Mark's #47 - The 100 Thing Challenge by Dave Bruno (2010)

The title and subtitle (How I Got Rid of Almost Everything, Remade My Life, and Regained My Soul) of this book caught my attention.  When I saw that the author had a similar background, belief system, educational path, family (three daughters, I have four),  love for reading, and even the same name for his dog (Piper) as I do, I decided I must read this book. Entrepreneur , Christian educator, and blogger, Dave Bruno often railed against the crass materialism and over consumption common in America today.  However, in spite of his railings, one day he realized that he was fully swept up in the materialistic ethos of the culture.  Almost on a whim, he decided to pair down his personal belongs to 100 things, call it The 100 Thing Challenge, blog about it and write a book about the experience.

Three main insights from the book stuck out to me.  First, as Dave began the big purge in preparation for the challenge, he was forced to get rid of things like an electric train set, rock-climbing gear, and other items related to hobbies or other activities that he rarely participated in.  Instead of feeling bad for getting rid of the stuff, he experienced a type of freedom from having those things and those hobbies hanging over his head.  As much as he would love to be a great rock climber, realistically it was never going to happen - thus, his gear taunted him.  I have rock climbing gear... I've used it twice.

Second, not only is having 100 things doable, it's really not all that hard or eccentric.  During his experiment, twice Bruno was interviewed to see if his story would make a good television segment (once for Oprah, and another for some nightly news show)... In each case, halfway through the call, the interviewer realized that this wouldn't make for a compelling story, because Dave's life turned out to be pretty normal.

Third, clearing out the clutter and smashing the idol of stuff frees one up to a deeper, more meaningful life.  As I prepare to move away from Okinawa after nearly ten years, I've realized that the vast majority of my "stuff" isn't going to follow me to America and then on to the Czech Republic.  Before reading this book I was already looking forward to the purge, now I'm even more motivated to do so.

This isn't a great book.  At times I got tired of the authors rabbit trails or tirades. Yet I think I would recommend it to anyone who occasionally feels like their stuff is owning them rather than them owning their stuff .  This book and its message also comes at a timely moment for us as we approach the overindulgence in commercialism known as Black Friday and as we at The Harbor participate in the Advent Conspiracy.

JRF's #30 - Lord Radstock and the Russian Awakening by David Fountain

 

Granville Augustus William Waldegrave, 3rd Baron Radstock, known to history as Lord Radstock, is one of the many unsung heroes of the modern missionary movement.  He was godfather to the Cambridge Seven.  He was a dear friend of George Muller.  He was the father of Russian Protestantism.  He was both admired and caricatured by the Russian elite, including the Czar, Tolstoy and Boborykin.  And he was one of those rare men of wealth who leveraged his earthly treasure and high position for an eternal purpose.

I have wanted to learn more about Lord Radstock when he was mentioned briefly in John Pollock's Cambridge Seven which I read last year.

David Fountain's short book gives a good sketch of Radstock's life.   Unfortunately it is just that, a sketch.  Fountain's greatest success in this book was to wet my appetite for more information on this amazing man's life and legacy.  I look forward to learning more from the life and ministry of this faithful disciple.

(by the way if any of you readers are a person of considerable wealth, I am looking for a Radstock type to support our missionary work in South East Asia...let me know :)

Ron’s #32: A Free People’s Suicide by Os Guinness

The premise of this book is this paradox: “the greatest enemy of freedom is freedom” (19). Guinness continues saying that “Americans today are heedlessly pursuing a vision of freedom that is short-lived and suicidal. Once again, freedom without virtue, leadership without character, business without trust, law without customs, education without meaning and medicine, science and technology without human considerations can only end in disaster” (29).

A Free People’s Suicide is an outsider’s view of the strength of America (Guinness is an Irishman); the book is the same vein of Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville, which is heavily quoted in the book. While praising American freedom, he cautions that we will lose freedom when the freedoms we enjoy are not tethered to something larger than the idea of freedom itself.

I probably should have enjoyed this book more than I did. Even though I like Guinness’s perspective on issues, his writing feels unclear to me. Perhaps it is my lack of knowledge on the issues that Guinness raises. Or, maybe it was because I read this in the final days of the 2012 election, and we met in our Apologia book group after the results were announced. It’s an understatement to say that I wasn’t in the best mood that day.

Here’s a brief excerpt of the author discussing the “golden triangle of freedom”: freedom requires virtue; virtue requires faith; faith requires freedom.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFXQbXZm1W4&list=UU71cHCubNTVifOiU2RiDd_g&index=9&feature=plcp

Ron’s #31: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

This review is a repost from last year, but I read this again to teach it. I loved it more than ever before. This book is moving up on my all-time list to the top ten. It’s an excellent reminder of the damaging power of unconfessed sin. I know that Mark gave his stamp of disapproval earlier this year, but he is wrong.

I was surprised that most of my 50-ish students loved reading this book this year. Our discussions were better than they’ve been for most novels last year. I was pleased.

Here is my former review:

While I read and taught The Scarlet Letter before, I never had the appreciation for it as I did in this reading. I was captivated by the story, but the language and style of its writing was preeminent for me. Hawthorne crafts a beautifully written story that tells the familiar tale of Hester Prynne’s public shame and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale’s private tormented guilt after an adulterous affair set in the backdrop of Puritan Boston. The story is simple, as Hester faces a judgmental crowd in the town, and Dimmesdale suffers from a burning conscience as he does not admit to his sin. One man, Roger Chillingworth—Hester’s husband—knows the secret and is bent on revenge against them both.

While The Scarlet Letter is often used to criticize and demonize the Puritan era, it rather shows the importance of what the consequences of sin lead to within our hearts. The public consequences are temporary, but the private consequences are far longer reaching as the “Hound of Heaven” chases after us to confess and repent. While Hawthorne does not condemn adultery as a sin, we see the destruction causes by infidelity with the Prynne family. Hester Prynne is indeed a model of feminine strength and virtue in accepting responsibility and guilt, but she also provides us a picture of the results of our sin and the need for redemption in a Savior.

The book begins with this excellent sentence, showing the coldness of the scene and the tone of the entire novel:

A throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments and gray, steeple-crowned hats, intermixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded, was assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes.

In our first picture of Hester, Hawthorne contrasts the ugliness of sin with the beauty of the woman:

On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A. It was so artistically done, and with so much fertility and gorgeous luxuriance of fancy, that it had all the effect of a last and fitting decoration to the apparel which she wore; and which was of a splendor in accordance with the taste of the age, but greatly beyond what was allowed by the sumptuary regulations of the colony.

If you are looking to read novels that you should have read in high school but didn’t, I heartily recommend starting with this one.

JRF's #29 - Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters by Meg Meeker

I usually don't take book recommendations from radio talk show hosts, but when Dave Ramsey recommended Dr. Meg Meeker's book - Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters - I thought, "Hey, I'm a father.  I want to be a better father and I want my daughter to be 'strong'" so I gave it a shot.

Overall I am glad that I did.  Meeker lays out substantial evidence, both statistical and anecdotal, that the love, presence, wisdom, and discipline of fathers (or lack thereof) has an immense influence on their daughters.  She carefully and scientifically looks at many of the widespread problems that today's girls face - anorexia, sexualization, STDs, depression, abusive relationships...etc - and encourages dads that they, and only they, have a unique position and power to protect their daughters from these threats to their health and happiness.  She then offers some practical tips for fathers to help them make the most of their position of influence.

I do have a few criticisms however.  While it was nice to see that medical and social science affirms the truth of what the Word of God has been proclaiming for millennia -  namely that fathers have a unique responsibility and privilege of protecting, leading, and loving their family  - I fear that such a pragmatic approach robs fathers of their greatest ally and weapon in the fight for their daughters wellbeing...the Gospel.  This fear is illustrated by the fact that Meeker, a professing Christian, writes an entire chapter in which she illustrates the importance teaching your daughter to have a strong faith, but fails to take a stand on whether it matters or not what faith you are committed to and if that faith corresponds to Truth.  She portrays faith, including her own, as merely a means of meeting our felt needs. She goes as far as to say when referring to the importance of teaching your daughter about God, " Forgiveness, mercy, and a fresh start are things every one of us deserves.  So, please, give them to your daughter.  These will give her hope for the future.  If you have a better way to give your daughter hope, go for it.  But I don't know any other way.  And I have yet to come across anyone who does." (190)  This kind of human-centered pragmatism neither brings glory to God or ultimate joy and salvation to sinners.  At best this philosophy is a placebo for sick souls.

I am glad I read this book.  There were many helpful practical portions that I will return to.  Often my thinking and praying were stimulated by Dr. Meeker's thoughtful research and passionate advice.  But perhaps the greatest conviction that I will carry away from reading this book is the reaffirmation that the Word of God is exceedingly sufficient when it comes to answering the most basic questions about the nature of the human heart, our most basic and pressing need, how to live a fruitful, joyful, and wise life, our purpose for existing and in Whom we find ultimate freedom and fulfillment.  A Christ-centered life will produce truly strong fathers and strong daughters for our strength will not come from a moral code, healthy choices, or a good education, but from the risen Lord of all creation Himself.

Mark's #46 - The Kingdom by Bryan Litfin (444 pages)

This is the third book in the Chiveis Trilogy (The Sword and The Gift are the other two books).    I really wanted to like this book, since I was a big fan of the first book in the series (it made my top ten list in 2010), but unfortunately, I was disappointed. Teo and Ana finally return to their homeland of Chiveis to bring them the Bible and Christianity.  The author's portrayal of the rebirth of Christianity is cringeworthy.  Do you really think if Christianity disappeared and reappeared 500 years later in a medieval version of earth (civilization has been setback by nuclear winter), that it would take shape and form like the Roman Catholic Church?  Apparently this author, who also happens to be a professor at Moody Bible Institute thinks so... There's even a pope, referred to as "the Papa" - which made me roll my eyes every time I read it.

Beyond the ecclessiolgy, the storyline was often hard to follow... the plot twists were often bizarre (i.e., "Oh no, the two lovers Teo and Ana might actually be brother and sister! ... what!?... they're not, but still, it was dumb).  Then at the culmination of the book the Kingdom of Chiveis (in Switzerland), embraces Christianity and officially sponsors it... because state sponsored churches have worked out so well for the state and the church in history...

I highly recommend the first book... I cannot recommend the last two.