All posts by Phil

Fiction, Reviews

The Book of the Dun Cow, by Walter Wangerin

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Despite all of the praise I heard for The Book of the Dun Cow, I still smirked through the first few chapters. It has a great setup for a terrible challenge to the earth, even the galaxy, but the characters are farm animals. How terrifying can a story get with a proud rooster for a leading man? But then if I understood myself properly in relation to the God of heaven and earth and the fatally wounded enemy who still plots our defeat, I may think of mankind in the same way–mere animals standing between the Almighty and the Lord of the Flies.

Let me briefly give you the plot. Chauntecleer, the rooster, is lord over a patch of farmland, field, and forest. He is king and cleric to the animals who live there, crowing canonical blessings throughout the day to give their lives order and spiritual purpose. Far away, another farm and another rooster have slacked off holding the order of the day, giving a profound and powerful evil an opportunity to fight for its freedom. The animals are called Wyrm’s Keepers, though I doubt they would recognize the label. By keeping their proper order, they unknowingly keep the evil Wyrm imprisoned, so when one farm has grown tired of the cares of the world, Wyrm exploits his opportunity. Gradually, you might say, all of something breaks loose.

I love most in this story the animals leaning on their daily order, their time-honored tradition. It gave their dirt-scratching, grub-hunting, cleaning, and sleeping greater meaning and consequently greater peace. From Lauds to Compline, Chauntecleer crows through the day, usually because that’s how its done, but when their world become overcast with troubling clouds, he crows to bless those creatures he cares for. In a somewhat comical way, it’s glorious.

And there’s a good bit of comedy throughout the book too. John Wesley Weasel and Mundo Cani Dog are hilarious in their own way as is the rooster’s obnoxious pride.

I have to wonder how much of this fantasy is reality. How much or what kind of grace does the Lord give us through liturgy and the mental transformation he calls us to by meditating on his precepts throughout the day? What is robbed from us when we think of our lives and world in secular terms, when we see the planet instead of creation, when we look into space instead of the heavens? Would we keep the evil imprisoned a little more if we gave ourselves and our families lauds and vespers?

The Press

Williams Fired by NPR for "Crossing the Line"

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“My Fox News Sunday colleague Juan Williams has been fired by NPR for telling an inconvenient truth,” writes Bill Kristol on The Weekly Standard’s blog this morning. Apparently, NPR’s high and mighty can’t allow their people to express certain emotions or honest fears. Perhaps certain entire topics cannot be touched on.

Here, Mr. Williams describes what he thought and how he was fired for it over the phone.

Update: For a liberal take on this story, see Gawker. Max Read writes: “‘I mean, look, Bill, I’m not a bigot,’ he told O’Reilly, and you knew it was going to be good, because who says that unless they are about to say something racist.” Help us.

Uncategorized

Nook, Kindle, Reader Finding Audiences

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Readers are catching on with book lovers. One woman says her iPod with a Kindle app is “so much easier to carry than a regular book.” She’s reading much more than she used to because it’s so much easier get the books. USA Today cites Forrester to say 4 million of us have e-book readers already, and 29 million will likely have them in 5 years. (via Literary Saloon)

Religion

"There Is No Place Where God Is Not."

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Charles Spurgeon writes about Psalm 8.

The solid fabric of the universe leans upon his eternal arm. Universally is he present, and everywhere is his name excellent. God worketh ever and everywhere. There is no place where God is not. The miracles of his power await us on all sides. Traverse the silent valleys where the rocks enclose you on either side, rising like the battlements of heaven till you can see but a strip of the blue sky far overhead; you may be the only traveler who has passed through that glen; the bird may start up affrighted, and the moss may tremble beneath the first tread of human foot; but God is there in a thousand wonders, upholding yon rocky barriers, filling the flowercups with their perfume, and refreshing the lonely pines with the breath of his mouth. Descend, if you will, into the lowest depths of the ocean. where undisturbed the water sleeps, and the very sand is motionless in unbroken quiet, but the glory of the Lord is there, revealing its excellence in the silent palace of the sea. Borrow the wings of the morning and fly to the uttermost parts of the sea, but God is there. Mount to the highest heaven, or dive into the deepest hell, and God is in both hymned in everlasting song, or justified in terrible vengeance. Everywhere, and in every place, God dwells and is manifestly at work. Nor on earth alone is Jehovah extolled, for his brightness shines forth in the firmament above the earth. His glory exceeds the glory of the starry heavens; above the region of the stars he hath set fast his everlasting throne, and there he dwells in light ineffable. Let us adore him “who alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea; who maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.” (Job 9:8, 9.)

Creative Writing

Windy Street Halloween Writing Prompt

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Here’s a bit of creative writing fun we can have for the last half of October, the approach to Halloween. Look at this photo from Carlos Miguez Macho of someone walking in the street. (I don’t believe I would be permitted to display the image here.) Then write a few sentences, a momentary scene based on the photo.
I suppose I should start, but look at the photo before reading the submissions. Continue reading Windy Street Halloween Writing Prompt →

Uncategorized

Lars Returns

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Norse dragon-prowed ship. Anglo-Saxon manuscript, 10th Century. British Museum, London.

So it was recorded, so it was done. Lars’ tour continues at the L.A. Chronicle, if I tracked the bread crumbs properly, and somehow we missed a step over at the Hot Author. I don’t know what’s going on there, but I hope everything is okay behind the scenes.

Authors, Blogs, Socials

Don't Ask, Sweetheart

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Lars’ next tour stop will be on The Hot Author Report today. Stop laughing. That’s not what they meant.

And on Monday, he’s has an interview on Examiner: Virginia Beach. Here’s another post from that blog on what not to ask an author at a book signing. I think there could be more to it than this. I mean if someone asked me where I got my ideas, I’d say the morgue. I steal them from dead people. Now, that was a painless answer, wasn’t it?

Religion

Seeing Through to the Invisible

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“An artist’s task is to see through the eye into the eternal, into the invisible.” – M. Fujimura

The wonderful artist Makoto Fujimura has written a letter to the North American Church, rebuking it for shunning artists and calling artists back to what he calls their first love.

There will be more “Ground Zeros” created by destructive minds, twisting creative impulses into diabolical powers. Undo what they have done. Stand upon those ashes all around us, and open your hearts: look up, to Create in Love.

He says the church has chosen reason or the rational as ground on which to build and rejected the sensual or non-rational, even though both are part of the created world and both can glorify the Lord. (via Jeffrey Overstreet)

Music, Religion

Sufjan Stevens and the Popularity of God's Mystery

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Musician Sufjan Stevens has draw much fanfare for a couple new album releases and his return to the concert circuit. I learned of this interview via Jeffrey Overstreet’s blog, and I was encouraged to see Stevens labeled as a Christian. Then I came to this:

Q. Do you believe that God can be reached through other faiths? John 14:6 categorically states Jesus is “the way, the truth and the life” and nobody can get to the Father expect through him. A lot of people take that very literally and don’t believe you can find spirituality through Buddhism or Islam or whatever…

Stevens: Yeah, I mean who can know the mind of God and who can be his counselor? It’s not man’s decision, you know. If God is infinite and he’s in all of us and he created the world then I feel there is truth in every corner. There’s a kind of imprint of his life and his breath and his word and everything. You know, I’m no religious expert, and I don’t make any claims about the faith. All I can account for is myself and my own belief and that’s a pretty tall order just to take account of myself. I can’t make any claims about other religions. There’s no condemnation in Christ, that’s one of the fundamentals of Christianity.
Do you mind if I make a few observations? Continue reading Sufjan Stevens and the Popularity of God's Mystery →