Books: Mudhouse Sabbath
Posted by Troy | Filed under Books
I became mildly obsessed with Lauren Winner after hearing her lecture at Calvin College a couple years ago.
Then I became rather obsessed with her after reading Real Sex and hearing her various lectures/podcasts on that book that were floating around the interweb.
I finally finished reading Mudhouse Sabbath, and though it took a little more concentrated effort on my part than Real Sex or Girl Meets God, it was still incredibly insightful and offered more of Lauren’s unique perspective on how Christians have either lost touch with our Jewish heritage or in some cases adapted certain traditions.
While Girl Meets God unveiled the connectedness between the Judaism of Lauren’s youth and her new-found Christian faith by way of comparing the holidays over her years of conversion, Mudhouse Sabbath compares eleven Jewish customs and how they have found a place—in one way or another—in her life as a Christian.
Her chapter on prayer was (like its Girl Meets God counterpart) was especially challenging to me, and the section on food was great…
To consider how food connects us to God… where our food comes from, what God might think of our food, etc.
Really each chapter was perfectly concise and had just enough oomph to make you stop and consider.
While many of those Old Testament traditions have found a place in some way in western Christianity, it was her chapter on mourning that seemed to stand out as something in particular that we as Christian-ized westerners seem to have no construct.
We may succeed sometimes as a community supporting those widowed within the few week following their losses…
but then what?
Tags: arcade fire, Books, death, Faith, Lauren Winner
The Prodigal’s Brother
Posted by Troy | Filed under Bible Study, Books
The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in [the celebration]. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t listen. The son said, “look how many years I’ve stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!”
His father said, “Son, you don’t understand. You’re with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he’s alive! He was lost, and he’s found!” —Luke 15:28-32 —The Message
Tags: Faith, Parable, Tim Keller
I Choose Cheese
Posted by Troy | Filed under Books, Humor
Some men want fame and their name on marquees.
Some men love money.
I choose cheese.
From The Old Man Who Loved Cheese by Garrison Keillor, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf
Tags: cheese, illustration, quotes
The Grunge Movement
Posted by Troy | Filed under Art/Design, Books, Culture, Music
I spent my freshman year of college at Bob Jones University (it’s a long story for another post) – the world’s bastion for conservative Christian fundamentalism.
When I say “conservative” I mean it… these guys call Billy Graham and Jerry Falwell liberal…
Within a few weeks I was confronted by my dorm supervisor… brought into a private meeting.
I think he was trying to tread lightly, since they have so many culturally-sheltered students when he asked me…
Tags: 90s, Culture, Music, photography
Biblical Theology from a Zen Master/Punk Musician
Posted by Troy | Filed under Books, Faith
As a guest on “To the Best of Our Knowledge” last week, Zen Master Brad Warner made a comment that caught my attention:
We are born and we die constantly, the “me” who existed a minute ago is dead and gone, and here “I” am, and I’m something else… possibly.
Which has a relation to what I was a minute ago, but isn’t the same thing.
It reminded me of that passage in the Bible that says “old things are passed away, all things have become new”
And I’m not sure of the verb tense, but I wonder if it is saying “old things are continually passing away, and all things are continually becoming new”
(Hopefully some of my Greek-geek readers can chime in on the verb tense)
If so… then somehow this Biblical concept that has always been difficult for me to comprehend was made a little clearer this week by this Zen philosophy of perpetual death and rebirth.
I recommend listening to this interview and the full program on TTBOOK website archives.
To Own a Dragon
Posted by Troy | Filed under Books
Donald Miller and I are so alike… I just love reading him because the way he says things, his sense of humor, and so much of his personality and feelings I can identify with so closely it is almost like he is my own personal ghost writer.
In fact, the first time I read Blue Like Jazz, I was actually a little upset because it was pretty much the exact book that I had hoped to write (only better).
To Own a Dragon is Miller’s thoughts on growing up without a dad, how it has effected him spiritually (among other things), and how as an adult he can use those experiences for good, rather than allowing them to own him.
Even though the book is written for men who have grown up (or are growing up) without a father, it offers just as much joy and value to those of us who have.
I especially identified with the chapter where he discusses the concept of “manhood.” I quite often feel like a 15-yr-old trapped in a 30-something’s body (ok, maybe I have a 15-yr-old’s body… but you get the point), and just within the past year have been trying to figure out what it really means to be a man… and every time someone mentions Wild at Heart, I imagine that if I read it I (like Donald Miller) would most likely want to chuck it across the room.
(don’t fret, John Eldridge lovers… after a period of growth that very book was quite valuable to him and he recommends it)
As he describes sitting in the “men’s” Bible study group where the guys share hunting stories and make metaphorical life-lesson analogies about football and action movies, I was laughing out loud because I knew exactly what he was talking about.
If you prefer books that give you the “3 Steps to ….” or promise growth or success if you do this or pray that… or only use big sober words to discuss spirituality…
you’ll probably hate this book.
I liked it a lot.
