November Reading Log

It was a month with a high page count but a low book total, as seemingly everything I was reading made for a good doorstop. Take a look!

5 Articles I Like This Month

"Post Malone Is the Perfect Pop Star for this American Moment. That's Not a Compliment." by Jeff Weiss, The Washington Post. 9 minutes.

I've come to really appreciate good, creative, socially conscious hip hop music. In turn, I've also come to despise bad hip hop. So this review/hit job of Post Malone was cathartic and wildly entertaining...which is more than I can say for its subject. 

"Deep River" by Will Bostwick, Oxford American. 14 minutes.

A solid overview of Baylor's Black Gospel Music Restoration Project, which seeks to catalog and digitize every piece of vinyl from black gospel's 'Golden Age' (1945-1975) still in existence. The project is, in my opinion, one of Baylor's greatest treasures, and the writer of this piece (born and bred in Waco) 'gets it.'

"Marvel Icon Stan Lee Leaves a Legacy as Complex as His Superheroes" by Spencer Ackerman, The Daily Beast. 20 minutes.

A lot of eulogies poured in for Stan Lee this past month, with many heralding him as the singular creator of the Marvel Universe. The real story is more complicated, and is told well and even-handedly here, giving Lee his due without stiffing the artists (especially Jack Kirby) who deserve at least half the credit.

"'Nothing on this Page Is Real': How Lies Become Truth in Online America" by Eli Saslow,The Washington Post. 15 minutes.

An affecting, personal look at one of the people creating fake news in the United States today and one of the people unwittingly consuming and sharing it.

"Beneath the Surface of Bruce Springsteen" by Michael Hainey, Esquire. 31 minutes.

An insightful profile of someone I'll never stop being fascinated by. Consider it your warm-up for the upcoming Springsteen on Broadway film, coming to Netflix December 15th.

JUST AS I AM: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF BILLY GRAHAM by Billy Graham

This was an autobiography I'd been putting off reading for years, due mostly to its size (over 700 pages). After Graham's death earlier this year, I decided it was finally time to dust it off and give it a read. At the end of a month in which I dipped into this book for half an hour each day, I was as sad to to put his book down as his legions of admirers were to see him go. Just As I Am is a clear, charming overview of the life of the 20th century's greatest evangelist and most famous preacher.

Spanning Graham's life from birth until the time of the book's writing in 1997, when he had begun to wind down his full-time ministry, the book largely drives in three lanes: 1) his early life and entrance into ministry, 2) his most notable national and international crusades, and 3) his relationships with the different presidents he counseled, from Truman to Clinton. Not surprisingly, given my interests, I found the third lane most fascinating, though it was all a worthy read.

Reading an autobiography is always an exercise in reading between the lines—given the biases and motivations that go into writing your own life story, the reader has to not only hear what's being said but listen for why it's being said (as well as pay attention to what's not being said.) In reading Graham's account, it became apparent what made his ministry successful: he was plain-spoken without being overly folksy, he was shrewd without being cynical, he was always open to new opportunities, and he was devoted to his task and his Lord.

This is an easy read for anyone interested in Graham's life and work, full of memorable anecdotes and never shy about name-dropping (something I find annoying in person but irresistible in biography.) Soon I'll dive into The Preacher and the Presidents, which looks solely at Graham's relationship with the various commanders-in-chief whom he counseled. I'll be curious to see how its account differs from Graham's, and what gaps it fills in.

THE MASTER OF THE SENATE by Robert A. Caro

At 1200 pages (including acknowledgements, source notes, and index), this is one of the longest books I've ever read. It's also one of the best.

The third part in Robert Caro's masterful, exhaustive biography of Lyndon Johnson, The Master of the Senate explores how LBJ rose to power in the U.S. Senate after successfully stealing the 1948 election to acquire that office. Following Johnson's rapid rise from junior senator to Minority Leader to the most powerful Majority Leader in history, the book is (like all Caro's books) less a conventional biography than an exploration of how political power works in America, as told through the story of one of the men who knew best how to get it and use it.

Like the previous two books in this series, half the fun of the book is the tangential mini-books Caro writes as background for Johnson's story. For example, the book begins with a history of the Senate that runs nearly 100 pages before Johnson is even mentioned. Later, in order to establish the importance of Johnson's political patron in the Senate, Richard Russell, Caro gives us more than 50 pages of biographical information about Russell. These side trips are one of my favorite things about reading Caro—no stone is left unturned, no detail wasted.

But the truth is, these books would be utterly exhausting were it not for the quality of the writing. I appreciate good historical research, but would never have spent 3 months (and counting, since there's still one book to go) reading these books unless the prose managed to suck me in. Thankfully, Caro is as good a writer as a historian, which makes both the meat of the book and its lengthy but important tangents feel consequential, interesting, and even exciting. Would that history could always be written this way. One volume to go!

ESSENTIAL DAREDEVIL VOL. 5-6 by Steve Gerber, Tony Isabella, Marv Wolfman, Bob Brown, George Tuska, et al.

After the disappointing Essential Daredevil Vol. 4, I can't say I was looking forward to reading these two books, the final Daredevil volumes in the Essential line. However, they proved to be an improvement over the fourth volume, with the titular hero returning to form as a street-level defender of the law—both as Matt Murdock, attorney-at-law, and Daredevil, the Man Without Fear.

Spanning Daredevil's adventures from 1972-1977, these volumes see the superhero's break-up with Black Widow and subsequent move back to New York, the introduction of Bullseye as a villain, and the reintroduction of Foggy Nelson to the supporting cast. All are welcome moves for this reader—while a fun idea, the romance with Black Widow and move to San Francisco never went anywhere interesting, and being back in New York ensures that Daredevil is able to encounter familiar friends and foes alike. Where in vol. 4, the writers seemed to be looking to reinvent Daredevil, these books are a return to form.

With that being said, the comics historian in me can't help but see these issues as anything but a prelude to the coming Frank Miller era, when the writer-artist would introduce Elektra, transform Kingpin from a C-list Spider-Man villain into Daredevil's arch-nemesis, and make Daredevil the grim defender of Hell's Kitchen fans know him as today. Vol. 6 ends just 2 years before Miller would save the character from extinction, and these books had me ready to read those issues.

Ultimately, these books are the epitome of the Bronze Age of comics—fun, but forgettable. Lots of action, plenty of melodrama, but nothing that history will remember as outstanding work. I'm glad to have read them, but more than anything I'm geared up to dive into Frank Miller's seminal run on the character. Tune in for those reviews soon!

STAR-LORD: GUARDIAN OF THE GALAXY by Steve Engelhart, Chris Claremont, Doug Moench, Timothy Zahn, John Byrne, Carmine Infantino, Doug Sienkiewicz, et al.

Some Marvel characters haven't changed much since their original creation. The Hulk, for example, has been a giant, raging monster with an alter-ego of a meek, brilliant scientist since day one. Other characters have changed, matured, been retconned, and otherwise gone through various metamorpheses to suit the times: Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Thor are noticeably different from their Silver Age iterations, but the same characters at heart.

Then there's Star-Lord. When you picture him, you undoubtedly picture Chris Pratt's leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy and sorta-boyfriend of Gamora, who explores space armed with little more than jokes, a jet pack, a gun, and a cassette player. And if you were to pick up a Star-Lord or Guardians comic today, that's what you would get, thanks to the need for cross-media synergy. But that character barely resembles the Star-Lord who debuted in one of Marvel's black-and-white science fiction magazines in January 1976.

That Star-Lord, whose initial appearances prior to his mid-2000s transformation are collected in this book, was a Flash Gordon-esque cosmic adventurer named Peter Quill whose mother had been killed by an alien when he was a child. That part's familiar. What's less familiar is, well, everything else, starting with his relationship with "Ship," his sentient spaceship who—and I wish I was kidding about this—has romantic feelings for Quill. The less said about that, the better. This version of Quill became an astronaut on Earth so that he'd have the chance to go to the stars and avenge his mother; he is soon empowered by a mystical being called the Master of the Sun and then becomes the Star-Lord, a being with an ambiguous mission and power set. From there, he travels from planet to planet, star system to star system, getting into scrapes with galactic empires and defending lesser beings, aided only by Ship and his element gun, which is capable of shooting (you guessed it) fire, water, earth, or wind.

The stories are pretty generic 1970s Robert Heinlein homages, none of which connect to the greater Marvel Universe in any way. What makes them notable is not so much the stories or their influence on the character 40 years later, but the art. Through some cosmic coincidence (pun intended), Star-Lord's earliest adventures are drawn by some of the artists who would define comics for the next decade, from John Byrne to Bill Sienkiewicz. In fact, one of the stories is written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Byrne—that duo would go on to team up for what is unquestionably the greatest run in the history of the X-Men.

These stories didn't do much for me. They're hard sci-fi, and I'm not a sci-fi guy. But the art makes these stories worth a look. If you want to see the seeds of the character Peter Quill is today—and only the seeds, because he has blossomed into something much different—and to admire some beautiful art, give this book a whirl. 

Who Do I Listen To? (Friday Devotional)

When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.”

- Acts 5:27-29

This time of year, there is no escaping holiday advertisements. On billboards, in newspapers, on television, in the mail, and online, retailers across the country are doing everything in their power to get your attention. They do it with brightly colored ads, with catchy jingles, with memorable commercials, and, if you’re lucky, with sales. Whatever it takes, they want you thinking about their products when you shop this month.

The problem, of course, is that since you’re being bombarded from all sides by advertisements, it’s hard to discern which are worth listening to and which can be safely ignored. Nobody wants to be suckered into buying something dumb just because they got lured in by an ad—but on the flip side, nobody wants to miss out on the sale of a lifetime either. You know some of what you’re seeing and hearing is worthwhile—but how are you supposed to know what’s what?

We face the same problem when it comes to issues of morality. In our information age, opinions about what you should think and do are as plentiful as holiday advertisements. Whether you’re talking with a coworker in the break room, scrolling through Facebook, talking on the phone with your parents, or watching cable news at home, you can’t get through a day without being exposed to a constant stream of (often contradictory) messages about what you’re supposed to believe. So how are you supposed to know who to listen to?

The answer to that question comes from the apostles. In the early days of the church, they had already won many new disciples to Christ, but had subsequently managed to land themselves in hot water. Jerusalem’s high priest and council—the same men who had brought false charges against Jesus and passed him on to Pilate—were concerned by the popularity of their message and wanted to see it put down quietly before they caused any more fuss.

But when they tried to throw the apostles in prison, an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors overnight and the apostles went right back to publicly proclaiming the gospel. Frustrated, the council called the apostles before them and demanded they stop preaching about Jesus. That’s when Peter, speaking for the Twelve, took a courageous stand: “We must obey God rather than any human authority.”

In our day of opinion overload, the apostles’ declaration is more important than ever. Believers are not supposed to take our cues on right and wrong from celebrities, politicians, or social media, but from the Word of God. Even and especially when obeying God means defying conventional wisdom or human authority—as was the case for the apostles—we are called to stand firm and be courageous, listening to our Lord instead of to idols. Morality isn’t determined by the whims of popular opinion, but by the unchanging God.

Every day, whether you realize it or not, your beliefs and behavior are being shaped. Left to your own devices, they will be shaped by the opinions of your friends, the authorities you respect, and the ever-shifting views of the majority. So pray for the conviction, the courage, and the cognizance to obey God before any other and to be shaped by Him instead. Bombarded by other’s beliefs, look to the Lord to know what’s what.

Broken Pieces (Friday Devotional)

“If we confess our sins, He who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

- 1 John 1:9

Lately, my son has gotten in the habit of rummaging through the drawer of our coffee table. There’s nothing special in there—a tin of spare change, a bunch of pens, and some coasters—but nevertheless he likes to dig through it and make a small mess in the process. Since, as I said, there’s nothing particularly important in the drawer, I generally let him do his thing when I see him scamper over to the coffee table.

But the other day, the mess went beyond a few coins on the floor. As I cleaned a dish in the kitchen, my son came running in with one of our cardboard coasters in his hand—in two pieces. I’d seen him drawing on the coaster and bending it, and it seems that he’d finally pushed it too far. He looked stricken as he held the two pieces up. “Broke,” he said with anxiety written all over his face.

Smiling, I took the pieces from his hand. “It’s ok, bud. Daddy can fix it.” Handing me the torn coaster, my son nodded with understanding and said, “Yes!” then went to find a ball to play with. The worry which had clouded his little face when he approached me had vanished, and he was back to business.

In that small, otherwise insignificant moment, it hit me—that’s exactly how repentance and forgiveness are supposed to work. My son recognized he’d done something wrong, came to me to admitting what he’d done, I forgave him, and he got back to work. According to the Bible, that’s exactly how our relationship with God is supposed to work: “If we confess our sins, He who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The problem is that we overcomplicate things. When we sin, we tend to ignore the nagging conviction of the Holy Spirit; we rationalize or excuse our actions. When we do realize we’ve sinned, we are often too proud or too scared to go to God with what we’ve done. And when we finally take that step, repenting of our wickedness, we are plagued with self-doubt and guilt, unable or unwilling to accept the truth that God has forgiven us. Instead of embracing His grace, we try to earn it, plagued all the while by a fear of failure.

Jesus said that to enter the kingdom of God we must become like children, and indeed forgiveness is one area where adults repeatedly fail to understand what kids intuitively know. When you fall, you can go to God with your failures without fear of being disowned. When you sincerely confess to God, He is faithful to forgive you. And when you’ve been forgiven, you are cleansed of your sin; you don’t have to earn the forgiveness that’s already been given to you.

The forgiveness of God is supremely gracious, undeniably powerful—and so simple a child can understand it. So when you sin, don’t let fear or pride stand in the way of your relationship with Him. Go to Him with your broken pieces and allow Him to put you back together again.

Following the Leaders (Friday Devotional)

Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

- Hebrews 13:7-8

When Lyndon B. Johnson hosted visitors at his ranch in the Texas Hill Country, he always made sure there was time for fun as well as business...fun for him, anyway. At some point in the afternoon, he would invite his guests to go for a drive around the property. From behind the steering wheel, he’d point to the different kinds of trees, tell stories about his childhood, and they’d all enjoy the fresh air and the winding hills together.

Then suddenly, they’d barrel down one particular hill straight toward a lake. Johnson, looking panicked, would slam his foot down repeatedly to no avail. “The brakes are out!” he would shout. “We’re going in!” The car would plunge into the water to terrified shrieks from his guests. Most, from family friends to journalists to cabinet officials, bailed out at that point, certain their lives were on the line. Only after they were swimming toward dry land would they see Johnson cackling in the front seat as his car—the only amphibious model ever mass produced for civilian use—not only floated, but began to putter across the lake, guided by twin propellers.

On one of their visits to the ranch, Billy and Ruth Graham fell victim to the president’s prank, accompanying him for a drive around the ranch only to find themselves hurtling toward the lake. However, when the car hit the water, neither of the Grahams leapt out (though Billy would later admit to being terrified.) As the car floated onward, a disappointed Johnson complained to his dry friends that most people jumped when they hit the water. “You’re the president,” Ruth said to him. “I figured you knew what you were doing!”

We can all learn a thing or two about that kind of faith—and one of the great blessings of the Bible is the many examples of faith it gives us. From Abraham to Moses to David to Mary, Scripture offers us story after story of people who, for all their flaws, were ultimately defined by their faith in God. They weren’t perfect, but when others trusted themselves, these men and women trusted God first, placing their lives in His hands.

In the epistle to the Hebrews, the writer encourages Christians to imitate the faith of these spiritual leaders. Their words and deeds were recorded for more than just posterity, but for edification—by learning from their mistakes and emulating their faithfulness, we can become more faithful servants of God.

Sometimes life takes turns you don’t expect, and you wonder what you’re supposed to do. In such moments, look to the faithful witness of the men and women of the Bible, then take a page out of Ruth Graham’s book—follow the leader.

What's Your Answer? (Friday Devotional)

When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see…So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

- John 9:6-7, 24-25

One of the things that has made The Price Is Right such a beloved game show for decades is its embrace of audience feedback during the games. Every time a contestant has a choice to make, such as whether an item should be priced higher or lower than a given amount, both the host and the contestant engage the studio audience’s advice, inviting them to yell out what they would do if they were on stage. For a few seconds, the studio is filled with noise as dozens of people off-camera, all of whom seem certain they’re right, shout out different numbers. Usually, the contestant plays along with the premise of audience participation while in actuality just going with their gut. But occasionally, you’ll see a contestant freeze up in the face of all the shouting—when confronted with so many different answers all at once, they don’t know what they’re supposed to think.

Sometimes you may feel that way about God—with so many differing beliefs, theories, philosophies, and agendas explaining who He is and what He wants from you, you start to wonder what you’re supposed to think. Can a God who allows suffering in the world really be called Savior? In a world that sometimes seems like it’s spinning out of control, does it make sense to believe in the Lord?

Where you land on the “big questions” about God takes a lifetime of spiritual growth and prayer—but as you seek those answers in the thoughts and writings of other people, it’s important that you never forget your own testimony. We can learn something from someone in John 9, a man born blind whom Jesus miraculously healed. Because that healing took place on the Sabbath, the religious leaders of the day launched an investigation, questioning the man multiple times about what had happened in the hopes that he might reveal Jesus to be an imposter or a charlatan. “We know that this man is a sinner,” they said on their second visit. His response was instructive: “I do no know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

Every follower of Jesus Christ has a story to tell, a story of how Jesus rescued them from sin and brought them into a relationship with God. And your story doesn’t stop there—you may have stories about times when God’s presence in your life pulled you out of the depths of temptation or depression, about times when a word from Scripture pointed you exactly where you needed to go, about how in a moment of tremendous stress the prayers of a friend brought you peace you couldn’t explain. Everyone has a story to tell about how God has moved in their life.

And when the complexities of faith threaten to overwhelm you, when the shouting from all sides about what you’re supposed to believe has you nearly paralyzed, it helps to root yourself in your story. Along with the man born blind you can say, ‘I don’t know all the answers, but one thing I do know: I once was blind, but now I see.’

There is great value in learning more about God, in listening and reading and talking to people who think and believe differently from you—after all, if you never learn, then you never grow. But when your questions are so overloaded with answers that the foundation of your faith is rocked, cling to your testimony. Everyone has a story to tell—don’t lose track of yours.

10 Reasons Why You Should Vote

It’s Election Day! If you’re registered, but you haven’t already voted and you’re on the fence about whether it’s worth the time and aggravation, here are ten quick reasons why you should head to your polling place and cast your ballot:

1.     People have fought and even died to get and maintain your right to do so.

Sorry to start heavy. But the whole reason we have the United States of America to begin with is because, nearly 250 years ago, a bunch of people in thirteen British colonies were tired of paying taxes to a government that refused to let them choose their leaders. That was only the first of many times that soldiers gave their lives in battle to ensure liberty for their fellow countrymen.

Getting and maintaining your vote came at a cost, in the 1770s and the 1860s and the 1940s and beyond. The least you can do to honor the memory of the soldiers, abolitionists, suffragettes, and civil rights leaders who fought, bled, and died to give you a vote is to use it.

2.     FOMO.

The only thing anyone will be talking about on TV and social media tonight will be the election. If you don’t want to feel left out, you’ll need to have voted earlier that day.

3.     It’s biblical(ish).

Admittedly, this requires some interpretation, since there is no “thou shalt vote” commandment in the Bible. But what Jesus did say was “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” A veeeery narrow reading of that command is that you should pay your taxes. A more generous (and, in my opinion, better) interpretation is that, while you are first and foremost a citizen of the kingdom of God, you are also a citizen of your nation, and that you have duties to that nation. In a democracy like ours, one of those duties is to vote.

4.     It’ll make the old people in your life happy.

As a general rule, senior citizens are worried about what kind of nation their grandchildren will inherit and what their grandchildren’s generation will do with it. So an easy way to encourage them is by showing up to the polls. I promise, the little old ladies volunteering at your local precinct beam every time they give a millennial an “I Voted” sticker, and every grandparent, elderly church member, and retired neighbor you know will do the same.

5.     As civic duties go, it doesn’t take that long.

Thanks to the Internet, researching candidates is a LOT easier than it used to be. I recommend relying on interviews and endorsements from your local newspaper rather than the obviously and understandably biased websites of the candidates. If you do your due diligence, I bet you can have your ballot figured out in an hour or so, and then probably won’t have to spend longer than an hour at the polls (depending on when and where you go.)

Sure, 2 hours is inconvenient. But it’s faster and easier than jury duty, paying your taxes, serving in the military, or basically any other civic duty. Also, see #1.

6.     It’s the most direct way to make your voice heard by your local, state, and national officials.

Sure, calling/e-mailing/writing your congressman is a good thing. Going to a town hall or a protest is a good thing. Blogging, posting, and retweeting your political opinions can *occasionally* be a good thing. But politicians can ignore all those things. What they can’t ignore is the votes of their constituents.

7.     If you don’t, someone in your life will shame you for it.

Consider this sort of the negative side of #2. There is someone in your life, whether a parent, sibling, or friend, who’s really into politics and government. And if they find out you didn’t vote, get ready for an annoying lecture or at least a withering death glare.

8.     Your vote matters (especially locally).

Look, I get it—sometimes your vote can seem meaningless, especially if you don’t live in a swing state/county/district. But particularly when it comes to those down-ballot races for school board or mayor or district attorney, races are sometimes decided by dozens of votes, not millions. Do your part.

9.     You feel good when you do it.

There aren’t many things left that bind us together as Americans in our hyper-polarized society. But thanks to the secret ballot, when you walk out of the voting booth, you feel connected to everybody else at your polling place, and to everybody on social media posting their “I Voted” selfies, and to the lady at the grocery store with her “I Voted” sticker—you don’t know how they voted, but you know they did, and now you have that in common with them. And knowing that makes you feel like part of something bigger than yourself.

10. You get a sticker!!!

It’s the ultimate participation trophy, worn with pride by 18-year olds and 98-year olds alike. But you don’t get one unless you participate. So go vote!

Mentioning the Unmentionable (Friday Devotional)

“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

- Philippians 4:6-7

Over the course of its 912 episodes, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood covered a wealth of topics about which the eponymous host thought children wanted or needed to hear. With imaginative characters and a bevy of guest stars, viewers learned about typical educational things like counting, art, and holidays, as well as things Mr. Rogers thought might be on kids’ minds that wouldn’t be covered in school, like going to the doctor or getting a haircut.

But numerous times over the program’s 31 seasons, Mr. Rogers also plunged into more controversial topics, things he felt certain children had questions, concerns, and even fears about but that adults often refused to discuss with them. From race to divorce to nuclear war, there was no topic too uncomfortable for Mr. Rogers to talk through with his viewers. “Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable,” he said. “When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone.”

This admirable attitude goes double when it comes to prayer—anything that worries, concerns, or pains you is worth bringing before the Lord. Stress is an unavoidable part of life, and the Bible’s answer to it is simple: instead of trying to fix your world alone, come to your heavenly Father with the burdens weighing you down. While there’s no guarantee that your problems will vanish in a puff of smoke, what is promised is a peace that comes only from God—not a protection from problems so much as freedom from the toll they take on your soul.

Sometimes we tend to think God has a Goldilocks attitude toward our prayers, that they cannot be too big or too small, but have to be just the right size to be worth bringing before Him. We worry needlessly that asking for patience on a bad day isn’t worthy of the throne of grace, that thanking him for a good day isn’t worth His attention—but God wants to hear our small prayers. At the other extreme, we fret that some problems are too complicated or overwhelming or shrouded in shame to bring before the Holy One—but God wants to hear our big prayers too.

The truth is that Mr. Rogers was right—if it’s mentionable, it’s manageable; if you can talk about what you’re feeling then it begins to feel less powerful. And when you bring your concerns, however big or small, before God, you’ll find that He offers more than management. He offers peace.

October Reading Log

Lots of great reading this month, and plenty of variety. Take a look!

5 Articles I Like This Month

"The Morality Wars" by Wesley Morris, The New York Times Magazine. 20 minutes.

In 2018, it sometimes feel more important that art be morally and socially good than that it be good art. As Wesley Morris puts it in this article, "It can be hard to tell when we're consuming art and when we're conducting H.R." Is that a good thing? A good question, and an excellent, insightful exploration of the topic.

"What Happened to the Houston Astros' Hacker?" by Ben Reiter, Sports Illustrated. 19 minutes.

Chris Correa, formerly a front office staffer with the St. Louis Cardinals, was sentenced to federal prison after hacking into the Houston Astros' computer systems to steal proprietary data from former colleagues. How's he doing now, with his release imminent? A fascinating testimony about the prison-industrial complex cleverly disguised as a sports story.

"The White Sox Ballpark in Chicago that Never Was and Could Have Changed History" by Dayn Perry, CBS Sports. 33 minutes.

When Guaranteed Rate Field (then known as New Comiskey Park) was built in 1991, it marked the final modernist (i.e. boring) ballpark construction before Orioles Park at Camden Yards ushered in a new era of retro designs. But it turns out, there could have been another way, a project named Armour Field that would have given the White Sox a true neighborhood park like Wrigley Field or Fenway Park. A fascinating look at the architecture of baseball stadiums told through a what-might-have-been perspective.

"Raised By YouTube" by Alexis C. Madrigal, The Atlantic. 23 minutes.

Sesame Street is so last decade...these days, parents looking for an electronic pacifier for their overactive toddlers have turned to YouTube. But given the free market, Wild West nature of the Internet (as opposed to traditional children's television programming, which was originally undertaken as a partnership between business, government, and child development experts), what does that mean for our kids? A fascinating, sometimes scary look at the brave new world of children's programming in the Internet age.

"The Untold Story of the Yankees' Stunning Rally in 1978" by Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated. 51 minutes.

1978 was the height of the "Bronx Zoo" Yankees, with Billy Martin, Reggie Jackson, and George Steinbrenner feuding constantly and publicly even as the team sunk lower and lower in the standings. It was also, says Tom Verducci, the last gasp of baseball sportswriting as it had been. And when the writers went on strike—and suddenly no one was there to quote Billy to George—the team's fortunes turned and neither newspapers nor the Yankees were ever the same again. An entertaining story about a legendary team, told from the vantage point of the men who covered it.

THE RAGAMUFFIN GOSPEL by Brennan Manning

It's always disappointing when you don't love a classic.  The Ragamuffin Gospel certainly bears that label, have been beloved for nearly 30 years now by evangelical readers, including famously by the late Rich Mullins, who named his band "The Ragamuffin Band." Brennan Manning's distillation of the gospel as a message about God's pure, unfiltered grace has resonated with thousands of people, and I'm grateful for his witness. I just wish I was one of those people with whom it struck a chord.

The Ragamuffin Gospel comes to the reader with the stated goal of taking Christianity back from the religious legalists who have made it all about personal morality; Manning declares that the gospel is really the story of God's love for the 'ragamuffins' of this world and the grace He offers them in Christ. It's a noble, Pauline (if a bit one-sided) goal, one that those who have never heard the gospel and those who have need to hear.

My issue is not with the book's purpose so much as with Manning's delivery—this feels like a 20 minute sermon that he turned into a 250 page book. As I read, there was little to distinguish one chapter from the next, and my excitement when I started the book faded as its redundancies piled on top of each other. There's just not a lot of depth here—a great evangelistic message, but not much surrounding it.

I highly recommend reading the first chapter of The Ragamuffin Gospel. Manning is a good writer, and he has something important to say—I just think he says everything he needs to in those first 30 pages.

THE INTERIOR CASTLE by St. Teresa of Avila

I'm a Baptist, so spiritual mysticism doesn't come naturally to me—we Baptists are children of the Enlightenment, so we're a lot more comfortable sitting in a room expositing Scripture than supernaturally reaching heights of spiritual transcendence. Nevertheless, the Bible is full of people whom God reached through dreams, visions, and moments of spiritual ecstasy, and I'm not comfortable limiting the activity of the Holy Spirit by saying God never works that way anymore. So in the spirit of open-mindedness, I decided to tackle The Interior Castle, widely considered a spiritual classic and arguably the most important book on Christian mysticism.

Written in 1588 by Teresa of Avila, a Carmelite nun, the book operates as a guide for the soul to spiritual union with God. Envisioning the soul as a diamond castle, she describes seven different "mansions" or rooms, each of which is a stage the soul must go through along the way to God. Through prayer, suffering, penance, and good works (and ultimately by the grace of God), seekers can finally reach the blessed seventh mansion and become one with God, just as Jesus prayed we would.

First the good: this book places a heavy emphasis on humility, love, and prayer, which one could argue are the most important virtues of the spiritual life. Furthermore, Teresa is careful to state, again and again, that union with God is only possible by His grace, not by works—that her prescriptions throughout the book are helpful to unlocking the door to God, but they are not the key in and of themselves. For this Protestant reader, that was important.

Nevertheless, my critiques of this book largely rest in the typical (and yes, sometimes misguided) critiques of Catholicism in general and mysticism in particular. While noting that union with God is only possible through His grace, Teresa provides a step-by-step plan for using good works to get there, rather than relying on faith. While citing Scripture to make incidental points, the foundation of the whole exercise (that of the interior castle and its seven mansions) is utterly foreign to anything found in the Bible. And while deeply concerned with the individual's spiritual life, there is no responsibility for sharing the Gospel with others.

So no, this book didn't make me a mystic; if anything I found it a somewhat frustrating read. There are quotes I will gladly lift from it, and I respect and value the impact it has had on readers over the centuries. But, whether the fault is mine or Teresa's, I found her understanding of how one relates to God to be too impenetrable to fit my understanding from Scripture.

MEANS OF ASCENT by Robert A. Caro

What was Lyndon Johnson willing to do to get and maintain power?

That is is the question that drives Robert Caro's multivolume biography of the 36th President, and in the tightly focused Means of Ascent, the reader see Johnson descend to perhaps his lowest ethical depths to achieve his goals. The book, which begins right where Path to Power left off with Johnson losing a special election to the U.S. Senate, covers Johnson's brief time in the U.S. Navy during World War II, how he acquired a fortune through the purchase and expansion of an Austin radio station (helped along by his connections in the FCC), and his final years as a member of the House of Representatives. But the vast majority of the book deals with his campaign to claim the Senate seat that had elude d him seven years earlier—and how, in the end, when he was unable to win the election conventionally, he stole it outright.

As detailed as The Path to Power was in telling LBJ's story, Means of Ascent one-ups its predecessor in that regard, with Caro relying on thousands of documents and scores of personal interviews to tell the story of the 1948 Democratic primary election between Johnson and Governor Coke Robert Stevenson. With a talent for storytelling that matches his skill as a researcher, Caro paints Stevenson as a near-mythic figure in Texas, a Horatio Alger-like Texan who rose from nothing to become one of the most beloved and effective politicians in the history of the state. By contrast, Johnson comes across as a villain in his own biography, a driven, power-obsessed political genius up against insurmountable odds who employs every political, legal, and illegal trick available to him in his pursuit of victory.

In the end, of course, Johnson wins the election against Stevenson, but Caro's voluminous research makes it plain that his victory came via the kind of dirty tricks that would make Nixon blush. Sparing no detail, Caro recounts not only Johnson's hard-fought campaign (which was admirable in its innovation and hard work) but his wielding of every lever of corruption available to him on Election Night and beyond to ensure that the vote count was changed to make him the winner. Caro's journalistic attention to detail makes it clear once and for all what had long been rumored—Lyndon B. Johnson, without a doubt, stole the election.

Admittedly, all that detail, particularly in the book's final 100 pages or so when lawyers are driving the story, becomes a bit tiresome. Nevertheless, I admire and respect Caro's effort—and to his credit, he tells a story of injunctions, subpoenas, and executive committee meetings with a flair that enlivens subject matter which could have been deadly dull.

This book makes for a worthy successor to Path to Power and a fascinating look at Texas politics and a key period of Lyndon Johnson's life. Up next is the series' most acclaimed (and longest) volume, Master of the Senate, where LBJ's story shifts permanently to Washington and his power widens like never before.

DUST & GROOVES: ADVENTURES IN RECORD COLLECTING by Eilon Paz

There is something contagious about passion. When you're around someone who is excited and even borderline-obsessed with something, it makes you excited too, no matter how little you care about the object of their passion. That was my experience reading Dust & Grooves, a coffee table book about record collectors that I grabbed on a whim from Barnes & Noble's clearance section. Packed with color photographs of records, studios, and basements piled from floor to ceiling with vinyl, this book was part Hoarders, part Antiques Roadshow, but all fun.

The vast majority of the book is photography, the labor of author Eilon Paz, who years ago began finding and interviewing record collectors from around the world and photographing their collections for his "Dust & Grooves" blog. The photos are gorgeous and somehow manage to keep from being too redundant even after over 300 pages. I looked through all of these in one sitting and had a great time marveling at the millions of records some of these people had acquired over the years (and envying the stylish spaces in which they stored them.)

The last 150 pages of the book is a series of interviews with some of the featured collectors, featuring everyone from the elderly owner of a flea-market-like record store in Mississippi to Questlove. These interviews were fascinating because of how eclectic both the collectors and their collections are. One man, for example, has spent his life collecting Sesame Street records, and has dozens to show for it. Weird? Um, yeah, but by the end of the interview he had almost won me over with his nostalgia and passion.

Very little of the music featured was familiar to me—don't expect to see many Beatles or Eagles albums here; the tastes of these collectors is much less mainstream. But ultimately, the music seems almost incidental to the act of the collecting and the compulsion behind it. The book didn't inspire me to start collecting records myself (it looks like a LOT of work), but I enjoyed spending a little time with those who do.

WILD THINGS: THE JOY OF READING CHILDREN'S LITERATURE AS AN ADULT by Bruce Handy

One of my favorite parts of every day is reading to my almost two-year old son. In doing so (we've been reading him at least 2 books per day since he came home from the hospital), I've learned something: there are some really excellent children's books out there (and some not-so-excellent ones, of course.) The best children's books speak with a sweet simplicity that "grown up" literature can't pull off, and can be as meaningful for the adult reading out loud as for the child hearing them for the first (or the hundredth) time.

That's the truth that drives Wild Things, an exploration of children's literature by writer and children's book reviewer Bruce Handy. In each chapter he delves a different corner of the world of children's literature, beginning with picture books like Margaret Wise Brown's Good Night, Moon and ending with middle grade classics like Beverly Cleary's Ramona books and E.B. White's Charlotte's Web. In every chapter, he delves into the biography of the author, the themes the books address, and why the book has proved to be so important for kids and adults.

It all makes for a joyful trip through the world of children's literature. As a daily reader of kids' books, I was pleased to see these books taken seriously, since I've seen firsthand that not all children's books are created equal. Writing for kids, he proves, should not be seen as a step down for a "serious" author; it brings its own challenges and rewards...and its own luminaries. I really enjoyed this book, and appreciated his list of recommendations at the end. Time to go shopping!

HIP HOP FAMILY TREE VOL. 1-4 by Ed Piskor

As ubiquitous as hip hop—both as music and culture at large—is today, it did not emerge fully formed like Athena from the head of Zeus. Indeed, hip hip has a convoluted, diverse, crazy history starting with house parties in 1970s New York City. In Hip Hop Family Tree, cartoonist Ed Piskor sets out to pictorially tell that history with encyclopedic detail. The result is a dense, beautiful, and incredibly fun ride.

Beginning with the stories of DJs like Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, and DJ Kool Herc, these volumes trace the rise of hip hop up to 1985, when it remained a niche genre but had managed to infiltrate mainstream culture thanks to artists like LL Cool J and behind-the-scenes moguls like Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin. Jumping from character to character and coast to coast, Piskor tells the story of hip hop chronologically and at a frenetic pace, leaving seemingly no stone unturned.

If you are a casual hip hop fan (like me), much of this will be utterly foreign to you, and the reading experience will be more than a little overwhelming as Piskor overloads you with names, songs, and events. But even when you feel a little lost in the shuffle, it never stops being a fun ride—the beautiful art and obvious passion of the author more than make up for any narrative confusion. (Side note: a good way to ease some of the confusion is to read it while watching Hip Hop Evolution, the documentary series on Netflix about the same subject.)

Hip Hop Family Tree is not for those wanting just a cursory look at hip hop's history—it took me more than 2 weeks to read the four books—but for those who want to see music history told interestingly, Ed Piskor has delivered. Assuming he continues the series (he previously promised at least six volumes), I plan to snap them up immediately.

ARKHAM ASYLUM: A SERIOUS HOUSE ON SERIOUS EARTH by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean

Over the course of Batman's decades-long existence, Arkham Asylum, where Gotham's criminally insane are housed, has become a character all its own. Its history has been plumbed, its purpose questioned, and, of course, its inmates have escaped so many times it's become a running joke. But in Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, Arkham is no joke—it is a place of madness.

Created in 1989 by comics superstars Grant Morrison and Dave McKean, this graphic novel is a horror story and psychological thriller about Batman being forced to quell a riot in the asylum. Told alongside that narrative is the origin of the building itself and how its founder, Amadeus Arkham, went insane after the murder of his wife and daughter. Packed with symbolism, Arkham Asylum is told in the cadence of a dream, barely linear yet somehow capable of being followed. And man is it creepy.

With apologies to Morrison, the star of the show is Dave McKean of Sandman fame, whose art combines painting, photography, sketches, and watercolor to produce a collage of images as disturbing as the subject matter. Abstract and mysterious, the art sells the madness of the story and its characters, even when it makes the narrative difficult to follow at times.

I read this in the middle of the afternoon (it's a quick read) and was still worried I'd have nightmares; it's that scary. Recommended for horror fans and NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT for kids.