The Martyred Christian

The martyred Christian by Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Joan Winmill Brown.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed by the Nazis on April 9, 1945 at the age of thirty-nine. He was a theologian, pastor, lecturer, writer, a member of the resistance in Germany. In April of 1943, he was arrested as part of a plot to kill Hitler. In prison, he continued to write and ministered to those around him.

Collected in this book are 160 of Bonhoeffer’s writings—many from inside prison, some from before. The articles are brief, easy to read, about many topics. This book would be enjoyed by people who love to read and study intellectual and philosophical work. I can see this fitting well in a small group book study.

Many topics important to Christians. I will mention a few.

Creation. God’s love. Jesus as God, Jesus as Lord, Jesus as Life.

A part that touched me—this author reminded me that God holds the hours of our life. He talked about the past, how we might long for it. He said that the past is still ours, still belongs to us, but it is just a small part of the hours God has for us.

Costly grace as opposed to cheap grace, for Jesus of course, but also for us.

Scriptures throughout the volume.

Instead of thinking of a Christian life, we might say that Christ is alive in us. Jesus is still alive in the world today. The church together forms his body, but also he is alive individually in each Christian. What an eye opening way to look at my life!

The church—a community; fellowship; caring for each other’s needs.

Baptism. Prayer. The work of God.

“Allow God to interrupt our lives.”

Even as Christians, committed to doing the work of God, let’s be careful to notice when God surprises into our life someone we don’t expect who needs our help. For example, the priest in Luke chapter 10, who didn’t see the half-dead victim beside the road. Was he possibly busy reading his Bible?

Marriage. The joy and security of home. Abortion. The danger of fools. Suicide.

What is the will of God?

Don’t let judgment stop love and grace.

Birthday letter to his mother. Honesty about his loneliness and confusion in prison. Anxiety, temptation, joy and sorrow, the armor of God.

From prison, he wrote that it is right for Christians to be optimistic every day we are alive.

This book is extremely challenging. But, since working through it, I want to read more of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s writing.

Gentleness Is Near

Philippians 4:5: Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

I never read this verse before.

Well, okay, I’ve read it dozens of times. It’s sandwiched between two of my favorite verses, about rejoicing always and not being anxious about anything.

But when I noticed it recently as I was looking for the rejoice verse, it struck me like new, fresh rain.

My hard-hearted self probably looked at the verse above and thought, “Yeah, better be gentle. Jesus is near, watching you. Better be good.”

That’s not what it means. It means: “Be gentle. Jesus is near you, showering his gentleness on you, and there’s more than plenty to share.”

I crave gentleness, both to me and from me.

I enjoy reading romance, mystery, action, sure. But the things that stick to me in books, that bring me back again and again, are gentle words, touches.

A husband and wife who hold each other and together shed tears over disappointment and loss. Brothers and sisters who play together with teasing and laughter. Friends who use hands and arms and words to support, encourage, share sorrow.

I strive in my own writing to show gentleness.

Jesus was a man who spoke truth without hesitation. And he is gentle.

When the people wanted to condemn the woman in John 8 to death, Jesus offered her forgiveness and a new life.

For the man in Luke 8, who was possessed by demons, chained, and living in tombs, Jesus gave him a new set of clothes.

He made mud with his hands, then laid them on the eyes of the man in John 9.

In Matthew 8, he quickly, and willingly, touched the man with leprosy.

Mark 10:16: And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

1 Kings 19: 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

1 Peter 3:15: But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.

Matthew 11: 28-29: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Treasure Discovered

I’ve always loved dictionaries.

At this time, I use dictionary.com for what I need when reading or writing. I can quickly find the information I’m looking for. But I’ve always preferred, for pleasure reading of any kind, to use braille.

When I was thirteen or so, I was given a “vest pocket” dictionary, seven volumes in braille. For comparison, my braille Bible is eighteen large volumes.

I used to love to sit and read the dictionary for fun, flipping through the pages, choosing a word I didn’t know.

When my son Caleb was twelve or so, he was given a dictionary which has 36 braille volumes. I don’t know how much Caleb has looked through it, but I never have. For fun, I decided to check it out this week.

It’s WEBSTER’S STUDENTS DICTIONARY, A Merriam-Webster Braille Edition. The Students Dictionary was first published in 1938, and the braille one in 1958.

Since this edition was specifically made for braille, there is a list of all the special braille pronunciation symbols used. There are even tactile drawings, made with raised lines, for punctuation, math symbols, and other shapes.

It carries sections on abbreviations, proper names, English and spelling rules—even an entire volume of “new words,” (new words as of 1956).

I can flip through the pages and get the pronunciation, definition, even the language history. I can get those things from dictionary.com too, but then I’m limited by the words that come up in my reading and writing.

Here I have pages and pages to sift through and skim and scan, and can pick out one at random. It makes me smile.

ADDAX, noun, of African origin. A light-colored antelope of North Africa,, Arabia and Syria, with a brown mane and a fringe on the throat.

ALLOPATHY, noun, from Greek. A system of medical practice combating disease by remedies producing different effects from the disease treated.

New word: KINESCOPE; comes from Greek. The glass tube on the end of which the television picture is made. (Still pretty new in 1956, I guess.)

Also a new word from 1956 was PIZZERIA. A bakery or restaurant where pizzas are sold.

Abbreviations. Maybe this abbreviation is too long to be of much use? Edit. for edited.

I found tactile drawings for symbols which I’ve never seen before, including the arc of a circle and the acute accent. There were drawings for physics symbols and money symbols; French and German quotation marks.

English rules include such things as the confusion between aggravate and exasperate; why not to use ain’t; the mystery of lay and lie.

Spelling rules include: to double or not to double; how to handle plurals, including irregular plurals; differences between British and American spelling; And, of course, exceptions and variations.

I had to stop so I could finish and post this.

Thirty-six volumes. Nine thousand and eight pages. What a treasure still lays ahead of me.