Sooo, I'm totally done with City of God. nbd. ;) THAT'S 860+ PAGES, DUDES. And I read every word. BUT. I'm also done with GB for the summer.... :D Which means, not that I will stop reading, but that I can do more pleasure reading :) So, I thought I'd give you my preliminary list. Feel free to drop some suggestions to add to it in the comments. 

1) A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain. I found this in our bookshelf the other day and my interest was piqued. It looks fabulous and fun :)
2) Surprised by Hope. Recommended by Mr. C in our last class. I can't remember exactly what he said it was about, but I remember that I was very interested in checking it out.
3) Gonna finish Confessions. We only read up to Book 10 in class. 
4) Maaaaybe someday I'll finally read Inkspell...since Inkheart is one of my all time favorites. 
5) Trusting God in a Twisted World by Elisabeth Eliot. I've started this but haven't had much chance to continue. It's been really good so far though. 

Annd, some book completeds:
44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith: Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Very Wodehouse-ish. But modern. And Scottish. 
And...I can't remember finishing anything else recently. Except for City of God. Which..was good. But hard, and long. I would not have gleaned much from it had I not taken the class. Still, Augustine rocks. And there was a lot of good stuff in there. 


-shainabo

Great Books Paper III

Great Books Paper 3-Eusebius

The story of the Christian Martyrs, as related by Eusebius in 'The Church History'.

The Christian Martyrs played an enormous role in the history of the early church. As Christianity spread in the early years, the persecutions became more or less prevalent, largely depending on the emperor at the time. Eusebius focused on recording persecutions that took place during the second and third centuries A.D.


The Christians that were martyred were brave and triumphant during torture and their own deaths. They had a tremendous peace that was given to them by God. Blandina is a tremendous example of steadfastness and bravery, withstanding the gravest tortures. "Through Blandina, Christ proved that what men think lowly God deems worthy of great glory. When we were all afraid...Blandina was filled with such power that those who tortured her from morning to night grew exhausted and admitted that they were beaten, for they had nothing left to do to her. They were astounded that she was still alive, since her whole body was smashed and lacerated, and they claimed that any one of the tortures was enough to end life...But [Blandina] gained in strength while confessing the faith and found comfort for her sufferings by saying, 'I am a Christian, and nothing wicked happens among us.'" When Blandina was later killed in the stadium, after being whipped, exposed to wild beasts, burnt with a gridiron, and placed in a net to be thrown to a bull, "the heathens admitted that never before had a woman suffered so much so long."


Polycarp also provides a wonderful example of strength during martyrdom. At the old age of at least 86, he was arrested and put into the stadium to be forced to denounce Christ. As he entered, he and some other Christians heard a voice from heaven saying, "Be strong and play the man, Polycarp!" When Polycarp had come into the stadium, the proconsul "tried to dissuade him, saying, 'Respect your age! Swear by Caesars fortune! Recant and say, 'Away with the atheists!'' But Polycarp swept his hand across the crowd, sighed, and cried, 'Away with the atheists!' But the governor pressed him, saying, 'Take the oath and I will set you free. Curse Christ!' but Polycarp replied, 'For eighty-six years I have been his servant, and He has never done me wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?' "


We can also see in these two examples that the martyrs were focusing on Christ in their last moments, drawing on Him for strength and making sure that He never left their minds, allowing them to fall into denying Him. But just as importantly, they were fixing their minds on the resurrection to come. As Polycarp was placed on the pyre to be burnt, he prayed this prayer: "Oh Father of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, through whom we know you, I bless you for this day and hour, that I may, with the martyrs, share in the cup of Christ for the resurrection to eternal life of both soul and body in the immortality of the Holy Spirit... I praise you for everything, I bless and glorify You through the eternal high priest, Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son, through whom be glory to You and the Holy Spirit, both now and in the ages to come. Amen." The Christian martyrs were so focused on the bodily resurrection that during the persecution in Gaul around 177, the persecutors exposed and insulted the dead martyrs' bodies, then burning them until they became nothing but ash and finally swept into the Rhone, so as to defeat the Christian's hope in the resurrection.


Eusebius quite naturally thought highly of the martyrs. He often wrote about the martyrs finding their 'glorious fulfillment,' in their martyrdom, or 'his glorious death,' indicating that this is something that every Christian can be proud to endure for Christ. He also looked favorably upon them because they were the representatives of the church, the Billy Grahams of their own era. Because of the Christians' everlasting hope in the resurrection and their devotion to a man who had been crucified two hundred years ago, they were instrumental in spreading the gospel through their examples of courage and steadfastness. Even today, their influence remains to those who read Eusebius's work, inspiring us to be like them if the need would ever arise.

I have to say, I've absolutely loved this year, with all my heart. But Confessions took first place as my favorite book we've read. Augustine's words spoke to my heart in a way that not many other books have. It was amazing to me how something written 1700 years ago could be so relevant to what I'm thinking and feeling. It was such an encouraging, challenging, and stimulating read. Probably any of you reading this pretty much know that because I was always posting quotes from the book as I read it. I would encourage any of you to read it: it's a pretty short book, and easy to read. (It was an easy two weeks in GB) In many places it reads similarly to a devotional; in others it's more autobiographical; in every part interesting and thought provoking. Augustine had such a questioning, open heart, he feels like an old friend.

[book completed]

I finished Hannah Whitall Smith's book, "The Unselfishness of God" this morning. It was really, really good. I would definitely recommend it. At the very end of the book she says, "It is a great comfort to me, to have found out that God can manage His own universe Himself, and that He can do it even without my help." Indeed.
One thing that I found extremely interesting was that the Quakers are all about the 'inner light' and your feelings. She broke out of this by realizing that feelings are about the most changeable and fickle things there are, and it's very unwise to rely on them. She says here, "It was no longer "How do I feel?" but "What does God say?" And He said such delightful things, that to find them out became my supreme delight. I do not mean what He said to me personally in my heart, but what He had said to every human being in the Bible--the good news of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ."
She also talks about learning to rely solely on Christ for victory over sin, instead of struggling vainly against it herself. "When I call a builder to build me a house, I do so because he knows how to build, and is able to accomplish it, while I neither know how or am able. But I do not consider the fact of my putting the work in his hands an attainment on my part, but only a common sense arrangement. If I am puzzled how to cross a roaring river and discover a bridge, I do not call my action in crossing that bridge an attainment, but simply and only a common sense proceeding.
Consequently it always seems to me much nearer the truth to use the word gifts rather than the word attainments. Attainments imply work and effort on our part, and Christian graces are all a free gift from God."

So. Go read it for yourself. I'm now pretty interested in reading her other, more famous book, "The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life."

-Shaina-

[one ninety nine] [!]

[one ninety nine]
4.5.11

 Today... we cleaned a lot. I went to my neighbors and she loaned me a tripod and a remote! So cool. And besides that we get to go to the Breanna and Lyss's this weekend =D Then we also burned today. Pictures below.

Shaina

I LIKE barb wire fence. Deal with it. ;)