Another month has gone, and we are half a year away from 2012, people! Half a year away from making new year's resolutions and posting lists of books we read in 2011 and putting away the Christmas decorations after yet another busy holiday season. Time sure does move quickly.
So in my May post I told y'all I read a book about a road (from Damascus) and this month I read about another road (Eastern Orthodoxy). Last month I read a book by an Indian (from Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh) who said very positive things about Christianity and the Bible. This month I read a book by an Indian (Native American) who didn't much care for most of the Christians he'd encountered. (I think he was OK with Jesus.) I finished my journey through America with Akbar Ahmed and his team. That book was rather long (500ish pages) and detailed, but kept my attention throughout. I read a book about two "promised lands" - Israel and the United States. The latter dealt with Moses' impact in inspiring the settlers here.
Have you read any good books lately?
Journey Into America by Akbar Ahmed -- fantastic book about American identity and culture and the ways minority groups have been treated here; see posts from late May and early June for many more details
"Through discussion and dialogue with my Jewish friends, I have learned about Jewish history and culture and how these shape Jewish identity -- the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the trauma of the Diaspora, and the tragedy of the Holocaust, which remains a dark and troubling cloud over the history of all humankind. I also learned of the deep attachment that Jews feel toward the city of Jerusalem and the land of Israel, which is more than just a country to the Jewish people. It is an expression of their religious and cultural identity. Becoming friends with Jews allowed me to view the Israeli narrative from their perspective. In this way, while they saw and hopefully understood my Muslim narrative, I tried to understand theirs." (pg. 395)
The chapter on Mormons and Muslims showed me how similar the two faiths are. In fact the Mormon university has a geography class where one professor gives handouts showing 21 similarities between the two faiths. Granted, they also have huge differences, but the team said Mormons they met seemed to be the most accepting of Muslims in America. When breaking down stats, Mormons over any other group put religion as number one in their lives (96%; Muslims were at 85%), When asked about the biggest threats to America, Mormons were more likely to say the "breakdown of the family," "ourselves," "immorality," and "the economy." One student "named pornography as the greatest threat to America, calling it 'the root of a lot of evil.'" "More Mormons saw America as a Christian country than did either Protestants or Catholics." (pg. 420-1)
When discussing the rise of Mormonism during what he calls "the Great White American Century" the author noted "Mormonism provided an optimistic theology in an era of hope and promise. Unlike the austere and puritanical preachings of Calvinism, Mormonism offered what scholar Fawn Brodie called an 'ingenious blend of supernaturalism and materialism, which promised in heaven a continuation of all earthly pleasures - work, wealth, sex and power.'" (pg. 405)
The Historical Road of Eastern Orthodoxy by Alexander Schmemann -- I shared much more about this book here.
"In the record of Orthodoxy, as in the story of Christianity in general, there is no lack of defects and human sins. ... The true Orthodox way of thought has always been historical, has always included the past, but has never been enslaved by it. Christ is 'yesterday and today and forever the same,' and the strength of the Church is not in the past, present, or future, but in Christ." (pg. 341)
Speaking of Jesus by Carl Medearis -- after having read a book filled with Christian Church stuff, this book was almost simplistic by contrast. The author basically tells us to just talk about Jesus. He reminded us that the complicated doctrines, explanations, egg illustration of God and often horrid Christian history are not what people need. They just need Jesus. And he shares what a joy it is for him to talk about one he loves so dearly. I like too that he stressed discipleship - a commitment of relationship - rather than evangelism which is often a one-moment deal (e.g., one altar call, one revival meeting, one door-to-door soul winning evening). ; also see previous post
"We can't simply pull in our church boundaries, tell the rest of the world to drop dead, and then bomb the sand out of the Middle East. At least not if we are trying to follow Jesus. The conservative movement here in the West often tries to embrace the moral code of Christianity without the self-sacrificial teachings of Jesus." (pg. 148)
Here is an article of Carl's published at Huffington Post just yesterday.
Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto by Vine Deloria, Jr. -- Andrew asked why I got this book and I think it was in the footnotes of a book I read earlier this year. I decided I wanted to read a book about Indians from an American Indian rather than a white author so I found this one on Amazon and received it for my birthday. Read more about my thoughts on this book here.
And see my pictures from the Cherokee Indian Reservation here if you'd like. We were there last Saturday.
The Much Too Promised Land: America’s Elusive Search for Arab-Israeli Peace by Aaron David Miller -- My brother found this book somewhere and gave it to me for my birthday. He said he saw the word "Arab" and knew how much I like them so he got this. About halfway through this nearly 400 page book I was ready to toss it aside because I was exasperated with how much time and money and energy has been used in trying to bring peace to this region! (Not to mention all the trees killed to write all those drafts and official treaties!) To read more go here.
America's Prophet: How the Story of Moses Shaped America by Bruce Feiler -- I saw this on Amazon.com and decided to buy it. It was inexpensive and I like Bruce Feiler. I've read at least three of his other books. See the previous post for some of the American Moseses (or Mosii per Amber's suggestion) discussed in this book. Also I'll probably add a bit more from this book in an upcoming post. I finished it just in time to add to June books!
If you want to see most of these books because you are a visual person and maybe like to see that people actually are nerdy enough to take photos of their stacks of books, go here. From my stack of 18 books pictured there, I have only one left to read! I actually went to the library once, had 3 books in my arms to check out and ...
(try not to faint when you read this)
PUT THEM BACK ON THE SHELVES!!!
I yielded not to temptation because I remembered I still had books at home that needed to be read. Just a few more to go now and then Helloooooo, Library! :)
Showing posts sorted by date for query carl medearis. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query carl medearis. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
An American Indian's Thoughts on White People, Tribalism, US Culture, Churches
Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto by Vine Deloria, Jr. -- note: the author uses Indian to refer to himself and his people throughout the book when not speaking of specific tribes (e.g. Cherokee, Sioux, Seminole) so I will use Indian instead of Native American in this post, but do realize we are speaking of the inhabitants of present day United States and not the Asian country! I have questions for you at the bottom. Be thinking how you would reply to the author if you could and what lessons we can learn from his thoughts.
Andrew asked why I got this book and I think it was mentioned in the footnotes of a book I read earlier this year. I decided I wanted to read a book about Indians from an American Indian rather than a white author so I found this one on Amazon and received it for my birthday. I expected this book to be more about the wars between Indians and the white people who came to the United States. I expected Custer to play some role in the book (the title kind of conveys this) yet he only came up a couple of times. This "Custer died for your sins" thing was actually a bumper sticker "originally meant as a dig at the National Council of Churches" and which "referred to the Sioux Treaty of 1868 signed at Fort Laramie in which the United States pledged to give free and undisturbed use of the lands claimed by Red Cloud in return for peace. Under the covenants of the Old Testament, breaking a covenant called for a blood sacrifice for atonement. Custer was the blood sacrifice for the United States breaking the Sioux treaty." (pg. 148)
I knew the title was a rather clever play on words since most Christians say Jesus died for our sins. It's a bit weird and good reading this book just after Carl Medearis' Speaking of Jesus which stressed, well, our speaking more of Jesus and essentially not bringing western cultural baggage into the mix. Jesus wasn't a westerner and although many bad things have been done in the name of Christianity, Jesus never started this religion nor did he ever instruct us to go and make Christians out of people or compel them to join the Christian cause.
As I was reading this book I was heartbroken at times especially when I realized how different things could have been and could be if we acted like Jesus instead of going into situations as Christians bent on solving the Indian problem essentially turning these "savages" into respectable white people. As if that's what Jesus meant when he told us to go and share the good news with every creature! The disciples struggled with this. Do the Gentiles have to become Jews? Must they be circumcised? Essentially, must they be one of us, adopt our customs, follow our law in order to follow Jesus?
NO.
This book gave me a different perspective on tribes. Of course the Bible - the Old Testament - is full of tribe talk. There are the 12 tribes of Israel as main players after all. And, of course, I was familiar with Indian tribes. I've always loved the names and found them fascinating to say. Yet when I hear of tribes today, I think of conflicts in the Arab world and places like Afghanistan and Pakistan. I think of divisiveness (sectarianism) and narrow mindedness and keeping women down and exalting the almighty man. Saudi Arabia's tribal culture - rather than its religion - is often blamed for the things I don't like about that country. Sure there are a number of good things, but those tend to be overlooked when compared to honor killings and the importance of virginity in women and the control of parents over their daughters. Honestly it makes me feel smothered reading about such things.
Yet, this book helped me see tribes in a better light. How if there is a good hunting season, everyone eats. And if there is a bad hunting season, everyone suffers. There is not this hoarding of wealth and this great divide between the haves and the have nots. The author notes "each man must be judged according to his real self, not according to his wealth or educational prowess. Hence a holder of great wealth is merely selfish unless he has other redeeming qualities besides his material goods. Having a number of degrees and an impressive educational background is prerequisite to prestige in the white world. It is detrimental in the Indian world unless the person has the necessary wisdom to say meaningful things also." (pg. 233)
This book was published in 1969 during the era of hippies and black power movements. Hippies, the author notes, had shrugged off some of the prestige qualifiers of white culture yet he found fault with them for not adopting the things that make for good Indian prestige. Hippies were basically passing fads and out for publicity. The Indians often rejected the black power movements because equality meant the blacks would be equal to the whites. To Indians, equal meant sameness and they did not want to adopt 'white culture.' They were Indian and they had their own customs thus they refused to be 'white' no matter the effort government agencies and churches undertook to make them 'white.'
Speaking of 'white culture', Deloria says it's like a cancer. It destroys other cultures and the whites essentially have no culture except the violent culture they brought from Europe to the New World. He says when we cannot solve problems, we use violence - overkill - to stamp out our enemies. He says this country "has never made a successful peace because peace requires exchanging ideas, concepts, thoughts, and recognizing the fact that two distinct systems of life can exist together without conflict. Consider how quickly America seems to be facing its allies of one war as new enemies." "Violence is America's sweetheart," and America "alienates everyone who does not automatically love it." (pg. 256)
You can imagine how much love I felt reading this book, right? Yes, it's often painful to see ourselves through others' eyes yet we often need attention drawn to our blind spots and things we'd rather not consider. This book has definitely made me reflect on several issues - some serious ones like how Jesus, the wonderful person that he is, got so separated from people who claim to follow him (these "Christians"). Other issues perhaps not so serious, but still thought-provoking: do we 'white' folks really have no culture? Is violence really our "sweetheart" and why do we alienate people who don't love us? Why do we "overkill"?
Has this ever truly been a Christian nation? Or shall we once and for all separate the word "Christian" from "follower of Jesus" since there seems to be a huge divide between most Christian action and the actions of the Christ.
Thoughts? What do you think of tribalism? Do you tend to view it negatively, neutrally or positively? Why? What do you think of the author's view of white culture? Do you think white people have no culture? Do you agree with Deloria's thoughts on black power (equality = sameness)? This actually reminded me of Akbar Ahmed's thoughts that I expressed in this post about Barack Obama acting like the white presidents. Do you agree that we love violence? Why is this? Do you think we should separate Christianity in the US from Jesus? What took your attention from this post? How would you reply to this author if given the chance? Any lessons we can learn from Vine Deloria's thoughts?
I've already alluded to Deloria's disdain for the Christianity as shown by most churches. You should also hear his loathing for anthropologists and his views of Democrats and Republicans. I would share more, but this post is too long already.
Andrew asked why I got this book and I think it was mentioned in the footnotes of a book I read earlier this year. I decided I wanted to read a book about Indians from an American Indian rather than a white author so I found this one on Amazon and received it for my birthday. I expected this book to be more about the wars between Indians and the white people who came to the United States. I expected Custer to play some role in the book (the title kind of conveys this) yet he only came up a couple of times. This "Custer died for your sins" thing was actually a bumper sticker "originally meant as a dig at the National Council of Churches" and which "referred to the Sioux Treaty of 1868 signed at Fort Laramie in which the United States pledged to give free and undisturbed use of the lands claimed by Red Cloud in return for peace. Under the covenants of the Old Testament, breaking a covenant called for a blood sacrifice for atonement. Custer was the blood sacrifice for the United States breaking the Sioux treaty." (pg. 148)
I knew the title was a rather clever play on words since most Christians say Jesus died for our sins. It's a bit weird and good reading this book just after Carl Medearis' Speaking of Jesus which stressed, well, our speaking more of Jesus and essentially not bringing western cultural baggage into the mix. Jesus wasn't a westerner and although many bad things have been done in the name of Christianity, Jesus never started this religion nor did he ever instruct us to go and make Christians out of people or compel them to join the Christian cause.
As I was reading this book I was heartbroken at times especially when I realized how different things could have been and could be if we acted like Jesus instead of going into situations as Christians bent on solving the Indian problem essentially turning these "savages" into respectable white people. As if that's what Jesus meant when he told us to go and share the good news with every creature! The disciples struggled with this. Do the Gentiles have to become Jews? Must they be circumcised? Essentially, must they be one of us, adopt our customs, follow our law in order to follow Jesus?
NO.
This book gave me a different perspective on tribes. Of course the Bible - the Old Testament - is full of tribe talk. There are the 12 tribes of Israel as main players after all. And, of course, I was familiar with Indian tribes. I've always loved the names and found them fascinating to say. Yet when I hear of tribes today, I think of conflicts in the Arab world and places like Afghanistan and Pakistan. I think of divisiveness (sectarianism) and narrow mindedness and keeping women down and exalting the almighty man. Saudi Arabia's tribal culture - rather than its religion - is often blamed for the things I don't like about that country. Sure there are a number of good things, but those tend to be overlooked when compared to honor killings and the importance of virginity in women and the control of parents over their daughters. Honestly it makes me feel smothered reading about such things.
Yet, this book helped me see tribes in a better light. How if there is a good hunting season, everyone eats. And if there is a bad hunting season, everyone suffers. There is not this hoarding of wealth and this great divide between the haves and the have nots. The author notes "each man must be judged according to his real self, not according to his wealth or educational prowess. Hence a holder of great wealth is merely selfish unless he has other redeeming qualities besides his material goods. Having a number of degrees and an impressive educational background is prerequisite to prestige in the white world. It is detrimental in the Indian world unless the person has the necessary wisdom to say meaningful things also." (pg. 233)
This book was published in 1969 during the era of hippies and black power movements. Hippies, the author notes, had shrugged off some of the prestige qualifiers of white culture yet he found fault with them for not adopting the things that make for good Indian prestige. Hippies were basically passing fads and out for publicity. The Indians often rejected the black power movements because equality meant the blacks would be equal to the whites. To Indians, equal meant sameness and they did not want to adopt 'white culture.' They were Indian and they had their own customs thus they refused to be 'white' no matter the effort government agencies and churches undertook to make them 'white.'
Speaking of 'white culture', Deloria says it's like a cancer. It destroys other cultures and the whites essentially have no culture except the violent culture they brought from Europe to the New World. He says when we cannot solve problems, we use violence - overkill - to stamp out our enemies. He says this country "has never made a successful peace because peace requires exchanging ideas, concepts, thoughts, and recognizing the fact that two distinct systems of life can exist together without conflict. Consider how quickly America seems to be facing its allies of one war as new enemies." "Violence is America's sweetheart," and America "alienates everyone who does not automatically love it." (pg. 256)
You can imagine how much love I felt reading this book, right? Yes, it's often painful to see ourselves through others' eyes yet we often need attention drawn to our blind spots and things we'd rather not consider. This book has definitely made me reflect on several issues - some serious ones like how Jesus, the wonderful person that he is, got so separated from people who claim to follow him (these "Christians"). Other issues perhaps not so serious, but still thought-provoking: do we 'white' folks really have no culture? Is violence really our "sweetheart" and why do we alienate people who don't love us? Why do we "overkill"?
Has this ever truly been a Christian nation? Or shall we once and for all separate the word "Christian" from "follower of Jesus" since there seems to be a huge divide between most Christian action and the actions of the Christ.
Thoughts? What do you think of tribalism? Do you tend to view it negatively, neutrally or positively? Why? What do you think of the author's view of white culture? Do you think white people have no culture? Do you agree with Deloria's thoughts on black power (equality = sameness)? This actually reminded me of Akbar Ahmed's thoughts that I expressed in this post about Barack Obama acting like the white presidents. Do you agree that we love violence? Why is this? Do you think we should separate Christianity in the US from Jesus? What took your attention from this post? How would you reply to this author if given the chance? Any lessons we can learn from Vine Deloria's thoughts?
I've already alluded to Deloria's disdain for the Christianity as shown by most churches. You should also hear his loathing for anthropologists and his views of Democrats and Republicans. I would share more, but this post is too long already.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
"Christianity is problematic in so many ways."
While the ideals of Christianity have a basis in Jesus, in the history of the world - from the Crusades to Calvin's oppression of Geneva - we have often seen everything but Jesus' love. Culturally, Christianity has met with resistance because of this pained history, and also because, to most of the world, embracing Christianity means embracing Western civilization, Western policy, and even Western rule.
Even within the boundaries of our own "civilized" countries, we can see the systemic problems within Christianity. Picketers, political manipulators, and cultural warmongers all tend to have their own versions of Christianity. Many racists consider themselves Christians. The same goes for many corrupt politicians, gangsters, and abusive parents.
... Within the domain of Christianity, we all suffer beneath the weight of sin. Understanding the doctrine of forgiveness does not deliver us from sin. Jesus does. Our Western logic, our reason, our "right thinking" cannot deliver us from evil. ...
As Christians, we're faced with a problem difficult to see because it's so obvious. We're aware of Jesus, but we are obsessed with Christianity. We're stuck on its requirements and we're defined by its doctrines, caught in an endless struggle to find out where we fit, if we've "arrived" yet, and if we're doing it right. We struggle with sin, and yet, because of the boundaries, we're forced to decided between being honest about our feelings and hiding for fear we'll be judged. In this state, we're not living in the grace of Jesus. We're trying to maintain our membership.
excerpt from pg. 72-3 of Speaking of Jesus by Carl Medearis
Even within the boundaries of our own "civilized" countries, we can see the systemic problems within Christianity. Picketers, political manipulators, and cultural warmongers all tend to have their own versions of Christianity. Many racists consider themselves Christians. The same goes for many corrupt politicians, gangsters, and abusive parents.
... Within the domain of Christianity, we all suffer beneath the weight of sin. Understanding the doctrine of forgiveness does not deliver us from sin. Jesus does. Our Western logic, our reason, our "right thinking" cannot deliver us from evil. ...
As Christians, we're faced with a problem difficult to see because it's so obvious. We're aware of Jesus, but we are obsessed with Christianity. We're stuck on its requirements and we're defined by its doctrines, caught in an endless struggle to find out where we fit, if we've "arrived" yet, and if we're doing it right. We struggle with sin, and yet, because of the boundaries, we're forced to decided between being honest about our feelings and hiding for fear we'll be judged. In this state, we're not living in the grace of Jesus. We're trying to maintain our membership.
excerpt from pg. 72-3 of Speaking of Jesus by Carl Medearis
Sunday, February 28, 2010
February Books
Today is the last day of February so it's time to post the few books that I finished this month. Also, happy birthday to my "baby" brother!
Day After Night by Anita Diamant is a novel "based on the extraordinary true story of the October 1945 rescue of more than two hundred prisoners from the Atlit internment camp, a prison for 'illegal' immigrants run by the British military near the Mediterranean coast north of Haifa. The story is told through the eyes of four young women at the camp with profoundly different stories."
Islam Made Easy by Edgar M. Feghaly, a Lebanese Christian, who attempts to explain facts about Islam and the Quran. I'd heard much of this before and much prefer books by Nabeel Jabbour and Carl Medearis. This book did have a section on where the Bible and related Quranic stories were found. This might be helpful if I ever wanted to compare the two.
Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth Bailey -- a cultural study in the gospels -- see previous posts -- wonderful book!
Tea With Hezbollah by Ted Dekker and Carl Medearis -- searching for the ones willing to love their enemies as Jesus taught -- see previous posts; I read this book to Samer via Skype and posted notes on what we thought of this book
That's all, Folks! Tomorrow the March Matthew studies begin! I hope you will be involved!
Day After Night by Anita Diamant is a novel "based on the extraordinary true story of the October 1945 rescue of more than two hundred prisoners from the Atlit internment camp, a prison for 'illegal' immigrants run by the British military near the Mediterranean coast north of Haifa. The story is told through the eyes of four young women at the camp with profoundly different stories."
Islam Made Easy by Edgar M. Feghaly, a Lebanese Christian, who attempts to explain facts about Islam and the Quran. I'd heard much of this before and much prefer books by Nabeel Jabbour and Carl Medearis. This book did have a section on where the Bible and related Quranic stories were found. This might be helpful if I ever wanted to compare the two.
Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth Bailey -- a cultural study in the gospels -- see previous posts -- wonderful book!
Tea With Hezbollah by Ted Dekker and Carl Medearis -- searching for the ones willing to love their enemies as Jesus taught -- see previous posts; I read this book to Samer via Skype and posted notes on what we thought of this book
That's all, Folks! Tomorrow the March Matthew studies begin! I hope you will be involved!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
"Tea With Hezbollah" - pages 107 - 175
We are reading through this book pretty quickly. I want to get it read before Samer returns to Damascus next week. We are on track to do that as we only have about 60 pages left!
From Tea With Hezbollah by Ted Dekker and Carl Medearis ... our notes
February 18 -- Notes from pages 107 - 145
From Tea With Hezbollah by Ted Dekker and Carl Medearis ... our notes
February 18 -- Notes from pages 107 - 145
Today our reading started with the continuing story of Nicole and of her meeting with a Maronite priest, Father Stephen, who had an exciting story to tell of his kidnapping, captivity and escape and how he met someone very close to Nicole.
Chapter 9 found us with Ted and Carl as they headed further south to have tea with a couple of Hezbollah fighters. Some transcript of this meeting is included and I enjoyed reading the discussion. One thing I found interesting was that the younger fighter attends the American University in Beirut. After having tea with these guys, Ted and Carl had tea with Sheik Nabil Quouk, the number two guy in Hezbollah. I enjoyed the transcript of their meeting as well. (I stupidly asked Samer if he were familiar with Sheik Quouk and he immediately and emphatically replied, "of course!")
This chapter included Ted's thoughts on Hezbollah and an explanation of how Hezbollah tends to be thought of in the region. He told how - to him - they differed from Hamas and Al Qaeda. At this point Samer questioned why Ted did not mention Israel's terrorism on his people and argued that this showed how his people were not as valued to many. We discussed his thoughts at length and finally came up with a satisfactory - if not speculative - answer. Ted let the Hezbollah leaders and others speak for themselves so readers can draw their own conclusions as to the true state of things. Instead of coming out and alienating his western readers by saying, "Israel is a terrorist state," he allows the attentive reader to draw his or her own conclusions based on material he provides. In the end, Samer and I both agreed that this was a clever way to get the message across. A typical evangelical reading this book and seeing "Israel is a terrorist state" would dismiss the book outright as being "too liberal" so Ted's way is wiser. At least this is our opinion thus far.
The next chapter picked up Nicole's story and the story of Naum Sareel one of very few Jews left in Lebanon. Despite his sons urging him to move to Israel, he refused as Lebanon was where his family had lived for two thousand years. His son Saul urged his father to move because he - a Mossad agent - could not guarantee his father's safety so close to the Shatila refugee camp.
Chapter 11 began with Ted and Carl heading to Syria! I especially enjoyed reading about Straight Street though Ted's eyes. I could picture the journey since I made it not so long ago. It was a great memory as they went through the souk, saw the Ummayyad mosque, Kissan Gate and the church dedicated to Paul and Bab Sharqi!
February 19 -- Notes from pages 145 - 175
We continued on in Syria with Ted mentioning the government there. Ted and Carl went to the office of the mufti of Damascus, Abdul Fattah Al Bizem. Samer provided me with a better understanding of the mufti from their perspective. While the Syrian mufti is appointed by the government and therefore a product of it, many people "ignore" this person. However the local muftis are appointed by a committee - I'm guessing of respected religious leaders - and, therefore, he is more respected by the ordinary people. The muftis are generally the ones who issue fatwas and they "must be someone well-grounded in Islamic law and granted the authority to issue formal rulings on matters concerning that law." (pg. 145) So they talk to Mufti Bizem and a transcript including some of the conversation is given. I especially like what he said: "I think it is important to reach the heart to affect people." (pg. 148)
Mufti Al Bizem agrees that dialogue is important among people who are unfamiliar with one another. He believes Jesus' teachings have been changed so the command to love your neighbor and our enemies is likely wrong. At least that's my impression since he said "This a beautiful teaching. But the original has been changed by the Christians, so we should look to Muhammad." My own thoughts, Seriously! With the history of Christianity being what it is do you really think Christians are the ones who wanted to make the Bible say that Jesus told us to love our enemies??
After leaving the meeting with the mufti, the men were on their way to Jordan so they could visit the West Bank. Carl shared a story from his past along that same border and when he met "a Saudi Samaritan." I enjoyed his retelling of this adventure.
The next chapter picked up the story of Nicole and the beginning of a conflict in Lebanon when the hookah bar was secured by two Druze brothers who made the patrons stay inside by threatening to shoot them. It also told of a bicycle ride gone bad for Nicole. Must say that Nicole's story is quite exciting! I believe Samer is enjoying it as well.
Chapter 13 describes Ted and Carl's trip to Jerusalem. Ted tries to explain some of the history behind the city and why it remains so important to Jews, Christians and Muslims. He tried to answer the question of whose land it really was. Somewhere in this chapter Samer and I again discussed why Israel was not called terrorist state since they have killed more people than other nations in the region. I think this came up again when Ted said that no one they talked to throughout their two-week trip had answers to the political problems facing the Israelis and Palestinians. Samer said the answer was found in Washington, D.C. so Ted and Carl were asking the wrong people. He said the powerful (those in the US government) had the answers because basically our propping up terrorist state, Israel, is the root of the problem.
We haven't finished this chapter yet....more to come.
See notes on previous pages here.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
"Tea With Hezbollah" - pages 45 to 106
The other day I started writing notes from my reading Tea With Hezbollah to Samer via Skype. It's enjoyable having a genuine Arab to discuss this book with. If I were reading it alone, I would never know the history behind certain things or know that this or that person is pretty famous throughout the region. Instead I can say "do you know this person?" or "have you heard of that?" and 80% of the time Samer has. Also I can hear if he agrees with what author Ted Dekker (along with fellow traveler Carl Medearis) have to say in this book.
Notes from the first pages are here.
And these are things I wrote from the next pages.
Oh, I forgot to mention that the co-authors are on a mission to meet with people and ask what they think of Jesus' teaching of the Good Samaritan and loving your neighbor as you love yourself. They ask most everyone they meet including cab drivers and the people interviewed.
February 16 -- Notes from pages 45 -75
Samer mentioned that although this book says Cairo comes up with Islamic law and Saudi implements it, he said there were two forms with Egyptian law being more moderate/liberal. He said his people followed more of the Egyptian school of thought on Islamic law. Saudi is known for being a bit extreme on the conservative side for most. I think much of this has to do with culture influencing interpretation moreso than true Islamic teaching.
Ted discussed their meeting in Saudi Arabia with the bin Laden brothers who think their brother Osama is a "jerk"
They also talked to Sheik Muhammad Yamani who got his Ph.D. at Cornell -- this guy lives in a 28,000-square-foot palace in Jeddah and has another in Riyadh
We were introduced to the story of Nicole Wagner which includes 7 chapters in the book - quite an intriguing story of how she ended up leaving Iowa and visiting the Shatila refugee camp in Lebanon to look for her biological father
Next they left for Beirut and Ted gave a good lesson on the history of the Samaritans trying to explain how the great animosity between them and the Jews began.
February 17 -- Notes from pages 75 - 106
Ted discussed their meeting with the famous ayatollah, Sheik Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah. I was impressed with many things in the transcript from the talk with him especially when he talked about God's unconditional love and how much he loved God. Also interesting was his answer to whether or not he loved his enemies as Jesus instructed his followers. Fadlallah's assistant had provided background on the many times the CIA, Saudis, Saddam Hussein or Israel had tried to assassinate this man for his ties with Hezbollah. -- Samer was very familiar with this man and was able to give his impressions of Fadlallah as an admirable, seemingly peaceful person. Samer said he was the ayatollah (like a spiritual leader/adviser) to the Shia Muslims in Lebanon and Syria.
The next chapter continued Nicole's story and discussed Walid's hookah bar and how secret meetings had taken place there and how he knew much of the happenings around the refugee camp. This chapter lead to a discussion of the Druze since Walid expressed his great hatred for them. Samer and I discussed why people disliked the Druze and I found out they are Arab, but they side more with the Israelis against their own people. They are hated by Muslims and Christians alike in the Middle East.
Next Ted and Carl were on their way to Baalbek - "Baal's place" - which is now the home of Hezbollah. Ted said the place was spectacular, even more impressive than the Greek ruins at the Parthenon. Ted gave an interesting description of the history of this region going all the way back to Cain and Nimrod and future idol worship of Baal. He recounted the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel as recorded in the Old Testament and shared how Romans, Christians and Muslims had all built places of worship in the area.
Ted said in Baalbek and other places in the Middle East you see their heroes. Their superstars are not the same as ours, but you will see photos of Hezbollah or Hamas leaders because these are the ones they admire. Indeed I noticed this during our trip to Syria last year. I saw Hassan Nasrallah's photo around town and even one of the guys we met had Nasrallah as his laptop wallpaper. By that time I was used to these leaders being heroes (freedom fighters!) there and just smiled thinking,"Yup, I'm in the Middle East all right."
Ted and Carl enjoyed tea and an interview with a Bedouin prince in the south of Lebanon. The next day would be tea with Hezbollah.
Stay tuned.
Notes from the first pages are here.
And these are things I wrote from the next pages.
Oh, I forgot to mention that the co-authors are on a mission to meet with people and ask what they think of Jesus' teaching of the Good Samaritan and loving your neighbor as you love yourself. They ask most everyone they meet including cab drivers and the people interviewed.
February 16 -- Notes from pages 45 -75
Samer mentioned that although this book says Cairo comes up with Islamic law and Saudi implements it, he said there were two forms with Egyptian law being more moderate/liberal. He said his people followed more of the Egyptian school of thought on Islamic law. Saudi is known for being a bit extreme on the conservative side for most. I think much of this has to do with culture influencing interpretation moreso than true Islamic teaching.
Ted discussed their meeting in Saudi Arabia with the bin Laden brothers who think their brother Osama is a "jerk"
They also talked to Sheik Muhammad Yamani who got his Ph.D. at Cornell -- this guy lives in a 28,000-square-foot palace in Jeddah and has another in Riyadh
We were introduced to the story of Nicole Wagner which includes 7 chapters in the book - quite an intriguing story of how she ended up leaving Iowa and visiting the Shatila refugee camp in Lebanon to look for her biological father
Next they left for Beirut and Ted gave a good lesson on the history of the Samaritans trying to explain how the great animosity between them and the Jews began.
February 17 -- Notes from pages 75 - 106
Ted discussed their meeting with the famous ayatollah, Sheik Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah. I was impressed with many things in the transcript from the talk with him especially when he talked about God's unconditional love and how much he loved God. Also interesting was his answer to whether or not he loved his enemies as Jesus instructed his followers. Fadlallah's assistant had provided background on the many times the CIA, Saudis, Saddam Hussein or Israel had tried to assassinate this man for his ties with Hezbollah. -- Samer was very familiar with this man and was able to give his impressions of Fadlallah as an admirable, seemingly peaceful person. Samer said he was the ayatollah (like a spiritual leader/adviser) to the Shia Muslims in Lebanon and Syria.
The next chapter continued Nicole's story and discussed Walid's hookah bar and how secret meetings had taken place there and how he knew much of the happenings around the refugee camp. This chapter lead to a discussion of the Druze since Walid expressed his great hatred for them. Samer and I discussed why people disliked the Druze and I found out they are Arab, but they side more with the Israelis against their own people. They are hated by Muslims and Christians alike in the Middle East.
Next Ted and Carl were on their way to Baalbek - "Baal's place" - which is now the home of Hezbollah. Ted said the place was spectacular, even more impressive than the Greek ruins at the Parthenon. Ted gave an interesting description of the history of this region going all the way back to Cain and Nimrod and future idol worship of Baal. He recounted the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel as recorded in the Old Testament and shared how Romans, Christians and Muslims had all built places of worship in the area.
Ted said in Baalbek and other places in the Middle East you see their heroes. Their superstars are not the same as ours, but you will see photos of Hezbollah or Hamas leaders because these are the ones they admire. Indeed I noticed this during our trip to Syria last year. I saw Hassan Nasrallah's photo around town and even one of the guys we met had Nasrallah as his laptop wallpaper. By that time I was used to these leaders being heroes (freedom fighters!) there and just smiled thinking,"Yup, I'm in the Middle East all right."
Ted and Carl enjoyed tea and an interview with a Bedouin prince in the south of Lebanon. The next day would be tea with Hezbollah.
Stay tuned.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
"Tea With Hezbollah" - first pages
I went out with Michael yesterday and we went by the Christian bookstore since I had a 33% off coupon due to it being President's Day. I purchased "Tea With Hezbollah" which recounts Ted Dekker's and Carl Medearis' journey through parts of the Middle East. Late last month I watched a webcast featuring these men along with former SC governor David Beasley. They held a Q&A session in Colorado. Samer and Andrew saw it as well and urged me to buy the book. "So you can read it to me," Samer explained. Sooooo that's what happened yesterday. I bought the book and read the first 44 pages to him.
I thought I might jot down a few things that either stood out to me, to him or things we discussed briefly while I was reading.
Ted mentioned a lovely place - a private resort area - in Jeddah, Saudia Arabia where one would never know they were in KSA. He said you could find about anything and listed some examples. "Women in bikinis in Saudi Arabia?" Samer questioned with surprise. I was suspect of Ted's assessment that women truly ruled in that country. He said while men seemed to rule the streets since women were not seen there as much, he stated that most things were done inside and that's where women ruled. My opinion is that Ted met some powerful women in KSA, but I don't know that they represent the vast majority. Perhaps, but I've read quite a bit on blogs and never got that impression. Maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle. It often is.
When Ted talked about going through security at the airport in Saudi Arabia, he wondered why the guard wouldn't allow him through. Finally Carl translated the gesture and said the man wanted money. So Ted gave him some and the man wanted more so Ted gave him all that he had in his wallet. Ted wondered if he looked the part of the naive rich Westerner. Samer shook his head at this although it was familiar with him as his hometown friends had also had to pay bribes when traveling to KSA for various reasons. Samer said there is hadith about paying bribes and asking for them and neither is good. I think people believe Saudis should not be so anti-Islam since some of them often hold themselves higher than others because KSA is the land of the holy mosques and such things.
While they were in Egypt, Ted mentioned meeting a boat captain who longed to marry, but even at age fifty he wasn't rich enough to build/buy a house which seemed to be the requirement for marrying. Ted felt sad for him and the overwhelming poverty in Cairo. By contrast the places he visited in Saudi Arabia were niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.
Mohammed the Egyptian mentioned above was asked his impression of America and Ted said this was the sentiments of nearly every layperson they spoke with during their trip. Mohammed said, "America is controlling the whole world. They treat no one fairly, and if I told you anything else, I would be lying." (pg. 20) Samer agreed that this was truly the average thought in the Arab world about the United States.
Ted mentioned their meeting the vice president of the University of Al-Azhar and how that university was "the world's undisputed think tank for Islamic theology, particularly among the Sunni, who account for roughly 85 percent of all Muslims." He said, "when Al-Azhar speaks, the world of Islam listens...with rapt attention." (pg. 14) The thing is, Samer disputed this. He said Al-Azhar has in recent years become more influenced by the corrupt Egyptian government so a lot of people didn't give the university the attention they enjoyed in the past. Apparently Egypt is building a wall between them and the Gazans and while most imams and Arabs dispute this, Al-Azhar came out in favor of it so that even an Egyptian imam in Germany recently mentioned this horrible Al-Azhar ruling in his Friday sermon. So maybe Ted over-estimated the importance of Al-Azhar these days and maybe this university isn't the bastion of admirable Islamic thought as they once were.
Other things of note to me -- how the price of wheat in the US was blamed for the starvation in Egypt, Samir's laughing comment about there is little planning in the Middle East, how the Arabs believed Americans thought of them.
If anyone has any questions or comments about these notes, feel free to ask.
I thought I might jot down a few things that either stood out to me, to him or things we discussed briefly while I was reading.
Ted mentioned a lovely place - a private resort area - in Jeddah, Saudia Arabia where one would never know they were in KSA. He said you could find about anything and listed some examples. "Women in bikinis in Saudi Arabia?" Samer questioned with surprise. I was suspect of Ted's assessment that women truly ruled in that country. He said while men seemed to rule the streets since women were not seen there as much, he stated that most things were done inside and that's where women ruled. My opinion is that Ted met some powerful women in KSA, but I don't know that they represent the vast majority. Perhaps, but I've read quite a bit on blogs and never got that impression. Maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle. It often is.
When Ted talked about going through security at the airport in Saudi Arabia, he wondered why the guard wouldn't allow him through. Finally Carl translated the gesture and said the man wanted money. So Ted gave him some and the man wanted more so Ted gave him all that he had in his wallet. Ted wondered if he looked the part of the naive rich Westerner. Samer shook his head at this although it was familiar with him as his hometown friends had also had to pay bribes when traveling to KSA for various reasons. Samer said there is hadith about paying bribes and asking for them and neither is good. I think people believe Saudis should not be so anti-Islam since some of them often hold themselves higher than others because KSA is the land of the holy mosques and such things.
While they were in Egypt, Ted mentioned meeting a boat captain who longed to marry, but even at age fifty he wasn't rich enough to build/buy a house which seemed to be the requirement for marrying. Ted felt sad for him and the overwhelming poverty in Cairo. By contrast the places he visited in Saudi Arabia were niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.
Mohammed the Egyptian mentioned above was asked his impression of America and Ted said this was the sentiments of nearly every layperson they spoke with during their trip. Mohammed said, "America is controlling the whole world. They treat no one fairly, and if I told you anything else, I would be lying." (pg. 20) Samer agreed that this was truly the average thought in the Arab world about the United States.
Ted mentioned their meeting the vice president of the University of Al-Azhar and how that university was "the world's undisputed think tank for Islamic theology, particularly among the Sunni, who account for roughly 85 percent of all Muslims." He said, "when Al-Azhar speaks, the world of Islam listens...with rapt attention." (pg. 14) The thing is, Samer disputed this. He said Al-Azhar has in recent years become more influenced by the corrupt Egyptian government so a lot of people didn't give the university the attention they enjoyed in the past. Apparently Egypt is building a wall between them and the Gazans and while most imams and Arabs dispute this, Al-Azhar came out in favor of it so that even an Egyptian imam in Germany recently mentioned this horrible Al-Azhar ruling in his Friday sermon. So maybe Ted over-estimated the importance of Al-Azhar these days and maybe this university isn't the bastion of admirable Islamic thought as they once were.
Other things of note to me -- how the price of wheat in the US was blamed for the starvation in Egypt, Samir's laughing comment about there is little planning in the Middle East, how the Arabs believed Americans thought of them.
If anyone has any questions or comments about these notes, feel free to ask.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
How we relate to God & the return of "the eds"
Snowed: at my house overnight -- this is noteworthy for the sunny South :)
Remembered: Last year when we were visiting Paul's and St. Ananias' chapels in Old Damascus on this day
Watched: This wonderful Why Do You Fear Me? event from Thursday night in Colorado featuring Carl Medearis (lover of Muslims, Arabs, the Middle East & Jesus!), former SC governor David Beasley and Christian novelist Ted Dekker
Discussed: a challenging chapter - The Blind Man and Zacchaeus - on reaching out to the oppressed & oppressor from the book, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes
Enjoyed: seeing the neighborhood children sled and ride four wheelers in the snow
Borrowed: this thing about how people relate to God; with permission from Eva at A Thought Chronicle & her friend Rochelle who summarized this from Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas - thank you, Ladies
Read through these and see which describes you best.
Remembered: Last year when we were visiting Paul's and St. Ananias' chapels in Old Damascus on this day
Watched: This wonderful Why Do You Fear Me? event from Thursday night in Colorado featuring Carl Medearis (lover of Muslims, Arabs, the Middle East & Jesus!), former SC governor David Beasley and Christian novelist Ted Dekker
Discussed: a challenging chapter - The Blind Man and Zacchaeus - on reaching out to the oppressed & oppressor from the book, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes
Enjoyed: seeing the neighborhood children sled and ride four wheelers in the snow
Borrowed: this thing about how people relate to God; with permission from Eva at A Thought Chronicle & her friend Rochelle who summarized this from Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas - thank you, Ladies
Read through these and see which describes you best.
Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas
“Sacred pathways…describes the way we relate to God, how we draw near to him.”
Naturalist: Loving God Out of Doors
· Naturalists are moved by creation. They believe nature clearly point to God. Creation prompts them to worship. They believe that looking at the ordinary helps to reveal some of the mystery of God.
Sensates: Loving God with the Senses
· Sensates “want to be lost in the awe, beauty, and splendor of God”. Sights, sounds, and smells are all part of worship. They use the five senses to delight in God.
Traditionalists: Loving God through Ritual and Symbol
· Traditionalists are fed by the “historic dimensions of faith: rituals, symbols, sacraments, and sacrifice”. They find discipline, ritual, and structure nurishing.
Ascetics: Loving God in Solitude and Simplicity
· Ascetics “live a fundamentally internal existence”. They connect with God in the quite and with prayer. They do not want distractions.
Activists: Loving God Through Confrontation
· Activists “serve a God of justice”. They see worship as living against evil and calling sinners to repent. They focus on living truth and confronting injustice to change society.
Caregivers: Loving God by Loving Others
· Caregivers “serve God by serving others”. They see Jesus in the needy. Caring for others is energizing and they love God through loving others through service.
Enthusiasts: Loving God with Mystery and Celebration
· Enthusiasts need “excitement and mystery in worship…joyful celebration.” They want to experience, feel and be moved by God.
Contemplatives: Loving God through Adoration
· Contemplatives see God in “images of a loving Father and Bridegroom.” They seek simply to love God deeply.
Intellectuals: Loving God with the Mind
· Intellectuals like to study doctrines and “live in the world of concepts.” For them faith is to “be understood as much as experienced.”
____________________________________________________________________
What pathway do you primarily use to draw near to God? Why?
Which have you rarely used? Why?
Which would you like to try to incorporate into your life more? What would hinder you?
What is the benefit of approaching God in different ways?
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Finished the Bible and July Books!
I finished reading the Bible today! I started last September and finally finished. This month I read many of the books at the end of the Old Testament -- Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. Most of those books are short and I do know there are a few not on there (e.g. Daniel, Jonah), but I read those out of order earlier in the year.
I don't think I'll finish a new book before the month ends so I'll go ahead and post the books I read this month.
The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller -- I wrote two posts already about this. I enjoyed reading about the elder brother's role...the TRUE elder brother, that is. Also the part about tasting and seeing that the Lord is good (pg. 108) was interesting.
On our longing for something else, the author writes, "The message of the Bible is that the human race is a band of exiles trying to come home. The parable of the prodigal son is about everyone of us." (pg. 97) See posts from earlier this month for more details on this book.
The Popular Encyclopedia of World Religions by Richard Wolff is "a user-friendly guide to [Islam, Shintoism and Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism, Judaism and Christianity's] beliefs, history and impact on our world today."
At the end of one section the author mentioned how Christians should relate to people of different faiths. He wrote, "Christians should be prepared to answer questions and explain the hope we have and do it with 'gentleness and respect.' Christians are ambassadors and therefore necessarily diplomatic. Christians are witnesses, not prosecuting attorneys. Witnesses relate what they have experienced. According to the words of Christ, it is the Spirit who will bear witness to him and convict the world of sin and guilt. We can only present the facts of our experience and share information, but without the Spirit, who internalizes the facts and convicts, new life will not blossom. We present the external evidence, the Spirit provides the internal evidence." (pg. 60)
The Difference Maker by John C. Maxwell focuses on "making your attitude your greatest asset."
"The happiest people in life don't necessarily have the best of everything. They just try to make the best of everything. . . . A person's attitude has a profound influence on his approach to life." (pg. 35)
The author discussed where our attitudes come from, what our attitudes cannot do for us, what they can do for us, how to make our attitudes our biggest assets and five big attitude obstacles (discouragement, change, problems, fear and failure.)
Unlikely Angel by Ashley Smith is the author's recollection of the early morning hours of March 12, 2005 when she was held hostage in her own apartment by a man who had murdered four people in Atlanta, GA earlier in the day. Ashley recounted the time she spent with Brian Nichols and how God revealed Himself to her, helped her come to some decisions in her own life marked by drug addictions and how He was the hero. This book reminded me that God is always at work, He will never leave or forsake us and His ways and thoughts are much higher than our own. It was encouraging to see how God used this potentially terrifying situation to bring about change in people's lives.
Improving Your Serve by Charles Swindoll is based on the verse in Mark where Jesus tells us He did not come to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom. The author deals with thinking like a servant, the portrait of a servant, the influence, perils, obedience of a servant and the consequences and rewards of serving. I have a few blog posts from this month dealing more with this book.
Muslims, Christians and Jesus by Carl Medearis -- I read this book last year and found it very encouraging and full of great tips and wisdom. Recently -- like Saturday night after being rather harsh *blush* with some people about certain practices -- I felt prompted to reread it and was challenged anew when I realized how I had strayed from many things I had planned to put into practice. Instead I had followed my natural inclinations... but I digress. Here are things that stood out to me the second time around. By the way, here is my review from last year. You can see how much I raved about it then! Love, love, love Carl even though I don't know him!
"Jesus had compassion for people, and he valued the same quality in his disciples, even above personal sacrifice." (pg. 33)
"Jesus looks for a change of heart; men look for a change of culture. It's always a matter of the heart, and hearts changed by God lead to changed cultures." (pg. 98)
In talking to Muslims and desiring to present Jesus, Carl writes, "Drop the arguments and forget the fight. It isn't about who's more right and who's more wrong. It's about pointing toward Isa (Jesus) and allowing his Spirit" to do the work. (pg. 110)
"If you want to reach a person, you have to look at them as an individual. . .. There can be no more generalizations and blanket distinctions." (pg. 131)
Carl stresses relationships and building true friendships where we listen and share in others' lives. (pg. 132)
"We have the greatest commandment: Love God and love people. Love has always been and will always be the strongest force in the universe. No one can stand against it. . . . It is who God is and who he wants us to be." (pg. 144)
Carl says we shouldn't have an agenda except to "do good and serve people... Not to convert them or fix them or save them. Just love them." (pg. 154)
"Just lift up Jesus... present him -- the Good News." (pg. 156)
"See Muslims" [and] "interact at their point of need." (pg. 183)
I don't think I'll finish a new book before the month ends so I'll go ahead and post the books I read this month.
The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller -- I wrote two posts already about this. I enjoyed reading about the elder brother's role...the TRUE elder brother, that is. Also the part about tasting and seeing that the Lord is good (pg. 108) was interesting.
On our longing for something else, the author writes, "The message of the Bible is that the human race is a band of exiles trying to come home. The parable of the prodigal son is about everyone of us." (pg. 97) See posts from earlier this month for more details on this book.
The Popular Encyclopedia of World Religions by Richard Wolff is "a user-friendly guide to [Islam, Shintoism and Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism, Judaism and Christianity's] beliefs, history and impact on our world today."
At the end of one section the author mentioned how Christians should relate to people of different faiths. He wrote, "Christians should be prepared to answer questions and explain the hope we have and do it with 'gentleness and respect.' Christians are ambassadors and therefore necessarily diplomatic. Christians are witnesses, not prosecuting attorneys. Witnesses relate what they have experienced. According to the words of Christ, it is the Spirit who will bear witness to him and convict the world of sin and guilt. We can only present the facts of our experience and share information, but without the Spirit, who internalizes the facts and convicts, new life will not blossom. We present the external evidence, the Spirit provides the internal evidence." (pg. 60)
The Difference Maker by John C. Maxwell focuses on "making your attitude your greatest asset."
"The happiest people in life don't necessarily have the best of everything. They just try to make the best of everything. . . . A person's attitude has a profound influence on his approach to life." (pg. 35)
The author discussed where our attitudes come from, what our attitudes cannot do for us, what they can do for us, how to make our attitudes our biggest assets and five big attitude obstacles (discouragement, change, problems, fear and failure.)
Unlikely Angel by Ashley Smith is the author's recollection of the early morning hours of March 12, 2005 when she was held hostage in her own apartment by a man who had murdered four people in Atlanta, GA earlier in the day. Ashley recounted the time she spent with Brian Nichols and how God revealed Himself to her, helped her come to some decisions in her own life marked by drug addictions and how He was the hero. This book reminded me that God is always at work, He will never leave or forsake us and His ways and thoughts are much higher than our own. It was encouraging to see how God used this potentially terrifying situation to bring about change in people's lives.
Improving Your Serve by Charles Swindoll is based on the verse in Mark where Jesus tells us He did not come to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom. The author deals with thinking like a servant, the portrait of a servant, the influence, perils, obedience of a servant and the consequences and rewards of serving. I have a few blog posts from this month dealing more with this book.
Muslims, Christians and Jesus by Carl Medearis -- I read this book last year and found it very encouraging and full of great tips and wisdom. Recently -- like Saturday night after being rather harsh *blush* with some people about certain practices -- I felt prompted to reread it and was challenged anew when I realized how I had strayed from many things I had planned to put into practice. Instead I had followed my natural inclinations... but I digress. Here are things that stood out to me the second time around. By the way, here is my review from last year. You can see how much I raved about it then! Love, love, love Carl even though I don't know him!
"Jesus had compassion for people, and he valued the same quality in his disciples, even above personal sacrifice." (pg. 33)
"Jesus looks for a change of heart; men look for a change of culture. It's always a matter of the heart, and hearts changed by God lead to changed cultures." (pg. 98)
In talking to Muslims and desiring to present Jesus, Carl writes, "Drop the arguments and forget the fight. It isn't about who's more right and who's more wrong. It's about pointing toward Isa (Jesus) and allowing his Spirit" to do the work. (pg. 110)
"If you want to reach a person, you have to look at them as an individual. . .. There can be no more generalizations and blanket distinctions." (pg. 131)
Carl stresses relationships and building true friendships where we listen and share in others' lives. (pg. 132)
"We have the greatest commandment: Love God and love people. Love has always been and will always be the strongest force in the universe. No one can stand against it. . . . It is who God is and who he wants us to be." (pg. 144)
Carl says we shouldn't have an agenda except to "do good and serve people... Not to convert them or fix them or save them. Just love them." (pg. 154)
"Just lift up Jesus... present him -- the Good News." (pg. 156)
"See Muslims" [and] "interact at their point of need." (pg. 183)
Friday, January 2, 2009
Books I Read in 2008
I checked just this morning. List started in January 1999. This means for ten years now I have kept a list of books I finished throughout the year! Most years I read 99.9% fiction -- usually of the historical, Christian or mystery varieties. But this year I only read 2 fiction books and 35 non-fiction ones! Quite the change! I wrote reviews for each book throughout the year. Some are just short things, others more extensive. Click on the titles below if you are interested. Hopefully I did the links correctly. :-)
List of Books Read in 2008
The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
23 Minutes in Hell by Bill Wiese
The Destiny of Muslims in the End Times by Faisal Malick
To My Muslim Friends by Anise Behnam
The Crescent Through the Eyes of the Cross by Nabeel Jabbour
The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel
Does My Head Look Too Big in This by Randa Abdel Fattah
Meeting Islam: A Guide for Christians by George Dardess
The Heavenly Man by Brother Yun & Paul Hattaway
The New Answers Book by Ken Ham, general editor
The Shack by William P. Young
Being Arab by Samir Kassir
The Bible Exposition Commentary Vol. I by Warren Weirsbe
Scratch Beginnings: Search for the American Dream by Adam Shepherd
Victory for Us Is to See You Suffer by Philip Winslow
Too Christian Too Pagan by Dick Staub
The Faith by Charles Colson
The Attentive Life by Leighton Ford
Called to Die by Steve Estes
Mary Louise's Opus by Mary Louise Mason
Unshackled & Growing by Nabeel Jabbour
Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby
The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan
Daring Chloe by Laura Jensen Walker
Muslims, Christians, Jesus by Carl Medearis
Standing with Israel by David Brog
In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson
Once an Arafat Man by Taysir Saada
& Dean Merrill
Epicenter by Joel Rosenberg
The Complete Guide to the Bible by Stephen Miller
Christianity Today study series on Islam
Children of Hope by Vernon Brewer & Noel Brewer Yeatts
Mission Al Jazeera by Josh Rushing
Rethinking Holy Land by Marlin Jeschke
Defining Moments by Vernon Brewer
The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
23 Minutes in Hell by Bill Wiese
The Destiny of Muslims in the End Times by Faisal Malick
To My Muslim Friends by Anise Behnam
The Crescent Through the Eyes of the Cross by Nabeel Jabbour
The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel
Does My Head Look Too Big in This by Randa Abdel Fattah
Meeting Islam: A Guide for Christians by George Dardess
The Heavenly Man by Brother Yun & Paul Hattaway
The New Answers Book by Ken Ham, general editor
The Shack by William P. Young
Being Arab by Samir Kassir
The Bible Exposition Commentary Vol. I by Warren Weirsbe
Scratch Beginnings: Search for the American Dream by Adam Shepherd
Victory for Us Is to See You Suffer by Philip Winslow
Too Christian Too Pagan by Dick Staub
The Faith by Charles Colson
The Attentive Life by Leighton Ford
Called to Die by Steve Estes
Mary Louise's Opus by Mary Louise Mason
Unshackled & Growing by Nabeel Jabbour
Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby
The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan
Daring Chloe by Laura Jensen Walker
Muslims, Christians, Jesus by Carl Medearis
Standing with Israel by David Brog
In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson
Once an Arafat Man by Taysir Saada
& Dean Merrill
Epicenter by Joel Rosenberg
The Complete Guide to the Bible by Stephen Miller
Christianity Today study series on Islam
Children of Hope by Vernon Brewer & Noel Brewer Yeatts
Mission Al Jazeera by Josh Rushing
Rethinking Holy Land by Marlin Jeschke
Defining Moments by Vernon Brewer
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Muslims, Christians, Jesus -- Book Review
Muslims, Christians, Jesus by Carl Medearis is one of the best books I read this year because it speaks to my growing love and compassion for Muslims that I feel God has given me since meeting my Syrian friends last year. I found this at the same bookstore near where I found another of the best books I read this year, The Crescent Through the Eyes of the Cross which I wrote about a few months ago. Both authors have a tender, loving attitude towards Muslims and they do not demonize the lot of them as many in the West have done. In fact, they demonize none of them.
In the forward of this book, Floyd McClung wrote that "The problem with the war on terrorism is that it can put us on the defensive. God is looking for people who will go out on a grace offensive, people who forgive and reach out in love." (pg. 10) This is my desire. Perhaps if I had been directly affected by 9/11 -- had a loved one killed -- I'd feel differently, but right now I do not. Instead of lumping all Muslims into the category of terrorists, I want to reach out to them with grace and love. Why not seek to understand their perspective instead of seeking to take our anger and revenge out on them for the sins of others? Are we any better than the 9/11 terrorists if we kill innocent people in our quest to keep terrorists off our soil? Some would justify that that is the price of war. True, but is it right? Does it make us morally superior?
Anyway...this is supposed to be a book review not a political statement. :-)
Carl Medearis tells us that he is "only a follower of Jesus who loves Muslims" and then says his book was written to "give you some information to help you befriend a Muslim and practical tips on how to live a life that's truly Good News to a Muslim." (pg. 18) Sounds like a winner to me!
There is way more good stuff in this book that I can possibly share. I highlighted a lot and then that still left a great deal that could have been highlighted. But then the whole book would have been pink! Pages that I noted:
Page 16 when Carl realized "I love these people," and that it was not his love that kept him serving in the Middle East, but God's love for them.
Page 33 -- "The most important thing we can do as followers of Jesus is to do just that. Follow him. Jesus himself is the Good News. . . . Jesus had compassion for people, and he valued the same quality in his disciples, even above personal sacrifice."
Carl reminds us often in his book -- point people to Jesus. Everything else is secondary.
Page 130 -- "For the spiritual person there can be no apathy." and "By choosing an attitude of love and compassion towards people we don't understand, and toward an intimidatingly unknown religion, we not only see fear and suspicion diminish, we begin to build bridges. Bridges that lead to Jesus, the Prince of Peace."
Page 131-- from Mother Teresa -- "I never think in terms of a crowd, but of individual persons. ... I believe in the personal touch of one to one."
Carl tells us to build true friendships, point people to Jesus and let the Holy Spirit do His job.
Page 145 -- "I have discovered that when I fear God, there is no room in my heart to be afraid of men. When I fear God, I don't care about a loss of reputation or a fear of the future. I am secure. This allows me to be non-defensive, gentle, and above all, Christ-focused."
Page 145 -- "I pray that you too can find Jesus in the eyes and heart of your Muslim friend; that you can see him as a child searching for his father; and that you can take him by the hand and walk the journey of life and faith together -- one step at a time."
Page 178 -- I loved the story about Carl's "unfair advantage."
This book was great. Carl just encourages us to find common ground with our Muslim friends, not to debate the differences, but simply point them to Jesus' teachings. Carl gives great illustrations, good advice and interesting information made easy to understand.
I greatly enjoyed this book!
In the forward of this book, Floyd McClung wrote that "The problem with the war on terrorism is that it can put us on the defensive. God is looking for people who will go out on a grace offensive, people who forgive and reach out in love." (pg. 10) This is my desire. Perhaps if I had been directly affected by 9/11 -- had a loved one killed -- I'd feel differently, but right now I do not. Instead of lumping all Muslims into the category of terrorists, I want to reach out to them with grace and love. Why not seek to understand their perspective instead of seeking to take our anger and revenge out on them for the sins of others? Are we any better than the 9/11 terrorists if we kill innocent people in our quest to keep terrorists off our soil? Some would justify that that is the price of war. True, but is it right? Does it make us morally superior?
Anyway...this is supposed to be a book review not a political statement. :-)
Carl Medearis tells us that he is "only a follower of Jesus who loves Muslims" and then says his book was written to "give you some information to help you befriend a Muslim and practical tips on how to live a life that's truly Good News to a Muslim." (pg. 18) Sounds like a winner to me!
There is way more good stuff in this book that I can possibly share. I highlighted a lot and then that still left a great deal that could have been highlighted. But then the whole book would have been pink! Pages that I noted:
Page 16 when Carl realized "I love these people," and that it was not his love that kept him serving in the Middle East, but God's love for them.
Page 33 -- "The most important thing we can do as followers of Jesus is to do just that. Follow him. Jesus himself is the Good News. . . . Jesus had compassion for people, and he valued the same quality in his disciples, even above personal sacrifice."
Carl reminds us often in his book -- point people to Jesus. Everything else is secondary.
Page 130 -- "For the spiritual person there can be no apathy." and "By choosing an attitude of love and compassion towards people we don't understand, and toward an intimidatingly unknown religion, we not only see fear and suspicion diminish, we begin to build bridges. Bridges that lead to Jesus, the Prince of Peace."
Page 131-- from Mother Teresa -- "I never think in terms of a crowd, but of individual persons. ... I believe in the personal touch of one to one."
Carl tells us to build true friendships, point people to Jesus and let the Holy Spirit do His job.
Page 145 -- "I have discovered that when I fear God, there is no room in my heart to be afraid of men. When I fear God, I don't care about a loss of reputation or a fear of the future. I am secure. This allows me to be non-defensive, gentle, and above all, Christ-focused."
Page 145 -- "I pray that you too can find Jesus in the eyes and heart of your Muslim friend; that you can see him as a child searching for his father; and that you can take him by the hand and walk the journey of life and faith together -- one step at a time."
Page 178 -- I loved the story about Carl's "unfair advantage."
This book was great. Carl just encourages us to find common ground with our Muslim friends, not to debate the differences, but simply point them to Jesus' teachings. Carl gives great illustrations, good advice and interesting information made easy to understand.
I greatly enjoyed this book!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)