"Our sense of God is the shape of our wonder"

 

Our sense of God is the shape of our wonder, the yardstick of our values, the spur of our devotion, and the criterion of our adoration. That is why it matters so intensely. Any ‘prophet in history’ is in a vital way the clue to God in His heaven. What the word spoken authorizes, employs, develops, vindicates, and bequeaths, becomes thereby an index to its great commissioning.

~ Kenneth Cragg, pgs 29-30

 

  I recently finished up another class with ISRME in which we considered Kenneth Cragg's book Muhammad and the Christian at length. It was really clarifying. This quote stuck out to me even beyond the context of the book though. It reminds me of the Tozer quote, "What comes to our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us." Cragg, typically, speaks not only poetically but also with erudition.

Hopkins' 'Peace' - "That piecemeal peace is poor peace!"

  I was introduced to lots of poetry when I was young, and I memorized a good bit of it too, both by choice and due to curricular requirements. However, it's only been in the last few years that I have begun to appreciate more complex verse. Bits of T. S. Eliot's Four Quartets wooed me (Trying to learn to use words, and every attempt... OR The wounded surgeon plies the steel...) and drew me into that set of poems. Now a book of Gerard Manley Hopkins' work has been [kindly] thrust upon me. It's often complex to the point of feeling incomprehensible at first, and yet... there's something there. This one, 'Peace' felt meaningful today, both personally and globally.

Peace

When will you ever, Peace, wild wooddove, shy wings shut,

Your round me roaming end, and under be my boughs?

When, when, Peace, will you, Peace? I'll not play hypocrite

 

To own my heart: I yield you do come sometimes; but

That piecemeal peace is poor peace. What pure peace allows

Alarms of wars, the daunting wars, the death of it?

 

O surely, reaving Peace, my Lord should leave in lieu

Some good! And so he does leave Patience exquisite, 

That plumes to Peace thereafter. And when Peace here does house

He comes with work to do, he does not come to coo,

He comes to brood and sit.

Amasya: Nature, history, and time with friends

 This summer, as a family, we had the chance to visit Ankara and Amasya. We really enjoyed it, and I'll share a few pictures. We had a really lovely time with the friends that we visited!

Amasya is famous for apples, and we got to visit a small family orchard of mixed fruits. We sampled peaches, apples, and plums fresh from the tree!

A child picking plums from a tree so heavy laden that branches broke.

Sabuncuoğlu Şerefeddin statue - he was a innovative and skilled healer writing one of the great texts on healing in the 1400s. The herbs he recommended for use are planted around the museum with labels and details for how they were to be used. He also believed in using music to support the healing of those with mental health disorders (as we would describe it). The pictures of his implements and methods (which he illustrated in his books) makes surgery sound terrifying. I don't suppose it's any more attractive these days.

text about Sabuncuoğlu Şerefeddin and the hospital he worked in which is now the museum

The inner courtyard of the hospital (now museum)

a historic door in the Amasya History Museum; it has dragons on it. You can see them more clearly below.

look at the handles

a variety of oil lamps

vessels for pouring out drink offerings / libations

3500-year-old ancient statue

Amasya's riverfront at night

Amasya's river houses illuminated at night

Trabzon, Rize, Batumi (Georgia) - a celebratory trip with friends

  I'm close to turning 40, and since I didn't want a big party, my wife suggested that I take a trip with close friends and celebrate that way. So we did. We visited Trabzon, Rize, and Batumi. Sumela Monastery was definitely a highlight of the trip. Excellent food was also important. Most important was the fellowship of friendship which allowed us to share things temporal and eternal.

SUMELA MONASTERY and its environs

The view from the trail to the monastery

Outside the entry to the monastery

The monastery buildings

View from a distance (by the church)

Melchizedek and Abram fresco

St. George and the Dragon (I think)

The walls were covered with the biblical narrative, starting with the creation at the top. The monastery seems to have functioned as a school of biblical training to some extent. The frescoes do not seem to be standard icons, to my uneducated eye.

More of the biblical narrative in frescoes

The view from the parking lot. Technically you can walk to the monastery from there, but it was apparently 4 kilometers, most of which was at a steep angle. We paid the $1.50 to ride the bus; the driver kept it interesting.

A stream near the parking lot

TRABZON

The view from a beautiful breakfast restaurant

Gravestone headpiece explanations for Ottoman-era tombstones, which often include the headgear of the deceased on top to indicate the deceased social status

The seraphim and the four beasts around the Throne. This is the central ceiling fresco in Trabzon's Hagia Sofia church building, converted to a mosque, converted to a museum, now converted to a mosque again.

Historically the four beasts before the Throne are linked to the four gospel accounts (Matthew with the man, Luke with the bull, John with the eagle, and Mark with the lion.) 

Jesus teaching at the Temple as a youth

exterior of the Hagia Sofia (Trabzon)

column designs still fascinate me 2 decades after World History 101

The Last Supper fresco - the use and non-use of halos was interesting to me.

Christ as Judge (Pantokrator)

Trabzon city walls / fortress

Trabzon city walls / fortress from a distance

RIZE

 

Rize panorama

Rize at night, notice the massive tea cup on the left

BATUMI

 

Georgian side of the border

delicious Georgian food

 Panorama of Batumi

The Grand Gloria Hotel looked very impressive, at least from the outside.

a small, quite new church building by the border

some words of Ignatius to the Ephesians

  Continuing (earlier post) through the Apostolic Fathers in the beautiful translation by Michael Holmes, I have now come to Ignatius' letters to the churches as he was taken to an expected execution for the sake of Christ. This was most likely during Trajan's (98-117) or possibly Hadrian's reign (117-138). These words, chapters 7-9 of his letter to the Ephesians, are picturesque and powerful in speaking to both the devotional and daily life of the Christian. The entirety is worth reading; but I've highlighted a few spots.

7 For there are some who are accustomed to carrying about the Name maliciously and deceitfully while doing other things unworthy of God. You must avoid them as wild beasts. For they are mad dogs that bite by stealth; you must be on your guard against them, for their bite is hard to heal. 2 There is only one physician, who is both flesh and spirit, born and unborn, God in man, true life in death, both from Mary and from God, first subject to suffering and then beyond it, Jesus Christ our Lord. 

8 Therefore let no one deceive you, just as you are not now deceived, seeing that you belong entirely to God. For when no dissension capable of tormenting you is established among you, then you indeed live God's way. I am a humble sacrifice for you and I dedicate myself to you Ephesians, a church that is famous forever. 2 Those who belong to the flesh cannot do spiritual things, nor can those who are spiritual do fleshly things, just as faith cannot do the things of unfaithfulness, nor unfaithfulness the things of faith. Moreover, even those things that you do according to the flesh are in fact spiritual, for you do everything in Jesus Christ.

9 But I have learned that certain people from elsewhere have passed your way with evil doctrine, but you did not allow them to sow it among you. You covered up your ears in order to avoid receiving the things being sown by them, because you are stones of a temple, prepared beforehand for the building of God the Father, hoisted up to the heights by the crane of Jesus Christ, which is the cross, using as a rope the Holy Spirit; your faith is what lifts you up, and love is the way that leads up to God. 2 So you are all participants together in a shared worship, God-bearers and temple-bearers, Christ-bearers, bearers of holy things, adorned in every respect with the commandments of Jesus Christ. I too celebrate with you, since I have been judged worthy to speak with you through this letter, and to rejoice with you because you love nothing in human life, only God.

Opportunities to become expert learners

 The quote below comes from a lecture I heard last year. I saved it then but am just now getting around to posting it. Especially as a language teacher, it seems more important to me to develop good learners than to pass on specific content. Both are important; both are my job. However, one of them is inherently limited; the other is open-ended.

"Every learner should have the opportunity to become  an expert learner."  ~ Reem Hamodi

the good news in a prayer

Here's a bit more from Clement of Rome. The second bolded portion (verse 4) reminds me very much of the terms Jesus used to declare 'the good news (or gospel) of the kingdom of heaven'. A truly beautiful prayer that reflects a certain universality of the compassion of God towards his people in every condition of need. In this sense, the Gospel offers no comfort to the need-less or sufficient; and yet, every type of human need is of importance to the Primal Source of all creation.

  [Grant us, Lord,]* to hope on your name, which is the primal source of all creation, and open the eyes of our hearts that we may know you, who alone are highest among the high; you are holy, abiding among the holy. You humble the pride of the proud; you destroy the plans of nations; you exalt the humble and humble the exalted; you make rich and make poor; you kill and make alive. You alone are the benefactor of spirits and the God of all flesh, looking into the depths, scanning the works of humans; the helper of those who are in peril, the savior of those in despair; the creator and guardian of every spirit. You multiply the nations upon the earth, and from among all of them you have chosen those who love you through Jesus Christ, your beloved servant, through whom you instructed us, sanctified us, honored us. 4 We ask you, Master, to be our helper and protector. Save those among us who are in distress; have mercy on the humble; raise up the fallen; show yourself to those in need; heal the sick; turn back those of your people who wander; feed the hungry; ransom our prisoners; raise up the weak; comfort the discouraged. Let all the nations know that you are the only God, that Jesus Christ is your servant, and that we are your people and the sheep of your pasture.

~~~

 1 Clement 59:3-4 

*the very first 3 words are the editor’s emendation

Morning Grace

Inch Plant

 

  Last year an old friend sent me a copy of The Apostolic Fathers with a note saying how encouraging these ancient writings had been to him. (These writings are some of the oldest Christian writings that have been preserved outside of the New Testament.) On this quiet and beautiful spring morning, I have enjoyed a bit of 1 Clement. He had a a beautiful way with words. Chapter 32:4-33:8...

And so we, having been called through his will in Christ Jesus, are not justified through ourselves or through our own wisdom or understanding or piety, or works that we have done in holiness of heart, but through faith, by which the Almighty God has justified all who have existed from the beginning; to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

What then shall we do, brothers? Shall we idly abstain from doing good, and forsake love? May the Master never allow this to happen, at least to us; but let us hasten with earnestness and zeal to accomplish every good work. For the Creator and Master of the universe himself rejoices in his works. For by his infinitely great might he established the heavens, and in his incomprehensible wisdom he set them in order. Likewise he separated the earth from the water surrounding it, and set it firmly upon the sure foundation of his own will; and the living creatures that walk upon it he called into existence by his decree. Having already created the sea and the living creatures in it, he fixed its boundaries by his own power. Above all, as the most excellent and by far the greatest work of his intelligence, with his holy and faultless hands he formed humankind as a representation of his own image. For thus spoke God: "Let us make humankind in our image and likeness. And God created humankind; male and female he created them." So, having finished all these things, he praised them and blessed them and said, "Increase and multiply." We have seen that all the righteous have been adorned with good works. Indeed, the Lord himself, having adorned himself with good works, rejoiced. So, since we have this pattern, let us unhesitatingly conform ourselves to his will; let us with all our strength do the work of righteousness.

  Look at that description of how the Lord acted after the 'good works' which he did in creating the universe: he rejoiced! May we also do good works which give us cause for godly rejoicing!

******

  Other than this section, my favorite section has been his writings about hospitality, especially as seen in the Old Testament. That section is about a page long and can be found here, chapters 9-12.

Kalanchoes

the non-Marco Polo travellers of the Middle Ages

A few years ago, I came across references to Ibn-Batuta, who travelled from Morocco across much of Africa and Asia. In modern day terms, he visited Kenya and Somalia and Egypt and Mauritania and Mali and Niger at different points in his life. He traveled throughout the Middle East and Central Asia; he also took a long journey that took him to India, China, and Indonesia. Naturally, he wrote a book letting others (like us) know that he did all this. This was in the 1300s. His claimed travels are the most of any recorded before the modern era. Have you ever heard of him?

Ibn Batuta

The guy that did Marco Polo in reverse at about the same time... Well, today I came across Rabban bar Sauma, an Eastern Christian  who was a Uygur born in what is now Beijing who traveled across Asia, planning to go to Jerusalem, but eventually was sent as far as Paris, meeting with various European kings along the way. Naturally, he wrote a book telling about his travels. This was in the late 1200s.

 Or, there's Zheng He. The brilliant Chinese admiral who was a Muslim. His sailing took him to Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Arabia, and eastern Africa. He had a translator along who wrote a book. This was the early 1400s.

Look them up; they are incredibly interesting, and there's tons of information about them in one form or another.

2023 Reading (13th annual edition)

  The year 2023 likely equaled 2022 in being basically unprecedented in my life for breadth and extent of reading. The combination of access to a great library system with fabulous inter-library loan opportunities and taking sabbatical time gave both time and space for constant reading, especially early in the year. I have highlighted a few particular recommendations, but the only ones that I would not suggest have been clearly labeled as such. I've weeded out the ones that I didn't care to bring up.

NON-FICTION

Walking on Water by Madeleine L'Engle - Recommended to me by Andrew Peterson's Adorning the Dark, this is another beautiful reflection on godly work. Like Peterson's book it masquerades as a book on art and faith. Really all work done well seems to be a combination of 'science' and 'art'; writing, or art, is no exception. L'Engle argues that all good art is good religion, bad art is bad religion. A profound book. 

First I checked it out of the library; but about a chapter in, I bought it so that I could mark it up. I read it in parallel with Wrinkle in Time series, including Many Waters and An Acceptable Time, each of which I enjoyed for the first time.

Manana by Justo Gonzalez - a commentary and critique not only of "Western" (actually, "Northern") theology but also of its culture from through a Hispanic lens. This is an older work now but maybe even more insightful because the issues he mentions have in many cases grown clearer over time. (earlier post on the book)

Return of the Prodigal by Henri Nouwen - It'd be hard to express the impact of this book on me. It was beautifully expressive of the Good News of Jesus; it was deeply thought-provoking. When good friends give you good books as gifts, it's always best to read the... but at the right time. This one had to wait for about 4 years, and then it was the right book this past spring. 

Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne a book I definitely intend to complete someday, but I found out I could loan it from Turkey, so I returned it to finish later. As far as I got was riveting! I also found

Mother of Royalty: An Exposition of the Book of Ruth in the Light of the Sources by Yehoshua Bachrach - a post with my thoughts

A Call to Istanbul by Constance Padwick - This is a lovely biography of a Canadian man born and raised in the Ottoman Empire who later returned and led the work of the Bible Society in Turkey and Lebanon. I'd never heard of him, but he lived and loved many of the same places that I do. His love for all people, but especially those of Turkey, was beautiful to read about.

Becoming Brave: Finding the Courage to Pursue Racial Justice Now by Brenda Salter McNeil - I previously posted some excerpts from this, and it was a beautiful read, simple in some ways and rich in others.

The Prophecy of Isaiah by Alec Motyer - This has been a great resource as I studied in Isaiah!

Fly by Wire by William Langewiesche a quite good, but not great, book about 'the Miracle on the Hudson' as well as a consideration of a lot of different aspects of the airline business and lifestyle

A Habitual Sight of Him: The Christ-Centered Piety of Thomas Goodwin (edited by Beeke) - This was a really nice little book that is easy to use as a daily devotional (35 readings).

I'm Still Here by Austin Channing Brown, Pollution and the Death of Man by Schaeffer (previous post); The Call of the Minaret by Kenneth Cragg (previous post); The Teacher by Augustine (previous post); Birlikte Yaşam / Life Together by Bonhoeffer; 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership; Troubled by Truth by Kenneth Cragg; The Master: A Life of Jesus by John Pollock; Sacred Companions by David Benner; Jesus' Sermon on the Mount by D. A. Carson

FICTION

Shane by Jack Shaeffer - I enjoy Westerns. This one became an instant favorite. It's well-told; it's got a unique perspective. It was both gripping and left an element of mystery. 

Daddy by Loup Durand - oops, lost a library book!

Harry Potter - One of the joys of fathering is sharing the joy of reading and being shared with. My oldest daughter and I are each making our way through Hogwarts for the very first time. We're doing it together.

A Cast of Stones and sequels by Patrick Carr - I enjoyed it and will eventually re-read it. Sadly my least favorite part was probably the last chapter.

Goodbye Mr. Chip by James Hilton - When I went looking for a short novel about teaching for my Reading Skills I class, this is what I came up with. It had some challenges, but overall we enjoyed it.

Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu

The Golden Rendevous by Alistair MacLean - How was there a book by one of my favorite older authors that I had never read?!?! Anyways, it ws typical MacLean; if you've read enough of his works, there was nothing shocking even if there was a bit of variety.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - I couldn't love it, but it was interesting and well-written. It's just not my preferred genre.

Serpent of Moses by Don Hoese - a sequel to an interesting Christian fiction book I read years ago. Another Indiana Jones-style book...

Recommendations from years past: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011