Why am I opening this review/discussion with a catalog of minor details? In order to establish from the start that the author was pretty much, as the phrase goes, “in my kitchen” with this book, so I don’t pretend that I can review it objectively. But the book made me think a lot, so I’m going to talk about it.

One of Lucy’s most frequent library patrons is a ten-year-old boy named Ian. Ian loves to read, but his reading life is hampered because his overbearing, evangelical Christian mother censors his reading material. She wants Ian to only read books that contain “the breath of God” and therefore forbids him to check out books that contain weaponry, magic, Halloween, etc.

Do you see what I mean here? In my kitchen.

When Ian decides to run away and shows up at the library, Lucy decides to help him. They end up on the run, embarking on a wild road trip across the country to Vermont.

I’ll admit, I read the book because I was intrigued. I saw the book mentioned in passing on a blog, and while I didn’t know for sure that the librarian was helping the child escape from conservative Christian parents, I had a feeling. I wanted to see how the author handled that dilemma, and how how she managed to resolve it.

It’s clear from the outset that Lucy is not a reliable narrator. I think that the author intended to communicate that issues like censorship and parenting decisions are subjective and rooted in circumstances that we don’t understand. But I also think it weakened the book. A lot of the book didn’t make sense, and I could never quite sort out what motivated some of the decisions the characters made. The narrator’s confession that she’s probably remembering things as she wants to believe them rather than how they happened got the author out of a few plot tangles, but I would have liked to see her think things through more clearly.

I am one of the evangelical Christians the narrator is so baffled by. And while I do allow my kids to read books that have weaponry, magic, and Halloween, I know people who have chosen not to. I respect their right to do so, even if I don’t share their conviction. But I’ve never known a parent with these convictions who expected the librarian to be the gatekeeper (Ian’s mother left a list of forbidden subjects with Lucy). Such parents also typically aren’t the type to let their children spend hours at the library unattended or in the care of a seemingly indifferent babysitter (since Ian was an only child and his mother didn’t work, I found the hours he spent with the sitter confusing). Lucy’s main concern is that ten-year-old Ian is being sent to a special youth group that’s supposed to prevent him from being gay. I would also be concerned about parents who were obsessed with their ten-year-old’s sexual orientation, and let the record show I don’t know anyone who would embrace such a youth group.

Along the way, Lucy has to come to terms with issues from her own childhood (which was far from ideal). She eventually realizes that her parents were motivated by things from their past that she didn’t know about. In the end, the takeaway message seems to be that all parents are crazy, just in different ways for different reasons.

I was disappointed with this book. The premise was interesting, but I think the author could have done more with it. Most will assume I didn’t like it because my “team” didn’t come out of it looking very good (and I acknowledge that possibility). I still think the author could have done a better job fleshing out the characters. Most of characters in this book were predictably one-dimensional. I never felt like any of the characters were growing, just advancing the author’s plot. In the end, retreating behind the narrator’s assertion that she probably isn’t remembering things correctly felt like a cop-out.

At other times, the book just came across as preachy. I’m pretty on the record about not liking preachy fiction when I AGREE with the author, so it’s no surprise that I’m not going to warm up to preachy fiction that I don’t agree with. (And the reviews on Amazon indicate that some of the people who largely agree with the author found the novel too preachy as well.)

Like I said, I know plenty of people who don’t allow certain types of entertainment in their home. And though I don’t know anyone who has taken such a stance and then expected everyone else to do their parenting for them, I do know that as Christians we sometimes don’t handle this well. We shouldn’t be surprised when the world doesn’t get us, and we should be prepared to stand alone. But we are always called to be gentle and loving when unbelievers ask why we do the things we do (1 Peter 3:14-16). It likely wouldn’t have changed the author’s opinion, but it might have made it more difficult for her to dismiss us entirely.

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Wishing…this headache would go away.

Thankful…that though my headaches are technically migraines (I get auras and everything), they’re not debilitating like a lot of people’s migraines are. But ow! Pain!

Sorry…that this status report started with me whining. I’ll try to do better.

Reading…The Distant Hours and Excellent Women. Both good.

Wondering…if you’ll notice that both those books were mentioned recently by Lisa on her blog. I seem to read everything she tells me to. Maybe I should have her tell me to clean my office today.

Enjoying…the sunshine. It’s been so warm here lately. I guess the warm days are nice, but it’s supposed to be winter now. I have a feeling we’ll pay for this mild weather later by having winter weather in March or April.

Thinking…about a book I finished a few days ago called The Borrower (not to be confused with the children’s book about miniature people). I hope to review it soon, but need to think through some things first.

Hearing…my washer beep at me. Time to move a load to the dryer.

Deciding…to get on with the day.

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Books on sanctification are prey to two common pitfalls. Either the author can get so caught up in the actions of the Christian walk that they inadvertently add more rules (i.e. if you really love Jesus you’ll quit your job and become a missionary), or they portray the Christian life as the key to better relationships (Jesus as life coach, if you will). The DiMarcos avoid both errors. It’s a tricky balance, and I commend them for managing it.

The book did contain a couple of weaknesses. I wish their section on forgiveness had been clearer. They began by defining forgiveness as “giving up our right to hurt another in retaliation for hurting us.” (152) But later they allude to the idea that forgiveness includes full reconciliation. This distinction is important when we discuss how to handle those who deliberately harm us and don’t repent. Most readers will be able to sort out the difference in the context of the reading, but an extra paragraph or so would have clarified things immensely. I also would have liked more explanation of public versus private confession.

I also have a quibble with the formatting. The book is interspersed with sections where the authors give personal examples of how each principle played out in their own lives. The examples are helpful and clarifying. The fact that they seemed to come at random intervals and interrupt the flow of reading was not. After a chapter or so, I began skipping them and going back to them as I finished the chapters. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this kind of thing, but it always drives me crazy. Perhaps it was a good way for me to practice patience.

Those two things, though, are not enough to sink the whole book. Overall it’s very well done. The book is biblically sound. Each chapter covers facets of sanctification that believers need to hear. Of particular note, their section on submission is one of the best discussions of the subject I’ve seen in a while.

It looks as if Crossway also has plans for a video component. Provided these videos are as well done as the book, that would be an added tool to use with this book in a small group study.

The DiMarcos’ publishing history, along with the tone and format of the book tell me that this will likely appeal to younger people (high school and college age). That’s a good thing, in my opinion. Since much of what is marketed to them is either fluff or heresy, I’m pleased to see something that will reach this group with a biblical discussion of what living for Christ means in the day-to-day.

*Since the copy I reviewed is an Advance Proof, page numbers might be different in the final edit.

Many thanks to Crossway for providing this book for review.

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And today, I wrote the guest post for the True Woman blog: Planner or Free Spirit?

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I am thankful for the snow, paltry though it is.

I am thankful for an unexpected break, so I can focus on laundry and all those other last-minute packing tasks.

I am thankful for children who are old enough to pack their own suitcases.

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Drinking…coffee. The coffee is getting cold, though, so it’s nearly too cold to drink.

Wondering…how it can be that I’m now the mother of two teenagers.

Preparing…for the first day back after Christmas break. My husband went back to work yesterday, but today is the first day of school, both for my son in public school and my homeschooled children.

Enjoying…the quiet. It’s been wonderful having everyone home over the past two weeks, but it’s also nice to sit in a room by myself for a bit.

Anticipating…getting back into a routine. The unstructured days were starting to feel like too much of a good thing.

Reading…A Faith Worth Sharing by C. John Miller. More of a memoir than I realized, but still interesting and helpful.

Dreading…the time I’m going to have to spend searching for something that’s been mislaid (I’m not ready to admit to “lost” yet.)

Thinking…that this week is not going how I planned. Yesterday’s tasks to clean and get ready for school were interrupted by a child’s migraine (the migraines usually last less than a day, but include throwing up — which is a drag). Today’s massive search wasn’t on the schedule, either.

Remembering…that God is in control, even when it feels like surprises keep cropping up.

Deciding…to get up and get to work.

Copying…Rebecca.

Update!

Praising God…that the lost object was found! It’s a long story (and I’m withholding the details to protect the guilty), but it was borrowed. It was missing just long enough to teach a good lesson, but not so long to cause serious problems. Yay!

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One of the highlights of 2011 was the publication of The Organized Heart. Another was traveling to The Gospel Coalition Conference (which I wrote about here).

Those two things were wonderful, but soon overshadowed by the trial that inspired this post. I’m happy to report that everything turned out fine (thanks be to God). I’ll probably tell you more about it sometime.

And that brings me to the most-viewed posts this year. It’s interesting to see what people search out and read. I’m always surprised.

1. Doctor Says You’re Cured but You Still Feel the Pain. This was actually a fun post to write because I got to publicly (and light-heartedly) call out my cousin for an ornery trick he once played on me that triggered a mini-phobia of sorts.

2. Using the Time That We Have was inspired by the death of one of my father’s closest friends. It’s one of the posts you wish you had no reason to write.

3. Book Review: Father and Son. I wrote this back in June 2010, and yet search engines bring people to this post every day. I think I’m one of the few bloggers in the world who has reviewed this book.

4. Rainy Days and Unbelief Always Get Me Down. This is the post in which I put to rest the idea that writing a book on organization means I have it all figured out. I don’t.

5. Ode to the Laptop. Just a silly post I wrote for fun, popular only because of Google searches. You would be shocked how often people type “Ode to a Laptop” into search engines.

And that’s 2011. Looking forward to 2012!

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I had this book.

I most likely purchased it at a B. Dalton Bookseller at the mall. Remember B. Dalton? I may or may not have been wearing jelly shoes and lacy socks at the time.

I’m sure any awesomeness found in me is due to this book. Or maybe not.

Sometimes I miss the 80s. Has there ever been a cheesier decade?

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In this time he found himself reading the book of Colossians. Through his reading and study, he realized he had come to rely on personal success and the approval of others for his hope and security. Once those were gone, he felt he had nowhere to stand.

This is the fire from which the book Jesus + Nothing = Everything was forged. Tchividjian wants to reorient Christians to the gospel, to stop thinking of the gospel as only a launching pad into faith, and remember that it’s the only hope than any of us have.

Tchividjian says Christians often get mired down into perfomancism (which frequently overlap with legalism and moralism). We get so caught up in what we’re doing for God, we start to view the Christian life as a cycle of “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” Then, when trials come (as they inevitably do), we find ourselves sinking into fear and despair. He wants to shatter this cycle by reminding us that the pattern found in Scripture is to first bask in what Jesus has obtained for us then to draw from that the strength to move forward.

Tchividjian tips his hand early (the title pretty much says it all). He lays out the bulk of his argument in the first quarter of the book, then uses the rest of the book to delve into it more deeply. This sometimes made the middle section seem a bit repetitive, but the additional points made in the later chapters are essential. This book is brimming with fantastic quotes. I’m an unapologetic underliner and annotator, but I covered the pages with notes and highlights — much more than usual. Because he makes his point at the beginning and jabs at it from all sides (rather than building his case step by step), this book often had the feel of devotional reading.

He also draws from books such as Because He Loves Me by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Counterfeit Gods by Tim Killer (both of which I have read) and The Gospel-Driven Life by Michael Horton (which I haven’t read). If you’re familiar with those books, you’re going to recognize many the points made, but since this is a book about the gospel, originality is not something to strive for (as Paul pointed out in Galatians 1:8).

This book was borne out of a specific experience in Tchividjian’s life. It’s likely, then, to speak more clearly to people in similar circumstances — people so immersed in the outward trappings of church life that they’ve lost sight of centrality of the gospel.

People who find themselves living with regret over specific mistakes or the consequences of outward sins might not identify quite so easily with Tchividjian’s largely internal struggle. He does speak to those situations, but not as tangibly. I do think, though, that his point that all sin starts with the belief that we need to seize for ourselves what only Christ can obtain for us is a valuable one:

Every temptation to sin is, in the moment, a temptation to disbelieve the gospel — the temptation to secure for ourselves in that moment something we think we need in order to be happy, something we don’t yet have: meaning, freedom, validation, and so on. Bad behavior happens when we fail to believe that everything we need, in Christ we already have; it happens when we fail to believe in the rich provisional resources that are already ours in the gospel. Conversely, good behavior happens when we daily rest in and receive the finished work of Christ in deeper and deeper ways, smashing any sense of need to secure for ourselves anything beyond what Christ has already secured for us. (page 171)

Some have argued that Tchavidjian spends so much time urging us to focus on what Christ has already done that he portrays sanctification (the process of growing to be more like Christ) as something that happens effortlessly with the right mindset. Let me diplomatically say that’s more of a result of the structure of the book rather than the content. Tchavidjian never denies that the process of growing in Christ is hard work (this is especially driven home in Chapter 10), but he wants us to start with the indicatives (what “God in Christ has done for us”) and from that grounding move on to the imperatives (how we are to live in response to that). (page 61)

Part of me wonders if this could have been a stronger book (and one less vulnerable to criticism) if Tchavidjian would have taken the time to delve into more detail about some of the outward struggles that can shipwreck our faith. But as I reflect on that, I think his narrow focus is deliberate. Like Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges, Tchavidjian wants to speak to situations that are often neglected. He wants to combat the legalistic mindset that entraps people who appear on the outside to be doing okay. The 25 additional books on the gospel listed at the end of this book further drives home his point: this is not meant to be the final or only book on the gospel, but another voice reminding us of things we forget all too easily.

Many thanks to Crossway for providing this review copy in exchange for my honest opinion. A full disclosure statement can be found here.

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Purchase through Amazon or at the Cruciform Press website.

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