Monster Triathlon . . . Two Great Reads

The lack of a new post here for the first half of September coincides with my decision to do my first triathlon on October 24. The old days of marathoning are in the rearview mirror (according to my orthopedic surgeon) . . . so I’m going to give triathloning a try. I may have decided a bit late, though, as I have just eight weeks (down to 5 now) to get ready. So between the swimming, cycling, and running, I’m tired. But havin’ fun — along with teaching, traveling, and working on the “What Really Matters” project (new product forthcoming!).

Here’s my goal: swimming in 6:00 (300 meters); cycling in 40:00 (12.7); running in 28:00 (5K). The 5K sounds slow to me (in the old days my PR was 18:58), but I just recently learned what a brick is: going from rigorous cycling to running. It’s an ugly feeling.

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I’m reading two amazing books right now:

Michael White’s Scripting Jesus: The Gospels in Rewrite is an incredible read. For those who haven’t had a chance to catch up on gospel studies in a while — this will help!

There are still Tatian-like tendencies to try to homogenize the pictures of Jesus into one seamless narrative — without all the interesting jars and clashes of the four gospels. If you want a modern Diatessaron, this book will frustrate you. But if you’re open to exploring the unique depictions of Jesus that have been passed on to us in the four canonical gospels, this is for you!

The novel I’m into right now, Abraham Verghese’s Cutting for Stone, is a brilliant story told with unforgettable language. Here are a few snippets to enjoy:

“We come unbidden into this life, and if we are lucky we find a purpose beyond starvation, misery, and early death which, lest we forget, is the common lot. I grew up and I found my purpose and it was to become a physician. My intent wasn’t to save the world as much as to heal myself. Few doctors will admit this, certainly not young ones, but subconsciously, in entering the profession, we must believe that ministering to others will heal our woundedness. And it can. But it can also deepen the wound.” (Note to those who are ministers: try substituting “minister” for “physician” and “doctor.”)

“According to [my brother], life is in the end about fixing holes. Shiva didn’t speak in metaphors. Fixing holes is precisely what he did [as a physician]. Still, it’s an apt metaphor for our profession. But there’s another kind of hole, and that is the wound that divides family. Sometimes this wound occurs at the moment of birth, sometimes it happens later. We are all fixing what is broken. It is the task of a lifetime. We’ll leave much unfinished for the next generation.”