What I Have Been Reading….The Second Mountain, The Lord of the Rings, and A Sacred Sorrow

I have appreciated David Brooks political insight for years on the PBS Newshour and this book lived up to my expectations. The genesis of this book was born out a season of personal struggle in Brooks life. His first marriage ended, he lost many friends as the conservative political landscape shifted, and he began to deeply re-examine his life, “confronting the problems of a twenty-two year old with the mind of a fifty-two year old.” The book has a wide breadth; discussing social and political philosophy, faith and religion, marriage, community, and the importance of commitment. Brooks draws on his background as a journalist to weave many personal stories into the larger fabric of the book. Written to engage the heart as well as the mind, I found this book to be a deeply satisfying read. I can’t say it opened any new horizons to me, but I found that it helped solidify a lot of what I have experienced and thought over the last several years of my life. It definitely helped push me further in the direction of my growing conviction that rebuilding deep community should be one of the highest priorities of the church. I would highly recommend this book.

I tend to re-read books I really like, and this is probably at least the 10th time I have re-read Tolkein’s classic. Probably my all time favorite fiction book, although C. S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy is up there. If you aren’t familiar with The Lord of the Rings, basically it is a fantasy story where a hobbit, Frodo Baggins, attempts to save Middle-Earth and all the Elves, Dwarves, Men, and other creatures from domination by the evil Sauron. I won’t attempt to describe any more than that, simply because the overall story is too enormous and multifaceted to explain; but understand that it is that complexity that is a big reason for it’s enduring popularity. What I appreciate about the story, despite it being a fantasy, is that it has so much real world relevance. From the spiritual wisdom and the depictions of the nature of evil to the sense of deep loss at the destruction of the natural world, there is much about this fantasy work that I find illuminating in my ‘real’ life. And how could I be so hasty as to forget the Ents? Some people may fantasize about being Superman, others dream of being Batman, but me? Treebeard is my fantasy hero.

Michael Card is an amazingly gifted man as he has authored over 28 books, recorded over 38 albums (he can play something like 9 different instruments), and hosts an excellent podcast, In the Studio With Michael Card. Despite all this, I feel like he is not as well known as he should be. He regards himself first and foremost as a Bible teacher; with his music, books and podcast simply being different venues to communicate Biblical truth. His book ‘A Sacred Sorrow’, is an exploration of biblical lament. Card views lament as a critical part of worship that contemporary Christianity has lost. He argues that we cannot truly approach God, nor truly repent of our sins, without the language of lament. “Apart from lament, you and I are robbed of our true identity before God.” Card investigates lament through the stories of Job, Jeremiah, David, and Jesus. An excellent writer, Card combines deep scholarship with a very approachable style that is insightful and challenging. What stood out the most to me was the insight that lament was not just for the Job-scale tragedies of life, but something that should be an integral part of our spiritual lives. “Through lament, we regain a sense of awareness, and a language to express the hopeless depth of our sin.” I found this to be a refreshing departure from the current cultural climate that insists that affirmation and acceptance are the cures to all that ails us.