Recent Reads

Truth is heavy,

therefore few care to carry it.

The Talmud

     Sometimes truth is too simple... it requires a heart that is willing to pause and consider. So, when I noticed a new book on writing my first thought was, "...another one?" Then I read the subtitle- Understanding the Passion That Leads to Meaningful Writing. Hmm- meaningful writing. I read the book quickly, in one sitting. I chewed on it the rest of the day. Then I read it again.

     Goethe said, "Everything has been thought of before, but the difficulty is to think of it again." He was, of course, paraphrasing Solomon's words spoken thousands of years earlier. Missionary Writing by Jeff Calloway is a reminder that words have meaning, words change lives, and Jeff Calloway outlines a course of action for the writer who has been called (he explains being called) to write. For me, the beauty of Missionary Writing is Jeff Calloway's succinct style; he doesn't belabor a point, he begins a conversation. If you are called to write, read Missionary Writing.  

Missionary Writing

Jeff Calloway

 

"For a missionary, a call that doesn't require action is not a call at all. When God calls a missionary, He expects an answer."

Jeff Calloway

     Truth is immutable, and in the house where I grew up, a few other things were immutable as well: church was on Sundays and Wednesdays, dinner was on the table at 5 PM, and the television was tuned to Billy Graham's Crusades, regardless of the night. The name Billy Graham is synonymous with evangelist; I cannot imagine our world without him... 

     At 92 years of age, Billy Graham has written another book- Nearing Home; Life, Faith, and Finishing Well. Nearing Home is written by a man who has walked closely with God in this chapter of life; a man who wants to share a few final thoughts before continuing his walk in the next chapter.

     Billy Graham's life is a picture of Life, Faith, and Finishing Well.   

Nearing Home

Billy Graham

"Growing old has been the greatest surprise of my life. I would never have guessed what God had in store for me, and I know that as I am nearing home, He will not forsake me the last mile of the way."

Billy Graham

Pocket Stuff

'What has been and what is to be- already is.

And God holds accountable all the pursuits of humanity.'

Ecclesiastes 3:15

The Voice

     Pockets are made for rocks and stuff- every little boy knows this to be true; the little boy in me knows this to be true every time I go for a walk. There will always be, I suppose, the 'perfect' pebble waiting patiently for me... I remember my Mom complaining of "pebbles? in the clothes dryer, again?!" 

     Sometimes, when I think about pocket stuff, I think about Mr. Durisko, my childhood Sunday School teacher. He had a gentle way of teaching. I wonder what he thought about my friends and me- a rowdy mess of boys. He never raised his voice. His kindness was consistent. Parker Palmer said, "...good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher." 

     Mr. Durisko was a good teacher. 

     I was older, Jr. High I think, when the phone call came. It was a Wednesday night- prayer meeting night. After the meeting Mrs. Durisko stayed at the church for choir practice while Mr. Durisko walked home. I wonder, 'What was Mr. Durisko thinking about when the drunken man veered from the road? Did the driver know he had killed a good teacher?'

     I overheard my Dad tell my Mom about a note found in Mr. Durisko's wallet. It was a list: his wife's dress size, ring size, her favorite colors- important information should he want to surprise his bride with a gift.

     It is a mysterious way in which our lives touch one another. Saints and sinners rummage around together, unaware of the value each holds to a Holy God. 

     Mr. Durisko is still teaching me about the word 'husband'. Thank you, Mr. Durisko.

What does art have to do with church?

Join us in Savannah, Tennessee

July 19-21

as we address the question-

'What does art have to do with Church?

Here is the schedule:

"Ask yourself first, is this what God truly wants for me, not just what I desire? Being an artist or anything else must not replace your identity in Christ first. If you are certain, then it is a true vocation, and you will have the resources of the universe at your behalf."

Edward Knippers

Money- God or Gift

"I like to think of the book as

Doctrine meets Dave Ramsey..."

Jamie Munson

Jamie Munson begins his book Money- God or Gift with a question-

 

What are you

afraid of?

     It is a good lead question for a discussion on money, and Jamie Munson's book provides a good discussion. 

     There is a plethora of books on financial matters and the Christian genre is no exception (my first read was a book by Larry Burkett many, many years ago). So why another book on the topic? Because every generation needs a voice for their time and Jamie Munson has the voice of today. As a young (everyone seems young to me these days) pastor-turned-businessman, Jamie Munson articulates matters of personal finance in an order and manner that anyone can follow, especially young people.

     This is a great book for study groups, book clubs, and even High School classes. The format is designed for a three-week study, complete with a budget template. If you are looking for a financial study guide, Money-God or Gift is excellent.

 

Jamie Munson

I don't read anymore.

     "I don't read anymore. I don't read any less, either!"

I know it is a new spin on an old joke... but it's still true. I read. My list is eclectic. Currently my stacks include (in a variety of 'stations' around our home):

Mountains Beyond Mountains

by Tracy Kidder

The Philokalia, Volume 2

compiled by St Nikodimos and St Makarios

Guernica

by Dave Boling

Drive

by Daniel H. Pink

The Hidden Reality

by Brian Greene

Teaching As An Act of Faith

Edited by Arlin C. Migliazzo

     The titles have a random appearance but follow a hidden thread... they are part of my 'need to know'. Two books I recently finished are Closer Still by Scott Evans and Clean by Douglas Weiss.

Closer Still

by Scott Evans

     Closer Still by Scott Evans is what happens when a young, Irish youth pastor speaks openly. His  zeal, passion, and frustration with the status quo of Christianity today (and the misconceptions in and surrounding it) are compelling. I don't agree with everything Scott writes but I do agree with this heartcry-

"May you have the faith to believe that you are made in the image of God and that the Cross tells you that you are worth dying for."

Clean

by Douglas Weiss, PhD

     Clean by Douglas Weiss is a book for men. Period. This book is a must-read for men who struggle with sexual integrity and for men who don't: both will be challenged and encouraged. Dr. Weiss is the executive director of Heart to Heart Counseling Center in Colorado Springs and the president of the American Association for Sex Addiction. Dr. Weiss is also a former sex addict, and, as one who has overcome the issue, his words carry weight. Men- read this book!

     

Faith like cardboard

     I grew up calling it cardboard.

     "Bring me that cardboard box!" someone would say.
     
     That was until one of my students corrected me. I suggested she screen print onto 'cardboard'. She looked at the paper in my hand and said, "Actually, Mr. Carter, that's corrugated paper. Cardboard is just one of the layers- like a cereal box."
     "Oh," I blinked.
     "That's O.K. Most people make that mistake." Her Dad sold corrugated paper so she knew more on the subject than most teenage girls.

     Greg Card paints on corrugated paper. I was surprised when he told me because Greg is big on 'permanence'... something corrugated is not known for. He stresses that an artist's work should outlive the artist- art should be archival. "The problem is air," he explained. "Corrugated breaks down when allowed to interact with air. Seal out the air and the temporal becomes permanent." Varnish is a good sealant. 

     Why paint on corrugated paper? Here are a few reasons Greg gave:

     - the paper is abundantly available, and free
     - the surface is interesting to work on, sometimes the printed side adds an element
     - corrugated paper is both rigid and light
     - painting on 'previously owned' corrugated paper is an artful way to recycle (I imagine a buyer's face as they look at the back of the newly purchased painting and discover they are holding a piece from a toilet box- which I am currently painting a series on)

     Corrugated is from the Latin- corrugare- to wrinkle up. As a verb, it means to draw or bend into folds or alternate furrows and ridges (dictionary.com). Corrugated paper is composed of a 'wrinkled' layer of cardboard sandwiched between smooth layers. It is this hidden layer of ridges and valleys that provides strength.

Creation

Day one

     My life is corrugated... a series of highs and lows, covered by a smooth veneer, but frayed, with worn spots in the corners. There is strength that comes from weathering a valley storm, and there is renewal that comes from a mountaintop. 

     Sometimes I think my faith is like cardboard- a thin, flat cereal box. What I want is corrugated faith: layered, dimensional, with places that go deep while reaching high. Corrugated faith is being wrinkled up with God.

 

Creation

Day Six

     Thanks to Greg, I have begun painting on corrugated paper. I rescued several pieces from a nearby dumpster. The surface is smooth, until I tear it... which I do. The strength should be revealed.

Shrewd

Concept Sketch

Shrewd

In Progress

...all to Himself

"The only difference between me and the homeless is that I have a door to hide my brokenness behind."

Max Andrew Dubinsky

     

     Honesty is something I've not always practiced but always appreciated... that's probably why I like to hear what kids think. They are not afraid to look you in the eye and say, "Your breath stinks!" 

     Sometimes Christian's breaths stink. Max Dubinsky is not afraid to say so. An Anthology of Madness, Max's recently released book, is not for the faint of heart. Here's an excerpt-

We are anxious human beings, desperately seeking approval because we've invested our hope for happiness in things which will inevitably let us down. Your family. Your job. Sex. Pornography. School. It's time for you to realize disappointment is God's way of reminding you- his creation- that you've invested your life into something other than Him. Things that will never live up to their expectations. He created you. He wants you all to Himself.

      An Anthology of Madness is more than a memoir and collection of poems- it's a challenge and, in an honestly strange way, a word of encouragement. In the Epilogue, Max writes-

I don't know what you have been through. And I don't know where you're going. But I know sometimes faith can be a rope that hurts to hold. And I want to tell you, "Don't let go."

...interrupted by clarity

'There are things that stand

in heights of the universe,

yet people take them lightly.'

Talmud, Berachos 6b

     A few days ago my little girl received her High School Diploma... something that will take a few more days to process. Life, as we know it, is interrupted by moments of clarity. 

     Graduate comes from the Latin, gradus- a step, this being a step for both my daughter and me. I have been blessed to be one of her teachers these past four years and, like her, it is time for me to move on. My wife and I have our sights set on Charleston, SC... a new chapter.

I always have mixed feelings when chapters end. 

Debbie Millman, designer/writer/interesting person recently delivered a commencement address based on one of her written pieces. It is one of the better I have heard.

Images used by permission of Debbie Millman

You can hear the commencement address by Debbie Millman here-

Selah

Martyrology of Oengus

16th c. copy of the 9th c. ms.

National Library of Ireland

Consists of 365 quatrains for daily devotion

     In the movie Shadowlands, a student tells C.S. Lewis, "We read to know we're not alone." Proverbs 15:23 tells us,

'Joy belongs to a man with answers in his mouth, and a word in its time, how good it is.'

LEB 

     
     We humans are creatures of habit. My day begins early. I stagger from the coffee maker to the shower (notice the priority) to the sofa where I read the daily passage from a devotional. Over the years there have been my favorites- Spurgeon, Chambers, Lewis, Nouwen, and for the past few years, a Messianic Jewish devotional. They all have one thing in common-

the writer speaks from a hidden place, 

having spent much time with God, and reminds us we are not alone.

     Truth transcends culture but a writer's voice is unique to a time. There is a new addition to my mornings- Selah, A 90-Day Journey of Grace and Hope by Joseph Iregbu. Joseph Iregbu speaks to our time. He says,

Our world is full of many reasons to give up and lose hope but you don’t have to. There is every reason to think the world is caving in on you, but it is not. You may have convinced yourself God is not on your side, but He is.

     Selah is a 90-Day devotional that reminds us there is hope. Here is an excerpt from Day 7-

"The presence of problem is not the problem. The problem is our failure to see beyond the problem." 

If we fail to see beyond our present situation, finding hope becomes a challenge. Troubles have a way of making the heart forget the promises of the Gospel- 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'

Today, I encourage you to consider just one promise in the Bible. ... consider the One who made that promise... Do not believe your problems are bigger than God.

If you are searching for a devotional to begin, or end, your day I suggest Selah.

Social Art Display

Museum Sign
Randomly placed, inconspicuously 


"We must hate the world enough to change it, and yet love the world enough to think it worth changing. "
G. K. Chesterton

SAD 1
Week of 21 April
m r carter

In 1917 Marcel Duchamp displayed a urinal.


In 1948 Richard M. Weaver wrote a book titled- Ideas have consequences.


If only Richard Weaver could see us now...

Outreach and the Artist

photo by

Emma Stojancic

"My point is not that it's possible to make a connection between the arts and Jesus. My point is that there already is a connection. This is a theological reality."

Con Campbell

     Con Campbell plays jazz, lectures in theology, and likes coffee. Thus begins the bio blurb on the cover of Con Campbell's latest book, Outreach And The Artist, Sharing the Gospel With the Arts. After reading the book, I thought- 'so this is what happens when a professional jazz musician (four CDs to date)/New Testament Greek scholar (numerous books and journal articles in print) talks about art and faith...wow.'

     The dialogue between artists and the Christian church has been awkward, at best, far too long. Outreach and the Artist is a book that can help the conversation move forward. Con Campbell offers practical counsel to 'both sides', artists and clergy, with the grace of a jazz artist and the intelligence of a University Professor. The book also features interviews with visual and performing artists, asking questions like, "What struggles have you had as a Christian engaged with the arts?" and "Concerning other artists you know, what is the single biggest barrier stopping them from coming to Christ?"

"... the most effective people for outreach into artistic communities are fellow artists. And the more artistic credibility they have the better."

Con Campbell

      

     Con Campbell has credibility- among artists and Bible scholars. Whether you are an artist, a pastor, or someone in between, I recommend reading Outreach and the Artist.

And may the conversation continue. 

     

You can hear Con Campbell play in this video:

Love Never Ends

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends."

I Corinthians 13: 4-8a 

English Standard Version  

     My first 'official' teaching post was with Memphis City Schools, Memphis, Tennessee. One day I gave a simple assignment... or, at least I thought so- illustrate your concept of LOVE. The setting was a High School art class. I expected to see hearts, the color red, graffiti, and unfortunately, a few disturbing images. Many of my students saw things that teenagers should not have to see. What happened surprised me. No one moved. Stillness. Finally, in the back of the class, a hand raised; it was one of my 'lonely hearts', a small girl with multiple piercings and hair color that changed weekly.
   
     "Yes?"
     
     "Mr. Carter, what if you don't know what love is?"

     Time stopped... I walked to my desk, picked up a Bible, and said, "Here is what one person said." I read the 13th Chapter of I Corinthians. I felt the atmosphere change as the quantum field in the room shifted. It was, for many of the students in that room, the first time they heard Truth in regard to love.

     Love is one of the many words our culture has devalued. I just finished reading Reclaiming Love by Ajith Fernando, a wonderful exposition on I Corinthians 13; it is a book that reminds me why definitions are important. Ajith Fernando worked with the poor, serving as the National Director of Youth for Christ in Sri Lanka for thirty-five years. It is one thing to hear the truth about love and it is an all-together different thing to live a life of love. Reclaiming Love offers the reader with steps, examples, and testimonies from the author's life and other heroes of the faith by devoting a chapter to each principle articulated by the Apostle Paul. 

     "Love is typically presented as the defining feature of a Christian's lifestyle. Joy is presented as a basic result of being a Christian. Those who live in love experience joy- it immediately follows love in the list of the fruit of the Spirit in a person's life (Gal. 5:22)."

Reclaiming Love, Ch. 19

     The title of the book's final chapter sums up Reclaiming Love- 

It's Worth It! 

     And I can say, "Amen!"

The Wild of God- A Global Journey

"God does not just tell us He loves us. He paints it for us."

Since childhood, books have provided me with transportation, and when the voice is true I have traveled far. The Wild of God by Eric Hanson is such a book; you could read it in one sitting... but you won't want to. Like any good journey, there are moments you want to savor and The Wild of God is a good journey. Eric Hanson joined a group of fellow adventurers who shared a common goal- traveling to eleven countries in eleven months, gently sharing life and faith with the people they encountered.

"I had seldom been in a position where I needed God on a very basic level of sustenance, shelter, and survival. But being vulnerable through traveling to places where life is scaled back to the minimum was something I needed to experience. Travel itself has a way of keeping us on our toes and putting us into a position where trusting in God becomes a real, felt need."

     From Peru to Mozambique to Tibet, The Wild of God will take you places not usually described in travel brochures. 

     Marcel Proust said, "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."

     The Wild of God is the story of a man receiving new eyes and sharing what he nows sees with all who are interested. 

"I realized that God cares more about my heart than anything else and that the Kingdom of God is a story- a story that I am a part of and not just a spectator of."

the story of The Voice

"Our goal has been and continues to be to attract a new audience to the Bible, namely, people who have never read, are reluctant to read, or find the Bible a hard book to understand."
David B. Capes, The Story of The Voice







     It is fitting that The Story of The Voice is a book about a book, much like the 'extras' that accompany motion picture DVDs, because the book it explains, The Voice, is a new translation of the Bible with dialogue written in screenplay format. Here is a selection from John, Chapter 3:

Nicodemus: Teacher, some of us have been talking. You are obviously a teacher who has come from God. The signs You are doing are proof that God is with You. 

Jesus:  I tell you the truth: only someone who experiences birth for a second time* can hope to see the kingdom of God. 

     Translating a book, moving from language-to-language, is somewhat of a mental wrestling match. As author David P. Capes puts it, "As scholars know, whenever you translate one language into another, something is lost; more often than not it is the form that is sacrificed. When possible The Voice team attempted to reproduce the literary form that shaped these ancient texts." Another translator from the Twentieth Century, Dr. E.V. Rieu, had this to say about translation:

"No great translation has ever been produced from a poor original."

From the Introduction to

"The Four Gospels-A New Translation"

     The Story of the Voice provides insight into a process usually reserved for scholars and theology students, but in a manner comfortable for the layperson; this is a book I recommend to not merely those interested in The Voice but to all who are curious about Bible translation and the issues translators must deal with.

     You can download The New Testament portion of The Voice by clicking here.
  

Perhaps if...

From the Translator's Preface to

"Letters To Young Churches"

(The New Testament Epistles)

by J.B. Phillips

Without going into wearisome details, we need to remember that these letters were written, and the lives they indicate were led, against a background of paganism. There were no churches, no Sundays, no books about the faith. Slavery, sexual immorality, cruelty, callousness to human suffering, and a low standard of public opinion, were universal; traveling and communications were chancy and perilous; most people were illiterate. Many Christians today talk about the "difficulties of our times" as though we should have to wait for better ones before the Christian religion can take root. It is heartening to remember that this faith took root and flourished amazingly in conditions that would have killed anything less vital in a matter of weeks. These early Christians were on fire with the conviction that they had become, through Christ, literally sons of God; they were pioneers of a new humanity, founders of a new Kingdom. They still speak to us across the centuries. Perhaps if we believed what they believed, we might achieve what they achieved.

London, 1941-Redhill, 1946

It should be noted that J.B. Philips wrote these words in

Great Britain during World War II.

Life after Art

"What do I want my students to remember as they enter life after art? I want them to remember all the things I forgot."

Matt Appling

Life after Art, Introduction

     A good teacher understands the value of the right question and Matt Appling is a good teacher. He works with students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, but in his new book Life after Art, Matt poses questions we adults should be asking each other-

...what does the world (creation) say about God (the Creator)?

What does your work say about you?

What would I like my life to mean when it is over?

And the question that drives Matt as a teacher-

What can I do to make my work better?

     Beginning with the premise that all children are artists, Matt posits that the challenge is staying an artist. Filled with quotable nuggets like- "We are compelled to create" and "A little bit of beauty can change everything," Life after Art is a timely reminder that 'growing up' doesn't have to mean 'growing old,' a reminder that Jesus' words to a group of confused adults- "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven" are still being spoken today. I've been chewing on those words for years.

     Life after Art is for the CEO, the homemaker, and it is for me, a fellow teacher who sometimes forgets to become like a child.

A few of the people Matt describes in Life after Art