There is No Plan B

I have just finished reading "Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream" by David Platt (the link will take you to an excerpt of the 1st chapter). I'm not quite sure how to start--for me, this book creates a feeling in me similar to The Hole in our Gospel by Richard Stearns and Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala. I don't know how you can read any of these books, and not have some sort of fire lit within you.

Platt has written a no holds barred book about what Jesus has called us to do--as he says in chapter seven

We are the plan of God, and there is no Plan B

Really think about that a minute. We are the plan of God, there is no Plan B. Are we really living as though what we say and do is critical to God's plan for the world? The premise of the book is that churches, both the buildings themselves and us, the people who make the church, have succumbed to the American Dream that stuff equals happiness, that large and full churches equals fulfilling the gospel plan, that marketing equals sharing the gospel. We have watered down God to church attendance and Bible Study attendance. We have limited God's purpose for the world by our complacency, and Platt wants to open our eyes wide to what it really means to be a follower of Jesus. What does it mean? Look to chapter 4:

Meanwhile, Jesus commands us to go. He has created each of us to take the gospel to the ends of the earth, and I propose that anything less than radical devotion to this purpose is unbiblical Christianity

Wow, those are strong words, but, I have to agree that is what Jesus tells us to do, "Go and make disciples of the nations". I have to ask myself, am I doing that, in even a small way? And, the message seems so large, and well, radical. Yet, that is what God asks us to do, isn't it? To live for Him in a radical way. He did tell us we would be strangers in this world - am I living as though I am a stranger in this world? Am I living as though Heaven is my real world, and not earth? Am I, even in small ways at work and home, fulfilling God's mission for this world? I like that Platt doesn't just leave us hanging, he gives us some practical ways to begin. I also like that he doesn't leave any excuses for not making a beginning, and that he awakens a desire in you to be the man or woman God created us to be.

Platt leaves us with a one year challenge, a challenge to become more of who God created us to be:

1. Pray for the entire world;
2. Read through the entire Word;
3. sacrifice your money for a specific purpose;
4. spend your time in another context (impact communities, nations, world for the glory of Christ);
5. commit your life to a multiplying community (join a community of faith, take up your cross and follow Him)

I once heard a story about a nun who had a vision of Jesus. If I remember correctly she saw Jesus in a church, His hands were tied behind His back, and He was weeping. I don't want to be a person who leaves Jesus ineffective in my world. I want my words and actions to honor Him. I want your words and actions to honor Him. I want to encourage you, and I want you to encourage me. This is what Radical will propel you towards. So friends (you know who you are), if you end up reading this, please call me so we can have book club and talk about how we can allow the Holy Spirit to radically change us to fulfill God's plan.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

A Romance on Three Legs: Glenn Gould's Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano by Katie Hafner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I first learned about this book from the Barnes and Noble week in review. As a child who grew up with a piano playing mother and a baby grand piano in her home, I was intrigued. As noted in the title, the book is based on piano player Glenn Gould and his search for the perfect piano.

I enjoyed this book so much. I didn't know the history of the piano and the people who tuned and played them was so interesting.

• The Steinway piano began with a cabinet maker who built a piano in his home in Seesen Germany, built a successful piano company there, and then emigrated to the US. Eventually this cabinetmaker and his family created Steinway and Sons. They not only built quality pianos, but they marketed them in such a way that a girl was not considered accomplished unless she could play the piano.
• Blind people (primarily men and boys) were trained to tune pianos--you wanted a blind person to tune your piano as they were more attuned to the "voice" of the instrument. We follow the story of Verne Edquist from Saskatchawan, from a dirt poor family, whose mother could not support him. He had less than 10% of his vision, and local community members pooled their money so that he could be sent to a school for a blind, which eventually led to his becoming an accomplished piano tuner. He heard colors in sounds, and I loved how that came out in his story and in his experience in tuning pianos.
• Then we have Glenn Gould. When Glenn was three, his parents discovered that he had perfect pitch. He could read music before he could read words. When five, he played the piano in public for the first time. At age 14 he played for the first time with the Toronto Symphony. Due to his upbringing, and some obsessive compulsive type behaviors, he was a rather odd performer, but that did not detract from his fame or his ability.
• CD 318 is the piano that most met his needs, and that he did most of his recordings on. He really loved this piano as thought it was his friend.

This book weaves all the above points into a highly readable account. One thing that I think is amazing is how you have these 2 characters that are a bit odd, Verne Edquist and Glenn Gould, and how they come together in a partnership that lets CD 318 "sing". I also find it interesting that so many artists, musical or otherwise, have these odd tics that are a part of them. Is their oddity what gives their art such beauty? Think of the artists you known that struggle with alcohol, drugs, phobias and yet have left the world with lasting treasures.

Part of the Christian message is that brokenness leads to wholeness, and I always wonder about this part in the artist's journey. Here also, we have distinctly different lives, and yet,they hold hands for the unique time and space that allows this artist to shine. It is difficult for me to keep God out of that, although He does not seem to be given credit for the gifts He bestowed.

I have been intrigued to learn more about Glenn Gould, downloading his recordings from itunes, and checking out some videos on youtube. I encourage you to do the same.

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The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book hooked me in right from the beginning. "What would you think of a postmistress who chose not to deliver the mail?" Frankie Bard asks, and captures the attention of everyone at her dinner table. When they find out it's true, and that it happened 1941 during the war, they are shocked. It is from this beginning that the story unfolds.

It is a story of war and of love told from the eyes of several people, mainly Frankie Bard, reporter and Iris James, Postmaster of Franklin, Massachusetts. You are taken from the bomb shelters of Britain, to the trains of Europe that hold the Jews who are trying to escape and back to Franklin, Massachusetts where the townspeople hear Frankie's stories of war on the radio. They listen, but with that suspension of disbelief that comes from being on the edge of a story and not living the story itself. We live on the outside of so many stories don't we? We don't pay attention to the details and clues that might come our way and help us to help someone else escape from the story that they are in. I think that happens because we are afraid--if we get too far into another person's story, we might be changed. Perhaps we, like Dr. Fitch in the story, might say

We are all of us here in the mess. There's no way around it. And all I am in the face of it is a single voice and a pair of hands. Not anyone's son anymore. Not anyone's husband. Anonymous but necessary. Vital. A Lucky Strike.

The people and stories in "The Postmistress" were real to me. I wanted to know what was going to happen to them. In fact, I cheated, as I often do, and read the ending before I finished the book because I just had to know.

Once you've finished reading you might want to check out the author interview. I would definitely wait until you were finished with the book though, or the story may be ruined for you.

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Cleopatra: Vixon or Brilliant?

Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I finished reading this book, I thought, oh, it was okay. But then I started telling a friend about it, and decided I like it much more than I thought. It is fascinating to me that there are really no images of Cleopatra, only her coin portraits are accepted as authentic. So here we have a woman, who

ruled Egypt for twenty-two years. She lost a kingdom once, regained it,nearly lost it again, amassed an empire, lost it all. A goddess as a child, a queen at eighteen . . . at the height of her power she controlled virtually the entire eastern Mediterranean coast, the last great kingdom of any Egyptian ruler

In a way, this book is a myth buster. Consider what you know about Cleopatra. This is what I knew - she was a queen, she was beautiful, she killed herself by allowing herself to be bitten by a snake. Guess what, all of this was wrong in some degree.

• She was a more than a queen, she styled herself as a goddess, and was considered a deity.
• From correspondence of her time we know that she was not a stunning beauty, but a great conversationalist and highly intelligent - go figure, a woman who is loved for her mind!
• The cause of her death still leaves room for speculation, but it is thought to have been from poison, not from a snake bite.
• Cleopatra spoke 9 languages - 9! One of them Egyptian, which shouldn't have been a surprise other than the fact that her family was not really Egyptian at all, but rather Macedonian Greek.

I learned a lot about Cleopatra, Egypt, Rome, and the history of those empires in this book. As is often the case with successful, brilliant women, her accomplishments were attributed to the men she associated herself with. This book sets the record straight.

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Becoming Odyssa: Epic Adventures on the Appalachian Trail by Jennifer Pharr Davis

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thank you Goodreads for your monthly contests, and for this book. I was interested "Becoming Odyssa" because my husband and I have hiked parts of the Appalachian Trail, most often in Tennessee. It was fun to have firsthand knowledge of some of the areas the author hiked, most notably Unicoi Gap and Clingman's Dome. I enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first half. I felt like the author became more real, or more vulnerable in her writing as the book progressed.

I always like books about strong women, and this book is no exception. For a 21 year old to hike the trail alone takes courage and endurance. "Odyssa" proved she had both. She persevered through some really hard days, made good friends, learned a lot about her faith and herself. Having hiked some mountain trails, over paths made of tree roots, boulders and stones myself, I felt I could understand her challenges to a certain degree. I am so impressed that she hiked for over 2,000 miles, in rain, snow, bugs and never gave up. She pushed her body to the limits and became strong both mentally and physically. I loved how she became more in tune with nature, saying

The trail allowed me to feel a strong sense of freedom. And it helped me to see the oppression of a busy schedule and the way we multitask in civilization. I no longer saw what was civil about filling my life with commitments if I couldn't stop to watch the sunset or listen to the birds sing." She goes on to reflect, "the problem in college, and in life, was that there were a lot of people who knew what I was, but they didn't know who I was.

Although the illustrations in the book were lovely, I wish there had been actual photos, I was curious to know what the author looked like. I did peek at her photo on the back cover about halfway through the book. She looked so joyful--I felt like that joy came out as she moved forward on her journey.

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The Sound of Many Waters

We were at a wedding this past weekend in a very unique venue. The bride and groom were married at Meijer Gardens in what I believe is one of the butterfly rooms. The temperature was tropical, the plants were lush, small birds occasionally flitted by, and there was a small waterfall that gurgled during the ceremony. It was difficult to hear the preacher, you had to listen really hard to hear her voice over the water. She spoke about the hard work of marriage, being each others strength, and the fact that as Jesus was at the wedding where he performed the first miracle, turning the water into wine, and turning disaster into joy, so He is here with us at this wedding. I was reminded about how much of marriage is about forgiveness and grace, and what a challenge it is to actually live what Jesus calls us to live. Sometimes, every day is a starting over. I'm always so grateful that God remembers that we are dust, and that we who are believers have passed from judgment into life.

As we left the wedding the thing that most stuck in my head was how difficult it had been to hear the message due to the waterfall. It wasn't a large waterfall at all, probably 3 to 4 feet high. In fact it was more like water falling over rocks in multiple trickles than an actual waterfall. It made me think of Revelation 1:15, where God's voice is described as the sound of many running waters. I always pictured God's voice as being a Niagara Falls type voice, but now, I'm not so sure. I had to listen really hard to hear the preacher at all. The falling water, although beautiful, became annoying and distracting to me. Perhaps "the sound of many waters" just means that when God speaks all other sounds will disappear. His voice will be so compelling that we will desire to hear Him and nothing else. Then the noise that we currently live in, and flow toward, will take it's rightful place as an annoyance and distraction from God. We will physically walk in the garden with God as our friend and companion, He will call us "Beloved" and we will be at peace.

Fall in the Smoky Mountains

In October we went back to one of my favorite places in the world - the Smoky Mountains. We always stay near the park, and enjoy visiting our favorite haunts - Cade's Cover, Roaring Forks Motor Trail, and an annual trek down main street of Gatlinburg. This year, we rented from Highland Condos, which is nestled in the mountains just above Gatlinburg. Our little deck area looked over the mountains and down on the city of Gatlinburg.

We had a sweet little lawn area to our right as we looked over the mountains. It was such fun for us to be witness to two weddings that took place there. The first wedding happened on Friday afternoon. It was so simple and sweet - the bride work black dress pants and a sheer striped blouse with a camisole underneath and a short veil. She carried a simple posy bouquet. Her two children were allowed to be children, by which I mean they were doing some chatting and wandering during the ceremony. I loved how the pastor spoke to them about how they were to obey and honor their parents, not just now, but all of their lives, and had them speak the promise. He explained to them that their parents were still children as well and that God still expected them to honor their parents too. I heard him say to the bride and groom that if they ever had any problems, no matter what the time of day or night, that they should call him and he would help. The second wedding was on Saturday, and the bride and groom wore the traditional wedding gown and tuxedo.

On Saturday as well, we planned to take a hike to the jump-off (a trail off the Appalachian Trail). We headed out for what we thought would be a leisurely day. However, partway up the mountain, smoke began puffing out of the front of the car as though it were a dragon gasping for air. This was not good. We finally pulled off by one of the many areas that they make for visitors to the mountains. Ron was not happy and took a walk down the mountain. I sat in the car and prayed. All kinds of things were going through my head - like, how do we get a tow truck to get us down the mountain! God sent a traveler though, a nice little man, somewhat portly, who was wearing black dress pants and a long sleeve black/white checked shirt. His wife was in their vehicle wearing a navy polyester pant suit. In his little ole southern twang he asked if we needed assistance - I called my husband back out of the mountain, while saying to this gentleman, please don't get yourself dirty, it looks like you are going somewhere special! But no, he said, we're just out foolin around. When he left he added this pithy remark - I never travel without a gallon of water and vise grips. So, with the help of this traveler, we added water to the reservoir, and headed back down the mountain. We were lucky to make it! As we were waiting for help at the service station, Ron started adding water - it was coming out as fast as it was coming in! As a result we had to be towed to Sevierville. This could have been a rotten day, but some of the events made it pleasurable for me. The first event, obviously was my portly gentleman. The second thing was the language of the tow truck driver - no, it wasn't bad language, but it was old fashioned language. My husband and I had been talking about sighting animals in the Cade's Cove area and he remarked that the best time was "in the light of the evening". Isn't that pretty. I just loved that. My husband said to me, "no-one talks like that anymore", and then, in a rare moment of understanding, he looked at me and said "that's why you like it, isn't it!" Yes indeed!

The next fun thing was at our service station in Sevierville. I was talking to the manager, Josh, and a delivery man came in with just a small package to deliver. I stopped talking and just looked at him--I watched him put down the package, and turn around to leave. I turned around to watch him leave. I turned back to Josh and whispered in astonishment "he looks just like Elvis!" Josh just started giggling while telling me that he is an Elvis impersonator on the side! Really! This is true! I started giggling as well and so regret that I did not react fast enough to take his picture with my phone and post it on facebook! Unfortunately Elvis is a little shorter, a little fatter and a little older! The service station people were so helpful, and called all around trying to find us a car to rent with no luck. We finally ended up walking to the Enterprise rental place, 2 miles down the road, and were fortunately able to rent a truck. Ron loved his truck, and it was fun to tour the mountains with it.
Our budget vacation didn't end up too budget what with a $120 towing charge, $470 vehicle repair and $150 truck rental, but we were not hurt, the colors were beautiful, and we were not at work, so, all in all I feel like God took care of us very well!