JRF's #29- Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie

This was the second novel I picked up during my trip to China last winter.

It is a beautifully written story about two young men from well - to - do backgrounds who are sent into the Chinese country side for "re-education" after their parents are imprisoned for being wealthy and educated during Mao's Cultural Revolution.  They eventually discover a horde of western literature and make it their goal to use it to "civilize" the beautiful young village seamstress they have fallen in love with.

While I think the intention of the author was to praise the power of Western Enlightenment thinking to free the passions of those under repressive communist regimes, as I tried to apply a Biblical Worldview to this story I noticed a deeper truth being affirmed: we are all sinful and lost without Christ.  While creativity, hope, and love are suffocated in communism while power, corruption, and poverty thrive, the passions and liscence and greed promoted by Enlightenment thinking are just as deadly.  Christ-less communism and Christ-less capitalism all lead to the same place - hell, although I admit one route might be more fun than the other.

I enjoyed the writing style and some of the themes of this book.  I enjoyed the praise of the power of the imagination and the discovery of beauty.  Sadly though because of what I mentioned above, the purpose for that power and the source of that beauty were never discovered by the book's characters and thus they ended in the same place they began - lost.

JRF's #28 - The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I have been listening to this audio book in my car on the way to and from work for the last six months or so.  Here is what I have learned:

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer was incredibly smart

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer was incredibly passionate about Christ

- I am not a audial learner

Not only did I find that I retain far less information by hearing it than by reading it (and making notes), but the 5 minute drive to and from work is not enough to saturate in the information.  This is a book that requires much mental chewing and spiritual digestion.  Bonhoeffer is very philosophical in his approach and this left me lost very often and a few times wondering if his philosophical conclusions were scripturally solid, although I wasn't able to keep pace with his reasoning most of the time so to question the conclusion without following the path may not be wise.

The few nuggets I did retain however made it all worthwhile.  The large portion of the book that is an exposition of the Sermon on the Mount I appreciated as Bonhoeffer forces the reader to take seriously the demands of Jesus to live out the values of His Kingdom.  Bonhoeffer stresses the "spontaneous obedience" that Christ expects of His followers.  We are not to question, debate, or ignore Christ's commands.  We are to obey them immediately.  Simple and clear, but so often I (and most of us) quickly find excuses not to immediately and literally obey Christ's clear commands - and yet still have the nerve to call myself a faithful disciple.

In many aspects the book reminded me of David Platt's Radical - except for German PH.D students.

For these reasons and more (especially the extraordinary life of Bonhoeffer)  I am compelled to dig into the hard copy in the future.

JRF's #27 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by R.K. Rowling

I'm not a Harry Potter evangelist.  If your conscience won't allow you to read or watch Harry Potter, I have nothing against you.   But if it means anything, I can honestly say that at no point in reading the books or watching the movies was I actually tempted to try to ride a broom, free any house elves, wield a wand or change my appearance using polyjuice potion.  Instead, I was uplifted by a great and gripping story, the center of which lifts up sacrificial love.

If you've read the books you know they are good and why they are (unless you are Ron, who is weird).  If you haven't read the books due to your convictions, I understand and appreciate your stance.  That's all I'll say about that.

What I really want to use this post for is to propogate my foolproof method of enjoying books that have been made into movies.  The secret?  ALWAYS watch the movie FIRST.  It is a well known fact that however great a movie is, the book will always surpass it.  The Harry Potter movies are great movies and have been impressively and adequately adapted from the books.  But there is simply no way that 800+ page books can be translated into a 2 hour movie.  More importantly, the details of relationships, thoughts, emotions...etc that make a book so enrapturing cannot ever be as effectively communicated on screen.  I always left the HP movies with a smile but a slightly confused smile.  I enjoyed getting from Point A to Point B to Point C, but often was confused on how I got there.  Many times there seemed to be holes in the plot or logic of the film.  However, once I read the books, Rowling made the journey from Point A to Point C (with a few side jaunts to points i and ii) entirely logical and smooth.

Bottom line: if you read the book then watch the movie (and i am talking about any book to movie, not just HP) 9 times out of 10 you will be disappointed with the movie.  If you watch the movie then read the book, you will be able to appreciate the movie and the appreciation of the story can only grow as you then read the book.

The world of literature and film is better because of J.K. Rowling's imaginative story and it has been a fun journey watching and reading it.

JRF's #26 - Called to Lead by John MacArthur

This book, formerly published under the somewhat pompous title - "The Book on Leadership", examines the life of Paul and draws 26 leadership lessons from his example.

I don't know if you are ever tempted to skip the Introduction to a book and jump right in on Chapter One, but if you read this book make sure not to neglect the Introduction.  In it, MacArthur defines leadership Biblically, which is quite another thing entirely from Worldly leadership.   That isn't to say that those who are faithful leaders in the Biblical sense will not or can not be leaders in the World, however the means, motivations, and power behind that leadership will be drastically different from those who do no follow Christ.

I also appreciated how MacArthur points out in the introduction that all Christians are called to be leaders in some sphere or another.  At a basic level all Christians are called to be leaders because all Christians are called by Jesus to be "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matt 28:20).  To be a Christian is to be a teacher.  To be a teacher is to be a leader.  This book is not just for pastors, or men, or CEO's...it is for all who seek to be faithful to lead in whatever venue and relationships God has given you.

The first third of the book (and most enjoyable) draws leadership principles from the harrowing account of Paul's journey to Rome as a prisoner and the subsequent shipwreck recorded in the last chapters of Acts.  Seeing as how he was in chains, Paul was the least likely person to lead anyone, let alone an entire ship's crew, her captain, and the Roman Centurion who was charged with keeping Paul in chains.

The second third looks at Paul's leadership of the Corinthian church, as recorded in II Corinthians.  Here the church he had poured his life out for was falling away from him, necessitating both a firm, direct, yet loving rebuke from the apostle as well as a harsh and fierce offensive against the false teachers that were leading the church astray.

The last third of the book examines Paul's final letter, II Timothy, and discusses how a leader should aim to remain qualified to lead and finish his race with integrity.

This book was definitely challenging to me and I ask for your prayers as I seek by God's grace to live out these principles in any and all spheres of influence God places me in.

the 26 Leadership Principles:

1. A leader is trustworthy
2. A leader takes the initiative
3. A leader uses good judgement
4. A leader speaks with authority
5. A leader strengthens others
6. A leader is optimistic and enthusiastic
7. A leader never compromises the absolutes
8. A leader focuses on objectives, not obstacles
9. A leader empowers by example
10. A leader cultivates loyalty
11. A leader has empathy for others
12. A leader keeps a clear conscience
13. A leader is definite and decisive
14. A leader knows when to change his mind
15. A leader does not abuse his authority
16. A leader doesn't abdicate his role in the face of opposition
17. A leader is sure of his calling
18. A leader knows his own limitations
19. A leader is resilient
20. A leader is passionate
21. A leader is courageous
22. A leader is discerning
23. A leader is disciplined
24. A leader is energetic
25. A leader knows how to delegate
26. A leader is Christlike

JRF's #25 - Little Known Facts about Well-Known Places: Disneyland by David Hoffman

Did you know that "Each light in Disneyland is replaced when it has reached 80 percent of its design life rather than when it fails"?

Or

"of the eighteen teacups available to ride on the Mad Tea Party, the plain lavender one spins the fastest"?

Now you do.

This book is an essential read for all those who love wonderfulness.

And yes, I am counting it for one of my 52.

JRF's #24 - Visit the Sick by Brian Croft

Do you consider care for the sick an essential activity for Christ followers?  Do you have a theology that is sturdy enough to shine even in the darkness of those on the brink of death?  Do you think to pop a few breath mints before you go and pray with someone on their sickbed?

This book presents a concise, Biblical and practical guide for caring for the sick in Christ's name and strength.  While Croft's many years of experience as a pastor as well as being the son of a doctor provide ample material for practical advise, it is the Biblical foundation that Croft lays prior to discussing the practical implications of that foundation that is the real strength of this book.  Too often books either expound on Scripture and theology but never make practical demands from that theology, or even worse, start with the pragmatic and then search for prooftexts in Scripture to give weight to opinions.    Croft does an excellent job of letting his practical exhortations flow from the Word of God, both from specific texts on caring for the sick and dying and from the metanarratives of Scripture.  Above all he shows that caring for the sick is about the Gospel.

This book was a great reminder of the essential ministry of caring for the physical needs of people as well as a great tool for accomplishing that task.