I finished this book today - To Own A Dragon: Reflections On Growing Up Without A Father. I have to say, this was an odd book in that it started slow (I didn't think I was going to like it), but it ended well.
I wish Don Miller was a friend of mine. Reading his books is kind of like sitting down and talking with him. I wouldn't rank this as "up there" with BLUE LIKE JAZZ or SEARCHING FOR GOD KNOWS WHAT, but in the right hands, this could be a really influential piece. A good book for young people; well, and old.
It is full of some really good stories, but one paragraph that is kind of stuck in my head is:
"Sometimes a human life can seem no more meaningful than a fish flopping on a shore. Writhing. Out of its element. And I would love to tell you my spirituality battles this perspective, that the real problem in life is we 'believe' we are writhing when we aren't, but it isn't true. My spirutuality, that is Christian spirituality, does not tell me to close my eyes and pretend life is beautiful and there are no problems to confront. I am told, instead, I am out of water, and finding water again will require a different kind of water. I am told something happened a long time ago and you and I and John and everybody else were washed up on the shore. We will have issues, we will have brokenness."
You kind of need to read the book for it to make full sense, maybe. If you haven't read BLUE LIKE JAZZ though - you should read it.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE
Guess what? Jane made it to her mom's in Illinois and our stinking car broke down. Arghh. They towed it to a dealership on Saturday. She is now on her way back home in my dad's pick-up truck. 5 1/2 hours with no cruise control!
Yesterday we had a work day on our pavilion. Got a lot of the wiring done; some dirt work; frames for the lights. Pretty good day's work for seven people. And I couldn't really do anything except make coffee and hobble around.
Well, going to wait for Jane to arrive. Peace, my friends. Revolution is at hand. Beginning THE SECRET MESSAGE OF JESUS tomorrow.
3 comments:
I'll be curious to read your thoughts on McLaren. I know you'll be pretty busy for the next few days, but if you're interested there's a fairly spirited McLaren discussion happening here.
Thanks for the link, Darrell. I have to admit, I'm not much of a theologian... but having read 5 of McLaren's books, I tend to like his writing/thinking. I was on a link somewhere this morning where a bunch of people were just ripping him to shreds (all in the name of jesus, of course). He really brings out the passion in some people. :)
Actually, he kind of reminds me of my favorite instructor in seminary. He used to frustrate people to no end because he would never give straight answers - and always with a little grin. I liked how he pushed us to learn to think for ourselves, rather than just regurgitate what someone else said. That really scares some people.
Have a good one!
I've only read A New Kind of Christian, which Beth and I thought was tremendously encouraging. I'm glad he's around, writing to and for the people who read him (even the ones who get pissed off!). Peace - Darrell
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