Genogram from The Tattooist of Auschwitz

I quickly find myself muddled in books where the author introduces family relationships. Often the reader is required to hold aspects of the family structure in their head as they continue reading through the book. The Tattooist of Auschwitz includes a family grouping.


I prepared this genogram to understand the main character's (Lale) family structure. I hope you find it helpful.





And,



There is a full review of the book linked.


Shalom,
Ozhamada #readAustralian

Review of Hitchhiking for Ugly People, and other life experiences by Peter FitzSimons

There is one thing that I adore about short story compilations of a single authors' works. The short story compilations should be compulsory reading before embarking upon the reading of a full book of the author. It’s that a good selection of short stories gives you insight into the author’s active mind. You see, where the full books are the masterpieces; short stories are the scratch book, the working pad, the working canvas, of the artist. And, short stories give the author the chance to try different writing styles.

 

Photo Credit: Amazon.com

FitzSimons explores the different writing styles very well. The book contains a number of sporting celebrity encounters, travel stories and historical accounts. There are also two obituaries – FitzSimons’ father early in the collection and his mother in the last of the stories.

 

The real treat was a story towards the end of the compilation. It was a rare gem in that it varied from all others. Indeed, it was a scientific contemplation. It was a deliberation on the consequences of the sun switching off.

 

“If the Sun Goes Out” addresses the impact upon life on earth of the loss of the Sun. It addresses in turn: loss of power, loss of food and loss of life. It is confidently, and poetically written – a tribute to a great author.

 

Note: for a dinner table challenge that stemmed from this book see this post.

 

Shalom,
Ozhamada




Note: all links good as at 7 March 2018

Book Review of The Weekend Effect - The Life-Changing Benefits of Taking Two Days Off, by Katrina Onstad

I really tried to like this book. It was a gift from a dear friend.

 

The book encourages everyone to steal back time into their busy lives to ensure weekend serve as down-time. It is a book that takes the 24/7 world and wrestles it back to weekday and weekend segments. There is an argument that productivity increases where work hours concentrate to a set time.

 

The book, at times, is little more than a conglomerate of patched together research pieces. Material of the author from firsthand account is very limited. The author’s sought experience is thin and is simply recorded.

 

What really killed it was a table at the end of the book. The table has the heading “Manifesto for a Good Weekend”. Under a sub-heading of “Seek beauty”, the author includes the tip:

 

“Stand outside a church on a Sunday morning and listen to the choir”

 

Get that, “stand outside a church”!

 

Now, that tip is wrong on so many levels:

 

1. Contrary the book’s objective: The book calls people to seize the weekend and squeeze it for all it is worth. If people have duly heeded the call to make time then why would they only stand outside the church – surely they have the time to go inside the church.


2. Acoustic: Show me one church; just one - I dare you, where the acoustics are better on the outside.

 

3. Beauty: There seems to be an implication that the beauty of a church environ starts and ends with a choir. It is plausible that by going inside a church people will find other items of beauty.

 

4. Health: The author is writing from a location where it snows. In my country, church days can be quite hot. It is plausible that standing outside to listen to a choir would be detrimental to one’s health.


5. Singing: A church with a choir is a church where people all stand to sing with the choir. Listening outside does not lend well towards singing outside. Listening inside lends well towards singing inside. For instance, you can sing inside amongst a mass of people and have your voice lost in the din. With my poor singing voice, I’m very happy to have my feeble contribution drowned out by others.

 

I’ll not be standing outside a church to listen to the choir. If I do find myself at the front of a church on a Sunday morning, it will be natural to make the step of going inside the church. Listening to a choir outside a church would be like going to a beach and not taking shoes off to feel the sand – all presence but no connection.

 

And, when inside the church, I’m sure that there will be more beauty than just the combined voice of a choir.

 

Shalom,

Ozhamada

 

Note: all links good as at 31 January 2018

Falling to the ground and multiplying

Travels recently North of Sydney had me pondering an Australian native lily’s means of reproduction. The lily puts up a stem with a flower bud. The flower buds and seed heads form. The seed heads seemingly are too heavy for the stem to hold. The stems fall to the ground. 

This places the seeds against the ground where there are ready to propagate.

The distance between the base of the plant and the seed heads is about a metre. It is common for four to five seed heads to fall in opposite directions such that the plant radiates out in different directions. It is not difficult to image that these plants, left unchecked, could populate a massive area in a matter of eight or nine seeding cycles. The stem seems to lose its vigour from the base as a means of supporting the seed head in good health. The stem seems to rot away before reproduction is complete.

The lily’s name is swamp lily. It’s scientific name is Crinum pedunculatum. I’m thankful to the Tilligerry Habitat for helping to identify the plant. The Habitat does not have any of the lilies within their boundary yet I found a location nearby where there were numerous lilies.

 Photo or lily

Photo of one of five seed heads on the lily.

The seed heads had fallen in a rough pattern: North, North-west, East, South and West.

The plant and its seed heads had me contemplating the Bible. Jesus recognised the wild seeding of plant seeds in explaining his own death. Jesus in dying for us produced many seeds. The seeds are the members of his church. Through confidence in the historical Jesus and through confidence that Jesus was God’s son we can be part of the process of growing his church.

Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. John 12:24 NIV

We should be like the Australian swamp lily - putting seeds out in our ministry with others. The seeds should fall in all directions – they should radiate out. We should not be afraid to reach in all directions from us. There is a vast space to be filled with the love of Christ.

Shalom,

Ozhamada

Note: all links good as at 2 January 2018

#australianflora #plant 

Mark on following Jesus

There is a deep mine with the richest of ore in Mark Chapter 10.  It is like a precious metal mine that yields surprises with every shovel load.  It is a remarkable chapter. I thank a Senior Minister’s regular Sunday morning radio broadcast on Sydney’s HopeFM for drawing me to the chapter. I thank another clergy for encouraging me to contemplate the chapter’s full depths.

 

Here is why the chapter is remarkable:

 

It contains a comprehensive essay on following Jesus.

 

It presents Mark as an authority on the subject.  It is a divinely inspired summation of all angles on the subject of following Jesus.  Verse 17 commences with the rich young man who cannot give up what he needs to give up to follow Jesus and the chapter ends with Bartimaeus – a blind man who casts away all that he has to follow Jesus.  In to the middle of these comparative examples Mark masterfully identifies how the Apostles do not quite understand the cost of following Jesus (for there is a cost and the Apostles were yet to understand that cost).

 

To expand on the characters of each part:

 

1. Mark 10:17 to 22: The rich young man desires eternal life.  He identifies his path to eternal life as one in keeping with the law. The rich young man wants to clutch hold of Jesus while firmly holding onto all the world has to offer.  Jesus makes him understand that he cannot hope to have both the world and Christ,

 

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Mark 10:17 NIV

 

1. Mark 10:23-29: Peter expresses that the Apostles have left everything to follow Jesus and receives a response from Jesus that indicates that much is to be gained by turning their face fully towards the kingdom.

 

Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!” Mark 10:28 NIV

 

1. Mark 10:35-40: Two Apostles (James and John) want much, yet do not understand what they are asking for, nor the cost of what they ask for.  Jesus gives them to understand that their comprehension is not yet complete nor is their obligation fully known to them.

 

“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said Mark 10:38 NIV

 

1. Mark 10: 41-45: The other ten Apostles while indignant with James and John are given to understand servant leadership.  To follow, they must become “slave of all”,

 

and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. Mark 10:44 NIV

 

1. Mark 10: 46-52: Bartimaeus freely abandons all that he has (a cloak) to follow Jesus.

 

Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. Mark 10:52 NIV

 

Mark is identifying that there is a spectrum to the concept of following Jesus.  To follow Jesus on your own terms (rich young man) is impossible.  To follow Jesus freely and in faith is possible (Bartimaeus).

 

In the middle of the spectrum are the Apostles who Jesus has tasked for something that they do not yet understand. They need to allow comprehension to come to them. Jesus loves them such that he will allow them to understand through progressive revelation through to the cross, the resurrection and Pentecost.  Jesus is conditioning the Apostles.  He is refining their understanding.  He is shaping them for leadership after he ascended.  The word of Jesus to the Apostles here in Mark 10 perhaps did not resonate with the Apostles until when they were alone.

 

Bartimaeus is the best representative of us.  We are blind before God.  Our possessions are little more than a cloak. The response of Bartimaeus should be our response.  Indeed, Mark uses the chapter to powerfully bring this point home.  Earlier in Mark10:13-16 people bring children to Jesus and Jesus warmly receives the children.  For it is those who are innocent that receive the kingdom of God.

 

Mark’s magnificent essay on following Jesus is important not only for illuminating the spectrum but also in identifying that the love of Jesus is available to all:

 

1. For the rich young man: “Jesus loved him and had compassion on him”

 

And, explained to the rich young man that he didn’t care for the man’s toys.

 

1. For the Apostles: Jesus gently re-directed them rather that chiding them

 

And, explained that they did not yet understand either the cost of following or the reward of following.

 

1. For Bartimaeus: when others were trying to distract Bartimeaus away, Jesus healed him.

 

And, received Bartimeaus that Bartimaeus would follow him.

 

So, Mark is saying that no matter how we come to Jesus, no matter how we start our journey to follow Jesus, no matter our standing, we are loved.  It is God’s love shining through Jesus.  Indeed, the best indicator that it is love comes not from observing the characters on their journeys but instead in understanding that it is God that is reaching to them. Mark is also saying that we have to respond to the love on the terms offered. We can’t accept the offer and also hold to any of our own conditions.

 

The rich young man, the Apostles and Bartimaeus possibly thought it was themselves that were making an approach to Jesus.  Yet, there was a deeper reality.

 

For, God was calling them home.

 

Shalom,

Ozhamada

 

Note: all links good as at 15 November 2017