Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Some Things are Plain How strange it must all look to our sweet little dog Abby as she sits pondering the world from her perch atop our couch. She peers out to 5th Ave. NE in Seattle through no doubt blurry eyes, occasionally rising to bark at the passing pedestrians and dogs, though, old as she is now, she's not as apt to leap up and down as she used to be. But Abby doesn't think about the strangeness, I don't think--at least she has yet to be forthcoming about any doggy angst she might have. To her, the world is fairly plain: cats and birds are to be barked at and chased, Mom is the one who loves her most, and the couches are far better beds than her cage ever was. I got an email last night, one of those I get from time to time, commenting on Leaving Ruin, the novel, saying nice things about what it meant to them, etc. But at the end of this pretty effusive note, there was a phrase that caught my attention, and I've been thinking about it all day. The final sentence was this: "I hope this helps you and encourages you in the ways of God, not all mysterious." ...the ways of God, not all mysterious. Now for those of you who come by and read this thing, help me out here. I think this is something I need to reflect on, acknowledging that there are things that aren't that mysterious about what God has done and is doing in the world. But I'm wondering what those are. The way of God calls us to love, which on the surface of it, isn't too mysterious, after all. To sacrifice our own lives for the lives of others, to see other people as more important than ourselves, to actually set aside what we want so that others might have what they want...all of these are straight forward (dare I say "plain") ideas. The need to refrain from sin, the need for prayer, the need for contemplation of the wonder of God's creation--again, all fairly plain ideas. Tell people about Jesus, give money to the poor, be truthful, rule the passionate selfishness that constant threatens to overwhelm us (well...me, anyway). Plain, plain, plain. Not to say that I'm abandoning my basic orientation to the mystery of things, but when I read that email, quietly tucked into the end of an unexpected affirmation of what I was doing as a writer, it hit me like a voice of correction, as if the Spirit wanted me to stop lolling around in the questions which he is not going to be able to answer on this side (no fault of his if our brain's don't stretch that far) and move on the ones that can be answered with little or no ambiguity. Care, use time wisely, pay attention, make disciples. What is plain about the way of God? 11:57:13 PM   comment []

Schilling's Prayer Speaking of sports, Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling's tendon in his ankle was torn, and his sock was bloody, but tonight, he went out to the mound on a mission, and produced 7 innings of 4 hit pitching, and the Red Sox went on to become the first team in Major League history to come back from a 3-0 deficit and force a game 7. Schilling surprised me in the post-game interview. He was determined to give the glory to God. Schilling told the reporter his abysmal outing in game one was the result of him trying to do it on his own, whereas for this game, it was all God's work. He said he became a Christian seven years before (I think I heard that right), and that he had never felt God's presence as he had tonight. I don't doubt the man, especially not with that look in his eye. It does of course bring up the question of whether or not anybody on the Yankee's side was praying... Maybe God's not a Yankee fan after all... Do you ever wonder whether or not God listens to all these praying ballplayers, offering up prayers for victory or strength or just to get through the pain of it all? All joking aside, I think he does listen--as Dallas Willard says, God is quick to respond to the slightest movement of the heart in his direction--and my faith is that he answers them all in one fashion or another. The idea that all things work together for good for those that love him is beyond me, but I think it's true, even when those that love him pray prayers that call for opposite answers. My default answer is that it is all part of the mystery of God... Which leads to the next blog entry...see above... 11:05:49 PM   comment []

Friday Night Lights Here's a movie I can't wait to see. Odessa Permian isn't far from where I imagine Ruin, Texas to be, and not far from my hometown of Abilene. Permian was the powerhouse team, along with Abilene Cooper (I went to Abilene High), and I don't think we ever beat them while I was in high school. The trailer looks great--another walk down memory lane. (I just hope they show the halftime shows--Permian had an awesome band.) 5:07:58 PM   comment []

The Time Traveler's Wife Read a wonderful book over the weekend as I waited to go on stage at Gallery 7 Theatre in Abbottsford, B.C.: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Another great idea that had me smacking my head wishing I'd come up with it. A heartbreakingly romantic literary novel, The Time Traveler's Wife is the story of Clare and Henry's long time romance that begins when she is six and he is just past 40. Now wait, wait--it's not what you think. Henry has a genetic abnormality that causes him to time travel, but only within the scope of his own life and the life of those closest to him. The book begins with Clare meeting Henry in 1991, when Clare is 20 and Henry is 28. The twist is this: In Henry's future, he will visit Clare's past, so that when Clare meets Henry in 1991, Henry's never seen her before, but Clare has known Henry all her life. A fascinating premise that allows for some remarkable scenes as Henry crisscrosses his life in time in a story otherwise strongly rooted in simple reality. "A truly extraordinary novel...a magical love story that is as sad as it is joyous." (Daily Express, UK) Amen to that. (Click here to check out The Time Traveler's Wife on a web page that gives you the prologue as well as reviews, etc.) In one interview, Niffenegger, who teaches in Chicago, in the MFA program at the Columbia College Chicago Center for Book and Paper Arts, says that she was interested in time, how it affects us, and how we must live in and through it. And that is exactly what the story brought to mind. The strangeness of time's passing, that only yesterday my father was still alive, and how he still travels with me, so to speak, as I do Leaving Ruin. To think that very few of us will still be alive in 75 or 100 years, to think that my kids are nearly grown, to think that so many of the firsts I longed for as a child have come and gone. And to think of God standing outside of time (as my friend Jeffrey says) with all of time at his disposal, while for us it unfolds a moment at a time. Just helps me remember that each day, each moment, is precious... 4:40:21 PM   comment []

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