Writers Group

A week ago Saturday saw the first meeting of a new writers group. The seed idea for the group came when Kate C. and myself starting talking about NaNoWriMo(National Novel Writing Month). Kate and her husband Stu are good friends being connected both via Apostles and CIU. Stu is a film maker and Kate is an all around creative person (she draws, writes and plays the harp among other things). Kate and I both felt the need to have a space to present what we have been working on not only during NaNoWriMo but also more recently. One of the secrets I feel about arts and artist is that the work may be done in private but it exposure to other voices is essential. An obvious example is the Inklings writers group. If you are in the Columbia area and want to join us feel free to email me for details.

For both Tina and I writing has been in our blood a long time. I published my first poem when I was in High School. Tina's first major at Southeastern was journalism. Her goal was to follow in the footsteps of Phillip Yancey. Ironically it has taken 10 years of marriage to discover just how much we enjoy writing and to start writing together. Well sort of. Tina's writing style you might say is a kin to a shot gun blast. It is a rush of story, detail and emotion without letting the reader take a breadth. My own style might be keyed to the word "authentic." In all the things create I want to convey a sense that the subject matter is true to life and that you can "see" in your minds eye the subject I am writing about.

So what exactly am I writing? You might want to ask what I am not writing. I am working out the details of a murder mystery novel. The plot involves a quirky detective who uncovers a lost European painting in the midst of investigating a murder. I am also writing a series of memoir/personal essays. So far I have several written with subjects generally dealing with my Cerebral Palsy. Dr. Payne from CIU has used one essay for a class. My aim with those essays is to come up with enough material for a book. But that is a long way off. Finally, I am also trying to faithful write more poetry. I have started by using the weekly collects from the prayer guide I own as a starting point. The idea is to take each phrase of the collect and follow it by a line of my own. Below is an example.

Almighty God,
Who is seen in the smallest seed,
Who continually calls your people,
In the gentle rustle of fall leaves.
Draw us by the power of the Holy Spirit
To the fruit laid bare by your grace
Into a warm and binding relationship
Blackened soil, running water, bright sunlight.
That we may faithfully follow you
Our gaze brought upward from root to royal crown.

1 Part Annoying+1 Part Wrong+1 Part Grace= Anne Lamott's Plan B

Sometimes in a book, especially a memoir you get a better feel for the person than if you meet them in real life. Anne Lamott's collection of personal essays entitled "Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith" is the first memoir in which I have more questions in my mind than I have answers. I would like to meet her if only to find out whether or not seem is a genuinely struggling believer or simply a leftist loony full of her own s**t.

1 Part Annoying

Self disclaimer: I am a political and social and economic conservative. Anne Lamott describes herself as a progressive liberal. However even on the opposite side of the political spectrum I can not understand the Bush bashing. Please understand I am not an apologist for the Bush White House. Iraq is at best a morally questionable war. I do not regret Sadam's overthrow but I wonder why enter into a conflict when the bigger threat to peace is the next door in Iran. And quite frankly Homeland Security's mission sounds to similar for comfort to the KGB and Gestapo. Evil starts often enough with good intentions.

Through her writing you get a clear sense that Anne equates Bush with Hitler and the end of civilization as we know it. So many pundits, writers actors etc. act as if they where all chicken little's running around screaming "the sky is falling!" Quite frankly it is annoying. It detracts from what is otherwise a pleasant enjoyable read when I come across lines like "So much had been stolen from us by Bush, from the very beginning of his reign." Or "She was trying to imagine the end of life as we now it, under a paranoid right-wing government." And Even ". . .believing in George Bush was so ludicrous that believing in God almost seems rational."

1 Part Wrong

And thus it leads me into where I think Lamott gets it wrong--her theology. Eugene Petersons writes that there are four terms which "provide a common vocabulary for exploring the nature and dynamics of the Christian life." Those terms are Spirituality,Soul, fear-of-the-Lord and finally Jesus. As Peterson writes "As such the name counters the abstraction that plague 'spirituality.' Jesus is the central and defining figure in the spiritual life. In Lamott's narrative Jesus is strangely missing. Oh, the word is tossed around but rather than God in flesh the Jesus pictured in revelation her narrative tosses Jesus around like a moral rag doll. "We should try to stay on God's good side. It's not hard. God has extremely low standards. Pray, take care of people, be actively grateful for your blessings, give away your money-- your cool. You're in."


1 Part Grace

Lamott from a theologians point of view isn't a very good one. And one might argue she is closer to heretic as opposed to orthodoxy. But that’s just what makes her writing all the more beautiful and genuine. I want to read her because I admire her willingness to be broken. She knows she doesn't have it all together but grace comes rushing through her story as grace should burst forth. As a theologian I fully believe that there is a place and time to correct rebuke and train. But what I am understanding as I get older is learning and living by grace will by necessity trump those things. Living with the i's dotted and the t's crossed is so much more easier then living with who you are in the hear and now. Much more of us is required when we live by grace then when we live by doctrine, putting it another way-- Living by grace is living a surrendered life. Anne Lamott in her own neurotic way is attempting to do that and for that I am in her corner routing for her.

2011 Reading List

WARNING: BOOKS BRING OUT MY INNER NERD.


FACT: My 2011 reading list was complete by October of 2010. With only a few late editions (due to Christmas presents) making the total for this year's list 34 books. Most of the books making it onto the list were there long before October 2010. And this is how my reading lists evolve every year, most of the books have been there long prior to the new year. And to tell the truth I have 21 books for my 2012 list and begun my 2013 list.

2010 began with me wondering if I was going to read all 29 books from my list . By November each of the books were read (with 2 notable exceptions) and I was starting to read books on the 2011 list. This year there are 34 books on the list divided into 6 different categories with only one odd ball that does not fit into any of the self created categories. As of November I have read six books on the list and are currently working through number seven (Plan B by Anne Lamott expect a blog posting shortly on this collection of essays soon.) Does it sound like I am bragging if I say I have already 20% of the books on my list? There is a part of me that indeed feels guilty but than there is a part of me that I need to add more books to my list.

I have a strategy when it come to reading for the year a head and selecting books for the reading list. Generally speaking I try to focus my reading list on the big three fiction, history and theology (It is my own equivalent of Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill. And please no jokes about which one of these is Stalin). I also make it a point to keep me reading in other "necessary" categories. These are topics that I may not read if I did not recognize their importance to me developing into a well rounded scholar and human being. The arts, leadership and biblical commentaries (this category comes directly from Eugene Peterson's suggestion in Eat This Book) are the little three.

In fiction I attempt to mix and match as much as possible. I attempt to read at least one contemporary work of fiction (Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian and World Without End by Ken Follett fit the bill). I make it a point to read both current masterpieces (Silence Endo ) and classics in both poetry and fiction (Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky and Paradise Lost by Milton). By the way if anyone has a bucket list of must read literary master pieces I would love to have it. I remember in High School have a similar list but it has long since been lost. Finally in the fiction category I always attempt to read something by my favorite group of authors--the inklings. This year it is represented by George MacDonald and a Dorothy Sayer's murder mystery. Just a side note, before reading Anne Lamott I read the Sayer's book, The Nine Tailors. It is a fun, easy read and it makes me want to pick up more of her novels in the future.

The History section is less random and mix matched. I attempt to read in my areas of interest--Medieval History and World War Two history. However I am attempting to get my feet into other periods. I have read in the last two years books on Ancient Rome, Teddy Roosevelt and Bach. I am interested in what one might call filling in the gaps of my historical knowledge. I am afraid that the only book that fits in this "gaps" category this year is John Keegan's The First World War. His book entitled The Second World War (I know couldn't see that one coming could you?) was a textbook while I was taking a class in the period at USF. I would like next year to explore life in England under Cromwell and also during the reign of Queen Victoria. If you have any suggestions feel free to email me and let me know.

The theology section is the one most determined by need and professional development. Many of the books are revolve around questions of culture (Art and Scholasticism and other Essays Jacques Maritain, Inclusive Yet Discerning: Navigating Worship Artfully by Frank Burch Brown and Refractions by Makoto Fujimura) Trinity (Space Time and the Incarnation by T.F. Torrance) and what might be generally collected under the title "humanity" (Exclusion and Embrace by Miroslav Volf, The Contemplative Pastor by Eugene Peterson and What are people for? Wendell Berry). For me I want to balance the need to keep current in my theological reading while also making sure I have read as many of the seminal theological works as possible before entering into any further theological studies. One of my goals in this area is to eventually read both C.F.H Henry's God, Revelation and Authority (5 vols.) and to read Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics (14vols.). But unlike Leslie Newbign who read Barth's work all in one sitting while traveling home from India I will likely have to read these works one volume at a time.

The complete list is below. And again I invite suggestions recommendations and helpful lists that would help me read more widely and read more deeply.



I. History
1. The Pacific Hugh Ambrose
2. The First World War John Keegan
3. Liberal Fascism Jonah Goldberg
4. On America, DeTolkiville
5. God's Battalion Rodney Stark
6. D-Day Beevor
7. Why the Allies Won Richard Overy
II. Fiction
1. Silence Endo
2. Crime and Punishment Dostoyevsky
3. The Nine Tailors Dorothy Sayers
4. The Complete Fairy Tales George MacDonald
5. Master and Commander Patrick O'Brian
6. World Without End Ken Follett
7. The Fellowship of The Ring J.R.R. Tolkien
8. Paradise Lost Milton

III. Theology
1. Plan B Anne Lamontt
2. Exclusion and Embrace Miroslav Volf
3. The Contemplative Pastor Eugene Peterson
4. What are people for? Wendell Berry
5. Art and Scholasticism and other Essays Jacques Maritain
6. Refractions Makoto Fujimura
7. The Challenge of Christ N.T. Wright
8. Space Time and the Incarnation T.F. Torrance
9. Inclusive Yet Discerning: Navigating Worship Artfully Frank Burch Brown

IV. Biblical Commentaries
1. The Epistle to the Colossians and to Philemon Dunn
2. Habakkuk F.F. Bruce in The Minor Prophets
3. Obadiah Jeffrey Niehaus in The Minor Prophets

V. Leadership/ Pastoral Ministry
1. Managing the Nonprofit Organization Peter Drucker
2. The Future of Management Gary Hamel
3. The Mentoring Leader Tony Dungy

VI. Art
1. Dante: A Life R. W. B. Lewis
2. Writing Down the Bone Natalie Goldberg
3. Mystery and Manners Flannery O'Connor

VII. Other
1. The Intelligent Investor Graham