Have you read A Burning in My Bones by Winn Collier? Also, I’m so glad you’re here. I hate what you’ve had to go through, but I see good things coming from it.
I have read A Burning in My Bones by Winn Collier, Sandra. So good!
I never met Eugene Peterson but for seventeen years, a group of women got together weekly at 6 A.M. to read and pray through the Psalms, and Eugene joined us there — in a way. Each week we read a psalm in the NIV, or KJV, or NESV, and then we read the same psalm in The Message, the paraphrase of the Bible written by Peterson. What happened next around that kitchen table was up to the Holy Spirit. It was always unpredictable, surprising, and lively. The room would fill with worship, prayer, singing, meditation, discussion. We wept, laughed, got angry, questioned, rejoiced, and very often one of us would say, “Would you read that section in The Message again, please?” We loved the perspective Eugene Peterson brought to our time in the psalms. His rendering of the psalter gave us great delight and plenty of fodder for deep reflection.
After 17 years of weekly fellowship around a table, Bible at the center, coffee cup in hand at the crack of dawn, we women came to know one another pretty well. I felt like I knew Eugene Peterson, too — his tempo, his imagery, his heart. I mourned deeply when he died in October, 2018. I watched the livestream of his funeral and afterward I reminisced about the early morning coffee, conversations, prayer and scripture we friends had shared for almost two decades. I missed Eugene. And yet, it was a great comfort to know that even though he himself might be gone from us, The Message he wrote for us was still here, still beautiful, still powerful.
I have two Peterson books on my shelf: 1. "Eat This Book" (You might appreciate this bit, Karen: "This world, this reality, revealed by God speaking to us, is not the kind of world to which we are accustomed. It is not a neat and tidy world in which we are in control—there is mystery everywhere that takes considerable getting used to, and until we do it scares us. It is not a predictable, cause-effect world in which we can plan our careers and secure our futures—there is miracle everywhere that upsets us no end, except for the occasions when the miracle is in our favor.") and 2. "A Long Obedience in the Same Direction" ("'How am I going to live in this community of faith?' God's children do different things. Some run away from it and pretend that the family doesn't exist. Some move out and get an apartment on their own from which they return to make occasional visits, nearly always showing up for the parties and bringing a gift to show that they really do hold the others in fond regard. And some would never dream of leaving but cause others to dream it for them, for they are always criticizing what is served at the meals, quarreling with the way the housekeeping is done and complaining that the others in the family are either ignoring or taking advantage of them. And some determine to find out what God has in mind by placing them in this community called a church, learn how to function in it harmoniously and joyously, and develop the maturity that is able to share and exchange God's grace with those who might otherwise be viewed as nuisances." The last part of that passage makes me think fondly of you.)
I think I'd suggest starting with his 5-volume Spiritual Theology (not as daunting as that sounds!). It's the gathered fruit of his decades-long reflections and doesn't only arise from present ministry but from also being able to look back on those years. The first Eugene I ever read is one I'd also heartily recommend, Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration in Vocational Holiness (his subtitles are also and always compelling methinks).
Eugene Peterson's body of work has richly blessed my life and teaching, especially "A Long Obedience in the Same Direction" (on the Psalms of Ascent) and "Eat This Book" (on the necessity of meditation on the Word). I believe several of his book titles are drawn from Hopkins' poems.
I gave my life to Christ as a teenager at a revival meeting during the heart of the Jesus Movement. I had been raised in the church and knew scripture from memory verses and Bible stories, but beyond that, the Bible was an open frontier. Walking out of the church that night, I picked up a free paperback of Good News for Modern Man, and my world exploded. I soon purchased a copy of the the Living Bible’s New Testament called Reach Out, and there was no turning back. That beaten-up, colorfully highlighted, well-loved book still sits on my desk as a reminder of the fire of my first love for Jesus.
I love that you still have that Bible and it sits where you see it often. Did you see the movie Jesus Revolution? We just watched it recently. It was better than I expected it to be. I learned some things and enjoyed it, too.
I enjoyed it! My memories of those days are probably better than they were (nostalgia is a fun ride) but the enduring and simple love for Jesus that was born then is still my safe place. I was introduced to Hopkins much later by Malcolm Guite who has been the chaplain of the old Jesus Freak who lives in my heart. I’m with Eliot these days...
-Your email header has a Norton Anthology "colorscape" and it makes me feel comforted in the way only a good stack of Nortons and a cup of coffee can.
- I, too, have to admit that when it came out, I thought that The Message was silly and maybe a little heretical. I was a very educated Bible college sophomore. I was certain of so many things. It is laughable now. Embarrassing. Years later, the list of things I am certain of is small and very precious. Thank you for the encouragement to keep learning and growing. I just bought A Long Obedience in the Same Direction and my very own copy of The Message. It even felt a little rebellious!
Oh, wow! I can’t believe you mentioned the header (because tomorrow’s newsletter includes a little story about that!). Also, I never made the connection to the Nortons aesthetically. I love that! It makes me warm inside and satisfied. Like there is a groove to the universe and I got in that groove for just a while. :)
Thank you for reading and coming alongside us here. You rebel.
Karen, I love Eugene Peterson. He was a mentor to one of my theology professors. I use "The Message" quite a bit in sermons to clarify various scriptures and often come across terrific sermon titles from Peterson's paraphrases. I'd recommend Peterson's "Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading." My copy has plenty of underlines and pages turned down.
I'm reading a book right now that I heard Russell Moore recommend that he read because Tim Keller recommended it: Paul Elie's _The Life You Save May Be Your Own_. It profiles four Catholic literary figures from the 20th century–Thomas Merton, Walker Percy, Dorothy Day (better known for her social activism), and Flannery O'Connor. Merton *loved* Gerard Manley Hopkins. I would love to read a biography of Hopkins if anyone knows of a good one.
I would also love your insight about why Catholic fiction often seems so much better–more real–than what Protestants write.
About Peterson...I am glad you learned to appreciate him. I have had to repent of so much these past 10 years, and one of those things was my disdain for _The Message_. I set a goal for doing a deep dive into three shorter books of the Bible this year, and I'm only almost finished with 1 Peter. Galatians was on my list, so that book will be a perfect accompaniment!
And Dunning-Kruger...as a therapist, I see this so much with well-meaning Christians who think they know the answer to someone's serious mental health issues because they have a few handy Bible verses in their pockets ("Be anxious for nothing...") or they have read a book by a Christian self-help author. I am still looking for a genuinely helpful book on marriage for Christian couples and have yet to find one that isn't seriously flawed and slanted toward a strictly hierarchical view to solve complex issues. And yes, the more I know, the more I realize how much I don't know. My TBR pile of psychology books (helpful hint: psychology and theology can be friends) is taller than I am.
Thank you for your lovely AND insightful writing, as always, Karen.
I have Elie’s book and have read parts (not cover to cover). It’s a good question about a recommendation of a good biography of Hopkins. I’m going to look and ask around about that. As far as why I Catholics do art better, I spend a great deal of time and my Christian poetics class discussing this. So I could literally teach a class on it. Haha! I think the short answer is the sacramental nature of their faith that spills over into their art. I’d recommend Flannery O’Connor’s Mystery and Manners where she explains her sacramental, anagogical, and incarnational approach to fiction. It’s very instructive!
I have Flannery’s book but haven’t read it yet 🙂. She’s another figure I wouldn’t have appreciated 10 years ago. Praise God for his humbling mercy. I’m finishing up Walker Percy’s _The Second Coming_ now, and before I would have ignorantly burned it!
I’m sure your class was amazing. Maybe you will get to teach it again in another format. Yes, it makes sense about sacramentalism. I’m appreciating so much how God makes sacred the profane. I wish I had understood it earlier in life. There are benefits to aging!
I think Eugene Peterson's works are just like Pope's deep draught. They don't make full sense at first, you have to take the plunge.
After our years at Regent College, where we didn't know him, but felt his impact on others, my husband and I would giggle as we referred to checking the Message version. We'd say, "I wonder what's Pastor Eugene's take on this?"
What are other favorites of Peterson any of you have and why? I need to choose more of him to read.
Have you read A Burning in My Bones by Winn Collier? Also, I’m so glad you’re here. I hate what you’ve had to go through, but I see good things coming from it.
https://www.amazon.com/Burning-Bones-Authorized-Biography-Translator-ebook/dp/B083RZKZSB/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=ND7IWC6NPO8T&keywords=eugene+peterson+biography&qid=1692099938&sprefix=eugene+pete%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-1
I have that one! Still need to read it. Thank you, Sandra. It is good to be here. I’m seeing new, good things, too. 🙏
Sounds like a book club idea :). I have it in my stack, too.
I have read A Burning in My Bones by Winn Collier, Sandra. So good!
I never met Eugene Peterson but for seventeen years, a group of women got together weekly at 6 A.M. to read and pray through the Psalms, and Eugene joined us there — in a way. Each week we read a psalm in the NIV, or KJV, or NESV, and then we read the same psalm in The Message, the paraphrase of the Bible written by Peterson. What happened next around that kitchen table was up to the Holy Spirit. It was always unpredictable, surprising, and lively. The room would fill with worship, prayer, singing, meditation, discussion. We wept, laughed, got angry, questioned, rejoiced, and very often one of us would say, “Would you read that section in The Message again, please?” We loved the perspective Eugene Peterson brought to our time in the psalms. His rendering of the psalter gave us great delight and plenty of fodder for deep reflection.
After 17 years of weekly fellowship around a table, Bible at the center, coffee cup in hand at the crack of dawn, we women came to know one another pretty well. I felt like I knew Eugene Peterson, too — his tempo, his imagery, his heart. I mourned deeply when he died in October, 2018. I watched the livestream of his funeral and afterward I reminisced about the early morning coffee, conversations, prayer and scripture we friends had shared for almost two decades. I missed Eugene. And yet, it was a great comfort to know that even though he himself might be gone from us, The Message he wrote for us was still here, still beautiful, still powerful.
I love this! 17 years… Wow!
This is rich and amazing. I agree with Sandra: 17 years! Wow. This kind of practice seems powerful and fruitful.
I have two Peterson books on my shelf: 1. "Eat This Book" (You might appreciate this bit, Karen: "This world, this reality, revealed by God speaking to us, is not the kind of world to which we are accustomed. It is not a neat and tidy world in which we are in control—there is mystery everywhere that takes considerable getting used to, and until we do it scares us. It is not a predictable, cause-effect world in which we can plan our careers and secure our futures—there is miracle everywhere that upsets us no end, except for the occasions when the miracle is in our favor.") and 2. "A Long Obedience in the Same Direction" ("'How am I going to live in this community of faith?' God's children do different things. Some run away from it and pretend that the family doesn't exist. Some move out and get an apartment on their own from which they return to make occasional visits, nearly always showing up for the parties and bringing a gift to show that they really do hold the others in fond regard. And some would never dream of leaving but cause others to dream it for them, for they are always criticizing what is served at the meals, quarreling with the way the housekeeping is done and complaining that the others in the family are either ignoring or taking advantage of them. And some determine to find out what God has in mind by placing them in this community called a church, learn how to function in it harmoniously and joyously, and develop the maturity that is able to share and exchange God's grace with those who might otherwise be viewed as nuisances." The last part of that passage makes me think fondly of you.)
Oh, Jeff. This means so much. Those last words! (And the recommendations, too! Adding those to my list.)
Thank you so much for joining in here. I’m so grateful for this space. And for you.
I think I'd suggest starting with his 5-volume Spiritual Theology (not as daunting as that sounds!). It's the gathered fruit of his decades-long reflections and doesn't only arise from present ministry but from also being able to look back on those years. The first Eugene I ever read is one I'd also heartily recommend, Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration in Vocational Holiness (his subtitles are also and always compelling methinks).
Eugene Peterson's body of work has richly blessed my life and teaching, especially "A Long Obedience in the Same Direction" (on the Psalms of Ascent) and "Eat This Book" (on the necessity of meditation on the Word). I believe several of his book titles are drawn from Hopkins' poems.
I haven’t read either of those but I hear them mentioned often. I would love others’ favorites!
I gave my life to Christ as a teenager at a revival meeting during the heart of the Jesus Movement. I had been raised in the church and knew scripture from memory verses and Bible stories, but beyond that, the Bible was an open frontier. Walking out of the church that night, I picked up a free paperback of Good News for Modern Man, and my world exploded. I soon purchased a copy of the the Living Bible’s New Testament called Reach Out, and there was no turning back. That beaten-up, colorfully highlighted, well-loved book still sits on my desk as a reminder of the fire of my first love for Jesus.
I love that you still have that Bible and it sits where you see it often. Did you see the movie Jesus Revolution? We just watched it recently. It was better than I expected it to be. I learned some things and enjoyed it, too.
I enjoyed it! My memories of those days are probably better than they were (nostalgia is a fun ride) but the enduring and simple love for Jesus that was born then is still my safe place. I was introduced to Hopkins much later by Malcolm Guite who has been the chaplain of the old Jesus Freak who lives in my heart. I’m with Eliot these days...
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Two things:
-Your email header has a Norton Anthology "colorscape" and it makes me feel comforted in the way only a good stack of Nortons and a cup of coffee can.
- I, too, have to admit that when it came out, I thought that The Message was silly and maybe a little heretical. I was a very educated Bible college sophomore. I was certain of so many things. It is laughable now. Embarrassing. Years later, the list of things I am certain of is small and very precious. Thank you for the encouragement to keep learning and growing. I just bought A Long Obedience in the Same Direction and my very own copy of The Message. It even felt a little rebellious!
Oh, wow! I can’t believe you mentioned the header (because tomorrow’s newsletter includes a little story about that!). Also, I never made the connection to the Nortons aesthetically. I love that! It makes me warm inside and satisfied. Like there is a groove to the universe and I got in that groove for just a while. :)
Thank you for reading and coming alongside us here. You rebel.
Karen, I love Eugene Peterson. He was a mentor to one of my theology professors. I use "The Message" quite a bit in sermons to clarify various scriptures and often come across terrific sermon titles from Peterson's paraphrases. I'd recommend Peterson's "Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading." My copy has plenty of underlines and pages turned down.
Thank you, Terri! That is the one title that keeps coming up. It’s been on my list for a long time. I’m going to order it!
Thanks for joining me here! 💛
Thank you for the truth, beauty and goodness you bring into the world.
Thank you so much for being a part! 💛💛💛
I'm reading a book right now that I heard Russell Moore recommend that he read because Tim Keller recommended it: Paul Elie's _The Life You Save May Be Your Own_. It profiles four Catholic literary figures from the 20th century–Thomas Merton, Walker Percy, Dorothy Day (better known for her social activism), and Flannery O'Connor. Merton *loved* Gerard Manley Hopkins. I would love to read a biography of Hopkins if anyone knows of a good one.
I would also love your insight about why Catholic fiction often seems so much better–more real–than what Protestants write.
About Peterson...I am glad you learned to appreciate him. I have had to repent of so much these past 10 years, and one of those things was my disdain for _The Message_. I set a goal for doing a deep dive into three shorter books of the Bible this year, and I'm only almost finished with 1 Peter. Galatians was on my list, so that book will be a perfect accompaniment!
And Dunning-Kruger...as a therapist, I see this so much with well-meaning Christians who think they know the answer to someone's serious mental health issues because they have a few handy Bible verses in their pockets ("Be anxious for nothing...") or they have read a book by a Christian self-help author. I am still looking for a genuinely helpful book on marriage for Christian couples and have yet to find one that isn't seriously flawed and slanted toward a strictly hierarchical view to solve complex issues. And yes, the more I know, the more I realize how much I don't know. My TBR pile of psychology books (helpful hint: psychology and theology can be friends) is taller than I am.
Thank you for your lovely AND insightful writing, as always, Karen.
I have Elie’s book and have read parts (not cover to cover). It’s a good question about a recommendation of a good biography of Hopkins. I’m going to look and ask around about that. As far as why I Catholics do art better, I spend a great deal of time and my Christian poetics class discussing this. So I could literally teach a class on it. Haha! I think the short answer is the sacramental nature of their faith that spills over into their art. I’d recommend Flannery O’Connor’s Mystery and Manners where she explains her sacramental, anagogical, and incarnational approach to fiction. It’s very instructive!
I have Flannery’s book but haven’t read it yet 🙂. She’s another figure I wouldn’t have appreciated 10 years ago. Praise God for his humbling mercy. I’m finishing up Walker Percy’s _The Second Coming_ now, and before I would have ignorantly burned it!
I’m sure your class was amazing. Maybe you will get to teach it again in another format. Yes, it makes sense about sacramentalism. I’m appreciating so much how God makes sacred the profane. I wish I had understood it earlier in life. There are benefits to aging!
Indeed! So grateful for that. And you must read MM!
I think Eugene Peterson's works are just like Pope's deep draught. They don't make full sense at first, you have to take the plunge.
After our years at Regent College, where we didn't know him, but felt his impact on others, my husband and I would giggle as we referred to checking the Message version. We'd say, "I wonder what's Pastor Eugene's take on this?"
I love this connection you make to Pope. And to the need to plunge in in order to begin to understand and appreciate!
Regent is such a lovely, beautiful place. I have not been in many places like it. What a legacy Peterson leaves in so many ways.
I too have the children’s living Bible, as well as many others I’ve “loved to pieces”.
Grateful for each of these gifts, of the Word.
Amen.