Against Nothingness

Clarke, Arthur C. Childhood’s End . Random House, 1954 (1990). The Overlords have come. They have ended war, ended hunger, and unified the world. But who are they? And what are they really after? And will humanity succumb to a growing malaise and lack of creative striving in the face of this newly given peace? These are the questions which begin this great sci-fi novel. I don’t normally review sci-fi books on here. I read plenty of them, being my genre of choice when it comes to fiction, but they are typically akin to the martial arts movies I enjoy: Briefly enjoyable and suited to my tastes, but nothing to write home about.  Still, in every genre, no matter how specific, there are hidden gems. Here is one of them. What you will find in this book is, of course, Clarke’s creative vision of a specific future. Yet embedded within are also ideas about humanity, religion, science, purpose, and the meaning of life. And while you may or may not agree with Clarke’s ideas, ex

"The doubters are always more blessed than the mere fellow travelers in faith. For they are the only ones who fully learn that their Lord is stronger than any doubt and any hell of despair.” - Helmut Thielicke, Life Can Begin Again For a long time I have found bizarre comfort and encouragement from Luke 7:18-23.  Jesus has just raised the widow's son from the dead and word is spreading that a great prophet has appeared in Israel.  "John's disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" When the men came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?'" At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report

Smith, Gordon. Called to Be Saints: An Invitation to Christian Maturity . Intervarsity Press, 2014. It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil and struggle with all the energy that he powerfully inspires within me. -         Col. 1:28-29 That we may present everyone mature in Christ. Is this the end we strive towards, personally? Is it what we wish and pray for those around us? Is it what our churches are about? Smith wants us to say “yes.” Not only that, he is concerned that we know understand the content of the Christian Maturity for which we strive. And so he has written this book. Though not exhaustive in his vision, Smith argues that maturity in Christ is founded in, begins with, and is all about union with Christ. From there maturity has four marks: Wisdom, Good Work, Love, and Joy. Naturally he means something specific by each of these. Wisdom is living a

"We can't choose what we want and don't want and that's the hard lonely truth. Sometimes we want what we want even if we know it's going to kill us. We can't escape who we are." - Theodore Decker in  The Goldfinch , by Donna Tartt There is an attitude that places desire at the heart of identity and then assumes both to be unchangeable. Immutable and thus unquestionable. The Goldfinch is an excellent novel for many reasons, but one is that by the end it is clear that such a belief is equivalent to fatalism.  However, it is much easier not to argue about where one thinks this belief leads and instead simply point out that it is mistaken. Desires are not beyond our ability to affect.  None of us were born needing to wind down at the end of the day with TV and a bag of chips. Our three year old selves did not long for the things we dream of now. And yes, I suppose these are simplistic illustrations, but perhaps it is high time we realized that th

Though both are beautiful, I sometimes wish the path of life looked more like this And less like this

Thielicke, Helmut. The Silence of God . Eerdmans Publishing, 1962. I am almost always in the middle of a book of sermons. I read them both to increase my own skill as a preacher and to hear, in the voice of these other preachers, the word of God preached to me. For the year 2014 I am also almost always in the middle of a book by Helmut Thielicke. I am experimenting this year with taking one author who I respect and learn from and attempting to read all of their books. I’m not sure if I am going to make it. Thielicke wrote a lot. Much about Thielicke’s writing impresses me; more than I am willing to type out in a book review. One of the constant themes, however, is his ability to speak deeply into the experience of doubt and struggle in faith. So far this book does this best. The Silence of God is a collection of ten sermons – six ‘regular’ sermons and four ‘festive’ sermons (those preached on holy days). Each deals with the ways silence of, or questions of, or action

"When I consider your heavens,  the work of your fingers,  the moon and the stars,  which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" I read Psalm 8 and it speaks to me of wonder. Wonder at the marvelous creation we inhabit, and wonder at the gracious God who cares about us in the midst of it. Yet, when I think of my own habits and ways I realize that I ‘wonder’ less and less. And not just me – as one living in Vancouver and as a pastor I see this often. It seems the longer one lives in a place as beautiful as this, the longer one spends time in between this ocean and these mountains, or in any other setting of natural beauty, the more the wondrous becomes commonplace. Hannah, Ethan, and I went hiking the other day, and reached the peak of Black Mountain in Cypress park. Hannah jumped up on top of a rock and exclaimed, “Ethan, look at all we can see!” Ethan responded, “We can see all the way to China from

On Tuesday I mentioned two genres I enjoy: Conversion narratives and survival narratives. I also mentioned the first book I enjoyed in each category. This gave me an idea. Why not give a short list of books I enjoy and recommend in each of those two categories? Indeed. And so I am doing so today on my misc. post. These lists are in no particular order.  Conversion Narratives: Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton – I mentioned this in the book review on Tuesday. Confessions by Augustine – I suppose you can’t have a list like this without Confessions on it. It really is a good book, though it is difficult reading if you are not used to reading older books. God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew – Another book which has impacted my own life a lot, this is the story of Brother Andrew’s conversion but also his smuggling bibles into communist countries. John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace by Jonathan Aitken – Incredibly well written biography of a man whose life story

We Thought We Heard the Angels Sing , by Lieutenant James C. Whittaker. 1943, Public Domain. This is the tale of eight men lost in the pacific in 1942. Stranded on rafts with four oranges, no water, one watch, life jackets, a Bible, and a few flares, they hope for rescue and struggle to survive. In the end, seven make it. On the way some find more than just hope of rescue; some find faith in God. I came across this book because Helmut Thielicke referred to it in one of his sermons. It sounded like an interesting story so I looked it up. I was pleased to find it free online and I read it. This was the right choice. It is an excellent story, worth reading. In reading that recommendation you should know that this is a book which fits into two genres I quite enjoy: Survival and Conversion. One of the first fiction books I fell in love with was The Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. I read it multiple times and then read everything else I could find by Paulsen. It is th

As I write this, the first in a promised four months worth of ‘Pastor’s Word’ posts, I am struck by how little you need more words. If ever there were a culture with too many words then we who are buffeted by tens of thousands of words from hundreds of sources every day live in that culture. The addition of the title ‘pastor’ does not improve upon this judgment. I, like you, am frail, fallen, failing, and failed. My words, insofar as they are merely that, offer no sustenance, relief, or hope. If these posts are to have any value it will be found only insofar as they turn you away from me and towards the one whose word, and presence, offers these and much more. If you take these posts and do not click them, or read them, or pass them on, but instead allow them to act merely as reminders to listen to Jesus, that would be OK. Still, I hope there is more here than that.  But this reflection contains questions. Who are you listening to? That is, whose words do you take se

The following is an update I have added to my "About This Blog" page: It has been a long time. I haven't posted in 5 months, and I haven’t posted regularly in far longer. However, this is about to change. Beginning this Sunday, Sept. 7th, I am going to post three times a week. On Sunday I will post a ‘Pastor’s Word’, on Tuesday I will post a book review, and on Friday I will post something miscellaneous. Pastor’s Word: Every week at my church, in our Sunday bulletin, one of the pastors writes what is called a ‘Pastor’s Word.’ There are almost no content guidelines, except that they need to be 350-400 words long. Personally, I have only done this four times, and I have written them as devotionals. I will continue that here, and post one every Sunday. Some of them will be the very same that I have written for our church bulletin. Book Reviews: The format of my book reviews will remain unchanged. I will tell you what the book is about, tell you what I thought of it and why