A people with many secrets - a prayer by Walter Brueggemann

You are the God from whom no secret can be hid,
and we are a people with many secrets,
that we want to tell for the sake of our lives,
that we dare not tell because they are deep and painful.
But they are our secrets… and they count for much;
they are our truth… rooted deep in our lives.
You are the God of all truth,
and now we bid you heed our truth,
about which we will not bear false witness…
The truth of grief unresolved,
the truth of pain unacknowledged,
the truth of fear too child-like,
the truth of hate, as powerful as it is deep,
the truth of being taken advantage of,
and being used,
and being manipulated,
and slandered.
We trust the great truth of your wondrous love,
but we will not sit still for it,
UNTIL you hear us.
Our truth – heard by you – will make us free.
So be the God of all truth, even ours,
we pray in the name of Jesus,
who is your best kept secret of hurt. Amen.

~ Walter Brueggemann

Mark 11:20-25

As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, "Master, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered." And Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any one; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."

In this brief narrative, the fig tree that Jesus had previously cursed (11:12-14) is found to be withered, and Jesus uses it as a lesson to teach the disciples about faith. This incident follows Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, as well as the cleansing of the Temple, and is followed by the priests, scribes and elders questioning Jesus' authority.

While this story and Jesus' teaching about the 'faith that moves mountains' is a well-known one these days, the IVP Bible Background Dictionary indicates that this would have been a rather shocking statement for Jesus to make. There are some Jewish texts that speak of removing mountains as an infinitely long and virtually impossible task, something that is accomplished by only the most pious. Rabbis tended to apply this to mastering studies that seemed humanly impossible to master. That Jesus would say that one could move a mountain by faith would have been a very thought-provoking and stunning statement. However, this is not the only place in the Bible that speaks of mountains being moved or destroyed. Zechariah 4:6-7 says, "Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerub'babel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerub'babel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!'" But instead of having God's Spirit move the mountain, Jesus says that if one has enough faith and does not doubt in his heart, the mountain will be moved. He then goes on to say that "whatever you ask for in prayer, believe you have received it, and it will be yours."

In his commentary on Mark, William Barclay points out that the incident with the fig tree is unusual for Jesus. How often does Jesus curse something? In particular, the author of Mark specifies that it wasn't even the season for figs; so why does Jesus seem to be angry? Barclay suggests that this is an enacted parable for the disciples, demonstrating the condemnation of promise without fulfillment and profession without practice. He states that Jesus may have been trying to show the disciples the fate of Israel, who had failed to bear fruit. Cyril of Jerusalem agrees with this, pointing to the discussion in John 15 of how those who do not abide in the vine will not be fruitful and will be cut off and burnt in the fire. "Let us therefore bring forth worthy fruit" (Cyril of Jerusalem). Regarding the verses on the prayer of faith to move mountains, Barclay says that the passage gives three rules of prayer: it must be a prayer of faith, a prayer of expectation, and a prayer of charity. A prayer of faith means that we are willing to take our problems and difficulties to God, and that we are willing and ready to accept God's guidance. Through this comes the power to conquer the difficulties of thought and action. A prayer of expectation means that we are confident in success; our prayer must never be a ritual without hope. Finally, it must be a prayer of charity, because "the prayer of a bitter man cannot penetrate the wall of his own bitterness." If the ruling principle of a man's heart is not love, there is a barrier between himself and God. In his homily On the Incomprehensibility of God, John Chrysostom says that prayer "has power to destroy whatever is at enmity with good. I speak not of the prayer of the lips, but of the prayer that ascends from the inmost recesses of the heart." The prayer of faith produces fruit (i.e. results).

I think it's important that we not understand this apart from Jesus' other teachings on prayer. When he says "whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours," this is not an open invitation to begin asking God for anything that crosses our mind to ask. We are always to seek and pray the will of God and we are to claim his promises for us. If we ask for something "in Jesus' name" (John 14:12-17), we are to pray for what is worthy of his name. In the same way, when we pray in faith, we are to pray what is worthy of faith – God's will. If we pray without faith, without expectation, and without forgiveness, we will bear no fruit and have no result to our prayer. As Chrysostom said, this is not "the prayer which is cold and feeble and devoid of zeal. I speak of that which proceeds from a mind outstretched, the child of a contrite spirit, the offspring of a soul converted – this is the prayer which mounts to heaven."

On The Power of Prayer - John Chrysostom

"Prayer is an all-efficient panoply, a treasure undiminished, a mine never exhausted, a sky unobstructed by clouds, a haven unruffled by storm. It is the root, the fountain and the mother of a thousand blessings. It exceeds a monarch's power... I speak not of the prayer which is cold and feeble and devoid of zeal. I speak of that which proceeds from a mind outstretched, the child of a contrite spirit, the offspring of a soul converted - this is the prayer which mounts to heaven... The power of prayer has subdued the strength of fire, bridled the rage of lions, silenced anarchy, extinguished wars, appeased the elements, expelled demons, burst the chains of death, enlarged the gates of heaven, relieved diseases, averted frauds, rescued cities from destruction, stayed the sun in its course, and arrested the progress of the thunderbolt. In sum prayer has power to destroy whatever is at enmity with good. I speak not of the prayer of the lips, but of the prayer that ascends from the inmost recesses of the heart."

~ On the Incomprehensibility of God by John Chrysostom

John 14:12-17

12 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; 14 if you ask anything in my name, I will do it. 15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you.

In the context surrounding John 14:12-17, we see that Jesus is teaching the disciples various things. This teaching narrative begins in chapter thirteen with Jesus washing the disciples' feet and ends in chapter seventeen with Jesus releasing Judas from the meal, knowing that Judas will betray him. He then begins teaching the disciples and answering their questions. After the teaching narrative concludes (John 17:26), Jesus and his disciples travel to a garden, where Jesus is betrayed by Judas and taken captive. This is part of Jesus' last teachings for his disciples before his death.

The IVP Bible Background Commentary says that what Jesus offered in these verses was a radical promise. Jewish tradition held that some very pious teachers could receive from God almost anything they asked, but this was never applied to the majority of people. It is also highly significant that Jesus told the disciples to ask in his name. Asking something in his name meant that those who ask genuinely in his name, i.e. those who seek his glory (not their own) and are his true representatives on earth (IVP Bible Background). This verse ties in with verse 15 – those who love Jesus will keep his commandments. Those who are his true representatives on earth will also keep his commandments. The Jewish NT Commentary agrees with this, saying that our prayers, if we love him and obey him, will be in line with his will and therefore will be answered. The Spirit is also promised in 14:16-17, who is a Spirit of truth. This seems to indicate that the Spirit will continue to reveal the truth of Jesus to his true representatives on earth.

In his commentary on John, Barclay points out that "in the name of Jesus" is vital to understanding this passage. One cannot pray for some unworthy or unchristian object (such as personal revenge or for personal ambition) in the name of Jesus. Barclay says, "When we pray, we must always ask: Can we honestly make this prayer in the name of Jesus?" (165). In other words, prayer based on his will, rather than prayers based on ourselves, will be answered. Regarding 14:15, Barclay points out that for John, the one true test of love is obedience. If we say we love him, but do not obey him, then our love is not true. Yet there is the promise of the Spirit; we are not left alone to struggle with obedience. We are given a Counselor and Spirit of truth that will dwell with and in us to help us in our walk with Jesus (Barclay 166-167). The Bible Exposition Commentary says that asking in Jesus' name is not some magic formula. "To ask anything of the Father, in the name of Jesus, means that we ask what Jesus would ask what would please Him, and what would bring Him glory by furthering His work." Being able to use God's name doesn't mean we can just ask for anything; having the privilege of using his name means that we know his nature and his purpose. Requests that don't glorify God's name should not be asked in his name (Bible Exposition Commentary).

These verses demonstrate a lovely and powerful cycle: we are given the promise of being able to ask anything in his name, we are asked to (if we love him) keep his commandments, and we are promised the Spirit of truth, who will dwell with and in us and counsel us forever in his truth. Therefore if we are walking in love and doing what he commands, and the Spirit is revealing the truth to us, then what we ask of him is what he truly desires for us and for the world. Of course he would be able to fulfill those prayers, which are truly praying for his will to be done on earth. And we are then able to do greater works, for not only do we have him answering our prayers, but we also have the Spirit and Counselor with us. These verses truly seem to tie together as an image of how Christians ought to live on earth; we are to be Christ's true representatives, doing his will because we love him and praying his will in his name.

I have to ask myself whether I have been Christ's true representative on earth. Have I obeyed him in every way that I could? Have I been worthy in praying in his name? I know there are times when I have not. But the comfort is that his grace abounds, and we are able to try again and again, with the guidance of the Spirit, our Counselor, who has been given to us.

Luke 11:5-13

And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he will answer from within, 'Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything'? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

In the previous verses (11:1-4), Jesus was asked by his disciples to teach them to pray. He gives them The Lord's Prayer, then tells them a parable about the late-night host (11:5-13). These two sections seem to go together, as the previous section is about Mary and Martha and the following section is about Jesus casting out demons.

Hospitality was a vital obligation for a homeowner in that time; if a traveler came to someone's house and they weren't able to offer the guest a fresh, unbroken loaf of bread (even if they came at midnight), great shame would come on that household (IVP Bible Background Dictionary). The frantic host in the parable goes to a friend whom he knows will probably have the loaf he needs. In his commentary on Luke, William Barclay says that in that time in Israel, a home's door would be open all day, with people coming in and out and very little privacy, but if the door was shut, especially at night, it was a clear sign that the householder did not want to be disturbed. The IVP Bible Background Dictionary points out a reason for the friend's hesitation to unbolt and open the door; if his children are in bed (which is usually on the first floor near the front door), then the disturbance of unbolting the door would wake the children. But since the frantic host would likely wake the children anyway beating on the door and calling out to his friend, the friend decides he might as well get up and give the host the bread he needed.

Jesus continues teaching the disciples about boldness in prayer in the next few verses, telling the disciples that whatever they ask for, they will receive. He also points out that God their Father cares for them even more than a father loves his children, and wants to give them the great gift of the Holy Spirit. Barclay says, "If a churlish and unwilling householder can in the end be coerced by a friend's shameless persistence into giving him what he needs, how much more will God who is a loving Father supply all his children's needs?" However, this does not release the Christian from fervency in prayer, as evidenced by Jesus' words in 11:9-10. Bede says, "He bears witness that the kingdom of heaven is not given to, found by and opened to those who are idle and unoccupied but to those who ask for it, seek after it and knock at its gates. The gate of the kingdom must be asked for by prayer. It must be sought after by living properly. It must be knocked at by persevering." (Homilies on the Gospels) But we do not have a God who is unwilling to give gifts to us. He gives to us, His children, the Holy Spirit – but we must ask.

In his commentary on Luke, Matthew Henry points out that the parable is an example of something that is vital (bread for a hungry traveler) and that 11:11-12 speaks of food and bread, which symbolizes that which is needful. Jesus has promised that God will provide the Holy Spirit, the best of all possible gifts, and he will give the Spirit with generosity. In asking, seeking and knocking, "we are not wringing gifts from an unwilling god, but going to one who knows our needs better than we know them ourselves and whose heart towards us is the heart of generous love." (Barclay) Some would argue that they have prayed many times and not received what they ask for. Barclay counters this, saying, "If we do not receive what we pray for, it is not because God grudgingly refuses to give it but because he has some better thing for us. There is no such thing as unanswered prayer." I do think too often if we don't get the answer we want or expect, that it can be discouraging. This passage directs us to be bold in prayer, knowing that we will receive, find, and have the door be opened to us. God desires to answer our prayer, and if we seek Him with boldness and persistence, He is faithful – even joyful – in responding.

The passage of last week (Luke 18:1-8) and this seem to come together. We are not only to be persistent in prayer, but also bold, knowing that God will answer, that we will find what we need, and that doors will be opened to us. It's easy for me to forget this, that God has the best for me – I want to go my own way, I want my own desires answered. But God knows what is best, and if I truly ask for His will, seek His face, and knock on His door, I will always receive what I need – Him.

Luke 18:1-8

Brief: Luke 18:1-8

1 And he told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; 3 and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Vindicate me against my adversary.' 4 For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.'" 6 And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

This parable is the first of two parables told by Jesus to his disciples as they are traveling up to Jerusalem. This section is part of the chapters leading up to Jesus' crucifixion, death and resurrection; the parables and instructions Jesus is teaching them seem as though they are among the last lessons Jesus is giving them.

The IVP Bible Background Commentary points out that in the Old Testament, judges were supposed to fear God (since one day He would judge them) and defend the oppressed. Barclay disagrees with this point of view, stating that the judge can't be viewed under Old Testament law because it is clear that the judge was not a Jewish judge (therefore wouldn't necessarily be driven by fear of God or Old Testament law); under Jewish law, disputes were taken before the elders. Jewish law also required that three judges arbitrate the dispute, not just one. So it is likely that this judge was a paid magistrate appointed by Herod or the Romans; these magistrates were notorious for needing to be bribed in order to make a determination one way or another (The Gospel of Luke, Barclay). This fits in well with why the widow needed to be so persistent in her claim. A widow often barely had the means to live, much less bribe a judge. She was a prime example of someone who was oppressed, therefore Jewish judges should have been on her side against an opponent trying to take advantage of her (IVP Bible Background Commentary). In this parable, the widow stands in for all who are poor and defenseless, and she wields the only weapon she has – persistence (Barclay).

It is pointed out that this is a standard Jewish parable of the qal vahomer argument (how much more); if the judge will vindicate the widow due to her persistence, how much more will God do for his elect? This is a familiar theme from the Old Testament (IVP Bible Background Dictionary), which Jesus uses to encourage his disciples that "they ought always to pray and not lose heart" (18:1). Barclay also points out that this judge is contrasted with how God is; God cares for his people so much more than this judge, therefore how much more will he do for them? Augustine agrees with this assessment, saying "By no means does that unjust judge furnish an allegorical representation of God. The example is of an unjust man who, although he yields for the mere sake of avoiding annoyance, nevertheless cannot disregard those who bother him with continual pleadings. By this the Lord wishes us to infer how much care God bestows on those who beseech him, for God is both just and good" (Sermon on the Mount 15).

If one message comes out of this parable, it is, 'Do not give up'. The widow kept going to the judge, and he kept rejecting her. But in the end, he gave in because of her persistence. God, who loves us much more than the judge cared for the widow (which was not at all), will vindicate us. In his Commentary on Luke, Cyril of Alexandria says, "The present parable assures us God will bend his ear to those who offer him their prayers, not carelessly or negligently but with earnestness and constancy." In the last verse in this section, Jesus encourages the disciples not to give up, even if, after their persistence, it doesn't seem as though an answer is coming. Jesus is saying that people, if their prayers aren't answered after a time, will lose faith and give up. This is his encouragement to not lose faith, to keep asking and asking until God vindicates. Jesus confirms here that God will vindicate one day, and His people should not give up.

How easy it is to give up when it seems as though God is not answering your prayer? This parable confirms that yes, God hears and He cares. Through our trials and testings, we should not lose faith that God will vindicate us. It may not be in the timing that we want; it may not be immediately that we receive a response. But God has promised that if we persist in faith, He will answer. When hope and faith are struggling, these words of Jesus are there to cling to – that we "ought always to pray and not lose heart" (1:1b).

A Brief Look at Matthew 6:5-8

For my class, Life of Prayer, we get to prepare briefs (about 700-800 word essays) on selected teachings on prayer by Jesus, looking at the context, the cultural and social background of the day, what commentators say, as well as our own reflections on the message of the Scripture. Last week, we wrote on Matthew 6:5-8.

5 "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 "And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (RSV)

These verses appear in Jesus' well-known Sermon on the Mount, contained in chapters five through seven of Matthew. Jesus' teaching on prayer falls between his instructions on almsgiving and fasting. It is worthwhile to note that in each of these sections Jesus first addresses what not to do, before advising the disciples and the crowd on what they should do. Matthew 6:5-8 is primarily the "do nots" of praying, with the exception of verse six.

It was common in Jesus' day to stand while praying, and "it was probably common for pious people to recite their prayers individually in the synagogue." (IVP Bible Background Dictionary) From the context of the verses, it seems that Jesus was not condemning the practice of praying while standing, but of the attitude displayed by some Jews. Jesus indicates that there is true reward from God in prayer that is to God and only God, without the demonstrating for others that existed in synagogues and on street corners. The Bible Exposition Commentary points out that Jesus is not saying it is wrong to ever pray in public, but that it is wrong to only pray in public where others can see you. We should not abandon our private prayer lives, then pray aloud in public as though we have a strong prayer life and close relationship with God. Jesus calls this hypocrisy. In one of his homilies on Matthew, St. Chrysostom says that in praying thus, the hypocrites are casting their eyes around them to others, which is why they receive their reward on earth. Those who cast their eyes to God receive from God.

Jesus goes on to give further instructions on how to pray, saying "do not heap up empty phrases." It was common in the Gentile world to pray on and on in order to placate their gods; in addition, the Jews had developed prescribed prayers. This does not seem to forbid long or pre-written prayers, but indicates that prayers should have our heart's desire behind them. Instead of babbling empty words in order to placate God (or look good to our fellow Christian), we are to speak from the heart. All our prayers, whether long or short or spontaneous or prepared, should have the heart and focus of the one praying behind it.

Verse eight indicates that God already knows what we need before we ask, so what is the point of praying at all? This seems to be reminding Jesus' listeners that God does not need each person to tell Him of what their needs are, but that prayer has a different purpose – that of communicating with the Father (v. 6b). Barclay says, "No nation ever had a higher ideal of prayer than the Jews had; and no religion ever ranked prayer higher in the scale of priorities than the Jews did." Jesus here is pointing a finger at the hypocrites who pray loud, empty words in public places in order to be seen by fellow Jews as more righteous. Jesus is instructing people to use prayer for its true purpose of daily renewing their relationship with their Father in heaven. "Prayer (even if offered in the context of public worship or a prayer gathering) is to be directed to God in secret and not to be made a public spectacle to display the "righteousness" of the one who prays" (Barclay, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 33a). Again, it seems that Jesus is objecting not to the practice, but to the attitude behind it.

In Sermon 26, John Wesley says about Matthew 6:5-8, "Prayer is the lifting up of the heart to God: All words of prayer, without this, are mere hypocrisy." Barclay seems to agree, quoting a rabbinic adage that says, "If a man says his prayers, as if to get through a set task, that is no prayer." On reflection, this is a lesson that I have definitely taken to heart. How many times have I let my mind wander in church as I repeated The Lord's Prayer? I know the prayer "by heart", but am I really letting the prayer touch and transform my heart? While I don't leap up to pray in groups, I can easily lead prayer if asked so that it seems I am more spiritual than I am, even if I haven't prayed in private for days. I need to remember not only to pray from the heart, but also to daily renew communication with my Father in heaven. Prayer should be more than a task to check off my list; it should be a cornerstone of my spiritual growth and transformation.

Rabbinic thoughts on prayer

"He who prays within his house surrounds it with a wall that is stronger than iron."

"If a man says his prayers, as if to get through a set task, that is no prayer."

"God says to Israel, pray in the synagogue of your city; if you cannot, pray in the field; if you cannot, pray in your house; if you cannot, pray upon your bed; if you cannot, commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still."

Reading...

The thing about reading is that it is entirely subjective. Some people like certain books, some people like others. Sometimes a bunch of people like the same books, and sometimes only a few like them.

I guess my point is that we all have different tastes. If you're lucky, you find friends who like the same books you like and can make recommendations about new ones. Or you just poke around Goodreads or Amazon (or your local library) and see what you can find.

I've taken to writing reviews of the books I read, posting them on Goodreads and on Amazon.com. At Amazon, I sometimes get responses from people - readers of my reviews can click a button saying whether my review was helpful or not, and can also comment on my review.

So I left a fairly negative review of one book (Three Cups of Tea), and got an interesting comment in return saying, "What were you reading??? You missed the whole point of this book."

Did I? Did I really?

I suppose my point is that books rarely (if ever) appeal to every single person that reads them. Books can be worldwide bestsellers, and people still pick them up and go, "eh" or "ugh". What some people don't realize is that these are valid responses to books. There's a reason why there's a wide variety of books out in the world... it's because there's a wide variety of people.

I was more amused than offended at the shock and horror of the person who commented on my review. They are certainly entitled to their opinion regarding the book... but I'm also entitled to mine. While I posted a pretty calm response, my general attitude was: hey, calm down... it's not a competition, and I'm not denigrating your choice of books just because I didn't like it.

To revise a famous quote: Read and let read.

by e.e. cummings

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday;this is the birth
day of life and love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any-lifted from the no
of all nothing-human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

And time passes...

So it's been two months this time since I posted. Whoops. I have the best of intentions and then it all just slips by the wayside, even after I lost the good excuses of finals, marriage and honeymoon. Ah well, it's been a somewhat busy summer.

I keep trying to pretend that I'm going to read ahead for fall, and while I may manage it yet, right now my focus is mostly on reading all those books for pleasure that I didn't get to read over the school year. As my Good Reads account shows, I've been plowing through a lot of books lately, and enjoying most of them. There's just something about summer that makes me want to read, and I've been happily obliging my craving. Lately it's been murder mysteries and young adult fiction, all of which are light enough reading to make me race through them.

I have been getting rid of a lot of books, though. I think the realization that Shannon and I will be moving every few years to a new parish has woken me to the fact that I really need to pare down my books to the essentials that I simply can't get rid of. The rest of them are being taken to Half-Price Books for a paltry profit. But at least it's something. At first it felt strange, to sell my books and not have them sitting on my shelves, but I picked books that I wouldn't miss, and sure enough, I don't even notice they're gone. I'm not only selling books that I don't want anymore, but also selling off some after I read them. Since I'm trying to work my way through all the books on my shelves that I haven't read, I've decided that if I don't love them and won't want to read them again and again, then I'm not going to keep them. I just don't have the time or energy to keep moving these books from place to place when I don't like them, or if I'm never going to bother to crack them open again.

Before anyone panics, though, let me assure you that there are still lots of books that I love and am holding onto, much to Shannon's wry dismay. But maybe I'll be ruthless enough that when we leave Kentucky after we graduate, I'll only have a few hundred books left to move...

It's Finals Time...

So let's talk about something else. I talk about (and do) schoolwork quite enough! ;)

As some may have noticed, I've had several (three so far) showers lately. Following showers, it is proper etiquette to write thank you notes (yes, Mom, I have kept up with the thank you note - childhood lessons go deep). I was amused, however, at how strange I felt writing them at times. It felt really weird to be thanking someone for purchasing something that I'd picked out.

I think the beginning of the registry phenomenon has created an interesting space between demanding what you want and sitting back and being surprised. As someone who has used registries before in order to buy necessary and wanted things for friends' weddings and babies, I've always been appreciative of a neat list that said what someone wanted. I was also trained to create birthday and Christmas wish lists by my parents, and the creation of a registry wasn't a far cry from that.

But writing thank you notes after my showers was a little strange, as item after item that we had put on our registry showed up. It was a weird thanking someone for the lovely gift, since we were actually the ones who had picked it out in the first place. So I ended up going back to what I think thank you notes were originally meant to be. Not gushing over what the gift was (though I did some of that), but showing appreciation of the giver's thoughtfulness and generosity in giving the gift. It's not that the giver thought of the gift, it's that the giver thought of the recipient. It's not that gifts are required (because we certainly don't require that everyone give us something), but that people want show their caring in giving us things that will help supply our new home as we start our life together. It's that the giving of gifts by family and friends can be tangible expression of love and support.

And that's what I'm thankful for.

Some Shower Photos...

With Julie...

With Kara...

With Erika (don't worry about squinting, it's not your eyes.

I think we moved our heads at the wrong moment.) :D

A gift for Shannon so he can get the grill started...


Yum!

Gifts...

We had a great time, and I'm so grateful for everyone! There were more pictures (I picked the ones I looked decent in), and they're on Julie's Facebook.

Yeah, so I may need to blog more...

I always have great intentions of posting regularly on my blog, but somehow they seem to fall through. Oh well. Life seems to be varying between "busy" and "nearly insane", but we're making it through. I hope. This week is a rough one, with a tough NT test - my study guide is 28 pages long. Yeah, that's fun.

There are some fun things about this semester, though they too add to the busyness. First, I'm helping Shannon coach soccer. And by "help" I mean make sure the kids keep track of their water bottles, jackets and other things, and give them the hairy eyeball when they don't pay attention. We're having fun, though. And by "fun", I mean that the kids run around the field forgetting everything the coach has taught them while losing spectacularly while we stand at the sidelines. But at least it gets us outside on Wednesday nights (practice) and Saturdays (games). :) And the kids love how muddy it has been, even if my sneakers don't.

There's also been wedding stuff - showers, mostly. Shannon came up a few weeks ago and my work threw us a little shower, which was fun. And then my small group girls threw me another one this last weekend. Lots of fun - and I get to do it again this weekend in West Virginia with his family! After that, there's (I think) not much wedding stuff until we get to the actual wedding, which is in 38 days. Hard to believe, but I'm very excited about it. And definitely looking forward to this summer when we can relax!

And the first week is over...

Well, the first week of classes is over. You can usually tell how good, bad or busy a semester is going to be by the end of the first week, and I think mine is going to be pretty busy. Hebrew, as always, takes quite a bit of study. Vocation of Ministry has some weekly reading and weekly assignments, plus we have a group project to do. Steady work, but not bad. New Testament, on the other hand, is going to be tough. Lots of reading (we're reading dictionary articles, no less), papers, tests, weekly quizzes... it's going to be fun. At least I'm only taking 3 classes this semester, rather than four.

Still, we've taken time for a break. Friday night, Shannon and I went to Outback and then to see George Jones. The pre-show was the Conway Twitty musical, which we were both rather terrified of, but it ended up being more a retrospective on his songs and career rather than a song and dance jazzed up routine. Thank goodness. It was pretty good, actually, and I enjoyed the music. George Jones, legendary old-school country singer, came on next. While I enjoyed his part of the show, he did have some technical difficulties that made him almost impossible to hear on some songs. Plus, well... he's not young anymore. I could tell at the end of the show that he was really tired. But I'm still glad that we got to see him live in concert.

Saturday we rented a couple movies: Wall-E and The Bucket List. Wall-E was cute, despite the extreme environmental message, and The Bucket List was very good. The latter is a movie with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman; both men have terminal cancer with less than a year to live. They make what they call a "bucket list" - things they want to do before they kick the bucket. It's funny and sweet and moving... definitely recommended.

Sunday, we did homework. Well, you've got to do homework sometime...

Am I a fastidious spelling snob?

I like spelling things correctly. I get irritated at bad grammar. But I certainly don't go as far as these people.

The article talks about people who get irked at misspelled words and misplaced apostrophes. It tells stories of grammar vigilantes who run around their cities with whiteout and a black marker, valiantly waging war against careless writers. Not only are there stories of vandalism (such as marking up a menu or putting whiteout on a store sign), there's also a woman who called a business to inform them of their grammar mistakes and someone who refuses to patronize Krispy Kreme because of the spelling.

Yeah, I roll my eyes a bit at the spelling and grammar that businesses and people use, but I wouldn't start vandalising store signs and I certainly wouldn't let it keep from enjoying an occasional donut.

Oh, sorry. Doughnut.

A little, tiny break...

Well, we survived the snow and ice, and class is over. Phew. Of course, this week doesn't seem to slow down too much - there's work, plus wedding stuff to do, and I'm taking my Greek exam. So this week off between J-term and the spring semester isn't feeling much like a week off! I have been able to do a few things for fun, though... I finished a scarf I'd been working on for a friend (just the fringe left), and have read a bit for pleasure rather than school.

Though I really wouldn't recommend what I did the other day - read about decaying human cadavers (the book Stiff by Mary Roach) while eating breakfast. Not really the best idea I've ever had.

I've also started studying for my Greek Competency Exam, which is on Thursday. I'm a little surprised to see how much I've retained from college - a clear example of how things in long-term memory just need a little encouragement to come out again.

I hope.

Books in 2008

I started keeping track of the books I've read throughout the year in 2006 (this is completed books only, not books I'm still working through or books I've abandoned). This is 2008's list, including textbooks from the fall semester and rereads (those are at the end). I read 93 (mostly fiction) books for the first time, 10 textbooks, and 10 books that I'd already read (though I didn't really keep track of all my rereads) for a total of approximately 113 books read in 2008. Also, just because I finished a book doesn't necessarily mean that I liked it. Sometimes I simply endured it for the sake of finishing. :)

New Reads
1. Housekeeping – Marilynne Robinson
2. The Scarlet Pimpernel – Emmuska Orczy
3. The Corinthian – Georgette Heyer
4. Jenna Starborn – Sharon Shinn
5. The Princess Bride – William Goldstein
6. The Convenient Marriage – Georgette Heyer
7. Faro's Daughter – Georgette Heyer
8. The Man with a Load of Mischief – Martha Grimes
9. Eats, Shoots and Leaves – Lynne Truss
10. Tea with the Black Dragon – R.A. McAvoy
11. Homeland – R.A. Salvatore
12. Exile – R.A. Salvatore
13. Sojourn – R.A. Salvatore
14. The Crystal Sword – R.A. Salvatore
15. Streams of Silver – R.A. Salvatore
16. Charity Girl – Georgette Heyer
17. Powder and Patch – Georgette Heyer
18. Black Sheep – Georgette Heyer
19. Bath Tangle - Georgette Heyer
20. Beauvallet – Georgette Heyer
21. April Lady – Georgette Heyer
22. Digital Photography – Michael Wright
23. The Halfling's Gem – R.A. Salvatore
24. The Legacy – R.A. Salvatore
25. Starless Night – R.A. Salvatore
26. The Naval Treaty – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
27. Siege of Darkness – R.A. Salvatore
28. Sabriel – Garth Nix
29. Lirael – Garth Nix
30. Abhorson – Garth Nix
31. The Seville Communion – Arturo Perez-Reverte
32. Eat Pray Love – Elizabeth Gilbert
33. The Fencing Master – Arturo Perez-Reverte
34. Across the Wall – Garth Nix
35. The Nautical Chart – Arturo Perez-Reverte
36. Captain Alatriste – Arturo Perez-Reverte
37. Purity of Blood – Arturo Perez-Reverte
38. Every Woman's Battle – Shannon Etheridge
39. The Sun over Breda – Arturo Perez-Reverte
40. Mood Called – Patricia Briggs
41. Blood Bound – Patricia Briggs
42. Iron Kissed – Patricia Briggs
43. The Queen of the South – Arturo Perez-Reverte
44. The Club Dumas – Arturo Perez-Reverte
45. Miss Julia Strikes Back – Ann B. Ross
46. Tithe – Holly Black
47. Time to Smell the Roses – Michael Hoeye
48. Steal the Dragon – Patricia Briggs
49. On the Prowl – Patricia Briggs
50. Dragon Bones – Patricia Briggs
51. Raven's Shadow – Patricia Briggs
52. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party – M.L. Anderson
53. Things I Learned from Knitting – Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
54. Raven's Strike – Patricia Briggs
55. The Hob's Bargain – Patricia Briggs
56. When Demons Walk – Patricia Briggs
57. Storm Front – Jim Butcher
58. Fool Moon – Jim Butcher
59. Grave Peril – Jim Butcher
60. Summer Knight – Jim Butcher
61. Death Masks – Jim Butcher
62. Blood Rites – Jim Butcher
63. Dead Beat – Jim Butcher
64. Proven Guilty – Jim Butcher
65. White Night – Jim Butcher
66. Small Favor – Jim Butcher
67. Dragon Blood – Patricia Briggs
68. Sunshine – Robin McKinley
69. Medicine Road – Charles de Lint
70. Blood Price – Tanya Huff
71. Blood Trail – Tanya Huff
72. Blood Lines – Tanya Huff
73. Blood Pact – Tanya Huff
74. The First Ladies of the United States of America – Margaret Brown Klapthor and Allida M. Black
75. War for the Oaks – Emma Bull
76. Kushiel's Dart – Jacqueline Carey
77. The Making of Pride and Prejudice – Sue Birtwhistle and Susie Conklin
78. The Secret History of Moscow – Ekaterina Sedia
79. An Unsuitable Job for a Woman – P.D. James
80. Bel Canto – Ann Patchett
81. The Vintner's Luck – Elizabeth Knox
82. Under the Lilacs – Louisa May Alcott
83. Jack and Jill – Louisa May Alcott
84. Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
85. Of Empire – Essays by Francis Bacon
86. The Professor and the Madman – Simon Winchester
87. Shadows Return – Lynn Flewelling
88. The Railway Children – E. Nesbit
89. The Tales of Beedle the Bard – J.K. Rowling
90. Profiles in Audacity – Alan Axelrod
91. Mister Monday – Garth Nix
92. Blue Shoes and Happiness – Alexander McCall Smith
93. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies – Alexander McCall Smith

Textbooks
94. Christianity Rediscovered – Vincent J. Donovan
95. The Wesleyan Quadrilateral – Don Thorson
96. Theology as History and Hermeneutics – Laurence Wood
97. God and History – Laurence Wood
98. Who's Afraid of Postmodernism – James K.A. Smith
99. Colossians Remixed – Brian J. Walsh
100. Matthew – Jack Dean Kingsbury
101. The Drama of Scripture – Craig G. Bartholemew
102. Caught Between Truths – Barry L. Callen
103. Resident Aliens – Stanley Hauerwas

Rereads
104. Persuasion – Jane Austen
105. Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
106. The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club – Dorothy L. Sayers
107. Murder Must Advertise – Dorothy L. Sayers
108. Eight Cousins – Louisa May Alcott
109. Rose in Bloom – Louisa May Alcott
110. Unnatural Death – Dorothy L. Sayers
111. Clouds of Witness – Dorothy L. Sayers
112. The Fellowship of the Ring – J.R.R. Tolkien
113. The Inheritance – Louisa May Alcott

Instead of a Bookmobile, a Biblioburro?

When I was a kid, I remember going to the Bookmobile on the island. We went to the mainland fairly often to visit the library, but it was still fun to go to the Bookmobile when it came to the island. The other day, I found a story about something similar, yet very different.

Meet the Biblioburro

Luis Soriana, a 36-year-old teacher in Colombia, loads up his two burros every weekend to take books to approximately 300 people that live near him. He picks up the books that they borrowed last time and lets them borrow new ones.

From the article: “This began as a necessity; then it became an obligation; and after that a custom,” he explained, squinting at the hills undulating into the horizon. “Now,” he said, “it is an institution.”

A whimsical riff on the bookmobile, Mr. Soriano’s Biblioburro is a small institution: one man and two donkeys. He created it out of the simple belief that the act of taking books to people who do not have them can somehow improve this impoverished region, and perhaps Colombia.

Soriano started out with only 70 books, but as he has become more well known, his book collection has grown to about 4,800. The people on his route look forward to seeing him every weekend, and he spends time with them, reading to the children, before he moves on.

It's truly remarkable what one person can do if they set their mind to it.

And more than two months later...

Here I am. Whoops. So much for keeping up with the blog. In my defense, a lot has been going on. :) Finals, then the holidays and all the travel, then J-term class (which is almost over - hooray!). I've learned a lot in the class - it's a lot of work, and I'm not sure I like how fast we've had to move through the book, but at this point (i.e. nearly done) I don't regret taking the class. I do feel like I have new insight into the book of Hebrews now. The only bad thing at this point is that we only have a week's break before the spring semester starts.

Speaking of the spring semester, I'm taking Vocation of Ministry (at 8am on Wednesdays - ugh), Hebrew II (Wed/Fri at 1pm), and New Testament (Tues/Thurs at 4pm). Lots of reading, lots of projects. Fortunately, I only have to take nine hours because I took the J-term class. Which is good, because I'm planning to get married on May 30th. Even though there's not as much to do as with a traditional wedding (we're doing a planned elopement), there's still quite a bit. Right now I'm having three showers and a reception this spring/summer. Plus all the planning for going down to Gatlinburg and all that. Crazy! By the way, here's me and Shannon.

The top one is in West Virginia over Thanksgiving, and the second one is at Chincoteague over Christmas. :)