Happy 2008 to you all! We welcomed in the New Year with Amanda and Chris by dressing up as historical figures and attending the annual Costley New Year's Eve Party. You can undoubtedly figure out that you're looking at a suave William Shakespeare, an "80's chick," and one of the Bard of Avon's literary creations--Titania from A Midsummer Night's Dream. Our wonderful evening was filled with a mega-game of Bunko, a white elephant gift exchange, and engaging and witty conversation with our newfound family members. Needless to say, the evening served as an intriguing and exciting precursor of things to come in the Black-Costley clan.On New Year's Day, Momma June, Cortni, Sabrina, and I traveled over to Sunriver and enjoyed several days of cross-country skiing, snowman construction, reading, rock-wall climbing at Maverick's (the new fitness center at Sunriver), and much more. I think my mom's favorite part of the trip was sitting in front of the beautiful fireplace and watching Cortni best her dad on the
rock wall.On the health front, there's not much new to report with Mom's cancer. She hasn't had a check-in with the oncologist for about three months, so she is due for one in the next week or so. She has been spending much of January traveling between Eugene and Vancouver, with a recent stay at Cannon Beach. She also recently purchased a Wii, so all her kids and grandkids are fighting for more "Grandma Time" as never before! (Mmmm, what's with that?!) My dad is currently in Kauai, having recently completed a dose of chemo and no doubt laying in a lounge chair somewhere soaking in some tropical sunshine. He told me he was REALLY looking forward to getting out of chilly Central Oregon and heading to the islands!
One of my favorite things about having time off in the winter is the time it affords for reading. This Christmas I received about $200 in
combined gift cards from my own family and Bridlemile students, so I had a great time shopping at Powell's, Borders, and other bookstores around town. I'm certain it'll be August before I've ploughed through all of my new reading material.I recently read a book by Walter Wangerin, Jr.--one of my favorite authors (I highly recommend his The Book of the Dun Cow, by the way)--that was entitled Paul. Wangerin is such a great storyteller, and he really has a way of sweeping you into the life and times of the man who brought Christianity to the world. The unique thing about this book is that he tells the epic story of Paul's life through the eyes of the apostle's coworkers and contemporaries. Timothy, Priscilla, Barnabas, Luke, James, and Seneca (the Roman tutor of Nero) all speak in the novel. Aside from the fact it is just a great book, the novel created a thirst to delve into the Book of Acts and the epistles as various episodes occurred in Paul's life. If you're looking to gain an even deeper appreciation for what the early church went through in the first century, this is definitely the book for you! You'll come away with a real sense of the true cost of discipleship and Paul's brutal battle to preserve the simple message of grace through Christ.
Another great discovery I made at the bookstore was Abraham J. Heschel's The Prophets. I've only just gotten my feet wet with this one, but if his introduction and his chapters on Hosea, Isaiah, and Amos are any indication of things to come, I'm really in for some very deep and rewarding stuff. Our pastor at Athey Creek Christian Fellowship has been preaching through the last half of the Old Testament for some time now, so my Bible reading and personal meditation has been right up this alley. Here's just a taste of some of Heschel's work on the prophets:
"Prophetic utterance is rarely cryptic, suspended between God and man; it is urging, alarming, facing onward, as if the words gushed forth from the heart of God, seeking entrance to the heart and mind of man, carrying a summons as well as an involvement." (pg. 7)
"The prophet is human, yet he employs notes one octave too high for our ears. He experiences moments that defy our understanding. He is neither 'a singing saint' nor 'a moralizing poet,' but an assaulter of the mind. Often his words begin to burn where conscience ends." (pg. 12)
