The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross

The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross
by A. W. Pink
I breathed a sigh of satisfaction when I finished the last sentence of this book. Pink is eloquent and powerful, even decades after his death. In no overstatement, this book is truly great.

Pink mentions that it was the goal of ancient Greeks to say much in little: "to give a sea of matter in a drop of language." Nearly all of these 139 pages gave oceans of matter.

The book is divided into seven chapters based on each of Christ's final words on the cross with seven points under each. Pink adds his own perceptive observances often, supporting them with frequent Scripture.

I found myself writing "Well said," "So true," and "Interesting perspective" in the margins. Pink's words are sometimes comforting, sometimes challenging, sometimes chilling... but always thoughtful and theologically sound.

My only criticism--and it is a minuscule one--is that once or twice (to meet his seven-point format) he stretches a single point into two. Still, Pink has a way of presenting the same material in a fresh way.

Pink's own dying words were: "The Scriptures explain themselves." Clearly, he was a man who knew and loved those very Scriptures. His words will ring true for decades yet to come.

Good for the soul.


GRADE:
A _ _ _ _
Beautiful topic, beautifully written.

The Jesus I Never Knew

The Jesus I Never Knew
by Philip Yancey
Yancey calls this a look at "Jesus' life 'from below,' as a spectator, one of the many who followed him around." It gives us fresh eyes.

I notice all the preconceived notions and unwarranted assumptions we have about Jesus--especially now, this Christmas season. Sitting in front of me is a manager, the "little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes." The porcelain figure is more a caricature than reality.

What if we didn't have the benefit of knowing Jesus through history's lens? How would we see him then? Who was the Jesus they knew? Yancey has a knack for entering into those questions without completely deconstructing everything (as some postmodern authors do).

Yancey dives deeply, yet writes lightly. I found myself writing "hmm," "good question," and "interesting perspective" in the margins. Yancey has a rare way of making the profound digestible and understandable.

I would call this a must-read. But (as Yancey would agree) the best way to see the true Jesus is through the Bible--in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Still, this makes a great companion. Well-worth reading.


GRADE:
A- _ _ _ _
Not Yancey's best, but still great.

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
by Annie Dillard
“We wake, if we ever wake at all, to mystery, rumors of death, beauty, violence.”

Whatever Dillard came searching for down at Tinker Creek in Virginia, she found this. It emerged in simple forms of mantises, sycamores, muskrats, and parasitic insects.

No matter how I slice the book, I will drain it of its juice. Dillard is a masterful wordsmith with an eye for mundane richness. She dabbles in biology, theology, philosophy, entomology, and physics. While standing on old stumps, she reaches handfuls of clouds.

“Say even that you are sitting across the kitchen table from me right now. Our eyes meet; a consciousness snaps back and forth. What we know, at least for starters, is: here we--so incontrovertibly--are. This is our life, these are our lighted seasons, and then we die…. In the meantime, in between time, we can see.” (Chapter 8)

I’m not sure how else to describe this book except that it is a commentary on seeing. Annie Dillard, who is “in the market for some present tense,” has a knack for seeing. And she shares it. At one point, I put down the book and looked (really looked) at my own hand. Dillard gave me new eyes.

If you didn’t like Thoreau’s Walden genre, this won’t be for you. Otherwise, it’s a truly beautiful, thoughtful meditation well worth the pilgrimage.


GRADE:
A _ _ _ _
Bold, beautiful, breath-taking, breath-examining