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The latest, but hopefully not the last, of the Oak Grove Conspiracies series

23 Wednesday May 2018

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As Micheal Corleone said, in The Godfather: Part III, “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!”

In The Prince Madoc Secret, book three of the Oak Grove Conspiracies series by Barrie Doyle, just as journalist Stone Wallace and the historian father-daughter team of Huw and Mandy Griffiths think they’ve rid themselves and the world of the Druids, they discover otherwise.

Two deaths set the stage for the rest of the book’s events: the successful assassination of a key political figure in Wyoming and an unsuccessful attempt on Wallace in London, England. And, while seeming unrelated, Wallace and the Griffiths are offered an assignment from the BBC to produce a documentary about a long-forgotten Welsh royal, Prince Madoc. Research into the prince, who supposedly discovered America before Christopher Columbus, leads the trio to discover a Druid plot behind Prince Madoc’s disappearance and their current circumstances.

Author Barrie Doyle has the ability to surprise the reader with unexpected twists and turns.

As with each of the books in the Oak Grove Conspiracies, once the Druids are involved, danger, seen and unseen, abounds. Doyle is one of the best action adventure writers there is. I agree with the the reviewer compared him favorably to Tom Clancy (creator of the Jack Ryan stories): Doyle has the ability to draw a reader into the plot, cheer for the heroes and hiss at the villains. He has the ability to surprise the reader with unexpected twists and turns. As cliched as it may sound, The Prince Madoc Secret is a page-turning, keep-you-up-at-night novel that you just have to keep reading until you’re finished.

The Prince Madoc Secret can be read as a stand-alone adventure, but it really helps to have read the other books in the series: The Excalibur Parchment and The Lucifer Scroll. The background of the previous Druid plots isn’t essential because Doyle fills in gaps, but if you enjoyed The Prince Madoc Secret, you’ll want to find out what happened before.

When I interviewed Doyle at the release of The Excalibur Parchment, he said he planned on a trilogy. With this third book, and a few cryptic curves thrown in, I’m hoping for a fourth installment…and maybe even more. As a fan, I say let the Oak Grove Conspiracies adventures continue.

Hope on the “Road to Dawn”

26 Thursday Apr 2018

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Growing up about 30 minutes from Dresden, Ont., visiting the Uncle Tom’s Cabin historic site in high school, and reading a long-lost copy of The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, as Narrated by Himself, I thought I had a good grasp on the story of this former slave and, as the subtitle states, “the story that sparked the Civil War.”

Then I read The Road to Dawn by Jared A. Brock where I discovered there was more to Henson’s story than I’d grew up believing.

Brock’s interest in Henson began when he bought his wife a book she said she’d wanted to read: Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

“She read it, and was moved by it, and I decided to do a little more research…I was surprised to discover that her novel was based on the life of a real man named Josiah Henson,” writes Brock, who made his own visit to Henson’s Canadian home. He also began extensively researching Henson’s life. (A side note: Brock and co-author Aaron Alford shared a precis of Henson’s story in the book Bearded Gospel Men.)

I discovered there was more to Josiah Henson’s story than I grew up believing

Brock starts with the well-known story of Henson, who grew up as a slave in Maryland and, due to a natural intelligence, became a trusted overseer for his master, Isaac Riley. This trust led to Henson being chosen to lead a group of slaves to the plantation of Riley’s brother in Kentucky.Yet, for all this trust and goodwill, Henson is mistreated and cheated. When he finds out his new master plans sell Henson’s family separately, he decides to escape to Canada and freedom.

Throughout Henson’s story, Brock doesn’t shy away from describing the brutality of slavery and notes how even those who showed kindness to their slaves still found their compassion restricted by an oppressive and pervasive system. After Henson arrives in Canada, Brock shows how Henson’s trusting nature is frequently taken advantage of as he tries to establish a self-supporting community for escaped slaves.

This is where I discovered more about Henson’s life. At the Dawn settlement, the community near Dresden he founded (and is buried), Henson endures the self-serving machinations of (sometimes) well-meaning abolitionists and an onslaught of attacks by fellow escapees who disagreed with his methods. Brock shows that, along with his tendency to be to trusting, much of Henson’s problems came from his lack of a formal education and financial acumen, which weren’t uncommon for slaves. What I found surprising were the unfounded accusations that Henson was profiting from both the Dawn settlement and the separate British-American Institute (BAI) training school.

While packed with facts about Henson, slavery, pre-Civil War American society, pre- and post-Confederation Canada, The Road to Dawn reads like a novel, not history book. The style keeps the reader engaged and wanting more, and his footnotes provide a good trail of books and documents about these topics for further reading. I only wish, especially when trying to follow the trail of the trials around Dawn and the BAI, there was a list of key players available for reference.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin sounded a call against slavery that led to the Civil War. In The Road to Dawn, Brock provides a clarion call to remedy the effects of racism and slavery that exist 135 years after Henson’s death. He calls for, among a list of items, a change in name of the Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic site to the Josiah Henson National Historic Site, a National Underground Railway Museum and financial reparations by Canada, Britain and the United States.

One point Brock made, “we have yet to see a person of color adorn our currency,” has been fulfilled with the 2018 release of the $10 bill featuring Nova Scotia civil rights pioneer Viola Desmond. Perhaps there still is hope on The Road to Dawn.

“The Watched” – a refreshing take on traditional fantasy themes

22 Wednesday Feb 2017

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Charles Dickens. Arthur Conan Doyle. Murray Pura. Lisa Hall-Wilson.

This is a short list of authors who began novels as a serialization. For Lisa Hall-Wilson publishing her novel The Watched as an on-line serial was a matter of reclaiming a work she felt strongly about, but couldn’t find a home among traditional publishers. To paraphrase Larry Norman’s famous line, her novel was too worldly for Christians and too Christian for the world.

In The Watched Hall-Wilson creates a fantasy world in which good and evil are personified and belief in a omnipotent, omnipresent and all-loving God had been reduced to a small handful of faithful followers. Complete with its own language (for which she has thoughtfully included a glossary), the novel tells the story of Edric and his task to save Aralyn, whose gift of prophecy marks her as her race’s last hope.

From the first paragraph the reader is immediately transported into Hall-Wilson’s world and is riveted by the events which unfolds.

I’ve been a sci-fi/fantasy reader since my teens and The Watched was a refreshing take on an old theme. The world Hall-Wilson creates is as real as C.S. Lewis’s Narnia, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth or Stephen R. Donaldson’s The Land. From the first paragraph the reader is immediately transported into Hall-Wilson’s world and is riveted by the events which unfolds.

Into this world Hall-Wilson places characters the reader soon identifies with and cares about: Edric, the doubting protector; Aralyn the young prophetess who’s looking for love; and Barric, her father who is wracked with guilt. Each must overcome their own faults and failings as they strive to reach their homeland while staving off a relentless enemy.

The serialized format of The Watched over the space of three-plus months, led to short chapters (at a guess, averaging between 700 to 1,000 words per installment). This led to the novel’s one weakness: truncated narrative and character development questions. Either a longer serialization or longer chapters would have allowed Hall-Wilson: 1) to further build the novel’s universe by creating fuller word pictures; and 2) more fully develop the characters by adding more backstory. Hopefully this will be taken care of in subsequent sequel(s).

Cudos to Lisa Hall-Wilson for persevering and finding a way to get The Watched into the hands of readers. The result is well-worth reading.

Clarification: Lisa Hall-Wilson sent the following to me via Facebook: “I didn’t create the ‘old language’ used in the book. I took a class in etymology in university and studied Old English (pre 1066) so that’s the language I use.” My apologies and thank you for the clarification.

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For more information about Lisa Hall-Wilson and The Watched check: http://lisahallwilson.com

To listen to an Art Connection interview where Lisa Hall-Wilson talks about The Watched check: http://artsconnection.ca/content/arts-connection-monday-october-3-2016-lisa-hall-wilson-new-e-novel-watched

Two new books to get your year started right

13 Friday Jan 2017

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Two books crossed my desk last year I thought would make great start to 2017.

As The Ink Flows: Devotions to Inspire Christian Writers & Speakers is a compilation by five writers who connected with each other through The Word Guild: Glenda Dekkema, Melony Teague, Carol Ford, Claudia Loopstra and Marguerite Cummings.

A finely crafted book, As the Ink Flows comprises 90 devotions which touch on every aspect of a writer’s or speaker’s life in a variety of categories: The Craft (with the most devotions), Inspiration, Know Yourself, Well-Being, Personalities and Faithfulness.

Each devotion follows the traditional format: scripture, devotional, prayer. Then As the Ink Flows adds a unique twist: at least two writing prompts. Instead of just giving the reader something to think about, it encourages them write about what they read. Not only do they read the word, they’re given ways to act upon it.

The book works for both experienced and new writers/speakers. For veterans, some of devotions (including the prompts) will be a reminder and refresher of lessons learned long ago. For newer writers the book will help them grow in their craft, identity and calling as a writer.

Two books crossed my desk last year I thought would make great start to 2017

Elma Schemenauer’s YesterCanada: Historical Tales of Mystery and Adventure will get you in the mood to celebrate Canada’s sesquicentennial.

I’m a Canadian history buff and expected to have read most of the stories in this book. I was surprised to find there were probably less than half a dozen stories that I’d read before. The majority of the 30 tales were tidbits of Canadian history I wasn’t aware of and I thoroughly enjoyed reading them.

The stories are quick reads but packed with a lot of information. If there was one shortcoming to YesterCanada it’s the shifting of viewpoints from one story to the next. Some were written from a first-person perspective, others from a third-person perspective. I found the switching back and forth somewhat off-putting and, at times, confusing. I would have preferred if Schemenauer had chosen one point-of-view and stuck with it.

That said, YesterCanada is well worth reading to find out more about this great land of ours that turns 150 this year.

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For more information on As the Ink Flows check http://www.sperlingschurchsupply.com/product_info.php?cPath=2_88&products_id=4247

To listen to an Arts Connection interview with As the Ink Flows contributor Melony Teague, check: http://artsconnection.ca/content/arts-connection-monday-december-26-2016-melony-teague-ink-flows-devotional

For more information on Elma Schemenauer and YesterCanada check http://elmams.wixsite.com/elma/books-ive-written

To listen to an Arts Connection interview with Elma Schemenauer check http://artsconnection.ca/content/arts-connection-monday-january-2-2017-elma-schemenauer-yestercanada-historical-tales-mystery

Young artist chronicles a decade of work

30 Wednesday Nov 2016

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josh-tiessen-a-decade-of-inspiration-coverArtist Josh Tiessen has packed more into his 21 years than some of us have packed into two, three or four times as many.

The Stoney Creek, Ontario resident was born in Russia to missionary parents, moved to Canada and has traveled internationally.

He began creating art as a pre-schooler under the tutelage of his Russian nanny. After moving to Canada, Tiessen, mentored by a retired wildlife and pet portrait artist, created his first significant wildlife work at 10: a chalk portrait of Aslan from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. A year later, “Aslan” and other works were displayed the Artway on Two in Burlington’s Joseph Brant Hospital.

Tiessen how has a decade of exhibitions under his belt, along with a number of national and international accolades: at 15 he was mentored by esteemed Canadian wildlife artist Robert Bateman in a Master Artist Seminar, at 17 he was the youngest person juried into the International Guild of Realism (IGOR) and at 19 received IGOR’s “Creative Achievement Award.” With these accomplishments and a number of requests from friends and fans, Tiessen has put together and published his first monograph: Josh Tiessen: A Decade of Inspiration.

Josh Tiessen hopes people looking at his art will feel the sense of ‘wonder and awesomeness’ that is in the natural world all around us

About half of the book is an intimate and detailed biography which includes family photos, samples of his early work (including “Aslan”) and photos of Tiessen working at his craft or out in public. While someone might think this would be self-indulgent for a 21 year old, in Tiessens case it isn’t. I’ve had the chance to interview Tiessen on a number of occasions and reading through the book found myself learning even more about his life than I had in the interviews. By the time you’re finished reading these chapters, you find yourself amazed by a competent, intelligent and professional young artist.

The second half of the book chronicles Tiessen’s art from some of his early still life images, beginning wildlife paintings (his specialty) to his latest works which combine realism, fantasy and metaphor. Tiessen accompanies each image with a note about it’s development and, in many cases, the spiritual meaning that can be drawn from it. As he states at one point in the biography:

“Although Josh’s art is not necessarily religious in subject matter, he tries to illustrate the beauty and diversity of creation and the image of God in human creativity. He sees his artistic ability as a gift from God. As a contemporary artist in the 21st century, he would like to be a positive and uplifting presence in the art world. Josh says that he hopes people looking at his art will feel the sense of ‘wonder and awesomeness’ that is in the natural world all around us.

As he begins each painting Josh prays, asking God to work through the process. As a result, just like the little penguin family, metaphorical and spiritual meaning seem to be infused into his paintings and people often comment on the analogies they draw from them.”

While I only had a chance to view an electronic version of Josh Tiessen: A Decade of Excellence, I can only imagine what the print product will look like. I’ve watched, through social media and his e-mail newsletters, the progress of some of Josh’s works. This monograph is a fitting tribute to the life of a young artist who has just begun a lifelong journey.

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For more about Josh Tiessen and A Decade of Excellence go to http://www.joshtiessen.com/

To listen to the latest Arts Connection interview with Josh Tiessen, go to http://tinyurl.com/hyjcmez

 

 

The Honour Drum: a children’s book with a grown-up message

24 Thursday Nov 2016

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the-honour-drum-cover-tn-jspIn the first two books of the Compassion Series, author Tim Huff looked at homelessness and the disabled. The third book in the series, The Honour Drum, explores Indigenous peoples’ issues and was co-authored with speaker, teacher and singer/songwriter Cheryl Bear.

The pairing of Huff and Bear is neither inconsequential nor accidental. In the introduction they write of their shared values of home, the Creator’s goodness and Canada’s beauty and diversity, but note that:

“The history of our lineages surely tells a different story. The sacred bloodline of an Indigenous woman from Canada’s west coast and the branches of a Toronto-born Anglo-Canadian man’s family tree cross at complex intersections. Canada at-large knows this uneasy kind of reality from east to west, north to south, only too well.”

Out of these shared values and complex intersections, though, comes a beautiful book that uses images, story, commentary and discussion questions to, as the subtitle states, share “the beauty of Canada’s Indigenous People with Children, Families and Classrooms.”

The Honour Drum hits shelves at a critical time in the relationship between Canada’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

The Honour Drum hits shelves at a critical time in the relationship between Canada’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Events over the past few years – the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the establishment of the inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and a renewed focus, thanks in part to Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip, on the residential school abuse and runaways issues – have brought the themes presented in The Honour Drum to the forefront of Canadians’ minds.

While classified and promoted as a children’s book, The Honour Drum reaches people of all ages. As Bear and Huff explain in a note to parents and teachers, the book can be approached on a number of levels. An initial reading of the rhyming stanza, accompanied by Huff’s inspired illustrations, introduces the book’s content and themes.

An understanding of the book’s themes is enhanced by the discussion guide and questions which provide depth and context to each stanza. For example, in the discussion guide accompanying the stanza “Pow Wow is a time to gather and meet/To sing and remember, to dance and to eat” readers discover that pow wows are “a time for the communities to gather, sing, dance, socialize and honour and celebrate their cultures.” Discussion questions ask readers What kind of “all are welcome” celebrations they’ve been to.

The Honour Drum is an important and integral book for those Canadians grappling with the issues it raises. As Christians it’s even more important because past actions of those associated with the church have been the source of some of the hurt that needs healing. As I read The Honour Drum and thought about the themes it raised, I became more and more convinced of God’s hand in its collaboration and timing.

Everyone, whether they have children or not, needs to read, study and meditate on The Honour Drum with this question in mind: what is God calling me to do?

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For more information about The Honour Drum go to http://tinyurl.com/zvcor7g

“A Secret Music” – a tale of music, mental illness to become a classic

02 Wednesday Nov 2016

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a-secret-music-cover-515uybx3xl-_sx331_bo1204203200_“Lawrence Nolan decided to become a famous pianist on a bright cold Saturday in March when his fingers ached with pain. He was about to turn six.”

These two sentences, which open Susan Doherty Hannaford’s award-winning novel A Secret Music, takes the reader on a journey with Lawrence as he tries to cope with the pressures of music competitions while staying silent about his personal circumstances.

Set in 1930s Montreal, A Secret Music melds two of Doherty Hannaford’s interests – music and de-stigmatizing mental illness – into a cohesive whole. A musician herself, Doherty Hannaford has also served as a board member of the Royal Conservatory of Music. And, according to a May 9, 2015 Montreal Gazette feature, Doherty Hannaford discovered, while researching the novel, many of the great European composers, “suffered from various aspects of lifelong mental disorders — depression, mania, OCD, even schizophrenia.” (http://tinyurl.com/zjjz7rf)

A Secret Music, transports the reader to a Depression-era Montreal complete with its ethnic and linguistic enclaves.

The book introduces use to Lawrence, a child prodigy, whose music-teacher mother honed his natural gifts. Two key factors see Lawrence introduced to other teachers and, eventually, a prestigious music school. The first, and primary one, is his mother’s illness which, today, would be diagnosed as post-partum depression but is called, at the time, “flattened anxiety.” The second is her recognition her recognition that Lawrence’s talent exceeds her ability to continue to teach him.

For Lawrence, though, the music becomes the doorway to his mother’s attention as she battles with mental illness, often staying in bed for days at a time, neglecting Lawrence and his brother and sister. Other times, music becomes the only solace he has in a private world that seems to be falling apart.

Beautifully written, A Secret Music, transports the reader to a Depression-era Montreal complete with its ethnic and linguistic enclaves. The reader can become invested and involved so deeply in the lives of the characters that when a tragedy hits the Nolan family, the reader will feel just as devastated.

A Secret Music was this year’s winner of Grace Irwin Prize—Canada’s largest literary prize for writers who are Christian – an honour it more than deserves. The book’s intricate plot, more-than-realistic characters and timely message of a better understanding for mental illness will make it a classic.

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To listen to an Arts Connection interview with Susan Doherty check: http://artsconnection.ca/content/arts-connection-monday-september-5-2016-susan-doherty-secret-music-grace-irwin-prize

For more information on A Secret Music or the author: http://susandohertyhannaford.com/

Enjoy colouring again while taking a fresh look at your relationship with God

04 Tuesday Oct 2016

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restore-my-soul-coverThe thought of taking markers, pencil crayons or crayons and colouring a picture manifested flashbacks of elementary school report cards: “Robert must learn to colour within the lines.”

I quickly learned, however, that Restore My Soul: a coloring book Devotional Journey is more about colouring as a spiritual exercise than it is about staying within the lines.

Restore My Soul combines two passions of its creator, Montreal author – and now illustrator – Ann-Margret Hovsepian. In 2006, Hovsepian was part of the team, as editor and conceptual designer, that created Blossom: The Complete New Testament for Girls Biblezine. The success of that project led to three devotionals for teenage girls: The One Year Designer Genes Devo, Truth & Dare: One Year of Dynamic Devotions for Girls and Truth, Dare, Double Dare: Another Year of Dynamic Devotions for Girls.

In the meantime, Hovsepian continued to doodle, something she began as a child and writes about in the introduction to Restore My Soul: “When I didn’t have my nose shoved into a book, I drew and doodled and lettered and colored,” She stopped drawing, unless it was for a school assignment or when she was bored. “I still didn’t take art seriously until I started sharing my occasional doodles with friends, who responded with enthusiasm.”

I created Restore My Soul not only to encourage you to fearlessly enjoy coloring again but also to invite you to take a fresh look at your relationship with God… (Ann-Margret Hovsepian)

Those friends, she writes in her blog, “encouraged (me) to get serious about doodling – one of my many hobbies.” But she didn’t want to create just another colouring book. The idea of pairing a devotional with an illustration, and making the act of colouring a spiritual exercise, caught the attention of Tyndale House Publishers.

“I created Restore My Soul not only to encourage you to fearlessly enjoy coloring again but also to invite you to take a fresh look at your relationship with God – or consider the possibility of a relationship if you don’t already know Him personally,” she writes. “My desire is for your soul to be restored as you draw near to Him through the Bible verses, the meditations, the prayer prompts, and, of course, the quiet times you will spend working on the coloring pages.”restore-my-soul-compass

Hovsepian’s drawings range from pictoral depictions, such as the compass on the right (which was the first drawing I coloured). to abstracts. There’s something for everyone, both in the devotional messages and prompts and in the illustrations.

What’s attractive about Restore My Soul is that you don’t have to start at the beginning and work your way to the end. Each devotional and illustration pairing stands on their own, allowing the reader to choose a topic or picture depending on their own spiritual needs.

One piece of advice Hovsepian does offer is: “read the devotional before colouring.” The scripture verse(s), devotional and prompts will provide you with enough spiritual fodder to chew on while colouring. And what’s interesting is, if you’re anything like me, it may take more than one colouring session to complete the drawing. And you may find yourself meditating on an element of the devotional completely different than you did the first time.

As for colouring outside the lines? I don’t worry about it as much any more.

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For more about Ann-Margret Hovsepian check http://www.annhovsepian.com/

Listen to an Arts Connection interview with Ann-Margret Hovsepian on Monday, October 10 at 9 p.m. ET on 94.3 Faith FM or the simultaneous webcast at http://www.faithfm.org

“The Lucifer Scroll” a a tale of intrigue with temporal and spiritual battles that transcend time

16 Thursday Jun 2016

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Lucifer Scroll - coverWhat do you get when you throw together an investigative reporter, a university professor, a historian, Druids, Nazis, a host of alphabet agencies like the CIA and an ancient sacred artifact?

The Lucifer Scroll – the second book in Midland, Ontario author Barrie Doyle’s The Oak Grove Conspiracies. Doyle’s sequel to The Excalibur Parchment, literally starts with a bang when protagonist Stone Wallace becomes the subject of an assassination attempt.

The suspense continues as readers are taken to Istanbul where historian and archeologist Huw Griffiths, searching through the rubble of a long-forgotten church, discovers clues that may lead to the discovery of the Holy Lance, the spear that pierced Jesus Christ’s side.

Griffiths’ daughter, history professor Myfanwy (Mandy) – who gains an assistant that she doesn’t want – and the two men are drawn into an adventure of intrigue that leads them, individually and together, to Niagara Falls, Georgian Bay, New Mexico, England, Austria and Wales. Along with their allies, the trio find themselves pitted against modern-day Druids and, at one point, Nazis, dodging the real and spiritual weapons aimed at them in the race to find the scroll that will lead to the lance.

Barrie Doyle creates a story where evil is evil, good is good and you have finish the book to find out which wins

I’ve been reading a lot of mystery and suspense novels lately and The Lucifer Scroll was one of the most readable of the bunch (second only to a couple of Ian Rankin novels). The Lucifer Scroll begins with an explosive opening and the action doesn’t let up until the end. Even when Lord Greyfell and his wife, Nees, are brought in to explain the spiritual danger of the Druids, Doyle imbues the expositional material with an urgency reminiscent of Frank Peretti’s This Present Darkness.

Like most books in a series, it may help if you’ve read The Excalibur Parchment, especially as it relates to the relationships between Huw and Mandy Griffiths and Stone Wallace. But there’s enough backstory in The Lucifer Scroll that it can be read as a stand-alone book.

What Doyle has excelled at is crafting a tale of intrigue that incorporates temporal and spiritual battles that seem to transcend time. He creates a story where evil is evil, good is good and you have to read to the end of the book to find out whether good or evil wins – even if it means you end up staying up until the wee hours of the night to find out.

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To find out more about Barrie Doyle and The Lucifer Scroll head to http://barriedoyle.com/

To listen to an Arts Connection interview that explores the writing of The Lucifer Scroll head to http://artsconnection.ca/content/arts-connection-monday-june-6-2016-barrie-doyle-lucifer-scroll-book

Thin tome on preaching has much to say to artists

12 Thursday May 2016

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Telling the Truth - coverA number of my writer friends have been fans of, or influenced by, the works of Frederick Buechner, an American writer, theologian and Presbyterian minister who has published more than 30 books. I’d yet to dive into Buechner but had him on my someday-read list.

A recent conversation with storyteller Brad Woods prompted me to shift Buechner to my to-read list. Brad and I were talking about a new play I’d been working on and he suggested a read through Telling the Truth: the Gospel as tragedy, comedy and fairy tale would be helpful.

Written to aid preachers, Telling the Truth shows how the gospels “record the tragedy of human failure, the comedy of being loved overwhelmingly by God despite that failure, and the fairy tale of transformation through that love” (from the book’s front cover flap).”

The more I read, the more I realized Telling the Truth had as much to say to me, as a writer, as it did a preacher. The used copy I bought from amazon.com was already marked in black, so I used a red pen to highlight what struck me as significant, like:

“But to preach the Gospel is not just to tell the truth but to tell the truth in love, and to tell the truth in love means to tell it with concern not only for the truth that is being told but with concern also for the people it is being told to…The preacher must always try to feel what it is like to live inside the skins of the people who he is preaching to, to hear the truth as they hear it.”

Let (the artist) use (art) which (does) not only try to give answers to the questions that we ask…but which help us to hear the questions that we do not have the words for asking…

The further into the book I delved, the more convinced I became that Buechner’s observations applied to all art forms. Writers, painters, sculptors, playwrights, actors, filmmakers, photographers, storytellers, singer/songwriters, etc. all want to share the truth of God’s love as found in the Gospel. Color, palette, imagery, metaphor, simile, realism, character, setting, etc. are the tools used to portray the truth that so many seek. Rephrasing Buechner, we can read:

“Let (the artist) use (art) which (does) not only try to give answers to the questions that we ask or ought to ask but which help us to hear the questions that we do not have the words for asking and to hear the silence that those questions rise out of and the silence that is the answer to those questions. Drawing on nothing fancier than the (art) of (the artist’s) own life, let (the artist) use (art) that help make the surface of our lives transparent to the truth that lies deep within them, which is the wordless truth of who we are and who God is and the Gospel of our meeting.”

Anyone who has read Buechner knows his books aren’t an easy read. I know I’ll find myself returning to Telling the Truth to try to glean a little more from his words. Until then, I take the book’s last paragraph as both a challenge and an encouragement:

“Let the preacher tell the truth. Let him make audible the silence of the news of the world with the sound turned off so that in that silence we can hear the tragic truth of the Gospel, which is that the world where God is absent is a dark and echoing emptiness; and the comic truth of the Gospel, which is that it is into the depths of his absence that God makes himself present in such unlikely ways and to such unlikely people that old Sarah and Abraham and maybe when the time comes even Pilate and Job and Lear and Henry Ward Beecher and you and I laugh till the tears run down our cheeks. And finally let him preach this overwhelming of tragedy by comedy, of darkness by light, of the ordinary by the extraordinary, as the tale that is too good not to be true because to dismiss it as untrue is to dismiss along with it that catch of the breath, that beat and lifting of the heart near to or even accompanied by tears, which I believe is the deepest intuition of truth that we have.”