In Christian circles, there are many thoughts on life. Hundreds of books
focus on how to live a better life, the lives of famous people, and what
makes a holy life. There are also many books on death, but they mostly only
address the final residence in heaven or hell. However, Annie Dillard,
critically acclaimed modern writer, tells us today how death impacts how we
live our life, and it has nothing to do with heaven or hell.

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THE LIVING - ANNIE DILLARD (1992)
by Jason Ewert

Ada Fishburn shivered as she stood on the shore of Bellingham Bay, waiting
for her husband, Rooney, to unload their belongings. Several months before
she had left her old life in Missouri and embarked with her small family on
the long journey to the Washington Territory. The old life didn't die,
however, until she was well into the trip. One morning, as the wagons were
trudging across the endless plains, Charley, her younger son, stood up and
went over the side of the wagon, landing in the path of the wheels. There
was no time to fish him out of the rut or stop the wagon. The wheels went
over his small body, and he died.

They buried him the next day beneath a tree that was, as they discovered
while digging, a popular burial place. As Ada and her family struggled to
cut themselves a life in the desolate Washington forest, death would become
all too familiar to them. Death, they soon learned, was half of living.

The Fishburns’ life is just one of the many stories that Annie Dillard
paints in The Living. What distinguishes them from the others is their
longevity: the book begins with Ada’s arrival and ends with the adulthood of
her grandchildren. The 400 pages in between are filled with events that are
random and haphazard ... or are they? Clare and Glee Fishburn, Ada’s sons,
quickly sprout up in the wild and begin families in the ebb-and-flow town of
Whatcom. Two island boys, John Ireland Sharp and Beal Obenchain, grow up and
leave their deserted island home to follow two different ways of life.
Baltimore native Minta Honer arrives in nearby Goshen and, after several
years, must make her own way after losing her husband and two youngest
children. Like the Fishburns, they learn that life is chock full of dying.
Indeed, the reader will find the number of deaths staggering. You will cry
as characters of tender ages and attitudes have their lives suddenly snuffed
out.

It is Beal Obenchain who provides us with the one event that ties all these
stories together into a complete package. One night he calls on Clare
Fishburn and announces that he is soon going to kill him. Bewildered, Clare
doesn't know what to make of it, and he begins to watch out for Beal and
carry a revolver for protection. In reality, Beal is seeking to control
Clare, to make him so fearful that he becomes a living corpse, a shell
without spirit. Clare begins to go down that road, but he soon learns that
Beal’s threat is no different than the threat made to us by life: death does
not ask permission or care about those whom you love. With this learning,
Clare has a new perspective on life that asks the questions, Whose lives are
good? Whose lives mean something? Who will be forgotten?

Dillard’s point is a profound one, and it is artfully woven into the very
believable and very real tapestry of 19th century pioneering. Yet, as the
book draws to a close, the reader will be somewhat disappointed with
Dillard's picture of God. Instead of a sovereign God who is the author of
history, Dillard sees Him simply as creator. Somehow, He fits into
day-to-day living, but His presence is unfelt and unheeded.

That said, The Living is a book well-worth reading. Throughout the book
there are many thoughtful observations on life and how we live it,
observations that provoke thought and offer new light on our existence. The
most important point, however, is the simple question that bleeds from the
last scene of darkness: how does your upcoming death influence how you live?

Read more about The Living at cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/books/anniedillard/theliving.shtml


AVAILABLE TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22 (at cMusicWeb.com or your local music store)

ALL THE JOY IN THE WORLD - JUMP5
As if Jump5 does not already have more releases than any artist in the
Christian pop circuit for only a year or so, they now have their own
Christmas EP. Don't doubt it, you will hear them on Radio Disney if you
listen to such stations.

BRING IT ON - PHIL JOEL
The curly-haired New Zealander is sure multi-talented. Besides playing low
end (bass) and high end (background vocals) for the Newsboys, Phil brings
his second solo disc to stores today. Although a bit more poppy than most
Newsboys fare, he does stay within the same style, and is an improvement on
his debut.

EXODUS - ANDY HUNTER
Undoubtedly the best dance release from any major Christian record label,
Hunter brings a powerful arsenal of unique sounds to the turntables,
compelling even the most die-hard club goers to worship. You might have
heard his track, "Go," during the movie Ballistic in theaters a month ago!

HI-FI REVIVAL - O.C. SUPERTONES
If you thought their last album, Loud and Clear, was too hardcore and you
thought that Chase the Sun was better, then both will probably be happy.
While the rock is toned down a bit, the guys show off a bit of their ballad
and reggae roots to make a diverse and exciting album.

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ABSOLUTE TRUTH - TREE63
You may find that Tree63's sound has become a bit more raw, relying less on
atmospheric guitar parts. Even though the disc runs under 40 minutes, the
new tracks are solid. Let's just hope that new music is not so far away.

LONELY SUPERSTAR - PLAYDOUGH
Ill Harmonics member Playdough does the solo thing, bringing more innovative
beats and witty flows to the table.

MOMENTUM DVD - TOBYMAC
Value priced at only $6, TobyMac's DVD debut gives you the chance to own the
videos for "Extreme Days," "Get This Party Started," and "Irene," plus some
live footage from Spirit West Coast and more special features.

TRUTH, SOUL, ROCK & ROLL - THE ELMS
Currently showing off their retro rock on tour with Jars of Clay, the Elms
turn down their pop sensibilities from their debut and focus more on the
sounds that come from your local "classic rock" station. That's right, the
PICK OF THE WEEK is classic rock for the new millennium!

WORSHIP AGAIN - MICHAEL W. SMITH
Deja vu. Sporting a couple new songs and some different worship favorites,
Smitty does it AGAIN. In other words, if it goes platinum, do it again. This
does not seem to be the inventive pop icon we used to know...


THE LATEST NEWS HEADLINES
- Sonicflood Working on New Album
- Chevelle to Host MTV2 Show
- Grits #32 On Heatseekers Chart
- And more!

View all the latest stories on cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/


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Dan Ficker
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a different approach to music
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