Can you imagine how excited I was to get an invitation to a free luncheon at Story where John Ortberg would be the featured speaker? Free food + John Ortberg = PERFECT!

And the experience (hosted by the Monvee group – more on them another day) was all that I hoped it would be. Maybe more, except since we had to eat at the same time I felt a little bit blasphemous letting mayo and tomato juice drip down my hands while Ortberg shared his generous thoughts on spiritual formation. He doesn’t know who I am, but I was embarrassed anyway. I ate as quickly as possible so I could start scribbling down notes.

Here is a great picture taken during this lecture as well as one of my favorite quotes from the luncheon:

“We must aim at the transformation of people’s actual lives, not merely their devotional practices.”

I’ll be thinking about that one for awhile! And I’ll share. I have some ideas. : )

If you like The Message, you’ll enjoy this version as well. Seay and his church’s Ecclesia Bible Society, along with the impressive backing of Thomas Nelson publishing, put together Biblical scholars with modern writers and poets. Their goal was to rediscover the story of the Bible. It is a beautiful attempt. For example, and from the title of this version, they translate “the Word” in John 1 as “the Voice” for very specific reasons. We read “the Word” and automatically think of the physical book sitting on our nightstand as if we are reading it every day. But this team translated it as “the Voice” in agreement with the original Greek meaning that this Logos is alive and active in our world today – not just a bunch of pages glued together and covered with fake leather.

Dan and I have been reading from The Voice since we got home. It is enticingly simple and artistic, but my Bible College “theologians” also agreed with its self-described tag line of “faithful.” My son Jesse liked the way the narratives are written in play form, each speaker clearly identified before his or her lines. From our reading, we’re reminding each other that Jesus is our Liberating King and realizing what a beautiful difference that perspective makes.

Dan bought me a special copy of the New Testament that came with a handmade leather cover from Argentina (a project designed to provide jobs for a fair wage in good working conditions).  You’ll have to get your own!

From the inside cover flap, a summary:

The one statement he [Jesus] made more than any other was this: “Don’t be afraid.” In this book, Max Lucado invites you to consider Jesus’ invitation to courage.

Fear will always knock on your door. Just don’t invite it in for dinner. And for heaven’s sake, don’t offer it a bed for the night.

The promise of Christ and the contention of these pages are simple: we can fear less tomorrow than we do today.

From the title it is clear that this book is about being Fearless, and most of us know what to expect from a Lucado book. No disappointments here. Lucado delivers a simple message through classic jokes, clever analogies, and crystalline Bible interpretation. His manner is fatherly and gentle – especially welcome considering his topic.

What surprised me most about this book was how often I heard myself saying, “Oh!” or “Hmmmm!” at the close of every neatly wrapped chapter. No one ties up concepts in punchy bows like Max Lucado. Considering the timeliness of this message, however, I also found the book authentic, valuable, and rich with comfort. Who hasn’t been scared to bits over Swine Flu (thanks, Dr. Gupta, for easing my mind on that one) or terrified by state of affairs in the Middle East?

I’m usually one to keep my cool on matters such as disease and natural disaster (unless I watch too many episodes of House), but Lucado also touches on more nuanced fears. My favorite comes from Chapter 12, “The Shadow of Doubt: Fear That God is Not Real.” This chapter alone is worth the ENTIRE BOOK. I loved it. I won’t spoil it for you, but Lucado works his exegetical magic here and provides two clear methods for battling doubt. And with these tools we can win the fight!

My conclusion on Fearless by Max Lucado? Easy read. Timely message. Revelation of Jesus. This book really could make a difference in people’s lives.

*This review brought to you thanks in part to the Thomas Nelson Book Reveiw Bloggers Program!

www.brb.thomasnelson.com

My sisters and I have already discussed the fact that despite my mother’s feminist oversight, we all played with Barbies (loved playing Barbies – would spend hours of our childhood divvying up the Barbies in an NFL draft-like fashion) and have made it to adulthood without an eating disorder or body image problem. And this pageant (or the other one, what is it, Miss America?) is a highlighted memory in my childhood. We got to stay up late, eat snacks, and hope our favorite made it into the top ten. Oh, the joy of that!

Watching alone tonight I had all the misgivings a mother of gorgeous daughters should have: what if they buy the lie that your body is something you should flaunt on national television? What if they see so many 5′ 10″ toothpicks they despise the beautiful 5′ 6″ athletic build they are more likely to have? I needed to reconcile these two dilemmas: my past joy in watching a show like this and my current fear of glutting my daughters on commercialized exploitation of women? (I can be nearly as dramatic as Seren, but I usually keep in quieter.)

Ellen to the rescue and My Favorite Part from the Miss USA Pageant. Ellen’s Cover Girl commercial played during one of the first breaks in the show. For me it was perfect timing.

I laughed at Ellen, I laughed at myself, and I saw myself laughing one day with my daughters. Like everything else in this life, the key is to keep the conversation open. We can enjoy a show like the Miss USA Pageant at the same time that we can discuss how ridiculous it is to dance across a stage in a bikini that is – no way around it – a bra and underwear. I mean, who does that? But still, the dresses, the music, the competition, . . . it is all part of a show. We can enjoy it. We can remember not to take life too seriously. And that’s My Favorite Part.

I wasn’t home and I don’t get ABC anyway, but I did catch some clips on YouTube, especially those mentioned by Seren. I loved the winning song from Once. That was beautiful. Almost as lovely were the acceptance speeches of the writers (who were also the actors in the movie). They were all about believing in your dreams and not giving up. (In really cute accents, which only serves to reinforce the magic!)

But my favorite part came when Jon Stewart brought the girl back out after the commercial break. She had been cut off and didn’t get a chance to give her acceptance. Stewart ushered her toward the microphone and said, “Enjoy your moment!”

How insightful of him. That was her moment and if he hadn’t stepped in, it would have been robbed from her. How gallant.  I teared up a little after he said that. He is Hollywood, afterall, and sometimes we imagine that they have no idea what matters to people in the real world. But in that gesture, he knew.

I loved it. It was my favorite part.