Writing round-up for January, 2006

Our writers, in addition to reviewing books here, also actually write. Sometimes.

Here's an overview of what our writers have published in the past month:

Alissa Clark

• Wrote "Seeing God's Hand" for Relevant.com (where she is the Career/Finance editor).
• Published "Surviving Cold Season" at Radiant Magazine Online.

Megan Dunham

• Published "Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be clueless" in Catapult Magazine.

Ed Eubanks, Jr.

• Had three columns published at Low End Mac: "Five Things I Hope to See in 2006," "Replacing Entourage: Apple's Address Book More Powerful than You Might Think," and "Replacing Entourage: Mac Address Book Integrates Nicely with Non-Apple Apps and Services".
• Published "Making Time for Family" at Low End Living magazine.

Zounds! By Mark Dunn

Unlike some books that are limited in use to those who glory in linguistic histories or philological distinctions,Zounds: A Browser's Dictionary of Interjections (with cartoon commentary be Sergio Aragonés) is a fun and informative read for any person who speaks the English language. Dunn takes a quirky and enjoyable look at the world of interjections, or “Linguistic fringe” as he says in his introduction. After a very brief (think five short pages) classification, the real fun starts. In alphabetical order, there are several hundred entries, each often including multiple interjections and similar phrases. Each entry may tell a history, mention a famous use of the introduction, or give comical sample sentences. Often the entries do all three. Here is one of the shorter entries:

havoc!
From the Middle English word havok, itself derived from Anglo-Norman, this was the command given to barbarians to begin their pillaging. (My guess is it would be delivered to the various companies of ravagers, looters, and despoilers by their chief plunder officer). This same sense of the word is retained in the contemporary phrase cry havoc.

Other words have a more convoluted history or different uses, and they normally get longer entries with more stories and comparative sentences. Mark Dunn pulls in everything from the movie Clueless to ancient Scottish war cries. I found it interesting to see the development and meaning of interjections that I frequently use, and the definitions were on occasion eye-opening. Well, this following entry wasn’t eye-opening, but it will give a good idea of how such words are managed (and, I have to admit, the story is really funny).

shit
The first of the seven dirty words comedian George Carlin told us couldn’t be said on the airwaves without inviting the wrath of the FCC, shit has been used by nearly all of us at one time or another, sometimes involuntarily (at least that’s what we tell people. This exclamation of dismay, anger, vexation, disgust, or all of the above has been with us for quite some time. There is a famous story about writer chums Rudyard Kipling and Mark Twain challenging each other to a contest to see who could write the most off-color story. Kipling began his effort with “‘Shit!’ said the Queen.” Somehow Queen Victoria learned of the contest and of Kipling’s entry. Many believe this is why the nationally heralded Bristish writer was never knighted or made poet laureate.

Hopefully the above entry does not offend, but simply gives you an idea of how such words are handled (and shit is probably the worst cuss word in there, excepting variations of words like gadzooks and zounds, which are technically considered “less bad” uses of taking God’s name in vain.

Still, with that warning, the majority of the entries are inoffensive to begin with, and they make this book a useful tool for someone who wants to expand their vocabulary for extreme situations beyond rats!, or anyone who is dying to know the history of the phrase twenty-three skidoo. In documenting interjections, Mark Dunn has provided us with a funny—make that hilarious—and oh-so-useful collection. Abbysinia!

Worldly Saints, by Leland Ryken

Last night I finished Leland Ryken's thorough examination of the Puritan way of life feeling, honestly, somewhat vindicated personally. I've been a "fan" of these people ever since I stumbled upon some of Richard Baxter's writings a while ago and began to undo the impressions that reading The Scarlet Letter and learning history in a typical public school had given me. H. L. Mencken's well-known quip is the opening line of the book: "Puritanism is the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy." Ryken goes on, in a clearheaded, systematic, but unapologetically sympathetic manner, to vindicate the Puritans of such a mistreatment.

The chapters are organized into the various aspects of life for which the Puritans have been known to have distinctive ideologies: to name a few, work, education, money, worship, and, of course, marriage and sex. My favorite was actually the chapter on social action, because I had never considered the Puritans to be social reformers. They are examples nonetheless of a strong conservative force against indiscriminate "charity" and for individual responsibility, in accord with the example of Christ.

The best thing about Ryken's method is that he is not timid about using quotations everywhere possible. To say that he ends up with about 1,000 footnotes is not an exaggeration. The downside is that sometimes the quotes chosen get repetitive--I recognized on several occasions that I was reading the same thing I read in the previous chapter. Still, I can't think of a better way to get to know the Puritans on the whole than through a compilation of their own writings, pulled together by someone who knows well the history of both the English and American traditions. I also appreciate that Ryken did not shrink back from dedicating a chapter to addressing the Puritans' faults. None of the shortcomings he addresses are surprising, but to see them set forward (also with plenty of primary sources) in a more balanced manner than is typical was quite refreshing.

For the Puritans, all truth and all beauty that life under the sun has to offer belongs to God, and therefore is able to be "infused with holiness," as one put it. The Puritan understanding of a unified life in Christ is surprisingly relevant to the current sacred/secular divide that we face. For those of us who align ourselves doctrinally with Puritanism, it is a relief to see that their central ideas had nothing to do with devaluing "the good life," as Mencken and others misunderstand; rather, their lifestyle could be summed up as a right interpretation of Psalm 24: "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof..."

about another amy (who loves books)

I am Amy who loves books. I live in Atlanta, Georgia. Although I once dreamed of living elsewhere, I have never lived outside the south.

I've been married for over a decade. I have two children with appropriately literary names, although I (barely) had restraint at the time and did not name them Annabelle Lee and Gatsby.

I teach high school English at a public school in the inner city. I love my job.

I also love trees and old keys.


I once read that, if you want to find a good wine, the whole point system is irrelevant because the judging is so subjective. Instead, the article suggested that you find a wine critic that seems to share your aesthetic and look at their ratings. I tend to agree. For this reason, I am offering a brief synopsis of my reading style. If you think I share your aesthetic, you'll probably like my reviews.

I do not like to read sitting up or laying down, I like to curl sideways in a chair. I have a special chair just for this purpose. I also have a white cat with mismatched eyes that purrs in my lap while I read. This is my definition of perfect.

My favorite picture book is Good Night, Orange Monster. My favorite chapter book is The Secret Garden. When I was fifteen, I fell in love with Holden Caulfield and E.E. Cummings. I still love them. In college, I had a literary crush on Milan Kundera.

I memorize the release dates and purchase books by the following authors on the day that they are published:
John Irving, T.C. Boyle, Margaret Atwood, Michael Chabon, Donna Tartt, E. L. Doctorow

My favorite dead American writer is William Faulkner. If I could make any classic novel required reading in high school, it would be The Unvanquished. I also like Theodore Dreiser, although I can not explain why.

It seems that English departments at universities split into two camps: lovers of Henry James and haters of Henry James. I fall among the lovers.

My favorite book I read last year was The Time Traveler's Wife.

I am not bothered by much when I read, other than uninteresting writing. I like writers that love words and linger over descriptions. I like to have to think about it.

I have no desire to read The DaVinci Code.

And as for wine, Estancia has a lovely Merlot.

Who Am I - Amy Clifford

Reading has been a part of my life for as long as I can recall.

I have very vivid memories of Bing and Sandy, my first grade reading book, and being impatient that we moved so slowly through it. In elementary school I would often finish my work before my classmates and would use the extra time to squeeze in a few pages of whatever book I was reading.

Sometimes I was so engrossed in my book that I did not hear the teacher announce the next subject of the day. Occasionally she would let me keep reading. Soon I caught on, and would feign deafness in order to keep from having to put my book down!

I grew up about four blocks from our local library, and made no less than weekly trips there every summer. I think the musty smell of that old library is permanently embedded in my olfactory lobe.

A love for the written word has followed me into adulthood. I always have a book close at hand – on the coffee table, on the nightstand, in the car, in my messenger bag.

Although my work as a supervisor in the claims department of an insurance company puts food on my table, my true passions lie in reading, writing, and photography. My photography has been displayed at Barnes & Noble, and at some group shows in the Denver area. Relevant Magazine has published a couple of my articles in their on-line magazine.

I also work with a group in Denver called Urban Skye, a mission charged with “connecting the city to its soul” by developing communities that embrace faith, the arts, and service. Currently I function as Urban Skye’s director of Art & Design.

Some of my favorite authors include: Anne Lamott, Brennan Manning, Augusten Burroughs, Bailey White, Ken Gire, Harper Lee, Eudora Welty, Frederick Buechner, and Flannery O’Connor.

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web are among my favorite fiction works. I count Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life and Traveling Mercies, and Brennan Manning’s Ragamuffin Gospel as some of my favorite non-fiction works.

One of my all-time favorite quotes is from Anne Lamott in Bird by Bird: "...you don't always have to chop with the sword of truth. You can point with it, too."

Flabbergasted by Ray Blackston

Recommended to us by a friend (thanks, Chelsea), Flabbergasted by Ray Blackston is a quirkily-written account of the pursuit of love (or at least non-rejection) that too often goes on in church singles groups. While technically a Christian novel (and therefore read with suspicion because of the genre's tendency to resolve everything in one eventual fell swoop), Blackston's voice and story are humorous enough to make you glad that you stuck with it, despite the silliness of it all.

Blackston's first novel seems semi-autobiographical (a perception validated by a visit to his website) as the story is told from the perspective of Jay (i.e. Ray), a successful twenty-something stock broker recently moved into Greenville, South Carolina. Not too soon after his arrival, Jay (at the time agnostic and functioning on a tip from his real estate agent to use church for potential connections as she does) heads for Northland Presbyterian Church with one goal in mind: meet people, in particular those of the female persuasion.

At just his second singles group meeting on Sunday morning (held "in the little brick building across the church parking lot" - typical), Jay volunteers to help plan the upcoming annual Memorial Day weekend beach trip, not because he's interested in facilitating fellowship as much as he is in meeting girls, specifically Allie, the twenty-something missionary to Ecuador home on furlough (and the real hero of the story).

The beach trip serves to introduce most of the characters in the story and lasts an incredible 120 pages, slightly over one-third of the entire book, leaving 221 pages to cover six months of time, Jay's grappling over the purpose of his job, the meaning of his life, falling in love, and making a major career switch.

Perhaps it's a given that as soon as you start reading the book you know how it's going to end, even without flipping to the back. Jay, the non-Christian, will become a Christian; Jay, the single guy, will find (and get) the girl; and Jay, the self-absorbed stock broker will realize the futility of his job and switch to something more meaningful.

These are not exactly bad things; after all, we desire for people to do all of those things in life - come to Christ, marry someone on that same road, find meaning and purpose in what they do - but to read it in such a perfect manner, tied with a cute bow on top, well, it's not exactly the way it happens for most people. But then, we suppose that's why it's called Christian fiction and not reality. A fun read.

Joshua Anderson: Story

My earliest memories have to do with stories. My father read every night to me and my siblings, first from the bible and then from Tolkien or McDonald or Stevenson or Lewis and there are still some stories my internal ear can only hear in his voice. Taught at home, my early education generally consisted of regular trips to the library and spending the rest of the week devouring the loot. I loved stories, both the "real" and made-up kinds, and there are some fictional worlds that were more real than my own. Much of this remains the same. I still see the two to three minutes it takes to brush my teeth and gargle mouthwash as essential reading time, I get nervous if I find myself eating alone with nothing to read, and only rarely can I fall asleep without putting twenty or thirty minutes into whatever book is on the nightstand. I don't know if I lose myself in stories because I can't live in the real story I'm in, or if it's the stories I read that help me to better live in this world. I suspect the latter.

Some details:

I hold a B.A. from the University of Virginia in English Literature with a concentration in Poetry Writing.

I was awarded the 2003 Rachel St. Paul Poetry Prize for best collection of poetry by an undergrad at UVA. Part of the prize was $1000 cash. I spent it on books.

I'm currently a M. Div. student at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis.

These are some writers whose worlds I like to inhabit: Roger Angell, Annie Dillard, Charles Wright, E.B. White, Marilynne Robinson, Ann Beattie, Franky Schaeffer, Seamus Heaney, C.S. Lewis, Elizabeth Bishop, John Christopher, Gene Wolfe.

These are my guilty pleasures: Curtis Sittenfeld, George Martin, Robert Jordan, J. K. Rowling, Roger O'Brien, John Irving.

I have a blog.

My two favorite people are Ami (wife) and Cael (son).

I am a baptized man.

Jonathan Edwards: America’s Evangelical, by Philip F. Gura.

One may wonder why we need another biography of Jonathan Edwards after the magisterial work of George Marsden’s Jonathan Edwards: A Life (2003), which has garnered a number of awards and wide-spread praise. In defending another Edwards biography, Philip Gura, who serves as the William S. Newman Distinguished Professor of American Literature and Culture at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, claimed that his effort was not meant to be a full-fledged biography, but a “consideration” of Edwards. It was to Gura’s credit that he has done much more than “consider” Edwards. Instead, he has produced a wonderfully readable and useful short biography, one that would be useful for a variety of settings.

Gura’s work located Edwards’ usefulness in the ground-breaking way he talked about spiritual experience. Particularly during the awakening period (1734-1742), Edwards provided “people new ways to approach their spirituality in their everyday lives, a practice based in a subjective, intuitive interpretation of religious experience” (90). As a result, he transformed revivals from the reaffirmation of church covenants to the stirring of emotions that would lead to actions, new affections that would lead to new spiritual practice. As a result, Edwards stands as the first great American evangelical, in the line of 19th and 20th century revivalists and postmodern spirituality promoters, all of whom affirmed the need of subjective, intuitive religious experience as the way of connecting with God.

Gura also excelled in describing how Edwards and other evangelicals utilized the burgeoning colonial print culture to forward their revival purposes. Standing in the train of historians Frank Lambert and Harry Stout, Gura centered particularly on Edwards’ Faithful Narrative as a vehicle that reported on past revival and shaped future awakenings. As that work circulated on both sides of the Atlantic in 1737 and 1738, it created an expectation and model for a further, greater awakening to come. When George Whitefield began to preach, conversions—as well as their physical effects—followed the models provided by Edwards in his narrative. As the awakening continued, Edwards continued defense of it in the public prints—through his Distinguishing Marks, Some Thoughts, and especially Religious Affections—earned him the reputation of the “theologian of the revival.” Gura enabled the reader to understand how Edwards earned that title through his mastering of colonial America’s new print culture.

That being said, there are differences between Gura’s telling and Marsden’s epic tale. Perhaps one could put the difference this way—Gura’s work embodied an old “Harvard” telling whereas Marsden’s represented a new “Yale” telling. Throughout his biography—all the way through to the acknowledgements—Gura replicated a number of the positions of Perry Miller and Alan Heimert, the two doyens of American literature at Harvard University from the 1940s through the 1980s, who did so much to revitalize the study of American Puritanism. His emphases upon “the new sense” and “religious psychology,” John Locke and John Newton’s influence on Edwards, and the importance of the jeremiad all represent the influence of Miller and Heimert. Reading Gura, one gets the sense that a number of the ground breaking studies of Edwards that have come since the mid-1980s never were published (particularly, the recent emphases upon Edwards’ dispositional ontology, Trinitarian theology, and his engagement with Deism); one is time-warped back to the state of affairs in Edwards studies when his Harvard mentors ruled the field.

By contrast, Marsden’s biography fully took advantage of the tremendous amount of work done by those younger scholars associated with the Yale University Works of Jonathan Edwards project. In addition, Marsden, as well as a number of the Yale scholars led by Harry Stout, is an evangelical, which colors his approach with a more appreciative and sure-footed theological cast. In particular, he places Edwards’ continuing importance in exactly the right place: it was Edwards’ all-encompassing vision of God’s glorious sovereignty over all things, not the way he empowered human agency through the religion of the heart, which ultimately explained historically his cultural staying power and continuing influence. And perhaps this is the place where Marsden and Gura’s views of Edwards most clearly parted ways—Marsden, in line with the evangelicals helping to lead the Yale Works of Jonathan Edwards, was quite comfortable with Edwards’ Calvinist theological vision while Gura, like his Harvard mentors, found Edwards’ relevance as the voice of (post)modern spirituality.

Still, Jonathan Edwards: America’s Evangelical is a valuable book, well-written and thought-provoking. Even though it is half the length of Marsden’s tome, it provides excellent summaries of all the major works, including a separate chapter for Edwards’ four major treatises written between 1754 and 1758—Freedom of the Will, The Two Dissertations, and Original Sin. And while Gura does not break new ground, or even utilize unpublished sources, he provides a yet more important service—an useful introduction of “America’s evangelical” to a new generation. And as they turn from his book to Edwards himself, we can only hope that God’s “divine and supernatural light” will transform them into those who love Edwards’ God.

The Virgin Suicides, by Jeffrey Eugenides

The book was made into a major motion picture starring Kirsten Dunst and Josh Hartnett in 1999, and therefore found its way into the general consciousness - and now mine. Though decidedly not a Christian book, it boasts excellent writing and raises important questions in the mind of the mature reader.

This story is a page-turner, in the old-fashioned way that makes you want to stay up long past your bedtime with a flashlight under the covers. It's a sprawling, gothically realistic portrait of life in a small town, centering around the teenagers' and grownups' fictional recollections of the untimely demises of five sisters from the overprotective Lisbon home.

What makes the book interesting is that from the very beginning, the author tells you the ending. The first sentence begins, "On the morning the last Lisbon daughter took her turn at suicide . . . " So although you soon get the end of the story, you never really get the beginning, and spend the whole book trying to catch up to the middle. It's an innovative storytelling method - and consequently, there's really no worry of giving the plot away.

The narrative is a fictional recollection of a group of teenage boys who were obsessed with the five Lisbon girls during the "Year of the Suicides". Characters from town have been tracked down and give their rememberances and opinions on what caused the suicides. Interestingly, the Lisbon girls (and the boys narrating the story) are the most underdeveloped of all the characters, likely on purpose.

The story reeks of death and dying. One can feel the characters and house decaying throughout the book. There's some great descriptive prose that leaves the reader vaguely nauseated as the girls, the family, and the town rot from inside out. Eugenides doesn't pull punches in his descriptions; he's fully honest from the viewpoint of a teenage boy about the indiscretions committed by one of the sisters, the conquests of a minor male character who is surprisingly well developed, and the way the girls eventually end their own lives.

No answer is given, ultimately, but lots of questions are raised. What really does draw these characters, with such promise in their future, to suicide? What should the response be, and how does this contrast with the response of the characters in the book? The Virgin Suicides forces the mature reader with sharpened powers of discernment to look an unpleasant subject head-on, and twists the traditional coming-of-age story into a town's coming-of-death tale.

The Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Eugenides

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Review of Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Imagine, if you will, a post-apocalyptic world. Cities have become tightly controlled autonomous units, insular islands unto themselves. A new social order has emerged, purportedly to eliminate war, competition and strife. The state claims children 11-16 as their own, raising them up in a loosely controlled boarding school. Everything changes, however, when those children turn 16.

Everyone receives "the operation" on their 16th birthday -- the operation that changes them into "Pretties". The operation whitens teeth, strengthens muscles, makes skin flawless, and brings all features in conformity with pre-determined standards of beauty. The operation evens the field - eliminating the root of competition, jealousy, and strife. When everyone becomes Pretty, then no-one is ugly.

All the pre-op children are "Uglies". They live in the dormotories of Uglyville -- but Pretties live in New Pretty Town, where all the newly made Pretties party like it's 1999, so to speak. New Pretty city provides its residents a carnival of non-stop pleasure and indulgence, seemingly free of charge. After several years, the pretties receive the second operation to become "Middle Pretties" where they take on jobs, they raise children, and they appear wise, all knowing, and comforting. And in old age, they receive yet another operation to be a "late pretty" and live out your waning years in pretty retirement. This utopian culture creates bliss.

But things are not what they seem. The world of Uglies hides a dark secret. And our heroine, Tally, has this secret thrust upon her. Tally longs to be a pretty so she can be reunited with her best friend Peris, who mysteriously has cut her off completely after his operation. He never visits or calls. And when she sneaks into New Pretty City to seek him out, he appears to have changed. Soon Tally meets Shay, another pre-operative ugly, who talks about people who live in the wild outside the city -- people who run away before getting the operation -- people who reject the life of the city to live life on their own terms. The week before their 16th birthday (for they were both born on the same day), Shay disappears, and the action picks up pace. The revelation of the dark secret changes Tally's perspective on her world.

I won't spoil the rest of the plot, but it is worth knowing that Westerfeld has crafted an all-nighter read. The subject matter is not new territory: exposing the unfulfilling nature of hedonistic utopias has been well covered by Farenheit 451 and Brave New World just to name two. Westerfeld's approach for how society got to this point, however, is novel and frighteningly plausible. Also, in Tally's struggle to understand the wilderness dwellers hints at social commentary about stewardship of the earth. Christians, who are charged with stewardship of all creation, may find these hints interesting, but not terribly overpowering.

Other major themes that will appeal to Christians are the questions about substance vs. appearance, personal choice vs genetic destiny, and centralized control vs individual autonomy. Unfortunately, Westerfeld seems to excise any kind of spiritual component from his world -- simplifying his story in a way, but also missing out on the real root problem: the human sin nature. There is little in the way of Christian edification in this book, but it is a helpful lens on how a secularist dabbles with these issues.

This book is the first part of a trilogy (second part, titled Pretties, to be reviewed in a few weeks, the third part due out this May). Bottom line, this is entertaining mind candy that has just enough complexity to be a good conversation starter. It's not likely to become an enduring classic that you should keep on your shelves for years, but it is an enjoyable read nonetheless.

Soli Deo Gloria
Russell

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, by Malcolm Gladwell

Why is it that you never get a second chance to make a first impression? How come everyone wants to believe that you can't judge a book by its cover, but we all do it anyway? What happens in those moments when a split-second decision ends up being the best choice we could have made?

Malcolm Gladwell knows. And he explains it, as much as it can be explained, in Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking.

Following up on the amazing success of his first book, The Tipping Point, Gladwell hits another home-run with Blink. The Tipping Point has hit a cultural saturation point-- or, if you will, a tipping point-- and is beginning to show up everywhere: businesses talk about it, the media talks about it. I even found a reference to it on ESPN's news site. Now, I am not a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but my hunch is that Blink will have just as much impact and saturation as The Tipping Point.

Like The Tipping Point, Gladwell challenges our conventional understanding of how things work-- in this case, how we think. Bink offers a unique study of "thin-slicing"-- the idea that the narrowest sliver of information on a subject can sometimes convey more than a comprehensive examination of the same subject. "Blink," Gladwell writes, "is about those first two seconds." Throughout the book he demonstrates that our assumptions about thinking-- that "experts" always know or understand their fields better than "amateurs", that intensive scrutiny surely reveals more than a cursory glance-- are often mistaken, sometimes frighteningly so.

Gladwell's writing style is rich, lively, and enthralling. He is a master storyteller, yet he also understands stories in a way that many don't: he knows how much truth can be conveyed in stories. He also recognizes how much real life is stranger and more intriguing than fiction, and his books are full of real-life tales. From the very start, Gladwell will hook you with his fascinating renditions of new and, at times, obscure accounts that he weaves together seamlessly.

These stories are so diverse as to appear unconnected. He looks at how a seasoned marriage therapist can assess the health of a marriage by watching a few seconds of interaction. He considers why every industry expert was convinced of the future of a musician who couldn't get a record contract. He ponders why it took many major symphony orchestras so long to hire female performers. And he examines why the U.S. president that everyone loved turned out to be one of the worse ever. All because of "Blink" moments-- the first impressions, the instant decisions.

From record companies to New York City policemen, from food critics to military war games to New Coke, Gladwell reaches into nearly every arena to pull examples, illustrations, and parables into his explanations. What results is an intellectual gourmet meal prepared by a four-star chef: multiple courses combined in ways you would never have imagined, just enough of each element and all of it marrying together perfectly to leave you simultaneously satisfied and wanting more.

Be prepared to put other cares aside when you pick up Blink. You will want to give it your full attention.

Real Love for Real Life by Andi Ashworth

One afternoon while browsing around various websites, I landed on Charlie Peacock's site for a bit. While there, I discovered Real Love for Real Life: The Art and Work of Caring written by his wife, Andi Ashworth. Intrigued by the title and idea, I placed an order for the book.

Andi begins by calling the work of caregiving a "misunderstood art." She says, "Full-time caregiving in its many forms can be difficult to describe in the usual introductory conversations when people ask the question, 'What do you do?' Most caregivers are at a loss to know how to answer. We know we're exhausted at the end of a day, but knowing how to explain the exact nature of our work is baffling. The work is varied, and each new day or season brings with it a different set of needs."

When I actually picked the book up and started reading it, I think I'd only read about three pages before I put it down, crying. I vividly remember saying out loud, "Okay, that's all the validation I can handle in one sitting, thank you!" It's not that I don't see the importance or value of what I do, or even necessarily that I need someone to say it all the time. But at the moment that I began reading her words of encouragement, I realized then that I really needed to hear them.

Andi goes on to say, "This idea [of success being equal to wealth or recognition] is so deeply ingrained in our thinking that people who are quietly and faithfully caring for one life at a time behind the scenes wonder if anyone considers the work of their hands and heart to be of value."

I've always viewed my role at home to be my calling. I'm supposed to be here with my girls. I'm supposed to take care of my family's daily needs. I'm supposed to, I want to, and, for the most part, I enjoy what I do. But not until I read this book, did I really consider that making an occasional meal for our church's benevolence freezer or hosting our annual "White Trash Super Bowl Party" or inviting over all of our friends without families in town to share a holiday meal with us were also aspects of my calling.

I had never before considered that spending hours painting giant flowers on Chloe's and Katie's bedroom wall might possibly matter in the grand scheme of things, but Andi reminded me that "we were created to love the beautiful," and "since we have been made in the image of God, the Creator of all the diversity and beauty in the universe, part of our image-bearing capacity is to create. We have an inner urge to do so."

Andi is quick to recognize the various seasons of life and their conduciveness (or lack thereof) to meeting extra needs. She talks about how different the needs are in a family with small children and newborns, as opposed to a family with older kids. The need to give care is still present, but the application is so drastically different.

There have been many times I've felt guilty for not being able to say yes to someone or something because I didn't feel I had the capacity to care adequately for the situation due to the stage of life of my family. Andi's words gave me the freedom to relax in my calling, my gifting, and my season.

The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle

Goblins are not unknown to fairy tales and literature (think Christina Rossetti’s poem “The Goblin Market” or George MacDonald’s book The Princess and the Goblin), but, at least in my many forays into fantasy, they seem to show up much more rarely than dwarves, elves, or even orcs. This oversight is a problem no longer with Clare B. Dunkle’s crafty, chilling, and completely spectacular book The Hollow Kingdom.
After the death of their father, Kate and younger sister Emily are sent to their long-forgotten ancestral home of Hollow Hill. Kate, a quintessential Victorian beauty, has a lot more spunk and intelligence than one might credit her with, and Emily is best described as, “Lively, intelligent, and quite immature, she usually burst out with exactly the comment that summed up the situation beautifully and therefore could never in politeness be said.” These two resourceful sisters love exploring the hills and forests around Hollow Lake, and they are quite ready to settle happily into their new life.

Nothing should be wrong with this idyllic scene, but Kate can’t help her growing sense of unease. A series of sinister events makes Kate almost physically ill, much to the dismay of her aunts and sister but apparently to the satisfaction of her unctuous guardian. For, unknown to Kate, the ancient seat of Hollow Hill is home to more than the traditional mansion: it is the location of the Goblin King’s Kingdom. And every fifty years, the new goblin king must go hunting for a human wife.

As events unfold, Kate fights valiantly to escape the ominous attempts of the Goblin King Marak to drag her down to his domain. But when Emily goes missing, Kate is willing to do anything to rescue her--even brave making a perilous pact with the Goblin King.

This book is truly a fascinating fantasy read, and one that I can’t stop thinking about. Described by one of the friends I recommended it to as “gruesome and gripping” she also could not put it down. It does get a bit dark in parts; the whole subject of kidnapped brides and blood rituals may not be best for those who get queasy around magic. But its charms are undeniable and by the end of the book you will be attached to quite a lot of surprising characters. I won’t spoil the ending, but I can guarantee that you’ll never look at goblins the same way again.

Megan Dunham Looks Like This

I'm married to a man who co-authored this.
I have four girls and they look like this.
A long time ago I had two small devotions published in this. Later, I had two more published in an even smaller venue called this. My very minor claim to fame(?!) was being a top ten finalist in this. Lately, though, I'm more apt to be writing things like this and this.
We like to read books like this. And one day I would like to write books like this or this. And really now, let's be honest: this.
In case you haven't noticed already, I keep a blog that looks like this.

And I think that about does it.

"Hi, I'm Sean Lucas"

I'm a big Johnny Cash fan (if you didn't catch the reference). I also read quite a bit and write as much as I can (so thanks, Ed, for the invite).

What do I do: I teach church history and administrate at Covenant Theological Seminary. I also serve as assistant pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church, St. Louis, Mo. I am a PCA minister in Missouri Presbytery. I've been married for 12 years to my lovely wife, Sara, and have four children, ranging in (descending) ages from 8 to 2. You can find out more about me here.

What have I written: I have two authored books and two co-edited books: (co-edited with D. G. Hart and Stephen J. Nichols), The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards: American Religion and the Evangelical Tradition (Baker, 2003) and (co-edited with Robert Peterson) All for Jesus: Essays Celebrating Redeeming Grace for the 50th Anniversary of Covenant Theological Seminary (Christian Focus, 2006, dv). My authored books are Robert Lewis Dabney: A Southern Presbyterian Life (P&R, 2005) and On Being Presbyterian: Our Beliefs, Practices, and Stories (P&R, 2006). You can find out more on these books here.

My next book project: Actually I've been working on two projects. The historical project is tentatively titled, For a Continuing Church: Conservative Dissent in the Presbyterian Church, U.S., 1934-74. It is a cultural history that focuses on the political, cultural, and religious forces that led to the division of the southern Presbyterian church and the creation of the PCA.

The other, more popular project is a book on discipleship: Following After Jesus: Learning a Life of Grace-Centered Discipleship. [For those who go to Covenant PC, you'll recognize this as working off the sermons I preached this past fall] But right now (as in today) I am editing the print out of On Being Presbyterian. I also write a bit on my blog.

What am I reading: Since Christmas, I've finished Stephen Ambrose's Undaunted Courage and N. T. Wright, Paul: In Fresh Perspective. I've started N. T. Wright's The Last Word, Carolyn Gilman's Lewis and Clark: Across the Divide, and Joseph Ellis's His Excellency. I am awaiting Harry Stout's new book, which releases next week, Upon the Altar of the Nation.

Meet Ed Eubanks, Jr.

My hat-rack is labeled in this way: husband, father, teacher, consultant, writer.

I married Marcie in 1998; we have two children, Jack (b. 9/2002) and Molly (b. 7/2004).

I grew up and lived in Columbia, SC (I went to high school with Russell, and attended the University of South Carolina for undergrad) until 1999; during that time I was a student, retail salesman, youth minister, and occasional slacker. Marcie and I moved to Roanoke, VA in December of 1999 where I worked as a youth minister for a PCA church. In 2001, we moved to St. Louis to attend Covenant Seminary. We still live in St. Louis.

Apart from serving in two churches as a youth minister and another as adult nurture intern, most of the rest of my true career has been in education. I teach Logic, Rhetoric, and the Senior Research Seminar at Wildwood Christian School (with Chris and Bethany) in Wildwood, MO. I also serve the school administratively. When I'm not working with WCS, I also work with Dr. Philip Douglass as a consulting associate in his consulting practice for pastors and churches.

I received a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy (with a minor in Theater and Speech) from the University of South Carolina in 1999. I completed my Master of Divinity at Covenant Theological Seminary in December 2005.

My writing career has largely consisted of articles, though there are other things in the works. I have published in Youthworker Journal, ByFaith magazine, and Low End Living. I also write a regular column for Low End Mac called "The Efficient Mac User". I write a blog of reflections on the placement process for pastors and ministers, including my own experiences. And I'm co-authoring a book with one of my professors. I'm fairly slow at updating my list of articles and writing projects at my writing website.

In addition to writing and my work, I also enjoy photography, hunting and fishing, auto mechanics, and cooking.

Alissa's Spiel

For the last four years, I've generally classified myself as a "geek" - my degree is in Information Technology and I went to an engineering school - but only recently have I re-aligned myself with my former world of writing and bookwormitude.

I'm 22, and I moved to New York City in June 2005 to work in technology at an investment bank after a run-in with the GREs and serious consideration of a master's in journalism (ditched, because I wanted to live in NYC and didn't want to pay tuition anymore). I now reside in Greenwich Village, which teems with aspiring artists and writers and wannabees, and attend the Village Church. I love New York. Where else can you see a punky teenager reading Dostoevsky on the subway?

I edit the Career and Finance section of Relevant Magazine's online edition, and I write for them fairly regularly (see here and here for recent articles). I also keep a blog with ever-increasing traffic, to my ever-increasing astonishment. I concentrated my major in college in communications. I was homeschooled from 6th grade to the end, and worked through the Christian Writer's Guild program in high school. I also spent four years as the editor of the local homeschool support group's 16-page monthly newsletter. This spring I'm taking two classes at NYU in an attempt to get some good writing criticism - Freelancing for the Novice Writer and Film & Media Journalism.

After four years in the intellectual wasteland into which one plunges when studying software design, reading only about mundane things such as heap sorts and algorithm analysis, I've jumped back into my voracious reading habits of old. I'm particularly partial to fiction from the last two centuries and theology. I also attempt to read the New Yorker cover-to-cover every week, an education in and of itself. And I'm working on expanding my poetry and postmodern fiction vocabulary.

A few of my most beloved writers are C.S. Lewis, Flannery O'Connor, Michael Lewis, Francine Rivers (some of the best fiction on the Christian market), John Piper, e.e. cummings, William Shakespeare, Pablo Neruda, and Bill Bryson.

And lastly, I was known in college as the proofreading nazi, having missed my true calling as a copyeditor. My grammar has gone downhill in my own world, but I still compulsively correct everyone else's.

This year's reading list is outlined on my blog, so expect to see some of those in the near future.

Lee Anne's Literary Life

Or, rather, the literary parts of my life (then again that's almost everything). When I was very young, my parents decided it would be a good thing to pass along their love of books to me. Little did they know it would work too well. Now they have to beg me to stop reading. Once they tried banning me from all but school reading; I lasted maybe three days before I felt like I was going crazy. I read around 130 books last year (excluding schoolbooks). Most of them, I freely admit, are what I term "fluffy" books; that is, YA novels, fantasy, etc. Of course, there were a fair number of longer tomes (like Jane Eyre), but I like reading at a fast and furious pace.

Most of the writing I do is for the many inevitable school papers (this past semester, my first at the University of Missouri-Columbia, I took three honors courses plus a writing intensive course, so I was pretty much writing all the time). My major is Journalism, but I would love to switch to Literature if I just knew what to do with it. (Agatha Christie's the Queen of Crime. Maybe I could be the Queen of Fluffy Fantasy Readers.) In 2005 I was an Opinion Shaper for the West County Journal, acting as a type of guest-columnist and writing three articles. I've had a letter to the editor published in a magazine, and when I was really young my essay won a Father-of-the-Year Award for my dad (boy, I sound really desperate). Under much duress, Mr. Eubanks and Mr. Baker forced me to crank out a senior research paper on worldviews and Cinderella fairy tales (an area I find fascinating). I'd love to write books, and I'll start as soon as I think I have something original to say.

Some authors I enjoy: J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Jane Austen, M.M. Kaye, Georgette Heyer, Shannon Hale, Baroness Orczy, Patricia C. Wrede, Garth Nix, and many, many others.

Russell's Bio

Russell Blanchard Smith
Age 33
Hometown: Columbia, SC (home of the fighting Gamecocks, and don't you forget it)
Current Employment: Pastor, Covenant-First Presbyterian Church Cincinnati, OH
Education: Graduate of James H Hammond Academy (not the Hammond School!)
BA in English from Wake Forest University
MDiv from Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando FL
Past endeavors
Independent producer of Christian Drama
Trainer and Technical writer for Electronic Publishing International Corporation (now defunct) and Wachovia Corporation (still funct.)
Announcer for WFDD Radio
Former member of Toastmasters International

Current endeavors
Cincinnati Rotary Club
The Eagle and Child Weblog
Doing all kinds of husband and dad stuff

Publications
Articles and sermons have been re-published in Presbyweb, Blogs4God, Reformed Perspectives Online Magazine, and Monergism.

I like to think of myself as part of the emergent neo-puritan movement (which means you have to accept John Calvin into your heart as your personal theologian). Check out my partial library list and book reviews at Library Thing. Other things I enjoy --hunting, chess, good food, good movies, good friends, good conversation, and really good books.

Current reading trend (summing up 2005): Dystopias (great demonstrations of human depravity and our need of grace): Animal Farm, Farenheit 451, Uglies (review coming soon), Heart of Darkness, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, to name a few. But I'm also on the classics kick (City of God, the Metamorophoses, Justin Martyr, Greek Lyric poetry, etc) and the fantasy kick (Chronicles of Narnia, The Once and Future King, Lord of the Rings, etc).

Soli Deo Gloria
Russell

Meet Laura.

I am a freshman, soon to be 19, at Baylor University. Beginning this semester, I'm studying through a program that gives me free rein with course selections and thus a slightly more sophisticated answer in place of "undecided." For now I'm learning the classical languages and figuring out the basics of reading, writing, and thinking scholarly-ly, if you will. I plan to get to the formal study of theology somewhere, somehow, and relatively soon, but it will not be at Baylor.

As far as professional writing credentials, I can't think of any cards to flash except little flimsy business cards with an inflated description of my job and a blog URL (I don't really have any of those). I've kept my own blog for about 2 1/2 years now, and I was one of the original members of Intellectuelle (unfortunately for just a short time). I started out on the journalism track, my interest having been piqued by state writing (and, I have to confess, spelling/vocabulary) competitions, and ended up the editor of the high school newspaper. Now I'm an editorial apprentice at the university's academic press, which is about the most perfect job I've ever had or could have at this point.

Some of my favorite literary-minded folks would include Flannery O'Connor, George Herbert, John Calvin (did you know his first published work was a commentary on Seneca's De Clementia?!), G. K. Chesterton, and many Puritans or Puritan-types whose works and lives are, in my ever-so-enlightened opinion, especially worthy of imitation.

Lastly, I share with my classics professor a rebelliously-motivated disregard for the arbitrary MS Word spell/grammar check, and nothing gives me more of a power rush than to right click, "Add to Dictionary," and wipe that idiotic red line off the screen, enriching the English vocabulary in a matter of seconds. (I like hyperbolic sarcasm only when it touches ideas or inanimate objects.)

Gracious thanks to Ed for inviting me on board, and I look forward to seeing the results of this very varied community we have.

The Big Moo, by The Group of 33

The Big Moo: Stop Trying to Be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable by the Group of 33, edited by Seth Godin.

After publishing his book, Purple Cow: transform your business by being remarkable, business writer Seth Godin overheard a brainstormer say, "we need more than that-- we need a big moo!"

So began Seth's quest to put together the concepts that might lead to a big moo: those ideas that keep remarkable-ness at the forefront of any business or organization. He assembled a dream-team of 33 thinkers, including Malcolm Gladwell, Tom Peters, Guy Kawasaki, and Mark Cuban (and Godin himself), to work with him. The group became "The Group of 33" and the concept became The Big Moo.

Any leader at any level will profit from this book. It is full of twists, tales, and angles that lend to the reader The Group's peculiar insight into being remarkable. New ways of thinking about old, familiar tasks will inspire change. Factors and small details never before considered (think The Tipping Point) will emerge as the most important things you never thought of.

The Group takes you through case studies, comparisons, jokes, and testimonies. There is one part statistical data, two parts entrepreneurial theory, and three parts memoir (with a hint of confession thrown in) on every page. Some sections are laugh-out-loud funny while others are moving.

They touch on ideas as diverse as "Harry Houdini was a lousy magician" (how Houdini transformed the world of magic by changing it) to "Isaac Newton's head" (how Newton became a historic name for what was perhaps his least significant contribution) to "Chevy Chase and Bill Murray" (how a different approach makes a big difference) to "The Next Da Vinci Code" (why imitation doesn't work).

The chapters-- if you can call some of them "chapters"-- are brief and digestible. Some sections are less than a single page in length. Others are simple lists. The longer chapters are as well-written and readable as they are insightful. This is a great book for keeping on-hand when you have only a minute or two and want to make the most of it. (Of course, if you're like me you'll end up reading through it as quickly as you can turn the pages.)

Jim Collins (see Russell's recent review) claims that, for any organization, the biggest obstacle to becoming truly great is being simply "good". Given that, becoming "remarkable" is a worthy goal. The Group of 33 defines Remarkable as:

• being unafraid to stand out
• having a fire in your belly and an idea that won't quit
• telling the truth, always
• knowing that a risky idea might fail, but a boring idea will definitely fail
• failing often and then trying again
• more doing and less planning. More testing and less waiting. More dreaming and less sleeping
• when you stand for something and make it happen and change the world-- or your business or your life-- along the way

Finally-- if there is not enough incentive to buy the book-- The Group of 33 is giving 100% of the royalties for the book to three charities: the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Acumen Fund, and Room to Read.

Expecting Adam by Martha Beck

Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic

Martha and her husband John were both working on graduate degrees at Harvard when they received news that the baby Martha was carrying (their second) had Down's Syndrome. Martha, who up to that point in time considered herself pro-choice, opted to keep the baby anyway, in spite of great pressure on her by her peers, professors, and doctors to do otherwise.

This memoir was an amazing read - not only the story, but the storytelling drew me in and captivated me as much or more than enjoyable fiction. This isn’t to say the story was “cute” or “light” (though there were moments of both), but it was real and honest to the point of bringing me to tears on more than one occasion and making me totally think Martha was looney for recounting the many unexplainable “spiritual” or “paranormal” encounters she had, mostly during her pregnancy with Adam, but also some after.

(Note: If I had realized there would have been as much of the “unexplainable” in the book before I read it, I might not have read it, as I would have dismissed it as New Age gobblely-gook. I still don’t know what I think about all that she experienced, but I know this: she experienced something and that something changed the way she viewed her life, viewed her world, and viewed the baby she was carrying and would have otherwise aborted.)

Reading about the way Martha processed through the news that Adam wouldn’t be a “normal” baby opened my eyes to the selfish way I often process news that is much less surprising or devastating than hers. Soon after she received the phone call and as she was on her way to a consulting appointment with a nurse at the University Health Services Center she writes:

“I lugged my abdomen toward Harvard Square, keeping my eyes fixed on the cobblestones directly in front of me. This was how I kept myself from coming apart. I had never meditated before, but over the next few months I would figure out how to do it without any instruction at all. I learned to wash my mind blank and stare at some object, real or imaginary, but not precisely alive. I devised mantras, phrases I repeated over and over to help me stop thinking. I remember vividly the mantra that got me from my apartment to the Co-op that afternoon. As I walked along the slushy sidewalks under a freezing rain, I murmured over and over, ‘Why not me? Why not me? Why not me?’ I can honestly say I never did ask the opposite question…”

She also tells a story about a Harvard acquaintance of hers who around that time had a relative commit suicide and how that shared pain (albeit different pain) seemed to “level the ground” between them and allowed them to talk openly with each other about their pain and fears:

“Since then, I am always perversely happy to hear that a friend has been knocked upside the head by some unpleasant event. I am not glad they’ve experienced pain, but I am profoundly grateful for the down-to-earth compassion that emerges only when people face their pain and absorb it into the fabric of their lives. (This, by the way, does not mean that I myself want to go through any more pain, of any kind, ever.)”

She told stories of the incredible callousness of folks like the woman who called Martha every time some little thing happened to her - like her washing machine breaking down - just to comfort herself by saying, “But it’s not nearly as bad as having a deformed baby, is it?” She also told amazing stories of people who came alongside her at just the exact time she needed them to, and without being asked, to care for, love, and serve her.

Martha also wrote of the...

“...second phase of her education, the one that followed all those years of school. In it, I have had to unlearn virtually everything Harvard taught me about what is precious and what is garbage… Now I think that the vast majority of us 'normal' people spend our lives trashing our treasures and treasuring our trash. We bustle around trying to create the impression that we are hip, imperturbable, omniscient, in perfect control, when in fact we are awkward and scared and bewildered. The irony is that we do this to be loved, all the time terrified of anyone who seems to be as perfect as we wish to be…”

“...the choice we made to accept [Adam] into our lives has done much more than give us a son we love to distraction. It has made risk takers of us. WE are not irrationally convinced that there is little to lose by taking the road less traveled, by making decisions based on nothing but dreams, or intuition, or our hearts’ desires. Since Adam came along we have quite good jobs, formed unusual relationships, undertaken projects that seemed crazy or quixotic or just plain dumb. Sometimes we succeed and sometimes we fail, but it’s always a great ride.”

This story is one of the few that after reading, I felt like a part of the story. I know I will think of Expecting Adam every time I see a family with a special needs child, be it Down's Syndrome or something else. I think I would question the pliability of anyone whose heart isn’t moved in some form or fashion after reading Martha’s story.

(Note: As I began to post this review, I did a bit of research on the Becks and discovered some disheartening information regarding life choices they have since made that were not disclosed in the book. Nonetheless, the writing of this book was still excellent and I appreciated this story, if not the rest of the author’s story.)

Laura's Top Five for 2005

5. Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson. Kudos to Ashley Hales for convincing me to read and review with her and Amanda McClendon a piece of modern (yet slightly postmodern) fiction! This was not at all my typical experience with the stuff, although that's a rather uncritical generalization. The frame of the novel is a letter (more like a series of journal entries) written from the dying third-generation pastor of a small Iowa town to his young son (and indirectly, to his young wife). Poignant, latently charming, and thoughtfully provocative could be a starting place for describing the impression the novel left on me. I especially recommend reading it in the summer.

4.Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte. A gothic romance, full of the imaginative and poetic elements that could be called implausible, I read this in January for a research paper; while the paper was not so stimulating, I consistently got chills reading Bronte's creepily evocative prose, and it wasn't because I was reading it during a central Texas January. Ideally the book should be read in the bleak midwinter where winter actually happens, and by dim lamplight if possible. Avowed realists need not apply. ;)

3. Love Your God with All Your Mind, J. P. Moreland. This is a surprisingly comprehensive book that starts out with the failures of evangelicalism to fulfill said command, and moves in a positive direction with the implications in various disciplines and for all kinds of people. Unapologetic in his insistence that learning is a universal vocation for Christ's disciples, Moreland provoked me deeply to reconsider my view of the place for theology in a believer's life, and perhaps more importantly, to reform my understanding of the place of extrabiblical studies. Since I picked this up toward the end of my high school days and into the summer before I started college, it was the perfect watershed of a read, and I would without hesitation loan it to any who are on their way to being a professional student just as soon as to any who are not.

2. Theopneustia, by Louis Gaussen. By a 19th-century contrarian pastor in the Swiss Reformed tradition, this is a thorough defense of the plenary inspiration of Scripture--not merely to clear alleged variations and contradictions, though there is a section devoted to specific cases to clear out of the way for those worried about the Bible's scientific, historical, and overall integrity. Moreover, to the giddy delight of one who thought VanTil was the first presuppositionalist, he completely undercuts the assumptions of liberal textual criticism, which was on the rise in his time and now is pervasive in biblical studies. What commended the book most to me, though, was how Gaussen encourages concerned Christians with all the stalwart tenderness of a pipe-smoking grandfather. His gentle, passionately rational exhortations really are reminiscent of Paul's letters at times. This is the unique element that makes it a book suitable for pastors or scholars and the laity alike.

1. City of God, Augustine. Admittedly, this was assigned reading for a freshman seminar--the best class I will ever take at Baylor, I am happily and ruefully convinced--and though at the time I didn't regret skipping the three or four books (or sections; there are 22, I believe) that we had to pass over for lack of time, it was because there was so much to be gleaned from nearly every sub-section of every book that we did read. I almost felt like it was an offense against such an intellectual masterpiece that we had to speed through it so quickly. The best way I might describe it is that Augustine accomplished for the kingdom of God something like the intellectual equivalent of the geopolitical advances that Constantine achieved a century earlier for what he thought to be the physical kingdom of God: tearing down the idols of Roman religion and civic life (which he shows to be significantly interrelated), he constructs on those ruins the first complete Christian apologetic for the Church from which to draw almost exclusively for the following centuries, until the Reformation. It's a tossup which was more enduring, but if you ever have a chance to study Constantine and Augustine in the same setting, don't think twice.

Ed: my top five for 2005

I think I ended up with something close to 40 books read for 2005. Some were great; others, I was glad to have behind me.

Here are the five best books I read during the year (in no particular order):

• Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynn Truss. This witty look at grammar is a delightful way to gain an understanding (or a better one) of punctuation and basic grammar.
• Built to Last by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras. A wonderful look at how organizations can establish themselves as long-lasting, impact-making institutions.
• Creating Customer Evangelists by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba. Ever since I read Guy Kawasaki's Selling the Dream in the early '90's, I've been sold on the word-of-mouth, evangelism-style concept of marketing and promotion-- not just of the Gospel, but any idea. McConnell and Huba bring a needed update of this idea into today's culture.
• Writing to Learn by William Zinsser. This amazing book has transformed the school where I teach into a more writing-intensive learning environment; great for anyone who doubts that writing has value in their discipline.
• The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. A ground-breaker; if you haven't heard about this book, you've been missing out. A great look at why little things make a big difference.

Good To Great: A Monograph for the Social Service Sectors

I recently reviewed this fine little work over on the Eagle and Child -- glad to reproduce the review for this blog:


Many of you have read Jim Collins' teriffic book Good to Great. Following on the heels of his success Built to Last, it showed the qualities and disciplines that companies needed to transcend being good at what they do to achieve enduring greatness.

A quick recap of the book -- to achieve greatness, companies need:
1) Level 5 leadership (a humble tenacity to do what it takes to make the organization -- rather than the individual -- great)
2) First Who...Then What (get the right people -- ie dedicated and disciplined and self motivated people -- on the bus, THEN figure out where to drive the bus)
3) Confront the Brutal Facts - But Never Lose Faith (Be honest about the current conditions, but have dogged belief that you will find a way to persevere!)
4) The Hedgehog Concept (what is the intersection of the three questions: What are you best in the world at? What drives your economic engine? What are you passionate about?)
5) A culture of discipline (a culture of freedom and accountability filled with self disciplined people -- the key to greatness is more perseverance than brilliance)
6) Technology Accelerators (don't invest in technology for its own sake -- carefully select technologies to advance the hedgehog concept)

He closes the with the image of they flywheel or the doom loop. Companies in the doom loop spiral slowly from disorganization to chaos until they spin out of control. The flywheel, on the other hand, is the picture of success -- it isn't turned by one big push, but by an accumulation of consistent pushing over time. Once it gets going, the pushing becomes easier, but you don't stop.

One of the challenges of the book was applying it to Non-profit sectors (like the church). Many of the concepts resonated deeply with nonprofit leaders, but they centered around economic metaphors and a business structure that doesn't necessarily apply in the nonprofit realm. Now, Collins has released a 36-page monograph that applies his concepts to the social service sectors.

Here's the main points:
1) Measuring greatness -- non-profits can't measure greatness in purely economic terms. You have to define your inputs and your outputs -- then measure greatness in whatever your outputs are, even if those outputs cannot be quantitatively measured. For instance, the Cleveland Orchestra aimed at artistic greatness (not necessarily measured by ticket sales) -- they did this by asking "are we getting standing ovations" "are we booking tours in other cities and around the world" "are we being copied by other orchestras" "do composers seek to have their work debuted in Cleveland" etc.

Applying to the church is another challenge -- are our people growing in love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control? (Galatians 6:22) Are our people sharing stories of God at work? (one measurement we use -- are our people reporting prayer needs and praises in worship on Sunday) Are we recognized in the community for how we bring the gospel out of our walls and into the streets? You can come up with many more.

2) Level 5 Leadership -- getting things done in a diffuse structure. Collins rightly recognizes that working with volunteers in nonprofits requires more tact, care, and caution than is the case in the corporate realm where executives weild raw executive power. He distinguishes between the executive leadership of corporations and the legislative leadership of nonprofits -- exemplified in a quote from Frances Hesselbein of the Girl Scouts "...you always have power if you know where to find it. There is the power of inclusion, and the power of language, and the power of shared interests, and the power of coalition. Power is all around you to draw upon, but it is rarely raw, rarely visible." (10)

And so it is in the church. We rightly see ourselves as a body, with each member belonging to all the others (Romans 12:5). We are not mere appendages of some power broker leader, functionaries executing his will. Rather we are an organism. Presbyterian churches exemplify this with a plurality of elders and a system of checks and balances among congregations and higher governing bodies.

3) Getting the right people on the bus -- this is a challenge in the highly volunteer driven social sector -- Collins suggests getting around it by having high standards for new people coming on the bus. Don't fire the tenured folks (because you can't), but raise your standards for bringing new people on -- build a coalition of highly competent people and let the change organically develop.

This is challenging, for quite honestly in the presbyterian church, our nominating process encourages satisfaction of constituencies, rather than assessment of character and theological commitment (sure, we charge churches with providing officer training, but in many churches, that training is a mere formality, rather than a true process of discernment of calling). San Diego Presbytery has done some interesting work with their "essential tenets" documents for officer training, and yet there is still so much more that congregations could do. Let this one percolate in your brain for a while, for I have no easy answers.

4) The Hedgehog concept without a profit motive -- Rather than asking what drives your economic engine, ask what drives your resource engine -- what gets volunteers out of bed in the morning, what brings grant dollars, what compelling stories motivate people to voluntarily give of their time and talent? Sounds like Stewardship to me, and not just an annual fundraising drive, but real whole life stewardship. This is the kind of stuff we ought to excel at.

5) The flywheel -- building your brand. Every organization has a brand, like it or not. It is built in every interaction, every deed, every day. Congregations (and denominations) have to be aware of this.

So, now that I've summarized the main points of the book, why go out and buy it? Because Collins gives real life illustrations that breathe vitality into the concepts -- he makes it possible to say "We can do that" -- his writing crackles in the imagination and inspires us to dream greater dreams for our congregations.

One thing he skipped, that I think is a spot of hope: the concept of "Face the Brutal Facts -- but never lose hope" has special application to churches. This is our great gift as Presbyterians -- we believe in the soveriegnty of the Living God. In the face of adversity, we can have hope and confidence that our trials and challenges will not completely crush us -- the kingdom will endure. It's Psalm 121; it's Heidelberg Catechism question 1 "What is your only comfort, in life and in death? That I belong -- body and soul, in life and in death -- not to myself but to my faithful savior, Jesus Christ...." And that's a comforting thought indeed.

For your edification, here's more Christian Commentary on the monograph:
Tony Morgan
Bill Kinnon

Soli Deo Gloria
Russell

Lee Anne: *Some* Of My Favorite Reads (2005)

Despite the fact that my diet is primarily fantasy, I tried to create at least a little variability in this list. I really do read some serious stuff, but most of that is for school, and none of those books were good enough to include in my favorites (stay far away from Louis XIV and Absolutism and Aristotle if you possibly can). So, without much further ado, here are some good books I read in 2005, in (almost) no particular order.

~The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
Definitely my favorite new author. I want to be Shannon Hale when I grow up (well, you know what I mean). This, her first book, is a retelling of a lesser known fairy tale. Amazing, amazing, amazing. It's just wonderful--what more can I say?
~Mere Christianityby C.S. Lewis
I know, I know--could I pick a more well-known book? Well worth a read or re-read.
~Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Historical fiction/time travel. Researchers have a new way to glean information about the past--to go there. But some centuries, due to their inherent dangers, are off limits. That doesn't stop graduate student Kirvan from spending years studying so that she can go back to the 1300s. Eventually her chance comes, and she winds up back in time. But things have gone horribly wrong. A glitch has (unbeknownst to her) put her in England in the wrong year--the year the Black Death strikes. Meanwhile, in modern England, a new pandemic throws the university staff and entire city into confusion. The thing that sets this book apart is that the focus is not on the technology, but on the characters. What do you hold onto when your entire world shatters? While we may not agree with Ms. Willis' answers, the questions she raises are always timely.
~Enough: Staying Human in An Engineered Age by Bill McKibben
Okay, this is my one "required" book that made it onto the list. I alternately loved it and hated it, Not the best written book ever, but it provides interesting secular arguments against cloning and genetic manipulation.
~The Raging Quiet by Sherryl Jordan
Marnie has been married one day when her drunken husband dies. Left with a small cottage in an unfamiliar village, she recognizes almost immediantely that she is too different to mesh with the villagers. Her friendship with the village priest introduces her to the village madman,an insane young man. Marnie soon discovers that he is not mad, but deaf. She determines to find a way of communicating with him. Soon labeled a witch, Marnie's life is endangered by her immovable conviction to accept--and love--an outcast of society.
~The Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Marie Pope
A lovely, light-hearted story. An orphaned young lady goes to live with her uncle in his old New England mansion, and the ghosts of her Revolutionary War ancestors appear to help her unravel a mystery while also telling their stories. It may sound sappy, but the straightforward writing and interesting characters make this short book one of my favorites.
~Blink By Ted Dekker
My Christian Thriller contribution to this list. Seth is a genius, and he believes he's discovered a truth: that there is only one set future--the one that is going to happen. This, he believes, leaves no room for individual choices. But one morning Seth is given a perilous gift; he sees the future before it happens. But not one future, thousands that change in the blink of an eye. And most of them end with his death. Fleeing bad guys (and "good" guys) with an imperiled Saudi Arabian princess, Seth tries to reconcile his strange gift with what he should-or shouldn't-believe.
~Little Girl Lost by Leisha Joseph
The rest of the title is One Woman's Journey Beyond Rape. This true story of horrible events and redemption is an amazing read. Be prepared to cry.
~Summers At Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn
Set in a rich medieval-fantasy world. Lady Coriel is the illegitimate daughter of a deceased nobleman from a powerful family. Unlike most of the year, which Corie spends in a small village with her herbalist grandmother, her summers at Castle Auburn throw her into the whirling and devious world of the rich and powerful. She loves her half-sister dearly, but moons over the Prince, who is destined to marry her sister. As Corie grows up, she discovers that a pretty face doesn't make a pretty heart, and that a world of glittering trappings can turn deadly in a moment.
~The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Written just under a century ago, this gothic romance's tone is reminiscent of Jane Eyre (which I also recommend). If you're in the mood for a long, winding tale of sinister plots and true love, then this will do the trick, Yet another reason to read it: Andrew Lloyd Webber just adapted this book into his newest musical.

Megan's 2005 Booklist

Here is my compiled list for the year. My yearly goal, starting in 2004 has been to read three each month. There were several months this year where I clocked zero books, and several where, thanks to homeschooling, I clocked way above my goal. I'm finishing the year at 40, which for me is really good.

I know that the typical next step would be to challenge myself to go above that for this next year, but I'm going to hold steady right here with this three/month goal. Here's to fresh starts!

The highlighted authors denote my ten favorite reads of the year.

The Kitchen God's Wifeby Amy Tan
Bel Cantoby Ann Patchett
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia by Jean Sasson
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
The Jordan Tracks by Steven Wise
A Song I Knew by Heart by Bret Lott
The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
The Broker by John Grisham
When You Rise Up by R.C. Sproul Jr.
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
The Well-Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer
Before We Get Started by Bret Lott
The Story of Christianity, Volume 1: The Early Church to the Reformation by Justo Gonzalez
Expecting Adam by Martha Beck
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler
Understanding People by Larry Crabb
The Apple and the Arrow by Mary and Conrad Buff
The Call by Os Guinness
Homer Price by Robert McCloskey
My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannet
Beyond Identity by Dick Keyes
Transforming Grace by Jerry Bridges
The Usborne Book of Peoples of the World by Roma Trundle
The Usborne Book of Houses and Homes by Carol Bowyer
Children of the Living God by Sinclair B.Ferguson
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater
The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
The Healing Path by Dan Allender
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
The Light at Tern Rock by Julia Sauer
Mountain Born by Elizabeth Yates
Spiritual Mothering by Susan Hunt
Perfecting Ourselves to Death by Richard Winter
Christian Spirituality Edited by Donald Alexander