Very good at what it tries to do: to present a simple, accessible exposition of Ephesians 4 that focuses on the roles pastors and church membersVery good at what it tries to do: to present a simple, accessible exposition of Ephesians 4 that focuses on the roles pastors and church members properly play in “church growth.” If there was one thing I really got out of this book, it was a simple and yet clever refocusing of the meaning is that phrase, “church growth.” We usually use it to mean numerical growth, and that’s not necessarily wrong. But it isn’t the focus of Ephesians 4; growing to be like Christ is.
I was looking at the review copy of this book that the publisher sent me, and I did find a small string attached. Oops! FTC rules and all that... I followed the string and it led to charity: I had to write out of love for God and neighbor. Taylor made it easy—his own love for those two things comes through....more
Somehow some writers of biography end up sounding trite, both in their relating of their subjects' stories and in the lessons they draw from them.
Somehow some writers of biography end up sounding trite, both in their relating of their subjects' stories and in the lessons they draw from them.
Isaacson is not one of these writers. The word that comes to my mind to describe him is "complementarity." His powers of anecdote selection complement his keen ability to distill insight from them. I thoroughly enjoyed his Steve Jobs biography and felt that this set of biographies—of people and of the technologies they created—complements the Jobs bio very well. It expands the vision of the power of humanity and technology working together, humanities and science, to include the many people beyond Jobs who show this power. Innovation comes from collaboration, from the complementarity of visionary and practical minds. And now that we have technology, innovation comes from the combination of human and machine strengths.
Isaacson's narrative is fascinating, moves at just the right pace, and genuinely helped me understand the history and the current state of the technological world I live in. It was kind of funny to hear the back stories I never imagined behind technologies that just seemed to suddenly exist when I needed them: Blogger, Google, packet-switching. I will remember this book....more
I couldn't enjoy the book once it became a sprawling set of vendettasand that was about half this huge tome. I just kept thinking
You shall not hate
I couldn't enjoy the book once it became a sprawling set of vendettas—and that was about half this huge tome. I just kept thinking…
You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:17–18 ESV)
My own opinion, after (admittedly) just one read and (admittedly) no exposure to literary criticism of the book: Dumas makes half-hearted, too-little-too-late attempts at the end to mitigate the sin of Dantès in dedicating himself to years of revenge. And the story fails to show what revenge really does to a man's heart.
In the very last pages of the book, Monte Cristo suddenly proclaims that he is remorseful, because he, "like Satan, thought himself for an instant equal to God," and that he "now acknowledges with Christian humility that God alone possesses supreme power and infinite wisdom."
These words rang hollow for me, because these feelings came to Monte Cristo so late in the story. The professions of love from Haydée also rang hollow for me, because people given to revenge become unlovely. Revenge twists a man's heart.
But the story does show, almost despite itself, why revenge must be left in God's hands ("Vengeance is mine; I will repay"): it's because no man is an island. Take revenge on a man twenty years after his sin, and who knows what good you will destroy along with the evil? Maybe the life of a little boy; maybe the livelihood of five clerks, one of whom has an invalid wife; maybe a bill ending the slave trade. I don't know! Only God does. And only God can sort out the intricacies of guilt and merit and make sure that what people plan for evil, he plans for good (Gen 50:20).
The story also places too many powers in the hands of one man, powers that even extreme wealth could not provide. He seems to have not a preternatural but a supernatural ability to foresee how people will respond to his actions in complex situations. There is basically only one moment in the story after Dantès' escape in which something bad happens that he didn't foresee (read: cause). He's everywhere he needs to be; he's everyone he needs to be; he's a French superhero.
Maybe I will mark myself as unliterary for complaining about this beloved novel, but once you have extreme wealth and your own island country, can't you appeal to the powers that be, who are ordained by God to execute justice on the wrongdoers who sinned against you? Pay lawyers to have your vendetta for you; because they are hirelings, ironically, they won't get twisted by that desire for revenge.
I do love the florid nineteenth century style; I do wish I could speak as they do, with their vivid metaphors and complicated and elegant syntax. But though I rooted for Dantès when he was the David, I couldn't find myself liking him or believing him when he was the all-powerful Goliath, the Count of Monte Cristo....more
Extremely well written and insightful. My top recommendation on this topic, though Im hoping to read more books on it.Extremely well written and insightful. My top recommendation on this topic, though I’m hoping to read more books on it....more
Warm, rich, kind, interesting. Historical, instructive, a time-traveling machine. Kept kids quiet. KeptDad and kids both liked this beautiful book.
Warm, rich, kind, interesting. Historical, instructive, a time-traveling machine. Kept kids quiet. Kept Dad coming back for more. There were inequities and wickednesses happening in that America; but there were beauties, too, beauties that only an untamed land with a population full of hope (even during the Great War) can give us.
Eight-year-old girl: “It was funny and clever. I liked the part where the bully yells that thing about ‘crazy raccoon’!”
Five-year-old boy: “Oh, well I didn’t like this part very much but when his owner says he was carefully picking the cans, the shining things at the store.”
Ten-year-old boy: “I really loved Rascal. He was so funny. Then I liked how the writer wrote it. He wrote in a good way.”...more
Finds the romance I was hoping to experience in the rebirth of Hebrew as a spoken language. Finds a great deal more romance than I knew existed in theFinds the romance I was hoping to experience in the rebirth of Hebrew as a spoken language. Finds a great deal more romance than I knew existed in the long history of the language between Jesus’ time and ours. Witty and observant; nerdy, yet keeps the narrative moving. Certainly seems to know his historical stuff....more
Gaiman really is a fantastic writer. The story felt a little too neat and tidybut thats the fairy tale genre, and I felt he expanded the genre in aGaiman really is a fantastic writer. The story felt a little too neat and tidy—but that’s the fairy tale genre, and I felt he expanded the genre in a pleasing and artful way. And his good writing kept me going. Good humor, good world creation, good pace.
So sue me, and maybe I’m in a tiny minority: I’m not keen on sex scenes in a book that feels YA (see Matthew 5:27–30). And though the two such scenes in this book were short, they were explicit—and necessary to the plot—in ways that make me unwilling to hand the book to my kids, even when they get into their teen years....more
A good book, truly. Not enough Bible; I really did need to hear how God addresses me when it comes to the topics in the book. But a lot of what heA good book, truly. Not enough Bible; I really did need to hear how God addresses me when it comes to the topics in the book. But a lot of what he said hit home. I do think busyness and social media affirmation are powerful drugs and lords at the same time. I’ve seen other WEIRD (Western, Educated, Individualist, Rich, and Democratic) people of my generation struggle with the idols Zahl names—and I’ve struggled with quite a few. He knows his audience....more
I genuinely enjoy reading the Green Ember books to my kids, and Ive read every one to them. It seems to me that Smiths writing is only getting better,I genuinely enjoy reading the Green Ember books to my kids, and I’ve read every one to them. It seems to me that Smith’s writing is only getting better, his characters more rounded and real. The offshoot stories like this one are simpler and shorter than the main books, but they offer insight into characters in those main books.
I’m pretty sure I’ve heard Smith say that the treacly stories our culture likes to tell kids don’t serve them well—and I know I believe that. Green Ember includes real, mortal danger. Some characters are seriously hurt. Others die (though there is no gore, and my littlest one isn’t scared). The rabbit slogan, “My Life for Yours,” carries real meaning. The stories feel substantive because of their willingness to show evil and pain.
The other part of their slogan, “The Mended Wood,” also carries real meaning, making these stories richly Christian without being preachy. There is a little of the black hat/white hat phenomenon going on in the books—the raptors are just evil. But the rabbits aren’t all good; they face internal dissension and betrayal. And maybe kids need good and evil painted in clear colors, with a nice clear border between. They need heroes to aspire to be like, which Smith provides in both masculine and feminine varieties. And they need to learn to fear the roaring lion that does seek whom he may devour....more
A straightforwardly written and fascinating window into a world I only barely knew existed.
A necessarily frustrating repeat slam into the wall of oneA straightforwardly written and fascinating window into a world I only barely knew existed.
A necessarily frustrating repeat slam into the wall of one man’s twisted but still in some ways admirable version of integrity: omertà.
A reminder that sin can have decades of consequences.
An odd confluence of figures: the stepson of the mob-friendly lackey of a union leader who (the stepson) grows up to become a Bush administration Justice Department lawyer and then a Harvard professor, who then turns to (again) love and respect his uneducated stepfather and write a book in an effort to discover the truth about the defining moments of his life and, as much as the truth makes it possible, change the public’s picture of that stepfather.
Brief summary: Ive been skeptical of people who make a doctrine out of preservation, because 1) all the peopleReview to come in Bible Study Magazine.
Brief summary: I’ve been skeptical of people who make a doctrine out of preservation, because 1) all the people who do this in my experience have somehow also managed to wiggle their way into believing that God has preserved his word in a particular 17th century English translation; and 2) I don’t nobody believe anyone has sufficient warrant to believe that he/she knows exactly which jots and tittles among all the New Testament manuscript variants out there constitute the preserved word of God—these 144,000, no more, no less. That is, it has felt dangerous to me to posit a “doctrine” of preservation—because if it’s a doctrine, then that leans toward suggesting that preservation would be perfect. And it clearly isn’t. Even picking “the TR” doesn’t give you perfect preservation. Somebody has to decide which TR to pick. The Bible doesn’t tell us. (Even the top TR defender I know acknowledges the truth of what I’m saying.)
But Brash moved the needle for me. I'm willing to say there is a "doctrine" of systematic theology called "the preservation of Scripture." I wasn't willing yesterday. I am today, after reading this book. To see specifics, you'll have to wait for my longer review in BSM.
This is an excellent, irenic, careful, and highly recommendable—oh yes, and expertly *short*!—book....more
My favorite chapter was ch. 2, summarized in this quote:
The wellness movement has its share of critics, though pastors andTheology by bon mot.
My favorite chapter was ch. 2, summarized in this quote:
“The wellness movement has its share of critics, though pastors and theologians are conspicuous by their absence from this particular choir. They shouldn’t be, for wellness has become part of the warp and woof of the American social imaginary. What’s the “good news” of the wellness movement? That you can make yourself well—save yourself—by following this or that program. To the extent that it has become an ideal picture that orients people’s hopes and lives and encourages self-help salvation, wellness has become an American idol, a false gospel.”
This chapter alone is worth the price of the book....more
Read this because I read the author's Good Prose, co-authored with his long-time editorand I wanted to see what kind of work the two have producedRead this because I read the author's Good Prose, co-authored with his long-time editor—and I wanted to see what kind of work the two have produced together. (I'm not sure Todd did edit this book, but I presume so?) The story kept me interested and entertained, and the New York Times reviewer was right to say that the fairly standard rags-to-riches American tale gave way to something more interesting: a bit of an exploration—or maybe just an extended observation—of a successful man who both suffers from and harnesses what is usually called a mental illness. Paul English, co-founder of Kayak.com, has been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and has fits of manic energy that results in brilliant and productive work. Interesting. I'll file this under "useful anecdotes" rather than "insightful explanations."
I'm not sure this book needed to be written, but I'll probably try another Kidder book at some point—and I'm not complaining about the easy add to my Goodreads totals... 52 is in sight after a slow start this year! =)...more
Inspiring, sympathetic, rigorous, well written, and EXTREMELY British (it helped that the audiobook reader had just the right RP accent). A fairInspiring, sympathetic, rigorous, well written, and EXTREMELY British (it helped that the audiobook reader had just the right RP accent). A fair number of the minor details were lost on me, ignorant as I am of 18th century British political practices. But my mind stayed engaged with the narrative and the humble character of its subject.
Wilberforce's great efforts—to reform British national morals and abolish the slave trade—come across as sincere fruits of his evangelical beliefs and his kindly, vivacious, witty soul.
One may choose the utopian route and demand justice now, and one may be in the right. But more often (?), great evils either take violence to root out—a violence which, as in the French Revolution, bring greater evils—or they take political patience and assiduousness. We heirs of British culture, who shed much of the blood extracted by our slavers' whips, might wish we had a Wilberforce who could have helped rid us of this moral scourge sooner than the 1860s....more
Andrew Le Peau is surely qualified to write a book on writing better: he has been an editor at IVP for forty years. But I hope Im qualified to sayAndrew Le Peau is surely qualified to write a book on writing better: he has been an editor at IVP for forty years. But I hope I’m qualified to say that (most of) the book, though fine, didn’t scratch where I personally itch. His advice for the first two thirds of the book is fairly standard, his examples as well. If you’ve never read such a book, Le Peau will serve you well. If you need to hear, “Reading widely and learning from experienced, educated authorities can be invaluable,” Le Peau will tell you. If you need to hear the “advantage\[s] of presenting the strongest case against your viewpoint,” Le Peau will tell you. If you need to take time to define your audience, he will tell you to do it. If you need to be told to rewrite, same. If you need to be told that the “rules” of grammar don’t come from heaven but are instead human tools, check. If you need to be told that a good title is essential to your book’s success, ditto. (I’m being a little hard on him: the titling section was useful: he did a good job breaking down common contemporary titling practice.)
I nearly gave up on this book during those first two sections, because—what am I supposed to say?—I kind of already knew what he was going to say. I’m a writer and an editor, jobs I’ve been doing for my entire adult life. I guess I should be relieved that I received no revelations.
## Why I’m glad I didn’t give up But I’m glad I didn’t give up on *Writing Better*, because the third section, spiritual meta-reflections on the writing life, were full of genuine wisdom for me. Le Peau actually really nailed me: I had a little success with my “first” book, and dealing with the paralysis that comes from praise has been a noticeable internal challenge. My book, to my total and grateful shock, got endorsements from major heroes of mine. It was like LeBron James praising the basketball skills of the second-string point guard at Claremont Elementary. I have many times felt like quitting while I’m ahead. Why stick my neck out again when I have that nice bed of laurels over there to rest on? With my royalty checks, I can take my whole family out to Five Guys Burgers and Fries every six months. Now, where’s a horse and a sunset?
Le Peau had the right advice for me, and though I “already knew” this, too, I still needed to hear it and found it truly edifying. He told me that if I love my neighbor and love the truth and am humble before the God who gave me whatever writing gifts and opportunities I have, then I will write again.
Le Peau also offered some simple, helpful advice for how to handle criticism. This was aproPeau (cue Jim Gaffigan’s high-pitched self-mockery voice: *Why did he type that?*):
“Social media is generally not a good place to try to resolve criticism. Again, people are going to say what they are going to say. You had your say. Let them have theirs. If you have a personal relationship with someone who has said something especially problematic, handle it personally if possible, away from the often-distorting glare of the internet.” (224)
Bam. Do that. I’m going to.
Le Peau also told me something I’ve never heard and never even thought of: make sure I have a literary executor named in my will. Just one, so my kids don’t have to make a difficult mutual decision over the book manuscript that facilitated so many family nights at Five Guys. I owe him for that wisdom.
He also gave a publisher’s view of the current state of book publishing, and a Christian view of how to build a platform without sinning against a Lord who told us not to take the seats of honor at feasts. Good stuff.
He also offered advice for how to remain tethered helpfully to authority, lest you discover that your fame or platform has pulled you away from sound doctrine. I hope I never need his wisdom, but I’m glad I have it.
Oh, and I liked this quote a lot: “Both fiction and nonfiction can speak truth—and both can lie” (3).
## In sum And so can book reviews. So I hope I’m telling you the truth: this is a good book that needs to find the readers for which it is meant. I was (⅓) and wasn’t (⅔) it.
Sometimes I’m a clinical reader, or I pretend to be one. Really, though, I’m an emotional reader. I have ups and downs with books. The first portions of the book were, yeah, kind of flat for me. I was at two stars—just for me personally (I still recommend the whole book for newbies). But the last portion of the book was full of wisdom and a truly Christian spirit. That section pulled me up to three stars total, and not dwarf stars but like medium-sized ones.
New and aspiring Christian writers: pick this book up. Work by God’s grace to get to the point where its counsel feels old hat, because it offers wise, practical, Christian advice on how to *Write Better*....more
Loading...
