2.09.2011

Book Review: Tozer's The Knowledge of the Holy and WIP: Day 6

Since I read a few different books over the past month, I thought I would post separately about each book so that you don't wind up with a super-long post on Friday, which is when I will be linking up over at Life as Mom for the Booking It party....

Therefore, below is my review on a theological classic:


In this short but powerful book, Tozer discusses and describes the nature and some of the attributes of God. The book is broken down, chapter by chapter, into topics such as "The Holiness of God," "The Wisdom of God," "The Mercy of God," and "The Goodness of God." Insofar as the finite can describe the Infinite, Tozer does an excellent job. He is always careful to confess his own inadequacy in describing the Indescribable and to base his arguments on Scripture.

I think one of Tozer's best points, however, is in the preface to the book. He writes:

The low view of God entertained almost universally among Christians is the cause of a hundred lesser evils everywhere among us..... with our loss of the sense of majesty has come the further loss of religious awe and consciousness of the divine Presence. We have lost our spirit of worship and our ability to withdraw inwardly to meet God in adoring silence. Modern Christianity is simply not producing the kind of Christian who can appreciate or experience the life in the Spirit. The words, "Be still, and know that I am God," mean next to nothing to the self-confident, bustling worshiper in this middle period of the twentieth century.... The decline of the knowledge of the holy has brought on our troubles. A rediscovery of the majesty of God will go a long way toward curing them. It is impossible to keep our moral practices sound and our inward attitudes right while our idea of God is erroneous or inadequate. If we would bring back spiritual power to our lives, we must begin to think of God more nearly as He is.
Tozer continues this idea in the first chapter, "Why We Must Think Rightly About God."
The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man's spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low views of God. For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like.
I think Tozer shows a lot of insight in the passages above.... According to Proverbs 9:10, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." If our view of Who and how God is is correct, then we will be more able to think wisely and correctly about other areas in our life and world. A continual study of Scripture is essential to this, and this book from Tozer would be a helpful tool to anyone wishing to understand more about God's nature and attributes as well.

Final verdict: Thumbs up! Read it!


And now, an update on the mural!
HELP! My mural is being invaded!

There are critters in the tree! And that little girl won't keep off the grass!

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Oh wait, never mind.... I put them there. :o)

Yesterday I continued working on the squirrel I had begun the day before...

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Now, the very observant among you may be thinking, "Hmm... I think that squirrel MOVED since yesterday!"

...and you would be right.... When I came in yesterday morning, I thought to myself, "That squirrel looks.... uncomfortable, that's what."

Yes, when you spend days on end staring at a wall and covering it with critters, you get concerned about their comfort. Gotta keep those squirrels happy. I've always liked squirrels. You won't catch me putting up any squirrel-proof bird feeders at home OR in a mural.

Equal rights for squirrels - that's my motto.

So I had him move around a bit.... "Ah, much better," he said (in squirrel talk, of course).

He was very grateful; he gave me a nut.

Or maybe the paint fumes are turning me INTO a nut - which, frankly, wouldn't take much.

Anyway....I also painted a robin, and she WOULD spend the rest of the day chirping non-stop. I threatened several times to paint her mouth shut, but I can't complain, really - I'll take a little touch of spring however I can get it right now. ;o)

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She and the squirrel are living in peaceful harmony... Maybe because there's no bird feeder.

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A little girl wandered into the mural as well....

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Her right hand and her feet look a little odd at the moment. The reason for this is that she will eventually be holding a fist full of flowers she's picked, and she will be standing in taller grass and flowers, which will mostly cover her feet. So I didn't spend too much time on those areas yesterday.

I will eventually do an antiquing glaze over the whole wall, which will help blend her into her surroundings a little bit more - right now the vivid colors are making her jump off the wall.

Glazes are da bomb.

Why do people say that, anyway? Bombs aren't good. It reminds me of Isaiah 5:20: Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!  Pet peeve share time: the words "wicked" and/or "bad" used as slang terms to describe things that are "good" and/or "cool." And now, also, "da bomb" used to describe something as the "best thing ever."

So, glazes are not da bomb. But they ARE the best thing ever (at least when it comes to painting).

Anyway...back to our friend.

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She won't be the only one around for long.... today I'll be working on some more kids for her to play with.

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Thank you all for all the kind comments so far - I look forward to reading them every day when I get home from painting. Be sure to come back tomorrow for more mural pictures and my book review of Jan Karon's In the Company of Others.


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Have a lovely day....

By the way, I will try to cut down on the rambling and asides and general dorky-ness next time. I think I'm a little sleep-deprived. ;o)

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4 comments:

  1. I'm having fun watching the progress! And I do love that the little girl is Chinese, of course.

    I just finished the Jan Karon novel, too, so I look forward to hearing what you thought of it.

    Ashley

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  2. Looks great. Robins can be so chatty - at least you have animals to keep you company now. :-)

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  3. Beth, I love this mural you are doing!! SUPER cool! Your work is AMAZING!!! Emo

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  4. I love the mural and the running commentary in the blog!!!!

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