Book
Grace for the Good Girl: Letting Go of the Try-hard Life
By Emily Freeman
If ever there was a book written just for me, this is it. Recently, I was asked what I thought people would say about me after I died. Without hesitation I answered, she tried really hard. Good girls want to be good—make that perfect, all the time, and that protects them from a lot of baggage, but it doesn’t protect them from their own expectations. The small-group leader’s guide at the end of the book is detailed and very helpful for individual study as well as for group study.
As Freeman explains, good girls don’t trust anyone, not even God. They would do anything to please God (except receive what He’s freely given.) But, when it comes to trusting God, that’s another story. Trusting sounds so passive. It doesn’t require doing and it looks weak, incompetent, and irresponsible, which is something good girls avoid at all costs. We good girls walk a fine line between appearing vulnerable enough so that people know we’re authentic yet “not so vulnerable that all our mess hangs out.”
After exposing the good girl for who she really is, Freeman explains how good girls can let go of the counterfeit things they trust—their good reputations, their right to be right, to be heard and understood, and all the other entitlements we deserve because we try so hard. “We cannot release these rights on our own. Without Christ, these rights are all we have. But with Him, we can release the right to be perfect and never mess up.”
Good girls believe that doing good is being good, and that definition is the very epitome of self-righteousness. Freeman defines being humble as seeing ourselves as God sees us, no more, no less. God asks us to trust His righteousness—“not just to help, but to do” in me what I cannot do even when I try my hardest.
Sometimes a strange visitor like a neighbor’s pet blue parakeet, an individual who speaks and acts in an unfamiliar way, or a different idea will insert itself into our lives quite unexpectedly. We may wish it would go away, facilitate its departure, or even ignore it, but we dare not try to cage it. North Park University professor Scot McKnight likens certain biblical passages to the blue parakeet he found in his backyard. How the sparrows in McKnight’s yard responded to the blue parakeet mimics how we often read and respond to the confusing and controversial verses we find in the Bible.
“How are we to live out the Bible today?” That is the big question all Christians must ultimately answer, says Scot McKnight. “Every one of us adapts the Bible to our culture. We adopt and adapt, pick and choose.” McKnight runs through a dozen or so specific biblical examples where serious and sincere believers have adopted and adapted differently—Sabbath, tithing, foot washing, charismatic gifts, surrendering possessions, capital punishment, war, and women in ministry, to name a few.
McKnight deals with the how and why of what we choose from the Bible to apply to today. He does so in such an entertaining, humble, and reasoned way that even the most stubborn “the-Bible-says-it-I-believe-it-that-settles-it” Christian can understand that even he or she selectively practices “what the Bible says.” McKnight examines the many methods people use to read the Bible–as a law book, book of promises, inkblots to personally interpret, or a puzzle to solve. “Until we learn to read the Bible as Story, we will not know how to get anything out of the Bible for daily living,” McKnight concludes.
God gave us the Bible in order to transform us, and He wants us to move the biblical principles into our relationships, character, and action. That process is called discernment. McKnight says that as we read the Bible and locate each item in its place in the Story, “we discern—through the Holy Spirit and in the context of our community of faith—a pattern of how to live the old way in a new day. Biblical principles are trans-cultural, but specific expressions are not.”
Paul himself is an example of how the people of the Bible read the Bible that they had—with discernment. Paul read the Bible as the gospel story, and that principle shaped everything he said and did. Paul’s ways (all things to all people) seem messy, contradictory, and chameleon-like to those who read the Bible seeking to retrieve biblical practices for application today. But, to those who understand that Paul submitted his every act and idea to the principle of what would further the gospel the most, Paul’s methods seem Spirit-led, congruous, and pertinent.
In his concise (230 pages) and well-organized book, McKnight uses metaphors, personal examples, stories from his students, and historical data to illustrate his points. One case study he uses throughout the book and in a special section in the last one hundred pages of The Blue Parakeet is “Women in Church Ministries.” McKnight looks at critical biblical passages that deal with this controversial topic following his advice on how to read the Bible.
Jesus was a “blue parakeet” to the people of his day, and the Bible itself is filled with “blue parakeet” verses. What happens when we encounter these passages in the Bible will determine how we read the Bible, and more importantly, how we live it.
In his introduction, “A Note from the Author,” Philip Yancey explains that he wrote Rumors for those who live in the borderlands of belief, between belief and unbelief in God, the supernatural, and an invisible other world.
Yancey explores ordinary elements of the visible world—the beauty and force of nature, the complexities and order found in all living things, animal instincts, acts of wrongdoing and the pursuant sense of guilt which all cultures exhibit, and many examples of supernatural love. All bear witness to another, perfect, unseen world.
One of the best chapters explains how human sexuality points us to God. Yancey examines the sacramental meaning of marriage and how believers can “hallow” and celebrate their sexuality.
In the final section, “Two Worlds,” we learn how our beliefs about the invisible world affect our earthly behaviors in dealing with such universal experiences as money, hardships, death, and moral failures. Equally profound are the ways in which what we do in this world affects what happens in other unseen world.
Andy Andrews has written this novel as if it was a personal memoir and sometimes it’s hard to remember that this didn’t really happen. But, it could have. The historical facts about a WWII German submarine sinking off the Gulf coast of Alabama are woven throughout the story. Actual photographs of people who lived there at the time and of the German sailors and their ship technically make this book a historical fiction, but its first person narrative reads like a memoir.
We learn about Andy and his family as they struggle with family issues that are all too common in the twenty-first century, but most of the book takes place in 1945. When Andy finds the sixty-year-old relics of a Nazi sailor in his back yard, he begins to investigate how they came to be buried on his property. The tale he unearths from an elderly couple, Helen Mason and her English husband, changes Andy’s life.
Some call this issue the most divisive church debate since the Reformation, and the authors examine the major arguments against women serving in church leadership in an effort to resolve that issue.
Cunningham traces America’s attitudes toward women in ministry from the Greeks, Romans, Jews, and the early Christian church. I learned that the only time in the New Testament when the word for “servant leader” is used, it is said about Phoebe.
Hamilton gives a detailed analysis of Old Testament scripture, Jesus’ ministry, and Paul’s letters. Charts and diagrams allow the reader to make side-by-side comparisons of various passages.
Women who are called of God to minister are warned to guard their hearts against bitterness towards those who would stop them from obeying God’s call. “If we fight our own battles, we will end up confused and defeated. If we allow the Lord to defend us and our ministry, He will make a way where there is none,” says Cunningham.
Author Richard Paul Evans and his family were living in Italy when Richard met Eliana, a young American woman absorbed in a romance novel at the time of their poolside meeting and conversation. Prompted by her reading material, Richard asked Eliana to tell him her all-time favorite love story. She answered, “mine.” The Last Promise is Eliana’s story.
Eliana met and married Maurizio, an Italian student, while in university. As an art major, Eliana is enamored with all things Italian. She and Maurizio are both devout Catholics and no one imagined that there would be any more than the usual adjustments when the newlyweds moved to Tuscany. But, surrounded by his family and the machismo culture of his youth, Maurizio’s Americanized persona changes.
Eliana immerses herself in her art and in the medical care for their asthmatic son. Her only friend is her sister-in-law. That is, until she meets fellow American Ross Story, whose past is as unexplainable as his extensive knowledge of Florence’s Uffizi Museum. Eliana continues to pray for her son and for wisdom to know what to do, while Maurizio becomes more belligerent, jealous, and distant.
For those who have struggled in a multi-cultural marriage, or for Christian wives who have had to deal with an unfaithful husband, The Last Promise offers hope for a second chance at love.
Have you ever wondered what you would do if someone from your past, a past you had tried desperately to forget, were to suddenly insert themselves into your life? And what if that person threatened your children and demonstrated their ability to make good on their threats? That’s the situation attorney Sam Trask finds himself in—only this time the law can’t help him. No Legal Grounds, is both the title of James Scott Bell’s crime thriller and the dilemma that faces his protagonist–middle-aged, family-man Sam Trask.
Sam had really tried to make amends for his past. When he became a Christian, Sam had been assured that God had forgiven and forgotten his sin. So, Sam figured what was happening to him now might be some of those lingering consequences his pastor had warned him about. Satan would try to use any and everything, including his guilt and remorse to keep him down. Well, it wasn’t going to happen; he’d fight this. He knew the law. He believed in the justice system, and he trusted that God wasn’t going to abandon him.
But then, Sam’s teen-age daughter runs away, his son’s dog is killed, and his boss starts to doubt Sam’s mental stability. When every legal defense fails him, Sam begs God for some supernatural help. After all, he’s trying to do the right thing!
Like Sam, when I’m cornered and scared to death, I’m in a place where God has my attention. It’s then that I really learn about justice, and mercy, even when there are no legal grounds for either.
JAN KARON’S MITFORD COOKBOOK AND KITCHEN READER (Penguin Group, c.2004) is a cleverly written memoir by the author of the Mitford Series. The Mitford novels are filled with food references, and this kitchen reader includes 150 recipes. A short story, never before published in any of Karon’s books, “The Right Ingredients,” reveals the secret recipe for Esther Bolick’s famous Orange Marmalade Cake.
Jan tells us how she came to write about her hometown of Blowing Rock, N. Carolina, and she shares her own family mealtime memories. My favorite section is Jan’s description of her favorite foods and what she and others would request for their “last meal.” “Real cooks don’t need fancy ingredients,” Jan explains.
The book is full of beautiful photographs, jokes, and quotes from all the Mitford characters. Father Tim’s housekeeper, Puny, gives us lots of cooking tips, like pre-soaking baked potatoes to reduce their baking time. Puny says, “It’s the unblessed food that makes you fat.”
Very few of us can resist a good story, least of all a teen. Jesus was a master storyteller who could surprise, challenge and amaze his listeners. In Astonishing Tales of Spiritual Truth: Gripping Stories Based on the Sayings of Jesus, Steven James retells thirty-six of Jesus’ stories in a contemporary youth context. Each chapter is four to six pages long and could easily be used as a Bible study lesson or as a personal, daily devotional. Astonishing Tales has a small square format with an “Amazing Comics” cover illustration making it visually appealing to youth.
Every chapter includes a section entitled “Origin” which explains where in the Bible that particular tale can be found. The “Inquiry” section explains what the original story meant to the first listeners. James doesn’t believe that Scripture can mean something today that it never meant then.
Chapter 9 “Trouble at the Concession Stand” begins: “‘Can you believe this new guy?’ Antoine asked his friend Trevor as they arrived at their hall lockers one Friday after school. ‘What a wannabe!’
“‘Yeah, no kidding…He doesn’t even own a letter jacket and he calls himself a basketball player…He just wears old worn-out sneakers! How can you play basketball with old shoes?’
“‘You know what I heard? I heard he doesn’t even shoot with both feet on the ground.’
“‘Who does he think he is, shooting in the air?’ said Trevor. ‘I’ll bet he can’t even spin a ball on his finger!’ “
James makes every Biblical story relevant for his modern-day readers. For instance, in the “Relevance” section of chapter 9, the author asks, “Are you more worried about your clothes than your heart? Are you quick to pile up rule after rule for others, and then quick to find loopholes for yourself?” Finally at the end of each chapter, the “Meditation” section gives teens a short prayer to focus their attention on the original Storyteller.
A few of the stories are the well-known, expected parables of Jesus like “The Good Samaritan,” and “The Wheat and the Tares,” but James retells lesser known events and sayings as well, like the parable of the “Ten Virgins,” and Jesus’ encounter with the “Ten Lepers.” Readers familiar with the Bible will easily recognize the stories in their new context, but they will be surprised at how the author ends his rendition with a twist of truth that will change their perspective—just like Jesus did with his listeners.
“Decorating the Hotel Room” was so funny I laughed until I cried which was completely appropriate for what turned out to be a tragic ending. Many of Jesus’ stories don’t have feel-good, happily-ever-after, fairy-tale conclusions. My favorite James tale is called “Wanna Know What I Did Last Night?” Its ironic finish reminded me that “Jesus talks a lot more about how we should forgive other people than He does about how God forgives us.”
Astonishing Tales is technically a non-fiction book, a commentary on New Testament passages which seeks to explain Jesus’ message to young people, but in reality Steven James’ book reads like a short story collection. The theme of the book is God’s story and its intersection with our story. James’ writing style and use of dialog provides a fresh and compelling message for both first time Bible readers, and for those who might be inclined to tune out an oft-told tale from Sunday School. We all need to be reminded that things are not always as they appear to be—including the Kingdom of Heaven.
“You need others to get where you’re going, and they make the ride a lot more fun,” says Leonard Sweet. 11 indispensable relationships you can’t be without is a look at the companions every life traveler needs to successfully make it to his final destination.
Sweet uses a Biblical character to illustrate each kind of relationship. Of course, we all want self-sacrificing friends like King David’s boyhood companion Jonathan. But, do we really want a relationship with someone like the prophet Nathan, a later trusted adviser to King David, who was quick and clear to his indict his friend?
Like me, most of you would probably welcome a relationship with a fellow life-traveler as a mentor, coach, encourager, or protector who’d cover your back, but have you ever thought that you might need someone to give you a good kick on the backside, like Jethro did to his son-in-law Moses? People who will “edit” you are as necessary in your life as those who will sacrifice their time and resources for you.
Sweet’s eleventh relationship is the most surprising of all because it isn’t even with a person, but a place, a place where you can pray best, where you can “live the landscape”, a place where you’re “a local”. Everyone needs at least one place to plant spiritual roots.
It’s been said that the meaning of life is in the journey, not the destination. Actually, both are important, but Sweet argues that it’s those who you bring along with you that really make the difference.
