Through Painted Deserts

From Through Painted Deserts Author's Note:

September is perfect Oregon. The blocks line up like postcards and the rosebuds bloom into themselves like children at bedtime. And in Portland we are proud of our roses; year after year, we are proud of them. When they are done, we sit in the parks and read stories into the air, whispering the gardens to sleep.

I remember the sweet sensation of leaving, years ago, some ten now, leaving Texas for who knows where. I could not have known about this beautiful place, the Oregon I have come to love, this city of great people, this smell of coffee and these evergreens reaching up into a mist of sky, these sunsets spilling over the west hills to slide a red glow down the streets of my town.

Ahhh...I deeply appreciate the treasure of when an author can pen the feelings that run deep within me. Donald Miller knows my Oregon; he loves my city of Roses. I love that about him. But that's not what this book is about!

Donald Miller, the author of the well-know book, Blue Like Jazz, tells the story of his road-trip journey from Texas to Oregon in this fine book, Through Painted Deserts.
Donald and his friend, Paul, ponder together deep life questions along their way...Is there more to life than dating and working, than the ruts in which the world seems so stuck? What is our relationship with God about? And most of all...Why? [Not How? but Why?]

I picked up this book because everyone and their dog has been reading Blue Like Jazz this year. I have this personal issue with jumping on bandwagons; I tend to subconsciously avoid, at least for a while, those books, singers, television shows which are on everyone's favorite list (someone else described me as "stubborn" when we talked about this - but we all know that that is a ridiculous accusation!). Hearing, though, that he writes with deep feeling about my beloved home, I was drawn to check out his work. So I compromised -- I picked up this lesser known, or at least lesser talked about, Miller book.

I was not disappointed. It was a nice, comfortable read -- kind of like being on a road trip with a good soundtrack playing with the windows rolled down. His messages regarding life and faith are subtle; he has you read four or five chapters of interesting road trip memoir before he slips in a simple life lesson he's been pondering along the way. It's a nice journey to be on.

****

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Wow - this is quite a book! The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a novel by Mark Haddon, has to be one of the most captivating and unique books I have read. This intriguing story of an investigation into the death of a neighbor dog is told from the perspective of Christopher, a fifteen-year-old autistic boy. Christopher knows all of the countries of the world and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions.

And I kept my eyes closed and I didn't look at my watch at all. And the trains coming in and out of the station were in a rhythm, like music or drumming. And it was like counting and saying, "Left, right, left, right, left, right..." which Siobhan taught me to do to make myself calm. And I was saying in my head, "Train coming. Train stopped. Train going. Silence. Train coming. Train stopped. Train going..." as if the trains were only in my mind. And normally I don't imagine things that aren't happening because it is a lie and it makes me feel scared, but it was better than watching the trains coming in and out of the station because that made me feel even more scared.

I am amazed at the insight that this author portrayed in depicting Christopher's thoughts and feelings. I was so involved with Christopher that it truly felt as if he was the one authoring this novel. It is not a fun story; there are many parts which are uncomfortable and even painful. But the journey is well worth the discomfort felt along the way; I'm sure Christopher would agree.

*****

The Treasure Principle

One of my co-workers has passed out a little book to anyone who would take a copy like an old man passing out pieces of gum to children after church. It has sat on my shelf, waiting for the sleepless nights that have become my dancing partner as of late. The Treasure Principle: Discovering the Secret of Joyful Giving by local author Randy Alcorn is a treasure indeed!
This pocket-sized read is packed with a powerful punch. Through easy reading, direct points, and Scriptural foundations, Alcorn reveals a secret that may radically change the way you look at your possessions, generosity, and the gifts awaiting in heaven. The only downfall I can think of with this book is that it is one of those I kind of wish I never discovered - because what it says is right. That knowledge requires change in one's own life, and change can be uncomfortable at first, especially when it involves our bank accounts.

rating: *****

The Constant Gardner - movie

I have finally seen The Constant Gardner, the movie which I had heard about and led me to read the book by Le Carre'. It a little hard to review a movie once one has read the book, because there is so much back story that automatically gets filled in. This is a complicated story line, and I think the movie does get a little lost in the fine details. The movie is very true to the book, which is a trait in adapted screenplays that I appreciate.

I really loved this movie; it is beautiful to watch. Instead of using more traditional forms of big budget videography, Fernando Meirelles, the director, used a lot of smaller, handheld cameras, which gives the film a rough, documentary feel. The viewer walks down the street along with the actors, rather than merely observing them doing so.

Any time you see a movie that is set in a place where you have personally walked, it has a strong emotional pull. That could be true no more than my experience with this movie. The original plan had been to do the majority of the filming in South Africa, but after having seeing and experiencing Kenya, they opted to film the entire movie in that great east African country. My brother took me on a tour of Kabira, the slums so prominently highlighted in this movie, my first week in Africa. It was emotional and devastating to see the vast poverty and dismal living conditions of such beautiful people. That firsthand experience lent itself to emotional connection displayed by Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes in Justin and Tessa Quayle.

I recommend renting this dvd. Be sure to watch the deleted scenes and background stories in the bonus features - it will fill in some gaps that may have been left out from the story.

Beth Moore: Living Beyond Yourself

I am woefully behind on my review posts! I sent an email to an acquaintance a while back regarding the Beth Moore Living Beyond Yourself Bible study series, so I thought I'd post part of that note to get me back in the swing of things!

I have hesitated to speak up about this series because I'm afraid I could get in trouble for not raving! Isn't it heresy to not adore all things Beth Moore?? What I loved about the study was her videos. She is an amazing orator - gifted in incredible ways to connect with her audience and preach the Word!! I had a harder time connecting with the workbook study. There was something about the format that had me primarily concerned about filling in the blanks--kind of like a school assignment (ack!). I know one other person felt similarly. I also had concerns with how Beth tends to take Scripture out of context to fit with her study material (I'm really pushing it now, I know!). The days that we stuck with the suggested questions for our group discussion, it felt a bit stale; it was those days that we went on our own discussions - what was important to us that week? what Scripture spoke to us? - that the conversation was really encouraging.

Hope these thoughts do not sound negative or discouraging. Overall, I really enjoyed the study; I would do it again. I freed myself the last several weeks to not worry about the workbook and just engage in the group discussion and video. That worked well for me - once I got past the obligatory guilt!