Reviews (3)

An easy and inspiring read.
Frederick Buechner has great style, excellent writing and super content.I opened it and immediately became became engrossed.

Let's start calling him ... Fredric the Great
After his Simple, Profound "Faces of Jesus, Sermons of "Telling Secrets" now "Secrets in the Dark, "Listening to Your Life, and, "BEYOND WORDS, it is remarkably sad that St John Claypool and Sir George Buttrick, mentors of all good Preachers are not here to Enjoy these last, greats from Sir Fredrick the Great!
Appealingly Honest and Relevantly Skillful
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Christianity - Protestanism    3. Preaching    4. Presbyterian Church    5. Protestant Doctrinal Theology (General)    6. Religion    7. Religion - Worship - Preaching    8. Sermons    9. Sermons - Christian    10. Sermons, American    11. Christian Interest    12. Religion / General    13. Religion / Spirituality    14. Spirituality   

Editorial Review

A sermon arises out of silence, preacher and writer Frederick Buechner reminds us, and that silence is both an opportunity and a warning. An audience sits in the pews waiting, and each of those who sit there bring with them a long and complicated history. How will you reach them? How will you awaken them? "Tell them the truth," Buechner says in this brief and powerful book. The Gospel begins here, out of this silence: "It is life with the sound turned off so that for a moment or two you can experience it not in terms of the words you make it bearable by but for the unutterable mystery that it is." Out of this silence, he writes, the "real news comes, which is sad news before it is glad news and that is fairy tale last of all." Read more

Reviews (13)

A compelling and beautiful book
I still struggle to understand why on earth this author isn't as widely read, valued, commented and acclaimed as he deserves to be... It is perhaps, as he suggested, because he seems to be "too religious for the irreligious and too secular for the religious".Whatever reasons there may be, few other writers equal the quality of thought and writing of Frederick Buechner on "religious" matters (whatever that means!). THE LITTLE OLD MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN
When I took a class in "Christian Mythopoeic authors" I had to give a presentation on an author not discussed in the class. I presented on Frederick Buechner. My focus was on his novel, On the Road with the Archangel. While preparing for this, I found myself reading seven of his other books. Once I picked him up, it was hard to put him down. One of the books that I read was Telling the Truth. I have recently had the pleasure of re-reading it. New Horizons and Old Wars
This is a superbly written view of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.Buechner uses parables of various contempory situations to bring new life and relevance to the scriptures.If you are looking for fresh creative insight into the Bible, this is definitely one to check out. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity    2. Communication    3. General    4. Inspirational - General    5. Philosophy    6. Preaching    7. Religion    8. Religious aspects    9. Personal Christian testimony & popular inspirational works    10. Religion / General   

Reviews (2)

FIND IT IF YOU CAN
This wonderful story is told with a clear-eyed voice, and a wonderful sense of humor.The book evokes the sadness and small, joyful moments from a childhood of long ago.I stumbled upon this book via a friend, and simply treasure it.Short, uncomplicated and yet filled with a resonant -and resilient - spirit.By the time you reach the last page, you may bemoved to tears.

A story of meeting the world for the first time.
Buechner does a masterful job of introducing us to the world that we live through the lives of children. In his usually fashion, Buechner takes the lives of people and shows how salvation and grace can flow through them,even though, at times, they are unaware. Treat yourself to a little tasteof life, with all of its bitterness and sweetness in this wonderful read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. General   

Editorial Review

A kind of "mongrel litter" by way of Pascal, Voltaire, and Ambrose Bierce, this theological run through the alphabet goes from Abraham and Agnostic straight through to YWHW and Zaccheus--the tax collector who shimmied up the tree on Palm Sunday to get a good look at Jesus. In between we get a heady brew of humor and wisdom. On Anger, for example, Buechner writes: "Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun.... In many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you." Or this, on wine: "Unfermented grape juice is a bland and pleasant drink ... [but] it is a ghastly symbol of the life blood of Jesus Christ, especially when served in individual antiseptic, thimble-sized glasses. Wine is booze, which means it is dangerous and drunk-making. It makes the timid brave and the reserved amorous. It loosens the tongue and breaks the ice especially when served in a loving cup. It kills germs. As symbols go, it is a rather splendid one."Read more

Reviews (11)

Upbeat and profound
This little book by Fred Buechner is a gem. It's crisp, hopeful Christian theology. It's an upbeat page-turner, but it is not dumb-downed for the masses. I keep going back to my dog-eared 1974 original version of this book by my bedside. I bought the updated paperback version both as gifts and as a traveling companion.

continually thought provoking
This book is so much fun.Buechner writes so well and thinks so clearly. It's a kind of iconoclastic dictionary.He invites us to look at words, concepts and articles of faith differently and to shatter the platitudes-all by giving short definitions of the terms we use every day as people of faith.
A treasure of a book
This was the first book by Frederick Buechner I have read, and I have already ordered more.
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Subjects:  1. Bible - Study - General    2. Christianity - Theology - General    3. Dictionaries    4. Religion    5. Religion - Biblical Studies    6. Theology    7. Christian theology    8. Christianity    9. Religion / General   

Reviews (5)

HIS SIMPLESTYET
Following TELLING SECRETS, this is definitely relief! Reading this biographical material as being heavier. More often his sermons surely lend a hint to his uniquely human, more emotional approach to stories of The Nativity, Ministry, Last Supper, Crucifixion, and Resurrection are quotations of his faith and theology. In the Intro to THE FACES of JESUS Fred begins "He set his face to go to Jerusalem..." One other statement of Fred Buechner's Theology comes in Resurrection, he includes words of a hymn spoken by Jesus at Acts of John. I am deeply impressed by this most mature, fascinating creation of Fredrick Buechner! Retired Chaplain Fred W Hood
The Old, Old Stories Filled Out with Deeper Insight
Most of us learned the old, old stories of the Bible as children from our parents or in Sunday school. If we still attend church, the critical few are repeated on an annual basis. And the common scripture readings again cover these moments.
An experience of wonder

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Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Art    3. Bible - Study - New Testament    4. Christianity - Theology - Christology    5. Christology    6. General    7. Jesus Christ    8. Religion    9. Religion And Art    10. Spirituality - General    11. Theology - Christology    12. The historical Jesus   

Reviews (6)

Peculiar Treasure: A Biblical Whose Who
Good book for anyone, I use it in my classroom to give my students more information on certain Biblical characters.

An nice sequel to "Wishful Thinking"
"Peculiar Treasures" is Buechner's second in a trilogy of lexicon-style expositions, this time focusing on Biblical characters.Including some virtual unknowns alongside the "heavyweights", Buechner examines each person and tries to discover what makes them unique.Since the Biblical characters might not always be immediately familiar to the reader, there is necessarily increased length to the entries, and thus fewer entries, relative to Buechner's other two books in this series.While not quite as good as "Wishful Thinking", this book is still excellent and thought-provoking.

Thoughts to Ponder
Having enjoyed Mr. Buechner's biblical fiction, I also picked up this volume of his musings on the people of the Bible.I wasn't disappointed.Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible    2. Bible - Reference - General    3. Bible - Study - General    4. Biography    5. Religion    6. Religion - Biblical Studies    7. Biblical concordances & commentaries    8. Religion / General   

Reviews (4)

a curiously flat book, but nevertheless enjoyable
The overviews represented above are fantastic, well-written and thorough.I enjoyed this book about St. Brendan despite the choice of narrator.I liked Buechner's evocation of the humanness of Brendan through the eyes of Finn, his loyal friend and companion.However, what I did not care for is the curiously flat quality of the book: a complete lack of understanding on Finn's part about spirituality and mysticism. ANOTHER GEM FROM FREDERICK BUECHNER
This is the third of Buechner's works I have read, and I have loved and devoured them all.The author takes us breathtakingly into the life and times of Brendan, a 6th century Irish saint -- Brendan the Navigator, as he is known by many.The language, imagery and power of this novel is astonishing. Love and learn.
Brendan is the story of a sixth-century Irish monk's quest for "the land of the blessed" the terrestrial Paradise known in Celtic lore as "Tir-na-n-og". Buechner skillfully takes us to the doorstep of many rich and vibrant lands via Brendan's journeys... and lets us meet with a many-splendored cast of characters, none of which are superfluous. All of these places, and all of the characters play a vital role in both the building up and the tearing down of Brendan. Aside from the sheer beauty of this story, laced as it is with Buechner's unrivalled metaphors (all writers bow)... I feel there are many lessons in the book that further commend it to the realm of worthy reading.Read more

Subjects:  1. America    2. Brendan,    3. Christian saints    4. Discoveries in geography    5. Explorers    6. Fiction    7. Fiction - Historical    8. Historical - General    9. Religion    10. Saint, the Voyager,    11. Spirituality - General    12. ca. 483-577    13. Brendan    14. History    15. Ireland    16. Irish    17. Religion / Spirituality    18. To 1172   

Reviews (9)

Telling Secrets
Frederick Buechner is one of my favorite autbors. I have almost all of his books. His latest, Telling Secrets, arrived last week and I have not opened it yet. I was almost through reading another book and didn't want to peek until I could sit down and read and read. I am so glad to have Amazon.com to remind me of books by him and other favorites.

An Act of Love
"I not only have my secrets, I am my secrets. And you are your secrets. Our secrets are human secrets, and our trusting each other enough to share them with each other has much to do with the secret of what it is to be human." Enabling Truth to Heal
This book is a must-read for anyone who counsels, ministers and teaches others, because it is a soul searching quest for truth. The author reveals the painful and heretofore submerged past of his childhood, and with each revelation or insight, he is one step closer to healing. Thus we are encouraged to do the same - to relinquish secrets that cause guilt and pain is a necessary step to healing. The writing style flows as though we are witness to the author's personal journal, yet the story is amplified so that we the reader can appreciate the lessons he learned from life experiences. A refreshing aside to the book is the author's vulnerability in re-opening certain wounds and through faith is finally able to release and heal. We too are encouraged to let goand let God! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1926-    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Buechner, Frederick,    5. Christianity - Presbyterianism    6. Christianity - Protestanism    7. Clergy    8. Presbyterian Church    9. Religion    10. Religious    11. United States    12. Religion / Spirituality   

Editorial Review

"A child takes life as it comes because he has no other way of taking it," Frederick Buechner writes in this first of his autobiographical books. With this statement he attempts to explore the event that is at the center of this book, and which forms the (missing) center around which so much of Buechner's fiction and essays take shape: the suicide of his father when he was 10 and his brother 8.Read more

Reviews (6)

holy goose!
check out doug thorpe's comments on this book; he's a Seattle Pacific University muse, so his words must be golden. here's my two cents:
listen to your life
I have read The Magnificent Defeat, Godric and the meditation book, Listening to Your Life. I've read other books by Richard Rohr that have blown me away in how they've illuminated Christianity for me but I've never read anything quite so beautiful, so rich with humanity as this slim little volume. once below a time...
The mystery of our lives. The oddity of memory. The things that make us who we are. Frederick Buechner explores all of these topics in the first volume of his autobiographies, "The Sacred Journey."Read more

Subjects:  1. 1926-    2. 20th century    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Buechner, Frederick,    6. Clergy    7. General    8. Novelists, American    9. Presbyterian Church    10. Religion    11. Religious    12. United States    13. Biography: general    14. Buechner, Frederick    15. Christian ministry & pastoral activity    16. Religion / General   

Reviews (6)

Different Type of Devotional, And Very Thought-Provoking
This is a devotional/meditational book I keep coming back to. It is deep, and stimulates long-lasting reflection upon my life and my God.
An excellent daily devotional
Most daily devotionals that I have worked with in the past have often been sentimental drivel. Buechner's Fabulous Autobiographic Readings: Revised
I only thought that I had read Frederick's nearly best words!
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Subjects:  1. Devotional    2. Devotional calendars    3. Inspirational - General    4. Meditations    5. Religion    6. Religion - Inspirational/Spirituality    7. Mind, body, spirit: disciplines & techniques    8. Personal Christian testimony & popular inspirational works    9. Religion / Meditations   

Reviews (4)

Great Readings
A hospital chaplain read the passage "Dreams" at a morning meditation. It was a very moving, spiritual reading which gives you much to think about. I came home and ordered a copy from Amazon, express delivery. Look forward to reading the other chapters.

More solid Buechner
The third and final installment in Buechner's lexicon-style expositions, Whistling in the Dark looks at words that might not be considered "religious" but that deal with the topic nonetheless.Hitting topics such as abortion, this book hits a bit more into politics than the previous two.Be forewarned that some of the entries are somewhat darker and even a little depressing.Although not as good as "Wishful Thinking", it is on par with "Peculiar Treasures" and superior to most "religious" books available today.This is another one to read and ponder again and again.

Classic Buechner
A great starting place if you want to explore Buechner's non-fiction. He has a way of making the deep attainable and the mundane deep.His way with words is remarkable and moving. Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity - History - General    2. Devotional    3. Meditations    4. Religion    5. Religion - Theology    6. Theology    7. Christian prayerbooks    8. Christianity    9. Religion / General   

Editorial Review

Great literature is like a spiritual informant, helping readers derive meaning out of the best of times and the worst of times. In Read more

Reviews (2)

The power of honesty
In this book, Buechner describes the lives and discusses some of the literary works of four well-known writers.
Beautiful and Fascinating
I recently got this book out of the library in order to teach a poem on Gerard Manley Hopkins, one of the writers Buechner discusses in the text. I was astonished at Buechner's incredible diction, phrasing, and word pictures. I had not read anything else of his before, but now I want to buy this book! His writing has an incredibly mysitcal quality, which he uses to broaden our knowledge of ability to enjoy four notable authors, while showcasing his own unique vision and humility. The book is moving and gritty - it put me in tears on several occasions, and I do not cry easily. If you are at all a fan of Hopkins, Twain, Chesterton, or Shakeapeare you must read this book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christian Life    2. Christianity - Christian Life - Character & Values    3. Christianity - Literature    4. Christianity and literature    5. English literature    6. English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh    7. General    8. Great Britain    9. History    10. History and criticism    11. Literary Criticism    12. Literature - Classics / Criticism    13. United States    14. Religion / Spirituality   

Reviews (2)

Blog --A Word a day to keep the Demons away
Frederick Keeps the Demons away by insightful, provactive, ideas! What poignant inspired 365 words for another year!
A Welcome Compilation
Buechner has done something that will be taken two different ways: he has either fallen into the self-aggrandizing trap of repackaging "old stuff" for new potential market, or has (as I prefer to think) made more accessible three wonderful works through the convenience of a single cover.These gems are alternately thought-provoking, humorous, spiritual, and wonderfully human.Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible - Meditations - General    2. Christianity - Christian Life - General    3. Devotional    4. Devotional calendars    5. Inspirational - General    6. Meditations    7. Religion    8. Religion - Inspirational/Spirituality    9. Worship    10. Religion / Christian Life   

Editorial Review

The title of this memoir (the second in a series, following the well-received Read more

Reviews (2)

listen to your life
Frederick Buechner's "Now and Then" is, at its core, an engrossing story. It is the sequel to Buechner's first piece of autobiographical literature "The Sacred Journey."

Subjects:  1. 1926-    2. 20th century    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Buechner, Frederick,    6. Clergy    7. General    8. Inspirational - General    9. Novelists, American    10. Presbyterian Church    11. Religion    12. United States    13. Biography: general    14. Buechner, Frederick    15. Christian ministry & pastoral activity    16. Religion / General   

Editorial Review

As a novelist and memoirist, Frederick Buechner brings to these meditations on biblical passages a keen eye for narrative and detail. He brings as well an artist's love for language. As he says of James Weldon Johnson's poetic rendering of the creation story, this "is the language that man always uses when he tries to talk about the real mysteries of existence." So too is it the language Buechner brings to these reflections, which similarly explore the real mysteries. Written simply and directly (their original audience was a group of students at the private school where the author was a minister), Buechner delves into topics ranging from Jacob's wrestling with the angel (this is the "magnificent defeat" of the title) to the annunciation and birth of Jesus and beyond. Whatever the topic, Buechner writes with clarity and honesty. He does not present himself as among the saints so much as among the seekers. He doubts and questions but always comes back to the central place of beauty and of joy: here, he suggests, is where we must place our faith. Here is the true miracle of life, inviting us to "open our arms, our lives, to the deepest miracle of reality itself and call it by its proper name, which is King of kings and Lord of lords, or call it by any name we want, or call it nothing, but live our lives open to the fierce and transforming joy of it." Read more

Reviews (3)

Simply a masterpiece
Originally intended (as per Buechner's Introductory Note) for congregations consisting of predominantly young people, this compilation of 18 essay's speaks to every Christian who would sit down and read them.The Magnificent Defeat is broken down into 3 parts. I - The Challenge to Surrender , II - The Triumph of Love, III - The Mystery and Miracle of Grace.Each essay starts with a quote from scripture and then continues on with Buechners typical introspective point of view on the life of Christ, and in turn our own life as a result.While Buechner does touch on some theological points, a lot of his essays deal with the search for the Truth.Given the fact that it was originally intended for young people it does touch on the matters of the legitimacy of God (He does exist!) and why the person of Jesus Christ makes sense.As an apologetics resource, I think Buechner touches the most basic of subjects in an easy to understand AND relateable manner.These essays are powerful, and can also serve as a good topic of discussion during particular Christian seasons (i.e.: 2 essays on the Birth of Christ, 2 essays on the Death of Christ) as well.I highly recommend this book, along with all the other Buechner works.His style is unique, but just as relevant and just as strong as other great Christian writers, such as C.S. Lewis.

Insightful sermons about Jesus' birth and about surrender...
This book contains a number of insightful sermons concerning the Christmas story.Frederick goes into great detail in explaining what might have went on inside the lives of the people involved in the "Christmas" story. Winsome insight into the giftedness of life and grace of God
This collection of sermons by one of America's most talented writers provides the reader with profound insight into not only the challenges of the human predicament and the foibles of endless human striving, but, more importantly, the giftedness of life and the grace of God. In his peculiarly winsome manner, Buechner reveals to us that the most extraordinary things in life are available to us not as a result of our own efforts, but as pure gift. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Devotional    2. Inspirational    3. Inspirational - General    4. Meditations    5. Religion    6. Religion / General   

Editorial Review

"The Bible's account of Jacob is a pungent seed found in a tomb," wrote the poet James Merrill about this novel. "Frederick Buechner has planted it and the result is this beautiful swaying tree of a book." The fact that Merrill was an old friend of Buechner's does not disqualify this eloquent testimony. Indeed, Jacob is powerfully translated here through Buechner's honest and humorous--and cantankerous--voice. We see a living, human character, as always in Buechner's work, whether fiction or nonfiction. From this archetypal tale of feuding brothers he draws a story of family and fear, and a tale of a living God with whom Jacob wrestles in more ways than one. The tale of this life is a rich one: the two wives, Leah and Rachel, the journeys and the dreams--all of it takes on a coloring that is both strange and yet familiar: here is a Jacob both larger than life and yet very much human, very much one of us. Read more

Reviews (9)

OLD TESTAMENT FAMILY DRAMA BROUGHT TO LIFE
Frederick Buechner's training and experience as an ordained Presbyterian minister, combined with his incredible literary skills make reading his works a pure joy.His retelling here of the story of Jacob, son of Isaac (whose name means Laughter), brings to life like no other author I've read the struggle toward God, the intra-family strife, and the sheer battle to stay alive in harsh times and an unforgiving landscape. An R-rated version of Genesis 12-20.
Novelizations of Biblical tales rarely work well.Some religious authors over glorify the characters, making them saints, reducing their credibility and immediacy.Non-religious authors usually try to reinterpret the Bible to fit a "modernized" word-view or social gospel, which changes the meaning of the story.Fortunately, Buechner avoids both of these pitfalls with this re-imagining of the lives of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.He ruthlessly depicts ancient cultures, full of graphic sex and violence, where God chooses a few unworthy messengers to carry out his work amid the backdrop of pagan gods and brutal animal sacrifice. My favorite biblical fiction
Jacob, to be truthful, had never really spoken to me before this novel.This hauntingly beautiful retelling seeks to explain why he acted the way he did without whitewashing him.Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction - Religious    2. General    3. Religious - General    4. Religion / General    5. Sagas   

Editorial Review

Frederick Buechner's