GIVEAWAY WINNER - Thus Sayeth the Lord!

The winner is MCA Hogarth!

Just email me your address and we'll get it headed your way - julie [at] glyphnet [dot] com.

Thank you to everyone who signed up. It did my heart good to see the comments box used that much. Kind of like those old blogging days before everyone took regular chatting to Facebook.

I wish everyone could win, but luckily we've got preordering at Amazon (which I know you're tired of hearing about — but I like to think this book will make the end of Lent go a little easier).

Meatless Friday — Tuna Noodles

We make this year round and although it seems like an American innovation, check the credentials. Italians use canned tuna and this is from a great Italian cookbook.

It's easy, delicious, and is making my mouth water thinking about them. I ran this recipe way back in 2004 and it is still as popular in our home as it was then. Get the recipe here!

Living With Deborah: Privileged to Collaborate

For the final bit of the Deborah chapter in my new book, Thus Sayeth the Lord — let's look at the man in this equation — the general Barak.

Previously in the chapter: part 1, part 2, part 3

LIVING WITH DEBORAH
Privileged to Collaborate

We’ve focused on woman-power, but let’s look at Barak, the other major player in this story. He is respected enough to rally ten thousand warriors and lead them to a blowout victory. That’s not the kind of guy who usually comes running when a woman orders, even if she is a judge and prophetess. But Barak respects Deborah’s authority enough to respond to her summons.

Deborah is literally using God’s words, saying, “I will draw Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.”

But Barak hesitates, saying, “If you will go with me.” That “if” changed the ultimate hero of the battle, with Jael getting the glory of Sisera’s death. Why does Barak put conditions on his obedience? Is he afraid? Does he or do his troops need a tangible “talisman” of God’s favor? Does he doubt God’s power? We simply don’t know. Again, this story is about God’s victory, not individuals’ internal journeys.

I get Barak. “Yes, but … ” seems to be one of my favorite phrases when God’s desires come to me. No one’s asking me to face down nine hundred weapons of mass destruction, but taking dinner to an ill neighbor down the street can feel just as daunting when I don’t know her.

Sometimes, I’m afraid; sometimes, I’m doubting; and sometimes, I want control. “Sure thing, God, great idea — let me just add a wrinkle. If that doesn’t work, then we’ll go with your plan.” God keeps shoving us out of our comfort zones in the hopes that someday we’ll say yes and then shut up. Just so we can see, like Deborah and Jael, how amazing it can be when things get messy and God works them out.

Barak is included in a list of heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11 where Saint Paul says, “out of weakness they were made powerful, became strong in battle, and turned back foreign invaders.” I take solace in the fact that God used Barak despite his weakness, whatever it was.

This is what I’ve got to remember. Every time I answer God’s commands, I am rewarded with overflowing generosity. My life becomes richer, I become stronger in faith, and I know God a little more personally.

Also, Barak doesn’t hold a grudge or blame people for his shortcomings. He’s right there with Deborah singing that celebration hymn. That also encourages me to keep the right perspective and rejoice in God’s victory no matter how imperfect my collaboration might be.

I still haven’t gotten that victory party with roasted sheep and Bollywood dancing, but a girl can always hope!

If you liked what you've been reading, don't wait. Thus Sayeth the Lord comes out on March 31. Preorder your copy now!

Insightful review of Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy

An insightful review of a book I love — Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy — from Melanie Bettinelli. Here's a bit, but go read it all.

This time through, near the beginning of the novel I had an unexpected moment of recognition, or maybe not recognition so much as making a new connection between two things. I’m pretty sure that when I last read this book I hadn’t read much on the subject of human trafficking. But now I have. ...

In it’s way it has many of the same elements I loved in her earlier novel about religious life. In This House of Brede. But here the brokenness and healing comes to the fore. Lise is a mystic, in Bethanie she finds her true home. And yet her past won’t leave her alone. She must find ways to redeem it.

Living With Deborah: Crushing It For God

From my new book, Thus Sayeth the Lord — let's take a look at how the ladies get it done it when it comes to the prophet business.

Previously in the chapter: part 1, part 2

LIVING WITH DEBORAH
Crushing It For God

Deborah’s the whole package: legal counselor, prophetess, military commander, wife, and singer. But these only tell us the things she does, not who she is. Some of the prophets just will not shut up about how they’re feeling or what’s being done to them. Jeremiah wishes he’d never been born and is known as the weeping prophet. Elijah has to have an angel coax him back into action with a catered meal after he lies down under a tree saying, “I’m done. Take me now, Lord.”

Deborah? She’s kicking butt and taking names. We don’t know — or, frankly, care — how she restores order when bandits roam freely, what it does to her marriage to become a prophetess and judge, or what it’s like to be a battlefield commander with Barak. She serves God without hesitation, without doubt, and with her whole heart.

Jael too, though not a prophet or judge, didn’t mess around. We don’t know why she breaks nearly every taboo in the book to get Sisera in a position where she can kill him. Women never invited men into their tents and — do we have to say it — it’s terrible hospitality to kill guests. Especially don’t kill the guest if he’s an ally, because now we’re in covenant-breaking territory. But Jael is all in.

Whatever God ordered up, these ladies got it done.

I love that the storytellers didn’t try to clean things up. Women prophesying, leading armies, executing enemies — it’s all on the table when you’re telling God’s story. If he gets messy, that’s how we’re gonna tell it. From their point of view, these unlikely heroes are just one more proof that only God could maneuver this whole crazy plan into working.

You can’t lock God in a box. His ways are mysterious. God reads hearts, not genders or job descriptions. He knows who we are and what we can do. Our job is to cooperate by stepping out in faith and doing what he asks of us. Just wear your boots, because it might get messy.

Tomorrow in part 4 we'll take a look at the guy in this story — the general Barak.

Don't forget the book giveaway! Sign up here!

If you liked what you've been reading, don't wait. Thus Sayeth the Lord comes out on March 31. Preorder your copy now!

First Colors

First Colors, Finnish Lapland/Northern Finland, Remo Savisaar

Remo's photos of Lapland are so gorgeous and yet also so alien looking. I begin to understand why their folk tales have so many creatures like gnomes, brownies, and trolls.

Living with Deborah: Both Sides Now

Part 2 of the Deborah chapter from my new book, Thus Sayeth the Lord — let's take a look at how two versions of the same story help us have a nuanced view.

Part 1 is here.

LIVING WITH DEBORAH
Both Sides Now

There are only two chapters about Deborah, and the second one retells the first, but in poetry.

The prose chapter is a well-constructed, complete story. We get the religious and historical setting, Deborah’s and Barak’s roles, God’s instructions, battle strategy, and Sisera’s death. It’s a nice, tidy package.

The poetic chapter is dramatic and fun because it’s a celebration song. This is when it gets personal, immediate, and full of interesting details. Deborah stops bandits plaguing travelers, tribes are shamed for skipping battle, and “the onrushing torrent, the torrent Kishon” washed away the enemy.

What I find most poignant in Deborah’s song is a bit imagining Sisera’s mother when he never comes home.

Out of the window she peered,
the mother of Sisera gazed through the lattice:
“Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why do the hoofbeats of his chariots tarry?” (Jgs 5:26)

Deborah clearly sings this triumphantly, especially since the next lines are from the mother’s maids saying that Sisera’s probably just picking out the best slave girls and loot to bring home. For me it brings home the fact that Sisera is someone’s son, just like all those other warriors. It makes all those people feel vividly alive for me. It’s a touch, however chilling, that we don’t often get.

These two versions are like reading the book and seeing the movie. Each has a slightly different attitude, while both communicate the truth. Scripture does this all the time. That’s why Genesis has two versions of Adam’s creation, and four Gospels tell Jesus’ life story.

What can’t be ignored in either version of this story is that it is God’s story, first and foremost. Deborah, Barak, and Jael are important, but the storytellers are really talking about God’s protection of his beloved people. In case we don’t get it, right after Jael nails Sisera with that tent peg, we’re told, “So on that day God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan before the sons of Israel.” Bam. The victory is God’s.

As much as I love looking at Deborah’s story from several angles, I tend to resist this sort of view in my own life. The big picture of my own story is so often told from different points of view by my husband and children, family and friends. If I’m not too wedded to my own version, I can learn more about myself, good or bad. My life is enriched when I open myself up to community and allow myself to be known more fully.

Tomorrow in part 3 we'll take a closer look at the two ladies who crush it for God - and what that means in our own lives.

Don't forget the book giveaway! Sign up here!

If you liked what you've been reading, don't wait. Thus Sayeth the Lord comes out on March 31. Preorder your copy now!

What I'm Humming: Guys and Dolls

Here's what I've been humming for about a week. Mom hadn't seen this before and so we watched it and have been singing bits of different songs to each other ever since.

Not too classy, but what're you gonna do? Here's the one that keeps coming back ... I love the guy with the poodle.

Look, what's playing at the Roxy?

I'll tell you what's playing at the Roxy.

It's a picture about a Minnesota man so in love with a Mississippi girl that he sacrifices everything and moves all the way to Biloxi.

That's what's playing at the Roxy.

The Odd Volume

The Odd Volume (1894). Henry Stacy Marks.
Via Books and Art

We All Loved This One: Kumbalangi Nights

I'd read a good review of this Malayalam language Indian film and knew only that it was about four brothers in a tiny fishing town. And that it is a comedy-drama, a confusing yet common Indian description.

So none of us had any idea what to expect. It quickly became apparent that this was a movie you had to be prepared to let just wash over you in a state of confusion for the first 20 or 30 minutes. Luckily we were all willing to do that. After that it all came into focus and turned into a great movie with some twists that put us on the edge of our seats.

As my mother said:

The movie was beautiful to watch. Lovely, almost dreamlike landscapes instead of the usual crowded streets and scenes of many Indian movies. Good twist to the plot. This one is eye candy that relaxes and charms, making the story even more realistic.

I grew to love the four brothers from the wrong side of the tracks and the way they were dealing with their various dilemmas. I also was fascinated by their contrast with the family of one brother's girlfriend who seemed so perfect in every way and yet felt "off" from the beginning.

As the story goes on it is clear the director is telling us about families, how they are formed, and how they grow. The movie's twists were truly unexpected and there is a clear religious element that interested us as Kumbalangi is about 40% Christian.

All four of us kept talking about it the next day, so it did a great job of capturing our imaginations and hearts.

I feel lucky that it is streaming on Amazon so we were able to see it. I see that this director's first film is also streaming there and I want to watch that soon.

Rating — for viewers with medium Indian film experience. (It's not rocket science, but without any cultural background at all you might feel kind of lost.) 

Hannah and Rose discuss Kumbalangi Nights at An American's Guide to Bollywood.

Deborah — Kicking Ass and Taking Names

From my new book, Thus Sayeth the Lord — we looked last week at Jonah. Now, let's take a look at how the ladies can crush it when it comes to the prophet business.

We're going to read about Deborah. She's going to change your mind about ancient Jews and gender roles.

DEBORAH

Kicking Ass and Taking Names

Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.

Judges 4:4

What to Read

• Judges 4–5

Deborah’s story is two short chapters that turn popular ideas about ancient Jews and gender roles upside down.

You know how you have bad habits, vow to reform, and then fall back into the same things over and over? Once Joshua (the leader after Moses) dies, that’s the Israelites’s main problem. With no single leader to keep them on the straight and narrow, the tribes fall into a recognizable cycle. They idolize pagan gods, and God lets them reap what they sow. Nearby nations invade, and God doesn’t stop them. Eventually, the Israelites get the point and repent, wailing for help. God raises a hero (a.k.a. judge) to restore his people.

Although every sin-oppression-repentance spiral is depressingly the same, the heroes God raises each time are startlingly different. Trust God to handle each problem with creative flair. And he’s willing to keep on doing it as long as they need. The Book of Judges is one long, action-packed look at God and his heroes.

Deborah is one of the lesser known judges and prophets, but her short story is one of the most unusual. Among other things, the only other person in the entire Bible to be both a judge and a prophet is Samuel, so she’s a rarely gifted individual.

Quick Take on Deborah

With Deborah, God is at his most surprising because, first of all, he gives the Jews an unconventional female leader. Not a man. Not someone like Miriam, who’s always mentioned alongside her brothers. Deborah’s a married woman, but her husband is just mentioned in passing. Her personal life isn’t the point here. She sits under her palm tree in the mountains, judging Israel and laying down some of the most immediately provable prophecies in the entire Bible.

For twenty years, Israel has been in the power of the Canaanites. Their general, Sisera, is oppressing the heck out of everyone with his nine hundred iron chariots, the newest thing in military tech.

Deborah summons Israel’s top general, Barak, giving him God’s command to take ten thousand men and march to the Kishon River, where Sisera will be delivered into his power. Barak says, “OK, but only if you come, too.” Without missing a beat, Deb replies, “No prob. But now a woman is going to kill their general. Coulda been your gig, but … there you go!”

With that intro, we all think it’s going to be Deborah dealing the final blow, but surprise! It’s a new player, Jael, with her handy tent peg and hammer!

It goes down like this: God sends rain, which floods right down the Kishon River and washes away those awesome chariots. All the Canaanites are slaughtered on the field of battle, except Sisera, who runs away on foot. Smart or coward? You decide.

He winds up at a tent where his ally’s wife, Jael, is home alone. She offers him a jug of milk, and when he’s off guard, she takes a tent peg and drives it through Sisera’s temple with a big mallet.

One translation says the peg went through his skull into the dirt beneath his head. That is graphic. And impressive. Barak shows up too late, but he can’t say God didn’t warn him. He leads the warriors, but the special glory goes to Deborah and Jael.

Then Deborah and Barak sing a victory hymn that poetically retells the story. This is the high point of a huge celebration party with lots of roasted sheep, wine, and Bollywood-style dancing. OK, the party isn’t described in the Bible, but that’s how it goes in my head. You can just feel the joy and triumph coming through.

And there was peace for forty years.

Tomorrow in part 2 we'll compare the prose and poetic versions of the story and see what why two versions are better than one.

Don't forget the book giveaway! Sign up here!

If you liked what you've been reading, don't wait. Thus Sayeth the Lord comes out on March 31. Preorder your copy now!

Night Show

Night Show, Finnish Lapland/Northern Finland, Remo Savisaar

GIVEAWAY! For my new book — Thus Sayeth the Lord

I ran the Jonah chapter last week to give you a taste of the book. And for the rest of the week, I'll excerpt the Deborah chapter.

But there's nothing like the whole book in your very own hands!

So we're giving away a copy here on the blog! 

And I just discovered, checking the copyright page of my own copy, that it scored an Imprimatur and Nihil Obstat. All of which are official declarations that it is free from doctrinal or moral error.

Of course, if you've been reading the excerpts you know that doesn't mean they are agreeing with all of my takeaways and opinions — but we're totally starting from the right place in looking at these prophets.

It's just one more reason for you to want to read the whole thing!

Leave your name in the comments box and I'll do a random drawing on Friday. Or send me an email if the comments box is giving you grief - julie [at] glyphnet [dot] com

Note: Continental U.S. only

Mandarins with Vase

Mandarins with Vase, Duane Keiser

Love Drama or Power Drama?

We tend to think of Shakespeare's plays as being tragedies or comedies but this opens things up a bit.

If the distinction is not held too rigidly nor pressed too far, it is interesting to think of Shakespeare's chief works as either love dramas or power dramas, or a combination of the two. In his Histories, the poet handles the power problem primarily, the love interest being decidedly incidental. In the Comedies, it is the other way around, overwhelmingly in the lighter ones, distinctly in the graver ones, except in Troilus and Cressida--hardly comedy at all--where without full integration something like a balance is maintained. In the Tragedies both interests are important, but Othello is decidedly a love drama and Macbeth as clearly a power drama, while in Hamlet and King Lear the two interests often alternate rather than blend.”

Harold Clarke Goddard, The Meaning of Shakespeare, Volume 2

I never thought of it this way but Goddard is right. This is a very interesting way to look at the Bard's work. I just can't praise Goddard's books highly enough, by the way, for anyone who is interested in digging deeper into Shakespeare. Insightful, illuminating, and stimulating literary criticism which always respects Shakespeare's text.

Living with Jonah: Which Hand is Which and Running from God

From my new book, Thus Sayeth the Lord — the final part of the sample chapter we've been reading this week. (Previously:  part 1, part 2, part 3.)

Let's dig into Jonah's story and see what else it can tell us about our own lives, here and now.

Living with Jonah

Which Hand is Which?

Any time that someone tells you the “Old Testament God” is cruel and vengeful, remember the Book of Jonah. Absolutely not. God is God, no matter which Testament we’re reading. The mercy he shows the Ninevites is the same mercy we see Jesus praying for from the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

When I’m embarrassed over things I’ve done in the past, I remember God’s understanding words about the Ninevites, which I think are some of the most loving and hopeful in the entire Bible.

God knows that the Ninevites are ignorant, that they never had an opportunity to learn another way, and that they haven’t been given a real chance to be anyone other than who they are. And he knows that about me. As an agnostic, I made fun of people who remained chaste before marriage; called the Eucharist “that cracker”; and rolled my eyes over the pro-life movement. It has taken a lot of time, a lot of reading, and much internal prompting from God for me to be able to see things from his point of view. I appreciate now how ignorant I was and how obnoxious I must have seemed to Christians around me.

It’s why I also appreciate his gentle correction as I try — sometimes enthusiastically, sometimes halfheartedly — to live my life as a faithful Catholic, in Jesus’ footsteps.

Running from God

I’m like Jonah in more ways than one. I can be pretty quick off the mark in the wrong direction when God calls with something I don’t want to do.

What’s worse, a lot of the time I’m pretending to myself that I’m not turning my back on God. For all Jonah’s faults, he never pretended he wasn’t defying God. He even understood his own motivations. I’m not that honest a lot of the time. My problems are all pretty small compared with having to go declare God’s word to a hostile nation: the acquaintance that I don’t want to invite to a party because she is awkward to be around. The evenings I don’t want to give up to volunteer. The sick person I don’t want to visit because he can be pretty critical.

These petty problems can loom large, and I know I sound exactly like a sulky teenager when I’m coming up with excuses. And, come to think of it, so does Jonah, when he’s on the hill overlooking the city. Just as Jonah only cared that the plant was dying because he  lost the shade, not for the plant’s sake, we often think of everything (including people) according to how it affects us, not for another’s sake. That is where God’s thought-provoking question to Jonah comes in at the end.

We’re not given an answer to God’s question. Instead we, like Jonah, are left to ponder God’s ways and our own. Do I want to be like Jonah? Or just go ahead and try it God’s way? Because the only one I’m fooling is myself.

Next week, I'll share another chapter so you can see how a different prophet might show us something about our lives today.

If you liked what you've been reading, don't wait. Thus Sayeth the Lord comes out on March 31. Preorder your copy now!

St. Peter's Basilica at Night

St. Peter's Basilica at Night, Scott Danielson

Living with Jonah: Mad as Hell

From my new book, Thus Sayeth the Lord — I''m sharing a sample chapter this week. (Previously: part 1, part 2.)

Let's dig into Jonah's story and see what it can tell us about our own lives, here and now.

Living with Jonah

Mad as Hell

Let’s face it: Jonah himself is not a great person. He hates the Ninevites so much. It’s hard to blame him, because the Ninevites are the worst, a lot like ISIS and the Nazis rolled into one. So he runs.

Jonah isn’t simply being disobedient. He knows Scripture well enough to deeply disagree with God’s probable attitude to the Ninevites. In Exodus, God gives Moses the tablets and describes his nature: “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty.”

It’s the only place in the Old Testament where God describes his own nature,* and you can bet Jonah knew it. Did Jonah want that for the Ninevites? Heck no!

It’s ironic that Jonah’s absolute faith in God’s true nature is horribly justified when God forgives them at the first opportunity. Jonah comes right out and says, “Is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and repentest of evil.”

Mic drop.

What a powerful message this is for the Israelites reading this book. Their whole culture revolves around being God’s chosen people, whether or not they actually obey him very well. Now this clever book preaches a subversive message of God’s equal love for all peoples, all nations, and all creation.

Unfortunately, I understand Jonah all too well. I haven’t had a lot of violence enter my life, but his feelings about the Ninevites match the thirst for vengeance I felt on 9/11. I hated the terrorists, and I equally hated the Middle Eastern women I saw on TV exulting in the death and destruction of my beloved countrymen. How dare they!

It seems to be human nature, doesn’t it? We want justice. Mercy isn’t even on our radar. The troubled look in a gentle friend’s eyes when I told her my feelings finally made me stop and reconsider my lust for vengeance. I was able to let my hatred go when I leaned on the truth expressed by God at the end of Jonah: “And the Lord said … ‘And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?’” Those women didn’t know any better, and I did. That made it my responsibility to take control of my feelings.

* J. Carl Laney, “God’s Self-Revelation in Exodus 34:6-8,” Bibliotheca Sacra 158 (January-March 2001): 36-51, https://www.galaxie.com/article/bsac158-629-03

Tomorrow in part 4 we'll see what Jonah shows us about God's nature toward us and looking at our own behavior compared to Jonah's.

Thus Sayeth the Lord comes out on March 31. Preorder your copy now!

Roman Forum

Roman Forum, Scott Danielson

Quick Take on Jonah

From my new book, Thus Sayeth the Lord — I''m sharing a sample chapter this week. (Read part 1 here.)

Let's get a quick look-see at what the book of Jonah is about.

Quick Take on Jonah
God tells Jonah to preach in Nineveh. Nineveh’s the capital of Assyria, the most powerful and ruthless nation of the time, which all Israelites reading this book would’ve known. Not a place you just want to pop into. Jonah, as we have seen already, hot-foots it in the opposite direction to a ship at the edge of the known world. God raises a huge storm, causing the pagan sailors to toss Jonah overboard, where God saves him by having a huge fish swallow him. Bonus: The sailors begin worshipping God.

After three days and three nights, the fish vomits Jonah onto dry land. (Vomits. You’ve got to love the way the Hebrews keep it real. Jonah gets zero respect.) God repeats his command and, unsurprisingly, Jonah finally obeys.

And — are you ready for this? — the people of Nineveh surprise everyone, probably including themselves, by believing Jonah the very first day and promptly doing penance. They also make their animals do penance. These Ninevites are all in. This might be a first in the history of biblical prophecy.

God forgives them, which makes Jonah hopping mad. He furiously sits on a hill, watching the city, wishing he were dead, and complaining to God that this is why he ran away. “I knew you would forgive them,” he says. God has a plant grow, providing Jonah with much-needed shade, and then has a worm attack the plant so it withers and dies. Jonah gets even more infuriated, giving God some great talking points. The ensuing conversations provide God’s point of view.

We'll skip tomorrow since it will be Ash Wednesday - and pick up on Thursday in part 3 we'll see what Jonah has to do with our own lives.

Thus Sayeth the Lord comes out on March 31. Preorder your copy now!