Book Review - The American Heiress

Cora Cash is the American Heiress.  The name is almost too cutesy, dontcha think?  Anyway, Cora is the only child of a very rich man.  They are the quintessential American 'new money' kind of family.  Cora's mother is determined to marry her daughter to an English title.  (Apparently rich Americans did this all the time in the early 20th century.)  Cora is packed off to London where she falls off a horse and falls in love with a Duke.  Seriously.

This book is surprising in one aspect.  Cora actually loves this Duke.  The whole book is kind of a twist on the 'marriage of convenience' idea.  It trys to answer the question "What happens when two people who marry out of obligation fall in love?' 

Don't be scared, it's not a trashy romance.  It's entertaining and well written

Book Review - The Tea Rose

Fiona Finnegan is the tea rose.  She is a poor young woman from a big, poor family.  They live in Whitechapel.  She dreams of opening a shop with her fiance Joe.  It doesn't seem like there is any possibility that those dreams are gonna come true.

Let me just say this.  Things go horribly wrong,  Like big time wrong.  Fiona ends up in New York City where she helps her uncle reopen his grocery store.  After that, things go really, really well.  Like...this is hard to believe but I'm a sucker for a happy ending well. 

Jennifer Donnelly is the bomb-diggity.  Read everything she writes.  Twice.

Bible Tuesday - David 2

When we left David, he was the preteen annointed King of Israel who was still moonlighting as a shepherd.

Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. And Saul's servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.”  So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me.” One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.” Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.”    And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul.  And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.” And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.

1 Samuel 16: 14-23

I'm not sure how much time has passed here.  This servant refers to David as a man so I think David must be older by now.  But he apparently still is ok to just be a servant to the other king.  I think it's pretty clear that Saul is suffering from a mental illness here.  And this makes me even more awestruck at David's behavior.  He's a king who is completely ok with being a servant.  It's an attitude that is mostly foreign to our modern sensibilities.  We are a people obsessed with getting what we deserve (and we always think we deserve more and better than what we actually get.)  But David doesn't demand his rightful place.  He just does what he is told.  That's refreshing as heck, isn't it?

Quoted

To believe, really believe, God loves us is not easy. Takes a miracle. A miracle God constantly performs.    Romans 5:5

Ray Ortlund

What?

And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two heroes of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen.

1 Chronicles 11:22

What?

Does anybody have a clue what this means?  I'm thinking it would be pretty brave to kill a lion in a pit on any day but, apparently, the snow added another dimension of awesome.

And he struck down an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear like a weaver's beam, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear. ²⁴ These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and won a name beside the three mighty men. ²⁵ He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.

1 Chronicles 11:23-25

Ok.  Seriously.  This Egyptian was about 7 1/2 feet tall.  I don't know how tall Benaiah was but the Israelites were not generally tall people so I highly doubt he was even near 6 foot.  Most commentaries agree that this dude's spear was probably around 7 feet long and 3 inches in diameter.  Benaiah not only went after this Egyptian, he 'snatched' the huge spear (which was bigger than his whole dang body!)  out of the hands of a man way bigger than him and killed him with it!!!  That's hardcore folks. Then it says David made him head of the bodyguards.  Good call, Dave.  Good call.

Book Review - A Letter of Mary

Guess what?  Another Sherlock Holmes book!  People, I cannot stop myself.

In this one, Mary and Holmes have been married for a couple of years.  Now, from the beginning of the series, you know that Mary and Holmes end up married but it's still weird.  He is very, very old and she...isn't.  But it's pretty clear that they are perfect together so you get past the 50 year age gap and move on.

So Holmes and Mary are just puttering about being a boring married couple when they are visited by an old acquaintance from Palestine.  The woman brings them a mysterious box and leaves.  They find out the next day that the woman has been killed in a hit and run accident.

Ya'll know it was murder, right?

So Holmes and Mary take the case and solve it.  And it's as good as all the others. 

The interesting part of this story, to me, is the letter.  (There's a letter in the box.) The letter is supposedly written by Mary Magdalene to her sister.  It's basically a rehash of The Davinci Code nonsense. (The Davinici Code was a friggin awesome book by the way but it's fiction so don't try to build a life around it, ok?)  The letter indicates that Mary and Jesus were married and had kids.

Let me try to say this as clearly as possible.  If Jesus had married Mary Magdalene, that would NOT have been sinful.  God created marriage.  He also created sex.  So if Jesus had married anyone and produced children, that would not have been a controversy that would rock the very foundations of the Christian faith.  I do not understand how this even became a point of contention.  I don't believe Jesus was married because the Bible doesn't tell me he was.  But I don't think the apostles left that out because there would have been no reason to do so.  I don't pretend to know everything about the early Christian church.  And I am sure those dudes were not perfect.  But I just can't see why they would lie and suppress stories about Jesus that were no big deal.   It's just goofy. 

The other 'controversy' is that Mary Magdalene was an apostle and the church tried to cover that up too.  Whatever.  I just ain't buying it.  There were plenty of women in the early church.  The most central event of the Christian faith is the resurrection.  Guess who the first people the risen Christ appeared to were?  Yep.  Women.  If there was ever a place that the apostles were gonna lie, this would have been it.   And, yet, they didn't.  This is just one more place where people are creating misogyny in the church that just didn't exist.  Did it ever exist?  Sure.  But don't blame Jesus.  You won't find one place where He treats women badly. 

See what I did here?  Tried to write a book review.  Went off on a rant instead.

Welcome to every day of my poor husband's life.



Quoted

I do not venture to make any assertion where Scripture is silent.

- John Calvin

Bible Tuesday - David Part 1

Can we talk about David? 

God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’  

Acts 13:22

What was it about David that made him 'a man after God's own heart'?  Let's see if we can figure it out.  Be patient.  This may take a while.

Let's start at the beginning.  Here's what is going on when we first meet David.  Saul is the king of Israel.  But God is tired of all Saul's nonsense so He sends the prophet Samuel to annoint a new king.  (At some point, we should spend some time talking about Samuel.  Very interesting story.  Probably should have started with Samuel and then transitioned to David.  Note to self : Think before starting blog series.)  So Samuel does what God commands and heads to Bethlehem (yep the little town) to the house of Jesse.  Here's what happens:

Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” ⁵ And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.” ⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” ⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” ⁹ Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” ¹⁰ And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” ¹¹ Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.”

1 Samuel 16

Ya'll, the only kid left is a little shepherd.  I'm getting messianic goosebumps. 

And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” ¹² And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” ¹³ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward.

1 Samuel 16

So you would think that David would pack up and head to Jerusalem to start kinging.  But he doesn't.  In fact my best guess within a biblical framework is that David goes right back to being a shepherd.  Here is our first real glimpse of David's character.  He is about 12-15 years old at this time.  How many middle school boys do you know that would win the lottery and still wake up the next day to do their paper route?  David is the King of Israel.  He knows it.  His dad knows it.  All his brothers know it.  But something (and I can only assume it is 'the spirit of the Lord') makes him stay put.

A bunch of other stuff is gonna happen.  Hang with me

March

Customize a free digital slideshow March was the month of doctors, birthdays and surgeries.  We are blessed.  We are thankful. We have met our health insurance deductible for the whole year.

Bible Tuesday

In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. ² He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. ³ And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. ⁴ He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah.

2 Kings 18:1-5

So far so good, right?

He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. ⁶ For he held fast to the Lord. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses. ⁷ And the Lord was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered.

2 Kings 18:5-7

It just keeps getting better.  After 17 chapters just full of one king worse than another, we finally meet Hezekiah.  And Hezekiah seems pretty awesome.  He's doing everything right. 

Ever read this story?

In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.’” ² Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, ³ “Now, O Lord, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. ⁴ And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: ⁵ “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord, ⁶ and I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake.”

2 Kings 20: 1-6

At this point, you have to consider Hezekiah as a real hero.  He is a good king.  He obeys God.  He even gets God to change his mind.  That's a big deal folks.  But then, things get weird.

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: ¹⁷ Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. ¹⁸ And some of your own sons, who shall be born to you, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” ¹⁹ Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?”

2 Kings 20:16-19

Do What?!?!

Hezekiah finds out he is going to die and he responds with heartfelt prayer.  He finds out his kids are going to be eunuchs and he responds with a hearty "Oh well."  What the heck is wrong with this guy?  If there is a time to tear your clothes and throw dust on your head, the time is now Hezekiah.  Good grief.  The kingdom you have ruled is going to be destroyed and YOU LITERALLY SAY "WHY NOT"?

Then lookie here.

Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah. ² And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. ³ For he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. ⁴ And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem will I put my name.” ⁵ And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. ⁶ And he burned his son as an offering and used fortune-telling and omens and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. ⁷ And the carved image of Asherah that he had made he set in the house of which the Lord said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever. ⁸ And I will not cause the feet of Israel to wander anymore out of the land that I gave to their fathers, if only they will be careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the Law that my servant Moses commanded them.” ⁹ But they did not listen, and Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations had done whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel.

2 Kings 21:1-9

Couple of things here.
1. Hezekiah reigned for 25 years and yet only had a twelve year old son to take the throne when he died.  Did I miss something?  Doesn't that seem off?
2.  This kid was hardcore bad.  Not only did he rebuild all the stuff that Hezekiah destroyed. HE BURNED HIS SON AS AN OFFERING!!!

I have no deep insight into the significance of these passages.  But I do think we can all learn a few things from Hezekiah.  First, even good guys who serve God can be goobers.  Second, selfish parents create horrible children.

There.  I said it.

Book Review - I've Got Your Number

Poppy Wyatt is about to be married to Magnus Tavish.

These are seriously the names of two of the main characters in this book.  An American author could never get away with this.  But Sophie Kinsella can pretty much name her characters anything she wants because she is funny.  Humor earns a lot with me.

Kinsella has a pretty strict formula for her novels.  The main character is usually a well meaning dork.  She does something dumb.  Hijinks ensue as she tries to cover up for whatever.  I'm not complaining.  Her books are always great so, by all means, stick with the formula.

In this one, Poppy loses her engagement ring.  She also loses her mobile (that's what the English call their cell phones).  While frantically searching for both, she sees a woman toss her own phone into the rubbish bin (that's what the English call their trash cans.)  She commandeers the phone.  She quickly ascertains that the phone belonged to the secretary for a businessman, Sam Roxton.  Poppy convinces Sam to let her keep the phone just until her engagement ring is found as she needs to give a contact number to the bazillion people that she has searching for it.  He agrees on the condition that she forward all his correspondence.

I think we all know where this is going, right?  Take it to the beach to read.  You won't be sorry.



Book Review - The Night Circus

There was a lot of hype around this book.  And it totally lived up to it.  When you read a lot, there are times when you feel like every book you open is something you have read before.  You begin to think that there are no new stories left.  A book like this proves how wrong that theory is.

Le Cirque des Rêves  is only open at night.  The circus appears without warning.  It has been designed as a venue for a competition between two magicians, Marco and Celia.  These two have been pledged to this competition since they began their training in childhood.  They know very little about who they are competing against and how they might actually win.  They create a circus that is unlike anything you could possibly imagine.  And, as the years pass, they continue to add more elaborate tents in an effort to 'win' the competition.

Also, did I mention that Celia and Marco fall in love?  And that the competition is a death match that only one of them can survive?  Yeah.  It's ten kinds of awesome.  Read it or regret it.

Bible Tuesday

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
John 13:34-35

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
John 15:12

These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
John 15:17

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.  Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Romans 12:9-10

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Romans 13:8


Katie met a little girl while on vacation with her mom.  While playing on the beach, that little girl proceeded to tell Katie all about Hell and all about what "God hates".  It breaks my heart that that little girl has received such bad information.  It breaks even more to know how much she is hurting the cause of Christ.

If you meet someone who is anxious to share their religious beliefs with you and the first thing they tell you is "what God hates", there's a  pretty good chance that person has some issues. If I want to introduce someone to Christ, I am gonna need to spend about a million years trying to adequately describe to you all that God loves. I'm not sure how long it would take me to get to what He hates. (Spoiler alert: According to the Bible, God hates divorce and idolatry. That's it)  God takes hate seriously. He doesn't throw the word around for everything that doesn't make Him happy.

 I am unapologetically, completely, inextricably in love with Jesus. But I am no big fan of probably  20 % of His supposed followers. A word of explanation here. You may think you 95% of the Christians you know are annoying hypocrites. The problem with your math is that most good, decent followers of Christ don't get a ton of press coverage. No one is going to blog or tweet about a church that feeds the homeless or clothes the poor. But let that same church have a pastor that seduces the youth minister and see how fast they hit the front page. You see my point here. God has a faithful remnant doing great things in this world in a humble Christ like way. You just aren't exposed to them as much as you should be. That being said. What to do about the rest? I will be danged if I know. Christ has commanded that I love everyone and, not once, did he say to love only the ones I like. We talked about this before. Jesus was no fan of the Pharisees...but He still loved them.

But how do I walk that out in my life? Do I lay hands on the punk kid at the beach and pray for her stupid parents? Do I just pray for her? What about the other gazillion people I encounter?  How do I love them?

And yes, I get that this is part of satan's plan. I mean can you imagine how this world filled with hate, horror, pain and need would respond to the God I serve?  The God that loves unconditionally? A God that knows us and loves anyway? A God whose love never fails? Can you imagine what the world would be like if your kid found a friend at the beach who said "God loves you. He loves your mom too. He only wants you to love Him back." 

We live in a hard world.  And we are literally surrounded by people who are dying without Christ. 

They are dying.

And we (the church) are offering them physical therapy in the form of doctrine and behavior modification.  And there is a time for all that.  Trust me. 

Recovering people need therapy.

Dying people need Jesus.

Dear God help us stop screwing this up.

Amen.

7 days with Ava

Wednesday March 7 - Family Birthday

Thursday March 8 - Tonsillectomy/Adenoidectomy

Friday March 9 - Recovery

Saturday March 9 - Bad day.  No pictures. 

Sunday March 10 - Better day.  New medicine.  All is well until 11PM. Massive bleeding.  Trip to the ER and back to surgery.

Monday March 10 - Inpatient

Tuesday March 11 - Released

Wednesday March 12 - Home. Back to as normal as it gets around here.

How was your Spring Break?