Book Review: Habits of the Household by Justin Earley

 

Every household has habits. In Habits of the Household, Justin Earley walks through habits that form us with a lens focused on raising young families in a God honoring and redemptive way. It’s a fantastic look at how habits are constantly forming us and our children. There are so many good tips and wisdom on establishing routines that create redemption, spiritual transformation, and a liturgy for life. 

Everything forms us and our children from the things we say and do or don’t say or do, to the media we consume, who we spend time with, and how we communicate. The book is not only focused on theological theory but has many practical ideas for how to set up an environment where your family can flourish and experience life in a redemptive and transformative way. 

It’s possible to manufacture moments here and there but what do you do when you’re exhausted, stressed, and have little energy? The habits described in the book will help you establish a system for your family that doesn’t have to be perfect but over the long term can point you towards God and the blessings He has in store for you and your family. 

I liked that the author is not writing from an ivory tower but is right in the middle of raising 4 young children himself with his wife while working full time as an attorney and running a business. It gives real credibility to the lessons he shares and hope that it’s possible to implement some of what he’s encouraging even in the midst of a season that can be exhausting. 

I highly recommend this book both as a practical guide for setting up helpful habits in raising your family and in thinking about the things that form you and who and how you want to be developing as a person and parent.

For more book reviews, connect with me on Goodreads here.

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

Book Review: When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin

In When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin, there is sadness, grief, and tragedy but also beauty, love, hope and redemption. I really enjoyed the story which is set in northeast Georgia on lake Burton along with a few visits to Atlanta. The story follows the life of a man named Reese who lives on the lake and encounters a spirited little girl named Annie who shares a medical condition with a lost loved one of Reese. Throughout the story they develop a friendship and Reese eventually finds healing from a massive tragedy in his past. 

For the first 100 pages or so, Reese drops hints of his past life and profession but doesn’t fully lean into openness about it so you begin to pick up on his background as the story progresses. There is quite a bit of medical description and while I have no idea about the accuracy of it, the author must have done substantial research or taken a class in cardiology. At parts the story feels like a medical thriller. 

Other main characters include Annie’s supportive but worn down aunt Cindy as well as Reese’s brother in law Charlie who provides a bit of good natured humor. 

A notable string running through the book are quotes from Shakespeare as well as other poets and writers with Reese and a few others either saying or thinking these. For me, this was a bit more than it needed to be but it wasn’t overly distracting.

It very much reads as a Southern novel and also has some nice touches of Christian faith, scripture, prayer, prophetic dreams, and wisdom woven through it with characters who are comfortable in their faith and it’s just a part of who they are. There are a couple scenes that lean into an evangelistic emphasis and while I didn’t have an overall issue with them and thought there were some good elements in them, it felt like the author was trying to drive a point. 

The timeline jumps back and forth between present day and flashbacks to Reese’s childhood, teenage years, college and early days of a successful career and the deep love he has for his wife from the time they were kids.

Since it was published 20 years ago, there are a few anachronistic things like phone books, pagers, and the occasional person without a cellphone. One theme of poverty and medical bills in the story was puzzling to me since presumably the patient should have qualified for Medicaid. It did make for a recurring pressure and stress on the family perspective and maybe it’s just one of those suspension of disbelief things you have to look past in a story. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and thought there was a lot of beauty and wisdom mixed throughout the story alongside kindness, redemption, and healing. I’m glad to have read it and look forward to reading more books by Charles Martin.

Book Review: Women of Worth by Bethany Frymire

In Women of Worth, Bethany Frymire gets to the heart of how we think about money. She’s down to earth, genuine, and refreshingly open about her own journey. The writing is engaging and at times even entertaining (how many finance books can say that?). While she offers sound, practical financial advice, the book goes much deeper, addressing identity, faith, and viewing money through the lens of stewardship over all aspects of life.

Reading the book feels like sitting down with a wise and fun friend over coffee or lunch. Bethany is especially relatable to busy moms juggling a hundred responsibilities and comes across not just as a financial expert, but rather a trusted friend who can help guide you along your journey with money. She doesn’t just talk the talk, she lives out the principles and illustrates them through stories from her own life.

Throughout the book, you get the strong impression that she knows God deeply and regularly seeks His guidance. Biblical wisdom is woven through the book in a beautiful tapestry that connects financial decisions with broader areas of life.

While the book is written primarily with women in mind, men can learn a great deal from the stories and practical financial guidance it contains not to mention gain insight into the women in their lives.

The stories of people Bethany has worked with bring the principles to life. She touches on issues such as overcoming debt and shame, bucket budgeting, incorporating your values into your investment strategy without sacrificing performance, charitable giving and how it shapes both your finances and your heart, maintaining a “God owns it all” mindset, and teaching children and young adults how to manage money wisely.

This book is a valuable resource filled with practical steps for anyone who wants to manage their finances with Biblical wisdom and a stewardship mindset. I highly recommend it!

You can also connect with me on Goodreads to check out more reviews and recommendations. 

Book Review: Watership Down by Richard Adams

Watership Down by Richard Adams is a delightful and in parts quite exciting story about the adventures of a group of rabbits who strike out on their own after misgivings about danger in their warren. They encounter lots of dangers and uncertainties as they search for a new home. Some of these come from traditional enemies like predators, men, and weather but also other rabbits which provides lots of drama, mystery, and excitement. At several points in the story they share folklore tales of a rabbit named El-arairah who functions a little like Br’er Rabbit from Uncle Remus stories but with a bit more leadership of all rabbits. They also have their own language with a number of words used throughout the book.

I really enjoyed the character development of Hazel and his steady leadership throughout the book. Bigwig’s mission to Efrafa was like a mini spy story and I liked how he was the featured character for that section along with the battles they engaged in. Fiver was a bit mysterious but seemed settled and accepted in his role as a sort of prophet or seer by the end. General Woundwort was a primary antagonist and it was an interesting examination of a totalitarian and tyrannical system of governing. Kehaar the seagull was a fun addition to the cast with his brash sometimes laid back style and a loyal ally to the rabbits. 

For a story that Adams said was originally made up to entertain his daughters, there was a very male focus with all of the main characters being male and their society oriented in a patriarchal system with the females having minor docile roles that seem only there to serve the interests of the male characters. Adams seemed to try to slightly address this in one paragraph that I could see but didn’t really hold water for me. There’s also a strong militaristic orientation of the rabbits from a hierarchical perspective which could have been drawn from Adams’ experience in World War II.

There’s been question of whether or not this is a children’s book and in my thinking, you’d probably want the reader to be at least late elementary to middle school age due to the intensity of parts of the story though a discerning parent could either skip or guide a younger child through some of the more intense parts.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and the adventures that the bunnies went on. It’s a classic in personified animal stories. They have well developed systems of thinking and acting which are interesting to read and think about how animals perceive the world and what their concerns, hopes, and dreams are. You might even learn a thing or two about rabbits.

If you found this review helpful and want to give it a thumbs up on Goodreads, I’d be glad to connect at this link.

Book Review: This is Water by David Foster Wallace

There are only a few books that I intentionally have purchased with plans of reading them again. This Is Water is one of them. Originally a keynote from David Foster Wallace to the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon College (listen to the audio at this link) and put into a short book format with a sentence per page. The audio or video version is excellent as well and adds an element of humor that you may not pick up in the written version. The book does such a good job of bridging the gap between the idealism of the young launching into the world and the realities of the mundanities of adulthood and choosing how to think about them.

There is a lot of wisdom and truth and humor throughout the book but these are some key quotes that stood out to me.

“Learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think.”

“If you’re automatically sure that you know what reality is and who and what is really important-if you want to operate on your default setting- then you like me probably will not consider possibilities that aren’t pointless and annoying. But if you’ve really learned how to think, how to pay attention, then you will know you have other options.”

“there are all different kinds of freedom and the kind that is most precious you will not hear much talked about in the great outside world of winning and achieving and displaying. The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day. That is real freedom.”

“Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And an outstanding reason for choosing some sort of God or spiritual type thing to worship…is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things…then you will never have enough. Never feel you have enough. It’s the truth. Worship your own body and beauty… and you will always feel ugly and when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally plant you…worship power you will feel weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power of others to keep the fear at bay. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart, you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. And so on. Look the insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they’re evil or sinful. It is that they are unconscious. They are default settings.”

(From a content warning perspective, he does reference suicide and given how his life ended, perhaps the speech should be taken as foreshadowing and with a grain of salt.) 

There are countless graduation speeches and some are profound, inspirational, instructive, funny or otherwise entertaining. On the whole, this slice of the graduation speech pie rates up at the top and can help shape a person’s thinking in meaningful and helpful ways if taken to heart. Best of all it can be read in 15-20 minutes at most. I recommend this book to anyone but especially those on the cusp of launching into adulthood or starting probably any endeavor that you’ve not attempted before.

If you'd like to read and review more books with me on on Goodreads, connect with me at this link.

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

Book Review: Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

 Theo of Golden by Allen Levi is a beautiful story of an elderly man who moves to Golden, Georgia from New York City. When first arriving, he comes across a coffee shop that has portraits hanging on the wall and he is drawn to the skill of the artist and depth of how well he captures each subject. He proceeds to buy them and gift them to the subject of the portraits in deeply meaningful and impactful meetings. 

Everyone carries some sadness, pain, discouragement, and emotional wounds from the hardness and brokenness of the world. Theo, in gifting the portraits to each of the subjects, is able to see through the mistakes in life and heaviness in their soul without judgment and to call out the value and goodness of each person he interacts with and encourages. What a gift of being truly seen and heard that goes far beyond a portrait. 

Theo is a great lover of the arts and uses this love to connect with others through a shared appreciation of drawings, paintings portraits, music, and literature. One of his gifts is in his ability to see to the essence of someone, listen deeply and with genuine interest to them, ask meaningful questions, and connect relationally with them without expectation of receiving anything in return other than a new friend.

He doesn’t seek recognition or attention and skillfully redirects questions about himself so the focus stays on the other person. We learn bits and pieces of Theo’s backstory throughout the book and gather that he was a very successful entrepreneur with connections across the world having grown up in Portugal and lived in many places but with lots of sadness and pain in his story as well. Keep reading to the end and then maybe read the book again, there’s a surprise that will reshape your understanding of the story in a beautiful way.

While the story is purposeful, has multiple layers, and goes somewhere, there is purity of enjoyment throughout the book that we can delight in Theo, his generosity, kindness, and his mission to be present and connect deeply with the subjects of the portraits and other friends and acquaintances he meets along the way. In Theo we see a picture of what it could look like to be the hands and feet of Jesus to others. He shows that even a man late in his life can have great impact on the world. I highly recommend this book as a character study in how to truly see and make people feel valued for who they are and what they have to offer the world. It is one of my favorite recently read books.

The city of Golden is loosely based on Columbus, Georgia where the author was originally from and has lots of local culture and character. When reading the section about the cello concert, check out the songs performed for a nice soundtrack to the book

There are several interviews on YouTube with the author which give a better sense of how he wrote the story and who he is as a person. He seems like a genuine and likable guy that you’d be glad to have as a friend or neighbor.

If you take the time to go to the author’s website at www.allenlevi.com, there is a recording of The Princess of Titalamish which is an elementary age story in the book that Theo shares with a young girl that he befriends.

If you found this review helpful and want to like it on Goodreads, I’d be glad to connect at this link.

Book Review: Patriot by Alexei Navalny

Patriot by Alexei Navalny is a fantastic memoir of Alexei Navalny’s life, survival from Novichock poisoning, work as an opposition leader in Russian politics as well as exposing corruption in government leaders and business oligarchs, and time as a political prisoner until his eventual assassination while in prison. He provides interesting insight into the history of the fall of the USSR and the aftermath as well as his views on issues in Russia since that time. 

It starts out with the dramatic poisoning in 2020 where he fell unconscious on a plane and recovered gradually over a number of months. In this section he touches on how he was monitored and highly likely poisoned by agents of the FSB. As one of the most prominent opposition leaders to the ruling party he drew lots of attention and popularity through exposing corruption by government leaders to enrich themselves and abusing their positions for their own benefit. This didn’t earn him any friends and there were significant efforts to silence him with it eventually leading to his imprisonment and murder while in prison.

It is telling when one political party so fears an opposition leader that rather than engage with them on the issues they resort to imprisonment and poisoning them. If they were morally in the clear and didn’t fear the truths the person was challenging them with they would have no need to resort to this and could instead triumph with force of argument and superior ideas. Instead it shows weakness to abuse their power and lie to prevent their corruption from being brought to light.

Nalvany comes across as highly intelligent, well read, a deep thinker on policy and how it impacts countries and the world, a skilled debater, but also has a great sense of humor and is up to speed on pop culture. It is a shame that the world lost him in the prime of his life. Throughout the book I was impressed by the vision he cast for what Russia could become and how its people could thrive in the absence of corruption and oppression and with free speech and free association as protected rights. He described it as the Beautiful Russia of the Future. 

In any political system it’s healthy to have leaders with opposing viewpoints to test their own ideas against. The people they lead should benefit from diversity of perspectives and the best ideas should prevail over time with the pendulum swinging back and forth. In the absence of checks and balances and independent judiciaries, authoritarian leaders don’t permit dissent or anything that resembles a real challenge to them instead threatening, imprisoning, and killing those they deem as challenging their own power. 

When Navalny is arrested immediately following his return to Russia from recovering in Germany, it is highly publicized and based on farcical charges that made no sense. How can you comply with requirements to appear before a court while recovering from being poisoned by government agents? After being in jail for a day, they set up a sham “trial” inside of the jail. His lawyer was informed of it only 3 minutes before when she was allowed to enter the jail. He subsequently is falsely charged with numerous other crimes as the government became increasingly frustrated with his calling them out for hypocrisy and abuse of power. Much of this occurred while he was in custody and/or in solitary confinement. 

In parts of the book, Navalny gets into the intricacies of the Russian political system and the various players involved so it can take a bit of work to keep up with all the pieces if unfamiliar with Russian politics. The key theme of his political work was fighting against corruption and for the freedoms of the Russian people. He paints a beautiful picture of what Russia could be without all of the corruption and how government and business leaders could actually help people rather than simply enriching themselves. 

Early in the book he tells the story of growing up in the USSR and how he got started as a lawyer eventually moving into focusing on politics, exposing business and government corruption, and how he utilized the internet in its early days to galvanize the public and bring transparency to underhanded dealings and in businesses and the government. He garnered such support that he became a strong opposition leader who the ruling political party worked diligently to sideline and keep him from running for elections due to direct interference by hired thugs, or charging him fallaciously, threatening his family, and putting him in prison on trumped up charges.

The longer that an authoritarian regime is in power, the more they will suppress the opposition to stay in power whether illegal, immoral, or ethically objectionable. History has shown though that regimes don’t last forever and while they may rule for a time, if they do not ultimately primarily serve the people that they lead, eventually they will dwindle in influence on a global scale and the country’s people will advance other leaders.

Only time will tell but it’s possible Alexei Navalny will go down in history as a groundbreaking martyr in turning the tide from corrupt authoritarianism designed to protect and enrich the powerful rather a government designed to benefit the average person. 

In his “final words” at each of the bogus trials that he was subjected to, he shares insightful thoughts on freedom and designing policies and systems where regular people can thrive and benefit from the resources of a country rather than those benefits accruing to only a few corrupt people. The quality of the speeches and writing in the more philosophical passages is at the level of Martin Luther King’s a letter from a Birmingham jail. In many ways King and Nalvany had similarities in crusading for freedom, against tyranny, and for truth. Those in power imprisoned them and they were both ultimately assassinated.

The last section of the book focuses on Navalny’s time in prison and reads much like a prison diary with both the indignities, and pettiness of rules. Deprived of medical care and sleep through psychological pressures and “routine checks” he eventually went on a hunger strike for almost a month. Overall he has a really good sense of humor despite the situation. 

There were many great quotes throughout the book but one that I thought was especially insightful was: “Life works in such a way that social progress and a better future can only be achieved if a certain number of people are willing to pay the price for their right to have their own beliefs. The more of them there are, the less everyone has to pay. And the day will come when speaking the truth and advocating for justice will be commonplace and not dangerous in Russia.”

From a faith perspective Navalny came to be a follower of Jesus as an adult after growing up as an atheist and leaned into his faith throughout his experience fighting for the truth and for freedom in Russia. A favorite quote of him speaking about his faith was: “My job is to seek the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and leave it to good old Jesus and the rest of his family to deal with everything else. They won’t let me down and will sort out all my headaches.” 

To get a real understanding of what goes on in Russia I would hope anyone involved in or interested in international politics or diplomatic relations would read this book. It is eye opening and provides lots of color on the machinations going on behind the scenes. Hopefully Navalny’s cause will be carried on by others and the Russian people and the broader world will benefit. 

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Book Review: Beautiful Outlaw

I've read several books by John Eldredge and enjoy his writing. The imagery, language, and stories he uses to illustrate different concepts really bring into better light the nature of Jesus. While I didn't love Beautiful Outlaw, I did like it.

At times, it was difficult to engage with the book and while the material was good, in places it seemed to miss a driving theme. As the book progressed though, it became more apparent that it was written during a time of recent difficulty in Eldredge's life. This vulnerability does help to more fully appreciate and believe the guidance he offers and understand how to interact with Jesus even in times of brokenness.

It is apparent that Eldredge knows Jesus intimately and talks with him like he would a friend or family member. The most helpful parts of the book were when he asked the reader to stop, pray, and ask Jesus to speak to particular areas in the reader's life and/or heal brokenness. This further encourages people to talk with him throughout the day and not just at dedicated times.

As an overarching theme, the book looks at the personality of Jesus and how he had emotions and a personality like any person does. In turn, it discusses how to use this understanding of him to better engage with him. The book is certainly uplifting and will provide encouragement whether you're experiencing hardship or would just like a different take on the personality of Jesus and how he interacts with us. (hint, it's not just in a church building)

If you found this review helpful, please let Amazon know at this link.

Dreams and Visions: Is Jesus Awakening the Muslim World?

Would you become a follower of Jesus if he personally came to visit you? That is exactly what is happening to many in the Muslim world. In DREAMS AND VISIONS: Is Jesus Awakening the Muslim World? Tom Doyle recounts the experiences of many Muslims whom Jesus has appeared to in dreams. This often creates curiosity and the desire to know more about Jesus which is much more easily facilitated with internet access and online resources available to read the Bible and learn more about who Jesus is.

It is extremely dangerous for a Muslim to become a follower of Jesus due to the potential for "honor killings" performed by family members or others against the new believer. However, the overwhelming love and peace that Jesus offers to them when juxtaposed with the sometimes controlling and fear oriented culture they live in overcomes concern of potential repercussions.

In one especially interesting story, a man becomes a follower of Jesus while on a business trip to Mecca during the Hajj. Christianity is illegal in Mecca and can be punished by death. However, he starts to explore the different places in Mecca and pray for the Muslims there. He's very surprised to meet another follower of Jesus who helps him get out of a very dangerous spot. The author also tells of others living in Mecca who study and bring Bibles into the city to give away though it is not allowed.

In another account, a woman named Dina works as a Female Secret Police agent, a group who hunts down and punishes any slips in modesty by women that go outside of Sharia law. She began watching a call in satellite TV show called Iran Alive! in which the host, Hormoz Shariat, a former Muslim encourages Muslims to follow Jesus. When she calls, she goes into diatribes against Christianity.

Hormoz says, "Dina, whenever you call me, you sound angry and filled with hatred. I think your religion produces that in you." She responds, "I can never have a better life than I have had in Islam." Hormoz says, "Oh? Has Islam brought you any particular happiness that you can point to?" She admits that she does have problems in life and says that she is going to kill herself on his show. Hormoz challenges her to give Jesus a week to answer her prayers. She reluctantly agrees but is amazed to find that her mother is healed of a very bad illness and as a result becomes a follower of Jesus and experiences incredible peace.

It is not only casual Muslims who are coming to follow Jesus, the book also tells of multiple accounts of imams believing in and following Jesus, some of whom have training from the most prestigious Islamic seminaries in the world.

Each chapter tells the story of a new Muslim and their experience with Jesus and many read like a high action thriller novel even though they are true. In addition to the personal accounts, there is also lots of information about Islam. For example, the book says that two of the countries with the most growth in followers of Christ is in Iran and Afghanistan which For example, Afghanistan and Iran have exploded in growth of new followers of Jesus within the past 10 years and is estimated to have some of the highest growth in the world.

Jesus says, Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it." -Luke 9:23-24 For the Muslim who decides to follow Jesus this is no small thing; they may very literally pay with their life.

I recommend this book if you would like to learn more about the exciting work of God and how He's started a revival among Muslims. It also helps soften one's heart for Muslims and encourages prayer for them. Check it out on Amazon at this link: DREAMS AND VISIONS: Is Jesus Awakening the Muslim World?

Love Does

Bob Goff is just a regular guy except for he's the U.S. Ugandan consul, partner in a Washington law firm, took his kids on a tour to meet the heads of state of close to 20 nations, has an office on Tom Sawyer island in Disneyland, among other unique and interesting things. He's the type of guy who will jump at the chance for adventure and whimsy because why not? He invests his life into others and has initiated substantial positive change in places such as Uganda and India. He uses his law training to set children free from slavery and fights against injustice.

While he's accomplished some amazing things and interacted with high profile people, he maintains a down to earth attitude and self-deprecating humor that gives you hope that you too can accomplish incredible things.

The book is chocked full of stories from his life and lessons that he learned from God. Make no mistake, while Bob has done some great things for the world, he is first committed to God and serving Him. It is out of this relationship that much of his work flows.

The book is light-hearted, inspirational, and fun. It's easy to read, you'll laugh out loud several times, and will probably wish there were more when it's over.

Plan B

It's fairly safe to assume that most people have experienced some detours in life and perhaps wound up somewhere that they didn't originally anticipate. Perhaps a career didn't take off, a relationship ended, an untimely death, sickness, or any number of other circumstances take you places you'd rather not go.

In Plan B Pete Wilson explores what to do when God doesn't show up the way you thought He would. He provides examples from the Bible as well as from his personal life and from many people he's known through being a pastor. Many of the examples are of people walking through very dark circumstances in life and what their response was.

Wilson doesn't try to explain all of the tough questions and whys but does walk you through as you work through grief and challenges in a pastoral kind of way. He says, "...I'm not tying this book up with a bow. I'm not asking you to understand. But I am asking you to trust the God who loves you." He quotes Romans 15:13, "I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace while you trust in Him. Then your hope will overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit."

This book does not have all the answers but it will help in framing your thinking and response toward trusting God even when things don't work out as you'd hoped or planned.

By Faith Not By Sight

To say that Scott Macintyre is extraordinary is to say that grass is green or water is wet. He just is. As the book develops, his heart shows through and not at all in an arrogant or conceited way. Some people are simply gifted and live incredible lives. His heart is that of a man who desires to inspire people through music and give glory to God.

I had not heard of Scott prior to reading the book and have watched American Idol maybe once. But as a musician and songwriter myself, I closely identified with many of the experiences he described in the songwriting process and performance preparations.

Scott graduated college at the age of 19 and subsequently was a Marshall scholar during which time he obtained a masters degree at the Royal College of Music in London. A year after returning to the US, he and his family went on tour as a singing group. After becoming interested in American Idol on television, he eventually decided to audition. Over the course of the next few months, he went through audition after audition and advanced through round after round, eventually making it to the top 13 before being eliminated in the round of 8.

Simply on the merits of his accomplishments in music and academics, he would already be considered to have lived a remarkable life. But add to this the fact that he’s legally blind with only 2 percent tunnel vision, and the accomplishments take on a whole new dimension. Not only is he blind but while getting his masters degree, he was in end stage kidney failure and had to go through about a year of dialysis followed by a kidney transplant once returning to the US.

Scott is additionally deeply committed to His walk with God, which is apparent all throughout the book. In numerous medical challenges, musical performances, and other events he is constantly lifting up the scenario in prayer and seeking God’s will. His close ties with his family are apparent and the love they have for each other is a model for family life. It is clear that Scott believes both in working and praying very hard in all aspects of his life. Because of his faith, musical gifts, and personality, I think if we ever had the opportunity to interact that we would probably become good friends.

Scott’s story is inspirational to say the least and proves that a person can do so much even with a handicap. He doesn’t use his blindness as an excuse for not doing something but rather works that much harder to overcome challenges and truly lives a full life.

If you’ve already seen him on television or heard his music, the book provides excellent color into who he is and the back story behind his life. For those who’ve not heard of him, he provides great insight into the world of a blind person, what it’s like to live with kidney disease and get a transplant, not to mention the life of a professional pop musician. His faith and trust in God will encourage you to seek God in your life as well. I highly recommend the book.

Unbroken

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

If not for so much documented historical research, the events of Louis Zamperini's life would seem unbelievable. After a life of mischief as a boy turned Olympic runner, he proceeds to join the military during WWII and becomes a bombardier involved in a number of bombing raids. While on a rescue mission, his plane crashes and he survives for weeks on a life raft. He and 2 other members of the plane's crew floated on the raft with scant provisions, dehydration, sharks and enemy fire to deal with. They are finally picked up by a Japanese ship and subsequently placed in a POW camp.

While imprisoned, they undergo torture incorporating hunger, sickness, dehydration, and both psychological and physical abuse, much at the hands of a man called The Bird. The Bird took special pleasure in tormenting Zamperini and made his life horrific while a prisoner. Incredibly, as the date for their mass execution approaches, the war comes to an end and they are released.

When Zamperini returns to the U.S., he is hailed as a hero come back from the dead and gets married shortly afterward. He then proceeds to flounder from one job to the next and sinks into alcoholism as he deals with the horrors of war. With his marriage on the rocks, a seemingly random interaction with a neighbor, introduces them to the evangelist Billy Graham who was holding meetings in Los Angeles at that time.

After his wife attends without him, he grudgingly joins her at a later date. He is unable to shake the pull of God on his life and becomes a Christian. Through this experience he finds peace and is subsequently able to forgive his captors and move on with life, becoming a Christian speaker and eventually starting a camp for troubled youth.

Hillenbrand did a remarkably thorough job of researching Zamperini's life and the surrounding events in great detail. The book reads like a novel rather than dry non-fiction. I highly recommend the book as an outstanding account of an incredible life.

Tribes

Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin

Rather than a traditional book review, I thought it'd be fun to write a poem about the book instead.

Tribes of people everywhere
you can lead them if you dare
What's your cause, idea, or product?
Speak about, tweet, or blog it
You don't need authority
they will follow if you lead

Some may call you heretic
but status quo don't always fit
Never fear when others doubt
breaking molds can bring about
change that's good and change that's new
Won't you lead us? We need you

The Land Between

Life sometimes brings us tough stuff and we find ourselves somewhere other than where we'd like to be. In The Land Between, Jeff Manion walks through various real life scenarios of people experiencing hardship and their responses to seeking God in the midst of it.

Manion also examines the Israelites during their time in the desert and how God took them through various experiences in order to prepare them for entering the promised land. Many times, they missed the opportunity to grow in their faith and deepening of their relationship with Him.

In speaking about difficulties, Manion says, "God intends to grow something beautiful and deep and lasting, but we must cooperate with Him for the season of hardship to work its intended transformation. Don't let your detour go waste. You are in training, and God is up to something good."

I read the book during a season of introspection and found it to be very good in helping with self examination and figuring out the relationship between my walk with God and difficult situations.

The book is not hard to read but I recommend reading it slowly to allow for sufficient reflection. It is not a do-these-5-steps-and-you'll-be-through-with-your-hardship-in-30-days type of book. But if you are open to examining circumstances and what God may be teaching you, it is an excellent guide.

Running on Faith

In Running on Faith, we meet Jason Lester, an incredible athlete and follower of Christ. As a boy, Jason was hit by a car which after recovering from the initial injuries, left his right arm paralyzed. He went on to live a very normal and active life despite this challenge. In young adulthood, he also came to faith in Christ and this faith has been his source of strength and motivation for tackling some of the most difficult athletic endeavors known to man.

After moving to Hawaii to train full time, Lester learned how to swim with one arm and went on to compete in the name brand Hawaii Ironman race consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 113 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run. This was not enough though, he later competed in the Ultraman race which consists of a 6.2 mile swim, 261.4 mile bike, and 52.4 mile run over the course of 3 days.

Throughout the book he talks about his faith in God and how he continuously relies on Him in both training, racing, and daily living. It is one of the most inspirational real life stories I've read. It is highly likely you'll be inspired to go for a run, bike, or swim after reading it. Whether you're an athlete, interested in stories of Christian faith, or enjoy seeing people overcome great challenges, this book is for you.

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Born to Run

Born to Run is a true story that centers around the Tarahumara Indians who live in western Mexico. This tribe is known for their unbelievable feats of running endurance. Wearing home made sandals as foot protection  and fueled on lots of corn, they can run for distances of 100 or more miles without much difficulty.

Christopher McDougal travels to Mexico to see what they’re all about and to pick up tips that may help in his own running. During his travels, he encounters numerous “characters” including a man who calls himself Caballo Blanco. Caballo Blanco is an American who has lived among the Tarahumara for more than a decade and has incorporated endurance running into everything that he does.

After returning to America, McDougal stays in touch with Caballo Blanco who sets up an ultra race in the beautiful but desolate Mexican Copper Canyons where the Tarahumara live. His dream is to bring together American ultra marathoning great Scott Jurek, a number of other top ultra runners, and the Tarahumara who are regarded as some of the most incredible endurance athletes ever.  McDougal helps organize the American side of the race and brings about 10 other runners with him.

One of the runners is called Barefoot Ted who virtually always runs barefoot or with minimal foot covering. He provides an interesting foil to Caballo Blanco, both being unique characters in their own right.

The book makes a strong case for the benefits of barefoot running and the possibility that running shoes may actually cause more injuries than they prevent. They also discuss something called the Running Man theory that postulates all humans were created to be runners and discusses group endurance hunts. These endurance hunts involved running after prey and keeping at it until the animal died of exhaustion. While humans are not nearly the fastest animal on the planet, we have greater endurance than a vast majority. For example, given enough time and distance, a man can outrun a horse.

McDougal’s journalism background shows throughout the book as we see vignettes telling individual character stories that feed into the overall narrative of the Tarahumara and culminating in the race. He delves into the science behind running as well as telling interesting background stories for each of the people represented in the book. He clearly performed a great deal of research when writing the book.

His writing style is funny, engaging, and off the cuff. There are a few spots where the language can get a little rough and a few scenes are described in a bit more detail than is needed. He does discuss macro-evolution as fact but if taken with a grain of salt, the perspective is still interesting as it relates to running. These elements do not overly denigrate an otherwise fascinating and fun story. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone interested in running, geography, or just a plain good story. Incidentally, if any movie producers are looking for a good potential movie, this would make a great story with a full cast of characters.

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The Perfect Mile

In the early 1950s, several young men by the names of Roger Banister, John Landy, and Wes Santee were knocking on the door of the 4 minute mile barrier. Some said it would never be done and that the human body was simply not made to run that fast. The Perfect Mile is the story of each of these mens' quests for the 4:00 mile barrier.

Bannister was a medical student in London at the time and mixed training with studying, rounds at the hospital and keeping up with a social life. His scientific research into the capabilities of the human body aided his understanding of the practical side of running and he knew that it was definitely possible to break the barrier.

Landy was a student as well and spent countless hours training when friends and family were pursuing other activities. Of the three, he was probably the most well trained and could consistently run 4:02 miles and not be overly spent shortly thereafter.

Santee was a student at the University of Kansas and had team commitments to fulfill in addition to his individual pursuit of the 4 minute mile. His team obligations sometimes put a damper on the ability to focus solely on training for the event.

Each of the men kept track of the other's progress on far away continents and spurred him on to be the first to break the barrier. Eventually, Bannister succeeded in running a sub 4 minute mile at Oxford University with the help of a couple of training partners pacing him through the first 3.5 laps. Landy and Santee were obviously a bit disappointed but continued in their own personal pursuits.

After the barrier fell, Bannister and Landy finally met in the Commonwealth Games held in Canada in an epic race hyped in the media as one of the biggest races of all time. Thousands and thousands of people witnessed the race with Bannister just barely beating Landy at the end.

I was interested to read about the training methods at the time. There is a much greater understanding of how to train for speed in the approximately 60 years since that time. Another factor differentiating that period of competitive running with today is that virtually all world class athletes were not professional and had to subsist on the support of family and their own jobs rather than benefiting from the lucrative sponsorships afforded to today's athletes.

I thought the portion about the showdown between Bannister and Landy was well done but could have gotten to the point a bit quicker rather than prolonging the suspense. At parts, this portion felt like the suspense leading up to the race was unnecessarily lengthened.

The book is well written and adds suspenseful elements that keep you wanting to read more. It alternates amongst the three runners stories, constantly circling back to the 4 minute mile barrier. Bascomb did extensive research and interviews in writing the book and the quality of the material shows this. It would make an excellent movie if ever produced into a full length feature film. I definitely recommend the book for anyone interested in running, history, and the intrigue of running a mile in 4 minutes.

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The Treasure Principle

Imagine God personally setup a meeting with you and during the meeting entrusted you with some assets to manage. This is the basic principle behind The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn. It is a short little book but is full of good perspective on what it means to be a money manager for God.

Rather than thinking of your money and assets as yours, Alcorn discusses a different concept of God owning it all. When you think of money/possessions, not to mention many other assets such as time and talents, it changes the way you make financial decisions. By praying about purchases, saving, or giving away money, a person can gain insight into how God would like the assets used.

Until a few years ago, I thought of myself as a relatively generous person but still thought of possessions and financial resources as my own. In changing to the perspective of being a steward of those assets, it really helps to keep in mind what is truly important and investing for eternal gain.

I really like the discussion Alcorn covers in talking about spending temporary resources for eternal purposes. Anything that is owned here on earth will eventually be left behind so there is wisdom in seeking out the eternal purposes to invest in.

For anyone wanting a quick read and a good Biblical perspective on being a financial steward of God, The Treasure Principle covers this nicely.

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Son of Hamas

Son of Hamas by Mosab Yousef, is the account of a man who grew up as the son of one of the first founders of the Islamic group Hamas. Growing up, he lived mainly in Palestine and maintained a relatively normal life despite his father being linked to Hamas. As he approached high school graduation, he became increasingly frustrated with the Israeli soldiers who occupied the area and generally harassed them.

He was arrested and sent to prison where he was interrogated for information about Hamas though he knew very little at that time. During the course of his incarceration he was eventually convinced to become an agent for Shin Bhet, the Isreali intelligence agency similar to the CIA. Though this went against everything he believed in and he did it partly to escape torture, he came to see the increasingly militant activities of Hamas as bringing destruction and harm to the world and saw that assisting to prevent these activities would be of greater good than participating in them himself.

Over the course of the next 10 years he was involved in continual operations that led to the arrest or death of terrorists and their leaders saving many lives in the process. His inside connection within Hamas allowed him access to the highest level leaders as well as interactions with the Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat. This provided invaluable insight and intelligence for Shin Bhet in fighting terrorist activities.

A seemingly random encounter with a British tourist led him to investigate the Bible and the Christian faith. Over time as he read the Bible, he found more and more truth in it which matched up more with the reality he experienced than the Koran which he had a firm foundation in. Eventually, he became a full fledged follower of Christ and was actually baptized. All of this is rather amazing given his upbringing and that his father was a sheik and imam of the Muslim faith.

After 10 years living this life, he loved the work but wanted more of a sense of normalcy so got out of Shin Bhet and moved to California. He now maintains a blog at sonofhamas.com.

The story reads like a spy novel but is an amazing real life account. It provides great insight into the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and anyone interested in gaining better perspective on the Mideast would benefit from it.

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