I’m in Flossenbürg. It’s April, 1945, and the Allies are marching in the streets, having liberated the town from Nazi control. The war is almost over. How could it be that, just two weeks ago, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed by the Nazis right here? Couldn’t he have been spared this late in the war? 

“Please stop clicking your highlighter!” Flossenbürg disappears, the calendar spins forward, and I’m thrown back into my armchair in the living room. Looking up from my copy of Eric Metaxas’s Bonhoeffer, I see the glimpse of my interruption. The exasperated look on my wife's face tells me that I have been doing it again. I have been unconsciously clicking the cap on my yellow highlighter as I read, and it annoys everyone except for me.

I read with highlighter in hand because many sentences or paragraphs catch my fancy. I may like the way the author states something — admiring his style, or I may be struck by the truth of what is stated and find it worth remembering later. In that spirit, I hope to highlight some paragraphs on this blog. Putting a bit of a twist on book reviews, I want to conduct “paragraph reviews,” in a series entitled “Highlights.” 

So, without further ado . . . Ok — some more ado . . . But it’s not about nothing!

PARAGRAPH REVIEWS 

This format allows me freedom to select from various forms and genres, keep the workload on the hobby level (rather than the labor level), and highlight elements of the written word I find interesting, helpful, encouraging, and/or entertaining. I want a hobby instead of a chore, so — paragraph reviews it is! 

CRITERIA

Selected Paragraphs should be well-written, communicate something valuable, and/or generally be among my favorite paragraphs. By communicating “something valuable,” I mean that I will select paragraphs that communicate truth, artistic/literary beauty, or thought provoking themes.

CATEGORIES 

I will select paragraphs from several categories, including but not limited to Christian non-fiction, general non-fiction, literature, and the Bible. Christian non-fiction includes theology, Christian topics, Christian living, etc. General non-fiction will include biographies, history, other topics. Literature will focus on what I most love to read — the classics (Get ready for some Charles Dickens!). Classics may include books, short stories, or poetry. I will include some reviews of Biblical paragraphs but will keep that to a minimum because it’s not fair — the Bible simply rises above all other written words in truth, beauty, and literary form! 

DELIMITATIONS 

Mostly, I plan to review paragraphs that I like, but I reserve the right to review some I find disagreeable or even odious. 

I do not plan to critique the form of the paragraph (grammatically), but rather the content. I chose paragraphs for my unit of focus because I desire a narrow focus, not a grammatically correct paragraph. 

I may, from time to time, review a section that actually spans more or less than one paragraph. That will not change the name of this series. I make the blog & the rules, so I can flaunt them if I want to! 

LAUNCH! 

I have written my first Highlight, and you can find it here. I hope you enjoy it! I hope my reviews make you think about the subjects highlighted and encourage you to love reading as I love it.