Lit

I just finished Lit by Tony Reinke. I think Alex did a great job with his explanation. So I'll just say I really enjoyed it and it was very thought provoking. It did a great job of making me really think about what I'm reading and why I'm reading it. Anyway, kids are asleep and I'm going to bed. Sorry to wimp out on this post.

First Parenting book of the year

I just finished "Parenting Is Your Highest Calling: and 8 other myths that trap us in worry and guilt" by Leslie Leyland Fields. Ironically I have to run to take care of the kids, so I will come back and post a second entry soon....(sigh)

I'm back. Alright so "Parenting Is Your Highest Calling..." was pretty good. In it Fields explores our notions of the "Ideal Parent" and other things that are common myths parents believe and compares them to the truth of the Scriptures. This book would really make a great young parents/family small group study. I think some of the questions she has at the end of each chapter are very thought provoking and I would love to hear what other people have to say about them.

Some of the myths that stood out to me as a person who really wants to do everything the "right way" is the myth that there is such a thing as the "perfect mom\parent" and the "right/biblical way to parent," and that "parenting is my highest calling." Over and over again in the scriptures there are examples of incredibly godly people whose children rebelled against God (i.e. Esau and Samson) and examples of children who were righteous in spite of their parents (Jonathan and Josiah). The truth of the matter is that we are all sinners and it is God that makes us righteous and not our parents. So even though I mess up twenty plus times a day...God can redeem my children in spite of me. Fields also points out that there is no biblical mandate "You shall parent this way..." because God doesn't parent that way. He sees us all as the individuals we are and parents us that way. So my job is to be faithful to Him and to teach my children about Him in a way that sees and celebrates them as the individuals God made them.

Well unfortunately that is all the time I have to write...small children. Well I'll just have to settle with short summary. The book was good and helped me let go some of the guilt I have about decisions I've made/failed to make

Meaning at the Movies

Just finished "Meaning at the Movies: Becoming a Discerning Viewer" by Grant Horner.  It's an interesting look at movies from a Christian perspective, in particular, looking at worldviews that movies present. The author is a professor of film studies, so he naturally thinks that movie are the ultimate reflection of our culture, and the most powerful artistic means of expression... Maybe.

Anyway, the point of the book is to encourage you to really engage with what you're watching and consider what the writer, director, cinematographer, and characters want you to think about the world, the nature of man, etc. He sums it up well with a quick question: "Who believes what about what, and why?"  Looking at some of the movies I have seen recently, it's an interesting diagnostic question.

After walking through some examples of answers for this question, he breaks down some movies of various genres and talks through some of the ideas that are being presented. This was the most interesting part of the book for me.

I think if you're interested in movies, and especially in thinking about movies, you'd enjoy this book. It's good stuff to think about with any kind of art you interact with - even commercials!

Lit! by Tony Reinke

"Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books" by Tony Reinke is a book about... reading.  From the back cover:

Learn how to better read, what to read, when to read, and why you should read... Offered here is a theology for reading and practical suggestions for reading widely, reading well, and for making it all worthwhile.

It's an interesting book, and it's written by a guy who obviously loves to read and who gets a lot of spiritual juice out of what he reads.  As part of my "Year of Discipline", I am trying to improve my reading life, and this book had some really useful suggestions on how to do that.  Things I really liked:

• The initial chapters that set up a "theology of reading" -- why reading is important to Christians and why being thoughtful about what we read is so important.  The contrast between Scripture and everything else that is not scripture was laid out very well, and it's a great reminder as I start this new year to keep Scripture as the staple of my reading diet.
• Chapter 4 on thoughtfully analyzing the worldview of the book you're reading.  I think this is applicable to much more than books, and I have a feeling the youth group at church will be hearing about this sometime soon...
• Building a list of reading priorities to help make sure that you're reading a wide variety of stuff.  I end up in the SciFi section by default way too often when there's so much else out there to read!
• The chapter on how to build a home full of readers.  In particular, I liked the idea of buying as many books as your kids can read, provided they identify five important pages from the book, summarize the content, and then read them aloud to the family.

I will admit it -- I had a hard time with the chapter that encouraged writing in the margins of your books.  I see his point, but a lifetime of being reminded not to write in my books will be a hard habit to break.

Anyway, this book was interesting, and a quick read.  Think about it -- if you read a book a week for the next fifty years, you will only have read 2,600 books.  It's worth some time thinking about what you're reading to make sure you're getting the most out of it.