Refreshed in Reading

I’ve returned from vacation and the many benefits that it brings.  One of those is that it allows you to hit the fast forward button on your reading agenda.  I’ve found that my reading schedule has sharply declined in the last two years, it’s still there, just stunted.   Excuses include family, church, ministry which has cut deeply into that time.  I set out on this vacation to re-immerse myself into reading, and I was greatly rewarded and have come home with a commitment to re-energizing my reading efforts.

One of the books I read was The Legacy of Sovereign Joy, by John Piper.  It was an excellent review of the connection of God’s grace in the lives of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin.  It is book one of “The Swans are Not Silent” series.  I would highly recommend the book, as it is a brief and pointed look at the core ministries and contributions of three of Christianity’s most influential leaders.  It will increase your appreciation for Christian history, but beyond that it will light your fire for God.  That regardless of weakness and flaw, a passion for God is critical to the Christian life, to find sovereign joy in the battle against sin and suffering, to seeing the supernatural work of God that comes from seeing Christ in Scripture, to an appreciation for the exposition of truth and the spread of it to all people.

I was convinced early in my Christian life that these three men where giants of the faith, in whose shadow we who are Protestant stand.  I’ve read many works of these men, Confessions by Augustine is in my top 10, Bondage of the Will by Luther is still a great work for understanding the will of man, and Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion and his commentaries are timeless jewels that I frequent often.  Their works go far beyond those mentioned, and while each man had their own great weaknesses their impact upon the Christian faith is undeniable and illustrates the greatness of our God and His eternal truth.  We would all do well to take up and read Augustine, Luther, and Calvin, unfortunately too many Christians relegate them to the academy but that’s to our own demise, and the death of evangelicalism and the gospel.  I recommend this book as a great primer to the works of these men.

I also returned to some short stories by Georgia’s own Flannery O’Conner.  One short story I read was one of her most famous, A Good Man is Hard to Find.  In the midst of Flannery’s dark narrative, there is a great contrast of what looks like a good Christian and what is a good Christian.  The primary character, the grandmother, represents an old southern lady who is selfish.  She talks the talk but underneath is a rotten selfish woman who when faced with death reaches out to The Misfit for the reader to interpret as a final moment and act of grace or just another selfish attempt to save her life.  O’Conner’s genius is that it makes you think deeply about the stories she creates, mostly about the mystery of grace in everyday life. Her style is perhaps a lost art, but I’m drawn to her southern charm, wit, and mystery.  I believe it is in the midst of her characters rottenness that we connect, we are shocked and then we see parts of ourselves. This brings us back to our need for God and His grace.  Pure genius!