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."