Earlier this month I wrote about the books I’d read during my sabbatical. I thought I’d post another update before leaving for Italy.
Before my break, my friend Nick suggested I read The Voice of Jesus by Gordon T. Smith. I really enjoyed this book. Smith takes the spiritual traditions of three different Christian leaders — a Jesuit (Ignatius), a Methodist (Wesley), and a Puritan (Edwards) — and pulls out their commonality. This is molded into a model for understanding God’s intentions … or as the book title makes clear, a method for hearing the voice of Jesus. I especially enjoyed his take on “community” as neither being modeled in the individual autonomy of the West nor the Eastern model “which subsumes the individual within the collective”. The last chapter, on the process of communal discernment, may be the best. An excellent book.
Renee is one of the big sisters in my life who nags me into being a good person, and she recommended I read The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller. I’m glad she did. It’s a short book (77-pages on my iPad) and is an easy read, but it has a profound message. Keller’s treatment of the parable we know as the Prodigal Son is fantastic. And in case you are wondering, I’m definitely more the older brother than the younger one (read the book and you’ll understand).
As for my Scripture readings …
* The book of James.
* I am reading a few verses of Psalm 119 each day until I finish it. The chapter reinforces the idea of obedience as the ultimate expression of loving God.
* Hebrews is a challenging book; sometimes the theology is easy and straightforward, sometimes deep and profound (and beyond me). I’ve always appreciated the last verses of chapter 2 laying out so obviously why Jesus died: so we would be freed from our fear of death. What a radical change in life we’d all have if we truly were free of that fear.
* I Peter is such a breath of fresh air in the New Testament. Peter writes thoughtfully, but the letter is filled with energetic words like “prepare” and “action”. Chapter 1 verse 13 uses both words, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action.” Love it.
* II Peter always struck me as the perfect sequel. It’s just as bold as I Peter and wonderfully harsh on blasphemers who are “blots and blemishes” and are like a “dog who return to its vomit.” If I were around in the day, Peter would be my friend. We’d hang out and make smart aleck remarks about other people. We’d also wonder what the heck Paul was writing about in his epistles.
Arrivederci … off to Italy!