An Eclectic Assortment: The Latest Reading Review

The purposes for these book lists are to provide for myself accountability and motivation, to provide for my bookish friends a spur to their motivations regarding reading, and finally, to pass along, when appropriate, recommendations to those same friends.

I begin this brief note with the admission that my reading has been limited this first part of the year. Usually winter provides more time for reading and so my book totals are normally quite high during the months when temperatures are cold and snow is on the ground. But not so much this year -- there have been too many Vital Signs of responsibilities, sermon preparations, quick trips to Kansas and northwest Iowa, and so on. Nevertheless, however busy the schedule, I will always make some time for reading and so I now submit my 2024 list to date.

The most important among the group was a re-reading of Charles Dickens’ hefty novel, David Copperfield. And, no surprise, I still recommend it with a four-star rating. However, the only other four-star reads in these 10 weeks was a manuscript copy of Christy Anne Collins’ riveting account of her pro-life career. The tentative title of her book is From Prison Ministry to Prison. It was excellent and I will certainly let you know when it is published. And then there was this short but very enlightening and inspiring story of Tony McFadden, Redeemed: My Journey After Abortion.

And the others? Well, there was a re-read of Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea; a re-read of C.S. Forester’s The African Queen; and a re-read of David Karsner’s Silver Dollar: The Story of the Tabors which has had particular interest for Coloradans like myself. There were also a few “pure pleasure” reads as well: It’s Your Turn, Mr. Moto by John P. Marquand, Fear Is the Key by Alistair MacLean, A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh, and the highest quality of this lot, The Romantic Prince by Raphael Sabatini.

And finally, the most unusual book in my recent reading was a book by Nebraska’s former Attorney General, Don Stenberg. It is a book using a Screwtape Letters format. And although the formula is somewhat overused, and Mr. Stenberg’s writing isn’t exceptional, and the ending is heterodox (bizarre might be a better word), I still rate it three stars and recommend it for the important information he imparts, the calls to action he makes, and the moral courage he displays in seeking to make a difference for Christ in a darkened culture. That book? Eavesdropping on Lucifer.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas: The 3rd Lyric Change

Judy Garland’s singing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in the 1944 film “Meet Me in St. Louis” made the song a Christmas standard. It’s certainly one of the favorites we present in the Christmas version of “When Swing Was King” to senior care facilities. And when we come to that number in the show, I sometimes explain that the lyrics of that song have actually been changed twice -- first at the insistence of Judy Garland herself when the film was still being made and then again in the 1950s at the whim of Frank Sinatra.

Well, here from a memorable devotional from Joni Eareckson Tada comes the very moving story behind yet a third change in the song’s lyrics. Check it out…

Have Yourself a Blessed Christmas 

One of the Christmas classics you hear so often this time of year is “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” The composer of that poignant song is my friend Hugh Martin. Years ago, when Hugh came to Hollywood after leaving New York, he fell on difficult times, which led this dear man to the feet of Jesus. And sometime after his conversion, Hugh went back to the piano and composed new lyrics to his beloved classic. This time, he wanted his Lord and Savior to be honored in the music. Hugh went home to be with Jesus in 2011 at the age of ninety-six, but before he died, he was a guest on our radio program, and I sang those new lyrics for him: “Have yourself a blessed little Christmas, Christ the King is born. Let your voices ring upon this happy morn.” The old lyrics were tender and sweet; the new lyrics may go on ringing into eternity.

Thank You, Lord, for the story of Hugh Martin’s changed life. It’s a story that can be told millions upon millions of times. You change lives, King Jesus. You lift up people from darkness, heartbreak, and impossible situations and give them hope, happiness, and a new song to sing.

And thank you, Joni, for passing along this wonderful Christmas account.

An Article for Fellow Book Lovers: 10 Books That Made Us…And 5 Others That Also Helped (Denny & Claire Hartford)

As I mentioned in a recent Book Den post (October 31), I finished a most enlightening and relevant book entitled 10 Books that Screwed Up the World: And 5 Others That Didn’t Help by Benjamin Wiker. That book easily makes my Top 10 for the year and I couldn’t recommend it more highly for those who want to know more about why Western Civilization has so tragically “devolved” in the last century. I truly hope many of you will take the challenge and read it yourself.

But reading that book also prompted Claire and me to think about the books that had actually made the world better -- at least, our world. We decided to make it a project, one that would cause us to look back, remember, and evaluate the books that had most shaped our lives for the better. It proved to be a very worthwhile exercise for us both and we have decided to share it. We hope you find our answers of interest even as we suggest that you consider pondering a similar experiment. So, let’s go. Aside from the Bible itself, we are going to tell you the 10 Books That Made Us…And 5 Others That Also Helped. 

You'll find that piece on the Vital Signs Ministries website right here.

The Incomparable Charles Dickens

I finished my latest Charles Dickens novel last night -- a rereading of one of his longest and, in other ways too, an especially challenging book, Bleak House. But was I wowed once again? Most certainly. Remarkable characters. Captivating plot. The keenest and ever-relevant observations of human nature. And writing skills that are truly unmatched. 

Even amid the corruptive injustice of Jarndyce and Jarndyce (the complex court case which pervades the pages of the novel), I found my journey through Bleak House immensely rewarding.

And how do you follow Dickens? Well, you certainly don’t go to another novel, that’s for sure. So, I’ve opted instead for a re-reading of an inspiring, thoroughly enjoyable book of history, Laura Hillebrand’s classic, Seabiscuit.

What Recent Reads Earned 5 Stars?

The reading of late has been absolutely exceptional with most of the books of the last couple of months earning the whole 5 stars possible.  Let’s run down the list.

Fire Over England, written by A.E.W. Mason, is an adventure story set against the imminent invasion of England by the Spanish Armada. It is full of page-turning action. There are intriguing parallels drawn between the England of the 16th Century and the England of the 1930s which is facing the threats to its existence from the Nazi ascendancy in Europe. I have read Fire Over England a couple of times before and I enjoyed it once again. Make it a 4-star novel.

Claire agrees with me that Tim Tebow’s Shaken: Discovering Your True Identity in the Midst of Life’s Storms is definitely 5-star book. There is plenty of insight, encouragement, challenge, and wise counsel.  Tebow illustrates in various ways his theme that you know “who you are” by knowing “Whose you are.” He also speaks movingly about the necessity of having a tight “circle of trust” for accountability and motivation, about learning the lessons from disappointment that can bring you closer to God, and much more. Claire and I both recommend it highly.

Rereading Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by General Lew Wallace was another re-reading project that both Claire and I undertook this last quarter. My, what a story! What detailed and fascinating history! What spiritual inspiration! Sure, you’ve seen the movies -- 1907, 1925 (MGM’s version that was the most expensive silent film ever), 1959 (with Charlton Heston and Stephen Boyd as the lead actors) 2003, and 2016 – but you’re missing most of the treasure if you don’t read the book. 5 stars? Of course.

I found Arthur Conan Doyle’s 14th century military adventure, The White Company, not quite as enjoyable as my first reading many years ago. So, I’m leaving it in the 3-star category.

Next up is another compelling 5-star read, 10 Books That Screwed Up the World: And 5 Others That Didn't Help by Benjamin Wiker. It’s a wow, no doubt about it. I spent profound hours carefully reading this excellent and extremely important book. I particularly endorse it as a resource for Christians who desire to know the “whats” and “whys” regarding the de-volution of Western civilization…as well as learning the “hows” of reclaiming some of the authority and relevance the Church has so pitifully surrendered in the last century.

We have taken advantage of travel time in recent months to “read” five of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia via the superb radio adaptations done by Focus on the Family produced between 1999 and 2002.  On our way to Colorado and back in August, we listened to The Magician’s Nephew and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Then in October, as we drove to Wichita, then Branson, and back to Omaha, we listened with great delight to The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

These productions, by the way, are excellent adaptations with almost all of the text of the original books kept intact. In addition, they utilize the voices of such distinguished actors as Paul Scofield and David Suchet, a fantastic musical score, realistic sound effects, and more. For fans of Narnia, these productions are wonderful. In fact, we suggest you consider putting the series on your Christmas shopping list, perhaps a used CD set. And ratings? 5-star ratings go to all of the above titles except the Dawn Treader. For though there is marvelous stuff in that book, I’m afraid the chapters about the Island of the Voices, the Dufflepuds, and the Dark Island drop the book to a 4-star for me.

My favorite Charles Dickens novel seems always to be the one I’m reading at the time. But it is certainly true that Nicholas Nickleby stands a bit taller than most. I thoroughly enjoyed evenings at our condo down in Branson with Nicholas, Madeline, Smike, Newman Noggs, John Browdie, the Cheeryble brothers and even the despicable villains Ralph Nickleby, Arthur Gride, and Wackford and Mrs. Squeers. Nicholas Nickleby easily earns 5 stars and then some.

At a discount bookstore in Branson, I came across a new edition of David McCullough’s first published book, The Johnstown Flood. It was an extremely interesting, well-written history about one of America’s horrific and most publicized tragedies. It’s a solid 4-star history.

The last title in this Book Den reading update is the classic novel of the Ozark hills and valleys, Harold Bell Wright’s The Shepherd of the Hills. It made for a particularly appropriate re-read for our Branson getaway but, alas, I didn’t actually begin it until our very last night there and finishing it soon after returning to Nebraska. Not to worry, even sitting in my own living room, Wright’s imagination and literary skills made me feel like I was still down in an Ozark “holler” dodging the Baldknobbers with young Matt, Sammy, Pete, and Dad Howitt. The Shepherd of the Hills is an easy, pleasurable read with action, mystery, and inspiration aplenty that earns 5 stars.

On the list for the next few weeks? Well, the current plan includes: re-reads of Bleak House (Charles Dickens), Heaven (Randy Alcorn), A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens), and the last two books in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. And first time readings of We Will Not Be Silenced (Erwin Lutzer), Jesus Is Risen: Paul and the Early Church (David Limbaugh), and No Little People: Sixteen Sermons for the 20th Century (Francis Schaeffer).

About Auden's Night Mail

Night Mail was commissioned for the United Kingdom’s documentary film of the same name which Auden was working on in 1936. It was determined by the producers that a spoken word poem would increase the film’s dramatic impact. They were right as the poem not only worked very well for the film, it quickly became one of the best loved of all Auden’s poems. 

And if you'd like to watch that original 24-minute documentary, do so right here.

Night Mail by W.H. Auden

This is the night mail crossing the Border,
Bringing the cheque and the postal order,

Letters for the rich, letters for the poor,
The shop at the corner, the girl next door.

Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb:
The gradient’s against her, but she’s on time.

Past cotton-grass and moorland boulder
Shoveling white steam over her shoulder,

Snorting noisily as she passes
Silent miles of wind-bent grasses.

Birds turn their heads as she approaches,
Stare from bushes at her blank-faced coaches.

Sheep-dogs cannot turn her course;
They slumber on with paws across.

In the farm she passes no one wakes,
But a jug in a bedroom gently shakes.

Dawn freshens, her climb is done.
Down towards Glasgow she descends,
Towards the steam tugs yelping down a glade of cranes
Towards the fields of apparatus, the furnaces
Set on the dark plain like gigantic chessmen.
All Scotland waits for her:
In dark glens, beside pale-green lochs
Men long for news.

Letters of thanks, letters from banks,
Letters of joy from girl and boy,
Receipted bills and invitations
To inspect new stock or to visit relations,
And applications for situations,
And timid lovers’ declarations,
And gossip, gossip from all the nations,
News circumstantial, news financial,
Letters with holiday snaps to enlarge in,
Letters with faces scrawled on the margin,
Letters from uncles, cousins, and aunts,
Letters to Scotland from the South of France,
Letters of condolence to Highlands and Lowlands
Written on paper of every hue,
The pink, the violet, the white and the blue,
The chatty, the catty, the boring, the adoring,
The cold and official and the heart's outpouring,
Clever, stupid, short and long,
The typed and the printed and the spelt all wrong.

Thousands are still asleep,
Dreaming of terrifying monsters
Or of friendly tea beside the band in Cranston’s or Crawford’s.

Asleep in working Glasgow, asleep in well-set Edinburgh,
Asleep in granite Aberdeen,
They continue their dreams,
But shall wake soon and long for letters,
And none will hear the postman’s knock
Without a quickening of the heart,
For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?

A Reading Wrap-Up...and an Invitation

As summer nears its end, I find my year’s reading list down from my average number. But then, when I look over the list and realize how many of the books read thus far in 2023 have been particularly hefty -- over 600 pages in Charles Dickens’ The Old Curiosity Shop, the entire canon of Sherlock Holmes which goes over 600 pages, the nearly 1300 pages of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, and the over 1500 pages of the JRR Tolkien saga -- I may be actually higher than my normal page count. So that’s an encouragement -- as is keeping a list in the first place. And, let’s face it, maintaining a successful “reading life” needs every bit of encouragement, accountability, good recommendations, and whatever other motivations we can get.

My most recent reading has all been of exceptional quality. I finally got through (for the third or fourth time in my life) William Shirer’s epic The Rise and the Fall of the Third Reich. Then there was Paul Tournier’s The Strong and the Weak. Tournier is a Swiss psychiatrist who wrote in the 1940s into the 1970s with insights and wise counsel derived from his Christian worldview. He is one of the “old friends” in my library as I’ve been reading his books since my very early days as a Christian. This particular book was a challenging study of how a Christian properly responds to his natural personality and tendencies. (By the way, I shared a few stimulating quotes from that book a few days ago in this post.)

Next up? After watching a couple of extremely interesting interviews with novelist and Civil War historian Shelby Foote, I was prompted to spend a little time in the War Between the States -- more specifically, in the 3-day Battle of Gettysburg which was the beginning of the end for the Confederacy. That trip started with Gettysburg: The Confederate High Tide by Champ Clark; then I went on to Michael Shaara’s highly-acclaimed novel, Killer Angels (my 3rd or 4th time through); and finally, I took up Shelby Foote’s Stars in Their Courses, his very detailed history of the battle’s prelude, action, and aftermath.

But now it’s time to move on. First, I’ll be finishing Cal Thomas’ Watchman in the Night and Raphael Sabatini's novel set in Portugal during the Napoleonic wars, The Snare. But what of my reading plans for late summer and fall? Well, they include David Limbaugh’s Jesus Is Risen: Paul and the Early Church; Tim Tebow’s Shaken (which is the book to be discussed at the next Vital Signs Book Brunch at our place on Saturday, September 23 at 10:30); and re-readings of Randy Alcorn’s Heaven, Lauren Hillenbrand’s Seabiscuit, General Lew Wallace’s Ben-Hur, and the C.S. Lewis series, The Chronicles of Narnia. 

Want to join me with any of these terrific books? Just let me know.

Cal Thomas' A Watchman in the Night (Thus Far In My Reading)

I am very much enjoying reading Cal Thomas’ new book, A Watchman in the Night: What  I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America. In this illuminating book, Mr. Thomas reviews (year by year since 1984) key happenings in the culture -- happenings that not only made headlines in their time, but which, in several important ways, have shaped the world into what it is today. Along the way, Thomas shares a few of the insightful comments on those happenings that come from his contemporary newspaper columns…and a lot more that come from his present evaluations. 

Cal Thomas has always been an exceptional writer and a principled, engaging, and consistently Christian man. But this book (it’s not the only one I’ve read of his) is remarkably wise and helpful to those who desire to efficiently engage the culture for good…while yet embracing the limitations of politics or any other merely human effort.

Let me give you just 4 examples from my reading so far. And, rest assured, if you could look at the many starred and underlined pages in my copy, you’d know I could give you a lot more.

From his review of the year 1987: “I interviewed Secretary of Education William Bennett who told me he believed it would take another ten years to undo the damage caused to public school students because of political meddling and social experimentation that resulted in declining test scores and underqualified teachers. Unfortunately, things have only gotten worse with even more social experimentation (now known as critical race theory and wokeness). I will repeat myself: we should stop giving them the ‘raw material’ to create new generations of secular progressives and start sending them to private schools (I favor vouchers which are now allowed in several states) and to universities that do not undermine our history, traditions, values, and faith.” (Page 29)

From his review of the year 1992: “Lyndon Johnson used to say his grandfather died at the Alamo. He later told author Doris Kearns Goodwin that his grandfather really died at the battle of San Jacinto during the fight for Texas independence from Mexico, but he called it the Alamo because more people had heard of it. The truth was that Johnson’s grandfather died in neither battle. He died in bed. Shades to come with a similar habit of lies told by Joe Biden.” (Page 70)

From his review of the year 2002: “General Electric released a TV ad touting its new 4D Ultrasound machine that showed a baby developing inside its mother. Over the song ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,’ an announcer said, ‘When you see your baby for the first time on the new GE 4D Ultrasound, it really is a miracle.’ GE may not have intended its new device to act as a powerful pro-life statement, but that’s what it became. Surveys showed that when abortion-minded women see an image of their child, they mostly choose to give birth. It is why the pro-death cult wants to exterminate them before they start looking ‘human.’” (Page 152)

From his review of the year 2003: “To Democrats, government is the only entity that can make your life better. The successful must be punished, because if initiative, hard work, and taking care of yourself catch on, people might wake up to the lies they’ve been told by the Democrat party and start taking care of themselves.” (Page 156)

The Cancel Culture? You Can't Say We Weren't Warned.

Below are a few of the most striking passages from my latest reading of Fahrenheit 451, the Ray Bradbury novel from 1953 which is more intensely relevant than ever before. Indeed, do yourself (and your culture) a favor and read Fahrenheit 451 -- before the bonfires of the "cancel culture" and the mechanics of AI prevent you from doing so.

(I'm thinking about making this short novel the pick for VSM's next Book Brunch. Interested?)

“School is shortened, discipline relaxed, philosophies, histories, languages dropped, English and spelling gradually neglected, finally almost completely ignored. Life is immediate, the job counts, pleasure lies all about after work. Why learn anything save pressing buttons, pulling switches, fitting nuts and bolts?...More sports for everyone, group spirit, fun, and you don’t have to think. Organize and organize and super organize super-super sports.  More cartoons in books. More pictures. The mind drinks less and less. Impatience. Highways full of crowds going somewhere, somewhere, somewhere, nowhere…

We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against. So! A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it. Take the shot from the weapon. Breach man’s mind. Who knows who might be the target of the well read man?...What do we want in this country above all? People want to be happy, isn’t that right? Haven’t you heard it all your life? I want to be happy, people say. Well, aren’t they? Don’t we keep them moving, don’t we give them fun? That’s all we live for, isn’t it? For pleasure, for titillation? And you must admit our culture provides plenty of these…

The home environment can undo a lot you try to do at school. That’s why we’ve lowered the kindergarten age year after year until now we’re almost snatching them from the cradle…

So bring on your clubs and parties, your acrobats and magicians, your daredevils, jet cars, motorcycle helicopters, your sex and heroin, more of everything to do with automatic reflex. If the drama is bad, if the film says nothing, if the play is hollow, sting me with theremin, loudly. I’ll think I’m responding to the play, when it’s only a tactile reaction to vibration. But I don’t care. I just like solid entertainment.”

My Favorite Historians

Denny,

I was wondering if you could recommend some of the best books on history that I should read.

Here was my reply:

Dear A -------,

You raise an interesting question. A key element would be the type of history you're looking for. The fellows interested in, respectively, the history of philosophy or ancient Rome or World War II are, most likely, going to be reading different historians. Thus, my favorite guys will tend to cover the areas of history I'm most interested in.

Another factor is that some of my favorite history books are not written by professional historians at all. A speech writer (Peggy Noonan) wrote my favorite history of the Reagan administration; a soldier wrote my favorite history of the American Civil War (Ulysses Grant); and my favorite histories of the U.S. space program were written, respectively, by two scientists and a novelist (Chris Kraft, Gene Kranz, and Tom Wolfe).

Another category similar to the above is the autobiography. Those can certainly be classified as history but few are penned by professional historians.

Novelists and playwrights can also serve as excellent
chroniclers of history, usually of their own times, but certain writers dip expertly into other eras and write historical fiction that is of immense value. Especially appreciated in this latter category are Dickens, Scott, Tolstoy, Dumas, Hugo, Cooper, Austen, Dostoevsky, Waugh, and the Brontes.

So, if you can keep all of these things in mind, I will mention a few "professional" historians that have made the top rank for my interests and purposes. I'm quite sure I'll leave a couple out, but here's some names I'm thinking of right now (without classifying them as to time or subject): Shelby Foote, Samuel Eliot Morison, Walter Lord, John Toland, David McCullough, Antonia Fraser, Roland Bainton, Paul Johnson, Stephen Ambrose, Bruce Catton, William Prescott, Basil Liddell Hart, Laura Hillenbrand, and Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

Of course, there's a whole lot more to talk over than this quick list -- including your input about topics, people, periods of history you're most interested in. So, why not give me a call or zip along an e-mail telling me what day next week would be best for lunch where we can discuss it further? I'll look forward to it.

Denny

God Has Been Murdered, The Earth Trembles

This sermon excerpt comes from Melito, Bishop of Sardis in the 2nd Century.

“He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5)

Pay attention, all families of the nations, and observe! An extraordinary murder has taken place in the center of Jerusalem, in the city devoted to God’s law, in the city of the Hebrews, in the city of the prophets, in the city thought of as just. And Who has been murdered? And who is the murderer? I am ashamed to give the answer, but give it I must. For if this murder had taken place at night, or if he had been slain in a desert place, it would be well to keep silent; but it was in the middle of the main street, even in the center of the city, while all were looking on, that the unjust murder of this just Person took place.

And thus He was lifted up upon the tree, and an inscription was affixed identifying the One Who had been murdered. Who was He? It is painful to tell, but it is more dreadful not to tell. Therefore, hear and tremble because of Him for Whom the earth trembled.

The One who hung the earth in space, is Himself hanged; the One who fixed the heavens in place, is Himself impaled; the One who firmly fixed all things, is Himself firmly fixed to the tree. The Lord is insulted, God has been murdered, the King of Israel has been destroyed by the right hand of Israel.

O frightful murder! O unheard of injustice! The Lord is disfigured and He is not deemed worthy of a cloak for His naked body, so that He might not be seen exposed. For this reason the stars turned and fled, and the day grew quite dark, in order to hide the naked Person hanging on the tree, darkening not the body of the Lord, but the eyes of men.

Yes, even though the people did not tremble, the earth trembled instead; although the people were not afraid, the heavens grew frightened; although the people did not tear their garments, the angels tore theirs; although the people did not lament, the Lord thundered from heaven, and the most high uttered His voice.

But the Lord arose from the dead and mounted up to the heights of heaven. When the Lord had clothed Himself with humanity, and had suffered for the sake of the sufferer, and had been bound for the sake of the imprisoned, and had been judged for the sake of the condemned, and buried for the sake of the ones who were buried.

He rose up from the dead, and cried aloud with this voice, “Who is he who contends with me? Let him stand in opposition to Me. I set the condemned man free; I gave the dead man life; I raised up the one who had been entombed.”

“Who is my opponent? I,” He says, “am the Christ. I am the One who destroyed death, and triumphed over the enemy, and trampled Hades under foot, and bound the strong one, and carried off man to the heights of heaven. I,” He says, “am the Christ.”

“Therefore, come, all families of men, you who have been befouled with sins, and receive forgiveness for your sins. I am your forgiveness, I am the passover of your salvation, I am the Lamb which was sacrificed for you, I am your ransom, I am your light, I am your Savior, I am your resurrection, I am your king, I am leading you up to the heights of heaven, I will show you the eternal Father, I will raise you up by my right hand.”

This is the One Who made the heavens and the earth, and Who in the beginning created man, Who was proclaimed through the law and prophets, Who became human via the virgin, Who was hanged upon a tree, Who was buried in the earth, Who was resurrected from the dead, and Who ascended to the heights of heaven, Who sits at the right hand of the Father, Who has authority to judge and to save everything, through Whom the Father created everything from the beginning of the world to the end of the age.

This is the alpha and the omega. This is the beginning and the end -- an indescribable beginning and an incomprehensible end. This is the Christ. This is the King. This is Jesus. This is the general. This is the Lord. This is the One Who rose up from the dead. This is the One Who sits at the right hand of the Father. He bears the Father and is borne by the Father, to Whom be the glory and the power forever. Amen.

Coming Highly Recommended

Here’s a few reading recommendations for your weekend. (You may well want to pass some of these along to others.)

“Is Google Making Us Stupid?” (Nicholas Carr)

“What the FDA Hasn’t Told You About Mifepristone” (Erik Baptist, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom)

“The New Great Game” (Joel Kotkin and Hügo Krüger)

“Are We the Byzantines?” (Victor Davis Hanson)

And three from me:

“Nothing Good Does God Withhold” 

“The Real St. Patrick” 

and “Heroes in My Library”

And a book I just finished and loved, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization (Anthony Estolen)

Heroes in My Library

My library is a special place to me, in part, because it is a place where many of my heroes await meeting with me.  You remember heroes, don’t you?  Those men and women who bravely fought for great causes, sacrificed for lofty ideals, and otherwise broke the bonds of compromising commonality to achieve noble aims.  In addition to my faith in Jesus Christ and my dependence on the Holy Spirit, in addition to my zeal to study the Bible and carefully learn its revelations and precepts, I’ve joyously accepted the gifts God has given me in mortal heroes. And I've cherished the inspiration they have brought me throughout my life -- heroes whose exemplary character and deeds of physical and moral valor compel me to dream bigger, reach further, and relish more the adventures of life.

My library resounds with the presence of these heroes and, even after decades of friendship, I still appreciate my every encounter with them. They include the apostles, Luke the physician, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Christopher Columbus, Ronald Reagan, Francis & Edith Schaeffer, Ulysses S. Grant, St. Patrick, Clarence Thomas, G.K. Chesterton, Old Testament heroes like Joseph and Kings Hezekiah and Josiah, Thor Heyerdahl, Edith Cavell, C.S. Lewis, Audie Murphy, Joni Eareckson-Tada, Malcolm Muggeridge, Paul Tournier, Florence Nightingale, Samuel Eliot Morison, William Wilberforce. The list goes on.

Even the fictional heroes in my library are trusted friends: Sherlock Holmes, Sydney Carton, the Count of Monte Cristo, Robin Hood, Fr. Brown, Richard Hannay, Robinson Crusoe, Badger and Ratty, D’Artagnan and the Musketeers, Mr. Pickwick, the Scarlet Pimpernel, Fr. Tim Kavanagh, Elwin Ransom, Ivanhoe, Horatio Hornblower, Frodo and Sam, the converted Ebeneezer Scrooge, Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe, and so many others. The Lord uses even these “invented heroes” to yet provide real-life inspiration and direction.

Heroes have shaped my life in ways too numerous and deep to ever fully realize. They have daringly challenged me to venture outside my comfort zones and narrow self-interests and instead embrace the adventurous opportunities life provides for character, integrity, courage, and religious faith.

Where would I be without heroes? I don’t want to even imagine.

The Next VSM Book Brunch Is "Politically Incorrect"

"Political correctness, at its heart, is the effort to dissolve the foundations on which the American and European culture has been built.  It has been a demolition project: undermine Western civilization in whatever way possible...For those of us who love the West, it's a daunting battle."

This is from the preface of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization, an enlightening, inspiring, and even fun book by Providence College English Professor, Anthony Esolen. I've just finished the first chapter ("Ancient Greece: Love of Wisdom & Beauty") and I'm finding it really terrific reading. I'm delighted we chose it as the book for the next Vital Signs Ministries Book Brunch on Saturday, March 25 from 10-12.  

So, if you haven't signed up, do soon ASAP. Then put the date on your calendar, get a copy of this extremely interesting (and remarkably easy-to-read) book, and get going!

Yes, Shakespeare's Henry VI Is Worth Your Time -- Even Part One

Henry VI, especially Part One of the trilogy, is often described as one of the weakest plays of William Shakespeare (aka Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford) but I find it full of drama, pathos, and plenty of life lessons. 

Indeed, this play presents the heroic courage and steadfastness of John Talbot (1st Earl of Shrewsbury); the savage, mystic, even eerie, character of Joan of Arc; the very beginning of the conflict between the houses of York and Lancaster that will lead eventually to the War of the Roses; the brave loyalty of John’s son; the utter failure of the seductive trap laid by the Countess of Auvergne for Talbot; the self-serving egos of both York and Somerset which result in the defeat of the English and the noble death of Talbot. 

All this and more are there in Henry VI Part 1 and I always find it a real treat to read.

Along the way this time I collected a few of my favorite quotations from the play:

“Heavens, can you suffer hell so to prevail?”
(Said by Talbot, Act I, Scene V)

“Well, let them practice and converse with spirits.
God is our fortress, in whose conquering name
Let us resolve to scale their flinty bulwarks.”
(Said by Talbot, Act II, Scene I)

“Unbidden guests are often welcomest when they are gone.”
(Said by Bedford, Act II, Scene II)

“Civil dissension is a viperous worm
That gnaws the bowels of the commonwealth.”
(Said by King Henry, Act III, Scene I)

“Care is no cure, but rather corrosive,
For things that are not to be remedied.”
(Said by Joan La Pucelle -- Joan of Arc -- Act III, Scene III)

“Good Lord, what madness rules in brainsick men, 
when for so slight and frivolous a cause

such factious emulations shall arise!”

(Said by King Henry, Act IV, Scene I)

“’Tis much when scepters are in children's hands,
But more when envy breeds unkind division; 
There comes the ruin, there begins confusion.”
(Said by King Henry, Act IV, Scene I)

“The fraud of England, not the force of France,
Hath now entrapped the noble-minded Talbot.
Never to England shall he bear his life, 
But dies betrayed to fortune by your strife.”
(Said by King Henry, Act IV, Scene IV)

“Here on my knee I beg mortality,
Rather than life preserved with infamy.”
(Said by Talbot's son John, Act IV, Scene V)

“Of all base passions, fear is most accursed.”
(Said by Joan La Pucelle -- Joan of Arc -- Act IV, Scene II)

Ending 2022’s Reading: A Review, Recommendations, and Resolutions

The year 2022 was not a record year for my reading – there was too much time taken up with vertigo recovery, our care for Carol Coppi, our involvement with my little sister in Wichita, and the ever-busy tasks of Vital Signs Ministries. And, alas, my reading took a pretty big hit with the ending of the Notting Hill Napoleons, our remarkably stimulating book club of 30 years. However, I still managed to slip in 6 dozen. 

As usual, many of these books were re-reads as I thoroughly enjoyed checking in again with such dear, lifelong friends as Alexander Dumas, Rafael Sabatini, Samuel Eliot Morison, C.S. Lewis, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jan Karon, G.K. Chesterton, John Buchan, William Shakespeare, Michael Ende, Edna Ferber, Owen Wister, Joni Eareckson Tada, Bess Streeter Aldrich, and Charles Dickens. 

But I made some new friends in 2022 too. Hunting the Nazi Bomb by Damien Lewis, Your Time Is Now by Jonathan Evans, Seven Men of Gascony by R.F. Delderfield, The Admirals by Walter Borneman, Created Equal (Clarence Thomas in His Own Words) edited by Pack and Paoletta, Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes, The Apostate by Mark Christian, and The Book of Signs by David Jeremiah. All of the above titles made 4 stars in my ratings and are therefore enthusiastically recommended to you all. 

So there you have a very brief review plus a few recommendations. How about the resolutions then? Well, even now I have begun re-reading the several books connected to a seminar I’m presenting at the Rochester L’Abri’s annual conference on February 17 & 18. That presentation is entitled Beware the Mad Scientist: Divine Warnings Against “Playing God” from Classic Literature and it will cover Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, The Island of Dr. Moreau and The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, and Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe.  

Beyond that project, my reading will most likely continue along regular routes. I will spend most of my reading time with those authors near and dear to me while occasionally investigating others.  Of course, I do have a few specific projects in mind (besides the L’Abri responsibilities) for 2023. They include my bi-annual reading of Heaven by Randy Alcorn; a few classic commentaries on books of the Bible by men like Harry Ironside; more Dickens and Shakespeare; a first time read of Robert Bork’s book The Tempting of America and George Gilder’s Men and Marriage; and jumping back into the stirring adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Lord of the Rings, and The Chronicles of Narnia. 

Want to come along?

"Covering" the Latest Reading

It's been a terrific couple of months on the reading front and all of those pictured below make my "heartiest recommendation" status. 

Enjoy.

For the Next Book Brunch, It's Clarence Thomas

Here's giving you plenty of time to get ready...

The next Vital Signs Ministries Book Brunch discussion will be on Saturday, September 10 at 9 AM. And in celebration of the Roe v Wade reversal, we will honor one of the paramount heroes of the struggle by reading and discussing together Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words, edited by Michael Pack and Mark Paoletta. Let us know if you're interested.

By the way, here's a bit of what Christian Book Distributors say about the book:

“Who is Justice Clarence Thomas, in his own words? 

In the follow-up to the wildly successful documentary by the same name, Created Equal builds on dozens of hours of groundbreaking, one-on-one interviews with Thomas to share a new, expanded account of his powerful story for the first time. 

Producer Michael Pack and Mark Paoletta, a lawyer who worked alongside Thomas during his confirmation, dive deep into the Justice’s story. Drawing on a rich array of historical documents and unreleased conversations with Thomas, his wife, and those who knew him best, Created Equal is a timeless account of faith, race, power, and personal resilience.”

"Like a Set of Beggars" -- Revolutionary War Veterans Disrespected by Congress

My generation remembers (with great shame) how American soldiers returning from brave and sacrificial service to their country in the Vietnam War met with despicably unjust and ungrateful attitudes from liberal politicians and a snobbish minority of the public.

But it wasn’t the first time that such selfish and shallow irresponsibility had been shown to American soldiers. Joseph J. Ellis, writing in The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-9 (page 60) describes the response of a majority of low-minded politicians to veterans of the Revolutionary War.

“Congress eventually voted to provide full pay for five years for officers in lieu of half pay for life, but doing so was a purely rhetorical exercise, since there was no money in the federal coffers to pay anyone. Even that meaningless commitment generated widespread criticism, especially in New England, where returning officers were greeted with newspaper editorials describing them as blood-beaked vultures feeding at the public trough.

At least in retrospect, the dissolution of the Continental Army in the spring of 1783 was one of the most poignant scenes in American history, as the men had stayed the course and won the war were ushered off without pay, with paper pensions and only grudging recognition of their service. Washington could only weep: “To be disbanded… like a set of beggars, needy, distressed, and without prospect…will drive every man of Honor and Sensibility to the extreme Horrors of Despair.’”

Excellence in Historiography: Morison's Two-Ocean War

Among the many pleasures of my 4th re-reading of Samuel Eliot Morison's Two Ocean War: A Short History of the United States Navy in the Second World War (Atlantic, Little & Brown, 1963, 610 pages.) are the wide breadth (and depth) of his research; his willingness to see the long view of historical developments; and a pronounced willingness to positively applaud democratic principles, idealism, and heroic personages instead of skulking behind the oh-so-modern pose of moral neutrality.

And Morison is not only educational, he is frequently entertaining and inspirational. His doesn't try to hide his opinions as most modern historians do. He is honest enough to state them...but wise and responsible enough to back them up with facts and a balanced perspective.

Most modern historians, however, have a bucketful of "progressive" assumptions, biases, and presuppositions with which they drench their historiography, all the while insisting that they alone are the indifferent and objective spectators. 

Poppycock. 

Give me an honest and candidly involved historian every time. Give me Shelby Foote, Walter Lord, John Toland, David McCullough, Antonia Fraser, Roland Bainton, Paul Johnson, Stephen Ambrose, Bruce Catton, William Prescott, Basil Liddell Hart, Alexander Solzhenitsyn...

And yes, give me Rear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison too.

I couldn't recommend Two-Ocean War more highly.