God of second chances allows us to rebuild after implosions

Using the analogy of a building imploding on itself---planned and carefully prepped for the event, Eric Geiger walks us through the process of a life being ruined, and yes, imploding.  He reminds us that although the implosion of a building occurs within seconds of the button being pushed, a lot of work has gone into prepping the building for its demise. Often months’ worth of planning, with steps being taken to weaken the foundation are involved. And so it goes with the imploding life.  It doesn’t just happen.  

In How to Ruin Your Life: and Starting over when You Do (B&H Books, 2018) Geiger walks us through the process- it probably starts small, and seems innocent. A casual flirtatious comment, a party with friends where things get a little out of hand, maybe a random pornographic image popping up on the computer screen-followed by a deliberate search for more of the same.  Over weeks, months, or years, the behavior continues. Theoretically no one knows what’s going on. But then there are whispered insinuations, snide comments, and lots of flapping jaws, until suddenly the open secret is secret no more, and the world as you know it ceases to exist. Family, job, reputation gone. They disappear quickly, but it’s been in the works for some time.

But the good news is that we serve a God of second chances, and we are given the opportunity to start over, we get the ‘redo’.  When buildings are slated for destruction by implosion, a lot of planning goes into that final moment. And then the obvious work of the rebuild occurs.  And a lot of that work is obvious—the hauling away of the debris, digging the hole where the foundation will be laid, framing, adding subsequent stories, roof and walls, and then the inside work, plumbing, electric, plastering, painting, flooring and all the other small details are taken care of.  And so it is with a ruined life. It seems like the destruction may have taken only a moment, but there was lots of hidden stuff. And then the rebuild occurs, and much of that work is obvious. And it takes time. Lost trust is not recovered overnight. A ruined reputation is not quickly restored.

We all know people whose lives have imploded. Some of them resign themselves to their new status as loser, and never recover. Others turn to the ‘God of Second Chances’ and do the necessary work to rebuild.  And they often come out stronger than before, with an incredible testimony of God's grace.

I think this book should be required reading for pastors. And maybe be re-read at periodic intervals as a reminder of the slippery slopes upon which we frequently find ourselves.

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5/5

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review

thoughts on "The Prayer Wheel"

When I saw the title The Prayer Wheel: A Daily Guide to Renewing your Faith with a Rediscovered Spiritual Practice (Convergent Books, 2018) by Patton Dodd, Jana Reiss, and David Van Buren, I was excited to read about an ancient prayer practice. Unfortunately, the excitement pretty much stopped there. Yes, there are interesting connections to be made between the Our Father, the Gifts of the Spirit, the Beatitudes, and the events of the life of Christ, but when put together in this wheel, as a way to help focus daily prayer, I found myself more and more confused, rather than focused.

                There are undoubtedly people whose minds work in much the same way as those of the authors, or perhaps a more in-depth understanding of the ancient practices would have been beneficial, but for me this book just doesn’t work.  I found it to be less of a guide, and more of a daily list of written sentence prayers. 

                I received a copy of this book from the “Blogging for Books” program in exchange for posting a review.

               3/5

Experience the First Testament in a new way

             For the sake of transparency, let me say that I love the Old Testament. (Don't get me wrong the New Testament ties with the Old for my favorite). But as much as I appreciate and enjoy reading the OT, there are times when things don't make sense.  Yes I have a concordance; I read the commentaries; different translations, and even paraphrases, are often helpful; but still, sometimes I just don't get it.
            Why? Because quite often, even after traveling to the Holy Land, I don't understand the culture. I often don't even understand the local culture of the 21st century, so there's no way I can pretend to understand the culture in which Jesus grew up and ministered 2000 years ago.  I want to understand it though, so when I was browsing a list of books for review, I was drawn in by the title of Lois Tverberg's new book,  Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus: How a Jewish Perspective Can Transform Your Understanding (Baker Books, 2017).

         And before I go any further, let me say that I was not disappointed. Tverberg has spent time in the Holy Land, studying the language, getting to know the people, and learning about the culture. She is able to help the reader see how things make sense when we learn to read them with middle-eastern eyes. Not everyone in the world thinks the way the typical westerner might. Reading this book helps me remember that, and gives me insight into how the people reading the scrolls might have interpreted them. Much differently than I do, because they had the oral history to help them put things in context. And many people had memorized the Torah (books of the Law). They had studied the teachings of the rabbis, and they knew the scriptures.  I have trouble remembering any passage longer than John 11:35 (Jesus wept.)
              And then we remember the familiar saying "It's Greek to me!".  Greeks and Hebrews had entirely different ways of ordering things, and looking at the world.  While reading the chapter " Greek Brain, Hebrew Brain' I was reminded of this difference, and was able to remember that there were a couple of different worldviews in play.
             Jesus knew Scripture, he used it, quoted it, applied it, and invites us to do the same. And with His help, it's so much easier.
              All in all I found this to be a very enjoyable, informative book, written in an easy to understand manner. Highly recommended for anyone who struggles with making sense out of some of those passages that need the background information that may or may not be included in your study Bible
5/5