Derailed by Tim Irwin

This book describes how unaddressed character flaws lead to failure, illustrated by six stories from the corporate world. Irwin discusses how the lack of authenticity, self-awareness and self-management, humility, or courage can easily lead to disaster. He encourages habits of openness, awareness, listening to early warning systems, accountability, and resiliency as safeguards against the flaws. Irwin includes personal and practical steps for self-evaluation.

Irwin's book held my interest, as it is written fairly concisely. Conveying biblical truth did not seem to be a goal of this book, although the Bible was mentioned a few times.

I would recommend this book if one is wondering about the effect of circumstances on character.

The Power of Respect by Deborah Norville

Working from the premise that respect is “the most forgotten element of success”, the author emphasizes the importance of this trait at home, in relationship, at school, in business, in leadership, and, most particularly, in self. Deborah Norville talks about the difference respect makes in each of those areas, giving examples of people who demonstrated respect for others and self or who made changes, particularly in institutions such as schools and workplaces, which fostered desired changes.

The author addresses the topic of respect in a systematic, thorough way which helpful challenges and hints. One of her most powerful chapters is the last one on self-respect, in which she outlines a grid through which to view yourself, analyzing yourself for strengths and for areas needing improvement.

This book kept my interest. While it does not overtly that about the Bible, it does appropriately quote Scripture, alongside other helpful thoughts, to emphasize the importance of respect. If the need for respect is a topic which intrigues you, this book can be a help.

I do think it is a symptom of how far our society has degenerated that there now needs to be a book about a topic which was automatically ingrained in every citizen only a few short decades ago. I find that distressing and sad.

Take Your Best Shot by Austin Gutwein

This is the story of Austin Gutwein, an adolescent who, in 2004 as a nine year old, felt moved by God to do something to help AIDS orphans in Africa. A conversation with a staff member from the relief organization World Vision crystallized Austin’s desire and gave him direction through one simple question: “What do you like to do?” Austin had a passion for basketball, even though he wasn’t very good at it. He decided to have the equivalent of a personal walkathon, a free-throw marathon called Hoops for Hope. His idea caught fire, and thousands of these are now held in a many countries, raising millions of dollars for Africa.

Austin tells his story in a very thoughtful, engaging way, with a fresh approach to some old ideas. His word picture of “expiring milk” to describe the fact that everything but people and the Word of God will perish is brilliant. Skillfully woven into this book are two themes: Austin’s story and how your story, whatever it is, can be used by God in good ways, even if they are small ways. Austin even makes the point that God is big on small, secret ways.

Take Your Best Shot is both interesting and challenging. Each chapter is followed by better-than-usual thought-provoking questions. Biblical truth is well presented.

Take Your Best Shot is aimed toward a younger audience, but it has something beneficial to say to everyone. At the least, it shows what can happen when one young boy gives his all to God, not unlike the young boy with the loaves and fishes in the Gospels.

Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World by Dr. David Jeremiah

In the midst of a world that seems to move faster and faster in a downward spiral, how is a Christian to manage well? Dr. Jeremiah offers sound, basic comforts from the Word of God which also serve as challenges to one's character and growth. The author expounds on our ability to stay calm, compassionate, constructive, challenged, connected, centered, confident, consistent, committed, and convinced when life is hard, whether situationally or relationally.

While this is a very basic book with little new to challenge the mature believer, the author makes some fresh points. An example is his description of what diligence produces—stability, vitality, and reality—and the results of a lack of diligence—a lack of spiritual power, perception, and privilege. Dr. Jeremiah speaks simply and deeply, at times holding old concepts in a new light, such as defining vitality as “abundant mental and physical energy,” demonstrating how those can be characteristic of godly people no matter their age.

This book serves as either a good primer for a new believer wondering what difference Christ can make and as a good reminder for a seasoned believer who may want to “gird up their loins”, in the words of the KJV, for what appear to be tough times ahead.

I recommend this book, as it conveys biblical truth about being secure in Christ in a difficult time.

What difference do it make? by Ron Hall, Denver Moore, and Lynn Vincent

This book addresses a wide range of subjects, including loss, disappointment, motivations, humility—you name it. The two authors have had such a wide range of life experience that they obvious can speak to many a topic.

Having not read Same Kind of Different as Me, I wondered if this would be a pale sequel. It was not. This book stands alone. While it quotes enough of the first volume to transition anecdotes, it both fills in the background of the first book and adds to it by giving first-person narratives by people whose lives were changed through Same Kind of Different as Me.

This sequel is well written, effective, and interesting. The stark difference between the authors' writing styles only adds to the book's appeal. This volume piqued my interest so much, today I ordered Same Kind of Different as Me so I can know the rest of the story.

Fearless by Max Lucado

Max Lucado's latest book considers common fears while offering comfort from the Word of God, reassuring the reader with truth. Lucado lists fears of not mattering, disappointing God, running out, not protecting our children, overwhelming challenges, worst-case scenarios, violence, the coming winter, life's final moments, what's next, that God is not real, global calamity and of God getting out of my box. With his usual spot-on anecdotes and illustrations, the author skillfully addresses each fear.

I have not been a fan of Max Lucado's writings, mainly because he seemed, at times, hyperglib, to coin a word; that is, he seemed to strain so hard for wittiness and clever turns of phrase that his message was overshadowed. All that shucking and jiving left me weary, and I would lose interest. His latest book, though, is cut from different cloth. While there is the occasional overdone phrase, Lucado has substantial points to make and valuable perspectives to offer in this book. His choice of fears, alone, reflect his thorough consideration of his subject, offering a fresh perspective on a universal topic.

I found this book interesting, challenging, and encouraging, deeply reflecting Scripture in its solutions. I recommend this to anyone wishing to contemplate the subject of fear.

Called to Worship by Vernon M. Whaley

This book is a careful study of aspects of worship woven throughout each book of the Bible. Whaley effectively makes the the point that worship is not so much as an activity or occasion as it is a state of mind, heart, and character, both a bent and a lifestyle. He convincingly demonstrates how worship, the most natural response to a relationship with God, was part of the very fiber of victorious saints of the Old and New Testaments. The author spends the first half of each chapter narrating outstanding experiences from books or sections of the Word, and the second half of each chapter delineates principles of worship reflected in that chapter.

Called to Worship was interesting, a great foundational study of the subject of worship. It broadened my thinking about the topic, helping me to see each person as an instrument of worship. The effectiveness of worship will not surpass the quality of the instrument.

This is a careful, well-crafted book. It is not for those who like a lot of flash and dash, as it is subtle in its points, building point upon point quietly and slowly. Biblical truth was well conveyed, and I would recommend this to anyone wanting to study worship.

Fearless by Max Lucado

Max Lucado's latest book considers common fears while offering comfort from the Word of God, reassuring the reader with truth. Lucado lists fears of not mattering, disappointing God, running out, not protecting our children, overwhelming challenges, worst-case scenarios, violence, the coming winter, life's final moments, what's next, that God is not real, global calamity and of God getting out of my box. With his usual spot-on anecdotes and illustrations, the author skillfully addresses each fear.

I have not been a fan of Max Lucado's writings, mainly because he seemed, at times, hyperglib, to coin a word; that is, he seemed to strain so hard for wittiness and clever turns of phrase that his message was overshadowed. All that shucking and jiving left me weary, and I would lose interest. His latest book, though, is cut from different cloth. While there is the occasional overdone phrase, Lucado has substantial points to make and valuable perspectives to offer in this book. His choice of fears, alone, reflect his thorough consideration of his subject, offering a fresh perspective on a universal topic.

I found this book interesting, challenging, and encouraging, deeply reflecting Scripture in its solutions. I recommend this to anyone wishing to contemplate the subject of fear.

Book Review: Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs

The premise of this book is that wives want and need unconditional love, and husbands want and need unconditional respect. When a spouse does not offer unconditionally, it sets off what the author calls The Crazy Cycle where the husband reacts without love and the wife reacts without respect. The solution, The Energizing Cycle, occurs when his love motivates her respect and her respect motivates his love. The author then outlines six components each spouse needs to be fulfilled in marriage.

This book challenges husbands to love and wives to respect unconditionally. The author believes unconditional love has been emphasized properly over the past few decades, but unconditional respect has not been. I found the author's message worthwhile, based solidly on biblical truth.

Something I found too much were the close to 100 testimonials from letters the author received, quoted in blocks of more than five lines each, sprinkled throughout the book, most of which proved to the author that readers “got it”. After a while, it seemed that you were reading the same thoughts repeatedly.

While this was a helpful book, the points seemed belabored at times.

What's He REALLY Thinking? By Paula Rinehart

This book addresses the impact of significant men on a woman's life and her influence on them. Seven broad categories of men are described, with their motivations, strengths and drawbacks. The rest of the book's two sections, Understanding the Man You Love, and Loving the Man You Understand, explain what motivates and hurts men, how they change, and what they need.
I enjoyed this book, as it was one of the first of its kind I have read. It is more primer than textbook, although it is written by a seasoned counselor. In clear terms and ways which are easy to grasp, Paula Rinehart describes what and how men think, feel, and relate. At the least, the book serves as a good reminder of how men and women differ in their cognitive and emotional makeup. Appendices and a guide in the back of the book encourage women to discern and think about their relationships with men.

The book was easy to read, engaging and entertaining. Material is presented well and is not belabored.

The writer's style was a challenge for me, at times, sometimes waffling between timeless eloquence and colloquial talk as if between girlfriends. An example is at the top of page 95: “If our focus becomes shoring up a man's weaknesses, we may grow blind to what he does so well. When we lose sight of his strengths, our voices sound more like black crows carping in his ear. Forget the cheerleader biz.” Repeatedly, the author uses such jarring metaphors one after, and against, another. On page 100, she says, “All kinds of things can happen when your need taps into his fear of his own inadequacy. But that's no good reason to run for cover or bury your heart. I'm not suggesting you wig out on him, but if you hang in there—and hanging in there is a form of respect—you will both slowly get somewhere.” (Four figures of speech in two sentences are too many for me.) Other times, the author is eminently quotable, as in this case on page 103 when she talks about a woman letting silence be its own message: “So, sometimes, respect means letting the empty place scream its own scream.”

Overall, I would recommend this book, as long as the reader is not looking for a great deal of depth or analysis about the way men are designed.

Book Review: Rick & Bubba's Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage

This book purports to help you appreciate your marriage. The authors aim for a light touch, revealing their imperfections, funny moments, and pleasant memories, while providing “insight into matrimony.”

I wanted to like this book, because I like books about marriage, especially ones with a good dose of humor. This book, however, did not hold my interest, as it was really, almost without exception, anecdote after anecdote with a skinny point near or at the end of each chapter.

Stories go on sometimes for pages with what seemed to me a fairly contrived, at times painful, attempt to be funny. There are plenty of naturally funny turns of phrases throughout the book, but some stories seemed intended to serve the purpose of providing an opportunity for doggedly determined wittiness, as in the chapter called “Lost”, an almost six-page narration of Rick's wife's refusal to accept help while driving. This story went on and on, the point of which was to “prove” that women can be equal in the flaw of not accepting help with directions.

Other chapters, such as “Last-Minute Shopping” are spot on with good suggestions about gift giving in marriage.

Still other chapters seem to have as their goal stories in defense of husbands, sort of “Why We Are the Way We Are”.

All in all, this struck me as a disjointed, uneven, and at times annoying, book, almost as if its goal was never chosen, with the result being that sometimes the authors were heroes, sometimes victims, and sometimes almost lost, as in the chapter named “United We Stand, Divided We Blame Dad.”

This book is certainly misnamed, as it is not a guide; there is little guidance unless you count the multitude of illustrations as cautionary tales. This book would have been more aptly named, “Rick & Bubba's Warning Against the Very Imperfect Marriage.”

There are few references to the Bible and, to the best of my recollection, no citations to any biblical passages.

The “Bonus! The Best of the Book of Blame” included at the end of the book consists of 50 articles (as in the Constitution), the majority of which contain these words: “the husband's fault.” If a female had written this book, it would be called male bashing. I'm not convinced it's not, just because two guys wrote this.

I would not recommend this book to others, unless someone just wanted to laugh about how men and women are different.

The Hole in Our Gospel - Book Review

Warning: Only read this book if you are prepared to consider drastic changes in your thinking and in your life. Richard Stearns, who heads World Vision, presents both an interesting story and a compelling challenge in this well-crafted work, The Hole in Our Gospel. It was a book I could not put down.

Parts 1 and 2, "the Hole in My Gospel--and Maybe Yours" and "The Hole Gets Deeper" interweaves the biblical injunctions for God's people to make a difference in their world by working for His kingdom with Stearns' own story of coming to faith in Christ in his young adult years, his subsequent career success at Parker Bros. and Lenox, and the moving story of his transition, almost kicking and screaming, to World Vision, a change founded exclusively on obedience to God.

Part 3, "A Hole in the World," addresses the crippling needs of much of the world's people, resulting in the deaths of more than 26,000 children a day because of preventable disease. The stark contrast between the haves and have nots of the world is carefully documented.

Part 4, "A Hole in the Church," draws a picture of the difference between the church in developed and undeveloped countries, with an emphasis on 2 Cor. 8, which encourages equality between churches. The application to today's church would be that churches with enough, and more than enough, bring tangible help to the needs of the world. Stearns emphasizes the fact that until the last 100 years, the gospel had theological AND social implications, but with the division of denominations, Christians tend to fall into "social gospel" and "evangelical" camps. These are not biblical distinctions, and Stearns calls for a reconciliation of the two mindsets.

Stearns issues a call to the American church, comprised of the wealthiest people who have ever lived, to meet its responsibility to minister to "the least of these."

Part 5, "Repairing the Hole," challenges each person to bring his time, treasure and talents to bear on the world's pressing problems. "No one can do everything, but everyone can do something," is the message here. Stearns gives moving and inspiring examples of folks who have found a personal way to minister.

At my house, we are making drastic changes to answer the call, determined to live simply so others may simply live. Rarely have I read a book with so much impact, and undoubtedly I will revisit it regularly to evaluate my priorities.

Ps. 63:7-8: Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You, Your right hand upholds me.

Those are my life verses. I only discovered them a few weeks ago, but they fit me, or I fit them, perfectly. So when it came time to choose a blog name, I chose that first line. If I could give myself a name, that would be it! Because God has been my help . . . everything else became possible for me--balance, maturity, growth, and life itself. Thank you, Lord.