partsofspeaking

Context and perspective: This is a book with a lot of nugget verses wedged between hard to understand parts. So, if you just sit down and try to read it like the newspaper, you will get sidetracked and confused, then find a neat verse (a promise for example) but miss the context and why it’s there and thus its full meaning. II Corinthians must be read SLOWLY. At the same time, once you understand the overall context , there isn’t a need for a lot of commentary because it’s pretty clear. It’s as if we are sitting down to listen to the intense conversation of a long-married couple. There will be a lot of emotion and many references to past incidents that won’t make sense unless somebody tells us the back story; after we know that, we’ll understand completely, or at least as much as another person can understand what is in another’s heart. The book is more personal than doctrinal, more experiential than theoretical, and more emotional than logical (which is not to say there is no lo

In my Franky planner this morning I found this quotation from someone named Paul Boese: Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future. Amen. Forgiveness has many names and faces, and has many misconceptions attached to it. Forgiveness does not make what is forgiven unimportant or ineffective or inconsequential. Everything still happened; "what happened, happened," to quote an enigmatic character on LOST. Everything still hurt. And it might still hurt some after forgiveness is granted. Forgiveness goes by the name of reconciliation, confrontation, absolution, atonement, propitiation, reparation, repentance (although these are not totally synonymous words). Lack of forgiveness is confining, controlling, enslaving, debilitating, disastrous. Lack of forgiveness is the root of bitterness, the seed of resentment. I have had much to forgive in my life; I still am seeking to forgive it, because unlike for God, I think for humans forgiveness is more pr

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/julyweb-only/59-11.0.html This article has spawned a lot of reaction. It's great, except for the writer's conclusion. Lord deliver us from experts. If we would just major on the majors--the real doctrines of Christ and radical obedience to Him, not these subgroups of certainty about dating, child-raising, money-managment, etc.--there would be a whole lot more unity and real fellowship in the body of Christ.

1. Yeah for Spain. Spain is a beautiful country; it is not a glorified Mexico, so don't order a taco if you go there. (This is not a slam against Mexico, also a beautiful place). I am glad they won the World Cup. I am also glad we don't have to listen to those vuvuzelas anymore. 2. Is it possible that no oil is gushing from the floor of the Gulf! Thank you, Lord--also that the weather has cooperated. I am not going to thank BP's engineers. 3. It is shameful that most of what is on TV news is the exploits of selfish sinners. Lindsay Lohan (lowlife), Mel Gibson, the Barefoot Bandit. 4. At a discipleship group today we discussed community. I think community is something we all want, but not as much as we want our autonomy. To live in community is to die to self, and to die to self is to die to our "rights" over total personal use of time and resources. We are torn by these two strong desires, urges in our human natures. Family and blood ties are also

What those dastardly, annoying horns at the World Cup are: Vuvuzelas. I could say something tacky right now about what the word sounds like, but I won't. As one comedian says, they look like something you would put transmission fluid into your car. Please deliver us.

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I finally read a Barbara Kingsolver book, The Bean Trees . Very nice. I read it all in one day, something I absolutely never do. I recommend it.

I have finished two books in the last month by Silas House. He's pretty good. No Cormac McCarthy, but a good storyteller. He writes about women well, a point at which he excels McCarthy. But I thought The Coal Tattoo (I also read Parchment of Leaves) just went on too long, and I got tired of reading about Anneth's sexual acts. House writes a lot about Pentecostalism and the Holy Spirit, but it is divorced from any other Christian doctrinal matter. I think he is trying to equate it with native American spirituality. When I find I like an author, I read two of them to get more of a flavor. My next try will be Kingsolver. I know, I know, I should have read her by now. But literature is not my primary area, so I am always behind in that regard. In respect to Appalachian literature, I am going to make a mean observation. Once a regional lit becomes a genre (and thus a college class subject area), the bar gets lowered. It's almost as if the writers in that genre no

By the way, part of the problem with spiritual gifts is that we think the exercise of them will lead to "success." Success equaling fame, notice, numbers, praise from others, results. Don't think so.

Interestingly, I have/had to teach on spiritual gifts in two different settings this week, a small group with college students and my Sunday Bible study class. "Teach" on them is not the right word; I just had to lead a discussion on them. With the college students I was going by a book by Richard Foster et al on spiritual formation (apparently there is a Bible translation that goes with it?) in the book of Acts. The book is quite interesting and was chosen by the BCM college minister, who actually has two colleges to minister at so I am helping some. Anyway, one of the questions in the books was "What spiritual gift would you add to the lists Paul gives in Ephesians, I Corinthians, and Romans?" My first response was, "Stupid question, if God wanted more spiritual gifts mentioned He would have done that." But I tried to think "outside the box" (cliche alert). Is it possible there are other spiritual gifts that are not mentioned, that might

In 2004, the Passion of the Christ came out. Despite being told by people who should know better that "I had to see it if I wanted to understand the crucifixion," I demurred. No, I didn't demur--I refused. I had read enough about the cross to know what was involved and was not going to be dependent on a Hollywood/Roman Catholic mystical version of it. Personally, I think people were starry-eyed because Mel Gibson had made it, and had even courted evangelicals so that he would get enough people to come and buy tickets. And why not? Evangelicals had not proven themselves to be all that savvy in other ways, so sure, they can be manipulated by a movie star who deigns to speak to them. I never saw the movie. I am probably one of three who didn't, but I didn't. Nor will I ever, just because I have a stubborn streak and don't like it when people say I have to do anything, especially that I have to do it to be spiritual. And I wasn't persuaded by Gibson&

Do not read The Christian World by Martin Marty. What a waste of time. Anyone who knows the subject won't learn a thing and will only be annoyed by his kissing up to the Muslims, who apparently never did a mean thing in 1400 years of existence. The big villain of his book is Martin Luther, ironic since Marty is a Lutheran. Go figure. But don't read the book. On the other hand, I have discovered Silas House. He is pretty good. One of the benefits of my life-change written about in previous post is that I won't be teaching literature in the fall, which is a mixed blessing. I am editing this after almost two years.  This post gets a lot of hits, so I fear it might be a bad example of this blog.  So, let me add something positive. My books, ha, ha, of course.  Google  my name to find them (Barbara G. Tucker) Serena by Ron Rash Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins anything Dickens (where would the novel be without Dickens?) Diary of a Country Priest

Good sense has been "eclipsed," apparently. Especially within the church. Talk about lack of Biblical discretion. The last few days have rocked my world--big changes. I am a little overwhelmed, but this is a good time for God's grace. Speaking of overwhelmed, there is so much evil coming out of Washington right now that we are tempted to become numb with it all. That might be the strategy. Hit the American people on so many fronts that they can't respond normally, just frenetically, to the onslaughts on our freedoms. The law of unintended consequences (or seemingly so). Because now 26-year olds can still be on their parents' health insurance, we have three results: 22-26 year- olds do not have to find a real job and grow up, companies who have older employees with children in that range are having to pay more to keep those young adults up, and companies that hire the twenty-somethings don't have to provide health insurance. The plan looks good and app