All These Years Never Heard It Like This

Book:  Mere Christianity

Author:  C.S. Lewis

     I read this book on high alert because I was acutely aware that C.S. Lewis is not a confessional, orthodox, conservative Lutheran.  Reading theology books by unreliable sources can be more dangerous than reading secular authors' writing, so I attempted to constantly evaluate what I read.  I wish I could discuss this with a reliable person...I should work on that.  I can truly understand why this book would be perfect for a discussion group to read together.  Overall, though, I agreed with most of the things he said.  In Walther's Law and Gospel, I'm on Lecture 20, and some of the points he makes give me a little deja vu, flashbacks to the C.S. Lewis ideas that redesigned my thought process.

     There were parts of this book that really hit hard.  Several of the sections were painful to read because they were just way too true in my life.  A lot of the chapters challenged false perceptions that I didn't know I had. In some sections, he explained things I already knew, but I'd never quite thought of them in the same way.  The different perspective gave them power, and they made an impact.  For example, C.S. Lewis reminds us that God cares about our hearts, what kind of people we are becoming, not just our outward actions.  In more theological terms, God looks at the heart.  In another chapter, Lewis focuses on the idea that much of the "goodness" that we see in ourselves is a result of things God gave us, such as our temperament or our environments, past and present.  We can't see the difference between goodness produced by the Holy Spirit and this influenced goodness, but God can.  I may not get angry with a family member because God gave me a calm temperament, but if a person who is naturally explosive keeps his cool, it is more significant.  I'm not exactly sure about the theological reliability of this second idea, so I'll investigate the Bible, hopefully have a conversation, and compose an update.
     Before I close this post, I'd like to mention that the first section of this book reminds me of many of the themes of Lee Strobel's books.  It is another logical approach to something that ultimately defies human comprehension, but that doesn't mean it isn't valuable or useful.
     In general summary, this book is beneficial for anyone to read.  It may have resulted from radio broadcasts designed to introduce people to Christianity, but it also has more than enough material for Christians of all maturites to chew on.

Going on Nineteen

Book:  The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel
Lecture:  19

     This will be a rather reactionary summary.  I read this lecture straight through, taking only two notes, and I think I got more out of it.  One of my notes:  Properly speaking, grace is never in man's, but in God's heart.
     The lecture begins by stating the place of conversion in a Christian's life.  Walther then goes on to discourse on the place of feelings in a Christian's life.  At first, I thought the topic was way beyond me, since I thought he was contradicting the belief that salvation relies on God, who is outside of us, and not on our emotions.  I thought he was saying that to be a Christian, you had to be able to feel God in your heart.  As I read further, I began to understand that feelings are something that will naturally come with faith.  My first turning point was where Walther states, "First a person must believe; after that he may feel.  Feeling proceeds from faith, not faith from feeling."
     Walther finishes the lecture by describing what faith is, using Hebrews 11:1 and the example of the lepers who begged Jesus for help.  He explains that if faith is a "firm, reliant confidence, not doubting, not wavering," faith cannot be based on feelings.  He then uses the story of Mary and Joseph searching for Jesus while he was at the temple to show that if we look to earthly things for help and comfort, like friends or our own ideas and feelings, we will not find Christ; he is only found with His Father and His Father's Word.
     Incidentally, my lightbulb moment is also my first copy and paste text, from a lovely little website called www.lutherantheology.com.  I was ecstatic when I found it, not to mention discovering that Walther's Law and Gospel is public domain.

My Lightbulb Moment:  "Some have been highly favored in being led an easy way by God, always enjoying a beautiful, pleasant feeling and never being in need of strong wrestling. For persons who always find their experiences in harmony with the Word of God need not struggle for that harmony. Others, however, are nearly always led by God through darkness, great anguish, grievous doubts, and diverse afflictions. In the latter case we must be careful to distinguish between one who is dead and one who is afflicted. The distinction is not difficult. If I am worried about my lack of the feeling of grace for which I am earnestly longing, that is proof that I am a true Christian. For one who desires to believe is already a believer. For how could a person possibly desire to believe something which he regards untrue? No man desires to be deceived. As soon as I want to believe something, I am secretly believing it. This is a point for pastors to note when they are dealing with individual souls."

You Are Eighteen

Book:  The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel
Lecture:  18

Summary/Highlights
    Few people have a more stressful life than a prisoner who is awaiting execution but has heard a rumor that he has been pardoned.  God could leave us all in a similar situation, but thankfully, he does not.  If our loving God sacrificed his only Son to save us, how could he do this?  From the moment Jesus was born, God spread his message of grace through the angels and shepherds, and Jesus continued this with the Great Commission.
     Walther follows this with a recap of absolution, reviewing Matthew 9.  He then cites Luther on the topic of forgiveness.  He supports the doctrine that the power of announcing absolution has been given to men with Matthew 18:18 and John 20:23.  We hear the news of forgiveness from men, but it is God who is speaking through them.  When we are in need of assurance of forgiveness, God has given us baptism, communion, absolution, and His Word.
     If you insulted someone, how would you know you were forgiven?  It would be foolish to simply wait until you felt at peace with them in your heart.  If he or she gave you a gift, you could not be sure that they had forgiven you; maybe he would simply be showing you that, unlike yourself, he was a kind person.  No, you would know you were forgiven when you heard him tell you that you were forgiven.  In the same way, our feelings cannot tell us God's attitude, and he sends rain and sun on both the good and the evil.  We need to hear our forgiveness from him through the means of grace.
     "The true interpretation of the words of Christ:  'Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them,' etc., is, that they establish the authority, not of the person who speaks, but of those who believe these words."  In contrast, the Papacy teaches that when the pope and priests absolve or refuse forgiveness, it happens because they possess this special power and because they said so.  No, the power is the power Christ and his sacrifice; we announce it as his representatives.
     The keys are not based upon our contirition or worthiness; our contrition, works, believing heart, and all that we are, must be built upon the keys.  "With entire boldness we must confidently trust in them as in God's Word, never doubting in the least...what the keys state and confer is as certain as if it were stated and conferred by God Himself.  For it is certainly He that is speaking in this matter, since it is His command and Word, not the word or command of man.  If you doubt this, you make God a liar, pervert His ordinance, and found His keys on your contrition and worthiness."
     God does not first bind or loose sins in heaven, then let us represent this by binding and loosing on earth.  We could not know what he bound or loosed!  Also, the keys are the keys of heaven even though they are used on earth.  When we bind or loose, it is accounted as done, and there is no need for God to do it after.
     More random highlights:

• In baptism, the water has no power of its own.  The power comes from the Spirit working through the Word.
• Communion is all about God's grace and forgiveness
• We can't ascend to God; He descended to us.  This means that good works earn us nothing.  All we need to do to be saved is believe.  We are given God's love and kindness as a free gift.
• Contrition is necessary, but not as a means for acquiring forgiveness.  We can turn up our nose at a meal, but our rejection doesn't change the fact that it is available.  All men's sins are forgiven, but they can reject this forgiveness and refuse to believe it.
• The worthiness, or lack of worthiness, of a pastor does not affect absolution; even wicked servants can spread a king's message.

Lightbulb Moment:  Don't ask whether your contrition is sufficient or of good quality; praise God for His absolution.

Going on Seventeen

Book:  The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel
Lecture:  17
Selective Summary:
     Intro:  At the Marburg Colloquy, Luther told Zwingli, "Yours is a different spirit from ours."  He was speaking of the difference between his own childlike trust in the Bible and Zwingli's faith in human reason.  Lutherans believe that if doctrine is derived from a source other than the Bible, we have no sure foundation.  Churches who question the Word are "tossed about like the waves of the sea."
     Body:  Walther begins by giving us two examples of churches allowing human reason to determine their beliefs.  Other protestant churches condemned outward Lutheran resemblances to the Catholic church such as the robes worn by ministers.  This is calling a sin something that God does not regard as sinful.  They also argued with our practice of absolution, saying that in ordination we believed we were giving our ministers the power to forgive sin.  This is false.  Christ gave the Keys to the Church, and, like baptism, any Christian can use them.  We simply maintain organization and order by calling pastors to use them on our behalf.
     Walther then goes on to explain absolution with six key points.
1.  Jesus took on himself the world's sin.  Jn 1:29
2.  He earned forgiveness for us by his life and death.  II Cor. 5:21, Is. 53:5
3.  By raising Jesus from the dead, God placed his stamp of approval on the payment for our sins.
4.  Christ's command to preach the Gospel to all people includes the command to preach forgiveness of sins.
5.  It also includes the command to minister to individuals because forgiveness for all also means forgiveness for the individual.
6.  This commission applies to every Christian because it's not about what man must do; it's about what Christ has already done for us.
     To illustrate number six, Walther uses a parable.  The citizens of a country rebel and kill a king's son, but the son intercedes for them and convinces the king to pardon them.  The people were expecting execution, but the king sends out messengers to announce his pardon.  Some citizens live in places the messengers didn't come, but they are told the news by their friends.
     The citizens don't refuse to accept the pardon because the king doesn't announce it personally; they believe whoever tells them!  The king's forgiveness is a fact that is unaffected by who announces it.
    Walther then explains Catholic doctrine concerning absolution.  A priest is given power to forgive sins by his ordination and anointment with chism (oil).  In addition, all confessions must have three parts or they are invalid:  oral confession, heartfelt contrition (feeling bad for sin), and compensation for sin by performing a good work.  Later in the lecture, he states that Catholics believe contrition, confession, and satisfaction obtain grace; the Keys and absolution are only actions observed by the church.
     A short summary of the first half of the lecture.
Power for absolution comes from:  
     1) Christ's perfect reconciliation and redemption.
     2)  "The command...to preach the Gospel to all men, which means nothing else than to absolve all men, to assure them of the forgiveness of their sins."
     In the second half of the lecture, Walther examines confessions by Luther and other Christians concerning absolution.  Here are some highlights, most of them things I learned or more fully understood after reading the lecture.

• Absolution is the Word of God forgiving sins, not only because the words come from the Bible, but because the minister is following God's command to announce forgiveness.
• Absolution is the epitome (summary) of the Gospel.
• Absolution proclaims peace to me and is the true voice of the Gospel.
• We pray the fifth petition, not to earn forgiveness, but to remind us of the forgiveness that is ours and strengthen our faith.  That's also why we pray "Give us today our daily bread."  It leads us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.
• An interesting quote:  "The entire Papacy is built up on the teaching that grace is infused into men by some secret operation."  Grace can't be infused into us because it is the disposition of God outside of us; it can only be proclaimed to us.  That's why true comfort comes from the Word, not our feelings.
• In Matthew 9, Jesus' healing of a paralyzed man proved to the Pharisees his right to absolve people.  Verse 8 reads, "When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men."  The people in the crowd were likely saying something to this effect, and Matthew summarizes their praise.  Jesus doesn't correct them by saying, "No, God gave this power to me, not men."

My Lightbulb Moment:  "If we would only truly believe in absolution, with what joy would we attend church whenever it is pronounced!"

I Am Sixteen...

Book:  The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel
Author:  C.F.W. Walther
Lecture:  16

While finding a picture, I noticed
the dove...

Intro:  Dr. Walther described the difference between Reformed and Lutheran views concerning God's Word, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and absolution.  In general, the Reformed churches believe that these things have no power, while Lutherans believe that God works through them, just as he promises in the Bible.
Summary/Highlights:  The teachings of Zwingli, a Reformed teacher, are as follows:  The Holy Spirit moves like the wind, without the Word or Sacraments.  Before the Sacraments, we need to be prepared to receive them; this is done by the Holy Spirit.  He can't come in the Sacrament because he's already there.  The Sacraments are merely public evidence of this inner grace.  When the Word is preached, it can't be a vehicle of the Holy Spirit because some don't have faith after hearing the Word.  When preachers go out, it is because God wants to reveal himself to the elect.
     Lutheran View:  God chooses to deal with us through the Word and Sacraments.  As Romans 10:17 states, "faith comes from hearing the message," not by the Holy Spirit acting as a free agent.  The Word brings justification ("to declare not guilty"), as it says in Romans 1:16, "The Gospel...is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes."

• The Sacraments are the visible Word, so anything predicated of the Word is predicated of the Sacraments (predicate-verb-to affirm as a quality or attribute). 
•  "The Word of God, the Gospel, is only audible, but the sacraments are also visible, for they are acts attached to objects of sense."  
• Through the Sacraments our faith is "raised up and strengthened" by the Holy Spirit.  It is important to note that the action is not what saves us, but the Holy Spirit working through the Word and Sacraments.
• If the Sacraments were only a visible show there would be no grace; they would be empty.  
• Preaching Christ but denying the Word and Sacraments is like talking about a treasure that you have hidden along with the key.  These preachers show Christ but hide the path to him.  

 Continuing our game of eye-spy,
note the Bible.

Quick Summary:  God uses his Word and Sacraments to give and strengthen faith.
Lightbulb Moment:  "This is my body, which is given for you...this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you."  Christ's body and blood are more than one man's physical body.  They are forgiveness and redemption for us.
For Further Thought:  "The spirit is not obtained except by simple trust in God's Word.  Even when void of any feeling, the person who declares: 'God has said so, therefore I shall believe it,' will find that the Holy Spirit has entered his heart, filling it with his peace and joy."

Additional References:  Galatians 3:27, Titus 3:5-7, 1 Corinthians 10:16

Bring Me To My Knees

     Too often, we forget the full meaning of words, and I wanted to save this beautiful reminder of what repentance really is:
     "Repentance involves a change of mind and heart and a change of direction in daily behavior and life.  The full definition of repentance includes recognizing your sin as disobedience to God's commandments, feeling truly sorry for your sin, having the sincere desire to amend your sinful ways, and trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness and salvation.  Repentance is not a one-time act...Martin Luther declared that the entire life of a Christian is to be characterized by repentance.  In his Small Catechism, Luther tells us that our baptism should remind us to drown our old Adam by daily contrition and repentance.  There is no such thing as an impenitent Christian, and it is not possible to repent of only some sins.  Repentance includes all our sins, even those of which we may not be aware, and Jesus' forgiveness is also total.  When he forgives us, all is forgiven.  Anything less would be of no value, for the guilt of a single sin would condemn the sinner to eternal torment in hell."
                         --The People's Bible

     This commentary is based upon Matthew 3, in which John the Baptist calls the people of Israel to repent and prepare for the coming of the Messiah.  I remember a chapel in which the speaker, I believe Mr. Springborn, asked us to consider the things in our lives that needed to be made ready for the coming of the Savior.  Did we have heights of pride, or lows of depression*?  This message is not just for the Advent season.  We are constantly in need of preparation, not only for the second coming of Christ, but for the daily battle we face against the devil and our own sinful nature.  What is in my life that I need to pray for help preparing?

     *As clarification, I believe depression here is the depression found in everyone's life, such as the guilt over sin that can be calmed by the reading of the Word and knowledge of Christ's full forgiveness.  Fits rather nicely with the general topic, no?

The Boys Are Back For a Second Act!

Book:  The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel

Author:  Dr. C.F.W. Walther

Lecture:  15

Disclaimer:  I do not pretend to be a theological expert, so I may interpret things incorrectly.  This blog is merely a tool for me to further explore and remember what I have read.  Do not read my words to learn about Christian doctrine; read Walther's words and compare your thoughts to mine.  In addition, I am using the Dau translation, which, as I understand it, is not 100%  true to the original.  Despite this, it still contains excellent material and is beneficial for Christian education.

Context:  This lecture continues to expand on the thoughts of the 14th lecture concerning Thesis IX, which states that it is wrong to direct sinners "struck down" by the law to keep praying and struggling until they feel God's grace; they should instead be directed to the Word and Sacraments.  Lecture 14 described the proper method of direction, citing examples from the apostles' work:  Peter at Pentecost, the Philippian jailer's conversion, and Saul's conversion.  Lecture 15 describes incorrect ways of dividing law and gospel concerning grace.

Brief Summary of 14 & 15:  What must I do to be saved?  Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, NOT follow Fresenius's Steps 1,2, and 3.  (See Below)  

Highlights of 15:

     Intro:  The "Doctrine of Doubt," that no person can be sure of heaven, forgiveness, or their relationship with God while on earth, is false.  See Hebrews 11:1, John 10:27,28, John 4:14 ("never"), Matthew 11:28.

     Body:  Fresenius believes in two types of grace, which I call "awakening grace" and "real grace."  Awakening grace (he calls it prevenient, or quickening grace) comes in the heart of an unbeliever and makes them able to pray for "real grace."  Real grace is the grace experienced by Christians.  He said that Christians must strive for grace to be converted by following three steps:

                          1)  Constant prayer and struggling until they feel grace.

                          2)  Be watchful and don't lose the awakening grace and parts of real grace that you              

                            gradually receive.

                          3)  Meditate on God's Word.

     One of Fresenius's problems is that he believes that spiritual resurrection and conversion take place at different times.  In truth, everyone who is spiritually alive has been converted.  Conversion is being made spiritually alive.  To quote a teacher, "Dead people can't do anything.  Why?  'Cause they're DEAD."  While spiritually dead, we don't care about God's Word or grace.  Fresenius says that converting grace causes "a mysterious sighing for grace;" Walther identifies this as the first spark of faith.

     Prayer, alertness, and learning God's Word are marks of a Christian's life, but are not steps in the conversion process.  These steps are incorrect because they are prescribed to a person who believes they are an unbeliever, and thus they become a way of earning God's love.

     My Lightbulb Moment:  God does not give grace in pieces.  It is entire or non-existent; you are a citizen of Christ's kingdom or a prisoner of the devil.  There is no middle ground. 

Application:  Fresenius describes watchfulness as a habit that becomes so second-nature that the person can't imagine life without it.  This watchfulness is an awareness of Christ's sacrifice and how it should affect our actions.  We look out for temptations, but we also watch for opportunities to put faith into practice.  Yes, we will fail in this watchfulness, but we then repent and run to Jesus.  I want to live like that. 

It Happens In A Blink

Week:  Last One!

Mission:  Complicated

     1.  During this project...
            I was a little worried when I quit on my first attempted book, but I recovered quickly.  While reading a majority of the books, I was so captivated that I couldn't put them down.  My least interesting book was Into the Wild, and my most interesting was The Case for Christ.  The most disappointing books were Catch-22 and The Namesake, basically for the same reason.  Bow's Boy was just plain terrible with one spark of life, the discussion of the Vietnam War.  Overall, this was a very successful undertaking.
     2.  In the future...
           I think that I will continue reading, even though I doubt it will be at the same pace.  I love a good book, but I also have a life.  My next challenge, after completing The Damascus Way, will be Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.
     3.  My Accomplishments...
             The books I'm most proud of reading are Gone With the Wind and The Case for A Creator.  The first is an American classic; the second is highly scientific.

                                                              Books Read
Cosbyology, The Firm, Gone With the Wind, Torn, Bow's Boy, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, The Case for Christ, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, Tuesdays With Morrie, The Case for a Creator, Dog on It, The Centurion's Wife, Into the Wild, Thereby Hangs A Tail, To Catch a Thief, Fatherhood, The Namesake 

Time This Week:  0 hrs

Total Time:  107 hrs
Books Read:  18

When I Was Younger...So Much Younger Than Today

Week:  13

Mission:  Describe Reading Habits

     In gradeschool, I read a lot because I couldn't watch TV unless I visited my grandparents' house.  I mostly read fictional books, but was willing to read just about anything that sounded interesting.  When I came to WLA, I basically quit reading independently  (with the exception of Sports Illustrated).  This project has reminded me why I love reading so much.  I can't hear anything around me.  The world around me freezes while I am in another time, another place, another life.  Without professional help, I will probably continue reading because of this project.
      I began reading more books intended for adults, such as Gone With the Wind.  I started challenging myself and reading for both information and cultural enrichment.  I also read books just for fun, like all the Spencer Quinn novels and the Janette Oke/Davis Bunn books that I am currently reading.

Hours:  7
Total Time:  107 hrs
Books Read:18

You Ain't-a Nothin' But a Hound Dog

Week: 12

Mission:  Make 2 Inferences  
Book:  To Fetch a Thief
Author:  Spencer Quinn

     I read both Bill Cosby's Fatherhood and Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake this week; however, these books aren't very much fun to make inferences about.  I shall instead illuminate the inner workings of Spencer Quinn's devious mind in regard to a book devoid of literary value.

     Inference #1

     What I Just Learned:  Bernie went to Leda's house, and she mentioned in conversation that if she marries Malcolm, Bernie will be off the hook for alimony payments.

     What I Know Already:  Bernie is an honest man, loves his son Charlie, and wants what is best for him.  He has cash flow problems, but also knows that Malcolm is cheating on Leda.

      Conclusion:  He intended to warn Leda about Malcolm, but he doesn't want to spoil her happiness or be seen as a jealous liar.  The money solution is the straw that broke the camel's back, and he can't bring himself to break the news.

Inference #2

I found a dog to cast as Chet.

     What I Just Learned:  The missing animal trainer, Uri DeLeath, was killed in the desert by a puff adder smuggled into the country illegally.  His elephant, Peanut, is still missing.  Colonel Drummond, the circus owner, has money despite the fact that he admitted his circus is partly owned by banks.

     What I Know Already:  Elephants are expensive to feed, and cost the circus money.  Uri would not have left the circus under the influence of animal rights activists, but a note he wrote explains that this is his motivation for stealing Peanut.  Illegal animal trafficking is a big business, and Mexico has problems with this.

     Conclusion:  Colonel Drummond is involved in a scheme to kidnap Peanut.

    

Hours:  12

Total Hours:  100
Total Books:17

It's A Dog Eat Dog World

Week:  11
Mission:  Develop a celebrity cast.  I treated this as an all-time celebrity cast since I'm more up to date on old actors than current actors.
Book:  Thereby Hangs a Tail
Author:  Spencer Quinn
                                                Cast
Bernie:  Harrison Ford
Suzie:  Kim Basinger
Hippies:  Christopher Lloyd, John Lennon
Count Borghese:  John Travolta (not as a young guy; current)
Nancy:  Dana Torres
Earl Ford:  John Wayne
Les Ford:  Johnny Depp
Colonel Bob:  McLean Stevenson
Chet:  Any large mutt that can be trained


Time Read:  5 hrs
    Total Books:  15
    Total Hours:  88

If This Was an Oops Week, Would My Extension Last Until Next Sunday?

Week:  10
Mission:  Prove to Mr. Strusz that I read over break.
Books:  The Case for a Creator, Dog on It, The Centurion's Wife, Into the Wild
Authors:  Lee Strobel, Spencer Quinn, Davis Bunn & Janette Oke, Jon Krakauer

     I believe that we have spent more than enough time discussing The Case For a Creator.  Let us move on with our lives.  Suffering from a non-fiction overdose, I decided to go in the opposite direction with a book that had no real moral or literary value, Dog on It.  Two detectives, Chet and Bernie, find themselves investigating the disappearance of a teenager named Madison Chambliss.  Encounters with bikers, Russian gangsters, and a drug dealer are narrated by Chet as he follows wherever Bernie, his nose, or his stomach leads.  This book is perfect for anyone with an appreciation for dry humor and a love for canines--did I mention that Chet is a dog?
     The Centurion's Wife is historical fiction, set in and around Jerusalem in 33 AD.  Alban, a Gaul, has been commanded by Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas to investigate the disappearance of the body of the prophet who had been crucified to preserve the powder keg known as Jerusalem.  In return, Alban is promised the hand of Pilate's niece, a strategic marriage in line with the centurion's ambitions.  Leah, faithful servant of Pilate's wife, has been ordered by Procula to infiltrate the band of disciples following the prophet  that invades her mistress's dreams.  Leah abandons all hope of an endurable life when she is informed that she will be marrying an unknown centurian.  She fears that, like her sisters, she will be chained to a man who does not care about her and views her as a pawn to be manipulated for the sake of success.  Will Alban find acceptance and love?  Will Leah be able to trust a man?  Will they find the truth about this prophet, and if they discover the unthinkable, will they allow this message to control their lives?  Well, duh.  Why else would this book be written?  Nice how the title didn't give that away.

The bus where Chris McCandless lived in Alaska .

     Into the Wild is non-fiction about Chris McCandless, a college graduate who traveled western North America with only a backpack, living off the land and occasionally joining civilization for a few months before feeling the need to move on.  His last great adventure was attempting to survive in the Alaskan wilderness.  He lasted over 100 days, but made two fatal mistakes.  He knew that wild potato plant roots were safe to eat, but did not know that the seed pods of the same plant were toxic.  His second mistake was not having a map.  If he did, he would have known that there was an abandoned zipline downstream that he could have used to cross the river to safety and civilization.

Books read:  14
Time this week:  24 hrs
Total time:  83 hrs

Great Expectations

Week:  9

Mission:  Evaluate Expectations vs. Reality

Book:  The Case for a Creator

Author:  Lee Strobel

     I expected this book to be like The Case for Christ; in fact, that's why I decided to read it.  It's not.  This book is science, science, science.  I breezed through The Case for Christ.  This book, especially the physics chapter, is occasionally slow reading, and that's the opinion of someone enrolled in chemistry, physics, anatomy, and GTA II.  I thought about dropping it, but stubbornness and interest won.  I'll likely finish it by my next post, but no promises.
     I expected Lee Strobel to be a fundamentalist, so I was surprised that, in this book, the Big Bang and idea that the Earth is millions of years old are often taken for granted as facts compatible with Genesis.

The components of a bacterium's motor.

     In some ways, this book has exceeded my expectations.  I never expected it to be so beautifully educational.  I read some sections and think, "That's so cool.  My mind has been blown."  Did you ever wonder why the Earth tilts on its axis?  Well, without the moon, the tilt would vary from 0 to 85 degrees.  That's not good.  Did you ever wonder why Earth doesn't get blasted by numerous comets?  Fortunately, we have a cosmic shield, a sphere with a mass over 300 times greater than that of Earth--Jupiter.  Mars and the moon also contribute defensive surface area.  What's the most amazing motor in existence, capable of 10,000 rpm?  It happens to be microscopic and power the flagella of bacteria.

Time this week:  2 hrs
Total time:  59 hrs
Books read:  10

Theory vs. Science

Week: 8
Book:  The Case for a Creator
Author:  Lee Strobel
Mission:  Identify antagonists
Antagonists:  Myths and Lies
     At the beginning of the book, Lee Strobel takes on four principal evolutionary arguments: 

The Tree of Life, Cambrian Explosion not included.

• The Stanley Miller Experiment--In 1953 Stanley Miller reproduced the earth's early atmosphere, shot "lightning" through it, and produced amino acids, the building block of life. 
• Darwin's "Tree of Life"--This summarizes Darwin's idea that life developed from one ancestor, the root, and resulted in many branches of species.  This change took place gradually over long periods of time. 
• Ernst Haeckel's embryo drawings:  Ernst Haeckel drew embryos of various vertebrates at three stages in their development to show the similarities in embryonic structure.

• 

  Archaeopteryx

  Archaeopteryx:  This half-bird and half-reptile fossil is the "missing link" between reptiles and birds.  

Antagonists exposed:

• The Stanley Miller Experiment:  The environment used was a hydrogen-rich mixture of methane, ammonia, and water vapor, which was scientifically correct at the time.  That was 1953.  Today, scientists believe that the environment contained very little hydrogen, which would have escaped into space.  Instead, it consisted of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and nitrogen.  If the experiment had used the correct gases, the result would not have been amino acids.  According to Jonathan Wells, Phd, Phd, who studied at both Berkeley and Yale, some textbooks misleadingly report that the result would be organic molecules, not mentioning that these molecules are formaldehyde and cyanide--embalming fluid.
• Darwin's "Tree of Life":  The key to this theory is slow development over time.  The fossil record has shown that this theory cannot be true, most noticeably in the case of the Cambrian explosion.  Before this geological time period, the fossils are "jellyfish, sponges, and worms" (p. 44)  At the beginning of the Cambrian, arthropods and chordates quickly appear, directly contradicting the tree.
• The Embryo Drawings: Haeckel deliberately chose embryos that appear similar.  For example, he represents amphibians with a salamander instead of a frog (frogs embryos appear much less similar), and his most circulated diagram depicts four placental mammals.  The most important dishonesty is the fact that what is labeled the "early" stage  of embryonic development is actually the midpoint.  At early stages of development, these embryos are actually less similar, which essentially takes away any support that they offer the theory of evolution.
• Archaeopteryx:   This fossil is a bird with modern feathers, not a half-bird, half-reptile creature.  In addition, Dr. Wells says, "Birds are different from reptiles in many important ways--their breeding system, their bone structure, their lungs, their distribution of weight and muscles.  It's a bird, that's clear."  More importantly, in an area of study known as cladistics, it is taught that birds evolved from reptiles.  In the fossil record, reptiles with bird-like bodies are found "millions of years after archaeopteryx...the missing link is still missing!"  Furthermore, the archaeopteryx isn't even an ancestor of modern birds--it's a member of an extinct species.  

Books Read:  10
Hours Read:  3
Total Time:  57

    

Two Sides to Every Story

Week:  7
Mission:  Find a plot twist that would have made your book more interesting.
Books:  The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis, Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom.
Brief Synopses:
           ~The Great Divorce:  C.S. Lewis dreams that hell is an endless space waiting for something sinister to happen.  Before that day, the people in hell can take a bus to heaven.  He hops on the bus finds himself in the land in front of heaven.  He and the rest of the visitors from hell have lost their bodies and appear only as ghosts.  People from heaven have traveled to this plain to try to convince the ghosts to stay in heaven, but C.S. Lewis sees ghost after ghost reject the help offered.  Moral of the story:  When people go to hell, it is their own fault.
              ~Tuesdays With Morrie:  Mitch discovers that his old professor, Morrie, is dying of Lou Gehrig's disease and begins to visit him every Tuesday to learn from him.
Possible Plot Twists:
     ~The Great Divorce:  C.S. Lewis begins trying to convince the ghosts to stay in heaven and needs to flee further into heaven after they violently oppose him.
      ~Tuesdays With Morrie:  Mitch visits Morrie every year after he graduates from college.  One year, they take a trip to Los Angeles.  A producer for Dancing with the Stars sees Morrie dancing and invites him to make an unprecedented appearance on the show.  Morrie declines because he does not care about fame.

Time This Week:  6
Total time:  54 hrs
Books Read:  10  (I am maturely dropping the .5)

Strategical Documents Unclassified!

 A formerly classified correspondence has just been unveiled to the public.  The letters, which date back to WWII, were written by a demon, Screwtape to his nephew, Wormwood.  They contain professional advice concerning the temptation of an unnamed English man.  

    The temptations suggested by Screwtape, a tempter who has earned an office job after years of service in the field, range from worldliness to hypocrisy to lust to despair.  Time after time, he proposes a new mode of attack, although in the end his nephew is defeated by the untimely death of his "patient."

     "Wormwood is an incompetent moron unfit for service," said Screwtape.  "I am clearly not responsible for the failing of his mission.  The unveiling of the letters does not affect me; it is unfortunate only because it compromises the strategies available to the workers of Our Father Below.  We shall severely punish the man who has revealed them."

     Wormwood was unavailable for comment.  An anonymous source revealed that it was advisable not to investigate the matter further.

     Also released with the above documents was a transcript of a speech by Screwtape entitled "Screwtape Proposes a Toast."      

Books Read:  8.5
Time this week:  4 hrs
Total Time: 48 hrs

We Are Thomas

Week: 5
Mission:  5 reasons I would or would not be friends with the author of my book
Book:  The Case for Christ
Author:  Lee Strobel
Credentials:  Master of Studies Law degree from Yale Law School, 13 years with the Chicago Tribune
Scenario:  An atheist is on the prowl with one purpose:  Investigate Christianity, establish the facts, and determine how reliable the Bible is, how trustworthy the New Testament authors were, and exhaustively scrutinize the Crucifixion and Resurrection.
Conclusion:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_OTz-lpDjw&ob=av2e
Result:  An atheist becomes a Christian.
  Reasons we would be friends:
     1.  We love writing, researching, and asking questions.
     2.  Our minds follow a similar pattern of operation.  We sift through data, select and analyze the pertinent facts, and come to a conclusion.  We view situations with a detached, non-emotional clarity and possess a down-to-earth, practical attitude.
     3.  We do not easily trust.  I am not a skeptic, but I do not have an easy time believing something without proof.  We have asked many of the same questions about faith.  We have both wondered, "Who is this Jesus?"  I know what it is like to wrestle with doubt.  We need to see the nail marks.
     4.  We know who we are.  That is, we know exactly how much we need forgiveness.  We have no illusions about our true nature.  We know what we've done, but we also know that Jesus loves us even when we look at ourselves and hate ourselves.
     5.  We are passionate about what we believe.  Faith cannot be something that is lived one hour a week on Sundays.  Faith changes and controls lives.  We cannot have our hearts halfway into our faith--it's 100% or nothing.  We believe what we preach.
Hours this week:  6
Total hours:  44
Books read:  7.5

The Sound of Music

  For all of you that cannot sleep at night because you wonder what a sound track for The Five People You Meet in Heaven would sound like, I have good news:  It has arrived.
     When Eddie arrives in heaven, he discovers that he will visit five people who will explain a part of his life to him.  He meets each of them in a place that is their own personal heaven.  The first man he meets is a former freak show employee at Ruby Pier, where he worked for most of his life.  I chose Basin Street Blues by Louis Armstrong because it is a bit upbeat, like Ruby Park in its prime.  More importantly, the Blue Man has a sad story to tell, but doesn't dwell on the unpleasantness of his story.  His general attitude is that life goes on, and the world keeps spinning.
                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USHkR5tmxHk&ob=av2n
     The next person he meets is the Captain, from his army days in Vietnam.  I chose this Jewish lullaby from WWII because it has a heavy, military drumbeat.  It isn't the usual upbeat military music because it reflects the Captain's sacrifice.
        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-B_r4tookc
     The next person he meets is Ruby, who teaches him to forgive.  Her heaven is a serene mountain scene with a brightly lit diner to welcome anyone who was hurt at Ruby Pier.  Her song is "This is Where the Healing Begins" by Tenth Avenue North.
                       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFUHrXfuNU4&feature=related
     The next person he meets is his wife, Marguerite.  She lives in a world of weddings and happiness.  Her song is "I'm A Believer."
                   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfuBREMXxts
     Eddie's fifth visit is to a little girl that he somewhat accidentally killed while in the Philippines.  Her song is "Heaven is the Face" by Steven Curtis Chapman.  Eddie didn't know that she died, and is horrified to learn the truth about the shadow in the flames.  He loves the girl, and is comforted by the fact she is in this beautiful place.
                     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9JTwJ_1lzE
Hours this week:  10.25
Total hours read:  38
Books read:  6.5  (The Firm, Cosbyology, Gone With the Wind, Torn, Bow's Boy, The Five People You Meet in Heaven)

Burning Questions

    I have finished The Firm and moved on to Gone With The Wind.  I don't want to spoil the book for those of  you ambitious enough to have it on your reading lists, so I won't go into detail concerning the plot.  I do need, however, need to inform you about the two main characters. Scarlett O'Hara is a ruthless Southern belle who will stop at nothing to protect Tara, her family's plantation.  Rhett Butler is a dashing but immoral blockade runner who used the war to get rich.

Q:  Why did Rhett at last decide to join the army?   

A:  When he saw the man pick up the boy, something moved him.  Maybe he realized how much he was needed, or finally respected the men who fought.  Perhaps a factor was guilt--he did, after all, abandon his own people.  Even the most selfish and conscience-dulled people have regrets.  Maybe he simply did it, like most of the things he does, just because he could.  One thing is certain:  he didn't do it for the sake of his reputation. 

Q:  How has Scarlett changed?  What about her character has stayed the same?

A:  Scarlett began the story as an ignorant, pampered child.  She didn't have to face the realities of life; she could waste her time chasing pleasure.  She was fearless, unaware of danger or troubles.  She loved her pristine reputation and fiercely protected her mother's view of her.  By the middle of the book, she has become a hardened, strong woman that is capable of accomplishing just about anything she puts her mind to.  She fears only hunger, poverty, and the loss of Tara.  Her reputation means nothing to her.  Despite these drastic changes, she is still stubborn, selfish, and a master of manipulation.  It's still painful to read certain pages when she is obviously doing something that will cause a lot of pain and embarrassment for both herself and others.

Q:  Is it a bad thing that everything has gone with the wind?

A:  This book presents the antebellum South as a paradise with few problems.  It also vividly portrays two very good reasons why the Confederacy's defeat was a blessing.  Throughout the book, Africans are described as unintelligent and inferior.  Attitudes like this are still present today, but we have come a long way.  The fall of the South was necessary for this progress.  Scarlett is a symbol of the South, loved by many readers, but before the war she also embodies the oppression of women.  She is a "lady," pretending she is incapable of using her brain and expecting a future that is totally dependent upon her husband's generosity.  We may regret the violence and inhumane treatment that the South suffered and mourn the destruction of cities and farms, but it is untruthful and short-sighted to label all the changes brought by the storm as negative.       

Total hours read:  27.75  Books read:  2.5  Hours read this week:  I'm genuinely sorry--I have no idea when the week technically started.                                                                            

Catch-22 Cover Craziness

     I can remember only three books that I have given up on after reading more than the first chapter.  This is one of them.  I thought I was could read past the X-rated stuff, but I eventually figured out that it would continue the length of the book.  It was especially hard to give up on this book because it is very well-written, and I like the style.  The tone of the book is sickening.  It shows what war is truly like through the calloused eyes of Yossarian, the main character.   

     The cover has an airplane on it because this book is about American pilots stationed off the coast of Italy during World War II.  The red figure is a man parachuting without a parachute.  This symbolizes how the troops are stranded in Italy, suspended and dangling with no one looking out for their welfare.  In the book, the officers with desk jobs care only about themselves and their careers; they view the fighting men as pawns in a game of military promotions.  Every time a pilot completes enough missions to be sent home, the colonel raises the number needed so that no one can escape from Italy.  The men are trapped in the air force and losing their sanity.  They are broken men, unable to function or think clearly.  The war has changed all of them.  The man is red because the book portrays the pain, emotional and physical, experienced by all soldiers.
     The cover is very plain.  It shows things as they are, looking past the details and masks.  That's also how the book is written.  It exposes the characters' motives and states cold, hard facts with no sugar-coating.  Yossarian, the main character, sees things in one dimension, not affected by others' perspectives.
     With that said, I quit about halfway through this book and read Cosbyology, which doesn't need describing.  It's Cosby.  He's funnier when you can see his faces and hear his voice, but I still enjoyed the book.  I am now planning to move on to John Grisham's The Firm.
         Total time read so far:  8 hours
         Total books:  1.5

Goals for the Reading Project

     My goal is to read over 25 hours and more than 7 books.  I am planning to read a wide variety of books, from a Sherlock short story to a futuristic novel to a few SI magazines,  the only textbooks I'll ever have to fight my brothers to read.  I also want to read one or two books that will challenge me, possibly including Catch-22 and Gone With the Wind.