Since I am a firm believer that life does not always have to be exciting, let me tell you about a not-so-exciting story.
Really, don't read this is if you are looking for excitement.
I was trying to clean the built-up lint out of the lint section of my dryer with a toothbrush. The toothbrush slipped, and fell out of my hand into the lint section. Although my fingers are slim and long, they were neither slim enough nor long enough to actually reach it. So, I had to tell Brandon. I then left him to do his thing because I didn't want to hang over him while he tried to reach the toothbrush in the lint section. After trying several mechanisms, he finally got the toothbrush out (he's a handy guy, what can I say?!). And, now I am blogging about Brandon getting the toothbrush out of the lint section of the dryer--not because it was some exciting moment or because I'm bored (I'm not, really!) but because I also want to spend more time enjoying the simple parts of life.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Saturday, January 19, 2008
As promised....some thoughts on "Lost Mountain"
“’God was wrong; support mountaintop removal.’” So says Mickey McCoy, one of the many non-fictional characters in Eric Reece’s compelling book, Lost Mountain. Reece tracks the destruction of one mountain over the course of a year while simultaneously exploring the complex issues surrounding any thoughtful discussion on mountaintop removal. His book recounts the stories of countless people living in the Appalachia region of eastern Kentucky who have worked in coal mines or have participated in strip mining as well as those whose homes have been destroyed, lands devastated, or lives lost as one of the “necessary sacrifices” of strip-mining. Reece is a professor, a journalist, and an advocate for stewardship of the planet we live on. He is a self-professed pantheist—someone who sees all things as containing an element of divinity—and a firm proponent of evolution. Unfortunately, far too many people see ecological or environmental stewardship as only applicable to those who fall within those categories. However, upon reading the accounts of Lost Mountain, I was immediately struck with a sense of urgency to decipher how I, an evangelical Christian seeking to live my life under Christ’s kingship, should respond to this destructive reality. I have come to realize that if we are to grapple with the issues of ecological stewardship, we cannot afford to continue to allow those who do not know the Creator to define stewardship of his creation.
Several works have helped me as I began the process of thinking critically and Christianly through my response to mountaintop removal, our nation’s dependence on coal-based energy, and our culture’s willingness to sacrifice people and land for cheap resources.
In his book, A Journey Worth Taking, Knoxville, TN pastor Charles Drew writes a chapter on shalom—the all-encompassing peace Christ brought about through his death and resurrection. At its core, this peace makes people right with God, but intertwined with that is also the renewal of creation. Drew reminds his readers that God’s overarching plan is “not simply about my renewal. It is about the renewal of everything.” He says that as we begin to see the fruit of Jesus’ reign in the world around us, we will realize that “we have been let in on a cosmic secret: ‘For God was pleased…through [Christ] to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.’[i]”[ii]
Douglas Moo, in a commentary on Romans 8:18-22, argues that it is God’s intention “to liberate, or redeem, the created world along with his own children.” The earth is currently subjected to frustration and futility, but that does not release humans to redefine the divine command of Genesis 1:28 to “subdue the earth” as a license to do anything we want to it. Moo urges believers to not allow “catering to our pleasure and maintaining our often luxurious standard of living [to] become more important than tending the world God has made and ensuring that its wonderful resources will be available for generations yet to come.” He suggests that Christians do this by becoming “informed, from the best and most neutral sources we can find, about what the problems really are, and to be willing to make sacrifices to maintain the world he has entrusted to us.”[iii]
Erik Reece offered some realistic solutions to the devastation taking place in Appalachia. Let us humbly and discerningly learn from people like Reece who have offered insight and answers to a critical concern. Let us also introduce people to the hope of Christ’s complete and eternal redemption for us and for creation. As we eagerly await, with creation, the day when we will finally be ushered into his glorious presence, let us finally remember that “God was right!” and has given us an incredible gift in creation.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
The Year of Books
2007 may well have been a record-setting year for me. This was the year of books for me. I read at least as many books as I did in college throughout the year with the big difference being that I was not being graded on my understanding of the books. Some of the highlights were:
God is the Gospel by John Piper. The title may seem simple, but this was a look into some of the complexities of the Good News that God has called us, over an above anything, to himself. From this book I learned how to think of that more concretely, how that applies to my life, to those around me, and even to the world beyond the human population.
The Inheritance of Loss and Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard by Kiran Desai are both novels. These two stories may share common author, but their differences are many. The former looks into the effects of Colonialism on the lives of villagers living in northern India (and one man trying to make it in New York). The latter follows a young man who wants to escape the mundane life and in doing so creates quite a raucous around him.
The Saffron Kitchen by Yasmin Crowther offers a look into the haunted past of an Iranian women some 30 years after she settles in England. I rarely cry while reading a book, but this one moved me to tears on several occasions. It may top my list for the year.
Salvation Belongs to the Lord by John Frame is a deeply reflective overview of systematic theology that opened my eyes to see a little more clearly many mysteries I have encountered in my Christian life. Frame does a great job of making the doctrines of scripture accessible in a way that made me desire to learn more.
Lost Mountain by Erik Reece is the book that I was reading as 2007 ended and 2008 began. Reece wrote this book as a story of the year-long descruction of Lost Mountain and the effects of strip mining and mountain top removal in eastern Kentucky. I will spend more time on this incredible piece of journalism in a later blog.
The God of Promise and the Life of Faith by Scott Hafemann will draw you closer to God as you realize the sweeping theme of promises made and promises kept throughout Scripture. Over and over again I saw how incredibly trustworthy and merciful our God is as I read through this highly practical look at biblical theology.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is incredibly well-written account of village life, imperialism, human nature and human bonds.
There are other books that I have read, some in full and many in part, but for me these were the highlights. I am so thankful for people who use their God-given talents of writing so the rest of us can learn--whether that be about God and Scripture or culture and the environment. I hope that as I go into this next year I will continue to grow through these gifts and the many more to come.
God is the Gospel by John Piper. The title may seem simple, but this was a look into some of the complexities of the Good News that God has called us, over an above anything, to himself. From this book I learned how to think of that more concretely, how that applies to my life, to those around me, and even to the world beyond the human population.
The Inheritance of Loss and Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard by Kiran Desai are both novels. These two stories may share common author, but their differences are many. The former looks into the effects of Colonialism on the lives of villagers living in northern India (and one man trying to make it in New York). The latter follows a young man who wants to escape the mundane life and in doing so creates quite a raucous around him.
The Saffron Kitchen by Yasmin Crowther offers a look into the haunted past of an Iranian women some 30 years after she settles in England. I rarely cry while reading a book, but this one moved me to tears on several occasions. It may top my list for the year.
Salvation Belongs to the Lord by John Frame is a deeply reflective overview of systematic theology that opened my eyes to see a little more clearly many mysteries I have encountered in my Christian life. Frame does a great job of making the doctrines of scripture accessible in a way that made me desire to learn more.
Lost Mountain by Erik Reece is the book that I was reading as 2007 ended and 2008 began. Reece wrote this book as a story of the year-long descruction of Lost Mountain and the effects of strip mining and mountain top removal in eastern Kentucky. I will spend more time on this incredible piece of journalism in a later blog.
The God of Promise and the Life of Faith by Scott Hafemann will draw you closer to God as you realize the sweeping theme of promises made and promises kept throughout Scripture. Over and over again I saw how incredibly trustworthy and merciful our God is as I read through this highly practical look at biblical theology.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is incredibly well-written account of village life, imperialism, human nature and human bonds.
There are other books that I have read, some in full and many in part, but for me these were the highlights. I am so thankful for people who use their God-given talents of writing so the rest of us can learn--whether that be about God and Scripture or culture and the environment. I hope that as I go into this next year I will continue to grow through these gifts and the many more to come.
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