Best this month
By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat Moonrise Kingdom
The time is 1965 and the place is New England. Teenage Sam, an orphan who has been rejected by his foster family, is at scout camp on an island. He decides to run away with Suzy, another oddball who lives in a big house with her family. When the whole community mobilizes to search for them, we catch a glimpse of adults who are emotionally illiter- ate and lacking in an ability to under- stand youth. Sam and Suzy just want to be free. Wes Anderson is one of America’s most idiosyn-
Suzy (Kara Hay- wood) and Sam (Jared Gilman) are advised by Cousin Ben (Jason Schwartzman) in Wes Ander- son’s Moonrise Kingdom.
cratic directors. An incomparable explorer of indi- viduality, he has a special knack for developing char- acters who are outsiders or rebels and are both funny and touching at the same time. When circumstances or other people turn against them, they struggle to be true to themselves. Here are some of the lessons we took away from this movie: be aware of the hidden core of your being; squeeze the slave out of yourself; honor your song; free yourself of selfishness; give free reign to your urge to be known; and begin anew (Universal Stu- dios, PG-13—sexual content, smoking). Now on DVD.
Prayers for Children
This sparkling and inspiring collection of 200 prayers by Rebecca Winter is for children 8 to 12 years old. Here you will find blessings from the Bible, Jewish prayers, lines from poetry, devotional pas- sages from ancient Christian
The Brussats pub- lish the website www. SpiritualityandPractice. com where you can find more information about the items reviewed in this column.
resources, and the teachings of saints and spiritual writ- ers. Especially worth noting is the connection made in these prayers between daily life and the natural world. For example, two sections are titled “Morning Has Bro- ken” and “Starry Night.” These prayers address many of the central spiritual questions children often have about environmental issues, peace in our time, and the presence of God in their lives and their hearts. Makes a great Christ- mas gift (Good Books,www.
goodbooks.com).
42 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
The Welcoming Congregation: Roots and Fruits of Christian Hospitality
Author Henry G. Brinton believes that “hospitality is the key to becoming an uncommon Christian community—one that embraces all people with
God’s love and grace.” He says: “The
need is greater now than ever, since all of us are living in a polarized society.” The parish pastor took a three-month sabbati-
cal to examine congregations where hospitality is evident in their respect for people of diverse opinions, perspectives and lifestyles. He came to the conclusion that five areas of focus are needed to transform more congregations into uncommon communities: worship, nurture, extend hospital- ity, serve and work for reconciliation. Brinton grounds his overview with biblical insights and a vision of Jesus Christ as a model of openness to all people. He includes discussion questions and preaching suggestions throughout the paperback.
He concludes: “The challenge of Christian hos-
pitality is to embrace all people with God’s love and grace, welcoming them as unconditionally as God has received us in Christ” (Westminster John Knox Press,
www.wjkbooks.com).
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52