Book Review: Angels by Dr. David Jeremiah

I’ve enjoyed listening to Dr. David Jeremiah’s radio shows in the past, so when Multnomah publishers asked me to review a copy of his new book, Angels, I was excited to hear what he had to say on the topic.  And he didn’t disappoint.  This is the best book I’ve ever read on the topic of Angels, and I suggest adding it to your library if this is an area of interest for you.

What I appreciated most about Jeremiah’s approach was the emphasis on scripture, first and foremost.  He takes other authors to task, who have given in to the pop-culture notion of angels and have crafted their own angel studies based on heresy and popular beliefs about them.  Instead, he makes scripture the standard for everything we know about angels, and tests the common claims about angels against scripture, to see what is true and what is not.  Frankly, I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of scripture references in the book.

Another way that this book stands out is that it doesn’t focus so much on fallen angels as much as the God serving ones.  I’ve read several angel books, and Satan’s angels always seem to get more than their fair share of the attention.  While purposefully, Jeremiah leaves the discussion of fallen angels until near the end of his book, physically locating it in a place that puts its emphasis on the God serving angels.

A surprising element of this book was the many references to Calvin’s writing on angels. It seems like there’s at least one Calvin reference each chapter, leading me to believe that Jeremiah pulled a lot of his ideas from that illustrious reformer.

Overall, I found the book approachable, readable, and scripturally sound. It didn’t feel like a reference work, even though it referenced a great deal of other sources, especially the Bible. In fact, at the end of many chapters or sections, Jeremiah would ask personal application questions to help guide us into thinking about how we could grow closer to Jesus through this new information.  He sees angels as messengers who always point to God, and so each thing we learn about them should always point us back to the worship of God.

 Thanks to Multnomah Publishers for providing me with a review copy of this book.  To learn more about it, visit the publisher’s website.

Nylons Remain Evil

Nylons aren’t my friends. I’ve already explained this to you, a couple years ago, when I had some difficulties with a pair at a function at the Space Needle. Last week, I revisited the problem, with a new pregnant twist.

Dan took me to the opera last week, for a Wednesday night showing of Verdi’s Il Trovatore. We bought the tickets long before I learned I was pregnant, and I had a last minute panic about what to wear, since many of my clothes are getting a bit snug in the belly region. But I pulled out a semi-formal dress with a very forgiving empire waist, and made it work. However, the dress was swathed in black nylon, making black nylons and unavoidable accessory.

Having not considered this problem until it was too late to find new, pregnancy friendly nylons, I dove back into my old stash of nylons, hoping I could find something that would fit.

I found a pair with a lot of elasticity, not as saggy as the Space Needle ones (I wasn’t about to repeat the problem from that night).  But they were a struggle to fit over aforementioned prego belly. Thankfully, they seemed tight enough to stay up.

All fitted and ready to go, I drove to meet Dan at work, proud of myself for finding a dress and nylons that fit.  Of course, I didn’t bother to stuff a spare pair of nylons into my purse because, as usual, I was overly confident that all would work out well in the nylon department.

When we got to the opera, I made a trip to the ladies room to freshen up before the show and looked down to see railroad tracks zipping quickly down the front of my leg, shooting slightly below my hemline. Cursing the vile stockings, I dove into the nearest stall to assess the situation.

Starting from the overly stretched prego belly region, the run had quickly descended all the way down my thigh and was making quick progress to my feet.

Without an extra pair, I was stuck with two options: put up with railroad tracks or go nylon free.  Thinking about all the super dressed up people at the opera, I decided that nylons with runs might attract a little attention.  So, once again, I found myself bare legged and attending a dressy event.

I stuffed the nylons in the bathroom garbage and exited to find Dan waiting outside for me.  My scowl probably told him the whole story, and he obviously hadn’t forgotten the Space Needle experience, since he cracked up when I told him about the problem.

It seems that I’m forever doomed to struggle with nylons.  At least I hope I’ve learned my lesson about bringing along an extra pair.  But, then again, I don’t hold out a lot of hope for remembering this for future occasions. My overconfidence has a way of getting me every time!

“Have Patience. Have Patience. Don’t Be in Such a Hurry”

Normally, I’m not a very patient person. Dan likes to sing the “Have Patience” song to me when I get particularly restless (and he gets an eyeroll from me every time).  So when you add pregnancy to the mix, I’m downright jittery with anticipation.

I’m over 9 weeks along, and eagerly looking forward to the 12^th week, that special time when I begin the second trimester and am supposed to start feeling better.  Thankfully, I seem to be making small improvements each week, so it’s not going to be the magical moment I cross the threshold into the second trimester and suddenly feel better. I’m getting a little relief as I go.  But my struggle is with patience, which I’m learning is the number one lesson in pregnancy.

A pregnant woman gets really good at waiting.  We’ve got 9 months (well, over that if you really do the math, but let’s not dwell on that too much) to watch our bellies grow, go through weekly, sometimes daily changes, both good and bad, that eventually lead to the great reward, months of sleepless nights! No, of course I mean a baby, but these days, I’m wondering how in the world I’m going to make it.

So I’m depending a lot on God’s grace, in helping me be patient, to be content in the moment. And let me tell you, when you’re puking several times a day and pretty much stuck to the couch for most of the day (Dan jokes that my job right now is the keep the couch from flying away), it’s hard to be very content with life and patient for the next stage. It’s also hard not to be a self-centered whiner.

I find it appropriate that Paul uses childbirth as an example of the suffering that we Christians endure while awaiting Jesus’ return:

“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:22-23). 

Perhaps by keeping my eyes on that prize, the ultimate one that awaits all believers, this time too will be endurable: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).

And the answer might just be hope, which is another gift of the Spirit: “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Romans 8:25).

Book Review: The Male Factor

Shaunti Feldhahn has done it again. In her new book, The Male Factor, she takes her surveying skills to the workplace, to see what working men think of their working women counterparts. As she’s done for couples in her For Women Only and For Men Only, she does for men and women in the workplace.  I was tremendously pleased by this new approach to gender differences, and I found it to be a highly practical and informative book.

Feldhahn uses a very similar approach to presenting her material as she did in her other books.  I was impressed at how all the information was organized, with excellent sub headings and helpful quotes highlighted.  I found it was a book that was easy to read without getting too bogged down in details and statistics.

Basically, the book relies on the premise that men and women operate differently.  And by interviewing many men in the work world, Feldhahn presents how a large percentage of men view women in the workplace.  She focuses on ways that women can improve their working relationships with the opposite sex, as there are many pitfalls women fall into when relating to men.  For example, my favorite chapter was on “men’s inner insecurity” and “the confidence game.”  Feldhahn explains men’s struggles to receive respect in the workplace, and she outlines seven unintentional ways women disrespect men at work. When our attitude is “brusque” and too direct, we can be too confrontational and throw men off balance.  And when we ask too many questions about their actions, we doubt their logical process at arriving at certain conclusions.

Feldhahn touches on such issues as women’s sexuality in the workplace, how our dress can be downright distracting to our co-workers.  And she addresses that familiar “it’s not personal; it’s business” mantra that we often hear from men, something very unfamiliar to women. Another important issue the book touches on is how women’s emotions can be perceived by men, how crying might not fit in the workplace.  And while some of these issues might seem obvious, a surprising amount of women, in practice, choose to ignore these relational guidelines.

I read the Christian edition of the text, as Feldhahn has released two different versions, one for the mainstream and one for Christians.  I honestly didn’t find a ton of extra material helpful for Christ followers, but there was one chapter at the end that attempted to fill this gap.  The non-Christian version would certainly be a sufficient book to read.  And I’m glad to see that Feldhahn is bringing her gender discussion to the mainstream, a place that seems hesitant, in light of current politically correct movements, to acknowledge the inherent differences between mens and women’s minds.

Thanks to Multnomah Publishers for providing me with a review copy of this book. Click here to visit the publisher’s website.

New Year’s Resolutions and Reflections

Ugh. Morning sickness.  More like, all-day sickness. It’s been difficult finding the headspace to write these past couple weeks.  Here’s hoping that the coming weeks bring more clarity for writing.

But for now, I’ve got a brief window of sanity to share, and I thought I’d do it by looking back at my New Year’s resolution from last year.  This past year, I committed to reading a book a week, or 52 books, for the year.  And I’m pleased to say that I’ve reached that goal, plus some. But it wasn’t an experience I ever hope to duplicate.

Here’s the problem with this kind of goal:  It makes you read short books.  As someone who loves to read Victorian novels that would work well as doorstops, this kind of challenge was a tough one for me.  I can’t read the typical 800 page Victorian work in a week, and it made me gravitate towards ever shorter books to ensure I got the book counts I needed.

Also, I love to read fiction in full and nonfiction in part.  So, I tend to pick up lots of reference books and nonfiction Christian helps books to read a couple of applicable chapters.  But I rarely set out to read the whole thing.  Usually, it involves me skipping all the parenting chapters (which of course, isn’t the issue anymore).  But with this kind of goal, that sort of reading style goes unrecognized.  I’ve read dozens of nonfiction books, just in part, either for my job or for my own personal amusement, and sadly, those don’t go toward the count.  And in truth, I hesitated to read them at times because I realized they would take away reading time that I could give to my total count.

I’m glad that I did the resolution because it taught me a lot about my own reading habits.  I didn’t realize how much I loved long fiction, a steady, savoring pace, and smaller glimpses into nonfiction works, until those things needed to be allocated or stolen away from the rest of my allotted reading time.  Self awareness is invaluable.  But I think I can achieve that by keeping a list of my reading for the year.  I might even post it online again for you to see what I’ve been reading.

But as I’ve said, this won’t be a goal I’ll repeat. If I were to do another type of book goal, I think it would either have to focus on reading a certain type of book that I want to read or perhaps setting aside a particular amount of time each day for reading.  Maybe it’s just that I don’t like limitations of any sort on my reading.

And as I’ve been reflecting on my past New Year’s resolutions, including last year’s and the year before, where I set out to memorize a book of the Bible, I’ve been considering what to do this year. And I’m feeling slightly less ambitious.

So I think that this year, I’m going to focus on growing a happy, healthy baby and not complain so much about the trials that pregnancy is bringing…which I’ve already done here. I’m still a work in progress.

Oh yes, and speaking of works in progress, one of my goals is to finish my novel. I’ve added another 10,000 words to the 50,000 I reached for NaNoWriMo, and I’d love to wrap it up, and edit it, sometime this year. I probably should get to that before the baby shows up.

I’d love to hear what everyone else is doing for their resolution this year, and how it’s working out for you so far. 

I’m glad that this is one year where losing weight isn’t an option.  Instead, I’m in the highly unusual position of trying to get the scale to move forward, not back.  A new year indeed!

A Whole New World of Books

I hope everyone had a wonderful Chanukah and Christmas.

We got to share a very special Christmas present with our family this year.  And now, I’d love to share it with you.

It looks like a whole new world of books is now open to me.  I’d love to hear all your recommendations for your favorite books in this genre.  I’ll be plowing through a lot of them until August 23, 2010.

But as you can see, I’ve already raided the library for several of them!

Amy’s 2009 Christmas Gift Books for Women

Just in time for last minute Christmas shopping, I’m presenting my top 10 picks for Christmas gift books for women.  I know many of you guys pride yourselves on going out for those gifts on Christmas Eve, so here’s some ideas for stopping by the local bookstore.

I guess this is an annual tradition, now that I’ve given lists for 3 years in a row.  For more ideas, check out my 2007 and 2008 lists.

1. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies or Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

Any woman who loves Jane Austen is going to like these books.  I’ve only read the Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters so far, but it was a riot.  The book incorporates most of Jane Austen’s text and adds a fishy dimension.  For example, Colonel Brandon has tentacles all over his face, think Davey Jones.

2. Going Rogue by Sarah Palin

Love her or hate her, this book is the must have item this year.  Even liberals are reading it, to learn more about the woman who is getting so much attention in our country.  Her book tour has been a big success, and copies are flying off the shelves.  I’ve read excerpts, which allude to her faith and reliance on God through prayer.  A great opportunity to learn more about someone who has been such a focal point in the news lately, as well as someone who is speaking for American evangelicals.

3. Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

I like to include a cookbook for all the food lovers out there.  And this year, Julia Child’s classic is the one to have. If you or a loved one liked Nora Ephron’s recent film Julie and Julia (just came out on video), here’s a chance to try out Child’s French cooking in your own kitchen. Local Seattle restaurants have been catching onto the trend by featuring Julia Child themed menus, in honor of the film.

4. A Mercy by Toni Morrison

Morrison’s latest book is up to her high standard of excellence, continuing in a time and place very similar to that of her classic Beloved . A very interesting addition to the story is the concept of white slavery, showing how slavery crossed race lines.  The book also makes the reader think about how slavery exists in their own life, making the term relevant for today, especially interesting if you’re working through finding idols in your own life. I reviewed the book this year.

5. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

I’m a big Philippa Gregory fan, but any woman who loves historical fiction should also consider trying out some books by this author of The Other Boleyn Girl.  This book focuses on Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen, mother of the famous boys in the tower and the mystery surrounding their death. Set during the infamous War of the Roses, this is an incredible time period to study, and Gregory’s knack for drama and high level of research make the book a very enjoyable read.

6. The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

I admit, I haven’t read this one yet, but Kingsolver is a safe bet. I’ve enjoyed all her other fiction books (can’t say as much for the nonfiction).  Her Poisonwood Bible is incredible.  The Lacuna is her first novel in 9 years, causing Kingsolver fans quite a long and arduous wait.  Speaking of long and arduous waits, I’m still waiting for my copy to reach the bottom of the hold list at the library! She’s tackled a lot in this novel, a historical fiction in the 1930s, set in Mexico and the US, with such notable types as Frida Kahlo and Leon Trotsky.

7. Touched by a Vampire by Beth Felker Jones

I reviewed this book recently and found it to be an excellent Christian perspective on the Twilight books.  If you or a loved one has enjoyed the Twilight books or simply wants to learn more about the themes within them, I highly suggest this little book.  Great for a mom and daughter to study together.

8. The Lost Mission by Athol Dickson

I wanted to list one Christian fiction book, and Athol Dickson gets my vote this year.  An ambitious novel with some tell-tale Christian fiction pitfalls, but overall, one of the best written books of the genre I’ve encountered in awhile.  Check out my review to learn more.

9. Dewey: The small town library cat who touched the world by Vicki Myron

These last two books are for cat fans.  If you like cats and books, this is the book for you.  I laughed and cried with the simple story of this cat adopted by a libaray.  A surprisingly good commentary on aging in the US as well.  See my full review here.

10. The Devious Book for Cats: a Parody by Joe Garden et Al

This is the funniest book I’ve read in awhile.  It’s marketed like those Dangerous and Daring books for boys and girls, which were popular a couple years back.  And it’s written by the writers of the Onion, which should tell you enough.  Oh yes, they have a dog version too, but honestly, who would want to read that?

Merry Christmas Everybody!

Some Important Shepherds

Today, I want to focus on some lowly people to whom God gives an incredible mission.  I’m talking about the shepherds who learn about Jesus’ birth and are entrusted with the good news of the messiah in the manger.

This year, my new addition to my nativity set is a shepherd.  I didn’t get around to making more than one, so next year, I might add another. I also added a couple sheep.  Here’s my first nativity post from two years ago, and also my post from last year.

I’m not an expert on middle eastern shepherds, especially those from Bible times, but I do know that it wasn’t a glamorous job.  These shepherds in particular were up at night watching their flock in the field.  They might have been travelling shepherds, or they could be those who lived in the region, simply feeding them at the outskirts of town. 

And the Angels didn’t come to rich Herod or the High Priest at the Temple.  They came to these humble shepherds, in the midst of their work, to bring them the best news that has ever been given to mankind.

First, I’m humbled that no matter how rich or educated I am, it doesn’t mean a thing to God.  He can choose the lowliest people in the world to have the greatest missions, as is the case here.  It’s all because of his grace, not by our own merits, that he bestows great gifts upon us.  Namely, the gift of his son.

And these shepherds get information overload.  First, an angel comes to them, which by itself is a significant event.  I’m sure that didn’t happen much in the middle of the fields, while they were tending their sheep.  Then, the angel speaks, and tells them a that a baby has been born, not just any baby, one born in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  In their language, this means Messiah. 

First, there’s the fulfilled prophecy, “born in the city of David.”  The Old Testament prophet Micah told that the ruler of Israel, one from ancient days, would come from Bethlehem, David’s city (Micah 5:2).  Then, they give the word Christ, which is Greek for Messiah, the title of one who would save them.  Finally, they learn that this baby is also God.  He gets the name “the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

I probably would have peed my pants if I had gotten this kind of announcement from a heavenly being.  First, the shock of the angel, then the shock that God himself is in Bethlehem, in a feed trough.  To top it all off, they don’t just get one angel, then “the heavenly host” shows up, singing.

The shepherds might have chalked it up to some bad hummus, but instead, they recognize the blessing they’ve been given and go to spread the good news and meet God face to face.  I wonder who watched their sheep when they left, but I have feeling that they had other concerns, bigger and better than sheep.  Sure, the sheep were their livelihood, so it certainly was a risk.

I wonder if God calls me to something big, will I be willing to leave my job, my security, everything I’ve known to seek him. 

Now, I’m not sure if the shepherds simply brought their sheep with them into town. It’s certainly possible but maybe not the fastest course.  In my nativity scene, I have a few token sheep there, partly because I think they’re cute, and partly because I can’t figure out whether they abandoned sheep (bad pun, I know). 

My shepherd has a hooked staff, and I’m not sure if it’s the traditional shape for a shepherd’s staff of the time. Psalm 21 talks about God as our shepherd, and he uses a rod and a staff (one to prod us along, one to bring us in).  Here’s a good description from a shepherd about the uses of these objects.  I chose the traditional shape because it’s also so wrapped up in the candy cane symbolism.  That might have had something to do with the stripes on the shepherd’s robe. 

If anybody has ideas about what I should create next for the nativity, please let me know!

One thousand words later…

So I’ve only written 1,000 words since Thanksgiving.  Not so inspiring, is it? But God’s got my back.  He seems to want me to finish this thing.

I went to my Christian Writer’s Association meeting last night, annoyed with myself that I can’t find time to write, when last month, I managed to do it.  Partly, I think I put a lot off that month for the sake of writing, and now, I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.  But honestly, Christmas shopping doesn’t take that long.

I ran into another member of the organization, one I’ve met before, who happened to mention she did NaNoWriMo last month.  I wasn’t aware that anyone else from the group was doing it, so it was a thrill to meet someone else who not only did the NaNoWriMo but completed it.  And to top that off, she’s been working on 1,000 words a day since the end, to finish her novel.

Okay, two emotions here.  First, pride.  I felt part of an elite “in” club.  I was one of the people who could say, “I finished too!”  I wanted to tell everyone what I’d accomplished.  Second, jealousy and a little self denigration.  Why in the world could she keep at it, when I was failing in that task?

But, thankfully, after chatting for awhile, God convicted me that I had the wrong attitude.  Instead, I asked her if she’d be interested in holding each other accountable to finishing our books.  She seems like the one to drag me along, since I’m not doing so well.  But she loved the idea.

I’m thankful for the conviction I received. It opened me up to the blessing of having a writing accountability partner.  If I was so stuck in my pride and shame (odd to have those two at the same time, but that’s me), I wouldn’t have recognized the amazing gift God was giving me.

Right now, I’m reading I Samuel, the story of David and Saul.  Saul is busy going crazy, chasing after David in once scene and declaring him his beloved son in the next.  And I used to read these scenes only through the lens of David, trying to be like David, comparing myself to David.  Not that it’s a bad thing to do, but there’s a lot more going on than just David’s story here.

This time around, I’m seeing myself more as a Saul.  Someone who can hold some pretty irrational beliefs one minute, then get amazing Grace from God to see the truth, repent, and act well for awhile.  But like Saul, I’m prone to returning to my…um…vomit.

I’m praising God for the ability to see through my sin, to recognize his grace.  Here’s hoping that I, like Saul, don’t continue acting schizophrenic in my sins.  I miss out on so much!

Book Review: Water for Elephants

On the heels of NaNoWriMo, I decided to read a book that was published as a result of the NaNoWriMo experience.  Believe it or not, Sara Gruen wrote her bestseller, Water for Elephants, during the competition.  I learned this factoid shortly after starting writing in November, and her success was a bit of an inspiration for me to continue.  And even then, she didn’t actually complete the competition, with “only” 40,000 words of the novel completed at the end of November.

So I read the book after I’d finished writing, and wow, what a story.  To tell you the truth, I wasn’t thrilled about reading about the circus, since I guess I’m just not a circus person.  I never was one of those kids begging to see the circus when it came to town.  But, I was excited to see what a NaNoWriMo novel read like.  

The plot is very simple, it’s the organization that makes it unique.  Gruen interweaves the story of 90-something-year-old Jacob Jankowski with tales of his former life in the circus.  As I’ve learned in my newfound novel writing experience, transitions between times are a booger, but she succeeded in making them coherent and believable, with the slipping sanity of a forgetful old man, dwelling back on his youth.  She also does an incredible job with starting the book at the climax, a different version that leaves a lot of key details ambigious.  When she rewrites it later, she’s revealed the omitted details.  A very clever and effective plot technique.

Jabob joins the circus on accident, after his parents die, and he finds himself unable to complete veterinary school.  The circus performers find him on the train and consider “red lighting” him (throwing him off), which is an illegal practice.  Gruen hints happened frequently in depression era circuses.  The fear of “red lighting” is an ever-present concern through the entire novel.

It’s a love story, of exotic animals and also between two people, facing immense challenges to their romance.  Mix that with all sorts of off the wall acts, and a greedy circus master, and you have all the ingredients for a very compelling novel.

One word of caution here.  My endorsement of this book would be stronger if it weren’t for the graphic, coarse, sexuality interwoven throughout it.  Gruen highlights the dark underbelly of the circus, the side show acts that are only advertised through word of mouth.  These characters and scenes lend some of the more deeply disturbing elements to the story, but they also aren’t necessary for the plot’s success. If you’re sensitive to these sorts of scenes, as I am, I’d suggest skipping any parts involving “Barbara,” with or without her sideshow.

As historical fiction, it seems very trustworthy, as Gruen, in an author’s note at the end, highlights her extensive research into depression era circuses.  I had no idea what sort of acts and brave sacrifices went into producing a complete circus show.

The strongest aspect of this book was its intensity, how it carried you through the chapters, never relenting.  I don’t know if this had something to do with the short period of time in which the author wrote it, allowing for more focus and immersion in the story, but in any case, it’s a book that’s hard to put down.  I, grudgingly, read it in two sessions instead of one because I needed to get to sleep.  Ad, if you do read it, plan on being obsessed for awhile.