A Duncan Sandwich.

"God is unlimited. Thought and language are limited. 
God is the fathomless but beautiful Mystery Who creates the universe and you and me, and sustains it and us every instant, and always shall. The instant we define this fathomless Mystery, It is no longer fathomless. To define is to limit. The greater a person's confidence in their definition of God, the more sure I feel that their worship of "Him" has become the worship of their own definition." -David James Duncan


Holy cow. I love David James Duncan. I hug his book. I am putting aside imminent responsibilities right now to read God Laughs and Plays. Thanks, Molly. I blame it on you. 


But really, as I read, I find myself thinking, "Hey, you are stealing my thoughts!" And I am not narcissistic to think my own thoughts are original, but it is definitely refreshing to see my own wanderings and questions put into so many words. He's such a good writer.


"Like grace, wonder defies rational analysis. Discursive thought can bring nothing to an object of wonder. Thought at best just circumambulates the object, the way a devout pilgrim circles Golgotha, the Bo Tree, Wounded Knee, the Kaabah. Wonder is not an obligatory element in the search for truth. We can seek truth without wonder’s assistance–but seek is all we can do: there will be no finding. Until wonder descends, unlocks us, turns us slack-jawed as a plastic shepherd, truth is unable to enter. Wonder may be the aura of truth, the halo of it. Or something even closer. Wonder may be the caress of truth, touching our very skin." -David James Duncan


Sigh.

Cat's Cradle

Just finished Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut. It was probably the most thoroughly unenjoyable yet unresistable book I've read. And Vonnegut has become one of my heroes. He was such a loveable cynic. On the one hand, he seems to have a hope in the goodness of humanity. But on the other, he sees its detrimental flaws. 


This is what Cat's Cradle is about-the end of the world, at the hands of humanity. It revolves itself around the fake religion of Bokononism, which is so attractive to me in that followers live based on lies, and they know it. They don't try to pretend they know anything to be absolutely true. Bokononism doesn't pretend to have the ability to "know" God and His plans. 


But, in the context of the actual novel written in the midst of the Cold War, the book in my opinion seems to be a criticism of the human (and nations') hunger for power at the expense, ultimately, of what? The possible, and probable, end of the humanity itself. Cat's Cradle is a wake-up call, and a much needed one at the time. What an incredible man, incredible writing. Thank you, Vonnegut, for taking the time and energy that was your life to help an ignorant college student like myself open my eyes to the danger it is to be made of mud.

stop and read the books.

What does it take to be a person who makes something of the world? Who changes things? Who gets things done?

Pretend your life is a room. I feel like Christians today feel so satisfied with rearranging the "furniture" of life (if you will) and maintaining the clutter that we do nothing to actually change anything about the room. We don't do anything drastic, like repaint the walls or lay down new carpet. We are satisfied with doing the very least just to get by in life. We are so busy putting the books in alphabetical order and don't take the time to read them. Maybe we should stop focusing so much on not doing the wrong things, and focus on doing more things right.

One verse I read a couple days ago sparked this train of thought.

"The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." Romans 8:16-17 (emphasis mine)

Provided is the word that got me. Some versions say "if" or "if so be that". Does this mean that if I don't suffer, I am not an heir of God? It seems that Paul has emphasized that in order to share in God's glory, we must suffer in this life. I am still learning what this means, and it may take a lifetime and beyond for me to understand this. As Cody puts it, "If everything is going right, there must be something wrong." But I think that statement is too simple. It is okay for things to go right. Success is not wrong. But the great thing about Christianity is that neither is failure. Failure, the valley of the shadow of death (Ps. 23), hard times, depression, call it what you will, is a sign that you are trying. You can't fail if you haven't taken the risk of failure. And those risks, all that stretching we do, that bending over backwards in life, that suffering for Christ, will all be worth it when we reach the comfort the end brings. But if you don't feel the need to suffer for Christ like He did for you, the challenge is: What business do you have calling yourself a Christian? Are you a Christian only because of what God has done for you? What about the reason He came-to free us from the fact that we could never repay Him?

We need to be stepping up as Christians and taking the risk. We need to be uncomfortable because we realize we aren't doing enough, because God's mercy is too infinite for us to ever repay him. So paint the rooms of your life. Gut the whole frickin' house. Don't just organize your bookshelf-read the books.

books I wish I would have written first.

Here are some recent reads of mine you should definitely check out

(and some personal commentary):

Middlemarch, by George Eliot
-First of all, it will be useful to know that "George Eliot" is actually a pen name for a woman named Mary Anne Evans. Back in the 1800's, women often used pen names so people would pick up their books because men were a lot more respected. This is an amazing book; long, but a classic worth the read. To sum it up, it is about a town set in the 1830's (called Middlemarch), and all the drama that happens. You suckers for happy endings, this is a good pick for you :) It is a very long book, like 839 pages, and the characters are difficult to sort out at first, but it is a classic I will definitely read again. I cannot say that about many books.







Night, by Elie Wiesel
-It is real. It is stomach-twisting, tear-jerking, unbelievable, gruesome, but real. The author is a Holocaust survivor, and it is his story. Shortly after finishing this book, I found out it is a trilogy, the books being Night, Dawn, and Day. They are very short books, and easy-to-read, but not so easy to stomach. Highly recommended.








Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
-This is now one of my favorite books (ever.) I know I say this a lot, but seriously. It is so good. It is about an African-American man named Macon Dead, (and Pilate Dead) and his journey. There is so much more to it, though. I love how Morrison intertwines so many motifs and themes: all in one beautifully composed book! There is not much I can explain about this work; you will just have to see for yourself. Something to keep in mind: the author won a Nobel Peace Prize in Literature. Now if nothing else convinces you to read her books, that should!





Some great resources to use to read classics (free!) online:

www.literaturepage.com
www.online-literature.com