The Suburban Christian - Albert Y. Hsu

I was talking with my brother-in-law about this book and his first question was how the author defined the suburbs. I think that is valid point to establish first. The author starts by saying, "At a most basic and functional level, suburbia is that seemingly self-evident area that is neither urban nor rural and usually is situated between central cities and unincorporated open land." He goes on to point out that almost all suburbs share similar traits regardless of geographical location. Those traits include population density, home ownership, residential status, and journey-to-work. Today, more than half of all Americans live in a suburb, which makes it the largest mission field here at home.

I thought this was a great book because it combined a historical perspective of how suburbia developed, a current discussion of suburbs today, and practical questions/examples about how to live out Christ-like lives in the culture. I would not say I am a history buff, but I am growing to appreciate history more and more. It gives a broader picture of society in which you can see the gradual slippery slopes that are often imperceptible at any given moment. Suburbia has fostered and developed cultures of individualism, commuting, and consuming, which are not Christ-like. The American church, i.e. PEOPLE in America that call themselves Christian, have willingly or ignorantly descended on the slippery slope to a point where we are shaped more by our culture than the truth of scripture. I am a personal witness to a modern day life of individualism and consumerism in my "Christian" walk. God has been gracious to open my eyes to see the truth of the slavery I am in.

In our excess, we have forsaken devotion to God because our bondage is not yet painful enough. We are like the Israelites when God brought them out slavery in Egypt. In Exodus 16 is says that the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron and said, "Would that we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt, when we sayt by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger." Later in the journey, after Moses by God's power, has work so many miraculous wonders providing food and water, the people again complain in Numbers 20 when there is no water at the place they stopped saying, "If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord! Why then have you brought the Lord's assembly into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die here? Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us in to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink."

I believe we are no different. Christ has called us out as sons and daughters of God to live in the world but not be of the world. To follow Christ is a issue of faith, trusting that he will provide our needs, like food and water, until he brings us into the new kingdom. There are two options. We can live differently than the culture, forsaking our individualism and consumerism (conveniences) for authentic community where we love people, participate in the church, and live lives of discipleship while freely giving to the work of the gospel. Or, we can remain in the culture and cry out under the weight of increasing taxes, debt, commuting time, and health concerns because they assault our individualism and discretionary consumption.

In conclusion, consider the following scriptures:

Ephesians 5:11-16 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

1 Peter 5:8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Titus 2:11-13 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instruction us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus

I recommend this book to every Christian with a challenge: WAKE UP sleepers, be sober minded, be alert, be wise. Are you critically evaluating the decisions you make? Are you living sensibly and righteously, denying your worldly desires? The devil is the father of lies and has blinded minds of unbelievers (2 Cor. 4:3-4, John 8:44). If something is commonplace in the world, it should be a red flag that it may be a lie. Are you believing subtle lies because it is inconvenient, uncomfortable , or insignificant to consider the truth?

My prayer is that we will all attain to the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. No longer being children tossed about by every wind of doctrine (prosperity to the righteous), by the trickery of men (brand marketing), and by craftiness in deceitful scheming (take your pick); but that we will speak (and listen to) the truth in love, growing up in all aspects into Him who is the head, Christ. (paraphrase of Ephesians 4:13-15)

Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way - Susan McCutcheon

Since we are having a baby, I have been reading birthing books. Andrea and I have decided to go the midwife/birthcenter route, because we want personalized care and a medication free birth. In preparation for that I read this book.

The most striking statement in the book is that 90% of births that follow the Bradley Method are completely unmedicated. The other interesting comment is most hospital doctors have not been trained for the "normal", natural birth. They have been trained for births that need intervention; therefore, they are more apt to perform some type of intervention because they don't know if what is happening is "normal".

As with every area of life, it is our responsibility to be informed (critical thinking informed) and not simply rely on the information from any single source (e.g. doctor). The Bradley Method is really about being informed and aware of what is happening physiologically as birth occurs and working with the body. They have found that the biggest hindrance to labor progressing is the mother inadvertently fighting against the what is going on.

Another big component of the Bradley Method is the coach, who also understands the birth stages and supports and encourages the mother. They believe and recommend the best coaches are husbands. I think that is perfect.

I am not sure what else to say about the book in regards to details. I would recommend it to anyone that is going to have a baby. The method can be applied in the hospital and we have friends that have done that. It is a good counter-perspective to the established medical practice.

Two baby thumbs way up!

Vintage Church - Driscoll & Breshears

I have had this one done for a while but I am not real good about doing updates. Consequently, this summary isn't going to be as in-depth as some of my others.

The table of contents summarizes the book nicely. It is the Who, What, When, Why, Where, and How of the Christian Church. The authors seek to bring a clearer understanding of what the Church really should be from a Biblical basis. Driscoll frequently explains why the church he preaches at (Mars Hill; Seattle, WA) has done things a particular way and how that has changed through time. I did appreciate the authors advocating multiple ways to structure and do "church". For example, they recognize the need for large churches and small churches; denouncing the disunity and pride of seeing one as inherently more spiritual or valuable.

In conclusion, I felt this book serves as an excellent reference on the practical details of church today. I could see it functioning as the textbook for Church101.

Recommendation:
For those not familiar with the Church:
Yes

For those who have been burned by Religion:
Yes

For those who super liberal or super conservative:
Yes, we all need to challenge our skew between truth and grace

For those who think their Church is not being Biblical:
Yes, with prayer and discussion with your elders

For those planting a Church:
Yes, I think it provides some good perspective through many stages of church growth

For those who don't fall into the above categories:
Yes, unless you have more pertinent things to read.

Some Fresh Posts

Well, it has been a while since I updated this blog. I have slowed down on my reading primarily because of busy summer. This blog has been motivating though, because I am reminded each time I look at it or some other blog that I need to keep reading and posting. Thus, the blog is accomplishing one of my goals in starting it; keep track of my reading so I know when I am slowing down.

I am planning on getting three more books on this week. Nothing too long. Just quick thoughts on/about each book.

The Cholesterol Hoax - Sherry Rogers, M.D.

The fundamental point from this book is that high cholesterol is a warning sign of damage happening in the body. In line with other books I am reading, the damage is a result of trans fatty acids, pesticides, plastic chemicals (phtalates, BPA, PCBs, Teflon, etc), and heavy metals. Combined with a processed food diet that lacks natural nutrients (synthesized vitamins for fortifying, colors, preservatives can also contribute to the toxic load in your body), the body is not able to purge the toxins, which accumulate in the body until they produce disease.

Another interesting point is cholesterol is an incredibly poor predictor of heart attack. However, it is pushed to the forefront because the pharmaceutical companies have patented drugs that affect cholesterol. More predictive molecules in the body can only be affected (currently) by proper nutrients, which can't be patented and sold for a huge profit.

There are a lot of details in this book. It probably could have been half as long, but Sherry likes to make sure we get things in our head by repetition. I would recommend it for people that might have high cholesterol and especially if you are on a statin drug (if you have a drug for your cholesterol it is probably a statin). If you don't have high cholesterol, then I would recommend Detoxify or Die by Sherry Rogers, as it is probably more general and should help prevent high cholesterol (I haven't read it yet, but I am going to).

Take-Away Points

• At top research universities, scientific studies have shown proper nutrients are more effective at reducing cholesterol than statin drugs (the medical field has apparently chosen to ignore these studies).
• Statins and other drugs work by poisoning biochemical pathways that produce the symptoms. They do not address the underlying causes (unless it is a deficiency of that particular drug :P ) but almost always have a number of crappy side-effects because they are messing up the natural processes.
• Proper nutrients can regulate the cholesterol production pathway and help detoxify the chemicals that are causing high cholesterol in the first place.
• The body is a biochemical system that is designed to be nourished by correct foods. When the proper nutrients are available, the body can actually fight cancer and other diseases without all the side-effects. Each individual must own their health and not give it over to the pharmaceutical controlled, medical field that loves the profits it gets from cranking people through a doctors office, giving drugs to mask symptoms, and then providing additional drugs for the symptoms brought about by the side-effects.
  

The Hundred-Year Lie - Randall Fitzgerald

Great book. Dispels a lot of thinking that is either wrong or simply ignorant. It is a nice high-level look at our society, which allows you to see the bigger impact that has happened through the years in small steps. HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Some Random Points from the Book
I would call this book a historical documentary. It goes through the roughly the last 100 years (1906 to present) showing the how our society has bought into several lies.

1. The government (FDA) will protect me from harmful substances. NOT true! The FDA relies on studies from the manufacturers, showing that a product is "safe". Chemical companies are not morally upright. They are a COMPANY that seeks to make profit and will meet the written requirements of the FDA but not the spirit of the requirements.
   
2. The chemicals produced for plastics, pesticides, food additives, and medicines have been tested to be safe. It was startling that he reports that of the thousands of chemicals on record, only about 15% have health and environmental impact data.
   
3. Synthetics are better than natural options because they have SCIENCE behind them. I have been through the higher education system in science at a Research-1 university, and I can tell you that science is not impartial. It is very much like companies, out to get the funding and the recognition for research and not about people. Coming back to the book, the author's big problem is that science looks for a single chemical within a food (like vitamin E) and synthesizes that one chemical. However, the synthetic is often not identical to the natural version at some molecular level.
   

There are a number of other myths that the author addresses, but these are the key ones I wanted to mention. The book was quite sobering because of the overarching societal picture it paints.

Another key thing the author mentions repeatedly is synergies. For example, food has a synergy of components that make it easier to absorb the nutrients (like vitamin E). As well, the particular combination of nutrients in a given food makes it more effective at nourishing because it bolsters multiple systems within the body. On the negative side, synthetic chemical have synergies also. Chemical A (Teflon perhaps) and chemical B (pesticides found in tap water) may not cause significant harm if they were in the body individually (but it was never meant to be in the body). However, put chemical A and B in together and they cause havoc (anyone up for some chemical AB cancer?). Often this occurs when A and B are both lower in concentration than their individual government limits. It is impossible to test for all the potentially dangerous synergies between the hundreds of thousands of synthetic chemicals we currently produce.

This brings us to the food and medical industries. For thousands of years, humans have survived and done quite well with whole foods as their diet and natural remedies for sickness. Over the last 100 years, we have traded whole, natural foods for processed foods that have all (or almost all) of the natural nutrients stripped out and synthesized, chemical nutrients put in. Guess what, food additives are not food. They contribute to the chemical load in our body and do not provide sufficient nutrition. The food industry has plenty of lobbyist in Washington, constantly trying to convince authorities that cocoa puffs are heart healthy because they contain whole grain. Without proper nutrition, the bodies natural defense system, the immune system, cannot properly function and cells cannot properly function.

The human body is an incredible biochemical system that does a great job of maintaining itself with the proper building block (nutrients). However, the medical field on the back of the pharmaceutical COMPANIES now communicates that sickness and disease are a result of a synthetic chemical deficiencies, for which they have many options. When was the last time your doctor really helped you consider your diet and what nutrients you are getting. Has anyone ever had a doctor suggest you get blood work done to see what nutrients you have in your system. Probably not. Proper diet (i.e. one with real foods that take time to make like a couple generations before, which I will mention had almost non-existent rates of cancer and mental illness) is just too inconvenient when compared to the "magic bullet" pills. The author points out that drugs are designed to mask the symptoms in hopes that the immune system will take care of the underlying problem. When the immune system can't overcome, the drugs become life sentences. Going back to the synergies concept, drugs are often designed to affect one specific process in the body. This why there are often a cascade of side affects. We are putting CHEMICALS into our body that nature never intended to have there.

Shepherding a Child's Heart - Tedd Tripp, Part 2

Quick Background: As many of you know, I do not have children and therefore it may seem strange that I am reading a book about childrearing and reviewing it. I decided to read this book, along with the families in my small group, so that I would be able to understand and converse with the parents about raising children Biblically. This book is serving as a starting point for conversation. The children in the small group have been or will be dedicated, and as part of the dedication, the body of believers agrees to come alongside the parents. As well, I have found the shepherding principles laid out in the book are applicable to other relationships where I have some level of authority.

Disclaimer: I don't have children, therefore I lack some practical understanding. I submit this review humbly to the parents that may read it. I had a wonderful conversation with an elder from my previous church that is raising three children (oldest is now 16) and who teaches a parenting course based on this book (and the Bible of course). I have tried to include the key points he made during our conversation. He and I feel that this book is well founded in scripture and that if you don't agree with things stated, you must evaluate them against scripture and not worldly culture or personal preference. If you have not read the first post that is a scriptural preface, then please read that first here.

The Review and Summary:
To start, I would highly recommend this book to parents in particular, but also to anyone who interacts with children or anyone who has authority over someone. This review is going to be more of a high level summary.

Obedience -The starting point
Genesis, God gives Adam and Eve some simple commands to obey. Only one command specified something there were not to do, "Do not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil". From the beginning God required obedience. Jumping ahead to Jesus as he was about to ascend, he commanded his followers to "Go and make disciples...teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you." Again, God requires obedience. The question for every individual is whether you are going to submit your life to the authority of Jesus in obedience. Why does God require obedience? It is not because we can earn righteousness before him. It is because He is holy and has Authority over all things. Obedience is a sign of humble submission. It should not be surprising then, that the most direct command to children, stated in both the New and Old Testament (Ex. 20:12, Eph. 6:1, Col. 3:20, 1 Tim. 3:4), is for children to obey their parents. God has been gracious throughout history to give his people an intermediary to help us understand who God is and what he desires. This culminated in Jesus, who is the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15). For children, God has given them parents to help them understand their relation to Jesus and what he desires. To that end, the book highlights three fundamentals.

First, parents must understand their relationship to their children, as God has assigned it. God has chosen and prescribed that parents communicate His truth found in the scripture and exercise Authority. Second, a child's development is not simply a product of the environment they are in. Rather, it is a product of how the child responds to their environment. The book uses the terms Godward Orientation to Shaping Influences. Third, God's concern is with the heart and parents must be diligent to understand the sin in their child's heart that leads to the behavior they are witnessing. The rest of the book is details about Biblical methods, training objectives, and training methods.

Authority
Throughout scripture God gives authority to individuals. Kings, rulers, prophets, and parents. Consider Moses in Deuteronomy 6. He was given authority over God's people, Israel, and was given the task of teaching God's commands so that they might be Obedient. Likewise, God has given parents authority over their children and the task of teaching them to be obedient to God. The two words "to God" are key. Parents are God's physical representatives that children can see and interact with, but the parents must constantly direct their children to God. I think the profound implication from this is parents who do not require obedience from their children are allowing their child to continue in disobedience to God. I want to highlight that having children understand obedience is not so that their behavior is "correct" but so they understand that they are ultimately under God's authority and that they will be accountable to him.

I think a common question is "What is obedience?" The author clearly defines obedience as doing what you are told without challenge, without excuse, and without delay. It ties back to the idea that obedience is demonstrating submission to authority. Consider the following situation:

Your child loves chocolate and you tell him/her to finish their chocolate cake before they get up from the table. They eagerly eat it all.

At some level they are being obedient because they are following your direction. However, in their heart they want to eat the cake because of their own desire. Thus, there is no reason to challenge or delay or find an excuse. They are not being submissive because they are not subjecting their desire to some other authority. Consider the next situation:

You tell your child that they cannot have cake until they finish their broccoli. They subsequently...

• say, "But I don't want to eat anymore broccoli." challenge
• say, "Can I just finish this one piece." challenge
• push it around on their plate. Perhaps "accidentally" knocking one to the floor. delay
• say, "I can't get the little pieces on my fork." without even trying. excuse

For any of these responses, and any others that don't have the child eating their broccoli, the author would say that the child needs to be disciplined because they are being disobedient. I know people are going to have the reaction, "That is too strict and rigid" or "What about giving a warning". Let me continue and flush out what the author would say about those reactions. The author talks about an appeal process, but the process start with obedience. Continuing the previous example, the child starts by immediately eating some broccoli at which point they could say, "Do I need to eat these little pieces? I can't pick them up with my fork." By maintaining obedience first, the child is starting from a place of submission. As for a warning, the author makes the point that children are smart and they will learn (because you are training them) how much disobedience they can get away with before discipline occurs. In response to a common question he gets (If I follow your counsel, All I'll do is spank), the author make the following reply:

"The truth is, if parents are consistent with discipline, they will find quickly
that the child responds and the necessity for discipline decreases. Could it be that you are confronted with disobedience all day because you tolerate it? As long as you are unwilling to require precision in obedience you will have sloppy responses to your directives." (pg. 154)

I will wrap up the Authority section with a note on discipline. The elder from my old church commented that using the rod is not commanded in scripture, but is the one discipline that is highly praised. He and the book both advocate the wise use of the rod, which I will recommend you read in the book to learn more. The overarching principles for discipline (because spanking a teenager is not going to work) were expressed by my elder as

Discipline must be:

1. Immediate: Helps the discipline be linked to the disobedience.
2. Clear: You should be able to communicate in a sentence, why they are getting disciplined.
3. Costly: It must help the child understand the severity of sin. If the child is indifferent or unaffected, it is not discipline.
4. Compassionate: Your heart as a parent must be one of compassion towards to child (vs. anger)
5. Consistent: Two aspects. First, a particular disobedience should be disciplined every time. Second, there should be a consistent discipline for a particular disobedience.

The book makes the distinction that discipline is not punishment, but discipline is necessary for communicating that children are under authority; yours right now but ultimately God's.

Godward Orientation to Shaping Influences
This fundamental is around helping parents understand that how their child turns out is not simply a function of the environment that they grow up in but it is also a function of how they view themselves and others in relation to God.

Shaping influences (school, family values/roles/structure/history, etc) will bring out responses from your child. These responses inherently demonstrate how your child Godward Orientation. Because of our inherent sinfulness, it is possible to surround a child with "Christian" influences and have them reject Christ. It happens all the time. For example, a good shaping influence could be family dinner time. Consider how Godward Orientation can effect how a child develops.

Because family dinner time is consistent and Mom always makes the dinner, junior feels and develops a sense of entitlement. He is so "special" that he deserves to be feed regularly and served by someone. This may become evident when he is asked to help with dinner and he becomes indignant and has an attitude.

He was not disobedient at the family dinners leading up to now, but his orientation to God was not right. This is where parents my be proactive in helping their children understand that food is a provision from God. God desires that we serve on another.

Simply having the "right" context is not the only part of the equation. Parent must be diligent to teach and demonstrate the appropriate responses to Shaping Influences, which are born out of and understanding of who we are before God.

The Heart
This fundamental clearly flows out of the others. Parents must understand who their children are and not merely what they do. Who they are is their heart. Using Christian symbology, a child's behavior is the fruit of their heart. Simply addressing behavior trains a child to know what expressions of their sinful heart they can and cannot do (or at what times or for how long they can do it). The title of the book is such a great summary. We need to shepherd (direct and lead), children's hearts so that they understand their position before God. Only then will they recognize their need for a savior, Jesus Christ, and his power to live.

Although I am not going to go into detail, the two Biblical methods that the author puts forward are communication and the rod. In shepherding, communication is the key component and often overlooked because it is where the hard work is. He says parenting is often viewed as

• RULES
• CORRECTION
• DISCIPLINE (punishment in many cases)

There is very little communication in that list. Tedd Tripp adds communication in a variety of forms.

• Encouragement
• Correction
• Rebuke
• Entreaty
• Instruction
• Warning
• Teaching
• Prayer

He uses an example of a little kid giving its stuffed animal a drive of orange juice. That is not an offense that you discipline for. It is a opportunity to teach your child that stuffed animals can't eat and drink because they are not living, but God has given life to him and to sister and Daddy and Mommy and he provides for us. The difficulty is reacting to the inconvenience of the orange juice all over everything versus using the opportunity to direct your child's understanding of their place under God's authority and God's character.

God is so gracious in giving us tangible examples. There is a book by a shepherd regarding Psalms 23. The sheep learn to follow the voice of the shepherd. However, lambs will wander off from the flock, which is a place of danger. It is the same way for children, as it is for us, and as it was for the Israelites. When we are following and obeying, we are in a place of protection and good. When we wander, we are in a dangerous place. When a shepherd finally finds the lamb, he would break its legs with a rod and then carry the lamb on his shoulders. The entire time the lambs legs were healing, it would be in the closest place of protection and good, and it would hear the voice of the shepherd the clearest. What and incredible example, that communicates to me that most of shepherding should be communication, but that God has a place for discipline in order that we might hear and follow him closer.

THE END
If you have made it to here, I applaud you for your perseverance and thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings. I hope that my thought have encouraged you and possibly challenged you also. I know this review and summary is somewhat abstract, but I was trying to summaries and explain the big picture in the book. I would recommend reading it, so that you can get more of the context that Tedd Tripp presents and the associated details.

Humbly in Christ, Elliott

Shepherding a Child's Heart - Tedd Tripp, Part 1

I am starting this review with scripture, because that is where truth is found and that is what God has given us for guidance. The actual review will be in another post.

(2 Tim. 3:16) All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.

(Daniel 2:20) Daniel said, "Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him."

(1 Cor. 1:25) Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Deut. 6:1-7) Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it, so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. O Isreal, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the Lord, the God of you fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. Hear, O Isreal! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in the house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.

• God gave Moses authority over Israel as His agent and commanded to teach the Isreal the commandments, statutes and judgements of God.
• Israel was responsible to obey and do them, this was a sign of the Fear of the Lord (which is wisdom according to Proverbs and the contrast to foolishness).
• The result for the Israelites was prolonged days and that things might go well with them. Simply, obedience to God is for their benefit.
• The words are to be in their heart.
• Everything that you do throughout the day should be viewed as on opportunity to teach your children about obedience to God.

(Eph. 6:1-3) "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth."

• This is a reference back to the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:12) with similar promises to those given to Israel in Deuteronomy 6.
• This verse gives two reasons for obedience. (1) God has placed parents in authority over children and has commanded that they obey. (2) Children benefit when they obey, just as it is profitable for all of God's children to obey God.
  

(Mark 7:21-23) For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornication, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.

• Jesus is concerned with the heart and recreating the heart. He is not concerned with behavior modification, such that rules are followed and everything looks proper. This is the hypocrisy that he condemned in the pharisees, who he referred to as white washed tombs.
  

(Prov. 22:15) Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline will remove it far from him.

• Foolishness in this verse should not be confused with childishness (such as accidentally spilling a glass of milk). Foolishness is contrasted in Proverbs with wisdom, which is the fear of the Lord. Foolishness, then, is living without regard for God and his authority.
  

Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

I must say I quite enjoyed Great Expectations. I will also say it took me a long time to get through and I am not going to bore anyone with a summary here. If you are interested in a summary you should talk to me in person. One of the reasons I enjoy the book was that it was written differently than any book I can recall. The story is written from the first person perspective of the main character (Philip Pirrip, aka Pip). This creates a wonderful sense of friendship with Pip, because it feels like he is relating his story to you and not telling you some tale that he heard.

I will illustrate what I mean with an example, though not taken from the book.
A scene as most books would write it
As Pip walked along the road, he came upon the town bully, Johnny Apple Seed. Johnny was tall and thin, with long greasy hair. Often he would torment little Pip. As Pip approached, he kindly asked, "How are you today, Johnny?" However, being the constant target of Johnny's pestering did not make Pip really care how Johnny was doing.

Same scene as it would be written in Great Expectations
As I walk down the road, I saw that I was approaching the most troublesome person in all of town, Johnny Apple Seed. Knowing good Christian standards, I kindly asked, "How are you today?" Of course, I didn't really care how he was. Actually, I hoped that he was not well all and that his tall, thin frame and long greasy hair was the result of some strange disease that plagued him.

Often I felt like I was in Pip's head because you hear him talking through what he is thinking "behind the scenes" as he talks to or describes the situation he is in. This is particularly entertaining at the start of the book because Pip is only about 8 year's old and the world that he presents in the story is from the knowledge and understanding of an 8 year old. I feel that Dickens did a marvelous job staying consistent with that perspective. There is never a time that you get information or descriptions from someone other than Pip.

On an philosophical note, the book makes you really think about the things we give up and compromises we make in order to obtain wealth.

I would definitely recommend this for some pleasure reading.

Start of my Reading Blog

Today I decided to start a blog to document the books that I am reading. I saw several benefits of doing this.

1. It will help me process what I am reading and make me think critically about it.
2. I will be able to share condensed summaries and reviews, which I hope this will serve as a reference for others that may be interested in a particular book or topic.
3. I will have a history of what I have read.
4. Others will see what I am reading and be able to challenge the way I live if it does not line up with the things I have shared.
5. It will give me insight into the amount of reading I am doing.

I plan on having a list of what I have read and what I plan on reading, along with some indication of the books I am currently reading.