Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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By the book – A Quote from Henry Halley

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Halley's HandbookIsrael had a Book. It was only a fraction of what we now have in God’s Word, but oh how important! God’s solemn warning to Joshua, standing at the threshold of a gigantic task, was to be very careful to keep close to the words of that Book. Joshua listened and obeyed, and God honored him with phenomenal success. What a lesson for church leaders!

-Henry Halley

The danger is that we can ignore the bits of Scripture that make us feel uncomfortable and emphasize the bits that make us feel superior to others. The point is that we need to be diligent to be obedient to all of Scripture and seek to understand it and apply it to our lives.

We should not add to Scripture and fall into the error of the Pharisees, both modern and ancient. Nor should be subtract from Scripture and fall into the error of the main line denominations that have abandoned their belief and commitment to Scripture. We should rather be like the Bereans (Acts 17:10-11) who searched the Scriptures to conform their belief to what has been revealed. Their commitment to the Book was commended and we should follow their example.

Book Review: Jesus, My Father, The CIA, and Me by Ian Morgan Cron

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Why you might want to skip this book and review

If you are a perfect parent, and have perfect parents, feel free to scroll down and click on one of the links in the blogroll below and find something else to read. You will gain nothing from reading either this blog post or the reviewed book.

For the rest of us who are imperfect parents and were subjected to imperfect parenting, read on.

Impressions of the book


Ian Morgan Cron, the author, subtitles this book “A memoir . . . of sorts.” This subtitle proves helpful since the book is a series of stories rather than an attempt to provide a detailed chronology of the author’s life.

Throughout the book, Mr. Cron provides glimpses into the struggle that he had in finding a Heavenly father because of the failings of his earthly one.

One of the things that I appreciate about this book is the humor that the author captures when recounting scenes from his childhood. The stories are inherently interesting, but the way that Ian recounts them makes them delightful. The book reminds me of the movie “A Christmas Story” in the way that the author finds humor even in the difficult and embarrassing episodes of adolescence. There were a few places in the book where I found myself laughing out loud while reading it.

The stories are delightful, but also encouraging. While my father was neither in the CIA, nor an alcoholic, as was Mr. Cron’s, I could relate to the struggle to find a sense of self and purpose while navigating the stormy waters of the American school system. Ian shows the reader that all along the way, God was giving him clues to his existence and waiting for him to come home.

The author is quite candid about his own struggle with alcohol and the events that led up to his recovery. I appreciated the candor, and am reminded that even when our hearts have been given to God, sometimes it takes the rest of our being some time to align itself in this new relationship.

Why You Should Read This Book

If you want to laugh with the author at the foibles of growing up, then you will enjoy this book. If you would like to hear one man’s story of finding God even when it seemed as though the world was arrayed against him, then you should read it. If you had a childhood that contained events which were difficult and to this day are recalled with pain, then you might find encouragement from a fellow traveler.

The book is also comforting to me as a parent. Ian is candid about his own struggles and victories in parenting. I am also encouraged by the fact that God can work in the lives of children even when their parents are imperfect. The book instills hope that my own imperfections as a parent can be overcome by our Heavenly Father..

There is one other benefit to reading a book like this. Too often I am so consumed by my own stuff and the needs of my immediate family, to be sensitive to the needs of the people around me. Ian’s writing reminds me that no matter how put together the people we meet seem to be on the outside, there may be mountains of pain and struggle beneath the veneer. I am encouraged to stop and do a better job of listening.

Some helpful links:

Disclaimer: I was offered a promotional copy of this book for the purpose of writing a review for this blog. I have received no compensation for writing this, nor do I get any benefit from anyone purchasing the book through this hyperlink in the book cover photo. The link is provided solely for the benefit of the reader.

Weird – Because normal isn’t working – Book Review

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A Weird Contest Won

 

One day I saw a tweet which announced a contest to win a new book called Weird. Since free is my favorite price and the title intrigued me, I decided to check it out. One of the ways to win a copy was to promise to write a review of the book as a blog post.

I promised, I won and now I write.

What Weird is About

In the introduction of this book, in a section called “Weird 101”, Craig gives us an idea of where the book is going when he writes:

After a Tuesday night Bible meeting, I walked alone to an empty softball field. NO matter what it cost me – even being normal – I had decided that I wanted to know Jesus and live for him. I wanted to do life his way and not mine. As I knelt beside the dugout and prayed, I left normal behind and embraced whatever it took – being different to the point of the God kind of weird – to follow Jesus. Something melted within me, and I waled away forever changed, with a sense of God’s grace I can’t describe.

To much of society, an all-or-nothing, totally-in following of Jesus looks weird. This is especially true in 21st Century America where we are taught to look after #1, do things our own way and not take direction from anyone.

Too often the church has worked hard at appearing “normal” to the outside world. We try to do things in the way that corporations, civic groups or social clubs do them. We attempt to rely on programs, marketing and techniques, all the normal stuff.

As Groeshel points out, “normal isn’t working.” The churches and individuals that do things the normal way, do not experience the personal and corporate growth (not measured only in numbers) that God wants to provide.

My Perception of Weird

This book convinced me that I may be weird, but not weird enough.

In the book, Craig discusses the impact that a relationship with Jesus should have on our view of time, money, relationships, sex and values. The discussion has challenged me to reexamine the way I approach these topics.

I appreciated the way Craig issued the challenges, even when my initial gut reaction was that he was going a little overboard. For each topic, Groeschel presented principles that apply and gave some clues as to how this worked out in his own life. Craig does this without giving me the sense that he thinks he has it wired and if we only did it his way, things would be OK. By his writing style and the principles he presented, Craig created an environment conducive to considering new points of view.

This isn’t a how-to book. It does not lay out “x steps to spiritual maturity.” What it does provide is thought provoking analysis of what a follower of Jesus should consider as he responds to the challenges of the surrounding culture. The principles are presented and it is up to the reader to work through the principles to figure out how the principles should be applied in his own situation.

Why You Should Get Weird

Near the end of the book, Groeschel writes:

If you have just enough of Christ to satisfy you but not enough to change you, answer his knock and let him make himself at home with you. You’ve purposefully chosen to leave the broad path. You’re gladly traveling the narrow road. Your journey may seem weird to others, but your destination will be infinitely better than anything a settle-for-normal world can offer.

The number one reason I would recommend this book is that it will challenge you in areas where you unconsciously or unknowingly have imbibed the surrounding culture. These areas need to be exposed to the light of Scripture so that we can be “transformed by the renewing of our minds.” (Romans 12:1-2).

This book would be excellent as a small group study resource. The way the material is presented would be conducive to small group discussion.

In Conclusion

Craig Groeschel is right, normal isn’t working. Much of Christendom is disarray and decline. For change to take place, we have to get over our fear of being weird. Weird (the book) is a good place to start.

Weird is available from Barnes & Noble and Amazon in both paper (DTB, Dead Tree Book) and electronic formats.

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