{"id":450,"date":"2013-08-07T19:20:36","date_gmt":"2013-08-08T00:20:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/?p=450"},"modified":"2016-11-02T19:23:52","modified_gmt":"2016-11-03T00:23:52","slug":"who-reads-the-forward-anyway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/2013\/08\/07\/who-reads-the-forward-anyway\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Reads the Forward Anyway?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve had this book on my shelf for months now, even took it on a trip or two hoping to find the right moment to start it. Last week, in the middle of the night\u2026 you guessed it- <\/span><\/p>\n

I started the book:\u00a0\u00a0Your God is too Safe: Rediscovering the Wonder of a God You Can\u2019t Control<\/span><\/em><\/a>\u00a0by Mark Buchanan.<\/span><\/p>\n

I picked it up at the bookstore because a dear friend and co-worker had given me one of his other books:\u00a0The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath<\/a><\/span><\/em>\u00a0;\u00a0she had given it to me for \u201csummer reading\u201d.\u00a0 I was determined that my husband and I would have a real vacation \u2013away from even the thought of work.\u00a0 I took that book along, although I didn\u2019t finish it while we were on vacation, I did finish it not long after returning home. I would highly recommend it if you find that you are meeting yourself coming and going and feel like there\u2019s no rest anywhere in the near future.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ok, back to the book I started the other night. I don\u2019t usually read the forward of a book very often. However, God had something different planned for me with this book. The forward is written by Eugene Peterson. He\u2019s the man responsible for\u00a0The Message<\/span><\/em><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

I have been captivated by his comments:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAn accurate understanding of the formation of the Christian Life requires three things: stories well told, Scriptures sharply imagined, and language skillfully used. All three are essential.\u201c<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Scripture is depersonalized, we lose access to the very ground beneath our feet.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLanguage is the primary means by which life develops and matures\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNothing about us is more life generating, life deepening and life enduring than our use of language.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

How profound.<\/span><\/p>\n

I identify with a story well told. That\u2019s why I read.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When I read Scripture, I know there are good stories there. Reading it puts my imagination to work and the rich language draws me in on every page. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I think about Noah\u2019s Ark, Moses in the bullrushes or Job and his friends; Esther and the King; Ruth, Naomi and Boaz; David and Goliath; Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego; John the Baptist; the resurrection of Lazarus; Jesus come to earth; Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding because His mother asked; His meeting with the woman at the well; His resurrection; Cornelius and Peter and others.<\/span><\/p>\n

These are stories well told-all of them- they grab me, hold my attention and ignite my imagination. When I read Scripture, I am there, in those stories.\u00a0 I learn from their experiences. \u00a0I take those stories with me and I take a phrase, a sentence, a verse that I remember and recall when faced with a challenge, a relationship in danger, a child who needs more, a job that holds me captive, a friend that needs a word of comfort.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is how Dr. Peterson relates the importance of story:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOnly story provides the diction and syntax that reveals the unique particular, the inner identity, and the intricate web of relationships that account for who we are-\u00a0our life<\/span>.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>When I write, when I share my story, when I find that I\u2019ve been able to turn a phrase into something that touches another human being; I find my life is enriched. He gave me my story to give away to others. In doing so He has validated my life.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHallelujah! Thank God! Pray to him by name!\u00a0Tell everyone you meet what he has done!\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Psalm 105:1(The Message)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

He has given all of us a story. Maybe it\u2019s time to tell yours?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I have not received any compensation for mentioning these books, nor will I receive anything if you click through to the links above- they are solely for your benefit. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve had this book on my shelf for months now, even took it on a trip or two hoping to find the right moment to start it. Last week, in the middle of the night\u2026 you guessed it- I started the book:\u00a0\u00a0Your God is too Safe: Rediscovering the Wonder of a God You Can\u2019t Control\u00a0by … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[189,187,186,192,188,191,185,190,58],"class_list":["post-450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","tag-the-message","tag-the-rest-of-god","tag-your-god-is-too-safe","tag-christian-life","tag-eugene-peterson","tag-language","tag-mark-buchanan","tag-scripture","tag-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=450"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":453,"href":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450\/revisions\/453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordsfromthehomefront.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}