Monday, November 19, 2012
The Fourth Fisherman by Joe Kissack is the story of how God uses seemingly random and disconnected events as He weaves beautiful stories of redemption among His people. It is the tale of two stories that eventually become one. One of those stories involves the incredible survival of three Mexican fishermen after nine months adrift at sea; the other is about a successful man brought down by the pressure of trying to do life on his own.
Kissack was a fabulously wealthy and successful part of the television industry. He rose quickly to the top and had everything he thought he wanted. Eventually the emptiness of his life ate away at his soul, and Kissack spiraled into addiction, separation from his wife and children, and suicidal behavior. Jesús, Lucio, and Salvador are three Mexican fisherman who got lost at sea and spent over nine months drifting across the Pacific Ocean. Using alternating chapters, Kissack describes the rise and fall of his life, and the story of the fishermen from the beginning of their trip through their rescue and return to Mexico. The two stories become one when during his time of rehabilitation, Kissack hears the story of the fishermen and realizes that they hold the key to what he is searching for.
The Fourth Fisherman is an easy and fascinating read. Kissack seamlessly weaves the two stories together in an easy to read fashion. Many people will be able to relate to the difficulty faced in both stories. The truth of the sufficiency of God in both stories comes through in a powerful way. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in a good story, reading about the fullness of Christ in people's lives, or even just an easy read.
Kissack was a fabulously wealthy and successful part of the television industry. He rose quickly to the top and had everything he thought he wanted. Eventually the emptiness of his life ate away at his soul, and Kissack spiraled into addiction, separation from his wife and children, and suicidal behavior. Jesús, Lucio, and Salvador are three Mexican fisherman who got lost at sea and spent over nine months drifting across the Pacific Ocean. Using alternating chapters, Kissack describes the rise and fall of his life, and the story of the fishermen from the beginning of their trip through their rescue and return to Mexico. The two stories become one when during his time of rehabilitation, Kissack hears the story of the fishermen and realizes that they hold the key to what he is searching for.
The Fourth Fisherman is an easy and fascinating read. Kissack seamlessly weaves the two stories together in an easy to read fashion. Many people will be able to relate to the difficulty faced in both stories. The truth of the sufficiency of God in both stories comes through in a powerful way. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in a good story, reading about the fullness of Christ in people's lives, or even just an easy read.
I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers as part of their Blogging for Books book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
A Year with G.K. Chesterton: 365 of Wisdom, Wit, and Wonder is a collection of excerpts from Chesterton's writings edited by Kevin Belmonte. Each day there is a Bible verse and at least one excerpt, usually less than a page in length, from one of Chesterton's many published works. On many days there are notes about important events from Chesterton's life or dates of publication for his writings.Chesterton was a fascinating man and prolific author. I'm not very familiar with much of his work, but many of the authors who have shaped my thinking the most cite him and his works as an inspiration in their lives. Therefore, when I had the opportunity to read and review this book, I jumped on it. As far as its quality as a devotional, the entry lengths are just about right for a small taste of Chesterton each morning. This isn't a devotional with a certain theme or to help one accomplish something. Instead, each day offers a glimpse into Chesterton's mind through his writings.
The design and layout of A Year with G.K. Chesterton is aesthetically pleasing. It has very clean and simple lines and font. The appendix of supplemental readings at the back with special entries for "the main festival days of the church" is a nice extra feature. The entries are selected from over fifty publications of Chesterton's work, and vary in nature from poetry, to literary review.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Chesterton; the samples of his work provided will help one decide if one wants to read more of him or not. This book is also obviously great for anyone who is already a fan of Chesterton. Also, anyone who is simply a fan of good writing will enjoy this selection of samples from one of the greatest literary minds of his time.
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Rudy: My Story by
Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger chronicles the life story of a man many people are
familiar with – the title character from the 1993 hit film Rudy. Moving beyond the dramatized, Hollywood version of his story,
Rudy retells exactly what happened that brought him from a kid who “wasn’t
college material” to a student and football player at the prestigious Notre
Dame University. He then continues the story past where the movie ended and
details his journey in getting his story made into a movie that became a nation-wide
hit. The overall message of Rudy’s story
seems to be that persistence and dreaming big will allow one to go anywhere, or
do anything one can set one’s mind to.
Overall, Rudy reads
like one continuous motivational speech. The enthusiasm and passion that
carried Rudy through all the amazing events in his life oozes off of every
page. One can’t help but get excited and caught up in the drama of Rudy’s
story. While his perseverance and passion for what he believes he was called to
do is something to both be admired and emulated, it also leaves me with a
somewhat bitter taste in my mouth. I consider Rudy to have an exceptional
story; however, I’ve seen too many other examples of people who have both perseverance
and passion to spare, and still don’t end up living their wildest dreams. For a
book from Thomas Nelson, I would’ve expected a bit more mention of following
God’s will while pursuing one’s life dreams.
While Rudy mentions God a few times, the overall message seems more like
a pep talk than a recommendation to follow God’s plan for one’s life. God is
gracious and loving and often gives us the desires of our heart; however, this
only happens when we’re pursuing Him and His desires for us become our desires.
Despite the unexpected lack of mention of God, Rudy is still
a powerful story worth reading and sharing. Americans love an underdog, and
Rudy has one of the most compelling underdog stories of all time.
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
From the Library of C.S. Lewis: Selections from Writers Who Influenced His Spiritual Journey, is an amazing collection of selections from the works and authors that most influenced Lewis. Compiled by James Stuart Bell, this collection includes works on eighteen different topics including God's love, humility, suffering, sin and temptation, and fantasy and imagination. Authors included range from as ancient as Anicius Boethius, to as contemporary as Lewis' wife Joy Davidman; they vary in fame from the relatively unknown Walter Hilton to the immensely popular G.K. Chesterton. Selections include works that inspired Lewis creatively, such as pieces of Wordsworth's poetry, to works that influenced him theologically such as St. Augustine's Confession.
The organization of this impressive collection is very helpful to the reader. All selections are grouped in chapters that have one specific topic. Being able to go to a particular topic and see who influenced Lewis in this area is very convenient. Another great feature of this book are the notes included about each author at the end of each selection. The author's dates of birth and death are provided so that the reader knows when he/she lived. A brief description of the author's most important work or role in church history is given to provide more context. The most fascinating notes are those that mention specific thoughts Lewis had about the authors. For example, in the notes about George MacDonald, it says that, "MacDonald had a profound influence on on C.S. Lewis. Lewis said that MacDonald's Phantastes 'baptized my imagination'" (8). Another example of this personalization is included in the notes about G.K. Chesterton. It states that, "C.S. Lewis says, in Surprised by Joy, that Chesterton's Christian apologetics had a marked impact on him, and Lewis' own apologetic work owes a debt to Chesterton" (36).
This book is an excellent resource for anyone who is a fan of C.S. Lewis; beyond that, it is an impressive collection of selections from works that have influenced the church throughout the ages, on topics that are vitally important to the church. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in an overview of these topics.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Wilson spends a chapter examining: achievement,
approval, power, money, religion, beauty, and dreams. While keeping the
consistent theme of God being the only one who can truly fulfill, he
deconstructs each common idol and shows why each idol can only offer empty
promises. He does this using scripture, anecdotes from his own life, as well as
from the lives of those he’s counseled as a pastor.
This book was both encouraging and convicting to read. Identifying the idols in one's life is the first step in combating them. Wilson offers helpful questions in a majority of the chapters that if answered honestly will help the reader identify and deal with various idols in his/her life. Wilson does a good job of both offering practical advice as well as continually going back to Christ as the ultimate fulfillment in the life of the believer. I'd recommend Empty Promises to anyone interested in identifying and dealing with those things in his/her life which may be offering him/her false hope.
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
Monday, August 13, 2012
The most unique and best aspect of Unlocking Your Family Patterns that distinguishes it from other family counseling books, is the fact that each chapter includes a biblical family that illustrates the chapter's main focus. The examples help the reader understand what could be abstract concepts without such clear examples. It is always dangerous to take a modern day concept and impose it on scripture; however, the patterns discussed have existed as long as families have, and the authors are careful to start with the scripture and show how what the text says illustrates the pattern being spoken of, not the other way around.
After giving examples from both scripture and his own counseling experience, each author gives steps that can be taken to break each pattern and find healing. Questions are included at the end of each chapter to help the reader examine that chapter's particular pattern in more depth in his/her own life and family.
Overall, Unlocking Family Patterns has a logical flow and is very easy to understand. The authors are able to communicate what could be complex psychological thoughts in a clear and concise manner. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in how one's family's past affects today, as well as those interested in breaking those patterns and finding healing.
I received this book free from Moody Publishers as part of their Moody Publishers Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
The author's humble and teachable spirit struck me in the first few pages and is one of the most prominent aspects of this book. The cultural adaptations she made in order to fit into her community and not offend those she was working with are impressive, as were the lengths she went to in order to understand both the religious and cultural lenses through which the people of her community saw life. McCord's accounts of different conversations she had with both the men and women in her area of Afghanistan were informative on two levels. The most obvious is that it provides a small window of insight into both the cultural and religious aspects of a country with which America is heavily involved in, though most of us have little to no understanding of its history or its people.
The less obvious is how the things McCord did and they way she approached things allowed her to have open and honest conversations with her neighbors about important topics which had the potential to be divisive, yet were simply instructive. Her account was an encouragement and challenge to me about how I interact with those around me, especially those with whom I may have very little in common. The hope of Jesus Christ transcends every barrier humanity has created; McCord is a great example of how His followers can help knock those barriers down in constructive and healing ways.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in Afghan culture, living in a different culture, or learning how to better connect with others.
I received this book free from Moody Publishers as part of their Moody Publishers Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
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