The Heavens Proclaim His Glory: A Spectacular View of Creation Through the Lens of the Hubble Telescope, created and compiled by Lisa Stilwell

"One light-year is six trillion miles.

The Milky Way Galaxy is 100,000 light-years across.

(That's 600,000,000,000,000,000 miles.)

There are about 350,000,000,000 galaxies in the universe."

So begins The Heavens Proclaim His Glory, a coffee table book featuring a colorful array of real images from NASA's Hubble Telescope. Comets, planets, stars, supernovae, galaxies, and even entire clusters of galaxies are presented in glorious fashion, while quotes from Scripture and Christian writers highlight the spiritual significance of their existence and beauty.

The images contained in this book are spectacular and awe-inspiring. Words will do no justice to the almost terrifying sense of wonder these photographs can awaken in the viewer. As the title of the book indicates, the heavens tend to speak for themselves.

That being said, I found the various quotes from Christian writers to be more of a distraction than anything, especially the anti-evolution stuff. I would have enjoyed the book more had it just stuck with Scripture. That way it could have had more room to explain in a little more detail exactly what was being depicted.

Regardless, the pictures are what make the book truly worthwhile. If you have any sense of wonder regarding the cosmos, you'll want to check these out, and I hope that Christian publishers will put out more books like this.

Two More.

I have two books up for review today:



The Search for Significance: Seeing Your True Worth Through God's Eyes by Robert S. McGee (No relation to the Bobby McGee of the famous Janis Joplin song)

and



What Women Wish You Knew About Dating: A Single Guy's Guide to Romantic Relationships by Stephen W. Simpson

I'm reviewing these two books together because they contain very similar ideas. I know what you're thinking--on the surface, they don't appear to have much to do with each other. But I've learned through reading them and through my experiences that the subjects of these two books are inextricably linked. More specifically, a proper perspective of one's own self-worth is one of, if not the most vital component of healthy relationships. And so it is by a quite happy coincidence that I happened to stumble upon these books at around the same time.

McGee's book, The Search for Significance, may at first seem like a fluffy, feel-good, Christian self-encouragement book. At least, that was my first impression. The only reason I gave it a shot was because it was recommended to me by a trustworthy source. When I read it, I discovered that it wasn't about just making you feel good about yourself. It's about correcting the deep-seated self-perception issues that often lie at the root of our most unflattering behaviors.

Reading the book is a lot like reading an instruction manual about yourself. You'll often have moments of thinking, "OH! So, THAT'S why I respond [this certain way] every time someone does [this certain action] to me.

And once you read it, a lot of it seems like it should have been so obvious, but I think we mostly just don't realize that there's actually something we can do about this stuff. And like I said earlier, the solution is not simply to encourage ourselves and make us feel "special." The solution is a sober perspective about the true nature of God's forgiveness and grace, which is a humbling perspective, but at the same time allows us to live our lives without constant worry about deriving our self-worth from the opinions of others, living up to expectations, succeeding at our work, etc.

Dr. Simpson's book, What Women Wish You Knew About Dating, could almost be described as McGee's book applied to dating. It's addressed to men (as indicated by the title, although it has some cool sidebars for the ladies as well), and Simpson places a heavy emphasis on developing a sense of confidence and strong self-identity before pursuing a serious relationship.

I picked this up after reading Donald Miller's recommendation on his blog, in which he says that this is the book he wishes he had read when he was in his 20's. Dr. Simpson spends a good portion of the book talking about this idea of becoming your own man, then in the rest of the book he gives specific advice concerning the process of asking a girl out, the first 3 dates, and a little about what to do when the relationship becomes serious.

As far as Christian dating books go, I haven't read many, but this one is refreshing because it goes well beyond simple do's and don'ts. The first few chapters on what it means to develop into a godly, mature man are especially good, and would be useful to any man, regardless of whether you are currently dating, trying to date, or not even thinking about dating.

These two books have been an invaluable contribution to my spiritual growth over the last couple of months. They have challenged me to leave childish ways behind me, to take responsibility for my life, and to work on becoming the man that God has created me to be. This is the kind of manhood I can work with. It has nothing to do with being macho; it's simply about being mature. It's hard, but I'm finding that taking full responsibility for one's own life is the only way to truly live. And, as a side benefit, it makes you into the kind of man that a good woman could see herself marrying. : )

3 For the Price of 1!

Hello, fellow bibliophiles! I haven't been keeping you up-to-date about my reading habits, so it's time to play ketchup.

Just try not to get any on your shirt! (And please forgive the lack of detail, due to covering 3 books at once.)

First up:


In the reading group I'm taking part in, the 2nd selection was George Orwell's 1984. It was a fairly enjoyable read, especially once the love interest of the protagonist is introduced about a third of the way in. Dystopian fiction centered around totalitarian governments isn't usually my thing, but Orwell crafts his story skillfully enough for a casual reader to enjoy. Also, I appreciated the shock value of the ending, which I won't spoil here.

Next:


Yep, I recently read yet another book about Lost (I think this is no. 5 for me). Orson Scott Card is the editor of Getting Lost . . . Rest of the Title is Really Long. It's a collection of essays, and as is usually the case with any such anthology, there's some good ones and some bad ones. A few of these were great, but I'd say more than half of them were dull. Anywho, I still haven't stopped processing this show and its effects on my imagination. Not sure when I will.

Lastly:


Herman Wouk's The Language God Talks is difficult to categorize or even describe. Wouk is a fairly renowned Jewish-American novelist who happens to practice Orthodox faith and have an armchair fascination with science. He's written a handful of non-fiction works, and this most recent one is a kind of shot in the dark aimed at illuminating overlap in the spheres of science and religion. But don't mistake this book for a research paper. Wouk stays true to his poetic side and attempts to make his point in images, rather than systematic arguments. It works well enough for me. This subject is kind of a hobby of mine, and I enjoyed reading a different approach to it.

Well, now you're caught up on my reading habits. What have you been reading? I'd love to hear from you in the comments.

The Catcher in the Rye

You could call Salinger's novel a story about a young man who struggles to live a normal life after the death of his younger brother. Even though, in a sense, that's technically true, it's a deeply inaccurate description of the nature of the book.

A better description would be that it is a book of page after page of funny, wonderfully-written prose that takes you right into the head and the heart of its compelling and oddly loveable narrator, Holden Caulfield. I say "oddly loveable" because he's quite the misanthrope. He likes almost no one, and rarely has anything positive to say. But Salinger constructed him in such a way that breeds a sort of instant familiarty. And the way that he thinks and talks is somehow just funny as hell. And you especially begin to sympathize with him when you learn that his younger brother, Allie, died a few years before the events of the novel, and it becomes evident that this tragedy probably stunted his maturity and is largely responsible for why he is the way he is.

And of course, Holden doesn't hate everybody. His fondness for the memory of his brother is the most beautiful and moving part of the whole novel, especially when Holden reflects on Allie's old baseball glove. Also, Holden is generally fond of children and particularly affectionate towards his little sister, Phoebe, who seems, in the end of the novel, to play a redemptive role in his life.

The Catcher in the Rye is both entertaining and strikingly beautiful; it is well worth anyone's time to read it.

Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage

Everyone should read this book! And please, let me qualify that statement by adding that I don't say that often. I can usually keep a sober judgment about a book; I try to discern whom among my friends would like it and whom wouldn't. So I don't speak carelessly when I say, again, everyone should read this book!

I found it by a chance encounter in Barnes and Noble. The title interested me, I picked it up and read the back cover, table of contents, sat down, read the introduction and 1st chapter and I was hooked. I had no idea who Elizabeth Gilbert was until I read on the cover that she also penned Eat, Pray, Love, which, again, I knew very little about, except for what the cover looked like and that it was a best-seller. Irrelevant.

Committed is essentially two books in one: informal, yet well-researched musings on the history of marriage, interspersed with a personal narrative about previously-divorced Gilbert's journey towards remarriage with a Brazilian man named Felipe, also previously divorced. Though serious about their relationship, neither had any intentions to legally tie the knot ever again, until their hand was forced by immigration issues with Felipe. Gilbert decided she wanted to do it right, so in the 10-month process of waiting for all the paperwork to be processed before they could marry, Gilbert decided to at least try to come to terms with the whole institution, in both an intellectual sense and an emotional sense.

The reason that EVERYONE needs to read this, or at least almost everyone, is because almost everyone is married or is contemplating marriage at some point in the future, and the wisdom that Gilbert finds in her journey is inspiring, beautiful, and practical. The historical/cultural sections are well-handled, engagingly-written, and delightfully educational. Not to mention the fact that the story of "Felipe and Lizzie" that looms behind it all is as sweet as anything I've read.

The primary reason I like this book can be found in the subtitle: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage. In many ways, marriage is being increasingly devalued in our country. You could call me a skeptic, as I struggle with the idea myself. Such a long commitment. Such an enormous responsibilty! Thoughts such as these cast a shadow over whatever romantic aspirations might arise in me from time to time. To watch Gilbert come to the conclusions that she does, without the aid of a Bible or pastors telling her the way things are "supposed" to be, is, for me, an ultimate affirmation of this ancient institution. Rather than simply allowing wisdom to rain down on her in the form of divine revelation, she digs deep for it, and I appreciate the sweat that went into finding that wisdom and refining it into the gem that is this book. Read it.

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan

If you're the kind of person who is always reading some book or another, (which if you're reading this blog then I would assume you are), then you know that the phrase "life-changing" can become a somewhat cliche way to describe a book. Personally, I find it nigh impossible to read any book without finding that it shapes me in some way. Usually, time is the only sufficient measure of how permanent those changes are (most of them are dishearteningly fleeting). However, I feel that I can fairly confidently claim that Carl Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark has permanently altered my way of thinking.

Altering the reader's way of thinking is nothing less than Sagan's expressed intent. Sagan was one of, if not the premiere popularizer of science in the late 20th century. He was at the forefront of countless cosmological discoveries, while at the same time devoting much of his life to promoting science and scientific thinking to the general public. This was one of the last books he ever wrote, as he succumbed to a bone marrow disease in 1996, and it, appropriately, reads like his magnum opus. It exalts the value of scientific thinking and skeptical inquiry in a systematic, yet exuberant way. This is the first Sagan book that I've read, and I find his prose to be straight-forward and academic, while oddly engaging.

I admit though, my one point of frustration came when I felt like he was spending too much time on debunking UFO theories. He devotes many a chapter to using UFO-ology as his proof text for the principles he expounds; however, I soon came to the conclusion that this is part of Sagan's brilliance--he leaves nothing to assumption. Even though it seems obvious to me that all the alien stuff is nutty, he's willing to give it a thorough, scientific treatment, which I came to appreciate. And my patience was rewarded with some unexpected insight: a peek into the psychology of those who claim to have been abducted by aliens, along with the apparent relationship between such perceived experiences and child molestation. This is a fascinating topic, worthy of a book-length treatment itself.

The strongest portion of the book is near the end. After lauding the benefits of science to society, Sagan turns his attention to the American education system, to show us the detriments of the scientific ignorance that pervades our classrooms. But he does something more helpful here than the typical rant about "decreasing standards" of education. He points out the real problem, which, as it turns out, has little to do with the education system lowering its expectations. It actually starts with the overall cultural attitudes towards science. Many kids have, by time they start grade school, already had their curiosity and capacity for wonder stifled by ignorant parents. Sagan also suggests some potential solutions to this crisis, and I must say that despite his professed agnosticism, he made a believer out of me. I now find myself much more drawn to the possibility of pursuing a career in science education.

One final note: as a Christian, I know that many of my fellow believers tend to be leery of science books by non-believers. I can assure you though that you won't find Sagan engaging in any Dawkins-esque tirades against religion. Though an agnostic himself, and certainly critical of fundamentalism, he is generally respectful of faith. And his stated mission, essentially to debunk the psuedosciences, superstitions, occult practices, etc. that arise from flawed ways of thinking, is something that any Christian should see as valuable. What any open-minded reader will take from this book is, not only a better and more informed way of thinking about science, but a better and more informed way of thinking, period.

Reading Jesus: A Writer's Encounter with the Gospels

I've learned over the years to value the act of reading and listening to people with interpretations of the Bible and/or Christian faith that diverge from my own. I always knew it in theory, but the first time it really sunk in was when I read Jack Miles' Pulitzer Prize-winning God: A Biography. I cannot overstate the positive effect that Miles' book had on my faith, my theology, and my relationship with God, even though the doctrines that I hold to won't allow me to agree with most of his readings of the Old Testament. The same goes for his follow-up to that book, Christ: A Crisis in the Life of God. A newly released book by Mary Gordon has turned out to be an equally enriching experience.

In the introduction to Reading Jesus: A Writer's Encounter with the Gospel, Gordon narrates the tale of how, while sitting in a taxi cab and mentally arguing with a preacher on the radio, she had the sudden realization that she had never read the Gospels. That very same day, she rushed to her hotel, opened a Bible to the first page of Matthew, and didn't stop until she had read the last page of John. After reading the books and subsequently studying them with the aid of some study bibles and other books, she wrote this book to share her experiences.

While Gordon's readings of Scripture may not hold water in any serious theological discussions, she is the first to admit that. She makes the dishearteningly accurate observation that her original reading, void of study helps, commentaries, theologies, etc., is the same kind of reading shared by the majority of people who have read or ever will read the Gospels. The overwhelming majority of the world's population will never use a study bible or any such thing. A large percentage of that majority will never even have access to those kinds of materials. So, even though Gordon herself is, of course, well-educated, she reads with a sort of willful ignorance (as much as is possible for someone with her background anyway), and she does so for pragmatic reasons.

For precisely that reason, Gordon's book can serve as a different kind of study aid to those fortunate few, like myself, who enjoy nearly unlimited access to bible study resources. Reading Jesus through Gordon's intelligent-yet-somewhat-Biblically-illiterate eyes is a educational experience precisely because of her lack of theological expertise. It is also a pleasurable experience because she demonstrates no open hostility towards Jesus or the basic tenets of Christian faith, even as she struggles to believe some of the really important ones, such as the resurrection. (She is a devout--though somewhat unorthodox--Catholic.) It is an important experience to have for the same reason that it is important to read the Gospels through anyone's eyes: in doing so, we know Jesus better. How so, you ask? While we may begin such a journey by trying to see him through someone else's eyes, what we ultimately end up doing is seeing others through his eyes.