Ten Books Everyone Should Read # 10

Years ago, when I was a lowly English major, I recall taking a survey literature course with a professor who made the statement: "No one who presumes to take up the mantle of historian, sociologist, psychologist, lawyer or student of English in the western world can do so without an intimate knowledge of the Bible." I've thought much of his words through the years and they ring as true today as they did thirty years ago.

In fact, I would go so far as to say that without a knowledge of the Bible, one cannot fully understand much of European or English literature. There are far too many allusions (as with Shakespeare as prime example) from the Bible to wander through the great works without a Biblical background. And the same could be said for any discipline where involvement in human thought and predicament play a role.

So, even thought the Bible is my spiritual bailiwick, I'm going to maintain that the Bible is still the #1 book everyone should read . . . in fact, study is required. Even if a person approaches the Bible from a purely literary vantage point, the Bible is without doubt the greatest book ever written. There can be found on more influential poetry, narratives, themes, or allusions than the Bible.

If you haven't read in it lately, better get crackin'. It's a big book, and worthy of your best efforts and concentration. And no matter how many times you've read "The Book" you are certain to find some new material.

(NOTE: According to my stats on this blog, few are reading it. Please let me know if you find this blog of interest. I'll keep going. If not, I'll give attention to other venues.)

Ten Books Everyone Should Read # 9

Among the more contemporary books suited for all audiences and tastes, one can't go wrong with Tuesdays With Morrie, by Mitch Albom. This wonderful story of friendship between a professor and student, younger and older, reads like a road map for life, and few there would be who wouldn't glean something of worth from its pages.

Friendship, Forgiveness, Joy, Sorrow, Life, Death . . . the book runs the gamut and is offered up in such frank presentation its a joy to read it, though the subject matter is anything but pleasant.

Book groups and changed lives have been born from its publication, and there is no doubt that Tuesdays will continue to be a book that people will be reading a hundred years from now. It has the status of classic already and seems to be only growing stronger.

One doesn't have to read the book on a Tuesday, either, to find something as a take-away. Any day will do.

Ten Books Everyone Should Read # 8

The problem with some literature is that we are forced to read it. This pressure to accept what others deem as noteworthy has a tendency to weaken the resolve, however, rather than strengthen it.

Somewhere in the hazy underworld of high school literature, each of us was assigned one or more of Shakespeare's plays. And because of this, most students have recoiled at the thought of trying to decipher the King James English or learn a new vocabulary for the human spirit. It's sad, but true.

But everyone should give Shakespeare a second chance. Perhaps, with the exception of the Bible, no other corpus of work has had a greater impact on the English-speaking world than Shakespeare's body of work. It is difficult to imagine Hollywood, network TV, or any outstanding novels void of his influence in one way or another. His themes are universal, and they have touched nearly every creative portion of the human psyche.

Reading Shakespeare is discovering a great poet, perhaps the greatest who ever lived. Some call him "the bard." Bards are worth listening to. Or take Othello. Who wouldn't respect a writer who had a board game named after one of his characters.

Enough said. Just read him.

Ten Books Everyone Should Read # 7

Some works are so old, so good, so universal, we categorize them as classics. Such is the case with anything written by Dante. Take The Divine Comedy. It's always worth reading. Even in patches. A sampling will do to create an entire pie, and from the reading of just a couple of lines one can imagine the whole.

Like most classics, The Divine Comedy delves deeply into they human psyche and, even with the passing of centuries, the work tells us much about contemporary life. These works do, in ways scarcely noted, have the ability to teach and inform.

It doesn't take long to read The Divine Comedy. It just goes up like a tinder blaze and one is consumed by it.

Perhaps that's what makes it so funny . . . and so true.

Ten Books Everyone Should Read # 6

Some books are effective in their voice or narrative or larger-than-life characters. Other books are effective in their impact. And then there are the books about effectiveness.

Such is the case with The Seven Habits of Highly-Effective People, by Steven Covey, a book that has indeed taken on larger-than-life status and sales and one that will impact anyone who reads it. Business, school, relationships, life . . . makes no difference. The Seven Habits are simple yet profound in their implications for creating a better life . . . not necessarily wealthier. The book is really about inner strength and resiliency, the source of much of our happiness and outlook.

Mr. Covey has turned this enterprise into a cottage industry all its own, and everyone from business leaders to school children have benefited from thinking about the seven habits.

Habits, of course, don't come without awareness and practice. It's tough, but one can improve in any area of life by reading this book.

Ten Books Everyone Should Read # 5

Some ideas, themes and plots have changed little through the centuries, and we get the feeling from reading the ancient that not all that much has changed with people over time. Consider, for example. Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Take your pick. These ancient tales are ever fresh, and the struggles and insights we can glean from them are reminiscent of our modern day experiences.

One doesn't have to read far into the poems to discover that there is something universal about the journey of Odysseus and his friends. He's longing to get back home. Troubles abound. But it is love and hearth that push him onward through the ship wrecks and the tempests.

Substitute our contemporary struggles into the plot and you have a book of psychology, a book of morality lessons, a book of religion, or a novel. Depends on how we want to read it and analyze it.

From the ancient comes the new. And everyone should read Homer at least once.

Ten Books Everyone Should Read # 4

There are some books that, once having been written, are impossible for their authors to repeat. Such was the case with To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. Nearly sixty years after having written this classic, Ms. Lee is still living, but hasn't published a blessed thing since. The reason: such a work would be impossible to duplicate and all subsequent writing would pale by comparison. So she just stopped trying.

To Kill a Mockingbird is still assigned in classrooms across America, and few who have read it have come away from the work unaffected or impacted by its varied explorations of family, race, class, love, and justice. To top things off, the work also features moving courtroom drama, unforgettable dialogue, and insights that border on the Biblical.

Ms. Lee gave us a great offering. And the movie version of the work is arguably every bit as good as the book, and there are few movies based on classics that fit that category. Best to read To Kill a Mockingbird when we are young, and then to repeat same along the dusty avenues and alleys of life. There's that much depth to the book, and new insights are forthcoming at every juncture along the way.

Ten Books Everyone Should Read # 3

Regardless of whether we are younger or older, in school or in business, we all need friends. One of the most impactful books, and a classic at that!, everyone should read is Dale Carnegie's, How to Win Friends and Influence People. Can't go wrong with it, and it's a book that is applicable to any walk of life and any situation in home or business.

The Carnegie title has, no doubt, influenced other best-selling titles through the years, but in its basic form, Carnegie's offering can't be beat. In our era of bad manners, bad language, bad habits, and shoddy business practices, Carnegie's book would read like a Bible for anyone desiring to broaden their influence and impact the lives of others in a POSITIVE way.

Perhaps this book should be required reading before High School graduation. I've read it many times, and each time I find something new among its pages. A book for ages and one that will stay on the shelf for a lifetime.

Ten Books Everyone Should Read # 2

Every child lives with imagination, and as we age we become boring, burned out shells who can't think of a new idea to save our lives. We live on old, worn-out dreams and familiar places.

What we need are the wild things.

Every parent and child should read Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak. It's more than a children's book, however. It's the stuff that wild dreams are made of: voyages to distant places, out-of-control worlds, and chaos that offers other possibilities inside of the warmth of home and family. It's all there.

Some people don't discover this book until they have a "mid-life" crisis, and then they realize that their world is, indeed, too wild to handle. Others try to live their lives inside their comforting bowl of oatmeal and never venture out into the wild, uncertain boundaries of the own possibilities.

In short, the wild things are inside of us . . . and the worlds we dream can only be realized if we are willing to venture out.

Ten Books Everyone Should Read # 1

There are, of course, many . . . but these are ten books that have the potential to impact everyone: younger, older, any stage of life.

How about a book that offers more than wisps of childhood, but has some carry-over into adulthood? It's the kind of book that has just enough warmth and simplicity to appeal to a child and enough thoughtfulness and mayhem to appeal to the matured realities of life, the kind of book that deals with life and death, friendship and parting, community and work, younger and older alike.

I'm talking about Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White. Not a bad read at any age, and certainly a top ten book by me.

If you haven't read it . . . give it a try. You'll no doubt discover something you had forgotten or would like to discover again.

Ten Ways to Look at a Piano # 10

As King

Many have claimed to be King . . . including Elvis and Michael Jackson. But without the piano they would only have their gyrations and their respective basements in which to perform.

The piano is a tops, as they say, and many a great talent has been made even greater by the king of instruments. Take away the keys and the pedals and few talents can muster the strength to sing a note. The piano covers faults and reveals weaknesses alike. It covers a multitude of sins, as the scriptures would remind us.

Best to let the King alone and let him sit on the throne. That's what the bench is for. That's why everyone who sits down to play feels like royalty. Even a child.

The next time you are feeling lonely, afraid, or insignificant, sit down at a piano and keep silent for a moment. Strike a key. Just one. That's your note. And you'll be feeling better in no time.

On Monday: Ten Books Worth Reading

Ten Ways to Look at a Piano # 9

As Nightclub Centerpiece

It's there . . . you just have to listen. Somewhere stage left, or in the pit, or behind the curtain, the piano lurks. And if not center stage with the nightclub singer, you can bet the manager has one stashed in a closet waiting for the next voice to surround it.

In fact, many can't eat unless they are being serenaded by the piano, and there are those who, like bats, inhabit the night places in search of another drink and a song to get them through to the morning. The piano has saved more people than we might imagine and, as Billy Joel would remind us, the piano man can make everyone feel all right.

One doesn't have to be a nightclub hound to embrace the piano's magic, however. Day will do. And a song played beautifully can make any experience more palatable and any drab day bright.

Ten Ways to Look at a Piano # 8

As Creation

In the beginning there was the piano . . . probably. Or some kid was playing "Chopsticks" or "Heart and Soul."

Watch any child who suddenly finds herself in the same room as a piano and you'll likely witness an act of creation. Before long, the gravity of the instrument pulls the child onto the bench, and moments later, keys are pecked. This is why, from infancy, every child wants to play the piano and every parent dreams of it. This is why children practice the piano for two days before the gravity of other pursuits pulls them away, or they decide to concentrate on the oboe instead.

Not everyone is a creator. Most don't have the mind for it. Few the heart. Most would rather play accompaniment rather than key notes in the orchestra.

But the piano leads. It can be heard over the din. This is why parents also wear ear plugs when children are learning and why many pianos sit, lonely in a room devoid of children's hands, and moulder. The piano cuts through the clatter and teaches the act of creation.

Most of us are still trying to find the bench.

Ten Ways to Look at a Piano # 7

As Comedy

The piano has figured into some of the best comedy sketches of all time. Picture Laurel and Hardy trying to cart a piano up a flight of stairs, or a piano dropping from an upper story window. We can also picture ourselves trying to move a piano from one side of the room to the other . . . .

The piano is a monstrosity of proportions and scale. Great size, small wheels. Furniture too heavy to move. Just looking at the piano and thinking about moving it can evoke laughter. And once we hire the piano movers, the comedy is riotous. There's no place to go but down.

It's a fine thing . . . the piano. It should come with a laugh track. Why anyone would attempt to move one to the upper level of an apartment complex borders on the insane.

But people do it. They must. We're still laughing about it.

Ten Ways to Look at a Piano # 6

As Stage Prop

Stage productions were never the same after the invention of the piano. Classical Greek and Roman productions, and later Shakespearean dramas, eventually gave way to the musical. The reason, primarily, was the piano.

Go into any high school auditorium, waltz onto any stage, and you're likely to find an upright piano holding up a wall. It's there for a reason. Auditions, practice, the dressed-rehearsal.

The piano is more than the stage prop, however; the piano is the life blood of the modern musical, the Broadway show. Take the piano away, there's a noticeable void.

We might even say the piano props the actors up. Not a bad gig for some cabinetry and string.

Ten Ways to Look at a Piano # 5

As History

The piano extends back into time and, in iconic fashion, brings history to life. Many can chart the length of their own lives by recalling the various songs and tunes of their childhood, adolescence and courting years. No doubt, many of these were written on the piano.

We could chart the tunes of Gershwin or Chopin, or even further back into history, and make a timeline of the piano's influence. The history would stand up and sing to us.

We all need this history to mark passages in our own lives, and music plays a large role in them. We might even say that the piano has made our history and shaped it.

Not bad for a cabinet and a few strings.

Ten Ways to Look at a Piano # 4

As Erotic Art

A grand piano sings sex. From long-legged cabaret singers lying on the top of the piano, to jazz and blues melodies, to the honky-tonk rhythms of "Great Ball of Fire", the piano has always been associated with passion and the yin-and-yang coupling of a two-toned keyboard singing love.

At first glance we see the suggestive presentation of the grand, with the sleek feminine lines of hips and breast positioned on phallic legs. The keyboard belt rests like a cincture on the waist and when it is played, the instrument sighs.

Love songs don't get any better than the piano itself, and thousands have been written and birthed pounding the keys. Even a vacant piano suggests the promise of love and creativity, and often, when a couple notices an upright piano positioned against a wall, they wonder: what could we do on it?

In our hearts, we know. Every marriage needs a lounge singer.

Ten Ways to Look at a Piano # 3

As Notes

Unlike other instruments, the piano does not hide its notes. They are represented by a stark keyboard of black and white rectangles, each providing a unique tone across the range of the scale. One pluck and you get a sound. What you see is what you get. No pretense. Nothing dependent upon the flow of air through the mouth or the tossing of a clandestine switch to raise the octave.

The piano is harmony and cacophony and joy and struggle all at once. The entirety of human experience is contained in its keyboard.

Sit down, pluck a chord, toss up a single note. There are sounds inside. Like the surprise witnessed on a child's face we wonder: where does it come from? From inside. Like all music. Beginning inside the person on the bench and flowing through the rectangles. A nice combination. Something spiritual.

Ten Ways to Look at a Piano # 2

As Furniture

The sounds of the piano are contained within the cabinet, streamlined and contoured to maximize the tones of the strings. But not everyone enjoys a piano for the potential of its song. Some bring the piano into their homes because a piano, whether upright or grand or classical, can also serve as a furnishing alongside lamps, sofas and works of art.

The piano is, in many ways, utilitarian. It stands alone, and yet it can be complemented by natural wood and a tall vase of freshly picked flowers. The piano is a thing of beauty in its own right, and piano makers have wisely spent time burnishing the wood and polishing the finish to a high gloss so that they can be sold on the streets to people who are building homes and lounges and entertainment centers. Regardless of whether a person ever sits at the bench to work the peddles, the piano offers angles and the imposing heft of its frame.

Like most furniture, the piano defies movement once it is dropped into place. The piano "sits" on its haunches. It looms. There is no missing it in the room. And once flushed against the wall or situated in the middle of the great room, it demands respect. Children are not allowed to play on it or pound it. Guests admire it. Momma dusts it with pledge.

Years later, relatives gather around the piano to cast lots for its removal. A crew is hired. Young guns. And the piano is replaced with something lighter, such as a love seat. The old folks wonder: what were we thinking when we bought it?

Ten Ways of Looking at a Piano # 1

As Instrument

The fact that the piano is an instrument should not astound us . . . but it should please us. Not all instruments, after all, are appreciated. The tone of the oboe can be offensive. The range of the piccolo too shrill.

But the piano is pleasing and can produce harmonies that inflict us with sadness, delight, or tremendous joys. The keyboard, that long checkerboard of white and black alternates, can only be mastered by dedication and talent.

The piano sings and, when accompanied by a singer, accompanies. There is always more to this instrument than meets the eye or the ear and each time we hear it, we may be astounded by its music, as if discovered, at the first, by some new fate or privilege of birth. And the fact that all other instruments bow to its majestic voice should give us great comfort. We may, indeed, find ourselves stretched out in the final hours listening to its center note: middle C. That won't change.

Ten Things We All Learn in High School # 10

The Best is Yet To Come

Some years ago I attended a high school graduation ceremony at which the principal made the outrageous statement, "Treasure your high school years . . . they are the best years of your life."

I gasped. What a crock. How could a principal, or any rational adult, make such a ridiculous claim or place so much weight upon the high school years? If high school teaches us anything it is this: the best years are yet to come! They are not behind us.

High school is merely a warm up to love, to family, to career, to travel, to parenthood, to service of humanity, to life! Anyone who claims that high school represents the best of life hasn't lived very deeply or doesn't have enough brain power to comprehend life's possibilities and potential.

No . . . the best is ahead, and high school teaches us this. In fact, most people can't wait to graduate from high school. The senior itch is a real thing, and most students are ready to fly the coop long before graduation. The best years are ahead, and most know it.

Naturally, this little lesson of high school is merely prelude to all of the better days of life, regardless of whether we are thirty, fifty, or seventy. There's plenty of living ahead . . . new experiences, joys, opportunities for service. Don't doubt it.

(See you Monday for Ten Ways to Look at a Piano)

Ten Things We All Learn in High School # 9

We Can Change

Change is inevitable, and it is in high school that we gain the first hints of this important lesson. A lowly freshman evolves from uncertainty and promise into a cocky and arrogant senior. Acne, which at one time or another plagues most teenagers, blossoms on faces but eventually dissipates in the young adulthood of the upperclass years. A student who struggles in the classroom can also bloom into a first rate student if the conditions are right.

Naturally, it is most difficult to change ourselves. We can change classes (and do), change schools, change friends, and even change directions . . . but changing ourselves is the most difficult and demanding work. High School is, perhaps, the last time in our lives when we make some of these personal changes without undergoing a brain hemorrhage.

We are still learning. Still changing. But we war against it.

The changes we truly desire are first waged in the battlefield of the mind. But change can come. Embrace those changes that can make your life better. Change those things that are destructive. It's what any high school student might do. And might even do without thinking.

Ten Things Everyone Learns in High School # 8

Routines are Important

High school is, among other things, the end of a long road of routine for most people. But many do not realize how the routine has informed and influenced their decisions and their days. Without the routines, they are lost.

Routines are important. Or, another way of putting it, we realize that we need the disciplines necessary to work a job, raise a family, open a savings account, make a car payment, pay a mortgage. Without discipline, none of these are possible to the point of growth, and all things eventually fall apart without them.

We are creatures of habit. But the disciplines we create inspire our work and our paths. Children need disciplines of the parents, too, so that they can learn that they can depend upon the structure and sanctuary of the family.

Many of these lessons we learn in high school, and they can serve us well throughout life. Creating disciplines outside of high school is the key. We have to learn them all over again and create them anew.

Ten Things We All Learn in High School # 7

People Need to be Real

High is, perhaps, the last time in our lives when we are truly real. Like the Velveteen Rabbit, however, our goal in life is to become real, to be loved into life, to embrace what is truly our own. In high school we see people as they really are. High school is that heightened sense of ourselves.

Thereafter, in many ways, we begin to wear a veneer that is meant to cover our flaws, paste together our personalities, and hide our idiosyncrasies from the disapproving crowd that offers security, job, acceptance, and pay.

But in high school we are real.

What would life be like, how would it be different . . . for any of us, if we could live as real people? God offers us this . . . an acceptance like no other. This is, in fact, one of the key points of the gospel . . . that God accepts the realities we live with, the realities we are. We need to be real. The world has enough fakes and phonies. There is too much pretense, too little praise. Too many calluses, not enough celebration.

Perhaps that is why "Get Real" has always been one of the most common HS phrases.

Ten Things We All Learn in High School # 6

Everyone is Talented

From the Nerd to the Jock to the Goth to the Geek . . . high school has always been an eclectic gathering. It mirrors life. But unlike suburbs or gated communities, in high school we must learn to sit beside and work with people very much unlike ourselves. We also learn that everyone is talented in some way.

There are varieties, of course. And not everyone uses his or her talents for the good of the whole. The thief has talent, but needs to reign in the base desire and use the gift for good. The jock might be able to throw a ball through a hoop, but must learn how to assimilate these skills into a marketable life.

After high school, the talents must either be used, or buried in the ground. Fear can be the deciding factor for many. But the one who uses even the smallest of talents ends up discovering that they are worth a whole lot more than first realized.

Ten Things We All Learn in High School # 5

We Make Our Own Happiness

Somewhere inside the hallowed hallways of the high school most students come to the realization that they must make their own happiness. High school is, of course, where most of us work out the answers to the warp and woof of our lives, and the HS years provide enough of the zany predicaments of friendship, sexuality, education and labor to change any mind that is open and willing for amendment.

Happiness is not parceled out in textbooks or reefers, although both ends of the spectrum offer their own pitfalls. In HS we learn (even if we don't recognize the lesson until later) that no one or no thing can provide what we are looking for. AA programs are filled with people who have looked for happiness in a bottle. But there are others who have sought to find it in career, money, sex, or a thousand other "possessions."

Post HS, as the world becomes potential and promise, we can leave behind the deficiencies of our lives and embrace the happiness we create for ourselves. Most of this, of course, will be found in connections with others . . . helping, serving, growing, giving. A happiness given is a happiness embraced.

Ten Things We All Learn in High School # 4

We Need a Teacher

Learning never stops, and in every walk of life or every occupation, there are skills and nuances of position that must be learned from the more experienced. We glimpse this in high school, but after graduation, the realities become full-blown.

The form of the teacher can morph later in life . . . some of these teachers show up in the form of drill sergeants who scream obscenities or as demur college professors who invite us over for high tea and lady fingers, but listen we must. In some professions, such as working on deep sea drilling rigs or flying an F-15, failure to learn from the teacher can result in swift and immediate death.

Other failures can be just as devastating to us, whether those failures are financial, relational, or spiritual. Better listen. Better learn. Better find the person who can mentor and lead to a clearer understanding.

We learn these lessons in high school. But sometimes we don't embrace them until much later in life. After all, some pupils are just stubborn. But it's never too late to find a teacher.

Ten Things We All Learn in High School # 3

The Relevance of Time

Four years is not a lifetime. Near the end of our illustrious escapade through adolescence we have discovered that this uncharted territory holds enough promise that we can achieve, but these four years are not the crucible in which we will build an education, a career, a life. Decisions will be made, but the rest of life can untie them quickly.

Four years passes, as they say, in something akin to the blink of an eye. One minute we are at the beginning, touting our freshman status, and the next time we turn around we are shouting at graduation. Such are many things in life, including marriage and parenting. We often wonder where the time has gone and how the pace of time has quickened with the passing years.

High school itself is but a brief interlude for most, and there are greater surprises on the horizon following. That is why we learn that the disappointments and despair of these years will soon pass, and why we are offered a world at graduation in which to grab for other brass rings. High school teaches us to keep moving. Time is always in pursuit.

Ten Things We All Learn in High School # 2

Life is Difficult

There have been many over the years who have used the phrase "The Real World" to describe everything that is not of high school or college. The Real World is that which lies beyond, as if, somehow, the walls of academia are a bastion guarding the inhabitants from the concerns and toils of the world beyond.

But high school is part of this world, and the lessons learned in these years are applicable in every way to the future life we will lead. No one, for example, has to tell a high school student that the world is difficult.

Today, the world has entered the academy. Students must fight through the same difficulties encountered in the world around them, including violence, drugs, peers, sexual temptations, expectations, work, and routine. Those who learn these lessons well seem to do the best in "The Real World" . . . which is, of course, the world they already know by heart.

M. Scott Peck begins his mega-bestselling book of the 1980s, The Road Less Travelled, with these three words: Life is Difficult. John Mayer sings about a high school realization that there is no such thing as a real world, just some things we have to rise above. How well we rise, and how quickly, says much about the lesson we have learned during the teen years.

Ten Lessons We All Learn in High School # 1

Be a Friend

Many learn the lesson earlier, and some not until after they have reflected on their high school years: but if we want friends in life, we must first be a friend. Friendship, of course, does not gestate overnight, and the incubation period for many friendships is lengthy. And not all friendships hatch and feather into beautiful swans. Still, there are so many friendships born in high school that last a lifetime, and many others that should not.

But our high school lessons on friendships do last a lifetime . . . even the lessons born of pain or guilt or odd association. Some friendships we outgrow. Others we grow into. Some evolve. Others perish.

At the heart of any lasting friendship, however, is the willingness to be a friend. One must strive to be before one obtains.

This one lesson on friendship lasts us a lifetime and informs many of our business associations, our abilities to move and to adapt to change and new communities, and even our marriages. The heart must be offered first. Those who have no friends are usually lousy friends. Those who have many friends have learned the lesson of friendship and bring value to the lives of others.

High School, if it has any redeeming value, is the crucible of lessons learned which, if we are attentive, shapes much of our lives. Friendship may be at the center of the experience.

Ten Bible Studies You Probably Don't Know # 10

The Storm at Sea (Acts 27)

The book of Acts reads like a compelling novel. But by the time one nears the denouement of this, the second volume of Luke's gospel, one has already encountered resurrections, healings, courtroom conversations, imprisonments, beatings, mayhem, controversies, and a wide cast of characters from every walk of life and persuasion. The only drama that could keep our attention is a shipwreck, so Luke tosses one in for good measure.

It's a compelling narrative, especially since the book of Acts ends not with a bang, but with a whimper, and one leaves the book of Acts sensing that Paul's shipwreck near the island of Malta was, actually, the greatest danger he had faced. Images and symbolisms of Jonah are certainly a part of the intention, and Paul emerges, whole, from the belly of the shipwreck to live another day and proclaim the message of the risen Lord.

Vomited up on dry land by the terrible storm, Paul leads the gang in a giving thanks and lives are changed. (What lives are NOT changed through flirtations with death?)

But the story also provokes questions for the reader. What storms have we faced? What conflicts past and present has God seen us through? What, now, is our response and call? Are we willing to go?

(Beginning Monday: Ten Things We All Learn in High School)

Ten Bible Stories You Probably Don't Know # 9

Dorcas (Acts 9:26-43)

This brief interlude in the book of Acts is about a woman who made all the difference. When she died people responded first with deep grief, then with prayer. Dorcas was restored to them.

Unlike some of the other resurrection or resuscitation narratives in Acts, the story of Dorcas gets smaller press. Here is a pillar of the church, a true servant, a person no one can live without. Dorcas was a cook and host, a seamstress, and servant leader.

We all know the Dorcases in our lives. And perhaps we might pray for a few of them today. It doesn't take long, and often, as the scriptures attest, the prayer of the faithful can restore the sick. Those taken from us might be brought near. And every congregation needs a few of these Dorcases to be the church.

Ten Bible Stories You Probably Don't Know # 8

Ananias & Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11)

Few things rankle our feathers more than having to talk about money in church. It was so from the beginning. But as Jesus taught, money merely demonstrates (or, how we use our money) where our priorities are.

In the early church, as seen in the opening chapter of Acts, private property was sold and all things were collected for the good of the whole. But one married couple, Annanias and Sapphira, lied about their income and refused to give a portion of their property to God's work. Their deceit and greed were their downfall and both were struck dead.

As many Bible commentators have pointed out, it's a rather harsh way to begin a movement built on the grace of Christ . . . but the point of it all may be all the more pronounced because it is in the book of Acts. We tend to skip over this one!

The church without openness, honesty, sharing, caring, generosity, and love for God's work is, actually, not much of a church at all. It's something, but not a church. And God's standards remain high, including our willingness to give all that we can of our income and blessings to God's work. Without the giving, we can't really know the Giver.

This story might also bring a new meaning to the phrase, "Living for Jesus." I'm sure Ananias and Sapphira would have preferred to be martyrs of a different sort.

Ten Bible Stories You Probably Don't Know # 7

A Coin From a Fish (Matthew 17:24-27)

As the old saying goes, there are only two things in life we can count on: death and taxes. And in the case of first century Judea, there were taxes galore. Even the religious establishment, the Temple, had a tax.

Much has been made of this brief gospel interlude through the years . . . Matthew tells it succinctly, with no fuss or muss. Some have taken this account as an affirmation that Jesus was against paying taxes, but the gospel evidence both here and other places suggests otherwise. Others have made of this story a parable about shrewdness. Still others categorize it as a miracle story.

Regardless, Jesus does ask the disciples to pay their taxes, but the end up finding the amount needed in their first catch of the day. The open a fish's mouth, and there is the coin.

Would that paying taxes could be so easy! But, there may be lessons learned.

I regard this narrative as a lesson on expectations. Jesus affirms the disciples and tells them that others are watching. There are always expectations laid upon the church. And it is no fluke that the disciples find what they need to fulfill these expectations when they do what they do best: fishing.

So, the question might be . . . what do YOU do? What do you to BEST? Where can you find the resources and gifts needed to fulfill the expectations that God has placed upon your life?

Ten Bible Stories You Probably Don't Know # 6

The Return of the Exiles (Ezra 1)

It seems that the ancient Israelites were always on the move. They were, often against their will, going places. But in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, we see, once again, what happens to people when they have time and freedom on their hands. In these two books (Ezra/Nehemiah) we have two differing vantage points from which to view the return of the Babylonian exiles.

Ezra offers us a picture of people working hard together, rebuilding walls, establishing covenant, dreaming a dream. But the dream goes awry, and soon enough, people are bickering about what it means to be a true follower of God. The vision begins to falter. Ezra, Nehemiah, and a new crop of prophets (like Haggai) step into the mix to lead.

For centuries people of faith have looked to Ezra & Nehemiah as books about leadership. Leading anything is most difficult through change. Differing opinions don't make the task easier. Focus and unity are required.

But the books of Ezra and Nehemiah remind us that no large tasks (of community, nation or world) can ever be accomplished without voice and direction. They also tell us that today is the day when our leadership might be required.

Ten Bible Stories You Probably Don't Know # 5

A New Scroll Discovered (2 Chronicles 34:1-12)

A person is likely to find undiscovered reading material in the books of the Chronicles since, to keep us on our toes, these two books are a virtual lock (and parts verbatim) with the books of 1 & 2 Kings. Reading along in 2 Chronicles, however, we suddenly reach an undiscovered country in chapter 34, where, in a fit of awe and horror and humility, the national and religious leaders discover an unread scroll in the Jerusalem temple.

It has been there for some time, they assume, mouldering in the shadows. Much later in history, it is much as the discovery of the codex Sinaiticus in Saudi Arabia, when a monk happened upon a full copy of the Hebrew testament as he was about to use the scrolls for torches.

The scroll, most likely the bulk of the material that now forms the book of Deuteronomy, was regarded as a "new" or "second" law that had been neglected, but which was now life-changing and thrilling in a new reading.

Such in the Bible as a whole. Reading, even familiar texts, we often discover strange new worlds and hear fresh voices of the Spirit and the church calling to us. We need not create a new Bible, a new translation, or even a new device for the hearing . . . although each of these can help . . . if we are to find the call of the living God in her pages. The scriptures are, and have always been, as Clive Staples Lewis was wont to say, "As fresh as the morning paper."

Just read it. (see you here on Monday with the next five!)

Ten Bible Stories You Probably Don't Know # 4

Ahab and Naboth's Vineyard (1 Kings 21)

Here's an episode that has been craftily tucked into the long, flowing narrative of the Kings. Jealousy, coveting, theft, murder. Hollywood all the way. And yet . . . .

We find here also a story of our times, of haves and have-nots, of rich and poor, of powerful and powerless. The Vineyard represents anything that can be a life, anything that can be taken away in a moment.

One doesn't have to imagine such horrific details to conceive of homes being foreclosed, or jobs lost, or lives. We live is these days. In fact, it is the cheapness of human life today that astounds us, but also causes us to turn a blind eye. The cheapness is widespread. And all things can be taken away.

Ahab and Naboth is no ancient tale. Open the newspaper.

Ten Bible Stories You Probably Don't Know # 3

The Ark of the Covenant and the Golden Images (1 Samuel 5:1-6:18)

The Ark of the Covenant was the wooden acacia box containing, among other things, the stone tablets of the covenant of Sinai, manna from the wilderness, and Aaron's budded rod. Some box. Gold lined, too. For some reason, God chose to imbue the box with special power. People died if they touched it. And the Philistines, the arch-enemies of the Israelites, craved the box.

Here, later in history, long after Moses and Aaron and the wilderness generation have passed into dust and memory, the Philistines steal the Ark, carry it back to Philistia, and are immediately plagued by mice and "boils". Ah . . . another series of plagues. The Philistines try to cure themselves by making golden images of the mice and boils and offering these to their various gods. But nothing works.

Funny, though, for in the Hebrew language the word for "boils" is actually "opheleim" . . . which means "hemorrhoids". Few translations of the Bible have the guts to get this one correct. Most Bible translators shy away from hemorrhoids . . . and who wouldn't? This was long before Preparation H, and it was easier to pray to the gods for relief. The Philistines make their golden hemorrhoids, line them up before the god Dagon, and ask for relief from the burning and itching and swelling. (They were likely sent to an ER in Ephron where they had to wait and suffer further.)

It's a great Bible story . . . one that hits home in modern times and is perfect bathroom reading material. Lessons? Don't steal, and make peace quickly. Otherwise, God might just kick you where the sun don't shine.

Ten Bible Stories You Probably Don't Know # 2

The Waters of Meribah (Numbers 20:1-13)

You don't see water gushing from a rock every day. At least not in the desert. But God had been supplying a steady diet of rock water for the Israelites along the way. Suddenly, however, we come upon this narrative in the middle of the book of Numbers and everything changes. God tells Moses where to find water, Moses taps a rock, and suddenly all bets are off. Moses, and all of his cohorts including his sister and brother, are expelled from leadership and told that they will never step foot inside the Promised land because of their disbelief.

What happened?

Actually, we can't forget that the Jewish people had these scriptures long before Christians, and even through 2000 years of Christian history and interpretation, there is a wide variation of thought and understanding about what happened at Meribah.

Some point out that Moses did not follow God's commands specifically. Others see here a microcosm of the people as a whole (but it's the leaders who must be bear the brunt when the community fails). Others see this story as an example of leadership gone awry, or burned out, or used up (time for another leader!). And still others notice that Moses fell back into the "habit" of tapping rocks for water, when God had asked him to take a different approach.

Regardless, these lessons are still with us today. Leadership is important. Leaders do need to change from time to time. Communities of faith can be faithless. And we can never forget that God always wants to do a new thing.

Ten Bible Stories You Probably Don't Know # 1

The Revolt at Korah (Numbers 16:1-35)

Nelson B. Demille would have loved the drama. James Cameron and George Lucas would appreciate the effects. Martin Scorcese would make millions from the mayhem.

After years of wandering in the wilderness of limbo, the people of Israel grow weary of Moses and his leadership. There are grumblings. There are gripes galore. Some desire to return to Egypt. At last, in a terrible fit of anger and frustration, the Lord God opens the earth and the majority of the people perish in a giant sink hole. A big one. Large enough, from the sound of it, to swallow the Empire State Building whole.

End of bitching.

Let this story be a lesson to all the boys and girls out there who complain about cabbage soup or spinach. Let the spouses who complain about needing a larger living room beware. Watch your backside, everyone who thinks the "good old days" were really all that "good" to begin with. Let us all take care in raising voice against leaders.

If you hear any rumblings or see any cracks in the earth . . . make a run for it!

Ten Ways to Look at a Problem # 10

As an Ending

All good things come to an end, the saying goes. But the converse is equally true. All problems come to an end also. Many problems are, in fact, an ending in themselves. A problem can take us to that end of the road, and then we turn around and head another direction. But in the turning, the problem is no more.

Have a problem at work? Count on this: some day the circumstances that have given rise to the problem (people, economy, bad karma, boss, working conditions, etc.) will change, evaporate, or lead you to another work. The old problems will not persist unless you desire to remain forever in them.

Have a problem at home? Eventually, time and effort will bring change. Children grow up and move out; spouses learn to communicate differently; job changes and the next move bring an end to the old ways.

Have a problem you can't seem to lick? Keep praying for the wisdom and strength and time to see your way through it with effort and assistance. Even personal weaknesses and needs eventually evaporate in God's grace.

The end, as many say, is near. There's truth here, and not just eschatalogically. It's about change and embracing the new thing God is doing. With the end comes the beginning.

Begin! (Next up: 10 Bible stories you probably don't know & 10 Things we all learn in High School)

Ten Ways to Look at a Problem # 9

As a Burden

There's an old song that sings: "Pack up your troubles in your old kit sack and smile, smile, smile." It's Pollyanna all the way, but does contain some marginal truth. A problem can be a burden at times. But burdens can be carried, laid aside, or given away.

In truth, the gospel doesn't address problems so much as burdens. Burdens are what Christ carried. Burdens are what we give to God. Burdens can be redeemed.

I'm not sure what all of our problems are. But I've got them. My neighbor does, too. Often the difference between one person and the next has nothing to do with the size of the burdens they are carrying and everything to do with where or how they lay them aside. Burdens that are given to God are no longer heavy.

Everyone can carry a burden for a time. But eventually, it's best to give it up. Let it go. Let the BIG SHOULDERS have it.

Ten Ways to Look at a Problem # 8

As a Trampoline

As Yukon Cornelius discovered, "Bumble's Bounce!" Problems are like that, too. The bigger the problem, the more likely it is to bounce.

Many a problem can be a springboard to something better. Anyone who has jumped on a trampoline long enough also understands that, when a problem is put on the tarp, sooner or later it's going to fly off the edge.

Perhaps that's what we mean we we say we have to "roll with the punches" or "go with it" or "just let it go." Not every problem in life demands our attention, or is an emergency of the highest priority. Some problems can, indeed, be ignored for a time, and many, through time, dissipate in oceans of larger problems or new insights. A problem that can be ignored probably wasn't much of a problem to begin with. Let it go.

And now that we've done this, we can bounce along to something else. There are better days around those edges.

Ten Ways to Look at a Problem # 7

As a Burden

Some problems are burdens. But burdens don't necessarily have to be heavy . . . as Jesus taught ("my burden is light"). And burdens come in all sizes and shapes, and some of them make us stronger people.

Those who would, for example, desire to improve their muscular or aerobic stamina or strength, must inevitably place strain upon the body. As the old saying goes, "No pain, no gain." A burden that produces wisdom, strength, resiliency, insight, perseverance, faith or hope can also been seen as a blessing . . . .

And, of course, burdens are meant to be laid down eventually. We can give our burdens to God, as the old hymn suggests, or lay them down at the riverside, and the lightness of being that accompanies this surrender is, indeed, sweet. Whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger. But whatever we can't carry we give to God, Lord of the Big Shoulders.

Ten Ways to Look at a Problem # 6

As Potential

Not all problems are real. Some are potential. Some could occur . . . if. In fact, we may sit on our hands, duck for cover, procrastinate or live in a rut because we don't want to create the potential for a problem.

But the fact is, any decision that is worth making could be fraught with problems. The alcoholic who makes a decision to go to AA is going to encounter more problems, initially. There will be confession, introspection, a courageous study of the self and amends to be made . . . and these hurt. These changes can cause rifts and upset the delicate balance of the alcoholic's home and work.

The same holds true for any. There are problems on the horizon any time we attempt to change an organization (business, church), or when we are honest about another person's performance (or our own), or when we make any decision that involves money. Potentially, someone could feel slighted or hurt. Priorities are re-established.

In spite of these potential problems . . . we must anticipate them nonetheless if we want to grow. Nothing worth having or doing is free of pain or discomfort. Anyone who sets out to run a mile, or lift a heavy weight is going to have to sweat, sacrifice and struggle against the goal. The gut will hurt, the limbs will ache, the lungs will scream for relief.

Forge ahead. Create a good problem for yourself. See your potential problem as a solution rather than a worry.

Ten Ways to Look at a Problem # 5

As a Detour

Not all problems in life create dead-end spaces. Some problems catapult us into creative orbit. Some cause us to think. Others are merely detours.

How often have we found ourselves stifled by some problem for years, only to discover, later, that the problem merely sidetracked us. In time, we often find ourselves getting back on the fast track, taking up where we left off.

Careers can often be like that. We work in one area for a time, perhaps even for decades, and then suddenly discover another avenue of work for a brief period. We foray into the unknown, scout around in uncharted territory, and then reemerge on the other side of a thicket of years to take up residence again in the same house we were forced to abandon.

Many a problem goes away, as they say, in time. Or, to put it another way: time heals all wounds. Perhaps. Sometimes the wounds still leave a mark; others cast us off with a limp. But certainly it takes time to begin the process of healing. But healing also requires energy and commitment.

Consider where you are . . . you are likely not far from home. You may be merely on a detour. But time will bring you around. There are signs to guide you.