Category: Books

Today’s treat is an excerpt from the book Ebb From the Shoreline by Brenda Boitson. Her book alternates between her journal entries during her husband Kevin’s fight with cancer (in italics) and the story of how they met (in regular font).

Enjoy.

Excerpt from Chapter 14 “Casting Out Our Fears”

August 29, 2008 “Greetings (again) From 5D”

Well, as God would have it, we’re back in 5D, and even in the same, beautiful room 10! We are both very, very happy. It took a long while to get here — first the wait for the discharges, and then, seconds after we were told that our room was ready, someone coded on the floor in the next room. I was in our new room getting set up and came over to find chaos in 5C. We prayed for the patient and the family and were very relieved to hear they had survived. It is so scary to hear that “code” word, and even scarier to practically witness it.

Kevin is getting all set up with his monitors and IVs, and then will hopefully enjoy some warm green tea, some Ativan, and sleep!! I hope to do the same (minus the Ativan) in a little while.

My sister and her husband are visiting us tomorrow, and hopefully the guys can score a new TV here to hook up the Xbox and enjoy some guy time. Joni and I are looking forward to heading to White Marsh Mall to do a little retail therapy.

An update on the other angiosarcoma patient family that I met here — her name is Doris, and I believe his name is Ronnie. It turns out they decided not to discharge him! We are praying that means good things, in that there may be hope for his case and some comfort. But I do want to lift up Ronnie not only in prayer for healing but also our sympathies. His son, just 18, took his own life last week, which was very difficult to hear. Doris says she wasn’t sure if it was because he knew he was going to lose his father or what, but our prayers certainly have increased for them.

Thanks for all the love you all have left — I LOVE hearing all your comments. I’m glad you find this blog to be so encouraging and a great read. It’s very “zen” for me to write and put my thoughts out there. I have always loved writing, and I want to give a BIG shout out to Mrs. J who truly helped shape my writing and my commitment to it. Kevin asked me to write a story about our journey, especially this, so it has begun. I’m just on page 10, so we’ll see where it takes me. I’m not sure if I’ll write a book on everything or if I’ll incorporate the blog in it as well. That’s to be decided.

Have a wonderful sleep and a safe, celebratory Labor Day weekend!

We didn’t have enough money for a gym membership, and Kevin was getting antsy just hanging out at home after he worked all day. He wanted to work out and take care of his body, but I couldn’t justify a monthly gym membership in our budget. It was frustrating to live within such a tight budget, constantly hoping we could remain on the edge without tipping over and losing everything.

Kevin began researching things to do in surrounding areas, and Cabela’s became Kevin’s favorite store to explore. He had been reading about surf fishing and was hankering to spend some of his funds on a rod/reel combination and some fishing gear. We did not have much extra money for it, but we needed some excitement, and I wanted to go camping. Kevin had begun setting aside some money from his farm work to help pay for extras such as fishing gear. I knew that Kevin had been busting his rump at the farm, and I figured I could juggle our funds for that week so that we could do a little shopping. I was not good at following a strict budget. I wanted us to be able to do something other than stay home and work all the time.

Kevin had loved fishing with his grandfather at a young age, and the opportunity to fish in the Atlantic Ocean was extremely appealing to him. He purchased a few books online about surf fishing, and once we purchased enough gear to begin fishing, we planned our first weekend vacation together to Ocean City, MD and Assateague Island, where he could fish.

We chose Memorial Day weekend so we could enjoy 3 days at the beach without feeling too rushed. I was in it for the camping, Kev for the fishing. I invited my brother and his girlfriend to join us because I wanted to get to know her better and knew they also loved the outdoors. None of loved mosquitoes, but when it comes to Maryland beaches, they’re a given.

Arriving late after work on Friday, we set up our tent in the dark. The three-wing tent was quite the nuisance. It was far too big for our needs and too monstrous to put up with just two people. Sweating away, we finally got the tent assembled, unpacked as much as possible, and then planned for bed since it was so late. Kurt and Bethany arrived much later (in the middle of the night), and we could hear them clanking tent poles together around 2 a.m. The tent went up, and the rains came down, and down, and down.

After an hour of heavy, intense rain and pulling all of our items towards the center of the tent to minimize anything getting wet, we heard commotion in the tent next door. I yelled over to Kurt and, after hearing his reply of a few curses, came to find out that their tent was not fairing nearly as well as our own.

The next morning we realized just how bad things had been the night before, and Kurt and Bethany woke up in something that resembled a lake with a tent in it. Everyone was quite cranky about the night’s weather adventures, but Kevin was excited to get fishing. Nothing would stop him. We packed up our car to head to the beach. According to him, we were already hours behind finding a good spot on the beach and well past the best tides for fishing. We rushed off down the road to Assateague Island to begin fishing, leaving Kurt and Bethany to fend for themselves until they regained their wits.

I was excited to use our three-day weekend to camp and relax, but Kevin only wanted to fish. The worst part of the beach was lugging all of the gear over the dunes onto the sand. It certainly gave us a workout. I plopped down on my lawn chair with a good book and a cold wine cooler while Kevin began perfecting knots and putting together his line, sinker, and bait in order to catch the perfect fish.

He was maniacal about doing everything just as he had read, and I watched with a smile. He was so happy to be out here and away from his crappy job. I was so happy we were beginning some traditions of our own. I could feel the sun burning my face and joyfully sat there while Kurt and Bethany made their way onto the sand with us. Blankets, beers and beach: perfect.

We spent most of the day on the beach and discussed plans to drive into Ocean City that evening. It was an unspoken tradition to go to the boardwalk on each and every trip into OCMD. The boardwalk wasn’t so much Kev’s thing, but I would have killed someone for a Dumser’s milkshake. After soaking up the sun through my yellow bleached hair, I was thirsting for their milkshake. We packed up all of our gear, and after three trips, we finally had the car packed up again.

After showers back at the campground, we fought through traffic and made it to the Boardwalk, which was packed as usual for Memorial Day weekend. We were all more than slightly sun-kissed, and the cool ocean breeze coming off the water was refreshing yet chilly. Kev and I held hands and walked beside Kurt and Bethany, who stopped to look at the trinkets, and eventually we stopped at the boardwalk vendors for some fries and shakes. The sky was darkening quickly, and we were looking forward to a campfire back at the campsite…with s’mores. When it came to camping, I never had healthful planning.

That night we cuddled up in our pajamas with our loves by the fireside. A family pulled in behind us, and we helped them start their campfire so the younger kids who were with them could enjoy a proper s’more. The humidity was high, and mosquitoes were biting, but it was a vast improvement from the downpour the night before.

Kurt and Bethany’s tent had dried, but their bedding was damp and stunk of mildew. Even our mansion monstrosity had sprung a leak the night before. I hoped the rain would keep away and we would stay dry. Kevin was itching for another day of fishing at the beach. I sunk my teeth into the gooey, super-sweet goodness of the s’more, and soon we retired to our bed of air.

The next morning we enjoyed much of the same: fishing, reading, sunbathing. Kevin caught a few jellyfish but nothing worthwhile. The beaches had become crowded with the long weekenders, and it was much more difficult for him to cast without first catching a kid or two. The night rolled by quickly, and the next day we hit the beach for a few more hours before driving home to our everyday lives.

August 30, 2008 “Rebounding Away”

Good morning. Kev and I are all back and comfy at 5D again, even in our old room. It feels SO good to be back. I’m trying to get back our portable TV so we can get the Xbox hooked up so that when Lou comes they can play some guy games. Exciting!

Another exciting thing — Kev got off the heart monitor this morning! So very happy — he is back to where he was before all this junk happened, and we are quite happy about that. The doctors say that the plan looks to start Kev on his second round of chemo this week, and they’ll just keep a close eye on him! Wahoo!

Kev is excited to get back up and walking this week, and he’s also looking forward to getting a new, more comfortable chair in here for him to lounge in outside of the bed. Fun stuff happening!

He’s back to his full-on Juicy Juice kick, so I know things are improving — haha. Kev got a great sleep last night, which was so great. He even got an extra nap already this morning.

I hope you all have a wonderful, wonderful day today. Happy Labor Day to everyone in the States — stay safe!

Print Books -$14.95

Digital Editions – $9.99

Find out more about the book or order your copy HERE.

In a segregated city and time, two girls forge a friendship across social and physical barriers. The pair walk together through the changing world of Tulsa during the oil boom. Grace Irons struggles to root her changing friendship with white, outspoken Mercy Williams. When the girls discover a horrible secret, they cannot ignore their differences any longer. At a moment when their friendship is threatened, the girls witness the events that set Tulsa on fire in 1921. Will Grace and Mercy survive the seven days in May?

This is a beautiful, haunting book, the kind where each chapter ends and leaves you waiting for more, but also not necessarily wanting to read more because you think you can see the direction things are going and, oh my, it doesn’t feel good. It’s also a necessary book, because it’s a glance in the rear view and reminds us just how close our racist past is, and how the seeds sewn not to many generations ago are still bearing fruit today.

If you enjoy the steady pace and intricate details of Marilynn Robinson, you will love Jennifer Luitwieler’s Seven Days in May.

Find out more about it or purchase your copy HERE (available in paperback and Kindle).

 

Today I’m talking with Ed Cyzewski about his newly released book, Unfollowers. Ed is a wonderful writer and someone who cares deeply about the scriptures and following Jesus. Read our interview here, and leave a comment for your chance to win a free copy. I’ll choose one lucky winner later this week.

There are a lot of books out there, and I’m sure there are a lot of various things you’d like to write about. Why Unfollowers?

It’s hard to find something new to say about Jesus. I wanted to give readers a perspective on the Gospels that wasn’t merely a remix of existing books. The unfollowers provided that new angle into these stories I’d been looking for.

If you read the Gospels from the perspective of what the “unfollowers” expected, the message of Jesus and the decisions of his disciples come into a much sharper focus. I’ve spent most of my life assuming that I would have jumped to follow Jesus. When I started relating to the stories of the unfollowers, I saw that I have just as many obstacles to following Jesus today. Their stories became a fascinating point of entry into the story of Jesus, and they helped me develop new-found appreciation for Jesus and his message.

When did the idea begin percolating in your mind? Was there a particular event or realization that led to the book?

I was studying the Gospels in seminary, and one day I finally understood the perspective of the Pharisees. They were just trying to be faithful to the teachings of scripture. I could really relate to them. I saw how Jesus didn’t compute for them. Worst of all, I saw that I had a lot in common with them.

I too separated myself from “notorious sinners” in order to keep myself holy.

I too condemned those who disagreed with my theology.

They couldn’t stand the redemptive approach Jesus took with sinners and how flexible he was about what his followers believed. I mean, the guy had a tax collector and revolutionary hanging out in the same pack! No wonder he alienated everyone.

Which one of your favorite authors (living or dead) would you like to read Unfollowers and why?

Well, if we’re talking about the New Testament, I’ve gotta choose NT Wright. I would especially want him to write a review of the book that says my book offers a “fresh” perspective on Jesus because he uses that word all of the time. I would also want him to call me up on my cell phone and tell me that it’s “brilliant” in his authoritative British accent.

Do you have a favorite Unfollower in the Bible? Who is it and what about them appeals to you?

The worst villains are also the most compelling to me. For instance, I could really relate to Judas and Caiaphas. They were both really practical guys who knew how to plan ahead and who tried to weigh their back up plans. Judas opted to betray Jesus when Jesus predicted his own death in Jerusalem, and while I can’t say that I relate to that, at the core of Judas was an assumption that God’s plans mirrored his own. When his plans for Jesus fell apart, he moved on to plan B very quickly. There’s a lot about Judas’ assumptions and planning that sound eerily familiar to me.

Caiaphas was so buried in pragmatic decisions and compromises that he hardly thought twice about killing this peasant preacher from a forgotten backwater. You can hear his exasperation through the pages of scripture as he calls his colleagues “fools” for not realizing they could just arrange to have Jesus killed before the Romans accused them of rebelling and came to crush the city. He had a small view of God and tremendous faith in his own ability to find solutions to his problems. Once again, that sounds eerily familiar to me.

How does this book compare to the other books you’ve written?

Coffeehouse Theology was my big picture take on how I approach theology as a conversation with the Spirit, scripture, and Christian community—you could say it laid out my methodology for studying scripture. Unfollowers is, in part, the fruit of that approach.

While Unfollowers is quite different from my other upcoming book The Good News of Revelation, it does share the same quality of trying to uncover overlooked perspectives on familiar parts of the Bible. Unfollowers takes on the stories behind the doubters of Jesus, while The Good News of Revelation shares how Revelation was a message of comfort and encouragement about the coming justice and restoration of God for persecuted Christians.

Also, in all honesty, it’s better. Ha! My co-author Derek Cooper did all of the heavy lifting with the researching and outlining, and that made it so much easier for me to focus on retelling the stories, while still asking tough questions at the end of each chapter.

This book is co-written. Talk to me about that process.

Two words: coin flip.

But really, we divided the project into research and writing. Derek researched and outlined the chapters. He also added some application points of varying length. Sometimes I dumped his notes directly into the text and other times I wrote based on his research. I did the bulk of the writing, adding opening anecdotes, smoothing out the biblical stories, and filling in the application at the end of each chapter. Derek also reviewed everything I wrote, corrected my mistakes, and removed the most egregious puns.

Speaking frankly, without Derek, this book would not have been written. I kept telling him how great it was going to be and gave him vague outlines with half-baked summaries of Bible stories. I was stuck in the big picture. Derek literally combed through every Gospel story and categorized them so that we could pick a representative sampling of the various unfollower stories. Our editor at Wesleyan Publishing House cut one of my funny stories from the book so that we could fit that chart in the back (true story). It was a smart move!

Most major candies are broken down into Grape, Cherry, Orange, and Lemon. Which flavor is normally the last remaining flavor in your candy bowl?

Do people really think of lemon as a candy flavor? When I think of lemon, I think of a cough drop. In the words of the Internet: JUST CAN’T. **SIGH**

Find out how to purchase Unfollowers HERE.

Find out more about Ed Cyzewski HERE.

For the next few weeks, I’ll be highlighting a book here every Monday. So drop in if you’re looking for a good read – you might even get a chance to win a free copy of the book being highlighted.

Peter Greer, the President of Hope International, is a great friend of mine. His latest book, Mission: Drift, is one you’ll want to check out if you are a pastor, leader, or business executive concerned about the mission of your organization and the direction it’s headed.

Here’s an excerpt (and if you’re interested in winning a copy, simply leave a comment – I’ll draw one lucky winner later in the week from the names of those who comment on the post):

A Street Preacher and an Oilman

Tycoons Howard Pew and Henry Crowell had much in common. Both were titans in their industries, Pew in oil, Crowell in food; renowned for extraordinary generosity, and bold in their Christian faith.

But the legacy of their foundations provides a fascinating case study in Mission Drift.

Oil and Evangelism

Billy Graham was a risk-taker. And so was oil magnate Howard Pew. Which is what made their partnership work.

In 1955, Graham sat down with Pew in his Sunoco Oil headquarters. He laid out his vision for a magazine of “evangelical conviction.”

This historic meeting led to the launch of Christianity Today.

“I came to have great affection and admiration for him,” Graham said, “not because he had a great deal of money but because he was a man of God and a man of wisdom who wanted to see his wealth used wisely for the cause of Christ.”[1]

Not only partners, Graham and Pew became friends.

When Pew died in 1971, Graham spoke at his funeral. The Pew Charitable Trusts paid homage to Pew’s friendship with Graham, donating $3 million toward the construction of the Billy Graham Memorial Library.[2]

Planned Parenthood and Raging Incrementalism

Unfortunately, since the founders died, the Pew Charitable Trusts has taken a U-turn. And it’s received significant public scrutiny because of its departure from Howard Pew’s intentions.

In recent years, the Pew Charitable Trusts have made major gifts to organizations like Planned Parenthood and many of the Ivy League schools Howard Pew eschewed.

The drift has been so marked that one author described it as “the gravest violation of donor intent.” [3]

In other words, the Pew Charitable Trusts hasn’t done what Howard Pew founded it to do.

Trademark Generosity

In stark contrast is the example of another titan of commerce, Henry Crowell, founder of Quaker Oats.

A friend once asked Crowell how much he gave, in sum, toward charity.

He responded, “Well, I’ve never even let myself in on that.”[4]

But records show that for more than forty years, Crowell gave away over seventy percent of his income.

What motivated Crowell was the advancement of the Gospel. While Billy Graham had been Howard Pew’s partner and friend, evangelist D.L. Moody was a close ally and friend for Crowell. Crowell supported many of Moody’s ministries, as well as served as chairman of the board for Moody Bible Institute for over forty years.

Crowell knew that, unguarded, his wealth would be disbursed to a number of worthy causes, but not toward the cause he cared about most: Jesus.

So Crowell intentionally wrote safeguards into the charter of The Crowell Trust, which gave to faith-based institutions.

Consider one safeguard that is still practiced annually. Trustees gather to observe a rather particular tradition written in The Crowell Trust’s charter: first, they begin in prayer. Next, they read—aloud—the mission and vision Henry Crowell himself wrote. They read his words and meditate on the vision God gave him before starting official foundation business.

From the outside looking in, the tradition seems almost comical: a group of high-powered executive leaders sitting for three hours while reading aloud to one another. But it is a practice demonstrating a defining characteristic of Mission True organizations: They proactively protect their mission, understanding that every organization is susceptible to drift.

“Many folks come into the Crowell Trust and tell me that Crowell is one of the few trusts that have stayed true to its indenture,” noted Candy Sparks, current executive director of The Crowell Trust.

Safeguarding Mission

Henry Crowell attended to details. He placed guardrails around the vision and funds God entrusted to him. In contrast, Howard Pew’s successors took his intent and replaced it with their own.

The Pew Charitable Trusts today fund many admirable causes. But their priorities bear little resemblance to the convictions and legacy of Howard Pew.

The problem isn’t the mission of the Pew Charitable Trusts today. The problem is with the blunt change of course.

Leaders are responsible to remain faithful in safeguarding the mission of their organizations.

Continue the conversation:

·      Have you taken steps (like Crowell) to protect what matters most?

• Take the Mission Drift Survey to gauge whether your organization is Mission True.

___________________________

Peter Greer and Chris Horst are the coauthors of Mission Drift, a book about the importance of faith-based organizations retaining their religious identity as they grow and professionalize. Greer and Horst serve as executive leaders of HOPE International, a Christian microfinance organization.