And just like that, we’re two days away from finding out the who will next play the Doctor.
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Between Parties and Politics
Lately I’ve been reading some of Wendell Berry’s older essays, most of them dating to the 1980s and 90s. The first collection that I read, Another Turn of the Crank, begins with an interesting acknowledgment, even and especially twenty years later.
Nothing I have written here should be construed as an endorsement of either of our political parties as they presently function . . .
One reason for this is that I am an agrarian: I think good farming is a high and difficult art, that it is indispensable, and that it cannot be accomplished except under certain conditions . . .
Another reason is that I am a member, by choice, of a local community. I believe that healthy communities are indispensable, and I know that our communities are disintegrating under the influence of economic assumptions that are accepted without question by both our parties– despite their lip service to various noneconomic values.
Then, as he tries to articulate his view on government, Berry asserts:
The proper role of government is to protect its citizens and its communities against conquest– against economic conquest just as much as conquest by overt violence.
Much has changed in the two decades since Berry penned these thoughts. And much has stayed the same. It’s an odd 21st century plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.
Reading and reflecting on Wendell Berry is a real challenge and encouragement to me. He reminds me of a different way of living, one that I experienced parts of growing up. His has been “a long obedience in the same direction.” And while I do not always understand or agree with every place he has ended up, I can appreciate the articulation of the journey.
I think many of us today find ourselves like Berry, somewhere between parties, somewhere odd on the political spectrum. Our sense of what citizenship means might be different. And we all love our communities, though many today would argue more for their “community” as an abstract, identity-politics kind of grouping as opposed to the people in your neighborhood. Even with the differences, though, Berry’s sense of healthy is something you rarely (if ever) hear about anymore. And even if you do, it’s health as a consequence of having courted disease.
I’d like to think that reading Wendell Berry can help make sense of the “rock and a hard place” where many of us find ourselves.
You can order your own copy of Another Turn of the Crank here.
The Staircase
One Caedmon’s Call song that I haven’t heard (as it’s on the first Guild album) is the one called “Staircase.” The song recently surfaced online. Words, music, and passionate singing by Derek Webb. Check it out.
Walking through The Door Before
It has inadvertently been a summer for non-fiction. Beyond some very-short stories by G. K. Chesterton, the only other fiction I’ve read has been the most recent release by N. D. Wilson: The Door Before. Here’s the books opener:
Trees keep time the way time is meant to be kept.
They wrap the years around themselves in ringed layers,
expanding as the ages do. And when time forks,
so do the trees, stretching branches into cousin futures,
plunging roots into sister pasts, binding
every leaf into the one story, the only story.
The story that began. The story that cannot end,
because it can never stop growing.
The book is all about trees and living things, is centered on a mysterious grove of “lightning trees. The book, which tells the story of Hyacinth Smith and her family, is advertised as a prequel to 100 Cupboards, N. D. Wilson’s first “series” of children’s books. I read them a few years ago and enjoyed them immensely. Wilson wove many story strands together well, all while giving deep nods to the Christian tradition. Beyond that, though, The Door Before is also a prequel of sorts to another of Wilson’s series, The Ashtown Burials. That series is another great example of story strands hinting at the Christian tradition. The story of The Door Before basically involves a family with one foot in both worlds. And it works amazing well. The book tells a story all its own while also really challenging the reader to go back and revisit the connecting books. After finishing the story a week ago, I tried to find a wiki online that helped make inter-narrative connections, but it was to no avail. Perhaps the story should have been titled The Door Back, as that’s the way it works its magic.
You can order your own copy of The Door Before here. I highly recommend it and its connecting series.
Playing to Your Strengths (and Weaknesses)
After being supremely impressed by The Tech-Wise Family, I decided to give one of Andy Crouch’s earlier books a try. I chose Strong and Weak because it seemed simple and handy. What I found inside was some quality thinking about leadership that really captured some challenging concepts. It feels like Crouch has really sat with and through things.
Here’s a short clip about the premise of the book. It’s a way of getting a toe wet before diving into the ocean.
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The Kind Doctor
Here is probably the (second?) best scene from last week’s season finale of Doctor Who. In it, the Doctor tries to bring the Master (or at least Missy) to his side to save the people he has committed himself to. Wonderful acting by Capaldi and crew.
Hope to Carry On
It’s a great but rare treat when something from Rich Mullins surfaces online. Here’s a moment from 1997 from a Caedmon’s Call concert with a song written by Mullins but later recorded by Caedmon’s.
Fireworks, Gandalf
Every year on the Fourth of July this comes to mind.
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A Doctor Meets the Doctor
Tonight saw the conclusion of the current series of Doctor Who. Not sure how I feel about it, really. Perhaps the whole series 10 will age well. Here’s the final scene, which sets up the 2017 Christmas special quite nicely . . . it even has snow and ice.
I enjoyed reading IGN’s review of the episode, particularly the idea of the hyping of regenerations in general. You can read it here.
Space Enough, and Time 