I just finished my Bible reading for today. (I’m using a Bible reading plan this year that has me reading ten chapters a day from ten different parts of of the Bible. I really like it because it keeps me on my toes, paying attention, but also provides variety and encourages comparison of different parts of the Scriptures.) Then I read this Baptist Standard article about Olympic gold medal snowboarder, Kelly Clark. The article quotes Clark:

“I started to understand that I didn’t get my worth from people or from the things that I did. . . . It was from Christ. If I hadn’t had that shift in my life, I think my world would have come crumbling down.”

Meaning and worth come from our identity in Christ. A lot of what I read in the Bible today indicates the same truth. In Judges, chapter 18, the nation of Israel has been a nation where “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” for a long time, maybe 400-500 years. The sin cycle of apostasy/punishment/repentance/deliverance repeats itself in the book of Judges over and over. And the final chapters of Judges are the culmination of all of those years of corruption and confusion, just full of idolatry, murder, civil war, and chaos. (Don’t even read chapter 19 of Judges unless you are ready to read about some horrible and triggering nastiness and evil.) There’s not much meaning or worth to be found in the final chapters of Judges—also, not much God to be found.

Next, I came to Solomon’s musings in Ecclesiastes, chapter 2. Solomon says he pursued pleasure and wisdom and everything his eyes desired. He worked hard to get and experience it all. And he concluded:

“For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool! So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind. . . . So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometime a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity, and a great evil. What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun?” ~Ecclesiastes 2:16-17, 20-22

What does it all mean? What is it all worth? Nothing, says Solomon, because it all ends—all the stuff disintegrates, and all the wisdom is forgotten, and all of the great artistic and scientific achievements are eventually dead or forgotten or superseded by something that will also be lost and forgotten eventually. And Ash Wednesday was set up to remind us of this truth. Memento mori; remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

So, what is it that keeps us from despair? Nothing. The only hope is from the hand of God says Solomon in verses 24-25. “For apart from Him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?”

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” ~Galatians 2:20

When a person turns away and rejects God through Christ his Son, that person falls first into idolatry, looking desperately for a God-substitute that will alleviate his or her restless need for deliverance and meaning. Then, perhaps comes simple blindness which says, “I don’t need a god. I don’t want God. I don’t need meaning or hope or anything else. I am self-sufficient.” But, finally, we all die; we all return to the dust from whence we came. And all of our works die with us. My only hope is to live by faith in the eternal Son of God, Jesus, who loved me and gave himself for me.

And that’s the one and only eternal Love worth remembering on this Valentine’s Day, the only Love that makes all of the other smaller loves in our lives worthwhile, meaningful, and worth celebrating.

I’m joining in with a Facebook group to read through all of the Landmark series of history books in chronological order. The event at a group called Following Book Trails, called Read All the Landmarks, started in January with a couple of books that deal with “pre-history”, books that I’m not too sad to have missed since I don’t think I share the presuppositions of the authors about so-called prehistoric times.

So, my first book with the group is this one about ancient Egypt. It’s as much a book about archaeology and Egyptology as it is about ancient Egypt. The book begins with the discovery and translation of the Rosetta Stone by French scholars in Napoleonic times (early 19th century), and then in chapter two there’s some speculation about Egypt and Egyptians before civilization (10,000 BC – 3200 BC) Then, we come to the beginning of actual history, c.3200 BC with Pharaoh Narmer/Menes and the kingdoms of Upper Egypt, Middle Egypt, and Lower Egypt.

And in chapter two, I start having my usual upper/lower/middle Egypt problem. Does anyone else have trouble visualizing (or keeping the image fixed) of a river that flows NORTH? My mind wants all rivers to flow southward—or east or west maybe, but not north. I think it has something to do with the Mississippi River and with flat maps on which south is down, the direction a river should flow, of course. Anyway, it makes me mix up Upper and Lower Egypt all the time, even though I know the difference.

The book continues in a well-written and accessible vein as the most famous and infamous of the Egyptian pharaohs strut and fret their hour upon the stage. From Cheops/Khufu of the Great Pyramid to the Hykksos dynasty, the Shepherd Kings, to Hatshepsut and Thutmose to Akhetaton to Rameses, Egypts’s god-kings are a fascinating study. I will admit to spend a great deal of thought time and a bit of research time to trying to figure out once again where the Biblical narratives of Joseph and Moses fit into the Egyptian timeline of the pharaohs, but Ms. Payne’s book never mentions that aspect of Egyptian history, probably because it’s both controversial and complicated.

Ms. Payne’s book hits the highlights of Egypt’s 3000 year history (BC) and gives some details about the archeological re-discovery of ancient Egypt and its culture and lore during the 19th and 20th centuries. Of course, since The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt was first published in 1964, more recent advances in the study of Egyptology are not included. For example, the following discovery was made just last year in 2017:

Scientists detect mystery void in Great Pyramid of Giza:
Particles from space point to unknown chamber in the 4,500-year-old Egyptian monument.

Of course my questions are: What is inside the previously undiscovered chamber or “void”? When and how will the archeologists find out? Or is it empty? Inquiring minds want to know.

Anyway, The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt is a good introduction to the study of ancient Egyptian history, certainly not exhaustive, but adequate for elementary and even middle school aged students. Some good follow-up books are:

Pyramid by David Macaulay. I love David Macaulay’s books about architecture from pyramids to castles to bridges. The illustrations are so detailed and helpful, and the accompanying story makes it come alive.

Tales of Ancient Egypt by Roger Lancelyn Green. Stories of the ancient Egyptian gods such as Amen-Ra and Osiris, and some of the Egyptian rulers.

The First Book of Ancient Egypt by Charles Robinson. History of ancient Egyptian daily life, farming and trade, religion, architecture, literature, and science.

Mummies Made in Egypt by Aliki. All you ever wanted to know about mummies and mummification, and some things you probably could have lived without knowing.

His Majesty, Queen Hatshepsut by Dorothy Sharp Carter. Fictional account based on the real life of the Pharaoh Hatshepsut, the only woman pharaoh of ancient Egypt.

Shadow Hawk by Andre Norton. Fiction set c.1590 BC, near the end of the Hyksos occupation of Lower Egypt.

Escape From Egypt by Sonia Levitin. YA fiction about Moses and the people of the Exodus.

Links are to my reviews of the books, *** means I have this book in my library, available for checkout to library members.

Bae, Hyun-joo. New Clothes for New Year’s Day. Kane-Miller, 2007. A little girl puts on her new traditional Korean clothes for New Year’s Day.
Cheung, Hyechong. K is for Korea. Illustrated by Prodeepta Das. Frances Lincoln, 2008.
Choi, Yangsook. Peach Heaven. Frances Foster/Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2005.
Choung, Eun-hee. Minji’s Salon. Kane/Miller, 2008.
Climo, Shirley. The Korean Cinderella. HarperCollins, 1993.
*Don, Lari. Never Trust a Tiger: A Story from Korea. Illustrated by Melanie Williams. Barefoot Books, 2012.
*Haskins, James. Count Your Way Through Korea. Illustrated by Dennis Hockerman.
Heo, Yumi. One Afternoon. Orchard, 1994.
Kwon, Yoon D. My Cat Copies Me. Kane/Miller, 2007.
McDonald, Christine. Goyangi Means Cat. Illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. Viking, 2011.
*O’Brien, Anne Sibley. The Princess and the Beggar. Scholastic, 1993.
Pak, Soyung. Dear Juno. Illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung. Puffin, 2001. Juno’s grandmother writes in Korean and Juno writes in drawings, but that doesn’t mean they can’t exchange letters.
Park, Frances and Ginger Park. My Freedom Trip: A Child’s Escape from North Korea. Illus. by Debra Jenkins. Boyds, 1998.
Park, Frances and Ginger Park. The Royal Bee. Illustrated by Christopher Zhuang. Boyds Mills, 2000. A poor Korean boy shows courage and determination to study and win a prize for his mother.
*Park, Janie Jaehyun. The tiger and the dried persimmon : a Korean folk tale. Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre, 2002.
*Park, Linda Sue. Bee-bim Bop. Illustrated by Ho Baek Lee. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008.
Park, Linda Sue. The Firekeeper’s Son. Ilustrated by Julie Downing. Clarion, 2004.
*Park, Linda Sue. Tap-Dancing on the Roof: Sijo (Poems). Illustrated by Istvan Banyai. Clarion, 2007.
Recorvits, Helen. My Name is Yoon. Illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska. Farrar Strauss and Giroux, 2003.
Rhee, Nami. Magic spring: a Korean folktale. Putnam, 1993.
Wong, Janet. The Trip Back Home. Illustrated by Bo Jia. Harcourt, 2000.

Activities:
Have a peach as you read Peach Heaven or make some Bee-Bim Bop as you read that title. Or for the more adventurous, try a persimmon fruit (The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon). Wikipedia says:

“Persimmons are eaten fresh, dried, raw, or cooked. When eaten fresh they are usually eaten whole like an apple or cut into quarters, though with some varieties it is best to peel the skin first. One way to consume very ripe persimmons, which can have the texture of pudding, is to remove the top leaf with a paring knife and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Riper persimmons can also be eaten by removing the top leaf, breaking the fruit in half and eating from the inside out. The flesh ranges from firm to mushy, and the texture is unique. The flesh is very sweet and when firm due to being unripe, possesses an apple-like crunch.”

Murder in the High Himalaya: Loyalty, Tragedy, and Escape from Tibet by Jonathan Green.

What I most took away from this book was the sheer, monumental tragedy of the goals and aspirations of almost all of the people in the book: the Tibetan refugees whose lives were/are dedicated to the Dalai Lama, a mere man who is worshipped as a god; the Chinese police who follow orders to torture and kill for the sake of a good salary; the Western mountain climbers whose goals seem to be a mixture of fame and a personal transcendent experience at the top of one of the highest mountains in the world; the guides for both the refugees and for the climbers who also pursue fame and fortune at the risk of their own lives and to the detriment of their moral compass. I did not find one truly admirable person among the lot of them, unless it was the girl Kelsang Namtso who died or her friend Dolma who lived to tell the story. Even they, although highly courageous and idealistic, seem to my eyes to be so dreadfully deluded and blinded to the truth; their hope rests in reincarnation, “a good rebirth.”

So, I’ve finished the twelve volumes in the Poldark series by Winston Graham, and I must say that the books were fascinating and absorbing all the way through. From the first book, Ross Poldark, in which the dark and handsome eponymous hero returns from the wars in America to his home in Cornwall, only to find his beloved Elizabeth affianced to his wealthier cousin, to the final novel, Bella Poldark, in which Ross’s children are grown up and making their own ways in the world, I was swept up in the historical verisimilitude and the romance and the drama.

The twelve books in the series are:

Ross Poldark (1945) The setting is introduced: Cornwall in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, with its tin and copper mines, shipping and smuggling industries, widespread poverty, and burgeoning banks and middle classes pushing their ways into the aristocracy. Ross Poldark is a swashbuckling veteran with unconventional ideas about equality between classes and yet with a sense of his own importance, even as a minor landowner in rural Cornwall.
Demelza (1946) Ross’s true love, Demelza, is a fascinating, but somewhat unbelievable character. She moves over the course of the twelve novels from the lowest class of impoverished beggars to the high and heady upper class, married to a Member of Parliament and a wealthy gentleman. It all requires a bit of believing, but who can resist a Cinderella rags-to riches story?
Jeremy Poldark (1950) The focus of this third book is not really so much on Ross and Demelza’s son and heir, Jeremy, as it is on the continuing feud between the Poldarks and the Warleggans, an upstart nouveau riche family of bankers who, especially in the person of George Warleggan, display a jealousy and rivalry that threatens to bring both families to ruin.
Warleggan (1953) The feud between banker and businessman George Warleggan and mine owner and country gentleman Ross Poldark continues. After writing and publishing this fifth book in the series, author Winston Graham quit writing about the Poldarks and their domestic dramas and turned to writing mystery and suspense novels, about thirty of them, before coming back to Cornwall and the Poldark family in the 1970’s.
The Black Moon (1973) A child is born “under a black moon” to Elizabeth Poldark Warleggan, a child who is destined to become a bone of contention between Elizabeth and her husband, between Ross and Demelza, and especially between Ross Poldark and George Warleggan.
The Four Swans (1976) The “four swans” are four women: Demelza Poldark, Ross Poldark’s rags-to-riches wife; Elizabeth Warleggan, Ross’s first love; Caroline Enys, the wife of Ross’s friend; and Morwenna Chynoweth Whitworth, the parson’s wife.
The Angry Tide (1978) Set in the final years of the eighteenth century, this volume has Ross Poldark beginning his term as a Member of Parliament.
The Stranger from the Sea (1981) Ten years have passed since the tragic ending of the previous book in the series. This eighth installment of the Poldark Saga begins with King George III and his final descent into madness in 1810, and it ends with a marriage proposal for one of the Poldarks, refused, in 1811. The book is really more about Jeremy and Clowdance, the two elder Poldark children all grown up, and less about the stranger, a man rescued from the ocean, who does become more important in later books.
The Miller’s Dance (1982) Jeremy and Clowance continue to live through romance and tragedy, break-ups and love trysts, until, as the Napoleonic Peninsular wars continue in Spain and Portugal, Jeremy makes a fateful decision which turns the course of his life and of that of his friends, placing them all in jeopardy.
The Loving Cup (1984) Both Jeremy and Clowance finally get married, but both of their marriages have significant issues and hurdles to overcome. The loving cup of the title becomes a symbol of the past intruding on the present and of the love that can overcome past mistakes if repentance and new directions are allowed to take precedence.
The Twisted Sword (1992) Napoleon finally meets his Waterloo, and so do some of the characters in this saga, at least two of whom have been living under the shadow for quite some time.
Bella Poldark (2002) Bella, the younger daughter of Ross and Demelza, is all grown up and a force to be reckoned with. The author manages to tie up most of the loose ends in the ongoing story while providing a murder mystery and a bit of family tension to round out the series.

Yes, I believe the twelve novels were worth the time I invested in reading them, despite Demelza’s frequent use of an expletive that I found offensive and some repeated pruriency in the Morwenna story and in the later adult Valentine and Bella stories that could have been dispensed with, in my opinion. I had favorites among the characters, found characters that I identified with, and read of situations that that wrung my heart because they were similar to situations in my own family. The history of the time period as it was woven into the story was exciting and absorbing. I learned a lot, and now I want to read more about the late eighteenth century, especially British politics and culture in that time period. I recommend both the books and the 2015 PBS Masterpiece series. The TV series has already filmed four seasons, although the fourth season hasn’t yet aired in the US, and the story has progressed in the first three seasons through the first five books in Winston’s saga. The fourth season will probably finish out the first six books, and then maybe a fifth season will skip over the ten silent years and bring us the story of the Poldark adult children?

Books worth reading.
TV worth watching.