Tuesday 3 February 2009
Ahl al-Kitāb Book Club
This is currently just a germ if an idea, but watch this space for further developments and watch out for more writing on new blog www.ahlal-kitabbookclub.blogspot.com (Ahl al-Kitāb means People of the Book in arabic).
Monday 2 February 2009
If you don't have this book then sell your coat to buy it!
"What matters supremely, therefore, is not, in the last analysis, the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it- the fact that he knows me. I am graven on the palms of his hands. I am never out of his mind. All my knowledge of him depends on his sustained initiative in knowing me. I know him, because he first knew me, and continues to know me.
He knows me as a friend, one who loves me; and there is no moment when his eye is off me, or his attention distracted from me, and no moment therefore, when his care falters.
This is momentous knowledge. There is unspeakable comfort-the sort of comfort that energises, be is said, not enervates-in knowing God is constantly taking knowledge of me in love, and watching over me for my good.There is tremendous relief in knowing that his love to me is utterly realistic, based at every point in prior knowledge of the worst about me, so that no discovery now can disillusion me about him, in the way I am so often disillusioned about myself and quench his determination to bless me.
There is, certainly great cause for humility in the thought that he sees all the twisted things about me that my fellow humans do not see (and am I glad!), and he sees more corruption in me than that which I see in myself (which, in all conscience, is enough). There is, however, equally great incentive to worship and love God in the thought that, for some unfathomable reason, he wants me as his friend, and desires to be my friend, and has given his Son to die for me in order to realise this purpose..."
Knowing God Ch 3 pg 45-46 J.I.Packer
He knows me as a friend, one who loves me; and there is no moment when his eye is off me, or his attention distracted from me, and no moment therefore, when his care falters.
This is momentous knowledge. There is unspeakable comfort-the sort of comfort that energises, be is said, not enervates-in knowing God is constantly taking knowledge of me in love, and watching over me for my good.There is tremendous relief in knowing that his love to me is utterly realistic, based at every point in prior knowledge of the worst about me, so that no discovery now can disillusion me about him, in the way I am so often disillusioned about myself and quench his determination to bless me.
There is, certainly great cause for humility in the thought that he sees all the twisted things about me that my fellow humans do not see (and am I glad!), and he sees more corruption in me than that which I see in myself (which, in all conscience, is enough). There is, however, equally great incentive to worship and love God in the thought that, for some unfathomable reason, he wants me as his friend, and desires to be my friend, and has given his Son to die for me in order to realise this purpose..."
Knowing God Ch 3 pg 45-46 J.I.Packer
Why I love Bookshops
"It is the most friendly vocation in the world,” he announced…“A bookseller is the link between mind and mind, the feeder of the hungry, very often the binder up of wounds. There he sits, your bookseller, surrounded by a thousand minds all done up neatly in cardboard cases; beautiful minds, courageous minds, strong minds, wise minds, all sorts of conditions. And there come into him other minds, hungry for beauty, for knowledge, for truth, for love, and to the best of his ability he satisfies them all…Yes…it’s a great vocation.”
“Greater than a writer’s?” asked Felicity.
“Immeasurably,” said Grandfather. “A writer has to spin his work out of himself and the effect upon the character is often disastrous. It inflates the ego. Now, your bookseller sinks his ego in the thousand different egos that he introduces one to the other…Yes…Moreover, his life is one of wide horizons. He deals in the stuff of eternity and there’s no death in a bookseller’s shop. Plato and Jane Austen and Keats sit side by side behind his back, Shakespeare is on his right hand and Shelley on his left.” He paused for a moment while Felicity took Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights gently away from him. “Yes. Writers, from what I’ve seen of them, are a very queer lot, but booksellers are the salt of the earth.” "
Elizabeth Goudge
“Greater than a writer’s?” asked Felicity.
“Immeasurably,” said Grandfather. “A writer has to spin his work out of himself and the effect upon the character is often disastrous. It inflates the ego. Now, your bookseller sinks his ego in the thousand different egos that he introduces one to the other…Yes…Moreover, his life is one of wide horizons. He deals in the stuff of eternity and there’s no death in a bookseller’s shop. Plato and Jane Austen and Keats sit side by side behind his back, Shakespeare is on his right hand and Shelley on his left.” He paused for a moment while Felicity took Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights gently away from him. “Yes. Writers, from what I’ve seen of them, are a very queer lot, but booksellers are the salt of the earth.” "
Elizabeth Goudge
The Homeliness Factor
There is some literature I love, because of the ordinariness it focuses on, the everyday grittiness, and gentle normality of it's content. When it also is combined with poetic and lyrical language, books like these are a real delight.
The books that I love the most and reread over and over again often fall into this category.
One example of this is A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken. But I want to write about this another time.
Jane Eyre is the book I was thinking of today. I love the way it begins:
"There was no possibility of going for a walk that day. We had been wandering, indeed, in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning; but since dinner (Mrs Reed, when there was no company, dined early) the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so sombre, and a rain so penetrating, that further out-door exercise was now out of the question.
I was glad of it:I never liked long walks,especially on chilly afternoons:...."
Jane Eyre Ch1 pg1 Charlotte Bronte (1847)
You will have to read it if you want to know what happens next!
The books that I love the most and reread over and over again often fall into this category.
One example of this is A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken. But I want to write about this another time.
Jane Eyre is the book I was thinking of today. I love the way it begins:
"There was no possibility of going for a walk that day. We had been wandering, indeed, in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning; but since dinner (Mrs Reed, when there was no company, dined early) the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so sombre, and a rain so penetrating, that further out-door exercise was now out of the question.
I was glad of it:I never liked long walks,especially on chilly afternoons:...."
Jane Eyre Ch1 pg1 Charlotte Bronte (1847)
You will have to read it if you want to know what happens next!
Sunday 1 February 2009
"...this amazing day..."
"i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)
how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any—lifted from the no
of all nothing—human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?
(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)"
e.e. cummings
This is proving to be too much fun.
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)
how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any—lifted from the no
of all nothing—human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?
(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)"
e.e. cummings
This is proving to be too much fun.
Reading Plan
I have read a number of times Luci Swindoll's book, "Wide my world, Narrow my bed". One particular chapter is entitled Academics and she outlines two different goals and reasons for reading and books that might fit into each category.
These are her goals and the suggested list of books for each goal.
"God-A knowledge of His Abilities. Suggested goal from the Bible:
1 Chronicles 28:9
....know the God of your father, and serve him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him;.."
"Suggested Reading List
1) The Confessions of St. Augustine
2) Ethics-Dietrich Bonhoeffer
3) Pilgrim's Progress-John Bunyan
4) Mere Christianity-C.S. Lewis
5) Knowing God-J.I. Packer
6) Man's Problems-God's Answers-Dwight Pentecost
7) Robust in faith-Oswald Saunders
8) The God Who is There-Francis Schaeffer
9) True Spirituality-Francis Schaeffer
10) Basic Christianity-John R.W. Stott
11) The Strong and the Weak -Paul Tournier
12) The Knowledge of the Holy-A.W. Tozer
Humanity-A Knowledge of Our Responsibilities
Suggested Goal, from Report to Greco by Nikos Kazantzakis
"Nothing is certain. For that very reason, every individual, has a great responsibility in our amorphous uncertain age, a greater responsibility than every before. It is in such uncertain, possibility filled times that that the contribution of a people and of an individual can have incalculable value.
What, then, is our duty? It is to carefully distinguish the historic moment in which we live and to consciously assign our small energies to a specific battlefield."
Suggested Reading List
1) The Speeches of Winston Churchill
2) Civilisation-Kenneth Clark
3) Crime and Punishment-Fyodor Dostoevsky
4) An American Tragedy-Theodore Dreiser
5) Interpretations of Life-Will and Ariel Durant
6) Markings-Dag Hammarskjold
7) Scarlet Letter-Nathanial Hawthorne
8) Report to Greco-Nikos Kazantzakis
9) Orthello-William Shakespeare
10) Travels with Charley-John Steinbeck
11) Anna Karenina-Leo Tolstoy
12) The Power of Art-John Warbeke"
Wide my World, Narrow my Bed by Luci Swindoll (1960)
So there are the two lists. If you are reading this what would be your goals in reading? And if your goals were similar, what books would be on your list?
These are her goals and the suggested list of books for each goal.
"God-A knowledge of His Abilities. Suggested goal from the Bible:
1 Chronicles 28:9
....know the God of your father, and serve him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him;.."
"Suggested Reading List
1) The Confessions of St. Augustine
2) Ethics-Dietrich Bonhoeffer
3) Pilgrim's Progress-John Bunyan
4) Mere Christianity-C.S. Lewis
5) Knowing God-J.I. Packer
6) Man's Problems-God's Answers-Dwight Pentecost
7) Robust in faith-Oswald Saunders
8) The God Who is There-Francis Schaeffer
9) True Spirituality-Francis Schaeffer
10) Basic Christianity-John R.W. Stott
11) The Strong and the Weak -Paul Tournier
12) The Knowledge of the Holy-A.W. Tozer
Humanity-A Knowledge of Our Responsibilities
Suggested Goal, from Report to Greco by Nikos Kazantzakis
"Nothing is certain. For that very reason, every individual, has a great responsibility in our amorphous uncertain age, a greater responsibility than every before. It is in such uncertain, possibility filled times that that the contribution of a people and of an individual can have incalculable value.
What, then, is our duty? It is to carefully distinguish the historic moment in which we live and to consciously assign our small energies to a specific battlefield."
Suggested Reading List
1) The Speeches of Winston Churchill
2) Civilisation-Kenneth Clark
3) Crime and Punishment-Fyodor Dostoevsky
4) An American Tragedy-Theodore Dreiser
5) Interpretations of Life-Will and Ariel Durant
6) Markings-Dag Hammarskjold
7) Scarlet Letter-Nathanial Hawthorne
8) Report to Greco-Nikos Kazantzakis
9) Orthello-William Shakespeare
10) Travels with Charley-John Steinbeck
11) Anna Karenina-Leo Tolstoy
12) The Power of Art-John Warbeke"
Wide my World, Narrow my Bed by Luci Swindoll (1960)
So there are the two lists. If you are reading this what would be your goals in reading? And if your goals were similar, what books would be on your list?
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