Thunder of Heaven by Ted Dekker
I just finished this book today. Did I cry? I think I must have. I no longer notice when I cry over books and movies because I always cry at books and movies. If they’re any good, that is.
This might be turning into a book review; I’m willing to risk that. I never liked doing book reviews in school. I loved reading the books, but I hated picking them to bits and trying to make as brilliant a point as the author had in only a few pages, you know? And if I hadn’t liked the book at all, well then why should I spend my energy telling you how good a lame book was? This is why my English teachers loved and dreaded me. I had read everything they required, and had some other reading on the side always going on, but I could never put my spirit into ripping apart and arguing the point of a book. Why would I do that? Why ask rhetorical questions anyway? Why is rhetorical spelled that way? What other word in English starts with “rh”? What language does that come from? I’m good at questions and not as good at answers.
Back to the book……apparently it’s part of a “Martyr’s Song” series—I’m desperate to get my hands on the other books. The point of this book, well, one of the points, maybe it’s not a point but more of a question, is ‘why does God let people suffer?’ And we’re talking about good, Christian people who have served Him and been faithful and read their Bible and do everything right. (Well, you get the idea. Maybe not EVERYTHING right.) I guess for all of us it comes down to God’s plan, and that we don’t understand it when we’re in the middle of it, but occasionally God gives us a glimpse and it makes sense for a second (or maybe just half a second), and then it’s all veiled in darkness again. If we glimpse it at all. There are so many things going on that we haven’t the slightest about. We don’t know what our part in the big scheme is, or if we have a big part or a bit part or if we’ll even be on the credit reel anywhere. (By credit reel, I really mean whether other people will appreciate our suffering and all, or whether it all goes unnoticed.)
Warning: Here comes a tangent. A few weeks ago there was an article in the paper about how people are made into saints (canonized) by the Catholic church, and it sparked a discussion between Jason and me. I will say honestly that we have some different opinions about the Catholic church, but I don’t want to stray even further by going into details. (While abroad, I’ve spent quite a lot of time in Catholic services, although I wasn’t raised Catholic by any means.) And I said aloud: “I wonder if I’ll ever be made into a saint.” Not sure where that thought came from, but you know? Like what’s-his-name says in Gladiator, “What we do in this life echoes in eternity.” And I’m not sure what else I’ll be doing in this life, or if it will make as big an impact in people’s hearts as, for example, Mother Theresa, but I think God has something BIG planned for each of us if we’re willing to reach out in obedience and grasp for it. Of course, then Jason wondered if I didn’t have to be Catholic to be canonized, mentioning Martin Luther as an example of someone who hasn’t been, as he was burned as a heretic. I brought up the example of Joan of Arc, who was also burned as a heretic, and now has sainthood.
Anyway, the point here is that we don’t and probably can’t understand the role that we play in God’s great plan, but at the end of the world I know we’ll be able to look back and see what it all was for. As it says in I Corinthians 13:12 (Amplified) For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim blurred reflection of reality as in a riddle or enigma, but then when perfection comes we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part imperfectly, but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood by God.
The other big question it raises (and answers, I think) is ‘why is there so much death/killing/murder?’ And here I shall quote the smallest bit from the book, in hopes that you will go out and read it, because there’s so much more and it’s powerful stuff.
“There were two sides to the crucifixion of Christ—a killing and a dying. One kills for hate, while others die for love…..”
“You show me someone—anyone—who dies for love, and I’ll listen to you.”
Read it. You’ll be glad you did.
This might be turning into a book review; I’m willing to risk that. I never liked doing book reviews in school. I loved reading the books, but I hated picking them to bits and trying to make as brilliant a point as the author had in only a few pages, you know? And if I hadn’t liked the book at all, well then why should I spend my energy telling you how good a lame book was? This is why my English teachers loved and dreaded me. I had read everything they required, and had some other reading on the side always going on, but I could never put my spirit into ripping apart and arguing the point of a book. Why would I do that? Why ask rhetorical questions anyway? Why is rhetorical spelled that way? What other word in English starts with “rh”? What language does that come from? I’m good at questions and not as good at answers.
Back to the book……apparently it’s part of a “Martyr’s Song” series—I’m desperate to get my hands on the other books. The point of this book, well, one of the points, maybe it’s not a point but more of a question, is ‘why does God let people suffer?’ And we’re talking about good, Christian people who have served Him and been faithful and read their Bible and do everything right. (Well, you get the idea. Maybe not EVERYTHING right.) I guess for all of us it comes down to God’s plan, and that we don’t understand it when we’re in the middle of it, but occasionally God gives us a glimpse and it makes sense for a second (or maybe just half a second), and then it’s all veiled in darkness again. If we glimpse it at all. There are so many things going on that we haven’t the slightest about. We don’t know what our part in the big scheme is, or if we have a big part or a bit part or if we’ll even be on the credit reel anywhere. (By credit reel, I really mean whether other people will appreciate our suffering and all, or whether it all goes unnoticed.)
Warning: Here comes a tangent. A few weeks ago there was an article in the paper about how people are made into saints (canonized) by the Catholic church, and it sparked a discussion between Jason and me. I will say honestly that we have some different opinions about the Catholic church, but I don’t want to stray even further by going into details. (While abroad, I’ve spent quite a lot of time in Catholic services, although I wasn’t raised Catholic by any means.) And I said aloud: “I wonder if I’ll ever be made into a saint.” Not sure where that thought came from, but you know? Like what’s-his-name says in Gladiator, “What we do in this life echoes in eternity.” And I’m not sure what else I’ll be doing in this life, or if it will make as big an impact in people’s hearts as, for example, Mother Theresa, but I think God has something BIG planned for each of us if we’re willing to reach out in obedience and grasp for it. Of course, then Jason wondered if I didn’t have to be Catholic to be canonized, mentioning Martin Luther as an example of someone who hasn’t been, as he was burned as a heretic. I brought up the example of Joan of Arc, who was also burned as a heretic, and now has sainthood.
Anyway, the point here is that we don’t and probably can’t understand the role that we play in God’s great plan, but at the end of the world I know we’ll be able to look back and see what it all was for. As it says in I Corinthians 13:12 (Amplified) For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim blurred reflection of reality as in a riddle or enigma, but then when perfection comes we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part imperfectly, but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood by God.
The other big question it raises (and answers, I think) is ‘why is there so much death/killing/murder?’ And here I shall quote the smallest bit from the book, in hopes that you will go out and read it, because there’s so much more and it’s powerful stuff.
“There were two sides to the crucifixion of Christ—a killing and a dying. One kills for hate, while others die for love…..”
“You show me someone—anyone—who dies for love, and I’ll listen to you.”
Read it. You’ll be glad you did.
posted by Judy Baskerville at
10:20 PM
2 Comments:
Actually, I borrowed it from the Waterloo library. Probably going to return it tomorrow. Do you have a library card? They might even have it at the Cambridge library--check the online catalogue.
By
Judy Baskerville, at 6:42 PM, December 04, 2005
Hi Judy, I'm so bad with keeping caught up on blogs...i have yet to read this entry but i thought you'd see this post rather then replying to the one i just read about your respone...make sense? Okay so that comic strip about Mom knocking on Jeremy's (?) door was priceless, it's totally how i feel! Thank you so much for all of your thoughtful replies...i will try to be super diligent in reading yours more often, it's always a pleasure and a privilege talking with you :)
By
Caroline, at 9:50 PM, December 08, 2005
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