The Depositions

The Depositions, by Thomas Lynch

8/60 | Started 01.30.23 • Finished 02.27.23 | 3 stars

Having really enjoyed two of Lynch's previous works, The Undertaking and Bodies in Motion and at Rest, I thought I'd hit the jackpot when on a whim I looked him up recently and discovered several more books.

They understood that the meaning of life is connected, inextricably, to the meaning of death; that mourning is a romance in reverse, and if you love, you grieve and there are no exceptions - only those who do it well and those who don't. And if death is regarded as an embarrassment or inconvenience, if the dead are regarded as a nuisance from whom we seek a hurried riddance, then life and the living in for like treatment.

To be short and sweet about it, I did not find these recent writings anywhere near as compelling as his earlier work. I don't know if it's because I remember him making more connections between life and death and God than he actually did, or if his views have changed since he wrote the essays in the two books I mentioned. He does write often in this work of something along the lines of "the God I'm not sure I believe in anymore."

Possibly these are the miracles we fail to see, on the lookout as we are for signs and wonders: for seas that part for us to pass through, skies that open to a glimpse of heaven, the paralytic who stands and walks, the blind who begin to see, the shortfall that becomes a sudden abundance. Maybe what we miss are the ordinary miracles, the ones who have known us all along - the family and friends, the fellow pilgrims who show up, pitch in and do their parts to get us where we need to go, within earshot and arms’ reach of our healing, the earthbound, everyday miracle of forbearance and forgiveness, the help in dark times to light the way, the ones who turn up when there is trouble to save us from our hobbled, heart-wrecked selves.

In one sense it's kind of heartbreaking. I found these works a bit of a slog to get through at times, and I didn't resonate near as much with them. There was enough good writing to earn three stars but in my mind it didn't live up to his earlier work.

A Long Way From Chicago (re-read)

A Long Way From Chicago, by Richard Peck

Started 02.06.23 • Finished 02.13.23

"My favorite quote was, 'I'd take a 5-dollar bill from you,' because even though Mr. Weidenbach tried to pay the least amount of money for burgoo, Grandma told him to not be selfish and give more than he had to. At first I thought I'd like it because Grandma tried to tell others to be kind, but it was funny also.

The main characters are Joey, his sister Mary Alice, and Grandma. Grandma wants to keep people from stealing from her house, and the kids want to have fun and help Grandma. The problem is, there are a few kids who like to walk around doing that stuff. The kids do have fun, and Grandma does keep people from stealing by setting traps and waiting.

I'd give this book a 5 out of 5 stars because Grandma was kind of like a wise guy and it was funny. It also seems like this all really happened."

Neph, age 12

When the Stars Disappear

When The Stars Disappear, by Mark Talbot

7/60 | Started 01.16.23 • Finished 02.17.23 | 5 stars

First in an upcoming four-part series, this beautiful book explores the topic of suffering through the Biblical examples of Job, Naomi, and Jeremiah. Packed with scripture, Talbot encourages the reader to look not just at our own particular story but also the larger story of the world that God is Lord over. He includes what he calls breathing lessons, in which he breaks down what prayer - healthy, Psalmic prayer - looks like. One of the big ideas Talbot points the reader to is God's chesed, or his steadfast love, kindness, and faithfulness. He then returns to his biblical characters to show how their stories played out.

If we suffer profoundly, it does not mean that God has abandoned us. Indeed, the God of chesed is always present in the midst of his saints’ suffering, accomplishing his good purposes for them in and through it, no matter how incomprehensible at the time it may be.

I found this short book to be chock full of hope and help for God's suffering saints. I especially appreciated the study of chesed and the emphasis on remembering. I'm actually going to go back and read it again, as per Talbot's recommendation. He advises an initial read without looking at footnotes, scriptures, etc., and then going back a second time and even a third time with a closer look. I'm eager to read future volumes in this series.

We have his word and the experience of his saints in Scripture that when those storms finally begin to subside and the sky begins to clear, we will look up and once again see the sun and the moon and the stars, and then realize that our loving heavenly Father has indeed been with us all along our way.