Guerrilla Lovers {Book Review}

It's been a little while since I did a book review here, but rest assured I haven't lost my love for books. Reading (especially pages, not screens) is still one of my favorite ways to spend my time. Today I'm reviewing a book I recently re-read, and I'm excited to share it with you, because you know if I read something twice, it's gotta be good!

The first time I read it was with a mission team before we traveled to Haiti, and I recently saw it on my shelf as I was packing and once again wanted the challenge and encouragement I found the first time. The book is called Guerrilla Lovers by Vince Antonucci .

The author's comic and witty style was one of my favorite aspects of this read, and I enjoyed his satire even better the second time around, which is really saying something.  I found myself laughing out loud in public places while reading it, and then glancing up sheepishly to see if anyone had heard me. The premise of this nonfiction from a hip pastor/church planter is that followers of Christ can be part of a revolutionary movement to share our faith that is similar to guerrilla warfare in that we ambush people with love. He argues effectively with examples and personal testimonies these new and refreshing methods to infiltrate our world with love and use God's grace for generosity and hope among the hopeless in our communities. With thought-provoking personal and discussion questions at the end of each chapter, as well as online testimonies and interaction opportunities throughout, this is one book that could actually start the revolution we need.

If you know me at all, you already know this is my kind of thing, so it probably won't surprise you that I liked this book and highly recommend it. What may surprise you is that I find it difficult to apply his concepts. Swimming against the current is never easy, though.

To write about befriending intimidating people, giving away large sums of money for individuals in need, hosting a church service in your back yard for your unsaved friends, or wearing a cape every day to remind you to be someone's hero - well that's easy if you ask me. But to DO those things? That's massively complicated and downright hard. I admire Antonucci's courage to write about his efforts for a guerrilla revolution among the Church, but even more, I respect that he's there too - on the front lines and in the rear guard and infiltrating the enemy's tactics of evil with God's love. I'm pretty convinced that's what Jesus was talking about when He said, "Follow Me. I'll make you people-fishers."

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book, and I hope you'll read it too. If you have read it or do in the future, I'd love for you to comment and let me know how it impacted you, too.

"What if we actually obeyed God? What if we took him seriously? What if we viewed our excess as God-given resources to meet people's needs and fund Jesus's revolution? What if we shared in a way that drew others into the revolution?"

"... perhaps the first thing we need to do is restore people's humanity."

"God's dream is of a people whose lives have been revolutionized by love. Jesus died that we might go out on mission to share his love with everyone. But instead we've become Christian consumers who keep our distance from the rest of the world by bunkering down in our churches, which are more like country clubs without pools, and that's tragic."

"What if re redefined 'greatness' and believed it comes through serving? And what if we viewed church not as something that brings in people from the community for services but as people who go out into the community to serve?"

Happy reading, and happy guerrilla loving!

Book Review {Paid For: My Journey ...}

A few housekeeping issues:
1. Please forgive the sporadic posts and long intervals between - a season of transition for my family makes for inconsistent writing opportunities. Thank you for grace, Dear Reader.

2. This post and others about human trafficking/ sexual exploitation and abuse are not necessarily appropriate for children or youth. Though I believe in teaching the next generation about modern slavery issues, I don't particularly use that filter on all of my posts. I'll be writing more young-audience friendly posts in the near future. If you're under 18, please let a parent read this and give you the age-appropriate cliffnotes version. Thank you for understanding, Young Readers and Parents.

3. My heart is filled with hope as of late - Hope for eternity and good things to come here on earth, too. I pray that your heart will be filled with the same. In His presence is fullness of joy (see Ps. 16:11) May this be said of you, me, and everyone who claims Christ as Lord: 

"And they have defeated him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb
    and by their testimony.
And they did not love their lives so much
    that they were afraid to die." -Revelation 12:11 (NLT) [emphasis mine]

So without further ado, 

Today I'm reviewing the book Paid For: My Journey Through Prostitution by Rachel Moran, an Irish woman who tells her story in a candid yet gripping memoir that will make a generation question the way we interpret femininity, sex, prostitution, and human trafficking. 

Originally I heard about the book via an audio interview with the author, and knew it was a must-read for me because of my heart for the trafficked. You can catch that interview here. In addition, you can view an interview with the author regarding her views, the book, and her goals here. Perhaps you'd like to come back to these links after you've read my brief (as possible) review below. In any case, I'm hoping that one of these three prompts will cause you to get and read this book because it is absolutely necessary knowledge for anyone who cares about fighting human trafficking, or anyone who cares about humanity for that matter. Okay, yes - that did sound melodramatic (I realize), but I honestly believe the knowledge offered here to the world is simply crucial.

That being said, I'll start with a couple of disclaimers. 1. This book includes a plethora of expletives, all of which will offend my normal readership. I was offended by what I read. But I'll admit, it adds to the truth of the work. Sometimes offense is necessary for those who desire change. Moran is nothing if not honest, and her verbiage must include the vulgar - for she takes us into the darkest of holes in order to shine the light on evil. 2. All of the pages in Paid For may not be helpful in the long-run if you are sensitive and want to keep your thoughts sexually pure. In essence, I would recommend this for women to read and subsequently explain the premise to your guy so you can leave the details out of his mind. Men need to get this, don't get me wrong, and nothing will change until they do. But we can help them to know it without having to know it, and I think you know what I mean. 

Moran begins with her personal and tragic story of how she ended up becoming a prostitute, which was not, as it never is, a matter of choice. The element of choosing to sell oneself or allow another person to sell oneself is one of many myths of prostitution she dispels in the exploration of her own experience and that of others she knew. She writes in detail of brutality, fear, hopelessness, drug abuse, suicide attempts, family dysfunction, and self-identity in a way I found compelling and painful. I was astonished at her mastery over clear and profound exposition - this hero of survival who spent her years being exploited while others were learning. She put herself through college for journalism after she exited prostitution, a feat few have been able to do. Her forceful truth may leave you reeling, and it may anger some who rely on lies to keep doing what they do. 

In addition to the honest memoir, this book is critical for its exegesis of current and proposed legislation on the matter of "sex for sale." A clear proponent of the Nordic Model, Moran explains in depth the Why's and How's of criminalizing the purchase of sex around the world. Her unique perspective from the prostituted is painfully precious to all of us who look for answers to eradicate this ugly smudge on the face of every human alive today. 

"Until the world wakes up to the simple wrongfulness of what prostitution truly is, we're not going to get social change." - Rachel Moran (in the video interview cited above)

And a few quotes from the book that shook me:

"The summation of my experience of prostitution was simply this: I lost myself." 

"If it were not entirely held buoyant by the sexual demands of men, brothels would have no viability and no purpose and no reason to open their doors - or to have any doors to begin with." 

"As a species, the urge to violate is strong within us. It is up to us to be stronger than it is."

"Sexual self-governance is only possible for anyone where they are not influenced to make decisions regarding their sexuality based on circumstances beyond their control."

Happy reading, Dear One! Next time I'll be reviewing something a little lighter, I promise!

Book Review Monday {Follow Me}

It's been a while since I've posted a book review, but rest assured that's not because I haven't been reading. I may have to rethink this Monday thing in the new year. But hey - we're here and I finished a book and, why not?

This review is on Follow Me by David Platt

I would not recommend this book to everyone. If you are easily offended, happy and complacent in your apathy toward others, or if you believe Jesus and His Church exist to make your life comfy, this book is only going to make you mad, and you might want to read something else first. Maybe the Gospels, or Acts. Read those and then try David Platt. Because I guarantee, no matter where you are in your faith walk, Follow Me will step on your toes. And it will make you re-think how you follow Jesus, and if you really do at all. I know it did that for me.

Platt's intellectual, Scripture-based writing demonstrates both his experiential mastery and the five degrees he's earned, but it's not too cerebral (for my tastes, anyway). While you might think his education would make him come across as arrogant, he remains humble throughout, admitting that he too has had to ask himself the difficult questions posed in the first half of book. Questions like:

• Do I really know and follow Christ?
• What does it take to be eternally saved?
• What does the Bible really say about sin and sinners?
• What evidences are displayed in our lives when we truly follow Jesus?
• Can we make Jesus our personal Lord, or is His Lordship sovereign regardless of what we decide?
• Is there really a hell?
• Where is satisfaction found to our cravings and desires?
• How can we find God's will for our lives?

Using personal examples such as the adoption of his son from Kazakhstan, experiences of making disciples in America and abroad, personal stories from his life and ministry, and recanting testimonies of several people in his own church, the author argues a great need for people everywhere who call themselves Christians to examine their hearts and lives to determine whether or not they are actually Christ-followers.

The kicker for me in this book was the entire second half, in which Platt argues quite persuasively that if we truly follow Christ, we will do what comes after our Lord's famous invitation, and become "fishers of men." If we are not making new disciples and going into the places where Jesus is unknown, are we truly His? According to Scripture, something is wrong if we are not prioritizing disciple-making in our every-day lives, and in our churches. 

I'd love to share scores of quotes I underlined in the book, but I'll stick to this one, and let you read the rest, deal?

"This is how the gospel penetrated the world during the first century: through self-denying, Spirit-empowered disciples of Jesus who were making disciples of Jesus. Followers of Jesus were fishing for men. Disciples were making disciples. Christians were not known for association with Christ and his church: instead, they were known for complete abandonment to Christ and his cause. The great commission was not a choice for them to consider, but a command for them to obey. And though they faced untold trials and unthinkable persecution, they experienced unimaginable joy as they joined with Jesus in the advancement of his Kingdom. 

I want to be part of a movement like that. I don't want to spend my life constructing buildings and designing programs for comfortable churchgoers. Nor do I want to build a Kingdom that revolves around my limited gifts and imperfect leadership. I want to be part of a people who really believe that we have the Spirit of God in each of us for the spread of the gospel through all of us. I want to be part of a people who are gladly sacrificing the pleasures, pursuits, and possessions of this world because we are living for treasure in the world to come." [Ch. 8]

Yep. That's the bottom line, friends.

Happy reading!

 

Book Review Monday {I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings}

Why does the caged bird sing? Apparently Maya Angelou knows.

The poet/dancer/author/director/historian's famous masterpiece memoir weaves the story of her childhood into a fabric of timeless truth and heritage. Rich in cultural traditions and regional variances, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, is a book I recommend if you are looking for intrigue and insight into human character.

Raised for several years in Depression-Era Arkansas by her grandmother (Momma), and also in St. Louis and then California by her Mother (Mother Dear), Maya (Marguerite) and her brother Bailey share adventures, tragedy, books, and a love of life - through it all. Angelou's imagery and poetic prose describe African American perseverance from the fountain of deep wounds, bringing life to life for those of us who have never known. So why would a caged bird sing? Because her song, so composed and free, cannot be contained, though her wings might be ever-stayed.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

[on books:] “I have tried often to search behind the sophistication of years for the enchantment I so easily found in those gifts. The essence escapes but its aura remains. To be allowed, no invited, into the private lives of strangers, and to share their joys and fears, was a chance to exchange the Southern bitter wormwood for a cup of mead with Beowulf or a hot cup of tea and milk with Oliver Twist. “  

“I find it interesting that the meanest life, the poorest existence, is attributed to God’s will, but as human beings become more affluent, as their living standard and style begin to ascend the material scale, God descends the scare of responsibility at a commensurate speed.”  

“I could tell he meant to kill my brother. Neither of us had done anything to him. And then.
Then there was the pain. A breaking and entering when even the senses are torn apart. The act of rape on an eight-year-old body is a matter of the needle giving because the camel can’t. The child gives because the body can, and the mind of the violator cannot.
I thought I had died –
… Could I tell her now? The terrible pain assured me that I couldn’t. What he did to me, and what I allowed, must have been very bad if already God let me hurt so much. If Mr. Freeman was gone, did that mean Bailey was out of danger? And if so, if I told him, would he still love me?”  

“Under the tent of blanket, which was poled by my elbow and forearm, the baby slept touching my side.Mother whispered, ‘See, you don’t have to think about doing the right thing. If you’re for the right thing, then you do it without thinking.’She turned out the light and I patted my son’s body lightly and went back to sleep.” 

Happy reading, Friends!

What's on your nightstand this Summer?

Book Review Monday {Not the End of the World}

I don't know what's gotten into me, but I'm jumping genres this week, and giving you a review of a Young Adult Fiction.

Please, pick your jaw up off the floor. That's not pretty. *wink*

Not the End of the World by Geraldine McCaughrean is the fictionalization of Noah and the Flood, and the winner of the Whitbread Children's Book Award .Though I'd not heard of that particular award before, probably because I'm not British. I drew it from the library shelf ... well ... well, because it has a pretty bird on the cover. *Blush*   I know, I know don't judge a book - but after reading the flap, it did sound pretty interesting, and besides, I wanted to figure out what was so great that it got an award. Sheesh. In addition to this, the author has written several other re-tellings of myths, fables, and older stories, including: The Bronze Cauldron, Greek Gods and Goddesses, The Canterbury Tales, The Hero Gilgamesh, One Thousand and One Arabian Nights, and The Odyssey.




First, what I loved. Her writing. Beautiful imagery, brilliant dialogue, excellent character development, spot-on pacing. Wow - I learned so much about writing from this (children's?!) book. Yes - I do see why she won the award. I couldn't put it down, even when I was on vacation!

Second, what I didn't love. Her theology. Though I could tell she put some time into cultural and Biblical research, her fictionalization of adding a daughter to Noah, insinuating he was serenely aloof, and his God as well - it was rather infuriating. I was offended at the lack of reverence, even going so far as to suggest God didn't think of everything when he started the flood. It was too much for this princess of the King. I think I just love Him too much to stomach that much nose-thumbing at God. I kept waiting for the redemption of Him, but it never happened.

So why did I finish it?

Because - third, what I liked well enough. Her plot. I have a friend who's also a writer, and she says she can't read Biblical Fiction because she doesn't like reading a story she already knows the end to. (Which doesn't bode well for my novel.) Oh well. Because I DO! It's great, because each page, you're wondering, "Wow, I wonder how she's going to work in that character, or get to the climax that way." It's exciting for me, and McCaughrean pulls it off beautifully. So much so that I wondered if we would even find a rainbow and a "land-ho."  [Don't worry - we do.]

Here are a few of my faves - maybe you'll like it enough to finish it too.

"Mother keeps me busy too. No shortage of jobs for any of us. The end of the world is a busy time if you mean to outlive it."

"The light of the hunt came into their eyes; half-disbelieving and yet excited by the thought of it. Ham's tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth in concentration. For months they had been preserving life. That's not a natural state of affairs for men. Once in a while they seem to need to kill things instead."

photo credit: yours truly

"'Wait, Shem,' says Father. 'I will try one last time to summon forth the demons out of her.'
But Shem has decided on a course of action, and words bounce off Him like raindrops. He heaves me to my feet, twisting my arm and thrusting me toward the hatch. My legs are so unsteady, I can't make my feet coincide with the rungs of the ladder. 
There is no demon, Shem. Unless it's you."


One of the reasons I read this book was to see if it would be a good one for my daughter. I'm going to have her pass.

Happy Reading, Friends. Tell me what you thought, and what you're reading, too!

Tuesday Trafficking Intercession and a Book Review to Boot {Girls Like Us}

I was torn between putting this book review on Monday (when I usually do book reviews) or Tuesday (when I write/pray with you about human trafficking), but since I got distracted self-editing my manuscript yesterday, Tuesday it is!

Last week I finished Girls Like Us by Rachel Lloyd, a survivor of human trafficking in Europe who moved to New York and began ministering to victims and activating for legal and judicial change on their behalf.  This book reads like a combination of memoir and non-fiction awareness about the issue of domestic trafficking of girls for sexual exploitation.  Her writing is heart-felt and genuine based on her own horrific experiences, and detailing the healing process she found in helping other young girls and women who have been enslaved for sex.  Her precise semantics were both what I appreciated most and least about her writing. This book is full of expletives, so for those of you who are sensitive about that sort of language in what you read - consider yourself forewarned. On one hand, I realize why she includes these words in her writing; if you're beaten to the point of half-dead and subsequently raped over and over, you're not going to say, "Oh shoot!" I'll admit - like the script in the movie Saving Private Ryan - her use of colorful language adds to the authenticity of her testimony. However, it was also confusing to me as a follower of Christ when she was  using the f-bomb in one paragraph and referring to herself as a "missionary" in the next.  Yes - she is committed to Jesus, and includes faith teaching in her counseling of girls who have been and are being commercially sexually exploited, and I don't question her faith because of the language. I'm just saying it took most of the book to figure out whether or not her audience included the faith-based community.  In the end, I believe she can reach all of us - because her writing is accurate if anything.  Case in point - the phrase in bold above. As Lloyd explains,

Constantly reframing the issue and changing the language has been imperative in changing public perception and sympathies. It's been a battle particularly with people in the media who feel that using the term commercially sexually exploited will confuse their audience. One reporter refused to change his terminology, saying that he felt that the term was "euphemistic." We debated for a while on how sexually exploited could possibly be considered euphemistic when it accurately described what actually happened to children and youth, whereas child prostitute seemed to denote who the child was as opposed to what was being done to her. In his article, he went ahead and called them "teen prostitutes" anyway, failing perhaps to understand that it wasn't a question of semantics, that words, names, terminology really do matter.

And in this journey I'm on to pursue wisdom to go along with my zeal, this book was a crucial road marker.

In addition to learning to use terminology and words deliberately when fighting for awareness and abolition, I also took away from Lloyd a new clarification of choice when it comes to the prostituting of women and children.  She carefully and beautifully weaves all of the crucial elements of this debate into a clear tapestry of what the reader will understand to be no real choice at all. Highlighting the issues of poverty; severe dysfunction so prevalent in families of origin; blatant physical, mental, sexual, and verbal oppression of girls and women by pimps [another term she redefines] and traffickers; corruption and inaction by many law enforcement authorities; as well as the abased self-image so prevalent in all of our culture, the author explores the issue of "choice" from all facets of this complicated prism.  The rainbow of light that illuminates is this - no girl or woman, if given real options and viable alternatives would choose "the life" [of prostitution].

The female officer who has stayed puts her arm around me. In careful English and over my sobs, she explains what is going on. Yes, Mike is claiming the money is his. The bruises and cuts, the marks on my body and my feet apparently come from the fact that I like rough sex, and that's what we were doing in the field. In fact, he was trying to break up with me bu I didn't want to and that's why I came to the precinct. He's told them that I am a "Hure," and that my place of employment is a strip club. With these "facts" on the table my case has ceased to be a case. ... Later when JP begins to hit me, night after night, I'll know better than to go to the cops for help. I never do whiter the letter of complaint about [the officer who blamed her for being abused and raped]. I don't believe it'll do any good. After all, I'm not exactly a credible complainant, an upstanding citizen. Girls like me, I realize, get what they deserve.

In desperately grasping for a way to stay alive, girls shame themselves into thinking they choose to be beaten, raped, sold, exploited, abused, starved, and sometimes even killed.  Now that she has pursued and received restoration and healing, Rachel Lloyd serves girls and women night and day through an organization she started called GEMS to show them that's just not true - they are worth so much more than "the life"

Long-term healing requires that these girls understand that what they have experienced is not their fault. So many of these girls, their family members, the social workers, and law enforcement officials believe their exploitation was their choice. ... If I can begin to understand all the factors that made me vulnerable - the impact of race, class, and gender; the role played by my dysfunctional family; the power of the billion-dollar sex industry; the recruitment tactics of my pimp; the limited options as a teenager - then I can begin to shift the blame to the perpetrators instead of carrying it myself. ...Most of all [girls] need to finally understand what makes for a healthy, intimate relationship, an understanding that has been distorted over the years and which, if not corrected, puts them at risk for victimization over and over again.

Alright - that's probably too much already, and you'll have to get your own copy to experience her full story of redemption from the darkest hole imaginable into a life of light and hope she shares with hundreds every year. In fact, as much as I'd love to brag about an important piece of legislature she initiated and got passed in New York which is spreading to many other states in regard to sex trafficking, I'll let you read it yourself - you won't be disappointed. You may even want to start some support, advocacy, and activism of your own!

I know I do.

So, I'll leave you with this,

I cry out to God; yes, I shout.
    Oh, that God would listen to me!
When I was in deep trouble,
    I searched for the Lord.
All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven,
    but my soul was not comforted.
I think of God, and I moan,
    overwhelmed with longing for his help. - Psalm 77:1-3

When we think of trafficked victims, may we always pray - remembering how they long for His help.

God - Your ways of redemption and restoration are good, and we long to see them on behalf of victims of injustice and exploitation all over our world. We need Your help, Holy Spirit. We need Your wisdom and strength if we are going to be the change these girls and women need us to be. Would you guide us and empower us with Your compassion and love, and would You rescue and restore these precious lives and souls, we beg You.  I pray for Rachel Lloyd and GEMS  - that You would pour Your favor and love over her and all of the girls and women she reaches with Your hope and love. May she find true comfort as You equip her to be the comfort to others. Thank You, Jesus. You are so amazingly loving, and we're Yours forever because of Your grace.

Book Review Monday {The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis}

What is love? How do people define it, and How does God reveal it?

C.S. Lewis tackles these big questions in this philosophical nonfiction. I highly recommend it, but you'll have to set aside a chunk of time - it's no afternoon-on-the-beach read. Best digested in small portions, this classic work from the great theologian and diversified word-smith will challenge your long-held notions about friendship, romance, and God from the first page to the last. You may find his style of writing in The Four Loves, as well as all of his theological works, formal and scholarly, but his familiar addressing of the reader breaks that down a bit, as if you were having coffee with the professor while turning the pages.

photo credit: Orange Donkey

In his introduction, Lewis argues for the distinction between Gift-Love and Need-Love, with both as necessary and playing different roles in different relationships - which is where the four loves, Affection, Friendship, Romance (or Eros), and Charity come in.  Gift-Love, he claims, is similar to when a parent is loving a child by meeting his needs, or a husband works to provide for his family. Compared to when God loves us - He give to us, and when we love Him, it is very often the Need that draws us to His grace, peace, provision, and hope. And we are not to be shamed for filling any of these giving or needing types of loves. Both are necessary, and one is not greater than the other in us, as demonstrated in this quote:

It would be a bold and silly creature that came before its Creator with the boast "I'm no beggar. I love you disinterestedly." Those who come nearest to a Gift-love for God will next moment, even at the very same moment, be beating their breasts with the publican and laying their indigence before the only real Giver. And God will have it so. He addresses our Need-love: "Come unto me all ye that travail and are heavy-laden," or, in the Old Testament, "Open your mouth wide and I will fill it."

Another distinguishing paradox Lewis noted is that while God is Love, we must not be deceived into making Love our god, in which case, it would then become a demonic idol. He quoted M. Denis de Rourgemont more succinctly as saying, "love ceases to be a demon only when he ceases to be a god."

The first category of love addressed is Affection, or the most common, basic, humble satisfaction that comes from being together with another. It can be mixed among the other loves, but doesn't need to be. I like his explanation and can relate to this:

But Affection has its own criteria. Its objects have to be familiar. We can sometimes point to the very day and hour when we fell in love or began a new friendship. I doubt if we ever catch Affection beginning. To become aware of it is to become aware that it has already been going on for some time.

The second love, Friendship, Lewis claims, is the rarest form because it is least necessary for survival. And, also, perhaps because it is the form that comes with several dangers, namely inadvertent elitism (or the appearance thereof to outsiders), and misunderstandings of homosexuality (since our present post-modern society does not condone forms of previously accepted, same-gender affection such as kissing or embracing, as they had in the ancient world). But Friendship, he argues, is the least jealous of the four Loves (as long as all who are involved are kindred souls), and also the least biological (though not altogether un-biologically useful). To me the most striking element of Friendship Lewis points out would be:

In a circle of Friends, each man is simply what he is: stands for nothing but himself ... It is an affair of disentangled, or stripped minds. Eros will have naked bodies; Friendship naked personalities.

And also:

 It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.

As much as I adored and agreed with those points there, I abhorred and disagreed with his claim that men and women (particularly among groups) cannot be Friends. In an uncharacteristically sexist rant, Lewis claims that women only converse in "endless prattling 'Jolly' [which] replaces the intercourse of minds," and quotes one women, therefore stereotyping all women as having her equally manipulative agenda, as saying, "Never let two men sit together or they'll get talking about some subject and then there'll be no fun."

Do you ever have those moments when you wish you could go back in time and apply duct tape to someone's (or your own) mouth so she wouldn't just go ahead and ruin it all for everyone? Yea - that's me with this gal. Ugh. That Lewis draws his conclusions about women and mixed friendships from her infuriates me, so it's a good thing I like pretty much all of the rest of the book and his other writings, preventing me from dismissing him altogether on this one.

Lewis redeemed himself (or shall I say, Christ redeems him) in the Eros chapter, and especially this distinction between it and mere sexual desire, which he calls Venus:

Sexual desire [Venus], without Eros wants it, the thing in itself; Eros wants the Beloved.

He also offers this particular distinction of Venus, which points to our current societal problem of human trafficking and prostitution from the perspective of demand:

...we say, of a lustful man prowling the streets, that he 'wants a woman'. Strictly speaking, a woman is just what he does not want. He wants a pleasure for which a woman happens to be the necessary piece of apparatus. [emphasis mine]

The author makes a convincing argument that just as Eros is not all about sex, so it is neither all about happiness:

For it is the very mark of Eros that when he is in us we had rather share unhappiness with the Beloved than be happy on other terms.

Finally, Lewis addresses Charity as the final, and crucial element of all Love.  This love from God, through God, by God and in God alone is truly what makes the other loves viable in the human heart. We must permit God to love us first, and also put Him first among our Beloveds, lest [oh gosh - I really have been reading quite a few classics lately] we make Love our god rather than Jesus Christ Himself.   Nonetheless, the risk of loving another and getting hurt is still worth the Charity in us God intends. We were made to love God and other people, regardless of the peril we face in doing so.

The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell. ... If our hearts need to be broken, and if He chooses this as the way in which they should break, so be it.

This post has been full of quotes, so I'll offer only one more about Charity - as initiated by God through the Cross, and as demonstrated as our model of loving Him back, as well as extending love to others who may or may not be deemed "worthy" of any of our love:

God, who needs nothing, loves into existence wholly superfluous creatures in order that He may love and perfect them. He creates the universe, already foreseeing...the buzzing cloud of flies about the cross, the flayed back pressed against  the uneven stake, the nails driven through the mesial nerves, the repeated incipient suffocation as the body droops, the repeated torture of back and arms as it is time after time, for breath's sake, hitched up. If I may dare the biological image, God is a "host" who deliberately creates His own parasites; causes us to be that we may exploit and "take advantage of" Him. Herein is love. This is the diagram of Love Himself, the inventor of all loves. [emphasis mine]

Shew! Is it worth the read after all that? Oh yes! I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of deep-thinking analysis on this element which makes us above all human, as described and eloquently detailed in The Four Loves. I highly recommend it to anyone curious about feelings, actions, words, and theories about love and God. You won't regret the hours it takes to sort through this short book and its delightfully profound insights. If your soul has muscles, this book is a weight machine for your soul. When you finish, you will feel the vitality of strength pulsing through you. Even if you don't agree with all of his arguments, Lewis does what only few writers can: he takes the truth which has only been in the recesses of your thoughts, makes it his too, and then displays it on the page with woven words and paragraphs.

Happy Reading, Friends!  I LOVE you. *wink*

 

 

If Fridays are for writing, maybe Mondays are for reading...

And I am loving books lately. I wanted to be finished with The Four Loves by today so that I could review it for us here in the nest, but ... well, C.S. Lewis is not always (ever?) a quick-read.  I'm almost finished, so stay tuned next week - believe me, we'll need the whole thing.

So for today, I'd like to share a few books on my to-read list.  I couldn't really list all of them - come to the bookstore with me some day - we'll have fun!

The first one is by this guy. I'm in a trance watching his youtube stuff - but I think this is the most concise for you. Not sure why I can't stop listening to his story, but it could be because he reminds me of a young version of my dad. More than that, though, I'm a bit obsessed with this thing God does all the time that I call the biggest miracle ever - changing a human heart.  Just watch:




So his book, Save Me from Myself, went on my kindle wish list this morning.  Can't wait to finish C.S. Lewis and start this guy. I think maybe I have some diversity in my reading taste. Maybe? *wink*

A few others I'm eyeing:

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

I Didn't Ask to be Born (But I'm Glad I Was) by Bill Cosby

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Power Through Prayer by E.M. Bounds

Idol Lies by Dee Brestin

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott (now tell me that title doesn't have my name written all over it!)


Okay - that's enough for now. Let me know what you're reading too!

If you love books too, I want to hug you. Keep reading, Dear Ones! Look for God's truth in the pages, and hold onto His love when you see it.

Book Review Monday - "Soul Detox" by Craig Groeschel

Hi, Reader!  Thanks for joining me here in the nest for another book review on this bright and snowy morning.  When God provides nasty weather ... read!  Today, I've got another wonderful Christian non-fiction by Craig Groeschel - Soul Detox: Clean Living in a Contaminated World (Zondervan).

This was a recommendation from my husband, and I'm so thankful he found it for me.  Pastor Craig is the Lead pastor of Life Church in Oklahoma, and a dynamic speaker and writer.  He did a sermon series along with the book, which you can find here. I listened to them and wanted to also read the book. I'm so glad I did.  

Because my soul has been poisoned.

This book was deeply personal, as intended - a deep-reaching mirror.  The author begins with an introduction of his past with what contaminated his life, detailing how easily we all can be deceived and unaware of just how permeating the toxins have been.  He continues the book in three parts : Toxic Behaviors (self-lies, skeptical thoughts, lethal language, and hidden sin); Toxic Emotions (bitterness, envy, rage, and fear); and Toxic Influences (materialism, culture infection, unhealthy relationships, and bad religion).  What all of these topics have in common is a poisonous effect on our lives and our relationship with God, but Pastor Craig effectively dissects each in unique thoroughness.  I found myself laughing at his light satire of heavy and serious subject matter, as well as stopping mid-page to ponder for long moments in my own soul.  In addition to exploring the problems of these poisons all of humankind has been exposed to, the author successfully spells out the solutions to each and every one- all found in the gracious love of Jesus Christ.  The message repeatedly demonstrates the Gospel lived out in our culture, which is probably why I appreciated it so much.  This book is not just pointing at the contaminates, but it truly illustrates Jesus's power to cleanse and purify all of us.  

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

"One of the greatest stumbling blocks to spiritual growth emerges when we get stuck in our negative, untrue, and impure thoughts instead of making the translation to God's Word."

"Any one of these thoughts can be deadly, and cumulatively they can imprison us in a hellish well of toxic waste. If we want to break free into the exhilarating freedom of God's truth, then we much begin by accurately diagnosing our problem."

"As Christians, we have stronger weapons than knives, guns, and grenades. We have faith, prayer, and God's Word. God wants us to use His weapons to win the battle of the mind. God's truth releases us from the prison of lies."

"If you choose to continue hiding, your sin may take you farther than you wanted to go and cost you more than you ever thought you'd pay. If you're willing to seek God's mercy and face the consequences with the people affected by your sin, you will experience more liberating joy than you ever thought imaginable. It's time to stop hiding and start seeking." 

"The big deal is that allowing envy into your heart is like planting nuclear waste in your flowerbed."

"When we look at other people comparatively and competitively, we're not seeing them as our brothers and sisters. We're not loving them more than we love ourselves, and we're definitely not seeing them as God sees them."

"The "bad" kind of anger, on the other hand, usually results when we lose control of our emotions and take matters into our own hands. Sinful anger is getting angry at something - maybe even something legitimate, something angers God - but then allowing that anger to lead us to do the wrong thing. ... If you open the door to the devil though your anger, you're offering him a guest room inside your heart. Talk about sleeping with the enemy!"

"The way I see it, fear actually relies on faith - it's simply faith in the wrong things. Fear is placing your faith in "what-ifs" rather than in "God is." It's allowing your imagination to wander down a long and dark alley of possibilities and get mugged every couple of steps. Almost everyone who allows themselves to be taken hostage by what-ifs discovers that the only thing binding them is their own imagination."

... I have plenty more, but you'll have to get it for yourself, because I've run out of time today.

I like how the author of Hebrews states: 

"Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many." (12:15 -NLT)

When we look after ourselves and one another, we will be able to receive God's grace and stop every poisonous root - in our hearts, in our churches, and in our communities.

After reading Soul Detox, I have a new vision and useful tools so that I can reach for the pure holiness of God in my life and for the lives of others around me.  I pray that as you read it also, you will find the same.

Happy reading, Friends!

Havah: The Story of Eve {book review Monday}

Happy Monday, here's a book review ...

Telling the story of Eve is like telling the story of all of humanity.  I admire Tosca Lee for tackling it.  As a fellow [aspiring] writer of Biblical Fiction, I know how hard it can be to walk the fine line of fictionalizing the Truth in a way that captures interest while preserving original content.  I honestly believe Lee nailed it in Havah, The Story of Eve.

I could summarize the plot here ... but you already know it.  Immense joy of reveling in first creation; Man, Woman, and God abiding in the beautiful garden of bliss; a lie from a forked tongue and grief to God never before known; struggle to survive in the world without His constant presence; the marvel of first son and then second; the horror when one killed the other; burden of being the mother of all; joy of knowing the love of one man for a lifetime (or dozens - she lived hundreds of years); and pursuing the journey back to redemption.  If you are looking for a surprise ending, this might not be the novel for you, but if you're looking for a fresh look at the oldest story ever, you're in for a literary treat!

Lee's writing is deeply poetic, laden with metaphors and descriptive language - she brings the story of creation to life like none other I've read before.  I especially enjoyed her depiction of Adam and Havah's love, from the sensual beginning through the tumultuous middle, and to the persevering end.  Reflective of the first couple, we see our own gender differences, and the struggle-filled joy of becoming one.  Also, Havah's thrills and trials as the first mother caused me to reflect in gratitude about the blessing it is to learn from other moms before me.  Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book:

"And I know the God made the heart the most fragile and resilient of organs, that a lifetime of joy and pain might be encased in one mortal chamber."

"No, it wasn't that I wanted to be alone. I wanted to be alone with the One. The one who scaled then careened from the heights of the Mount. The One who raised up the man from the mud. The One who fashioned me from a part of the man and knew me more intimately than even the adam. ... I was more alive than the first day I drew breath. Than the first time I lay in the adam's arms. I was alive as one can only be in the presence of the One."

"I squinted at him./ Death. Evil. To know as a god, the serpent had said. Had I not craved all things of God, all knowledge?/ I lifted my eye again to that tree. This time, instead of seeing the fruit, bursting with juice upon it, I saw the answer to every unknown thing, the satisfaction of a craving deeper than hunger./ I couldn't remember anything so beautiful."

"Even then, I loved him. Even then, wished I could undo every memory of hurt from him.  That I could give birth to Hevel [Abel] again, knowing that in his second chance, Kayin [Cain] would never resent him. Perhaps even then the One would still reject him, but at lease we could let be, knowing that the One did as he pleased, whether we knew the reasons or not."

Happy reading, Friends!

"The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too." - Genesis 3:6 (NLT)

Reading and Writing with you ...

Fridays we write together, but before I get to our prompt, I wanted to also touch on two other themes I'm blogging about lately:  1. Book Review  2. Radically Simple

I finished My One Word this week, which I might not have had it not been that I wanted to complete it for a review here in the nest, as well as for the sake of Simple.  Yes, painful as it is, I'm simplifying my life by reading one book at a time!  *gasp*

This book is wonderfully balanced and theologically spot-on, as well as extremely relevant to our culture and our desires as a church to be more like Christ.  I appreciate how authors Mike Ashcroft and Rachel Olsen have included both personal experience and dozens of unique testimonials from MOW participants over the years.  They outline in practicality how God can change our lives and grow us to maturity if we will allow him to focus our intentions.  They describe not only how to choose your word (with the Spirit's guidance) and also how to follow through for an entire year on one concept rather than making several resolutions that will most likely fall flat.  Ashcroft and Olsen also detail how to make the most of your intentions and involve others in holding you accountable to the change you are aiming for and God is doing in and through you.  The writing is straightforward and concise, making it both an interesting and quick read, to have you off and running with your word.  I appreciate the way Scripture is woven throughout as confirmation to these ideas, and also how they allow voices of others to shine through as they explain their own words and experiences with the change ensued.  Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book:

"There's power in words. Beauty in words. Grace in words. Words create movement. They craft nations. They seal a marriage. They cast vision. They make us laugh. They focus our attention. They expand our horizons. They stimulate our creativity. And they script our possibilities."  [shocker]

[of the MOW FLOW] "It awakened something in me. Not a compulsive desire to change born out of being sick of the way I was, but a desire to live an authentic life that flowed from my relationship with Christ."

"We're so busy with the surface-level things of life that we forget to number our days and ted to our hearts. We become so preoccupied with getting our lives to a manageable point or a better future that we miss both the moment right now and the reality of a coming eternity"

"To claim we can make ourselves into anything we want is to deny that we are the created not the Creator. Reality is we are made by God, for his purposes. How much potential can we truly have apart form Him?"

"The aim is for you to use your one word to get into focused posture and remain there while you depend on Christ [to mold you]."

"Your reaction or mindless drift into temptation happens in a moment. You must create the space in that moment to see what is happening and then to make a decision. The key is to isolate and examine the specific thought or belief that's driving your desire in that moment. Take it captive; identify it. Then stack it up against the knowledge of God."

"When God delays, we will tend to distrust. We will lose focus. We fill int the suspicious gaps with what we would do if we were God."

"We try to live our lives from destination to destination, but the condition of our heart is measured in the moments in between."

I hope you'll enjoy My One Word too!

And now for our writing prompt, since it is Friday, after all!

photo credit: google images

When my grandchildren ask about me and my generation, I would like to tell them ...



“A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” 
― Maya Angelou

book review monday: Trafficked by Sibel Hodge

Trafficked: The Diary of a Sex Slave

by Sebel Hodge

If you know me at all, you realize this book is outside my usual genre of Christian Non-Fiction, but it's good to break out of the box sometimes.  This short novella (96 pages) is FICTION - which I'm glad I knew before I started - but based factual events and testimonials from real sex slaves/prostituted persons, and the author's research on human trafficking.  

As my husband and several dear friends travel to India in less than two weeks, this book was relevant to my life at this time.  Though painful to read because I know the reality of what she wrote is genuine, I also couldn't put it down.  This short fictional novella could be real.  Is real for girls and women all around the world, in more alarming statistics than you can wrap your brain around.  And in a couple weeks, our India team could have to opportunity to encounter young women just like the character in this book, Elena.  Reading this book helped me know how to pray a little better. 

Written in diary format, counting the days of her captivity,  22-year-old Elena recounts the horrors committed against her body, soul, and mind from the time she's conned, drugged, kidnapped, and sold by a "friend of a friend" who promised her honest work in Italy.  Hodge strikes a wise balance between giving shocking details and leaving certain graphic particulars for the reader to fill in.  You'll find a few realistic expletives in this book that I don't normally like to read or recommend, but I'll make an exception for this because ... at some point I need to look at what is really happening, stop hiding my eyes from evil, and fight it.  The novella continues as Elena is brutalized, raped repeatedly by her captors and their clients, and sold to different pimps under filthier circumstances when she tries to escape.  One day, barely holding onto the will to live, she comes up with a plan that just might give her some hope to see her daughter and freedom once more ...

Hope is precious.  You know that if you've ever run short of it.  For these girls (some of them as young as 9) and women, their only hope is someone who will go to them with compassionate love, fight for them, and share Christ with them.  He is the only Hope that will do.  His miracles the only way they'll ever escape the prison of their existence.  

I recommend this book for anyone who cares to plunge into the knowledge of good and evil, and when you finish it - you won't have a choice - you'll have to struggle to the surface of the sludge, pull yourself back ashore of your beautiful life, thank the Lord for His fortunate favor, and then do something about it.

For more information, awareness, and opportunities to fight this evil, please join me tomorrow for my first Exodus Road post.  I'm so excited!

Book Review Monday: The Cure

The Cure What if God isn't who you think He is and neither are you 

by John Lynch, Bruce McNicol, and Bill Thrall

On the cover of this book is a snake.  He creeps between the R and the E in the title, and you might think it says CURSE if you glance.  

I don't remember how I stumbled across this title, but I do know that when it comes to books, a good stumble can lead to an amazing fall.

When a non-fiction starts with an engaging parable, I'm almost always sucked in.  The first few pages of  The Cure are reminiscent of The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson, following one journeyman along the path of life, pursuing the call of his heart.  What I really love about this character is --- he is really me.  And probably you too. He's on the road when he finds a fork. Trusting God lies on one side of the sign, and on the other reads Pleasing God.  Which will he choose?  Which would you?

The parable woven throughout follows him to the Room of Good Intentions, retracing his steps, and eventually to the Room of Grace, though he doesn't stay there either.  Breaking into the parable (in italics) with prose, the authors open our theology and traditions to explore just what the subtitle asks, following through exquisitely with the intrigue promised on the cover (which is more than I can say of other book stumbles I've taken).

We discover through both the parable and the narration that our understanding of God's identity and character may not be true-to-form.  "There are two gods: the one we see through our shame, and the One who actually is."  The other predominant theme throughout is that of our identity - the identity of the Christ-follower.  Who we are, as HE defines us, will revolutionize our lives when we receive the grace of this truth, and the truth of this grace.  It reminded me of another life-changing book I read just last year: Victory Over the Darkness by Neil Anderson.  God's Grace defines me.  

Some of my favorite quotes from the book: (and really, I had a hard time narrowing this down.  I think I practically wore out the underline key on my kindle while reading this book!)

"I will—each of us will—be tempted to return to my mask each time I lose the confidence of my new identity."

"Only now, because it was about God, the stakes were higher. I represented something other than just me, and the pressure was greater. Much greater. Soon, I was back to trying to impress a God I imagined was growing more and more impatient with me.  I learned to bluff, manipulating and managing my persona to appear better than who I feared I was.  No one told me this two-faced life would severely stunt my growth."

“The goal is not to change me. I’m already changed. The goal is to mature. When I depend on the new creature I’ve been made into through the work of Jesus at the cross, I begin to live healthier, more free of sin, more free to love. I learn to believe all His power, love, truth, and goodness already exists in me, right now. Even on my worst day.”

"This life in Christ is not about what I can do to make myself worthy of His acceptance, but about daily trusting what He has done to make me worthy of His acceptance."

"We call it [the Control Cycle] because it is what happens when we believe we can control our lives. And control our sin."

This is what I was referring to when I wrote my response on Friday.  Really, I do nothing to earn acceptance or perform as a Christian.  It is all cooperation with God in and through me, because He is the Savior and I am His beloved rescued one.  I can't muster this.  I can't control it.  He is both the Author and the Finisher of my faith.

Also, a family member said he enjoyed The Cure a lot, and thought it was quite a bit to think about.  Though he was slightly more critical of the writing style and thought some of it was difficult to follow, we had a great conversation about it, and he might even read it again.  A friend who claims not to be "a reader" took my recommendation, likes it so far, and says this is one she wants to finish.  See what others are saying too.

My favorite chapter in the book was probably Two Healings (5), in which the authors illuminated THE MOST thorough, well-defined, and theologically sound explanation of healing-forgiveness I've read.  I'm not exaggerating when I say the globe would be different if humanity (or at least the Church) would love God and one another and ourselves this way. 

"At the core, we’re just learning to trust and depend on our new identity. We’re learning to live out of who God says we are on our worst day. So a statement like ‘It’s less important that anything gets fixed, but that nothing is hidden’ is an example of living out of our new identity. It’s a realization that sin finds its power when I hide. That nobody gets ‘fixed.’ That we’ve already been changed and now get to mature into who we already are. We’re starting to discover that this new power is released when we trust it—when I’m safe enough to tell the worst about myself to someone else. See, that's what we're learning to do here. We want to get close enough, be safe and trusted enough, that when that moment comes where God reveals something hard to face, we won't have to run and hide."

Happy reading, Friends.  I hope to have another good one for you next week!  What have you been reading lately?