Best this month
By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Dr. Alfred Jones is a fisheries consultant for the British government whose life is upended when he gets involved in a wild project funded by a wealthy sheik to intro- duce salmon into the waterways of Yemen for fly fishing. At first reluctant to take on this visionary endeavor, he is convinced to do so by Harriet, a beautiful high-powered man- agement consultant. Lasse Hallstrom directs this thoroughly delightful drama that turns into a first-class examination of the different kinds of faith in our pluralistic world. The Muslim sheik’s life is shaped by his faith in Allah, whereas the scientist’s faith is a work in process that is fascinating to watch as it unfolds. The friendship that blooms between these two very different men is inspiring. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a top-drawer medi-
tation on Thomas Merton’s observation: “The way of faith is necessarily obscure. We drive by night” (Sony Pictures, PG-13 some violence, sexual content, brief language).
It’s a . . . It’s a . . . It’s a Mitzvah
In the Jewish tradition, mitz- vah covers activities done by believers who are motivated by love, caring and sharing. In this delightful book for children 1 to 6 years old, Liz Suneby and Diane Heiman show animals responding to the ques-
tion: “What is a mitzvah?” They learn
The Brussats pub- lish the website www. SpiritualityandPractice. com where you can find more information about the items reviewed in this column.
that it includes welcoming new friends, sharing food with the hungry, helping someone who is older, tak- ing care of the earth, looking after the sick, giving charity and honoring one’s parents. These are ways of doing good in the world that Christian children can join in too (Jewish Lights, www.
jewishlights.com).
42 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
Amr Waked (left) stars as Sheikh Muhammed and Ewan McGregor as Alfred Jones in Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.
Kneeling With Giants: Learning to Pray with History’s Best Teachers
There is no one-size-fits-all prayer practice. Anyone seeking guidance into the devotional life can pick and choose from an amazing array of resources. Gary Neal Hansen, a professor of church history, has assembled an accessible paperback on 10 ways to pray from teach- ers in a variety of traditions including Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Reformed, evangelical and charismatic. He says the goal of the book is “to deepen your journey with God in the next season of your life.” Among those chosen to
mentor readers are St. Bene- dict on “The Divine Office,” Ignatius Loyola on “The Prayer of the Senses,” and Teresa of Avila on “The Pres-
ence of God.” Hansen devotes a chapter to how Martin Luther used the Lord’s Prayer to structure a time of prayer. Believers repeat this prayer regularly but often lose its multiple meanings because they don’t really pay attention to the words. Luther comments on each phrase of the prayer and concludes: “To this day I suckle at the Lord’s Prayer like a child, and as an old man eat and drink from it and never get my fill. It is the very best prayer” (IVP Books,
www.ivpress.com/books).
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