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.

The Seraph Seal

Madeleine L'Engle is the preeminent interpreter of the Christian journey as it pertains to these words of the Apostle Paul, "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Philippians 4:8). Ms. L'Engle invites the reader to focus on that which is great, greater and greatest, in a world that all too often settles for what is dishonorable, unjust, impure, ugly, discourteous, shoddy and worthy of condemnation. In both her fiction and non-fiction writings, she helps the thinking Christian look at the world through the eyes of faith.

Ms. L'Engle takes as the theme of the book, Jesus' invitation to Peter to come to Christ walking on the water. For a brief moment, Peter did just that. Ms. L'Engle states that is how we were created to be, and even when we sink, and cry for help, that Jesus will pull us up. She says, "The impossible still happens to us, often during the work, sometimes when we are so tired that inadvertently we let down all the barriers we have built up. (Page 238).

Ms. L'Engle views the creative process as a successive letting down of barriers. Of opening to God. When one responds to the urge to create, one is one more than holy ground-one walks on water-since God is the Creator and God's creative energies are limitless and surprising. God's very unpredictability and joy become the same creative force in musicians and artists of all kinds. Ms. L'Engle speaks of the freedom to laugh at ourselves as one of the prerequisites for bringing about that which is worthwhile.

Lest we mistakenly think that Ms. L'Engle's approach is sweetly sentimental, listen to what she says about the rigors of faithful creativity, "Complicated creatures we are, aware of only the smallest fragment of ourselves; seeking good and yet far too often unable to tell the difference between right and wrong; misunderstanding each other and so blundering into the tragedies of warring nations, horrendous discrepancies between rich and poor, and the idiocy of a divided Christendom." (Page 153).

This would be an outstanding book to give or receive for a special occasion such as graduation or confirmation. For Christians of any stage in life, "Walking on Water" is a call to live expectantly and trustingly.

If you find this review helpful you might want to read some of my other reviews, including those on subjects ranging from biography to architecture, as well as religion and fiction

Washington

This book was a bit different from what I expected when I received it as a gift. I enjoy reading American history, and thought this would be a historical examination of the Washington years, i.e. the Revolutionary War and his two terms in office. While it did obviously cover those events, it was far less of a history book and much more a biography. Indeed, some key historical events like the battles at Lexington and Concord are barely mentioned, and then only to provide some historical context for the biographical discussion. In other words, this is a high level view of America in the second half of 18th century, with Washington at the center and other people or events coming into focus only as necessary to shed light on his actions and attitudes.

The great value of this book is to offer the reader a deeper look into the character of a person who has been elevated nearly to demigod status in the minds of so many Americans. The author takes us past the Adonis-like sculpture that so many of us have seen in the Smithsonian, and into the mind of this singular figure whose importance to the birth of the country is both undeniable and somewhat accidental. We get to take a warts-and-all look at the real Washington, with his intriguing blend of ambition, ego, self-interest, commitment, service and resolve. On one hand is the aristrocratic, slave-owning squire obsessively amassing an ever larger personal estate. On the other is the revolutionary leader willing to put that life on hold for years on end and endure severe hardship to advance the greater common good. From ambitious young soldier, to marginally competent general, to stateman and president, and finally to the retired gentleman manipulated by the scheming Hamilton, Washington's successes and failures are treated with equal fairness by the author.

Particularly intriguing was the insight into Washington's growing internal conflict between his idealism -- the realization that slavery was inconsistent with his revolutionary principles -- and his intense realism and pragmatism -- the knowledge that immediate action toward emancipation was not practical either for the country or his personal affairs. His willingness to compromise on the issue for the sake of holding the country together during its formative years is understandable as we consider Washington the statesman. His vacillation at the personal level, particularly the moral inconsistencies on the slavery issue -- his willingness to own slaves to secure his financial interests, while feeling a moral revulsion to selling them -- give us a look at the internal struggles of Washington the private man. Much has been said by historians about his decision to free his slaves in his will, but the intellectual and moral gyrations that led him to that point tell us much more about Washington than that final act.

Overall I was very pleased with the insights offered in this volume, and found it a very enjoyable and quick read. I would recommend it for anyone who wants to get an unvarnished look at the real Washington. A great man? Definitely. But this book reminds us that in the final analysis, he was just a man at a unique place and time in history, and he played his role well.

The Fight of Our Lives

A boot camp for troubled teens because his parents don’t like his behavior. There he is psychologically and physically tortured by the chaperons at the camp. Then when Garret and some of his inmates try to escape things get troublesome as they almost get caught by the same people who brought them in. Then Garret has to make a tough choice between freedom and another person’s life.

This book is legit. I can take all the blood that he wrote about and everything. It would suck to be him even though he was so close to getting free he just turns around and gives himself up to more and more abuse and punishment.

Well this was such a great book I really enjoyed reading it ….I'm a hater of reading but this is the first book that i really liked and just wanted to keep on reading to see what would happen and stuff ya know…well if you're looking for a book to read …this would be the next book that u would have to read i really recommend reading this awesome book!!!!!!