Book Thoughts: Worst, Hard, Time by Timothy Egan

Last week a tornado swept across the Oklahoma prairie. It leveled a town, destroyed livelihoods and took children, parents, and pets. While this happened I was in the midst of reading another story about this same part of the country. It was the story of the Dust Bowl. It was a story that left me even more in awe of the hard-core men and women who settle in the Great Plains. It was a story that allowed me to look at the faces on CNN with a different kind of respect - the respect that one has for those who persevere during hardship, who pass the lessons of hard work and determination onto their children. It was a true story. What's scary about Egan's book is that it is a work of nonfiction.

The people that live in the Great Plains today are the children and grandchildren of the people who never gave up. Of course my respect and admiration for the "Greatest Generation" of the Great Plains is mitigated by the fact that they created, or at least aided and abetted, their own troubles. Timothy Egan's book starts in the latter half of the 19th century. He talks about the cowboys on the Plains and the gradual transition to farming which became more rapid as the First World War shot up crop prices. The Great Plains never has been (and never will be) good farming land. It was the land "where the buffalo roamed." The vast grasslands held the soil in place for millennia despite the wind and drought. But our government's policies pushed the buffalo and the Native Americans out in favor of homesteaders and railroad companies. It was the last area of the country where men and women could have a piece of ground to call their own, and after the Civil War many took advantage of this offering.

Timothy Egan artfully tells the story of the Dust Bowl through the eyes of several families. Their stories take us through the prosperity of the war years where every inch of the land was plowed up to feed the U.S. and all of Europe. It takes us through the 1920s where prices fell due to decreased demand, yet fields were still plowed up year after year to break even. Farmers did this with no thought of what they were doing to their tomorrow.

Tomorrow came with a crash and a storm - or rather, many storms. The Depression hit the country about the time the skies dried up and the soil began to blow. Interwoven between the pages of this book is the story of Hazel Lucas, a teacher who got married, had a baby, and despite all her efforts lost her child to dust pneumonia. There are the housewives who sweep their floors and chairs and tables only to have the wind instantly blow more earth through the covered windows. The inability to provide for their families breaks even the strongest of men. Most leave. Entire towns disappear and are left covered in dust, their former inhabitants eeking out a living elsewhere. Yet it is the ones who stay that I admire. The ones who weathered the storm they helped to create. These were the people that were tied to their land, their home. Their children and grandchildren live there today. They will survive. They are made of the right stuff.

Book Thoughts: Sold

This spring I took a nostalgic retreat back to my tattered Anne books. It was a happy place. Yet after finishing the sixth Anne book and finding myself wishing more and more each day that I lived in the quirky utopia of L.M. Montgomery's Prince Edward Island, I knew that it was time to move on. One cannot live in fictional utopia forever...

 I've always been a person of extremes, so it should be no surprise that I left P.E.I for Nepal. My next book took me to a poor mountain village at the foot of the Himalayas where a girl was about to be unwittingly sold into the sex trade. (I didn't really intend to make such a drastic leap out of innocence, it just happened to be the next book on my reading list that the library had readily available for download.)

 The book I downloaded was Patricia McCormick's Sold. It started rather slowly, depicting the imperfect, yet simple life of a young Nepali girl. The main character, Lakshmi, lives with her mother, her pet goat, and her stepfather who spends most of his time gambling away the family's money. She is about 12 years old when her stepfather tells her that she is going to become a maid in "the city." This is bittersweet news for Lakshmi. She knows that will indeed miss her home, but she's also excited to begin aiding her family and sending home money to help her mother live comfortably.

 As the book's title suggests Lakshmi never does become a maid in the city. She is one of the thousands of girls transported across the border into India where she is forced to work as a prostitute. Stripped of her innocence and everything she knows, Lakshmi must work night by night to pay off her "debt" to the brothel's owner. Her debt grows with each meal she eats, each dose of medicine she is given, each customer that turns her aside for another girl. Yet even here the the darkest of places she finds solace in camaraderie with her "sisters" in the brothel and their children who daytime hours. Even in this harrowing existence, the options of escaping seem more dangerous. The city outside the walls of the brothel seem dangerous and threatening. Rumors circulate about gangsters who are hired to hunt down escaped girls. The girls are also told to distrust white men who come with their business cards offering a safe-house, a way out. But is it one such business card that offers Lakshmi freedom. If she is courageous enough to accept the offer...

 There is light in this book. There is a glimmer of hope. Mind you, it's harder to see than in an Anne-book, but there is goodness in McCormick's world. The book alludes to salvation for the women caught in slavery. However, they cannot be forced to leave the brothel. Some even prefer it there. It is this fact, this light in a dark place that makes the book worthwhile. McCormick's story was fictional, but her research for the book was very real. She went to India and talked to girls who had lived Lakshmi's story. This book is important because two things are true: 1) women are sold into the sex trade every day, most often against their will and 2) there are non-profit agencies out there to help them escape. One such agency that is International Justice Mission (IJM). IJM works with women to not only free them from the sex trade, but to rehabilitate them and teach them practical skills to make a living. Yet IJM and others cannot do this work without funding. It is not often that a book influences me to evaluate my level of charitable giving, yet I realized upon closing this book that I was truly blessed to grow up in this country, go to college, marry a good man, and hold a job that provides a surplus. When so many women are using their bodies to pay off an ever-growing "debt" I must ask myself - how can I use my surplus to help settle their accounts?

Separate, but Holy - Leviticus

I am now almost done with the book of Leviticus. It’s really a fascinating book if one has the right perspective. The main themes are holiness and separation. The book contains a series of laws, sacrifices, and ceremonies that will set Israel apart from the pagan nations and establish her security in Yahweh. Back in Exodus 19 God and the Israelites enter into a conditional covenant. This Mosaic Covenant is two-sided, the people must keep their end of the deal. (This differs from the Abrahamic Covenant which is unconditional and solely based in God) If they honor God, He will bless them in return.

What follows is a series of ceremonial and civil laws. These laws ensure the orderly functioning of the community and the holiness of the people. Many are immensely practical. For instance, you are not allowed to marry anyone in your immediate family. (Obviously genetic mutations had progressed enough at this point to make inbreeding unwise.) Leviticus also lays down laws on how to deal with infections and other personal hygiene issues, initiating positive trends for the community’s health and sustainability. Similarly, the dietary restrictions offer numerous health benefits (like not eating raw meat). But the dietary restrictions reveal a second purpose that is perhaps implicit in all of the laws throughout the book of Leviticus – that is, separation. The Jews’ dietary restrictions hindered their ability to socialize with those on the outside. God did not want his people befriending and intermarrying with the pagan nations surrounding them. At this point in history the people of God were to be kept separate and holy.

This is not the way we operate today. Christ wiped a lot of these customs away when He established the New Covenant. However, these laws still present symbolic reminders of the way that sin creeps into our daily routine, invading our lives and homes like an infection that destroys the body. Just as those who were unclean were put outside the camp for a time, sin too can bind us in our own private exile. Leviticus reminds us that the principle of separation and holiness is just as important today as it was back then. God will bless us, in this life or in the next, if we honor Him. This does not necessarily mean we are out sacrificing goats or abstaining from sausage, but it does explain why our romantic relationships look different, why we spend less and give more, why we prioritize people and families over career advancement, and why we seek to build community with other very flawed Christians.

In truth, we modern-day Christians are not any better than the Israelites at this “separate but holy” concept. Nonetheless, we do have some advantages. In Leviticus, even when the proper offering is made and the Day of Atonement secures nationwide cleansing, the people were still missing out on that free open access to the throne of God that we enjoy so flippantly today. I’m so thankful that our Messiah has come. He has torn that curtain and eliminated all the requirements for sacrificing a goat every time I want to talk to God.

If we were still doing it that way I would need a lot of goats.

Creativity: Exodus 35-39

The closing chapters of Exodus provide and insanely detailed blueprint for the Hebrew Tabernacle. God is very exacting in His instructions to Moses and is clear in calling artisans to build the structure. The Exodus account gives precise measurements, details the exact shape of the ornamentation, and dictates the building materials to be used throughout the structure. Here is an example: “The sockets for the pillars were bronze, the hooks of the pillars and their bands were silver, and the overlay of their capitals was silver and all the pillars of the court had bands of silver.” (Exodus 39:17) Admittedly, this is not the most engrossing section of the Bible. Nonetheless, it reveals truths about our God that help us understand who He is and how we are indeed created in His image.

One does not have to wade through the chapters of Exodus to understand that our God values appearances and creativity. Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made.” God is ever-present in all of creation and is Himself the standard for creativity in this world. Sometimes it takes a trip outside our manmade suburban paradise to notice God’s handiwork. This summer I crawled through labyrinthine caves stretching miles under the earth. I traveled to Alaska, finding a land that hosts enormous glaciers, mountains and fjords replete with wildlife. Survey a remote Alaskan coastline and you will encounter all sorts of captivating life forms – some beautiful, some not, but always strangely intriguing. Something as simple as the annual journey of the salmon to their spawning grounds is actually a wonderful display of the intricacy of our ecosystems. I can’t help but marvel at both the fragility and the astonishing tenacity of life on this planet. We live in a world full of unique and spectacular wonders, a testament to our God’s care and design.

As humans fashioned in the image of God, aesthetics and originality comprise an important part of our everyday lives. We crave beauty, structure, and design. That is why places like IKEA exist. We admire creativity, and those video game designers that can craft engrossing virtual worlds for us to experience. We value imagination and people like J.K. Rowling that can tell a good story. Admittedly, I feel slightly guilty about spending money on aesthetic accoutrements or entertainment with so many poor living in squalor around the world. Yet while this must guide moderation in our spending, it is important to recognize that our quest for beauty also evidences the mark of God’s image in each one of us. God has given some individuals an immense capacity for brilliance and ingenuity. I spent last summer traipsing through Europe admiring the cathedrals, castles, museums, and gardens. These things remain a testament to that glimmer of the Creator in each human artist. I believe that at some level we all long to create.

Quite honestly, I do not know if this world came about in 7 days or several million years. I do not know what proportion of organisms came through microevolution versus macroevolution. I do not know exactly how and when the plates have shifted to create mountains and valleys. I’m not sure how many floods and ice ages have graced this planet. However, when I look at the beauty and complexity inherent in the untouched remnants of this earth it seems absurd that it could have all happened through chance. At the very least, it takes and immense amount of faith remove the Divine from the equation. When I admire the cathedrals in Europe, the innovation coming out of the Googleplex, or even the brilliance in some of my most promising students I am ever more convinced that there is a Creator and that each one of us bears His image.

Exodus 4: A Meeting on the Mountain

“Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you will say.” Exodus 4:12

I love this story because it is a genuine picture of our humanity and God’s sovereignty. God meets Moses in the desert of Horeb and explains that He intends to bring the Israelites out of slavery; and he has chosen Moses to lead this venture. As Moses vehemently protests, you can’t help but feel sorry for the poor guy. He would have been quite content feeding sheep for the rest of his life.

Yet God reigns over Moses’s protests. Moses argues that he’s ill-equipped and lacks eloquence. Though I am kind of on Moses’s side here, I have got to admit that I am a fan of God’s answer: “Who has made man’s mouth?” That basically silences Moses’s side of the debate. Then, in exasperation, God promises that He will give Moses the words to say.

Throughout this whole discussion Moses remains completely honest with God. Rather than saying “I cannot do this” perhaps Moses should have said “God, I know what you want of me, but I cannot do this alone.” To me, the beauty of the story is that he does not say this – and thus, we see it is true that Moses is not eloquent and super-spiritual. He is just a normal guy that does not want to trade a docile flock of sheep for a herd of unruly Jews.

The truth is, we are all useless without God. However, protesting against His plan for us is not the way to express humility. Moses’s protest is merely a lack of faith. True humility is recognizing that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

That said, there will always be days when I would rather be tending sheep.

What the Puritans Got Wrong

Genesis 46:3, Exodus 1

“So he said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will surely put his hand on your eyes.” – Genesis 46:3

I have never had God come down and speak to me directly. Some people have had those surreal experiences, but God has always made His will clear to me in more concrete ways. For example, one Monday morning four years ago, after returning from a weekend of job interviews, I prayed a very specific prayer. I prayed, “God, please let a principal call me today. Give me some hope that I’ll get a job.” Sure enough, at 3:49 pm I got a call from a Social Studies department chair in Northern Virginia. Ok, it was not technically the principal, but I had hope. It seemed like God was moving…

In Genesis, God tells Jacob to get up and go to Egypt. With God’s blessing Jacob and his caravan set out for this unknown land. God assures Jacob that going to Egypt is part of His will. He does not tell Jacob that his descendants will end up enslaved under oppressive pharaohs. He also does not tell Jacob about the harrowing and glorious exodus that awaits the Nation of Israel.

Jacob is merely a piece of the story.

Could following God’s will mean we are getting ourselves into something uncomfortable and downright messy?

Yep.

We often expect that following God will ensure physical and material blessing. Our American forefathers, the Puritans, said that if you work hard and serve God he will bless your life. Conversely, those without such blessings were deemed unspiritual and judged for their state of misfortune. In fact, this “Protestant ethic” became so entrenched that made its way into our AP US History curriculum. Every September I teach that unit. Every September I can't help but think that I would have made a great Puritan.

I must ask myself: Am I guilty of judging people for making “poor life decisions?” If things aren’t going well for someone do I assume it’s because they just “suck at life?”

Sometimes God makes our paths very clear. Sometimes God’s direction makes sense. However, we may be called to do impractical things for the Gospel. Sometimes the path is difficult and hard to see. We might end up enslaved, imprisoned, or impoverished. Perhaps God’s plan is larger than our solitary lives. Perhaps those hardships are pieces of the story. We do not see the whole picture.

I wonder, would Jacob have gone to Egypt if he had known what was in store?

Restoration - Joseph Part II

…The real point of the story is this:

“Now therefore, do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones.” – Joseph, Genesis 50:21

The real point of the story is restoration.

Genesis 45 is a beautiful chapter. Here, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. He assures them that he holds nothing against them; God’s will has triumphed over their sin. He inquires about his father and commands his brothers to restore the family by bringing Jacob to Egypt.

The rest of the book is full of hope. It is such a welcome respite from the Genesis tragedy. I love the part where Joseph meets his father at Goshen and weeps in his arms “a good while.” [Gen 46:29] Finally, the family is together again. They are not a perfect family, but they have come a long way. If you pay attention to Jacob’s speech and demeanor throughout the remainder of the book you can sense that he has deepened his relationship with God – or at least his understanding of the important legacy his family carries.

Soon Joseph is busy implementing communism (Don’t believe me? Read Genesis 47:13-26) and things seem to be going well. In time Jacob dies, but not before his epic blessing on the twelve tribes of Israel. Then, at the very end of the book we begin to see that latent insecurities have plagued the brothers for years. They still question Joseph’s forgiveness, but Joseph won’t stand for that kind of thinking; in fact he is moved to tears once again: “Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore do not be afraid, I will provide for you and your little ones.’ And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” [Genesis 50:20-21]

Joseph’s speech is full of grace, yet it does not gloss over wrongdoing. I am sure that the brothers walked away from that conversation feeling a mixture of regret and relief. Joseph’s forgiveness was genuine; they did not deserve such grace.

Forgiveness, grace, justice – this is all part of the restoration at the end of Genesis. Joseph not only preserves the nation of Israel and thus the line of Christ, but his example provides a glimpse of the Shalom that will come.