Misc. Ramblings and I Cor 7

Hi,

Remember me?

Not many posts recently- sorry about that. Internet connection in Europe was pretty spotty...

Which reminds me.

I have to get something off my chest.

I didn't want to go. I was against it from the start. Too much money. Economy is in the toilet. Gas and oil are through the roof. I felt the good old "g" word hitting me right between the eyes.

Guilt.

I felt really guilty about going. My Maine upbringing makes me tighter than bark on a tree when it comes to spending money on myself. And as a Christian, how could I justify such an expense? I couldn't.

So for months leading up to this trip, I was a wreck. Ask my wife. We had a number of "discussions" about the trip and I was really really negative about it to the point we where almost didn't go. Then it got to be too late with all the deposit money and we had to go. But I still couldn't let go of my guilt and worry.

However, on July 30th, we flew out of Boston to Heathrow in London. Away we went, on the trip of a lifetime!

The other side of the story has to do with all the travel I used to do for Goodrich. I averaged at least two trips a month for several years. When I was in Europe and things were tough at home for Annette with the kids, she would say to them "Daddy's way over the ocean. One day, he's going to take all of us over there and we're going to see where he's been and have the trip of a lifetime!" And through hard work, perseverance, and saving money for almost 20 years, Annette made it happen. We have this giant bottle, the Europe bottle- it probably holds five gallons- and she's been putting money in it for as long as I can remember. Any loose change from the counter. A few bills sometimes get thrown in. Even tens and twenties. All saved up in a bottle so we could go to Europe to see where I'd been. And five free frequent flyer tickets sure helped!

So this morning, when I stood up for Sunday school class and gave you the 2 minute synopsis of the trip, I still felt a little funny. Because the trip cost a lot of money, even though we tried hard to do things cheaply (like food- let me tell you, there were a lot of meals that were bread and cheese). And some of you may not have too much money, especially these days. Especially with winter right around the corner and $4 or $5 per gallon home heating oil prices. Especially if you're on a fixed income.

Some may think it was extravagant to take 6 people to Europe for 3 weeks. It was. Some may think it was not a good use of my money as a Christian. I struggle with that myself.

In the end, it was a trip of a lifetime with my entire family. We saw the sights, we had tremendous experiences, we bonded together, we had times of stress and times of joy. And we fulfilled a decades long dream of seeing where "Daddy went". A heartfelt thanks to Annette for making it happen.

On a related topic, we read a lot of books on this trip. Thanks to Josh who brought a backpack full. Minimum number of books read by any one person was three and I think the most was five or six. And it was an eclectic mix, let me tell you. I love to read and I love to read books as a family and talk about them. As you know, I spend quite a bit of time reading Christian books, especially commentaries, which are detailed, verse-by-verse expositions on a particular book of the Bible. Plus I read several Christian blogs every day. In addition, I usually have at least one or two other books going that are "secular" in nature. I read them for enjoyment and in particular, with my "Christian glasses" on. (These, by the way, due to my advancing age, are 1.75X magnifying glasses, found at Kinney Drugs or the Dollar Store) What I mean by this is that I find it very healthy and stimulating to read books and enjoy them for the writing style, the plot, etc, and especially to see what the main message is and how it compares to my Christian world view. I find this particularly helpful with books my children are reading. So here's a quick list of what I read while on vacation (in order).

1. "Point Counterpoint" by Aldous Huxley. Huxley wrote "Brave New World" among others. This book is set in London in the 1930's and chronicles a couple of weeks in the lives of several upper crust Londoners. Since I was going to London, it seemed like a good choice. The prose was dense by lively. Huxley's characters were variable and quite amazing. Almost all were totally immoral and unscrupulous. Shows the character of sin and its deadly results in the end. Not sure I can really recommend it.
2. "Dharma Bums" by Jack Kerouac. This book was written and 1958 and along was Kerouac's "On the Road", became a standard for the Beat Generation. It's a semi-fictional account of his hitchhiking around the US, climbing mountains, doing poetry readings, communing with nature, along with his Buddhist friend Japhy. This book as very engaging and his discussions with Japhy are very interesting, as the author has Christian leanings. While I certainly disagree with the Buddhist philosophy of Japhy's, I can bring away several encouraging thoughts that permeate the book. First, is the appreciation and love of God's creation. We need, especially as Christians, to sit back in awe and wonder over the creation and the Creator. Second, is the desire for simplicity in our lives. Our possessions tend to possess us- they control our lives in an unhealthy way. I've read several Christian books and articles over the last few years that talk about the need to simplify our lives so that we can devote it to God and not to our possessions. Third, the main character meets all kinds of characters on his trips and he can always find some characteristic or quality to commend. We, as Christians, need to adopt this attitude. We are quick to judge and find fault. So in sum, while this was not a Christian book by any stretch of the imagination, I found it very encouraging and thought provoking. Sort of a non-Christian "Blue Like Jazz".
3. "Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway. What can I say about this classic? You have to read this epic about growing old, about man vs nature, about man vs himself, the relationship between an old man and a young boy, etc. I could go on and on with the symbolism and the message in this book. Many have said the Old Man represents Christ in his suffering, and that can't be missed. Also, the Old Man searching for the fish and struggling to acquire it, almost to the point of losing his life. In the end, what does he end up with? A picture of our struggles to get things of the world... A must read.
4. "Eiger Dreams" by Jon Krakauer. He wrote "Into the Wild", which was made into a popular movie this year. "Eiger Dreams" is a series of chapters about his experiences mountain climbing, rock climbing, and ice climbing. Each chapter is thrilling and amazing as he describes his adventures on sheer rock faces- some he conquers, some he doesn't. As someone who is afraid of heights, I was amazed by his exploits and his determination. I was constantly reminded of the capabilities of man and thought several times of the Tower of Babel- "come, let us build a tower..." Krakauer also wrote "Under the Banner of Heaven", which a read a couple of years ago. It's a detailed history of the Mormon Church, particularly with the radical polygamist offshoots of the mainline Mormon Church. Fascinating reading.
5. "I Corinthians Commentary" by Gordon Fee. This massive tome, along with one by John MacArthur, are my main resources for the Sunday School class. Fee is absolutely amazing with his understanding of scripture. I highly recommend it, although it's not for the faint-hearted, as its almost 900 pages in small type! During our trip, I read his detailed exposition of chapter 7. I also read ahead into chapter 11 for some verses that I was interested in.

So what's my message in this? Read. Read broadly. Read with a Christian world view. Read with your family. Read what your family's reading. Talk about what you read.

So how does this relate to 1 Cor chapter 7?

It doesn't.

I want to talk about divorce and share with you my struggles on trying to teach this difficult subject. However, I think I'll let it sit for a few more days. So check back later in the week.

And post a comment! Let's try to make this a dialogue. I've hesitated about commenting on the comments, as I want to hear YOUR comments. But I see that lively discussions occur on the Christian blogs I read every day and the authors respond quite frequently.

Eric