January's Book - Breakfast With Bonhoeffer

"Breakfast with Bonhoeffer: How I Learned to Stop Being Religious So I Could Follow Jesus", by Jon Walker

Our book study group enjoyed this book very much for its honesty and self-awareness, combined with its immediacy with regard to economic stress and social upheaval for families and individuals.  It contains tantalizing references to Bonhoeffer's writings that spurred a number of us to reread (or read for the first time) Bonhoeffer's classic treatment of "Costly Grace". 

Being predominantly Episcopalian, one or two in our group were slightly uncomfortable with the differences in cultural expectations, world-view and even Christian vocabulary between Walker's evangelical perspective and our group's more mainline church experience.  It is undeniable, however, that he beautifully articulates his faith journey and growing dependency upon God in the face of tremendous pain and seemingly insurmountable problems. 

This is ultimately a highly personal story that transcends denomination and successfully intertwines the wisdom of theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer throughout.  We are thankful for the powerful and hard-won insights that Walker shares in this book, and for the sense of redemption, forgiveness, healing and grace that pervades it.

Questions that we asked ourselves at this discussion were:

• What parts of Jon Walker's struggles do we most identify with?  Least identify with?
• Did reading this book change our perspective on God's care for us, and if so, how?
• What is the Bonhoeffer quote that most resonates with you in this book?
• What does this book have to teach us about living a faith-filled life as we struggle with life's hardships and pain?
• What lesson from this book will you apply to your own life?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Reading like a non-fiction novel with a story both heart-breaking and heart-warming, Walker reveals how God used the writings of Bonhoeffer to push him past the Christ-less beliefs and religious thinking that had come to represent his faith.

While Jon Walker was encountering Bonhoeffer every day as he wrote the books Costly Grace and In Visible Fellowship, he found his world collapsing and his faith faltering. After almost twenty years in ministry, Walker was laid off twice, lost his home and savings, was diagnosed with bipolar II disorder, and then his wife filed for divorce just a few days before their twenty-fourth anniversary.

Bonhoeffer saw the storms of political upheaval and pressure on Christians coming at warp speed, and he called believers to meet it head on by following Jesus, who bids believers to come and die. In BREAKFAST WITH BONHOEFFER, Walker brings to a new generation the timeless teachings of Bonhoeffer, especially the teaching that calls Jesus' followers to break free from the tyranny of popular culture and religious thinking. It also offers hope for those who face loss or have been hurt by the economic downturn."

Review adapted from Leafwood Publishers

 



December's Book - The Hiding Place

"The Hiding Place", by Corrie Ten Boom

This is one of the classic books in Christian literature, because of its powerful witness to compassion and forgiveness. 

Corrie ten Boom was a woman admired the world over for her courage, her forgiveness, and her memorable faith. In World War II, she and her family risked their lives to help Jews escape the Nazis, and their reward was a trip to Hitler's concentration camps. But she survived and was released--as a result of a clerical error--and now shares the story of how faith triumphs over evil.

For thirty-five years Corrie's dramatic life story, full of timeless virtues, has prepared readers to face their own futures with faith, relying on God's love to overcome, heal, and restore. The Hiding Place tells the riveting story of how a middle-aged Dutch watchmaker became a heroine of the Resistance, a survivor of Hitler's death camps, and one of the most remarkable evangelists of the twentieth century.  (Book summary adapted from Amazon.com book review).

We discussed this book on January 6th, and in particular discussed some of the compelling aspects of the book:

• When is it OK to lie? Corrie "lied" in order to save the lives of those whom she was protecting.  Her sister Nollie did not lie, resulting in the arrest of several people, trusting that God would honor her integrity and faith.
• What does this book say about forgiveness?  Does it come from an act of our own will, from the grace of God, or both?  Did Corrie's forgiveness free the man that she forgave, or did it free Corrie?
• Would we have had the courage to do what this family did under these circumstances?  Why or why not?
• What does this book have to say about a radical, minute-by-minute dependence on God?
• What was the blessing in the fleas?  How can we look for the blessing in even the worst of circumstances?
• How was it possible that Corrie's sister, Betsie, when watching a cruel beating, felt sorry for the perpetrator rather than for the victim?

This book was a joy (and a heartbreak) to read or re-read, and we each got something new and valuable out of this amazing story.