This post may be a little off from my normal posts, but it's something I've thought about off and on for a very long time. If you're looking for my usual sharp wit and devilish charm, then maybe you'll be surprised by what you get instead.
I've had something of an epiphany. It occurs to me--as it may already have for you, some time ago even--that maybe there's something to that old saying that "God loves you and has a plan for your life." I understand that, and I suppose that I've always assumed that God's plan for my life was something that maybe I'd end up doing one day: some pivotal event that would change the course of humanity (maybe I imagine my life to be more important than it is?). I guess I thought that up until that one defining moment, my life would fade into the background, and then go back to join that hum-drum background noise after my pivotal role in the existence of mankind had been played. I was--as I have many times--wondering what exactly my role in life was, what God's plan for me was, since He has one for me. The realization came to me--or perhaps was given to me--that God's plan for my life isn't just one moment or one decision. God's plan for my life is my life.
Our lives are about experience. I believe that our God is a sovereign God who orchestrates every experience of all our lives. Everything we see, hear, say and do; every person that comes into or leaves our lives; all the things that happen to us or for us or even around us; all these things shape who we are and who we will become on our final day on this earth. I believe that is God's plan for us. Who we are in life leaves a legacy for those who follow. The wisdom imparted to us from past generations lays a foundation for the things we learn in our lives. God has our lives planned as networks of experience: whether we're affecting someone's life, or ours is the life affected, God knows--has known since before time--the who, what, where, when, why and how of every moment.
Maybe my life won't mean much in the grander scheme of things, maybe I won't be instrumental in shaping the existence of mankind in the future, and maybe I won't be in history books. The impression that I leave, however, will be just as important to my children. Most importantly, I want to know that the life I live is the life that God intended for me. That's why I pray for God to bring to me what he will so that I become the man He created me to be.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Review of the book. AKA: Book Review.
Ok, I'm finally using my blog to post a book review! I know what you're thinking, "Well, isn't that why you started the thing anyway?" But that's only part of the reason I started blogging. After re-reading my review, I'm thinking maybe it sounds a little meaner that I'd originally intended for it to sound, because it really is a pretty ok book. (You can just feel the meh, can't you?)
Anyway:
Jonathan Rogers' novel, *The Charlatan's Boy* was a decent read. Rogers definitely knows how to tell a story. The novel is the coming-of-age story of an orphan boy named Grady. As an infant, Grady was taken in by the 'showman' Floyd. Grady's relationship with Floyd is as Floyd's assistant and main attraction. The story of *The Charlatan's Boy* follows Floyd and Grady as they try to overcome the waning of their livelihood, an audience growing skeptical.
The story itself is decent enough, location and era mix well enough to keep it entertaining. I have two main issues with the book, though: the way the story is told, and the way the book ends.
The story is narrated by the main character, Grady. The location and era in which the boy lives would grant the understanding that he's not well educated, so the grammar and voice of the narration is that of an uneducated frontiersman--a hillbilly. I see reading as a way, especially for the younger audience this book targets, to broaden one's understanding of the written and spoken word. As such, I this book is not the best example of a well written novel from that standpoint. It works well, though, as a literary device for the telling of the story, as it allows us a deeper look into Grady's character.
The ending of *The Charlatan's Boy* almost seems like an afterthought, like Rogers sort of ran out of story and said, "Hmm, wouldn't it be nice if..." then filled in the gap. (The end is a bit of a twist, so I'm not going to give anything away.)
All in all, as I said before, *The Charlatan's Boy* is a decent read, and I'd recommend it if you don't mind a meandering plot.
[This review appears on Amazon.com and my blog. I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.]
So there it is. I'm sure my reviews will get better with time, right?
Anyway:
Jonathan Rogers' novel, *The Charlatan's Boy* was a decent read. Rogers definitely knows how to tell a story. The novel is the coming-of-age story of an orphan boy named Grady. As an infant, Grady was taken in by the 'showman' Floyd. Grady's relationship with Floyd is as Floyd's assistant and main attraction. The story of *The Charlatan's Boy* follows Floyd and Grady as they try to overcome the waning of their livelihood, an audience growing skeptical.
The story itself is decent enough, location and era mix well enough to keep it entertaining. I have two main issues with the book, though: the way the story is told, and the way the book ends.
The story is narrated by the main character, Grady. The location and era in which the boy lives would grant the understanding that he's not well educated, so the grammar and voice of the narration is that of an uneducated frontiersman--a hillbilly. I see reading as a way, especially for the younger audience this book targets, to broaden one's understanding of the written and spoken word. As such, I this book is not the best example of a well written novel from that standpoint. It works well, though, as a literary device for the telling of the story, as it allows us a deeper look into Grady's character.
The ending of *The Charlatan's Boy* almost seems like an afterthought, like Rogers sort of ran out of story and said, "Hmm, wouldn't it be nice if..." then filled in the gap. (The end is a bit of a twist, so I'm not going to give anything away.)
All in all, as I said before, *The Charlatan's Boy* is a decent read, and I'd recommend it if you don't mind a meandering plot.
[This review appears on Amazon.com and my blog. I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.]
So there it is. I'm sure my reviews will get better with time, right?
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