I absolutely love Calvin Becker. I just finished “Saving Grandma” for the second (or maybe third) time, and I still can’t stop laughing.

I think I like Schaeffer’s work so much because of the way he uses the simple observations of a neglected 15-year old kid who can’t even read or write to absolutely expose and destroy strict Calvinist doctrine. And maybe that’s the best way to do it… stand back and let the hypocrisy do the work.

I root for Calvin… hard… throughout the entire book. I honestly can’t think of a character in any work of fiction that I find myself pulling for more than this kid.

Portofino will always be my favorite, but Saving Grandma is a worthy sequel with a little more edge.

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Yet, after reconsidering, I believe there’s room for forgiveness.

But why we forgive is important.

Should we forgive because he won 409 college football games? Many seem to think so. I’ve heard a lot said about his accomplishments, his legacy, and his commitment to one institution. As if we should forgive because of Paterno’s place among college football coaches.

I firmly reject this line of thinking. Success does not make one any more or less worthy of forgiveness. If so, where’s the line? What if he won just 200 games? Or 100? Or 1? What if he jumped from team to team, coaching for whatever institution paid him the most money? What if he was “just” a professor instead of a football coach? (Please imagine my huge over-the-top eye roll here.)

Perhaps we should forgive because Paterno’s “good” list is longer than his “bad”? Paterno helped hundreds, probably thousands of young men. The few boys hurt by Sandusky while Paterno looked away shouldn’t just negate all that good, should they?

I reject this line of thinking as well. The children raped by Sandusky are destroyed. Their families are destroyed. From their perspective, no amount of “good” could tip the scales back in Paterno’s favor. The “bad” is immeasurable. We should not forgive because Paterno’s good outweighs the bad, as it most certainly does not.

So then, instead of forgiving Paterno because of what sets him apart, we must consider that he should be forgiven for what makes him like us. He is man, with a history, a story, and a unique set of struggles. His value is found outside his accomplishments, failures, good and bad deeds. He is a man (lovingly created by God in my opinion), and there is tremendous value in that alone.

If we can try to forgive Paterno for who he is, and not because of his accomplishments, then maybe we can begin to offer the same grace towards other less famous and less successful men and women…. and that would be a legacy of JoPa’s worth remembering and honoring.

Here’s the top-5 books that I read (for the first time) in 2011:

5. India Calling by Anand Giridharadas – You can read my review here.

4. Area 51 by Annie Jacobsen – Incredibly interesting glimpse into a part of our nation’s history that we most certainly did NOT learn about in school. Jacobsen’s descriptions of the nuclear tests that the U.S. conducted are horrifying. Also, (spoiler alert) Jacobsen completely and compellingly debunks any/all alien myths… yet the reality is somehow just as amazing.

3. The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson – You can read my review here.

2. Crazy for God by Frank Schaeffer – You can read my review here.

1. Love Wins by Rob Bell – Deserves a place on this list if only for the controversy it stirred among the Christian community. I deeply and genuinely enjoyed Rob Bell’s latest, and rather than add to the already overflowing collection of commentary on this work, I’ll simply repost the promotional video.

But my kids are cute, and we now have a redbox within walking distance of my house. So I’ve got that going for me. Here’s my top-5 movies released in 2011:

5. Bridesmaids. Hilarious. Poop jokes are funnier when women tell them.

4. Cedar Rapids. Really funny and kind of gross, but I just genuinely liked these characters. There’s a lot more depth here than other raunchy comedies.

3. The Adjustment Bureau. I’m oddly drawn to any exploration of free-will, and I loved the two main characters (Matt Damon & Emily Blunt). My kind of sci-fi.

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. I’m a big HP fan, and enjoyed all the movies, but this is the first one I felt was a legitimate quality flick. Just like the book, I wish they didn’t give us a glimpse of the future. Otherwise a perfect ending to the series.

1. Win Win. By far and away my favorite movie of 2011. Paul Giamatti toes the line between right and wrong. It’s honest and funny. Real, flawed characters and a great story.

Note: I’ll likely still see “The Descendants”, “Moneyball”, and “Midnight in Paris” so I reserve the right to amend this list accordingly.

This book came very highly recommended to me from several different friends. It certainly lived up to the recommendation – I couldn’t put it down and finished quickly over two days just before Christmas.

I had a very emotional response to The Shack, and I imagine that many of Young’s descriptions and ideas will be a part of my understanding of God going forward.

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This is one of my all-time favorite books. Schaeffer brilliantly and hilariously nails (and destroys) the theology of strict Calvinists. Calvin (the character) is my hero. And the octopus incident makes me cry laughing every time I think about it.

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christian facebook status of the day

What makes this day hard for me is, not just that she died on this date, but that she suffered for so many years leading up to her passing. It’s taken me nine years to be able to say this, but I’m okay. I’m angry, and I’m okay with that. I’m frustrated, and I’m okay with that. I have so many unanswered questions, and I’m okay with that.

For nine years I’ve held on to that anger and frustration, and I’ve allowed it to dictate my relationship with my family, and with God. But something has happened over the last 12 months: I’ve found peace. My understanding of God has changed and grown drastically, and I think I’ve realized that God wants me to come to Him as I am – anger and bitterness included. God doesn’t need me to pretend that I’m okay with my mom’s suffering. Want to tell me that “everything works for the good”? Want to tell me that “God’s plan is bigger & better than I can understand, and that I should accept her suffering as a part of that plan”? I say, with full confidence: fuck you. The God I love mourns with me.

And you know what? I’m blessed with a family who mourns with me. And now, double-trouble, I’m blessed with an amazing community that mourns with me too. I don’t have to pretend to be okay with it in order to have a relationship with God.

I’ll never be okay with what Parkinson’s did to my mother, and yep, I’ll never be okay with God allowing it to happen. I prayed my ass off, and she suffered none-the-less. But faith in Christ has freed me to embrace that anger. I don’t have to pretend anymore.

No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me. Nine years in, and I’m finally free.