Cure for the Common Life Review

Cure for the Common Life

Publisher's Description:

"Sweet spot." Golfers understand the term. So do tennis players. Ever swung a baseball bat or paddled a Ping-Pong ball? If so, you know the oh-so-nice feel of the sweet spot. Life in the sweet spot rolls like the downhill side of a downwind bike ride. But you don't have to swing a bat or a club to know this. What engineers give sports equipment, God gave you.A zone, a region, a life precinct in which you were made to dwell. He tailored the curves of your life to fit an empty space in his jigsaw puzzle. And life makes sweet sense when you find your spot.

But if you're like 87 percent of workers, you haven't found it. You don't find meaning in your work--or you're one of the 80 percent who don't believe their talents are used. What can you do? You're suffering from the common life, and you desperately need a cure.

Best-selling author Max Lucado has found it. In Cure for the Common Life he offers practical tools for exploring and identifying your own uniqueness, motivation to put your strengths to work, and the perfect prescription for finding and living in your sweet spot for the rest of your life.

My Review:
 I don't have a "job".  At least not one that comes with a paycheck with my name on it every week or so or that I need to commute to, so I wasn't so sure about how I would relate to this book.  But I am a Max Lucado fan, and when this one became available even my hubby wanted me to review it.  (Translation:  He wanted me to read it so I could give him the highlights, the high points, etc)   

The first thing that really hit me was Max Lucado's statement, "You cannot be anything you want to be.  But You can be everything God wants you to be." (emphasis mine)  This so goes against everything my generation and the current generation was taught.  I grew up being told that I could be anything I wanted as long as I worked at it.  After reading this book I realize that while I may be able to accomplish a lot of different things, I can't really be anything other than God intended for me to be.  When I step outside of His will then I am effectively living a fake life. 

Lucado reinforces this by saying that, "success is not defined by position or pay scale but by this: doing the most what you do the best."  I may not make a salary, you may make millions, but if you aren't doing what you do the best (which is probably what God created you to do) then you aren't really successful.  It is like you missed the mark.  Think of it this way, maybe you were created to be a superbounce ball.  You were made to bounce high up in the air.  However, you can also roll because you are a ball.  If you spend your whole life rolling, which is something you can do, you may be successful.  You will never fulfill your purpose though if you don't bounce, if you don't do what you do best.  You won't really be successful.  Get it?

Lucado warns us though to not "so focus on what you love to do that you neglect what needs to be done" and that every day we should do something we don't want to do.  Why? Because one of our biggest purposes is to be a servant.  Christ was.  He washed feet, he walked with the unwanted, he dined with the unloved, and he died for the criminals.  We are called to be like Him. 

We were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God.  Each of us was made in a unique way to demonstrate a unique quality.  Lucado discusses many of the general aspects of that life, the one that is uncommon.  At the end of the book is a self-evaluation to help you find your own "sweet spot" the place where your life, your strengths, and God's glory overlap.  Every one has one. 

I really enjoyed this book.  I appreciate the direction that it led me in and that it didn't spell it all out.  Lucado recognized that everyones cure is different and he simply points us in the right direction and reminds us that ultimately it is about using what God gave us to show His glory to the world so that others will recognize and turn to Him.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review only.

It's Not About Me Review

It's Not About Me: Rescue From the Life We Thought Would Make Us Happy


Publisher's Description:
Pop culture and psychobabble tell us to make ourselves the center of the universe in order to be happy. Churches have communicated the false idea that God exists to give us all that we selfishly want. In this book, Max Lucado reminds us that it's not about us, it's all about God. It is through this shift in thinking that we can truly live an unburdened, happy life.

My Review:
 Seriously, if you have a Kindle or an E-reader, definitely buy this book!  Amazon has It's Not About Me: Rescue From the Life We Thought Would Make Us Happy for a low price of $2.99 which this book is well worth!

Max begins with the reminder that at one time we thought that everything revolved around us, the sun, the moon, the stars.  We were the center of it all.  Until Copernicus came along and proved otherwise.  It is time for us to realize that while we may all agree that the solar system doesn't revolve around us, neither does God, or the world or just about anything else.  This life we have is NOT about us, it is about reflecting the glory of God.

The book is broken into two sections, God-Pondering, in which we are shown why the center is and should be God in sections such as Holy Different, His Unchanging Hand, and God's Great Love.  Max helps us to recognize (or to remember) just how awesome God is and just how little we really are.  It was in this section that I really fell in love with this book.   For those of you who have been around a while please recall my review of David Platt's book Radical (you can read it here if you don't remember).  I really had issue with the way Platt addresses the concept of God being the center of everything.  For me, he made it sound as if God were a spoiled brat  that wanted it to be all about him.  Yet here is Lucado discussing the same concept.  This time though, I get it.  Lucado uses the analogy of God as being the captain of a lifeboat after a major accident in the dark.  You don't want the captain slinking along quietly and no one really knows where he is or where to get help.  You want him to be LOUD.  Those who do get rescued know what it was to be in the water and fearful so when they get on board the boat they start being LOUD too so that others can find the saver, the lifeboat captain.  The mission isn't about them, they can't save anyone, it is about the captain.  Same message (the captain/God is at the center and is the important one) just different ways of explaining it.  Personally, Lucado's rings true for me.

The second section is entitled God-Promoting.  Seven sections are devoted to how we get LOUD for God to help others find him.  Lucado covers how we promote him in our bodies, our actions etc.  Again Lucado makes some wonderful analogies that really help the reader to see and understand.

It doesn't end with just the book though.  At the end is a wonderful chapter by chapter study guide to help you go deeper, to help you examine and reflect.

While it is no secret that I am a fan of Max Lucado books, I am one for a reason.  He has a God given talent for breaking down concepts and putting them in terms we can understand.  He uses scripture to back up what he writes, and always points back to God. 

I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.
 

The Seraph Seal Review

The Seraph Seal

Publisher's Description:
An epic tale of good and evil based on the four horsemen of the Apocalypse found in Revelation.

Using the four horsemen of the Apocalypse to symbolize the four Gospels, four transcendentals, and four forces of the universe (air, water, earth, and fire), Sweet and Wagner weave a fast-paced, end-times tale of good vs. evil and the promise of a new dawn for humanity.

Set in 2048, when planet Earth is suffering from the damaging effects of years of misuse and abuse, cultural history professor Paul Binder receives a mysterious letter that leads him to examine a lost 2nd-century Diatessaron manuscript. Ancient prophecies, cryptic letters, and strange events set him on a course to uncover the missing clues that could lead humanity into a new age. Layered with forgotten symbolism from the ancient, Jewish, and Christian traditions, the novel is a type of engaged fiction in which the main character's lost journal serves as a guide to the reader in interpreting clues and understanding the novel's conclusion.

My Review:
Let me begin with I really wanted to like this book.  As a matter of fact, it was scheduled to be available for review months ago and I had been greatly disappointed when they pushed the publishing date back.  I actually stayed up late one night so that I would be able to request the book at 12:00 am when it became available to ensure that I would get to review it.  It has taken me almost a month to get through this book (which is VERY unusual for me) and I have to say, I really didn't like it.  I enjoy apocalyptic novels, especially those that are Christian in nature.  I find it interesting to see how others think it is all going to fall apart.  I feel like the authors really fell short in this respect.  Had it been published by a non-Christian publisher I may not feel as let down as I do.

First, I read the Kindle version of the book, so I can speak in percentage read rather than pages.  The first 60 % of the book was disjointed and slow.  The pace picked up at the end and parts of it began to come together, but some characters never really seemed to fit.  For example Oksanna.  This character was supposed to be one of the instrumental characters without which the good side would have had no chance.  However, as far as the plot goes, she was totally useless.  At one point she looked like she was going to be instrumental in the ending only to discover that nope, didn't happen.

It isn't just characters either.  The author's bring in a civil war aspect that adds nothing to the story, isn't interesting and just aggravated me as a reader.  I wanted to find out what was happening in the main story.  Didn't really care in the grand scheme of "the world as we know it is falling apart" that in one country a civil war broke out.  And some aspects are just never explained.  Why is the USA referred to as USAmerica throughout?

Then there is the premise.  In the end times there are 8 people, all born at exactly the same time, that will determine the fate of the world.  Two people represent each of the four elements -air, wind, water, and fire.  The good side must assemble one of each element and so must the bad side.  Only each person has no idea that they are instrumental in anything with the exception of Serafino, president of USAmerica and lead badguy.  No idea really how his family seemed to know he was instrumental or how he came across his information.

Little of the storyline is Biblical.  References are thrown is, such as when the authors compare the wheels in Ezekiel 1:16 to a helicopter (didn't really get that), and the obvious reference to the four horsemen.  The earthquakes are there and some of the natural disasters, but the reader really isn't made aware that these are from God, rather they are the effects of an exploding sun.

I was very disappointed in the way the authors seem to want to tie many end time theories and religions together.  They insinuate that each has part of it right but that no one has it all right.  That isn't what my Bible tells me.  Jesus is mentioned in passing as the embodiment of love, but not as the path to a relationship with God.  There is one good conversation in which two of the good guys are discussing the fact that God made a pact or covenant with humanity and we keep letting him down over and over.  "God keeps on trying. Even when it looks like we've managed to destroy everything possible, to lose all our faith, to not even remember how to recognize God anymore, God remembers us. And finds ways to give us new chances."  While I agree with that wholeheartedly, the authors never take it any farther.  It is as if we have no responsibility in return.  For that matter, those that were "saved" seem to have only come to God because the world was falling apart around them, not even because the believed in God, but as if they had no where else to go so we'll try this and hope it works.

All in all, I didn't enjoy reading this and I can't recommend it.  Sorry guys, this one was a flop for me!

This was a free review copy I received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.

This Little Prayer of Mine

This Little Prayer of Mine

Publisher's Description (from the back of the book):

"I know you're up in heaven, God, and can hear my voice from there.  I'm just a little child.  Will you answer my short prayer?"

So begins this delightful book that affirms God's readiness to answer our prayers, no matter what our age.  

With engaging rhymes and beautiful illustrations, This Little Prayer of Mine assures children that God is always near--watching, listening, and eager to respond to their requests.  They'll also learn that prayer isn't just about asking for things, but about sharing their feelings of sadness and uncertainty as well as of thanksgiving and joy.  

More important, This Little Prayer of Mine reminds children--and those who love them--that they can trust God to tenderly care for them, no matter what the future holds.

My Review:

First, let me say that Mark Elliot has done a beautiful job illustrating this book.  My 2 year old was fascinated with the pictures and I loved how they illustrated the words and yet the combination of minimal words and beautiful pictures left lots of room for discussion.  (When the kids act "a little bad" we were able to talk about what they were doing wrong and how they could have done things differently for example.) 

Anthony DeStefano does a great job of bringing to mind many of the things children might pray about (protection when frightened, to feel Him when they feel alone, help to make the right decisions, forgiveness etc) without going into a lot of detail.  This lets your child talk about his or her personal situations.

The combination of open wordage and illustrations makes this a book that will remain in my library for use with grandchildren (should the Lord bless me with them in the FAR future) because it is timeless.  I would highly recommend this book for young children as an introduction to prayer and for older children (my 11 year old enjoyed it too) as a reminder that we can go to God with everything.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Skin Map

The Skin Map (Bright Empires)

Publisher's description:

"I need your help with a project. It will be the adventure of a lifetime—of several lifetimes. But it will change you forever."

Kit Livingston's great-grandfather appears in a deserted alley during a tumultuous storm. He reveals an unbelievable story: ley lines throughout Britain are not merely the stuff of legend or the weekend hobby of deluded cranks—they're pathways to other worlds. To those who know how to use them, ley lines grant the ability to travel the multi-layered universe of which we ordinarily inhabit only a tiny part.

One explorer knew more than most. Braving every danger, he toured both time and space on voyages of heroic discovery. Ever on his guard, and fearful of becoming lost in the cosmos, he developed an intricate code—a roadmap of symbols—that he tattooed onto his own body. This Skin Map has since been lost in time. Now the race is on to recover all the pieces and discover its secrets.

The Bright Empires series is a unique blend of epic treasure hunt, ancient history, alternate realities, cutting-edge physics, philosophy, and mystery.

 My Review:
The description sounds great, doesn't it?  Unfortunately, in many ways the author left a lot to be desired.  Kit wasn't fleshed out much as a character, his former girlfriend (the one from the modern time that inadvertently was transported into the past, and Prague at that) was a much more interesting character.

You get the gist of the story line from the publisher's description, but I really think that is probably a description more appropriate for the series rather than just this book.  Yes, Kit is drawn into time travel by his great-grandfather.  However, he spends much of the story being drug along by his grandfather in an attempt to figure out how to return his girlfriend back to the time/place she originated from after Kit attempts to show her why he was late for a date due to time travel and then loses her while traveling.  She is deposited alone, in the past, and conveniently meets a man who not only takes her in, but makes her a partner in his new business venture and expects nothing in return.  Of course she makes him very prosperous and realizes that she likes her life in the past much better than the boring life she had in the present.

There are bad guys with saber tooth cats, and a man who somehow figures out how the time travel thing works and decides to create the map on his skin at some point in the past.  At some point in his future he must have been skinned and the map was cut into pieces.  Now everyone who can travel the ley lines is searching for those pieces.

There are at least 3 story lines going in this book, but they are pretty easy to follow.  The writing is colorful and descriptive without being overly so.  I found the book interesting but at times unsatisfying.


I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Dinner with a Perfect Stranger review

Dinner with a Perfect Stranger: An Invitation Worth Considering

Publisher's Description:

You are Invited to a Dinner with Jesus of Nazareth

The mysterious envelope arrives on Nick Cominsky’s desk amid a stack of credit card applications and business-related junk mail. Although his seventy-hour workweek has already eaten into his limited family time, Nick can’t pass up the opportunity to see what kind of plot his colleagues have hatched.

The normally confident, cynical Nick soon finds himself thrown off-balance, drawn into an intriguing conversation with a baffling man who appears to be more than comfortable discussing everything from world religions to the existence of heaven and hell. And this man who calls himself Jesus also seems to know a disturbing amount about Nick’s personal life.

…………..

"You’re bored, Nick. You were made for more than this. You’re worried about God stealing your fun, but you’ve got it backwards.… There’s no adventure like being joined to the Creator of the universe." He leaned back off the table. "And your first mission would be to let him guide you out of the mess you’re in at work."
………….

As the evening progresses, their conversation touches on life, God, meaning, pain, faith, and doubt–and it seems that having Dinner with a Perfect Stranger may change Nick’s life forever.

My Review:
Gregory explores the tennants of Christianity through a dinner invitation from Jesus himself to an unbeliever that had some of the world's knowledge about Christianity, but was filled with confusion and untrue beliefs. Through the meal the reader is brought along on a discussion of questions that many may have for the real Jesus. Why are the other religions wrong? What makes following you so special? What does it mean to be a Christian? How do "bad things" fit into God's plan? When answers that we are commonly given, for example Jesus is asked, "Why has Christianity been such a mixed bag?" refering to people claiming to follow Christ that have done a lot of good and others who have done a lot of bad, the author attempts to give it a little more depth. Jesus responds that those who did bad were not really Christians. Our guest responsd with,"that seems a little convenient for you". This allows "Jesus" to delve into the heart of the matter.

While this book is definitely evangelical in nature, and at times very simplistic, it does provide a casual setting to open discussions about who Jesus really is and what it truly means to follow him. I don't think it was meant to be an end of the road type book, rather a beginning, a springboard to encourage the reader to seek out deeper answers to the questions that are posed.

The writing is good, the characters aren't very deep, especially Nick Cominsky. The reader is given a very small sliver of his life and personality making it difficult to really connect with him. Jesus comes off less caring than I would have prefered. The whole discussion feels as if the two are discussing a business arrangement rather than a personal life decision. This approach, however, may appeal to those who are more analytical than emotional.

in front of God and everybody review

In Front of God and Everybody (The Confessions of April Grace)

From the publisher:
If God wanted April Grace to be kind to her neighbors, He should have made them nicer!

Growing up in the country is never easy, but it sure is funny—especially if you happen to have a sister obsessed with being glamorous, a grandma just discovering make-up, hippie friends who never shower, and brand new neighbors from the city who test everyone’s patience. From disastrous dye jobs to forced apologies and elderly date tagalongs, you’ll laugh ‘til you cry as you read the Confessions of April Grace!

Here are just a couple of April's thoughts: On her sister, Myra Sue: "How anyone can be that dumb and still be able to eat with a fork is beyond me." On senior citizen lovebirds: "What if they started smooching right at the table in front of God and everybody?"

In spite of all the loony characters in her life, April Grace is able to learn from her parents as they share the love of God—to even the craziest of characters!

My Review:
First, this is definitely written for a preteen girl.  I had to often remind myself to read it from that perspective, otherwise the writing would aggravate me with it's simplistic characters.  To be honest, some of the characters just didn't seem to fit and I truly have no idea why they were included in the book.

The book begins with an event that happened when the main character, April Grace, was 8 or 9.  I assume it was the author's intent to use a bad experience in April's past to explain her feelings in the present, but to be honest I felt like it was not necessary.  April was born and raised in the Ozarks and had been teased about being a "hillbilly" by some rich folks.  As a result she seems to instantly dislike the St. James' who were moving in to the farm down the road because they appeared to be wealthy.

The St. James' aren't rich, however, and in a peculiar twist they end up living with April's family until they can get their place fixed up.  Through this April learns a valuable lesson best explained in April's granny's own words:

"honey, you just got to quit finding fault with everyone...There ain't never been but one perfect person in the world, and they killed Him.  If you keep looking at the things you don't like about folks, you won't every have any friends.  Or any fun, neither.  Folks don't act they way they do just to annoy you.  They act the way they do 'cause they're people."

If you are looking at this as a book for your preteen, be aware that while there is a really good message in this book, there is an implication of drug use by the crazy hippie neighbors, and April's sister ends up becoming anorexic (although this is discussed very little, it just sort of happens in the background).  This book can open doors for discussion with your preteen about how we view others, how our actions can influence the way others view us, anorexia (obviously), and many other topics.

Another point of interest is that this book is set in 1986, which is well before the target audience was even born.  Some of the references will be lost on young readers (breakdancing, the Cosby show, even blue eyeshadow!) but mom's reading along will fondly remember their own preteen years.  The author does do a good job though of demonstrating that childhood feelings are outside of time.  April may be living in the 80's but kids today are feeling the same things!

All in all, not a bad book from a parent's perspective.  My 11 year old is reading this now and I will update this review with her opinion as well when she finishes it.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review of it.