The River

The basis of this story was unique, refreshing, involved, and interesting. That said, the execution of how it was laid out was lacking. The author starts out with an unexpected and confusing reunion with a man thought to be dead that plants the seed that her father might be alive. It progresses to an adventure of a River full of myths with native legends mixed in and ends with a trip to the future to show us a hint of how technology can go horribly wrong. It involves thoughts on certain ideals which have circulated for centuries including eternal youth, immortality, genetic manipulation, technological advances, and conspiracies.

While I like the story, the execution is completely rushed involving massive leaps of faith on how conclusions were made to advance the story (Much of it in translating the journal) and hurried endings. There are secrets and depths hinted at that are never followed through. Examples is Hawk alluding to certain native beliefs with them being these silly little tidbits only incorporated to explain the guide's willingness to follow the adventure, Gary suddenly turning into this computer hacker savant when an escape is needed when he is barely alluded to previously in the story (treated as an appendage that just is until suddenly he becomes useful), Hints at Miki's past yet never actually saying what it is.. then hints of other secrets in the group except they are never mentioned again. There is this mysterious time portal that is references yet never really described or even any more depth except "Oh yeah, you can get to the past and future through that. But only one person can go at once. Oh, and apparently crossing does something funky to your DNA", then Del and Jake just stumble into this relationship with no buildup. Then there are a million questions left to answer. Where did the girls in the center come from, who is the director, what happened to Jake, Why was it a big deal that Jake looked up his past, Why even allude to Del having MS except to try to create some complication that never arose, Did the Center Fall? Then the author killed off almost every character with little to no "ceremony". Just oh yeah, goodbye and they're dead.

I would love to see this book rewritten and the whole story idea revisited. This book had the opportunity for a huge depth that would of left a lasting impression in our thoughts and it simply, fell short. It was worth the read, but truly lacking by the end. For the price, I guess I should not of expected much and honestly the blurp about the book barely touches what the book is really about. I was pleasantly surprised as the story progressed but left the book wondering where the rest of it is.

Remember. We are told to remember many things. Our parents told us to remember to brush out teeth before bed, remember to clean up our room, remember to finish our lunch at school, etc. God tells Israel to remember the Sabbath and to keep it holy (Ex. 20:8) and to remember the day when they left the land of Egypt (Deut. 5:15). Remember.

Forget. We are told to forget many things as well. If we receive new training on the job we may be told to forget everything we thought we knew about how we did our job previously. While encouraging us in our Christian life Paul tells us, "Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead" (Phil. 3:14). He also encourages us to forget about ourselves. Really?

This is exactly what Tim Keller brings out of Paul's words in 1 Cor. 3:21-4:7 in his new book the Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness. The primary verses in this section are as follows:

"But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me." (1 Cor. 4:3-5)

In addressing the many divisions that were in the church of Corinth "Paul shows that the root cause of the division is pride and boasting" (p. 8). It is pride and boasting that shows we have a high view of self. But lest we think we can just think lowly of ourselves and be getting it right Keller reminds us, "A person who keeps saying they are a nobody is actually a self-obsessed person" (p. 32).

If we are not to think too highly of ourselves or to lowly either, then how are we to think of ourselves? We are to be self-forgetful. How does this work? Keller explains:

"A truly gospel-humble person is not a self-hating person or a self-loving person, but a gospel-humble person. The truly gospel-humble person is a self-forgetful person whose ego is just like his or her toes. It just works. It does not draw attention to itself. The toes just work; the ego just works. Neither draws attention to itself." (p. 33)

So Paul will not be judged by others, but neither will he judge himself. It is only the Lord that judges. And here is where the freedom of self-forgetfulness comes in. "But Paul is saying that in Christianity, the verdict leads to performance. It is not the performance that leads to the verdict" (p. 39). The deal is that before we can even perform any of the good works we were created for (Eph. 2:10), we have been declared righteous in Christ at the moment of our salvation. It is then out of this declaration of being found righteous in Christ that we can and do perform these good and righteous works. This is the freedom of self-forgetfulness!

The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness was truly a joy to read as well as a reality check as it exposed the depths of pride in my heart. I read the whole thing in one sitting which is best but I encourage readers to read it all the way through several days in a row. The further you read the more the point becomes clear. Just when I thought I had an idea of what gospel-humility was I read this book and realized I still had no idea. This is a must read for any Christian living in the self-absorbed culture of our day that has crept its way into the pews of our churches and the seats of our homes.

All Pro Dad

I highly recommend All Pro Dad for any Dad that wants to be a better father, better husband and ultimately a better man. Gregory Slayton advises that fatherhood is really a lifelong journey and that we Dad's should expect good times right alongside rough times. But, in either case the outcome is often in our hands and in our leadership techniques.

The book is formatted as a `tool box' for dads, offering 10 tools for effective fatherhood. While all 10 tools have relevance, I found Tool #5 and Tool #9 to be the most helpful in my circumstance. Tool #5 is about the "All in Marriage"; specifically, that one of the most important gifts we can give our children is to love our wife and to be faithful to her. We really do set our children's expectations about what it means to be a good dad (and mom) and how those expectations will play out for them later in life. A Dad's loving relationship with our kids Mother has long term, even multi-generational, positive impact on our families.

Tool #9 reminded me that even though we may experience conflict and discouragement within our families, only dad's bring the emotional, spiritual and physical leadership every family needs. Our job is to maintain, and to instill, a never-give-up, optimistic attitude regardless of circumstance.

Slayton, a former Ambassador and Professor at Dartmouth College, points out that the research is clear, children whose fathers, grandfathers and even great-grandfathers were men of commitment, competence and character are more likely to succeed.All Pro Dad offers us a unique set of tools that makes our success as a family and our children's success much more likely.

Sherman

Book Description:

A compelling and rounded portrait of the man who set the stage for “total warfare,” Major General William Tecumseh Sherman.

General Sherman has come to be regarded as one of the most influential military strategists and tacticians. His campaigns in the South during the Civil War set the precedent for 20th century warfare. Sherman set the stage for “total warfare,” and for this he is considered the ultimate Yankee. In the American South, even to this day he is reviled for it. He was the self-fulfilling proponent of his apt observation that “war is hell.”

Psychologically complex, intellectually brilliant, militarily inventive, Sherman was hounded by depression and plagued by an inherited tendency to nervous collapse. Nevertheless, he compelled extraordinary loyalty from his troops. Sherman will explore these and many other aspects of his life and military career.

Many people have made the point that, for all their alleged disdain for “revisionist” history, those who hold to a “Southern” view of the war are themselves embracing an explicitly revisionist historical narrative. It’s a narrative that was carefully crafted in the decades following the Civil War to exonerate the Confederate cause, depict Southern leaders in the most flattering and noble way possible, and to undermine or denigrate the Union effort to highlight the contrast. This effort, which lies at the core of the Lost Cause, probably reached its zenith in the second decade of the 20th century. But with a few concessions to modern sensibilities — e.g., “faithful slaves” have now become “black Confederate soldiers” — the narrative remains largely as it was a century ago, and is held dear by many. But great longevity doesn’t make a revisionist narrative any less revisionist.

Despite having read most of major accounts of the American Civil War, I had not fully understood the central role played by Sherman until I read Hart's book. Hart makes it clear that Sherman's appreciation of the futility of attacking entrenched positions and his consequently developed strategy and tactics turned the tide for the North, salvaged the 1864 election for Lincoln, and saved perhaps tens of thousands of Union and Rebel lives. He also points out that the same insight accounts for most of Lee's success, i.e., Lee won battles in which he enticed the North to attack entrenched positions (e.g. Fredricksburg) and lost when he attacked entrenched positions himself (e.g. Gettysburg). Hart fully disposes of the popular prejudice held widely in the South that Sherman's approach to war was more inhumane than the alternative of massive blood letting which was by virtually every other Civil War general. It is rare to find a historical account containing so much insight.