I recently finished N.D. Wilson's Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl: Wide-Eyed Wonder in God's Spoken World. N.D is the son of theologian, author, and debater, Douglas Wilson.I was first told about this book by a friend who was so excited about it that he praised it with a slew of incomplete sentences. At first, it didn't sound that interesting or urgent of a read. I had other things on my list. I then heard another friend rave about it, then another, then another. I slowly became convinced that I might be missing out on a book that would soon become pretty popular. Since I hate being ignorant and left out in discussions about books, I went out and bought it immediately. My other books took a back seat, and I started reading it that day. One word:
Wow!
Yeah, it's that good. But, it's hard to explain why. I now understand why people couldn't give me a straight answer on why they liked it so much. It's hard. But let me try.
Do you like the casual profundity of C.S. Lewis? Do you like pithiness of G.K. Chesterton? Do you like the out-of-the-box thinking of Rob Bell? The honesty of Donald Miller? Do you like poetry? Do you like philosophy and worldview discussions that address the big, hard questions about life? Do you like to laugh? Do you like books that are such page-turners that you lose track of time?
Roll all that into one, and you will have Notes. Basically, this book philosophically and poetically contemplates the world we live in. Philosophically, because the meaning of life is talked about, along with other big issues like atheism, beauty, evil, and hell. Poetically, because on about every page you stop and think to yourself, 1) "What a beautiful way to think about that, and 2) "I need to be more creative."
Really, Wilson has a very creative mind. But, he's not annoying in his imagery. Some authors appear to try too hard to come up with descriptive language and imagery. Wilson is a natural. His words flow off the page and blend smoothly into his point. It's kind of like when you perfectly match wine and chocolate. I guess that's why wine is nicknamed "bottled poetry." Anyway.
There are a few surprises along the way that can catch you off guard. The only hint I will give you is that at times you think, "Wow, I can't believe he just said that." But, overall, this is one of my new favs that I will refer back to quite a bit.
It was an easy and pleasurable read. The deeper discussions of life and meaning were not overwhelming or academic. You'll love the way he puts things. His imagery is masterful and drew out in me a desire to be more artful with my thinking and writing.
I highly recommend this book. Go out and getcha one. I leave you with a quote:
("Spoken" refers to being spoken into existence by God.)
"You are spoken. I am spoken. We stand on a spoken stage. The spinning kind. The round kind. The moist kind. The kind of stage with beetles and laughter and babies and dirt and snow and fresh-cut cedar.
You are made of cells. I am made of cells. My cells are built on molecules. My molecules make use of atoms. My atoms are mostly space, but the bits that aren't called quarks. My quarks are standing because they are obedient. They've been told to by a voice they cannot disobey." (24)
Comments? Questions? Thoughts?
EP
