Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy

History has never really been "my thing".  It was not interesting in school, so I did not bother to commit details like dates, names of wars, or famous leaders to my long-term memory.  I learned enough to take the tests and pass the classes.  Even now, history is a struggle for me.  But somehow, reading a biography makes it fascinating.  Having a specific person's name and being privy to his thoughts makes history come alive.  Suddenly, I am interested and take note.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a theologian, pastor, spy, and ultimately a martyr.  He lived in Nazi Germany and took part in a plan to assassinate Adolf Hitler.  Eventually, he was discovered and put to death for this role, a mere three weeks before Hitler took his own life.

In reading (and partially listening through) this hefty 600+ page biography by Eric Metaxas, I learned much about Germany that I did not know.  I learned much of Hitler's rise to power.  I learned of the ways he deceived so many well-intentioned people who could not see what he was doing!  But somehow, Bonhoeffer knew, and he sought to do something about it.

In the midst of all this, I learned of Bonhoeffer's work as a theologian and a pastor.  He was a truly amazing man.  He was a deep thinker, firm in his faith and unapologetic for his beliefs.  Though he lived in a time were true persecution was a reality for many like himself, he stood firm to the end.  That steadfastness is respectable.

As I read, I was struck by so many of Bonhoeffer's quotes.  He wrote many letters, and his encouragement to his friends has been preserved in that way.  One thing he wrote that has stuck in my mind, was in a letter to other leaders of the Confessing Church, informing them that a friend and fellow pastor had been killed.  He wrote, "I am sure that he was prepared to go.  Where God tears great gaps we should not try to fill them with human words.  They should remain open.  Our only comfort is the God of the resurrection, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who also was and is his God."  What great perspective and response in such a time of suffering!

Though this is a long read, and even a long listen via audiobook, I highly recommend this book.  The theology and history taught throughout is well worth the time investment.  I look forward to reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer's literature and learning more from this man.

Rachel's Rating
★★★★☆

Ladies and Theology

I just finished my second reading of Jen Wilkin's None Like Him.  If you recall, I did a book review of this at the beginning of the year.  I appreciated this book so much that I wanted to do a second reading of it.  This time, I was also blessed with a group of ladies who read along with me and discussed it together.  After my second reading, I like this book even more.  There is just so much theological truth to it! 

As a leader of ladies Bible studies and the one who is responsible for selecting the material we study, I often find myself at the Christian bookstore (online, usually) browsing through the studies geared towards women.  I flip through the best-sellers, the hot new releases, and the books I have heard recommended by others.  More often than not, I am disappointed by the lack of depth to these studies.  Many are mainly self-help books with Scripture sprinkled throughout.  I get it.  We ladies are drawn to these touchy-feely studies.  By divine design, we tend to be emotive rather than logical.  That is a good thing!  But sometimes, we need to put forth the hard work and feed that weaker logical drive within us.  By doing so, we will be better grounded, better equipped to face everyday life.

The irony of studying theology is that this logical study drives our emotional response.  The Holy Spirit actually uses it to transform how we think about ourselves and therefore how we live.  As Scott Sauls writes, "Loveliness, or holiness, or the fruit of the Spirit, or whatever we are going to call it, will not grow in us when we seek it directly.  It is not fruit we should be seeking; it is Jesus".  Choose to seek Jesus.  Choose to study Him.  Put forth the hard work of thinking through the things taught in Scripture.  It truly is life-changing.

Theology does not have to be dry or boring.  It does not have to be something only scholars dig into.  By God's grace, He has revealed Himself to the everyday person like you and me.  But it does take effort, and there are many great resource available to assist us in our learning.

Full disclosure:  I am not an expert on this by any means.  I struggle as well.  This hard work is fairly new to me.  But it is completely worth the effort.

Book Review: Truths We Confess

R.C. Sproul's Truths We Confess is an exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith.  Originally published as a 3-volume set in 2006-2007, it has now been combined and re-released in this one-volume edition.  Though the 720 pages of theologically-rich material may seem daunting, I challenge you to consider a slow and thorough reading of this book.

In his foreword, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson explains the importance of the Westminster Confession to the everyday Christian.  "The Westminster Confession of Faith

was written not to be dissected by academics but to guide the church and to instruct Christians and help them grasp the structure of the gospel.  It does for us what, sadly, is no longer done as a matter of course either in the church or in the educational system: it teaches us first principles, and it shows us how to think through everything in light of them."

Sproul writes, "The Westminster Confession is the most precise and accurate summary of the content of biblical Christianity ever set forth in a creedal form."  He goes on to explain the 33 tenets of the confession in a format that is accessible to the lay reader.  Each tenet is listed at the beginning of a chapter, then broken down and further explained throughout the chapter.  Appendices contain the full content of both the larger and shorter Westminster Catechism.

It is important to note that Sproul writes from a Reformed background, explaining a Reformed confession.  While I do not agree with the view of baptism presented, most other chapters were consistent with my Baptist/Bible church beliefs.

This very thorough book is best taken in small sections.  This might best be read as a reference when studying different doctrines, or a challenge to read one chapter a week over the course of time.  In full transparency, I am not yet finished reading this book myself.  My survey thus far has given me confidence to recommend this book and to finish reading it in the future.

Rachel's Rating:
★★★★★

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

Upcycle Craft: Onesie to Headband

My daughters and I have developed a bit of an obsession with headbands lately.  In order to support this habit of ours, I learned how to make the headbands from Jersey fabric, rather than buy them from an area retailer.  Then I started thinking...what about using baby onesies to make the headbands?  I searched online but could not find a pattern for what I wanted.  So I developed my own to share with you.

Total time for this project was about 15 minutes.  I bought my onesie from a consignment store, so total cost was $.80.

First, lay out your onesie and cut a straight line from under one armpit, to under the armpit on the opposite side.

Determine how wide you want your headband to be, double that number, and add 1/2 inch for seam allowance.  I wanted a 3-inch headband, similar to those sold at our area retailer, so I cut 6.5 inches down from my first cut.

Turn onesie inside out, and cut off one seam.

Once cut and spread open, my 6-month onesie measured approximately 17 inches long, with a seam in the middle.  If you want a looser fitting headband, be sure to use a bigger sized onesie.  Also, as you will see further down, it is very easy to adjust this headband for a smaller size.

Fold this fabric lengthwise, with right sides together.  Make sure your onesie seam lines up in the middle, and using a 1/4-inch seam allowance, sew along the length of the fabric.

I used a ballpoint needle and a zigzag stitch, to allow for stretching.

Turn headband right-sided out.  Line up your sewn seam so it is centered on the back side of the headband.  Iron seam.

Fold headband in half width-wise, with front sides together.  Your rough edges will be lined up.

Take the fabric on the end with the rough edges, and fold it toward the middle of your fabric, meeting at the center seam. Your top layer will be closer together than the bottom layer, as shown.

 Sew in place, and trim to reduce bulk.

Flip headband right-sided out.  The seam you just created will be neatly tucked inside.  This is the back of your headband.  This is the point where you can try your headband for fit.  If it is too loose, simply repeat the previous step and cut off the extra!

The front of your headband will have a vertical seam directly down the middle.

Using a needle and thread, make a running stitch down the front vertical seam.

Pull your thread tight at the end to cinch the fabric.  Repeat, and tie off thread to secure.

That's it!  Find yourself a cute little model, and enjoy your handiwork.  (Yes, these fit adults as well!)

Book Review: A Cloud by Day, a Fire by Night

A.W. Tozer's A Cloud by Day, a Fire by Night, is drawn from a sermon series preached by the author.  Each chapter begins with a prayer and ends with a hymn.  Between, there is discussion of how God led the Israelites with a literal cloud by day and a literal fire by night, and parallels of how He leads those in His church today.

Ideally, this book could be used as a devotional.  Though I did not agree with all Tozer had to say, I did find many statements of truth that were encouraging and challenging.

Overall, I found this book to be "okay".  It was one that I looked forward to reading at first, then had to force myself to finish.  My rating may have been influence by the long span of time spent reading the book.  However, this is not one I would be likely to recommend to others.

Rachel's Rating:
★★☆☆☆

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.