Book-Bat
Exploring the world of fantasy from a Christian perspective!
Post by Karlissa J.
I’ve now received my copies of The Promise!
It’s been exciting, finally being able to share my first trilogy with my readers! And to honour the occasion, my husband set up a surprise celebration - complete with ice cream cake!
I once read a blog post that warned against the dangerous lesson that can be drawn from The Scorpion and the Frog.
This tale is an ancient one; so ancient, its origins are unclear. Alongside a river, a frog meets a scorpion. The scorpion asks for a ride across. At first, the frog is hesitant to grant this request, but the scorpion promises he won’t sting the frog. The frog trusts the scorpion and gives him a ride. But halfway across, the scorpion stings the frog. As the venom takes hold, and the two are doomed to die together in the middle of the river, the scorpion explains that it’s in his nature to sting.
There are other versions of this story. One with a turtle instead of a frog, where the turtle’s shell shields him from the sting.
And the one that has captured my imagination: The Scorpion and the Ladybug.
Here, the scorpion and the ladybug are good friends, who love each other dearly. Yet the scorpion inevitably stings the ladybug, killing his friend because… it’s his nature.
As the blogger pointed out, this story could be used to warn against giving too much trust towards individuals who have shown themselves dangerous. That’s fine.
But the story can also be used to discourage trusting those who are the “wrong type” of people. Muslims. Blacks. Gays. Anybody we can point to as our “abhorrent other” (as some philosopher defined it).
Encouraging fear and distrust – and discouraging people from helping those in need if they’re “one of them” – is a dangerous ‘moral.’
As I see it, there’s a simple way of repairing the lesson of the story. We tend to imagine ourselves as the innocent ladybug – or frog or turtle – when maybe it’s more accurate to identify with the scorpion.
It’s in our nature to harm others: by our selfishness, our greed, our careless words… even our careless silences.
This doesn’t mean we should avoid people because we can’t be trusted with anyone.
It does mean we need to be prepared to give up part of our very nature in order to truly love another person.
The tale of the Scorpion and the Ladybug enamours me by its very premise: a scorpion and a ladybug, as loving friends? What an oddly charming concept!
The creatures and races in Tales of the Diversity are otherworldly. But with a little imagination, some brave artists have tackled the task of bringing them to life in pictures and models!
In my blog post “Looking Back: Art,” I shared some old concepts I drew for the creatures and characters; art I created before writing the books.
And in “Concept: Awareness,” I shared a sketch I created of Jakodi Jair.
I’ve held two art contests for Tales of the Diversity, and shared the amazing entries I received in “2020 Art Contest Winners” and “Art Contest 2 Winners.”
Another summer, another chance to get out and find some cool bugs!
A few years back, I made a checklist of butterflies and moths in the Fort St John area (where I live). There are actually hundreds of species of butterflies and moths in our area - far too many to put on a brochure - but it covers some of the species I’ve come across.
I also created some colouring pages, and fact cards, just for fun.
Feel free to download, print, and use any of these materials!
What kinds of butterflies and moths live around you?
The little church library I’ve been running is stuffed to the brim with books! I’m realizing I’ll have to cut down on how many new ones I bring in each year… a difficult task, since there are so many tempting titles being released all the time! I suppose I’ll just have to learn which books to add to the library, and which ones to save for my personal collection!
I’ve wanted to write many book reviews over the years, but found it takes dedication to write more than a few sentences. So I’ve come up with two lists instead: the first is books I’ve enjoyed that are in the church library; and the second is books I’ve considered getting for the church library.
In Awe of God: Memoirs of Missionary Life in Guatemala (Rita Peters Langemann)…
This one holds a special place for me, because I’ve worked with the author during short-term missions trips. My family started being involved with Impact Ministries back when they were newly formed, and it’s been amazing to see how God has grown and used the ministry over the years. You can read a more thorough review of it here.
“The Hole in Our Gospel” (Richard Stearns)…
Author Richard Stearns, CEO of World Vision, explores the issues of poverty and justice, and our role as the body of Christ in showing love to ‘the least of these.’
“Be the Bridge” (Latasha Morrison)…
I’ve browsed multiple books from Christians about racism and healing the racial divide. What I appreciate about Latasha’s approach is how well she connects racial reconciliation back to the gospel; and how she approaches the topic though spiritual disciplines such as truth-seeking, forgiveness, repentance, confession, and lament. The book includes prayers and discussion questions.
“Troubled Minds” (Amy Simpson)…
I read this one some time ago, but I recall the journey being eye-opening. The author is honest about her experience with having a mother suffering psychotic illness, and the pain of the stigma surrounding psychosis. She emphasizes the need for the church to learn how to better discuss mental illness, and to help those who are struggling.
“One Church, Many Tribes” (Richard Twiss)…
I wrote a longer review, or reflection, for this one, which you can read here.
“Where the Pavement Ends” (Marie Wadden)…
The problems faced by indigenous communities in Canada – high suicide and substance abuse rates – are epidemics among indigenous people in colonized countries worldwide. There’s something clearly traumatic about having one’s lands taken and culture belittled or exterminated. This book confronts these problems, and celebrates the indigenous leaders who are working to see their communities uplifted. I’m not sure if the author is Christian, but she interviews many Christians over the course of the book.
“Art & Faith” and “Culture Care” (Makoto Fujimura)…
I’ve bought both of these for myself, and have been enjoying them. Japanese-American artist Makoto Fujimura explores the role that creators have in pointing people to God, the only ‘true’ Artist. He calls “Art & Faith” his masterpiece; though I personally love “Culture Care,” where he explains his belief that we spend too much time fighting ‘culture wars,’ and not enough time finding ways to nurture beauty and truth in culture.
“God and the Pandemic” (N.T. Wright)…
When the coronavirus hit, I felt we were living in history-altering times; and to mark the occasion, I bought a collection of pandemic-related books. This one gave me a lot to think on, which I very much appreciated.
“Cherish” (Gary Thomas)…
Gary Thomas believes we are called to do more than love our spouse in a general sense: we are to learn how to cherish them, going above and beyond to value who they are.
“Confronting Christianity” (Rebecca McLaugin)…
I’ve read a few chapters of this book, and personally found it to be one of the more helpful apologetics books out there. The author speaks through personal experience about the topic of homosexuality, and knows enough scientists to challenge the notion that serious scientists are almost unanimously atheists.
“The Truth About Us” (Brant Hansen)…
A very funny way to explore the truth that we are all sinful, and to break apart any delusions that we hold otherwise. Did you know that the majority of people think they are better-than-average morally… and better-than-average drivers?? (An impossibility, statistically speaking.)
“Mixed Blessing: Embracing the Fullness of Your Multiethnic Identity” (Chandra Crane)…
I read much of the first few chapters and loved it! Multiethnic people have a unique perspective on racial relations, one that could be vital to helping North Americans achieve racial reconciliation. I am not multiethnic myself; but the author aknowledges that she’s also writing for those who want to understand the challenges faced by individuals who are multiethnic.
Though I’ve titled this a ‘review,’ it’s more of a reflection on the book “One Church Many Tribes: following Jesus the way God made you” by Richard Twiss (Taoyate Obuajin, of the Rosebud Lakota/Sioux).
“One Church, Many Tribes” was published in 2000; and author Richard Twiss has since died.
Through the pages of this book, he voiced his dream to see indigenous peoples encouraged to worship God through their own forms of music and dance; and to see the Western/white church welcome many indigenous Christian leaders.
The first of these dreams has been coming true over the last few decades.
The modern missions movement has embraced the idea of seeing God worshiped through a variety of cultural expressions, with an emphasis on fulfilling Revelation 7:9: “After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb.”
Unfortunately, though, it seems his dream of multiple indigenous Christians being welcomed as leaders and important voices has yet to happen. I am only familiar with three indigenous Christians who have influenced the Western church: Richard Twiss, Terry LeBlanc, and Randy S. Woodly.
This book’s most encouraging chapters, I found, are the final two. One tells the story of the World Christian Gathering of Indigenous People. And the other explores how First Nations have a window to preaching the gospel in countries hesitant to trust Christians; thanks to a global fascination with them as a people.
I recommend this book to any Christian who’s interested in learning more about the ways God is using indigenous peoples to impact and build his Church.
Time for another bug post!
Did you know that, once upon a time, we had locusts in Canada?
Every year, there comes a season in our region - Northeast British Columbia - where grasshoppers seem abundant. As you walk through town, every several steps, you disturb one and send it hopping across the sidewalk; crashing into storefront windows; or flying into the street.
I watched videos of a desert locust swarm. It became hauntingly apparent from those clips that our “abundance” of grasshoppers is… nothing. A desert locust swarm is, as the Bible so poignantly puts it, an army. Forceful. Purposeful. Crowded.
But… can you believe we once had swarms like that in parts of Canada and the United States? A species called the Rocky Mountain Locust plagued prairie farmers until it’s sudden disappearance in 1902.
Some scientists (perhaps the ones fascinated by grim history and horror stories) suggest our locust isn’t extinct: just dormant in a non-swarming form. That’s one funny trait locusts have: they switch between swarming and non-swarming forms, and the two are so biologically different they seem to be different species.
I’ve put together a little storyboard about locusts and the people affected by them! Click the far right image to move forward, and the far left to move backwards.
f you’d like to help people suffering from locust plagues and other food crises, organizations like World Vision have a special fund set aside for such problems.
