The Wisdom of Owen Meany

It's been a busy month for me. We've moved into a new house (with all that entails), kept 4 kids entertained (our 2 and 2 others), and I've started a new job (with all that entails). All of these things are a real blessing, and I'm super thankful for all of them. But I haven't had much time for the computer...and the poor little "Island" blog has suffered. (I also discovered Facebook this summer. Though it was a big timesuck at first, I haven't even checked in there for three weeks or so!)

One thing I did do for myself was to reread A Prayer for Owen Meany. I first read this book in Bulgaria, and I loved it. It's my favorite of the John Irving books I've read. It's also one of the tamest.

I enjoyed reading it again, but it was raunchier than I remember. Owen Meany is a great character, though. He's also an interesting example of faith. I have pulled out several of his quotes that I'd like to share. (Once again, the blog entry isn't original, but since "St. Cuthbert's" is on life support...)

I hope you enjoy the words of Owen Meany:

"IT'S BAD ENOUGH THAT THEY CRUCIFIED HIM," Owen said, "BUT THEY MADE FUN OF HIM, TOO!"

p. 250
(Owen's larynx is immobile, so his voice is a "permanent scream." Thus, he speaks in all-caps.)

"IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN EASTER," Owen Meany said, "DON'T KID YOURSELF--DON'T CALL YOURSELF A CHRISTIAN."

p. 251

EASTER MEANS WHAT IT SAYS.

p. 253

"JUST BECAUSE A BUNCH OF ATHEISTS ARE BETTER WRITERS THAN THE GUYS WHO WROTE THE BIBLE DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE THEM RIGHT!" he said crossly. "LOOK AT THOSE WEIRDO TV MIRACLE-WORKERS--THEY'RE TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO BELIEVE IN MAGIC! BUT THE REAL MIRACLES AREN'T ANYTHING YOU CAN SEE--THEY'RE THINGS YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE WITHOUT SEEING. IF SOME PREACHER'S A [JERK], THAT'S NOT PROOF THAT GOD DOESN'T EXIST!"

p. 277 [profane--my substitution]

IT'S TRUE THAT THE DISCIPLES ARE STUPID--THEY NEVER UNDERSTAND WHAT JESUS MEANS, THEY'RE A BUNCH OF BUNGLERS, THEY DON'T BELIEVE IN GOD AS MUCH AS MUCH AS THEY WANT TO BELIEVE, AND THEY EVEN BETRAY JESUS. THE POINT IS, GOD DOESN'T LOVE US BECAUSE WE'RE SMART OR BECAUSE WE'RE GOOD. WE'RE STUPID AND WE'RE BAD AND GOD LOVES US ANYWAY...

p. 277

(While practicing "the shot" and trying to do it in record time...)

"IF WE CAN DO IT IN UNDER FOUR SECONDS, WE CAN DO IT IN UNDER THREE," he said. "IT JUST TAKES A LITTLE MORE FAITH."
"It takes more practice," I told him irritably.
"FAITH TAKES PRACTICE," said Owen Meany.

p. 304

NOW YOU HAVE A CHOICE: EITHER YOU USE GOD'S GIFT OR YOU WASTE IT. I THINK A LITTLE EFFORT FROM YOU IS REQUIRED.

p. 322

"FAITH AND PRAYER," he said. "FAITH AND PRAYER--THEY WORK, THEY REALLY DO."

p. 350, p. 357

THERE IS NO PURGATORY--THAT'S A CATHOLIC INVENTION. THERE'S LIFE ON EARTH, THERE'S HEAVEN--AND THERE'S HELL.

p. 370

When it was so dark at the St. Michael's playground that we couldn't see the basket, we couldn't see Mary Magdalene, either. What Owen liked best was to practice the shot until we lost Mary Magdalene in the darkness. Then he would stand under the basket with me and say, "CAN YOU SEE HER?"
"Not anymore," I'd say.
"YOU CAN'T SEE HER, BUT YOU KNOW SHE'S STILL THERE--RIGHT?" he would say.
"Of course she's still there!" I'd say.
"YOU'RE SURE?" he'd ask me.
"Of course I'm sure!" I'd say.
"BUT YOU CAN'T SEE HER," he'd say--very teasingly. "HOW DO YOU KNOW SHE'S STILL THERE IF YOU CAN'T ACTUALLY SEE HER?"
"Because I know she's still there--because I know she couldn't have gone anywhere--because I just know!" I would say.
And one cold, late-fall day--it was November or even early December[...]I was especially exasperated by this game he played about not seeing Mary Magdalene but still knowing she was there.
"YOU HAVE NO DOUBT SHE'S THERE?" he nagged at me.
"Of course I have no doubt!" I said.
"BUT YOU CAN'T SEE HER--YOU COULD BE WRONG," he said.
"No, I'm not wrong--she's there, I know she's there!" I yelled at him.
"YOU ABSOLUTELY KNOW SHE'S THERE--EVEN THOUGH YOU CAN'T SEE HER?" he asked me.
"Yes!" I screamed.
"WELL, NOW YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT GOD," said Owen Meany. "I CAN'T SEE HIM--BUT I ABSOLUTELY KNOW HE IS THERE!"

pp. 399-400

"Owen, this is so childish," I said. "You can't believe that everything that pops into your head means something! You can't have a dream and believe that you 'know' what you're supposed to do!"
"THAT ISN'T EXACTLY WHAT FAITH IS," he said, turning his attention to the tomato sauce. "I DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING THAT POPS INTO MY HEAD--FAITH IS A LITTLE MORE SELECTIVE THAN THAT."

p. 418

Pretty good stuff, if you ask me.

Soul Enrichment

I've been reading through Joshua Choonmin Kim's Deep-Rooted in Christ: The Way of Transformation this year. Yesterday I read about the value of silence. Since it tied in so well with the previous post, I thought I'd share it. (After all, why blog your own thoughts when you can just report someone else's?!)

Chapter 30 -- Soul Enrichment

One of the obstacles to our spiritual growth is noise. Beware of noise from the outer world. Also guard against the noise that builds up within.

Where does this inner noise come from? Inner noise stems from worry about worldly things. Worldly things produce what is contrary to God (Romans 8:5-6).

The discipline of silence can still the noise of the world. It can turn us from worldly matters to spiritual ones. It is really a form of repentance.

How do our souls grow? Our souls thrive on silence. When does our spirituality build a deeper root system? When we make space for silence. Our souls are enriched by silence; in the quiet they revel and grow.

Take a look at the natural world and you'll see silence at work. Living things grow silently. Trees put down deeper roots without a sound. Trees bear fruit without the slightest noise. In the ocean deep, hardly a sound is heard.

Silence is mystical. Silence teaches us. A child in the mother's womb can't make sounds but grows in silence. Early in the morning when we wake to hear nature in silence, we grasp the deeper meaning of our lives.

Silence is a time to dump the garbage from our souls. Oh yes, it's there! And silence helps us admit our sins, encourages us to get rid of them.

Quietly, we confess our sins to God. As Proverbs says, "No one who conceals transgressions will prosper, / but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy" (Proverbs 28:13).

Silence nourishes meditation on the Word. Our souls grow by digesting the Word. As Matthew says in his Gospel, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).

Reading the Word is vital to spiritual growth. When we taste the Word, we feed our souls. But for the souls to grow we must digest God's Word. It is the life blood of our souls. It reaches our souls through the discipline of silence.

In silence the Word takes hold in our hearts. It soaks into our hearts through prayer. Then we understand. As spiritual writer Thomas Moore has said in his book Caring for the Soul, "Through the discipline of silence, we understand and come near the truth."

Understanding links all things together. It connects God and self. It links the past and the present, the present and the future, the present and the eternal until we come to see everything from an eternal vantage point.

Silence is a friend of God. Silence is God's gift to deepen our love and friendship. When we talk a lot, love seems to be absent. But when we come together face to face, we sense a mystical feeling of love.

Be still and know...

St. Cuthbert's Island

Today's reading in Celtic Daily Prayer (the devotional book I've been using for the past 2 & 1/2 years) is entitled "St. Cuthbert's Island." I thought I'd share it, for somewhat obvious reasons!

Aidan Readings: July 23
ST CUTHBERT'S ISLAND
St Cuthbert's Island adjoining the shore of Lindisfarne is a wonderful parable of quiet, for it is always in sight of the main island, and yet for hours and hours at a time it is completely cut off. It seems designed especially to experience a day of solitude, long enough to limit your freedom, but not as inaccessible as the life of the true hermit.
Here Cuthbert, and almost certainly Aidan before him, escaped from the pressures of community and of missions and turned their face towards God.

Thank you, Lord, that you have set aside places,
special trysting places where we can meet with You.
Alistair Eberst

How wonderful it is to talk with God
when cares sweep o'er my spirit like a flood;
how wonderful it is to hear His voice,
for when He speaks the desert lands rejoice.
Theodore H. Kitching

We've all got little cells in our hearts, little hermitages that God wants to fill. For some there's a physical place of silence. It's hard to be silent. It's hard to stop. To know God in the quiet is worth a lot -- it's there we'll get our vision and our peace to come through whatever hits us.

I like that...
Thank You, Lord, for the trysting places.

God's Mercy Does Not Excuse Our Complacency

There is no such thing as a casual Christian.
Christianity takes too much effort.
(Luke 13:24-28; Hebrews 4:11; Hebrews 12:14; 2 Peter 3:14)
It requires too much focus and devotion.
"Purity of heart is to will one thing."
"May my heart's one aim be to fear His Name."

I heard a great quote today from Mark Powell:
"The mission of the Church is to love Jesus. Every thing else is just strategy."

I've realized this week that I'm doing a poor job of this.
I've been negative, short-tempered, selfish, gossipy, and ungrateful.

I don't want the Lord's mecy to be an excuse for spiritual complacency.
Thank God for His mercy:
"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior, have mercy on me, a sinner."

And He does!
Listen to this verse from 2 John.

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, will be with us in truth and love.

Amen, and amen.

But not only am I not "making every effort," I'm hardly making any effort.
And I fear I'm not alone...

"My brother and sisters, this should not be so."

Download This Book!

Christian Audio is offering a GREAT free download this month: Eugene Peterson's Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places.

I have another audiobook from his spiritual theology series, Eat This Book, and it was profound. Listening to it was like taking a seminary course. I have wanted to read the whole series, and here it is!

Until the end of June, the other books in Peterson's spiritual theology series--The Jesus Way, Eat This Book, and Tell It Slant--are on sale for $5 each until the end of the month. That's a heck of a lot of deep teaching for only $15!!

It's not an easy read (or listen), but it's worth the investment. If you're willing to put in the time to listen in your car on on your MP3 player, I guarantee you'll be blessed. Personally, I can't wait to listen!

The Smell of Victory

I'm going to try writing this the way it happened--
sort of stream-of-consciousness style.
Bear with me. I think there's a beautiful truth at the end.

This morning, while singing a song called "Overcome," I was struck by something. Somehow the song reminded me of an old hymn that describes Jesus's resurrection as His bursting forth from the "spice-laden tomb."
Yeah, I thought, that's right. There were about 75 pounds of myrrh, aloes, and spices that He had been wrapped up in when they buried him (John 19:39-40).
That must have smelled really good.

But what about Lazarus? I remember when Jesus was asking for his grave to be opened. Martha protested, "Lord, by this time he stinketh." (Had to use the King James for this verse--it's classic...right up there with Gen. 22:3 and the like.)

Why did Lazarus stink? Because his body was decomposing. (There's a special word in Bulgarian for dead stuff that's rotting--mursha. In English I think it's "carrion," but my dictionaries are already packed for our move. Regardless, it's a horrid smell.)

Jesus's body, however, didn't decompose. Psalm 16:10, a clear prophesy about Jesus (see Acts 2:23-28), says: "You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let Your Holy One see decay."

Now I'm a smell person. I think it's my strongest sense. Smells transport me back to certain times and places. VW bugs, my daughter's hair, acacias in bloom, barbecue...they all move me in their own way.

Evidently God is a smell person, too. When Noah landed after the flood, he sacrificed animals as a burnt offering to the Lord. Genesis 8:21 says, "The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma..."

If He liked that smell, how must He have rejoiced at the scent of His Son coming forth from the tomb in victory? What fragrance must have met the angels who rolled back the stone of his grave? Not the smell of death or defeat, but the wonderful smell of life and victory. Surely this smell, the scent of the risen Christ, was the greatest smell ever.

I would have loved to have smelled that smell. Talk about an aroma that is pleasing to God...

But wait. Isn't there another verse that talks about the fragrance of Christ?

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.
For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.
--2 Corinthians 2:14-15

How cool is that? Imagine the all-time greatest smell in the history of the world--Jesus bursting forth victoriously from the spice-laden tomb.

That's how we smell to God.

Next time you're self-conscious about your breath or your wife tells you that you need a shower...just remember how you smell to Him!!

Loving With Our Ears

"The first duty of love is to listen." -- Paul Tillich

I am a multi-tasker. While it's true that I am fairly capable of doing more than one thing at a time, for me this term more often than not has another meaning. It means that while I'm doing something I should be doing, I'm also doing something I want to be doing.

Lately, as we're getting ready to move to Texas, my down time has been on the computer or watching TV. Darina's way of relaxing is more relational. So, I've been "listening" while I play.

I haven't loved my wife well at all lately, and a couple of nights ago she let me know it. I also realized that I haven't loved the Lord well lately either. Isn't it funny how when we need to "relax" or be "recharged" we often just waste time with stuff that neither relaxes nor recharges?!

Oh well, thank God for grace & for committed, forgiving wives.

This quote hit the spot for me.
When I read it, I was convicted (in a very good way).

May we love with our ears today (...& eyes..& minds--I hear real listening involves all 3 of these...who'da thunk it?).

Listeners make better lovers!