1. Morgan Busse says:

    “I have read many books and found I couldn’t look at the world the same way anymore; somehow, another layer had been peeled away to reveal the holiness beneath.”

    And not just books. Everything in life! From the soft scent of a newborn baby to the howling storms that come ripping through the Midwest. From the decadent taste of cheesecake to a beautiful painting (or even the creative art of my children).

    I like what John Pipers says: God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him.

  2. Nolan says:

    Very good post! I agree. We often have the mindset that God gave us all the “Christian” things, whereas He gave us everything. We should be looking for Him in His creation, not in just, as you said, WWJD bracelets.

    I literally named this my favorite book on my review site, which I would expect isn’t very professional-sounding, but it’s seriously a good book.

    • Nolan, have you seen the reviews on Amazon? Honestly, I do not understand why this book is getting a poor reception. Glad you enjoyed it as much as I did!

      • Nolan says:

        Yup, I saw them. I don’t really understand how anyone could possibly come to those conclusions, but hey—the best books are the most debated, at least in my opinion.

      • Kaci Hill says:

        By default I don’t trust Amazon reviewers. The majority make me want to gag. Be like me and turn spiteful: Go through and systematically mark each lame review unhelpful.

        Gotta tell you, though, I managed to persuade a reviewer via email out of all that, one time. It was kinda fun.

      • Kaci, I didn’t realize you can do that! I’ve been marking the GOOD ones “helpful.”

      • Kaci Hill says:

        Yup, you can. And I’m sadistically happy when I do it to some goober. Dislike the book if you dislike the book, but don’t make me think you didn’t read the thing. ::growls::

  3. Fred Warren says:

    “And none of it is meant to be enjoyed for its own sake, in the way that just grabs the gift and forgets the Giver. ”

    That’s a great point, Rachel–it’s important to remember that even good gifts can be wasted or abused, in the same way that we can use a knife to prepare a delicious meal, or to inflict injury on another human being. Our response to the gift can make it an even greater blessing or transform it into a curse.

    I completely understand the feeling you describe of a book or other work of art having a profound impact on your perspective of life, the universe, and everything. It’s hard for me to put my finger on a specific example, Narnia and LOTR certainly, but there are others–and I’ve enjoyed the Auralia books very much.

  4. It’s important to remember that even good gifts can be wasted or abused, in the same way that we can use a knife to prepare a delicious meal, or to inflict injury on another human being. Our response to the gift can make it an even greater blessing or transform it into a curse.

    Precisely. And although I didn’t go into that aspect much in my post, I think Jeffrey’s books have done an amazing job of illuminating that aspect of our responses as well, through the people and culture of Bel Amica. The temptation to abuse the good gifts nearly derails the whole quest.

  5. linds says:

    It seems odd, but Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Marble Faun does the same thing you described for me, but from a different perspective. Hawthorne’s obsessed with the spiritual weight of the city of Rome and all its history bearing down on the shoulders of his characters, but somehow through that, I came to the same conclusion you did reading Ale Boy’s Feast (in fact, all of the Auralia Thread).

    Brothers Karamazov did the same… come to think of it, most books I love did this. And that’s why I love poetry so much.

    Huh. 🙂

    • Linds, apparently I need to read “The Marble Faun!” And “Brothers Karamazov,” which has been on my reading list for what feels like centuries but hasn’t been read yet. As for poetry–yes. Me too.

  6. Galadriel says:

    That is so true. Bel Amica was frightening in a way, because it was so much like our own culture, decadent from self-indulgance.

What do you think?