poetic element of insight in Roper’s words that combine with the powerful words of scripture in the book of James to create a sense of confidence in the fact that the daily lives of believers are to be worked out in the very hopeful realm of faith.  Roper’s words remind us that holiness in life is realized in response to God’s leadings in the midst of the minute by minute dynamic of life.  It is a slow process of growth, but the result is an aspect of wisdom in relationships and an essence of holiness in life that is well worth the wait. 

A Traveler Toward the Dawn--Book Review

A Traveler Toward the Dawn:  The Spiritual Journal of John Eagan, S.J., John Eagan, ed. William J. O’Malley, S.J. (Loyola University Press, 1990).

A Traveler Toward the Dawn by John Eagan is one of the most treasured books on my bookshelf.  I have read this book at least five or six times and I just finished reading it again.  This is a book that has been extremely formative in my life.  It is not a popular book and looking back I have no recollection as to how I ever came across this book.  I know that I read it for the first time in the early 1990s and I know that I gleaned its title from the bibliography of another book that I was reading at the time.  The copy of the book that I currently have in my possession is not my original copy.  My original, marked up, tear stained copy is most likely sitting on a bookshelf in an office or a study of one of my friends.  I have purchased many copies of this book and have passed them along to a number of people over the years.

This morning, as I read the final paragraph of the book and closed the back cover, I had to take a few moments to reflect, pray and weep.  The story between the covers of A Traveler Toward the Dawn deeply touches my heart.  It is the story and spiritual journal of John Eagan, a Jesuit Priest of the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s, who spent most of his life teaching high school students and guiding them along in their spiritual journeys.   

John Eagan’s life was not only one of service unto high school students and a commitment to the life of being a Jesuit Priest but it was also the life of one who was hard after God.  John Eagan was a seeker and a finder of God.  In my earlier readings of this book I found appealing the connection between the very real life and heart of this man and his dynamic journey with his very immanent and loving Heavenly Father.  This book was my first experience with terms like liturgy, daily office, contemplative prayer and spiritual direction, and it was my first exposure to the concepts of liberation theology and to the thoughts of St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order. 

I return again and again to this book because in John Eagan’s spiritual journal I find an honest account of a very ordinary person’s journey in Christ.  In his writing I find a pilgrim who travels with the Lord through the desolation and the beauty of this world and of his own heart.  As he wrestles with the issues of self-centeredness, the passage of time and the unrelenting reality of change, he is ever looking to God, desiring more and more of the Lover of his soul, and throughout his journey he finds God faithful.  This book has greatly impacted my pilgrimage to God and I suspect, if given the chance, I will read it again as I travel toward the dawn.

The Memory of Old Jack--Book Review

I just recently finished reading the book, The Memory of Old Jack by Wendell Berry.  I was looking for a thoughtful and heartwarming read and I was not disappointed with this book by Berry. This is the second book in Berry’s fiction series that is based in the imagined farming community of Port William.  The first one I read by Berry was the very satisfying book titled, Jayber Crow.

Without spoiling the book, The Memory of Old Jack takes place in a small farming community at the tail end of the 1800s.  The story is about the land, farming, hard work, relationships and the unique treasure of people.  The story is a collage of memories of an old man and a life well lived.  Throughout the book is realized the “beauty” of God’s creation in the form of work, agricultural living, farm animals and relationships.  This book is full of practical wisdom that has been lived and learned the hard way.

As one who grew up on a farm and who has always been fascinated by the wisdom of the aged and the artistry of work, I found Berry’s book deeply satisfying.  Throughout The Memory of Old Jack I found my memory quickened with recollections that surfaced in the form of reminiscent tears.  In the work gnarled hands and the tapping cane of Old Jack I could see my great grandfather and in Old Jack’s encouraging words and commitment to family I could see my grandfather who was not only committed to caring for and looking in on his brothers and sisters but who was also available to love and mentor me, his only grandson.

In Berry’s book is realized the beauty of human life and also the banality of living.  Life is not perfect and this reality is evident in Berry’s story line and characters in the novel.  For a piece of fiction, this book is a very real depiction of life as some have known it to be.  It is the real moments of life, the good and the bad, that make up what are considered life memories.  It is these types of memories that are touched upon in Berry’s book, The Memory of Old Jack.  It is a novel that I recommend to you as a book of memories from long ago that you will remember.