So Many Books; So little Time

Shane Comes Home

Shane Comes Home

by Rinker Buck

c. 2005

This book was bought after I had read and loaned out A Table in the Presence. In A Table in the Presence, Lt Carey Cash deals with the death of one of his men who happens to be the first U S soldier killed in action in Iraq. That soldier was U S Marine Lieutenant Shane Childers. The loss of Lt Childers is shared by Lt Cash and all the Marines who went over the line with them on that first day in Iraq. His remembrance is handled by Lt Cash in a very military way there on the field of battle where men need a moment to mourn a beloved comrade and then get back to work.

Shane Comes Home deals with the military way of dealing with death on the battle field from the standpoint of those of us left behind.

Rinker Buck was called by his commanders in the Marine Corps and given one assignment–take the news of Lt Shane Childers death to his mother and help her bury him.

Now, I do want to establish that Shane Childers father was present and active in his life. He was retired military and was still married to Shane’s mother. But, probably out of tradition, the mother is the one to be informed–along with father and siblings. In fact, this book IS the tradition of burying a Marine.

Rinker Buck takes us step by step and, in some cases, moment by moment through what he did, thought, said and felt from the time he received the call to duty to care for Shane and the Childers family to the final rest of Lt Shane Childers. He takes us on the wild goose chase it took to find Shane’s parents and inside the mortuary where Shane was prepared to lie in state.

As we journey with him through those days that seemed to drag on and were, in fact, longer than most of us spend on a funeral, he takes us on the journey of Shane’s life. We meet Shane and his parents in military housing and in several states. We meet Shane’s closest cousins and deal with his relationship and his family’s relationship with God. We meet past girlfriends and take a look at what made Shane Shane.

And, in a deep sense, we get to know Rinker Buck as well as Shane. He doesn’t hide much from us as he travels the journey one more time on paper that he had to in person in late March 2003. He shares his feelings and his failings and his low periods and tells us where he runs when it all gets to be too much for him. There are moments when he swells with pride and we do as well and there are moments when the loss of a fellow Marine in the early morning hours are just too much for him.

If you ever wanted to know what makes a Marine tick or how much work goes into those beautiful military funerals that look so simply perfect, this is the book. Believe me, they aren’t just thrown together. There is an attention to detail that boggles the mind.

If you live near a National Cemetary as I do, I would encourage you to take the time to attend services there this Veteran’s Day–they are always at 11:00 am on November 11 regardless of the day of the week that falls on. And then take a few minutes to walk around and honor those who have gone before. If the cemetary is an older one, you’ll be amazed at what you find on the stones. Then remember Lt Shane Childers and all those others who have gone before as well as those who are serving now and will serve in the future.

Flying By The Seat of My Pants

Flying by the Seat of My Pants: Flight Attendant Adventures on a Wing and a Prayer

by Marsha Marks

c. 2005

Doesn’t every little girl want to be a flight attendant? I did when I was little. I loved to fly when I got the chance and it just seemed like the sort of thing that would be a great thing to do. Get on an airplane, see the world and get paid for it.

Well, that’s sort of the thought that Marsha Marks had when she became a flight attendant. That and that she needed to do something rather than mooch off a friend any longer. So, at 29, having lost her job, lost her fiance, and having been evicted from her apartment, Marsha pitches herself to the airline in third person and gets a job as an aged, brand-new flight attendant.

And that’s where the hilarity begins. Her entire life revolves around the funniest things you think could never happen on an airplane. Like, how many of you would believe that your flight attendant could forget her uniform? And that the airline wouldn’t have one lying around she could borrow? I mean those ladies are all the same size, aren’t they? Imagine if you will, a size 12 lady in a size {oops} 2 uniform. (Please don’t spill the pepper! I can’t afford to sneeze!)

Did you know that flight attendants occasionally hide in overhead bins? Mostly to surprise their frequent fliers so if you start seeing the same flight attendant on all your flights and then you don’t–careful how you open that overhead bin. Unless, of course, a former president has flown that airline lately.

And how many of you have ever been afraid of getting on the wrong plane? You check your ticket and check the gate and make absolutely sure you have the right place and are getting on the right plane. Imagine a flight attendant getting on the wrong plane. And staying on it till she reached the wrong destination and had to drive all night to get home.

Marsha Marks will take you from her homeless, single days to her marriage to a man who looks young enough to be her son through her pregnancy and introduces you to her friends who have just as hilarious lives as she does. One rips the toupee off a man on a flight. One threw up on a passenger. And I don’t think any of us want to know what that one drank.

But through it all, Marsha’s focus never changed. It was up on God all the time. On the days that she couldn’t get to work on time because she was dressed and the days she was on time but couldn’t possibly be kind to anyone including her co-workers.

For those of you who thought all those jokes on airplanes in the movies never really happened–guess again. And then see how God gave that flight attendant a sense of humor to get through the flight without throwing the passengers off. This is funny from the first page to the last and a fast enough read to finish long before the in-flight movie.

Whether you fly or not, if you need to laugh at life, Marsha Marks will tickle your funny bone.

My copy, of course, came off the discount rack. It’s paperback and a fast read except for the breaks to wipe the tears from laughing.

Swashbuckling Faith

Swashbuckling Faith: Exploring For Treasure Thru Pirates of the Caribbean

by Tim Wesemann

c. 2006

Who is one of the most popular and best known movie characters of recent renown? In this case: Captain Jack Sparrow brought to the screen by Johnny Depp. He comes complete with a certain panache that appeals to the rebel in all of us. Who wouldn’t want to come sailing into the dock on his own sunken ship? Who doesn’t want to “come into” a compass that leads to so much wealth and treasure, it no longer even looks appealing?

But who looks into that character–complete with tatoo and brand–to bring them closer to God?

Tim Wesemann, apparantly.

Scene by scene through the first movie–Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl–Wesemann uses Jack to bring us closer to God. In Treasure #2 (they aren’t chapters–they are treaures) for instance, he uses Commadore Norrington’s words “I believe thanks are in order” that he uses to catch hold of Jack’s hand in order to expose him as a branded pirate, as an introduction to being honestly thankful and how often we fall short–of thanking Jesus with sincere thanks.

In Treasure #17 “Believe in Ghost Stories–You’re in One,” we meet the Holy Ghost. Here, in six pages, he goes from a ship with a captive girl and living skeletons to “Believe in (Holy) Ghost Stories–You’re in One” to a funeral message about bowling. (Ummm?…….) Bowlers start out wishing for a perfect game just as: “We wake up and hope it’s going to be a perfect day–that we’ll be perfect that entire day.” But, like most bowlers, we miss the mark and so: “The best a bowler can do after missing the mark is to try for a spare. Fortunately for us, our heavenly Father didn’t spare His own Son in helping us make this spare.”

In Treasure #25 “Know Whose Blood You Need,” we discover whose blood we need–if we didn’t know already. From the number of times the word blood appears in the Bible (356 in the NIV) to the history of blood sacrifice to Jesus on the cross, (and in just over 5 pages) we find out why, like for the pirates, only certain blood will work.

This book isn’t necessarily written for teens but using it with teens is what came to mind as I read.

Delve deep into faith with Pirates of the Caribbean? Sure, why not let Jack Sparrow show you the way.

Penguins & Golden Calves

Penguins & Golden Calves: Icons and Idols in Antarctica and Other Unexpected Places

by Madeleine L’Engle

c. 1996, 2003

Penguins and golden calves? What could they possibly have in common? How could a penguin be an idol or an icon?

Before I answer, first let me say that Madeleine L’Engle isn’t by any stretch of the imagination a Baptist (she’s devoutly Episcopalian) and may not even have been a born-again believer so this book isn’t for the new Christian. L’Engle spends a lot of time talking about her life and friends, especially her departed husband and the homes she has shared with him. She explains how she finds comfort in the icons of her life that she feels God has placed for her to find. Some of these are pictures, some are the homes themselves. She finds a comforting icon in the penguins of Antarctica that she met in person in her 70’s.

And the Golden Calves? Well, that’s where the book is good for she tackles in simple language the fine line between idols and icons. Take the Bible for instance–she does. She begins that chapter:

The Bible: One of our greatest icons, and one of our greatest golden calves. The greater an icon is, the more dangerously easy it is for us to turn it into an idol.

Remember: an icon is never a thing of worship in itself. When the Bible becomes a thing in itself, rather than the Word of God, it becomes an idol.

Very little in her life is not reduced to being either an idol or an icon. For instance:

Jesus, of course, is the perfect icon of intimacy; God, being so willing to show us how to love that the Maker of the Galaxies became totally intimage with a particular human body, became one of us. What greater intimacy could there be?

Taken at face value and with a strong Biblical basis, this is a decent work on distinguishing the fine line between idols and icons and what they may mean to each of us.

Killing Giants, Pulling Thorns

Killing Giants, Pulling Thorns

by Charles R. Swindoll

c. 1994

Written in two parts, this work takes on the everyday life of a Christian and puts into persepective the little things that we don’t like to call sin–but they are.

Part One is the Giant Killing and deals with such things as procrastination (ouch), jealousy, loneliness and grief (and, yes, the bigger, more prominant ones too). Swindoll uses his own life to point out how they damage not just our walk with God but also our walk with our spouses, children and close friends. He doesn’t hold back when it comes pointing out the wrong in these things.

And part one is just a warm up for Part Two which is the Thorn Pulling dealing with such tiny little things such as apprehension, comparison, habits and cliches. What? Cliches are bad? Hmmmm. And what is a habit or a cliche anyway?

Think you’re doing all right in your Christian walk?? Hmmmm, this one may be the book that changes the sins you confess before communion. This may be the one that makes you take another look at the way you talk and how you pray.

Written in small sound bites and none of them very long, this book is designed to be read one topic at a time then prayed about and read again. As with other Swindoll books, it comes home to where we are the rest of the week.

Take another look at yourself, then kill some giants and pull some thorns.

Facing Your Giants

Facing Your Giants

by Max Lucado

c. 2006

This is Lucado’s latest book (so far as I know) and my ladies book study group tried desperately to read this book. We finally gave up. Well, we all read the book, but we never could get it discussed together. There wasn’t time for one thing and, unfortunately, other than it being about David, it’s pretty much the same old, same old that Lucado has been writing about in his last three or four books.

Now, I may be giving this book a bum rap since I’ve been embroiled in the life of David for a while now. ABC Bible book of the month for August was I Samuel and October is II Samuel and then my daily Bible reading took me through I & II Samuel in September so it’s possible that I’m just tired of David acting like…….well…….David.

And Lucado does point out some interesting things about David and his life. Like why DID he pick up five stones from that stream anyway?? Lucado thinks he knows. And, no, I won’t tell you where he buried that tidbit–Bev and Wanda didn’t tell me.

Like all Lucado’s books, it has a study guide in the back. There is also a Facing Your Giants Study Guide that is available at half the cost of the hardback book and it has a leader’s guide in the back of it. I bought both and read the text and all the study guides simulateously so that may be another reason I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I might have. A third reason may be that the last three or four books we have done have been in the “self-help” category.

For someone who is facing problems of giving it all to God and/or wants to know more about how David’s life is glorifying to God in spite of all his mess-ups, this is a good readable book. It can be done as a study but it probably works better if the time devoted to it isn’t interrupted by things such as summer or three special events at church in a row.

Anyone else read it and have a better review?? We could probably use one

At Home in Mitford

At Home in Mitford

by Jan Karon

c. 1994

I’m probably the last person in America to start the Mitford books. I was at an ABW Rally this past winter and the lady asked to do devotions had never done one before and had no idea what was expected of her.

God Bless her and whoever asked her to do the devotions.

(Need a hint on spicing up a worship? Ask someone who doesn’t know how to do what you’re asking and don’t let anyone tell them.)

She brought to the pulpit “At Home in Mitford,” her favorite book and by reading pages and talking about the book, introduced us to the characters (they really are) of Mitford.

Father Tim–here’s an anomaly for you. His mother was a devout Baptist, his father was a bad Episcopalian and he is an Anglican Rector. Go figure! He’s sixty for most of the book, never been married, walks everywhere (he gave his car up for Lent 8 years ago), develops diabetes, has friends in all places, dotes on his flower garden, and hasn’t had a vacation in so many years there’s probably a pool at the diocese.

Barnabas–a large dog who assaults Father Tim on the first page. He comes out of nowhere and has the most interesting traits, you wish he could talk. He loves Father Tim, he can be disciplined only with scripture, and he is a great judge of character.

Puny–Father Tim’s forced housekeeper. Her grandfather was a pulpit pounding Baptist preacher. Puny cared for him and she’s going to take care of Father Tim as well. She’s outspoken, shocks Father Tim for weeks with everything from her cooking to her decisions about his underwear. The book’s worth the read just to meet Puny.

Emma–Father Tim’s secretary. She was a Baptist then came over to Lord’s Chapel (the church Father Tim pastors) and has an interesting twist or turn in her life over the course of the book.

Olivia–a newcomer to Mitford. She’s hiding something and someone knows something about her they aren’t telling as well.

Sadie–the old maid who becomes benevolent–but not for nothing. She has a secret too!!

Miss Rose–the most eccentric woman you can imagine. You think you’ve seen them?? Meet Miss Rose.

Uncle Billy–Miss Rose’s husband. Talk about the patience of a saint!!

Absolom–a minor character with a big roll.

Dooley–a teenager who stirs up lots of lives but not in the way you might imagine.

All these and more are awaiting you in Mitford along with a potentially valuable painting, a mystery, ashes of all sorts, and romance of the lightest kind.

If you haven’t been to Mitford yet, come join me–I’m just getting started there myself. Oh, did I mention the plan of salvation is in the book and there’s a reference to God on every page?? But my library doesn’t have it in the Christian fiction section. Hmmmmmmm.

Creation

Creation: Remarkable Evidence of God’s Design

by Grant R. Jeffrey, Ph.D.

c. October 2003

If you need a book to recommend to someone who doesn’t understand a lot of science but needs to know that God created the Universe and not the Evolutionists, this is the book. Dr. Jeffrey approaches the subject on several different levels which can be read alone or in order. He looks at the stars in a chapter on Astronomy, living beings in a chapter called Anthropic Principle, DNA, and then looks at what scientists and intellectuals themselves are believing these days or as one of my highly intellectual cousins said at his grandmother’s birthday party last month, “a little science pulls you away from God, more science draws you back to God.” And Dr. Jeffrey even does that. His last chapter is entitled, “Meeting the Designer.”

Well written, printed in easy to read type, in paperback format–what more could you ask for in a book designed to break the myth that we were an accident?