Comments on: The Power of Story http://ceruleansanctum.com/2006/06/the-power-of-story.html Looking for the 1st century Church in 21st century America Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:58:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: salguod http://ceruleansanctum.com/2006/06/the-power-of-story.html#comment-4003 salguod Thu, 15 Jun 2006 02:51:30 +0000 http://ceruleansanctum.com/2006/06/the-power-of-story.html#comment-4003 Douglas Adams is one of my favorites too, but not because of how he inspired me. :-) Just plain hilarious. The movie didn't do it justice, in my opinion. Besides the 5 books in the <em>Hitchhiker</em> trilogy, the Dirk Gently books are very good too. They can be a little slow going at first with several seemingly unconnected stories, but then the pieces start coming together in that Douglas Adams way and you can't put it down. Recently I read an incredible book by F.W. Faller called <a href="http://www.dpibooks.org/Default.aspx?tabid=59&cid=31&sid=1&ProductID=222&page=0" rel="nofollow"><em>Lonama's Map</em></a>. It's the second in a series (but not sequential) of 'visionary fiction' that, like <em>The Lord of the Rings</em> and Lewis' <em>The Chronicles of Narnia</em> are Christian themed but not really overtly Christian, if you know what I mean. In his first book, <em>A Sword for the Immerland King</em>, Faller states in the first page something like "If everything could be different, what would have to stay the same." which is a deep and profound question that frames his work. So the world of these books are very different from ours, but spiritual principals like love, honesty, devotion and redemption, as well as evil deeds of dishonesty, hatred, selfishness and violence remain. They also illuminate the unseen spiritual forces at work around us and how we play a part in their world whether we know it or not. <em>Lonama's Map</em> in particular really made me think about the spiritual reality around me as the main character's own eyes were opened to it in his world. I was also drawn to how he lived his entire life, ending up becoming a spiritual hero, yet was still unsure about his faith on some level and discovering what was really going on. I feel I can relate to that quite a bit. I'm aware that some look up to me and that God has allowed me to make a difference in some lives, yet I feel completely inadequate and unsure of some pretty basic things at times. I very highly recommend it. Douglas Adams is one of my favorites too, but not because of how he inspired me. :-) Just plain hilarious. The movie didn’t do it justice, in my opinion. Besides the 5 books in the Hitchhiker trilogy, the Dirk Gently books are very good too. They can be a little slow going at first with several seemingly unconnected stories, but then the pieces start coming together in that Douglas Adams way and you can’t put it down.

Recently I read an incredible book by F.W. Faller called Lonama’s Map. It’s the second in a series (but not sequential) of ‘visionary fiction’ that, like The Lord of the Rings and Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia are Christian themed but not really overtly Christian, if you know what I mean. In his first book, A Sword for the Immerland King, Faller states in the first page something like “If everything could be different, what would have to stay the same.” which is a deep and profound question that frames his work. So the world of these books are very different from ours, but spiritual principals like love, honesty, devotion and redemption, as well as evil deeds of dishonesty, hatred, selfishness and violence remain. They also illuminate the unseen spiritual forces at work around us and how we play a part in their world whether we know it or not.

Lonama’s Map in particular really made me think about the spiritual reality around me as the main character’s own eyes were opened to it in his world. I was also drawn to how he lived his entire life, ending up becoming a spiritual hero, yet was still unsure about his faith on some level and discovering what was really going on. I feel I can relate to that quite a bit. I’m aware that some look up to me and that God has allowed me to make a difference in some lives, yet I feel completely inadequate and unsure of some pretty basic things at times. I very highly recommend it.

]]> By: Kristie http://ceruleansanctum.com/2006/06/the-power-of-story.html#comment-3999 Kristie Wed, 14 Jun 2006 05:11:00 +0000 http://ceruleansanctum.com/2006/06/the-power-of-story.html#comment-3999 As a senior and brand new Christian in high school, I got into an AP English class with a teacher that told us she wanted us to have "open minds" and that she would challenge us in our thinking and beliefs we got from "the church." Of course that put on alert, and actually the opposite happened in her class. I learned that writers and thinkers throughout history had already been asking the questions I had had before I became a believer...about life and death....eternity and reality and sin and guilt and shame. It was an exciting time for me. It also made me think and learn to defend my faith, because the teacher would mock Christianity and I would write papers to counteract what she said in class as well as argue with her class (I probably was not entirely mature on this matter...). Moby Dick was a favorite....the part about Ishmael sharing a bed with the Queequeg....he'd rather share a bed with a savage than a Christian hypocrite. And Heart of Darkness and that book about the boys on the island.....who says we are all basically good! I also enjoyed the poems of Anne Bradstreet. It was funny to read this Puritan woman's thoughts and have a connection as a young 80s gal. Oh, and Shakespeare... Newer books I have enjoyed was the Joy Luck Club. It is about these Chinese women, and yet I could relate to them in so many ways. I don't recommend Amy Tan's other books because of content, but Joy Luck Club was great. i also liked Generation X and some of douglass Coupland's other books. I liked the Lewis quote. It is interesting how we can read fiction and get engrossed in this person and their thoughts and life. Lately I have been trying to understand that more as I read the Bible in the Old Testament in particular. Trying to see them as real people with real thoughts and feelings. As a senior and brand new Christian in high school, I got into an AP English class with a teacher that told us she wanted us to have “open minds” and that she would challenge us in our thinking and beliefs we got from “the church.” Of course that put on alert, and actually the opposite happened in her class. I learned that writers and thinkers throughout history had already been asking the questions I had had before I became a believer…about life and death….eternity and reality and sin and guilt and shame. It was an exciting time for me. It also made me think and learn to defend my faith, because the teacher would mock Christianity and I would write papers to counteract what she said in class as well as argue with her class (I probably was not entirely mature on this matter…).

Moby Dick was a favorite….the part about Ishmael sharing a bed with the Queequeg….he’d rather share a bed with a savage than a Christian hypocrite. And Heart of Darkness and that book about the boys on the island…..who says we are all basically good! I also enjoyed the poems of Anne Bradstreet. It was funny to read this Puritan woman’s thoughts and have a connection as a young 80s gal. Oh, and Shakespeare…

Newer books I have enjoyed was the Joy Luck Club. It is about these Chinese women, and yet I could relate to them in so many ways. I don’t recommend Amy Tan’s other books because of content, but Joy Luck Club was great. i also liked Generation X and some of douglass Coupland’s other books.

I liked the Lewis quote. It is interesting how we can read fiction and get engrossed in this person and their thoughts and life. Lately I have been trying to understand that more as I read the Bible in the Old Testament in particular. Trying to see them as real people with real thoughts and feelings.

]]> By: Francisco http://ceruleansanctum.com/2006/06/the-power-of-story.html#comment-3996 Francisco Wed, 14 Jun 2006 04:52:13 +0000 http://ceruleansanctum.com/2006/06/the-power-of-story.html#comment-3996 Good post. I am written a handful of short stories about some events of my childhood filling in the blanks with some fiction and assigning them to other characters. All being said I like history a lot and specially biographies. "The Life of David Brainerd" that you can find here http://www.ccel.org/ccel/edwards/works2.ix.i.html is one that has impacted me deeply so far. Good post. I am written a handful of short stories about some events of my childhood filling in the blanks with some fiction and assigning them to other characters. All being said I like history a lot and specially biographies. “The Life of David Brainerd” that you can find here http://www.ccel.org/ccel/edwards/works2.ix.i.html is one that has impacted me deeply so far.

]]> By: Dan Edelen http://ceruleansanctum.com/2006/06/the-power-of-story.html#comment-3993 Dan Edelen Wed, 14 Jun 2006 01:15:13 +0000 http://ceruleansanctum.com/2006/06/the-power-of-story.html#comment-3993 Milton, <em>The Old Man and the Sea</em> is a great one. My protagonist in <em>Fade into Blue</em> is Amelia Merritt. She possesses traits from a number of people I've known in my life, but she's not really any one of them, and has a life of her own. I like her, too, because of the way she finds herself by losing herself. Her journey is an extreme one, but she only grows through it all. Milton,

The Old Man and the Sea is a great one.

My protagonist in Fade into Blue is Amelia Merritt. She possesses traits from a number of people I’ve known in my life, but she’s not really any one of them, and has a life of her own. I like her, too, because of the way she finds herself by losing herself. Her journey is an extreme one, but she only grows through it all.

]]> By: Dan Edelen http://ceruleansanctum.com/2006/06/the-power-of-story.html#comment-3992 Dan Edelen Wed, 14 Jun 2006 01:03:16 +0000 http://ceruleansanctum.com/2006/06/the-power-of-story.html#comment-3992 Chad, Heard of it, but haven't read it. Will put it on the list! Chad,

Heard of it, but haven’t read it. Will put it on the list!

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