glenn packiam's blog

A Widget to Share With Your Friends on "Secondhand Jesus"

Why I Now Read Fiction

I have always been a reader, but I haven't really been much of a fiction reader. At the risk of revealing my snobbery, I must confess that I used to think of fiction as a waste of time. I read for information. I want to learn! Who has time for silly stories?

Over the last few years, I've realized what a fool I've been for ignoring great stories. Here are just a few of the things I'm reminded of when I read good fiction:

The power of storytelling is not just in the story but in the telling. Not all fiction is created equal. Many stories rely on gimmicks and tricks, with more plot twists than a bubble gum blockbuster. No doubt, these stories are entertaining, but they will never be great. They acheive an emotional response by manipulating the reader not be truly letting him enter the story.

Take Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, which I only recently read. There's not much of a plot per se. An old man goes too far out to catch a fish too big and struggles with sharks and fatigue as he tries to make it home. But that's not it. The way Hemingway tells us the story makes us feel the cracking rope burn against our hands, taste the salty breeze on our parched lips, and rise up with the deterimination to conquer age and nature and all the criticisms of society.

Solzhenitsyn's One Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich is, as you would guess a story of one day. Yet, that one day captures so beautifully all the agony and disappointment and hope of living in a Siberian concentration camp-- ordered by the country he had once fought for.

The lesson is simple: how we say something is every bit as important as what we are trying to say. How we do something matters as much as what it is we are trying to accomplish. This foolish pragmatism of having to learn something efficiently or communicate something directly robs us of the joy of life. And God's way of teaching us is usually not as direct as we'd like. Sometimes it takes 40 years of wandering to test our hearts and make us humble.

Every scene matters.  Telling a story well means treating every scene with equal delicacy. Tolstoy in Anna Karenina transports us to elegant parties in Moscow and peasant farms in the countryside with equal deftness. Each scene is described in detail, making them believable and "feel-able".

Good fiction doesn't tell you that the journey matters as much the destination; it shows you why by making you present in every step. Good fiction makes us slow down. Ah, to live that way!

The best characters are people you know.  (Or vice versa) In the movie, Shadowlands, the C.S. Lewis character says that we "read to know that we are not alone." Some people object to reading saying that they choose to live in the "real world" instead or to write their "own stories." But good fiction creates characters that remind you of someone you know and helps you to see them more deeply and more truly.

Our temptation is to turn the people around us into caricatures...to say that Bob is just an accountant, or Susan simply a mom. Or worse, we peg people by one or two traits, ignoring a host of others. Jill is a "neat freak". John is a porn addict. But no one is only those things. Every person is complex. Good fiction makes us see the characters in 3D or HD or both. We see their confidence and the underlying insecurity. We see the noble impulses and their base cravings. We see the imago dei and the carnality of flesh. This is what good characters do: they remind you that every human being is a rich, beautiful mess.

Holding up a mirror is better than breaking a window. The best fiction, though, reminds you of yourself. It makes you come clean about your hidden thoughts or motives. It makes you admit your fears and face your demons. We are not as pure as we imagine. We are not as hopeless as we feel.

The beauty of good fiction is it makes us face ourselves without our being threatened by a confrontation. Think of Nathan the prophet telling David the King that he has sinned against God by sleeping with Bathsheba and murdering an innocent man. It was the power of a story that allowed Nathan to lead David to see his own guilt-- though David didn't know it until Nathan said "You are that man!" Jesus repeatedly used obscure stories that unwittingly made listeners feel a knot in their gut. The pinch of the "Good Samaritan" story wasn't that Jews needed to help the poor; they already did that...and Pharisees were famous for doing so. By making the hero of His story a person that Jews despised-- the Samaritan-- Jesus subversively made them recognize their own prejudice without calling them bigots and hypocrites. (He saved that speech for later!)

A story is subversive. Rather than throwing a brick through a window in anger, a story holds up a mirror and leads to you to the truth. One has to do with confrontation, the other with confession.

Over the last few years, I've seen myself in Tolstoy's Levin (Anna Karenina), Huckleberry Finn, Ryan in Rob Stennett's The Almost True Story of Ryan Fisher, Eustace, Jill, and all four of the Pevensie kids in Narnia. I am like the Hemingway's Old Man who goes out too far and gets more than he can handle; I am like Tobias Wolff's narrator who wrestles with his cultural roots in Old School.

I've still got loads of catching up to do, but with every page I can feel my life getting broader, and slower, and richer, and more honest. And those are all good things.

10 Books You Should Read

Every now and then I revisit my mental list of my ten favorite books of all time. Sometimes, I kick a book out from that list because I no longer feel it deserves that place, indicating that in my life it obviously did not stand the test of time. Other times, something I've recently read has made such an impression on me that I simply have to include it in the list regardless of what other book gets pushed out as a result. All to say, this list changes as I change. So, here is the latest permutation of the 10 Books (I Think) You Should Read (If You Haven't Already).

1. The Bible 

I know this one sounds trite, but it is remarkable how many Christians don't actually read their Bibles. I understand. The Bible can be hard to understand. I recommend getting a great study Bible in a readable translation so you can take advantage of introductory notes to each book, maps, timelines, and notes that help you see principles and application. My favorite is the Life Application Study Bible in the New Living Translation.

2. Mere Christianity 

This might be a little weighty for those accustomed to reading Joel Osteen, but, friends, this is a classic. I can't tell you the number of books that refer back to this one or try to write new versions of it. It is well worth the effort. Read it slowly, have a pen in your hand, and maybe an Oxford dictionary nearby.

3. The Pursuit of God 

Another classic. It's a little book jammed with insight into life with God. It will make you uncomfortable with your walk with God as it currently is. And that's a good thing.

4. The Jesus I Never Knew 

Maybe the best book on the life of Christ ever. Yancey shows more than just good writing; it is incredibly well-researched and holds up the best, most orthodox take on the Gospels. Scholars approve, and common-folk benefit.

5. A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

Some have called this the best book on discipleship. It is a study of the Psalms of Ascent, with incredible insight into the journey of becoming more like Jesus. This is Eugene Peterson at his finest. 

6. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 

I'm not a big fiction reader. But I recently devoured the Chronicles of Narnia and found myself tearing up at the end of this one. Fans will tell you this is one of the two best books of the whole series. For all you non-fiction bookheads-- I used to be like you. This book will single-handedly return the childlike wonder of following Jesus to your heart.

7. The Last Battle

And here is what Lewis fans call the best of the Chronicles. The characters are robust and believable. The imagery of heaven is incredible moving, and Lewis' fanciful imagining of the end of the world will make your heart race for the day when our world is made new. It will make death be a thing not to be feared.

8. Anna Karenina 

This is considered to be one of the greatest novels of all time. The insight into the human soul is breathtaking. You will find yourself lost in the culture of old Russia, dancing at balls, riding horses, farming with peasants. It is an unbelievable ride. And it's long. This took me a good 5 or 6 months to finish, but it was well worth it. A good translation is key, and this one is the best.

9. The Tipping Point 

This is a fascinating read. The stories will keep you on the edge of your seat, and Gladwell's gift for pattern-recognition makes him a delightful guide. The theory is a little simplistic and sweeping, but contains enough truth to be required reading for anyone who ever wants to make a difference or change a culture or set a trend.

10. The World Is Flat 

This is rich with insight and application. Friedman has a gift for absorbing the world in complexity yet communication it with such accessible simplicity. The technical explanation of the history of the internet is at times laborious, and his conclusions can seem repetitive by the time he gets there. But this is a must-read for anyone who wants to think beyond the town he grew up in. It's a wide-angle lens view of the world with real practical actionable ideas for here and now.

And if you've read all these and want to dig into something fresh-- and support a young author (wink, wink)-- then check out this book....I've heard it's pretty decent. 

What I Wish I Had Known About Writing A Book

Hey blog friends...I just wrote a guest post on my good friend Cameron Schaefer's blog. It's about some of the things I wish I had known about writing a book...before writing a book. Check it out at www.schaefersblog.com

Peace.