Week in Review: December 30-January 5

This week I read:

RSV:

• Genesis 1-5
• Joshua 1-6
• Psalms 1-41
• Isaiah 1-13
• Hosea
• Matthew 
• Romans
• 1 Corinthians
• Philippians

NKJV:

• Colossians

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: God on the Streets of Gotham

God on the Streets of Gotham. Paul Asay. 2012. Tyndale. 240 pages.

It takes a special person to dress up like a flying rodent. And when I say special, I mostly mean weird. And when I say weird, I mean weird for grown-ups. 

I really enjoyed reading Paul Asay's God on the Streets of Gotham. My awareness of Batman comes only from the three Christopher Nolan films, and it was interesting to read this book as a companion of sorts to watching the films. Asay's book is a wider examination than just the Nolan films: he discusses stories and shares quotes from the comic books (graphic novels), TV shows, and previous films. But his fondness for the Nolan films is evident; there are plenty of quotes and in-depth discussion of the characters (heroes and villains) as portrayed in these films.

Before beginning this book, I had my doubts. I worried that he might stretch things too far and make Batman into a Messiah figure. But after the first chapter, I stopped worrying. His argument is that Batman represents humanity at its best and worst. He's a fallen man with a dark side, with potential to fail completely. He wants to be on the good side, he wants to battle the darkness--evil--and win; but he knows his own weaknesses too well to trust himself to be THE HERO.  He knows that there has to be a man better qualified for the job of saving Gotham City.

The chapter titles are: Masked, Marked, Nemeses, Submission, Code, Tools, Partners, Struggle, Sacrifice, Hero. Some of the chapters deal directly with human nature, sin, and lessons we can learn from superheroes like Batman. There is also a lot of character study and analysis going on: Bruce Wayne/Batman, Alfred, Harvey Dent, Joker, Bane, Catwoman, Ra's al Ghul, etc.

While the book is Christian to a degree, I would say there is more direct analysis and discussion of Batman and Batman's world than there is of God. (He makes a handful of really great statements about Christianity though.) He does make some connections between the two. He does ask readers to consider contemplating Batman in light of Holy Scripture. To find deeper meaning in what we've seen on and off the screen. But. Sometimes the discussion is plenty deep on its own.

Quotes:

Batman's weakness isn't kryptonite, silver, or some otherworldly thing: it's his own, very human nature. And that's part of what makes him so compelling. Sure, Batman sometimes acts as a savior stand-in. But for the most part, he's not a Messiah figure. He's us. (5-6)

Batman fits right in with the rest of us. Sometimes he seems a dark loner, the next he's a veritable family man, surrounded by batwomen, batgirls, and batpets. In one graphic novel, he's a wreck, torn asunder by compulsion and neurosis. In another, he's a rock, a pillar of goodness and virtue. You're never quite sure what you're going to get with Batman--just like us. (8)

Batman's inconsistencies aren't just born of outside influence--the writers, artists, actors, and directors who have all had a hand in shaping the superhero's mythic arc over the years and the demands of the readers and viewers who consume his stories. He's a complex, often contradictory character within these various works too--at one turn the billionaire playboy, at another the dark vigilante, at still another a man unsure, seemingly puzzled by who he is and what he's become, still searching for his parents' approval. (8)

But Batman--the guy Bruce becomes when he's in costume--can't afford to express doubts or insecurity. His mask doesn't just hide his features: it helps define them. Like Batman, all of us hide behind our masks and use them to help define ourselves for others. (9)

Most of us know that if we threw ourselves open to the whole world, what would be revealed isn't always that attractive. It can be silly or ugly or off-putting, and so we only shed our masks a bit at a time. The masks we wear aren't lies. They are, in a strange way, a critical part of who we are. Batman's not unusual in wearing one: his is just a little more obvious. (9-10)

If our souls had faces--if our souls were our faces--what would we look like? (11)

Batman creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger imagined him in 1939 as a threatening, fearsome vigilante, despised by crooks and cops alike. And after so many years, he's never completely lost that sense of shadow. In Christopher Nolan's iteration of the character, that sense of darkness is as strong as ever. The films toy with the character's near schizophrenic duality--his masks upon masks--and suggest at times that the gulf between the superhero and the villains he fights isn't all that broad. (12)

We fear the darkness inside ourselves. Our anger. Our jealousy. Our desires. Our hatred. I wonder sometimes if the reason why some of us hate to be still or alone is that in the quiet of our own thoughts we find ourselves facing the darkness within--unmasked, inconsistent with the person we wish to be. We may tell ourselves that we're "good people," kind and honest and decent. And most of the time it may be true. But in the darkness, we know--we know--that it's not. We know it's a mask. And maybe that's one of the elements that attracts us to Batman (12-13)

God still loves us and cares for us even if we don't know him or love him back. Just because we shut our eyes to the light doesn't mean it leaves us or that we might not somehow see it a little, even against the walls of our eyelids.
"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the world 'darkness' on the walls of his cell," writes C.S. Lewis in The Problem of Pain. "But God wills our good, and our good is to love Him...and to love Him we must know Him: and if we know Him, we shall in fact fall on our faces. If we do not, that only shows that what we are trying to love is not yet God--though it may be the nearest approximation to God which our thought and fantasy can attain." (15)

He's a creature of darkness in search of the light. He's no Messiah. He's not, perhaps, even a Christian. And yet when we watch him, there are unmistakable impulses within him that can have no other source than God--even if he or his authors don't fully understand that source. Who except one touched by God so fully acknowledges the darkness within himself? Who except one kissed by the Almighty rejects his own desires so thoroughly for the betterment of others? What idiot would sacrifice so much night after night without sensing a call? (17)

Batman's code is predicated on faith--not necessarily faith in the Christian God, but faith that there are such things as goodness and justice and that these things are worth fighting for, worth dying for. The world is fallen, he sees, and so is he. But at its core and at his own, there's something worth saving, something worth protecting. There is something worth redeeming. (118)

Bruce Wayne's transformation into Batman recalls many people's conversion to Christianity: a realignment of values and purpose to something higher. (165)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Brentwood (1937)

Brentwood. Grace Livingstone Hill. 1937. 315 pages.

Marjorie Wetherill had always known she was an adopted child. She had been told when she was so young that it meant nothing at all to her. And as the years went by and she was surrounded by love and luxury, she thought little of it. 

After the death of her adoptive parents, Marjorie discovers a letter written by her (adoptive) mother; a letter revealing some dark(er) truths about her adoption. Her biological mother wanted her very much--loved her dearly. But her father was sick, in desperate need of medical treatment, as was her twin sister. Mr. Wetherill promised to pay for everything the family would need, to see to everything in exchange for the healthy baby girl. He was very persuasive and she was at her weakest, perhaps. The deal was made; the adoption a reality. The letter later revealed how the birth mother came years later to try to see her, came with the money they'd received only to be turned away, dismissed without a thought. The letter was repentant, begging Marjorie's forgiveness. With that letter came her mother's name and address. And so Marjorie's journey to "her own people" began...

There was one man, Evan, who did NOT want her to go. A man worthy of being booed and hissed. For in his addressing his "darling," his "poor child," his "little girl" he reveals his true colors. He seeks only to possess her so he can control her. Readers are "treated" with his perspective revealing how he wants to "train" her and "mold" her to his liking, how when she is his wife, he'll set her straight and train the foolish notion of independence right out of her. One of the first things he wants to train out of her is her conscience. He doesn't like that she thinks of others--the world at large, the world outside his narrow perception of society. He wants her to be kind and compassionate--but only so that she can put him first and be perfectly obedient to him.

But Marjorie does leave her comfortable life in Chicago. And she finds her family just in time. Her mother and father are both sick. As is one of her younger sisters. They are about to lose their apartment; they have no coal for a fire or gas for a stove; they have no food to cook. They have pawned almost everything they owned. She's there now--for better or worse. And she's going to see to all their needs no matter what the fuss. She is their sister like it or not.

The novel chronicles their first few weeks together as a reunited family. It is Christmas time. And she's determined it will be the BEST Christmas ever...

While the family is large, readers mainly get to know Marjorie, Betty (Marjorie's twin), and Ted. Ted invites Marjorie to go to church with him. His sister, Betty, will not go to church. Marjorie is impressed with the preacher and the sermon. She's full of questions, and through asking those questions and receiving answers, she comes to Christ and realizes her eternal security. She is then most eager to keep company with the young preacher, Gabriel.

Throughout these weeks, Marjorie is trying to decide what is best for herself and her family...where does she belong?!

I enjoyed Brentwood. It definitely had some Christian lessons in it. It clearly had a couple of gospel presentations in it, conversations where characters discuss what it means to be saved, what it means to be born again, how you can know if you're going to heaven or hell, how being good isn't good enough, how trusting in being good enough is anti-gospel. But what I appreciated even more than the obvious lessons where the quieter lessons.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

January's Booklist

These are the books I'm hoping to read (and review) in January 2013.

Spring for Susannah. Catherine Richmond. 2011. Thomas Nelson. 352 pages.

"Fourth Siding," the conductor yelled as he trundled down the aisle. "Your stop, miss." Susannah peered through the soot-covered window. Nothing. No false-fronted buildings, no hardy pioneer families riding in wagons, no tented gatherings of fur trappers and gold miners. Just drab brownish-green grass waving all the way to the horizon, as it had since Fargo this morning. Dakota territory had to be the emptiest place on earth. 

To Win Her Heart. Karen Witemeyer. 2011. Bethany House. 347 pages.

After two years, they'd finally cut him loose. Gave him a new suit of clothes and everything. Funny, though. The shame of the convict stripes still clung to him, as if tattooed horizontally across his skin.

Love Comes Softly. Janette Oke. 1979. 240 pages.

The morning sun shone brightly on the canvas of the covered wagon, promising an unseasonably warm day for mid-October. Marty fought for wakefulness, coming out of a troubled and fitful sleep. Why did she feel so heavy and ill at ease--she who usually woke with enthusiasm and readiness for each new day's adventure? Then it all came flooding back, and she fell in a heap on the quilt from which she had just emerged. Sobs shook her body, and she pressed the covering to her face to muffle the sound.

The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow. Olivia Newport. 2013. Revell. 320 pages.

"Kiss Henry for me."
Momentarily startled by hearing the words aloud, Charlotte Farrow glanced around, seeking assurance the moment was private. 

Fairer Than Morning. Rosslyn Elliott. 2011. Thomas Nelson. 400 pages.

Proposals of marriage should not cause panic. That much she knew. 

God on the Streets of Gotham. Paul Asay. Tyndale. 240 pages.

It takes a special person to dress up like a flying rodent. And when I say special, I mostly mean weird. And when I say weird, I mean weird for grown-ups. 

Preparing for Jesus' Return. A.W. Tozer, James Snyder, ed. 2012. Regal. 211 pages.

No biblical truth drew closer to the heart of A.W. Tozer than the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ. This focus on our Blessed Hope dictated much of his passion to encourage believers to rise above the times and fix their gaze on Jesus, our soon-coming King. He taught that for those who are ready for Jesus' return, there is no calamity raging around them that can shake the quiet assurance and confidence that Jesus Christ will return. 

And the Lamb Wins: Why The End of the World Is Really Good News. Simon Ponsonby. 2008. David C. Cook. 322 pages.

Interest in the end times has reached boiling temperature. 

How You Can Be Sure That You Will Spend Eternity with God. Erwin Lutzer. 1996. Moody. 159 pages.

Five minutes after you die you will either have had your first glimpse of heaven with its euphoria and bliss or your first genuine experience of unrelenting horror and regret. Either way, your future will be irrevocably fixed and eternally unchangeable. In those moments, you will be more alive than you ever have been. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Goals for January 2013

These are the goals I have for January 2013:

The Bible I'll be reading for January is the Revised Standard Version. I'll be using my own bible reading plan. Old Testament: Mondays are for the books of the law, Tuesdays for history books, Wednesdays for wisdom books, Thursdays for major prophets, Friday for minor prophets. New Testament: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for the four gospels and the book of Acts, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for the epistles. I *can* read in the OT on the weekends, but this is "free" reading. Sundays are free as well, I can read as much as I want, wherever I want.

In February, I'm considering choosing a New Testament epistle to read the MacArthur way--30 days in a row.

In Foundations, I'd like to get through the first eight messages.

• What is Theology?
• Scope and Purpose of Theology
• General Revelation and Natural Theology
• Special Revelation
• Inspiration and Authority of Scripture
• Infallibility and Inerrancy
• Canonicity
• Scripture and Authority

I'd like to read ten Spurgeon Sermons

• Adoption--The Spirit and the Cry
• The Sweet Uses of Adversity
• Fallen Angels a Lesson to Fallen Men
• The Ascension of Christ
• The Blessings of Full Assurance
• The Day of Atonement
• The Old, Old Story
• tbd
• tbd
• tbd

And read through January in Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Happy New Year! Joy to the World!

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:18-23 ESV)

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. (Philippians 3:20-21 ESV)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3; 1 Peter 1:4-5 ESV)

But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:13 ESV)

“Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them,
nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
(Revelation 7:15-17 ESV) 

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. (Revelation 21:1-4; Revelation 21:5-7 ESV)

And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life. (Revelation 21:23-27 ESV)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Introducing My Year With Spurgeon

One of my goals for 2013 is to spend a lot of time reading Charles Spurgeon. Part of my reading includes reading his Morning and Evening devotions. Although a large part of it involves reading a LOT of sermons! I plan on sharing my journey with you regularly through posts.

I thought I would begin with sharing this lovely quote from the evening, January 1 devotion. It's accompanying verse is Song of Solomon 1:4: We will be glad and rejoice in thee.

What heavens are laid up in Jesus! What rivers of infinite bliss have their source, ay, and every drop of their fulness in Him! Since, O sweet Lord Jesus, Thou art the present portion of Thy people, favour us this year with such a sense of Thy preciousness, that from its first to its last day we may be glad and rejoice in Thee. Let January open with joy in the Lord, and December close with gladness in Jesus. ~ Charles Spurgeon, Evening, January 1    

John Piper on how Christ should be precious to us:

In all the universe none is more precious to God the Father than His Son, Jesus Christ. That is how precious he should be to us. (John Piper, Pierced by the Word, 60)

Other verses on rejoicing:

• Philippians 4:4
• Psalms 5:11
• Psalms 13:5
• Psalms 32:11
• Psalms 40:16
• Psalms 90:14

Another quote I'd like to share comes from JANUARY 2, if you have a few minutes, you really should read the devotion in its entirety. Here is the portion, I'd like to share with you:

 If He has said much about prayer, it is because He knows we have much need of it. So deep are our necessities, that until we are in heaven we must not cease to pray. Dost thou want nothing? Then, I fear thou dost not know thy poverty. Hast thou no mercy to ask of God? Then, may the Lord's mercy show thee thy misery! A prayerless soul is a Christless soul. Prayer is the lisping of the believing infant, the shout of the fighting believer, the requiem of the dying saint falling asleep in Jesus. It is the breath, the watchword, the comfort, the strength, the honour of a Christian. If thou be a child of God, thou wilt seek thy Father's face, and live in thy Father's love. Pray that this year thou mayst be holy, humble, zealous, and patient; have closer communion with Christ, and enter oftener into the banqueting-house of His love. Pray that thou mayst be an example and a blessing unto others, and that thou mayst live more to the glory of thy Master. The motto for this year must be, "Continue in prayer." ~ Charles Spurgeon, Morning, January 2

Verses on prayer:

• Colossians 4:2
• 1 Thessalonians 5:17
• James 5:16
• Ephesians 6:18
• Philippians 4:6
• Matthew 21:22

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible