A Boomer in the Pew

Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck, Vanitas, Darkness, and Hopelessness

John 3:19b - people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

I just finished reading John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.

What is our fascination with darkness?  Why are we deeply moved by the seemingly hopeless? 

Other than Steinbeck's ability to make craft of the written word, why is our society so enamored with the hopelessly lonely characters in this tale?

King Solomon of old proclaimed that life is vanity, and from this a whole style of art, called Vanitas, was produced.

When I was growing up, whenever a dream was dashed, my father would proclaim, "Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men".  At the time, I had no idea what he meant.

Steinbeck, it seems, took the title of his book from the 18th century poet, Robert Burns:

"...But little Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Go often askew,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!..."

And in the text, Steinbeck's character Crooks proclaims:

"I seen hunderds of men come by on the road an' on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an' that same damn thing in their heads. Hunderds of them. They come, an' they quit an' go on; an' every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of land in his head. An' never a damn one of 'em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Everybody wants a little piece of lan'. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It's just in their head. They're all the time talkin' about it, but it's jus' in their head."

It would seem that Steinbeck's text agrees with another maxim of my father:

"Life's a bitch, and then you die."

When I was a much younger man, I proclaimed a lofty dream to my father, and he laughed.  It was if he was saying, "who are you to have such dreams".  I was deeply hurt, and from that day forward vowed to prove my father wrong.

Therefore, as I read Steinbeck, I see the darkness, I see the dashed dreams, I see the evil, I see our human natures, but I shake my fist to my father and scream, at the top of my lungs...NO!

Thankfully, no...wondrously, and mysteriously, God has captured my soul, and put therein a hope, a dream that will not be dashed.

Therefore, as I peered into the mind of Steinbeck in this book, I felt a certain sadness for those who do not possess "that great hope" of mankind.  I am once again brought to consider my neighbor, who shared with me one night, of the hopelessness of his agnosticism.

Therefore, I must conclude that a novel that only knows of God's name to be used in vain, is most certainly going to produce hopelessness, fear, and abandonment.

To that end, Steinbeck has accomplished his task, and I can only hope that this was not a mirror of his soul.

A good friend of mine mentioned that he found himself crying at the conclusion of this novel.  When we compare the darkness presented in this novel, as compared to the light, and hope presented by Christ, one can only find great distress for those in the darkness.

Furthermore, as we are constantly in battle with our flesh, this overbearing sadness, and loneliness is ever-present.

I must confess, if I occasion even the slightest memory of this mindset from my father, I am most quickly, and assuredly brought to tears.

Therefore, I say to myself:  "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God."  (Psalm 42:11)

I Just Received John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress

When I look back on my life, it seems that I spent a great part of my life missing out on the rich heritage that comes from great minds through books.

Sadly, it would seem, John Bunyan's  The Pilgrim's Progress is one such book.  I intend to remedy that post haste.

Just yesterday, I received Crossway Book's new version of this text, "lightly edited, and updated to current language" by C.J. Lovik.

The text also includes 30 new, full color illustrations to help paint Christian's travels in our minds.

Evidently, other than the Bible, The Pilgrim's Progress is the most published book in the English language.

I am greatly looking forward to this allegorical text.

Resisting Balconeer Theology

 Babelsberg Tower, creative commons photograph by gari.baldi, on Flickr.

My wife and I have just started reading J.I. Packer's Knowing God.  I can tell from the very first paragraph that we are going to enjoy swimming in the mind of Packer, and gleaning from his view of God.

In the preface of his treatise, Packer contrasts the theological "balconeer" with the theological traveler.

The balconeer might sit in this tower, read theological musings, observe God and his workings, but have no active participation.  The balconeer knows of God, but likely doesn't know God.

The traveler, on the other hand, is down on the road.  The traveler is familiar with the same theological insights. However, he/she is actually interacting with the learned theology in their daily lives.

As you can imagine, the balconeer is likely to become "high and mighty", and legalistic, where the traveler, through the bumps of life, is likely to have the more genuine relationship with God, as he/she is actually on the road traveling with their faith.

This book has long been on my reading list, and I am most pleased to see it bubbled to the top.

Have you read Packer's Knowing God?  How has it helped you in your travels?

The Murmuring of a Rich Man called Christian

This post is part of a collection of posts, and joined in on-line interaction with scores of others, in the reading of Jeremiah Burroughs' "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment".

There once was a man who called himself Christian.  He was so fabulously wealthy, that he lit his cigars with $100 bills.

Now this man, who called himself Christian, truly was a Christian, but had become seduced by his great wealth, and began to behave as though he might exist without being a bother to God.  Living the American dream, and enjoying a self-indulgent lifestyle.  Truly God has blessed this man.

Then one day, a thief came into his house, and stole half of his money.  

As you can probably guess, the man was beside himself.  "I was honest and worked hard for that money", he proclaimed,  "Where is the justice?  Where is this thief?"

"God?", cried the man called Christian.

Now, the story doesn't end here.  Now the hard part really begins. 

Half of the money is gone, but God would have the man learn to be content, and furthermore, not even grumble. 

Not the slightest peep!

You see, even though half of the money was gone, he was still whining, murmuring, and discontent. 

God desires that this man called Christian learn that everything that he will ever need is found in Christ, and not of the things of this earth.  God desires this man learn that the very reason that the rich do not inherit the kingdom of God is because they have traded Christ, for the things that will decay.

God desires that this man learn that even though half of the riches disappeared, with the thief, he still desires the earthly riches, over Christ.

God desires that this evil, this idolatry, this murmuring heart be purged from the man called Christian.

God desires that the bride be in love with, and loyal only to, the Bridegroom.

Emerson and Sarah Eggerichs - Love and Respect Conference

One of the greatest treasures in my life is my marriage.  One of the reasons for this is that we invest time, heart, passion, joy, and even study into our marriage.

One of the best tools, by far, let me say that again....one of the best tools that we have used, by far, is Emerson Eggerichs'  Love and Respect Conference, and book.

If you are married, and have any measure of trust in me, I want you to click on this link, and go to the nearest Love & Respect Conference you can find.

You will laugh your socks off.  You will cry.  Don't worry men, you will live.  But most of all, you will begin to see a greatly messed up paradigm our culture has handed us.

Emerson will serve your relationship a completely new language to begin communicating with, and trust me, your marriage will be the better for it.

On a personal note, Emerson was our pastor, back in Michigan, for many years, he dearly loves Christ, and is worthy of your great trust.

Congratulations Emerson on selling 1,000,000 copies!  You deserve it, and I am certain that Abba is greatly pleased.

Here is Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, sharing of his experience with Emerson's book, and conference:

Pondering, perhaps even recoiling at Jeremiah Burrough's Self-abasement in "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment"

This post is part of a collection of posts, and joined in on-line interaction with scores of others, in the reading of Jeremiah Burroughs' "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment".

I must admit that Jeremiah Burrough's has me scratching my head, actually, more aptly put, recoiling in a number of circumstances.

I bring this up not to be a maverick, but merely to bring out a quandary that continues to rise as I read his text.

I am learning a great deal of contentment as I read, but I also find his continual departure into what seems to be self-abasement somewhat disturbing.

Now, don't get me wrong, I understand his point.  I do.  But something in me is troubled with he continually brings up the subject. 

In a recent post, I was trying very hard to give him the benefit of the doubt as he was telling of us being less than dirt, insignificant, if we perish we will be of no loss, etc, etc.

But here he brings this:

"By contentment we come to give God the worship that is due to him. It is a special part of the divine worship that we owe to God, to be content in a Christian way, as has been shown to you. I say it is a special part of the divine worship that the creature owes to the infinite Creator, in that I tender the respect that is due from me to the Creator. The word that the Greeks have that signifies, 'to worship' is the same as to come and crouch before someone, as if a dog should come crouching to you, and be willing to lie down at your feet. So the creature in the apprehension of its own baseness, and the infinite excellence that is in God above it, when it comes to worship God, comes and crouches to this God, and lies down at the feet of God: then the creature worships God. When you see a dog come crouching to you, and by holding your hand over him, you can make him lie down at your feet, then consider, thus should you do before the Lord: you should come crouching to him, and lie down at his feet, even on your backs or bellies, to lie down in the dust before him so as to be willing that he should do with you what he will. Just as sometimes you may turn a dog this way or that way, up and down, with your hand, and there he lies before you, according to your showing him with your hand; so when the creature shall come and lie down thus before the Lord, then a creature worships God and tenders the worship that is due to him. Now in what disposition of heart do we thus crouch to God more than when we have this state of contentment in all the conditions that God disposes us to? This is crouching to God's disposal, to be like the poor woman of Canaan, who when Christ said, 'It is not fit to give children's meat to dogs', said 'The dogs have crumbs', I am a dog I confess, but let me have only a crumb. And so when the soul shall be in such a disposition as to lie down and say, 'Lord, I am but as a dog, yet let me have a crumb', then it highly honors God. It may be that some of you have not your table spread as others have, but God gives you crumbs; now, says the poor woman, dogs have crumbs, and when you can find your hearts thus submitting to God, to be but as a dog, and can be contented and bless God for any crumb, I say this is a great worship of God."

Am I missing something here?  Why the continual self-abasement?  He is right, before regeneration this is true.  Further, we must have a proper respect for who we are, and who God is.

But, coming to God, completely, and utter base, He then lifts our head!

Psalm 3:3-4 - But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. 4 I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill.

And when God lifts your head, what do you see?  His face!  Not in reality of course, but through the eyes of faith.

I understand, and am learning as I consider contentment, but this dog example threw me over the edge.

I am not a dog, laying on my back, with my feet flailing in the air.

I am sorry Jeremiah Burroughs, I am not going with you there.

In the beginning, God created me to be his son, not his dog.  Proper fear of God? Yes.  Dog flailing on the ground?  No.

Ecclesiastes, Kohelet, King Solomon, and the Meaning of Life

The Personal Journal of Solomon:  The Secrets of Kohelet - A Commentary of Ecclesiastes for the Common Reader, by Dr. Darryl DelHousaye & Dr. Bobby Brewer

Chapter 1 - Who is Kohelet (Book Study Post #2)

"Omina Vanitas", 1848, by William Dyce

Men and women, throughout the ages, have asked of themselves the meaning of life.  There even exists a style of painting called "Vanitas" (vanity), generally seen with a human skull, as if to say, "we live, we die, what's the point?"

The Bible comes to us through three different types of writers:  priests, prophets, and sages.

DelHousaye:

"Sages were wise men who observed and examined life, and under the inspiration of God, would extrapolate what was called hokma, or wisdom, the skill of living."

He goes on to tell us that us that the Bible gives us 5 wisdom books, and that they are divided into Affirmative Wisdom (Psalms, Song of Songs, and Proverbs), and Acceptive Wisdom (Job and Kohelet, ie., Ecclesiastes). 

Affirmative wisdom is when one can begin to figure out and understand how God's world works and how you can become successful at living in it.  Where Acceptive wisdom recognizes the paradox of life, the tension of life.  "The fact is", says DelHousaye, "we cannot always figure it out and understand how God's world works.  At times it doesn't make a whole lot of sense!"

John Wesley: God's Three Greatest Punishments

This post is part of a collection of posts, and joined in on-line interaction with scores of others, in the reading of Jeremiah Burroughs' "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment"

As I have been working my way through Jeremiah Burroughs' text, I happened across this from John Wesley:  "The three greatest punishments which God can afflict on sinners, in this world are:

1. To let loose their desires upon them.
2. To let them succeed in all they wish for.
3. To suffer them to continue many years in the quiet enjoyment thereof.

As I continue to wrestle with the concept of contentment, I am beginning to allow these precepts into my life.

It's not that success is evil in itself, it's that we have stamped in our natures, this propensity to begin to worship ourselves, when great success happens upon us.

When great success occasions our lives, we creatures think that we have no more use of God. 

This, as you can imagine, is subtle, yet greatly destructive, and the world is littered with the bones of many who have fallen because of such pride.

Therefore, will not God on occasion bring about a great financial recession to reign in the pride of his creation?

Jeremiah Burroughs - The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment

"King Uzziah with Leprosy", by Rembrandt

This post is part of a collection of posts, and joined in on-line interaction with scores of others, in the reading of Jeremiah Burroughs' "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment".

Psalm 81:11-12 - “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me 12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels."

Could there be anything more horrible than a father giving up on his son?  Worse still, what if God were to give up on us, and give us over to our stubborn hearts.

Jeremiah Burroughs:

"It is, indeed, a dreadful evil, one of the most hideous and fearful evils that can befall any man on the face of the earth, for God to give him up to his heart's desires. A kindred truth is that spiritual judgments are more fearful than any outward judgments. Now once the soul understands these things, a man will be content when God crosses him in his desires. You are crossed in your desires, and so you are discontented and vexed and fretted about it; is that your only misery, that you are crossed in your desires? No, no, you are infinitely mistaken; the greatest misery of all is for God to give you up to your heart's lusts and desires, to give you up to your own counsels."

Burroughs tell us that "there is nothing that God conveys his wrath more through than a prosperous condition".  King Uzziah was just such a wealthy man who incurred God's wrath for his pride.

And yours truly, Mr. Boomer in the Pew, has felt the sharp hand of God for my pride as I had begun to take the obvious blessings of God, and make them as though they were of myself.  I was heading full bore down pride's path when God snapped me by the collar, and plopped me in Arizona.

When I look back on this now, I am very thankful.  I suppose some might misunderstand that statement, but frankly, God hears it, and that is all that matters.  I am so very happy that he cared enough for me to bring me his discipline, rather than letting me go, to chase my own prideful desires.  Who knows where I would have wound up, and what damage I might has driven down the future generations of my family.

Sure, the market has ravaged my wealth, but that can be returned.  We see that over, and over again as well.  But whether it is or not, I am content to know that my Father cared enough to snap me out of my blindness.

In that, I find great contentment.

Ecclesiastes - King Solomon's Personal Journal - The Secrets of Kohelet

As I have been making my way through my ESV Study Bible this year, I have noticed a striking difference in the voice of Ecclesiastes. 

Here we have King Solomon, Ecclesiastes (Greek for preacher), or Kohelet (Hebrew for preacher), recording for us his personal journal. 

1 Kings 11:41 - Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon?

If you had the chance to read the journal of the world's richest, and wisest man; a man to whom the Queen of Sheba made a pilgrimage to see, would you read it?

Well, that is what we have here!

Therefore, I have decided to drop anchor, and do some deep sea diving in this text. 

God gave King Solomon great wisdom (1 Kings 3:10-12), and great riches and honor (1 Kings 3:13), and it is all recorded here for our instruction.

To guide me through the journey will be Dr. Darryl DelHousaye.  Dr. DelHousaye is the President of Phoenix Seminary, and was kind enough to give me a copy of his new book to review.

Now trust me, by review, I am not intending to give my "review" in the sense that a critic might make.  I am not qualified to make such a statement.  Nonetheless, I am a reasonably intelligent guy, have great trust in Darryl's heart, and intend to give this book a thorough read, and share it with you here.

My hope, in doing so, is that I might better understand my Creator, bring honor to Dr. DelHousaye's many years of theological study, and perhaps convince you that this book should be on your shelf.

Please join me as I journey through "The Personal Journey of Solomon:  The Secrets of Kohelet", in the coming days, and weeks.