Friday, October 22, 2021

Review: Word for Word Bible Comics' Jonah

So this is a bit different, but I couldn't resist. A cool opportunity from Bible Gateway's Blogger Grid arose (in case you haven't noticed, I've been displaying their badge for a few weeks now). They offered their members a digital preview of a Word for Word Bible comic being released here in the US. All I had to do was read my free comic book and write a review. WIN! Word for Word is a project by Simon Amadeus Pillario. He has several titles overseas, but currently just one (Matthew) is available for immediate purchase in the states; the one I enjoyed, Jonah, drops on November 1st (preorder it here). Allow me to say, our daughter has a friend in England who once had his fill of filet and crab legs at our expense and I just might be suggesting it's high time for payback. The least he could do is pick up one or two of the titles not yet available to us here. (Seb, you know who you are)

Pillario describes his comics as, "Unabridged, historically rich graphic novel of the Bible with a high view of scripture." I definitely agree. There is no skimping on facts or lack of research in these books. Included in the first few pages is Pillario's explanation of his treatment of biblical text. He genuinely makes an effort to rightly divide the Word of Truth. The end of the book is filled with pages of additional historical information, exegetical insights, and even a brief discussion of some controversy concerning the account of Jonah. This is not your second-grader's comic book. Additionally, I should mention, these graphics are recommended for those twelve years and fifteen years+. The advisory is due to the artist's renderings of topics addressed throughout Scripture. He in no way glorifies or exploits sin, but he does lend his talents to accurately portraying events.

And his artwork! As a kid, I loved to read. Words were always my thing. Sitting next to my dad on a Sunday afternoon reading the Comics was a moment in time worth putting up with all those pictures! After time, I began to enjoy them, and Mom bought me entire comic books of my own: superheroes and funnies. What I wouldn't give to have that collection! The artwork in Jonah not only brought back some wonderful memories, but it is top notch. Images and fonts communicate text in an entirely different way; the author creatively uses them to reinforce changes in language and tone. As a visual learner, I tend to picture events in my mind as I read. Seeing Pillario's interpretation of things that are not specifically addressed in Scripture adds a new dimension and new possibilities to ideas that have become so fixed in my thoughts. And his art is engaging. If you can find a fifteen-year old who isn't sucked in by these drawings, he's probably asleep. My husband has already requested I order a couple, and I'm planning to place some copies in our church library. 

I encourage you to check out Word for Word Bible Comics and preorder your copy of Jonah now!



 

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Looking for Your Better Half? You Are Whole

Whenever I hear a sermon on Adam and Eve or marriage I always remember the Jovan bottles of the 70s. As absurd as it may seem (and in the 70s, as obscene as it was considered), the concept of two people complementing one another is pretty well expressed by that design. The men's aftershave and the women's cologne seemed to fit together in such a way as to celebrate the differences and the union of the sexes. One without the other functioned as it should. You would never know one was only "half" unless you saw the two together. Neither bottle would fall over without the other. No point in buying both if you had no need to share, but one without the other was intentionally asymmetrical; it looked incomplete. The premise was, the pair were definitely better together. What is best, however, isn't always that simple. 

Have you ever tried to find your "other"? All those cliches: There's someone for everyone and There's plenty of fish in the sea. When you're alone and you're looking, finding your other can seem to take forever. You wonder if it will happen at all. You think about the past: Should I have tried harder to make it work with her? You think about the future: What will happen if I never find him? You may question your standards: Am I expecting too much? You may question your beliefs: Maybe the kind of love I'm looking for just doesn't exist. 

Genesis 2:20 says,
"So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him."

The animals were brought to Adam to name, not in search of a partner. God knew there would be none among the animals that would be a suitable counterpart to Adam; He is not ignorant of anything. Up until the creation of man, all God had done He called "good;" after man's creation, He called all He had done "very good." God breathed into Adam His own breath to give him life. God created Adam in His very own image. God formed him from the dust as a potter would tenderly sculpt his creation. Man was to be a special creation, different from and superior to all others. The account of Adam's naming the animals simply points out there was none comparable to Adam. Like a father meeting his daughter's boyfriend for the first time: he's not the best, right? And God had actually made these animals Himself! God wanted the best for His man, but what did the man want?

We don't get to know what Adam was thinking at this point. Was he longing for a friend? Was he looking at these pairs of animals as they appeared before him, wondering where his soulmate was? Was he so busy working and hanging out with God that he never really spent a lot of time dwelling on it? What if he had asked God for a companion and decided not to wait? What if he had struck out on his own and decided to find his own companion out of the masses? I'm not trying to be vulgar, but how many of us have done that? We don't want to wait for what God is doing and we find ourselves crawling in the dirt with a snake. We are terrified by the possibility of being alone forever so we yoke ourselves to an ass. We give up hope in God and place our hope in a rat. We think if we try hard enough, or lower our standards, or pry open a door God has clearly shut we can make it work. We may not admit it, but we'd rather have the wrong somebody than nobody.

How could Adam have imagined what God was going to do for him? But God had a plan for Adam, and He has a plan for you as well. Trust His timing. If you are His child, He is working all things out for your good. He is faithful. Whether your counterpart is waiting in the wings or God is asking you to stand alone, you have been made in His image and for His glory. You are not broken or less than in any way. In Christ, you are made whole. And for you, He wants the best.

Monday, October 18, 2021

The Thick of Battle

I closed the door and let out a sigh. It had been a long day, and even from the top of the stairs I could hear her still whoosh-whoosh-whooshing away. Mom is a walking sound machine. She drums, she hums, but mostly she whooshes. From the moment she awakens until she finally settles down at night --some nights, hours after I've tucked her in. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. Mealtimes I catch a break. She can't eat and whoosh, so she hums; but humming is not whooshing --I'll take it! 

Some days I forget Mom is in a battle. An insidious trespasser has stolen her adulthood, cruelly leaving her in a body that won't quit and working tirelessly to rob her of peace. Mom needs help. Not simply to dress and care for herself, but to remain at rest. Her confusion often translates into agitation. Speaking calmly to her, reassuring her settles her down. Albeit momentarily. Within minutes she has forgotten every reassurance and we repeat the whole process. All.Day.Long. And when I grow weary of all of this, when my patience has packed its bags and boarded a train to AnywhereButHere, when all I see is the battle I am fighting, I speak sharply. My voice gets louder. My movements, abrupt: banging on keys, shoving things into place, flopping into my chair. And Mom grows even more restless and uncertain as she watches. And the cycle repeats itself with much more intensity. We're taking on casualties!

In Exodus 14, the nation of Israel has been led right to the shores of the Red Sea with the armies of Egypt hot on their heels. Who would have led them there? God led them there. For a reason. But they were terrified, and they cried out to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness?" And they no longer wanted what God had to offer. They didn't like His plan. They didn't like the leader He'd chosen. They didn't like His reasons. They wanted to be left alone, and to remain in bondage. Have you ever felt that way? Like coming out of where you are just might be worse than the pain you know now? At least, where you are --in your pain, in your grief, in your rage-- you know what sort of devil to expect each day, but the devil you may meet...?

Well, if you've attended Sunday school a day in your life, you know what happened. God parted the sea and His people walked to the other side on dry land. After being faced with the prospect of perishing on the beaches of Egypt, Israel's only escape is a four hour (or more) trek between walls of water that, perhaps, towered over their heads by thousands of feet. Talk about tough choices! I get claustrophobic just hanging out at the aquarium! But God sometimes leads us into battles much more grueling than the situation we're in, battles that leave us bruised and broken and bloody, so that we can know He is our Fortress, He is our Healer, He is our Warrior and Savior

The battle Mom is in, God has permitted me to be of some help, but it places me right in the thick of things as well. When my eyes are on those tremendous walls of water, fearful they could come crashing down on me at any moment, I am paralyzed with fear. When I hear the roar of the chariots behind me, and see the crowd slogging along ahead of me, and I can't get to the other side fast enough, I wear myself out and drag others down. I want Mom to be well. I've prayed for Mom to be well. But right now, this is God's plan, to take us from here to who knows what. I will trust and follow Him into battle.