Six Hours One Friday by Max Lucado

       

            The first thing you realize when you open this book and start reading is this author knows how to manage word pictures. Lucado establishes from the beginning the need of an anchor in our life. He starts with the picture of a ship surviving an hurricane because it is grounded in bedrock.

            He offers three anchor points or boulders to use in the stream of life. They are solid points  to brace your philosophy of life on.

            Futility, failure and finality are the three storms that enter every life lived. But he points out  there is hope of surviving by going through.

            The anchor, he puts forth, was  laid in six hours one Friday.

            Lucado , in his story teller style, reminds us that Jesus is the only anchor we have been given to make it through the three storm points he presents.

            The structure of the book is six chapters per anchor point and three anchor points for nineteen chapters counting the introduction. There is a study guide included for small  groups.. This will be  a book  you will need to study to firm up your belief system.

            This is an interesting book. Each chapter is independent of the other and can be read in whatever order you choose. I recommend you take one point at a time and digest the six chapters under that anchor point.

If you have a soft heart you may find yourself emotional,

 Lucado is that good a story teller. In the telling  of the story he never lost sight of the truth. .I would recommend this for new believers and others on the journey.

BookSneeze has provided me with a complimentary copy  of the book to be reviewed . I was not required to give a positive review and any opinions expressed are those of the reviewer and not those of the publisher.

Quiet by Susan Cain

    

It is not easy being an introvert living in a world geared to extroverts.  Introvert get the bad end of the stick when it comes to opportunities. They are thought of as slow and somewhat uninterested in events around them

 That is not a fair estimate. One third to one half of the people we know fall under the umbrella of introvert, according to Cain..

 What Cain has done is give us a gentle study of the issue. In her  first  part of the book  she surveys the extrovert universe. In the next three parts she examines the introvert and the ways he can navigate in the world surrounding him.

 This is a psychological study using the behavioral lens.

This is a very interesting book .Psychology is one of my interests. People and the ways they behave help display the image of the Almighty God to the world. How we react and blend is very important. 

 Each part held together as the introvert and the extrovert were examined  in a very understandable manner. It is a book for the thinker and for the college student

I would recommend this  to the college class room.
I have received this book free from the publisher as a online blogger for WaterBrook Multinonah Publishing Group . I was not required to give a positive review. The views expressed are mine and do not reflect those of the publisher. 

Superman By Larry Tye

          Every generation needs a hero. Every child needs someone who can handle the bullies of life and come out a winner. It was just this desire that pushed a young man during the depression of the thirties named Jerry Siegel to envision and put on paper a super character that could handle problems.

                It wasn’t easy being Jewish and a puny kid during the depression. He was often overlooked by his peers. He couldn’t get the girl. He was often beat up. If anyone needed someone to believe in who could make things right, it was Jerry. So he invented one.  Jerry had an idea of a supreme being who would do right and make things right.

Comics were not well received or even conceived of when Siegel started. But he was had an imagination and a desire to create a character who could handle whatever was thrown at him. In the beginning it wasn’t a super character.  He just needed a character who could conquer our fears and dread.

                Superman wasn’t original. Jerry Siegel was steeped in Science Fiction so he subconsciously adapted from what was available in 1932. There was Doc Savage and John Carter. Doc had brute strength. John was invulnerable and traveled n space.

                The DNA of Superman can be traced back to the Hebrew Bible and the person of Samson.

                Larry Tye, the writer of this book, is very detailed in tracing the genesis and growth of Superman.

A lot has happened to Superman since that day he was created..

                Superman was tinkered with as time went on. He developed traits and weaknesses according to the time in which he was published. First a comic book character, than a radio character, moving on to television and movies. There were years he was not in the public eye, but he was never forgotten.

                Today he is still available to be seen in moves. He started out a loner and today he works with a group of superheroes. But he has never completely disappeared. You may not like what they have done to Superman. He has been remade so many times he may not even be recognizable if our grandparents who grew up on him were to try to recapture their youth.

Every Halloween there are still Superman costumes being sold. Children are still wearing Superman pajamas. There are still people who remember him. And the new legends of Superman put on film are around.

This is a great addition to the story of the development of American pop culture.

Librares And Bookstores

  I understand that most of you reading this blog and its posts are wondering, just where can I read or purchase these items he reviews?
  That is simple
   You can use your local library.  There is no guarentee that the book will be there, but chances are that if they keep on on what is being purchased and read then sooner or later they will vote on it.
    Or you could purchase your book at Amazon.com or at Barnes and Noble. This is both the brick and mortar and the on-line.
   If you purchased you will have your own copy and don't have to worry about a time limit such as is imposed by a library.
     Since I get my books as a reviewer for blog programs such as WaterBrookMultinomah.com, the blogging for books program, and BookSneeze.com I don't worry about the time limit. And when I am done I often decide to donate the book to the library in my area.

The 5 Money Personalities by Scott and Bethany Palmer

         This is a book that the world has been waiting for. That was the feeling I had when I read it. It is a book that everyone in a married relationship should have in their library not just to gather dust but also to be read.

It has been said the number one cause of divorce in the United States is over money. If so there should be a way we can combat it.

                I realize that a section of marriage counseling is on the subject of finances. But the area of money personalities is not considered. The problem may be that no one has considered it worth talking about.

                All of us have a money personality. This personality determines how we will relate to money. Scott and Bethany Palmer lay out a paradigm containing five profiles. They are: saver, spender, risk taker, security seeker, and flyer. Each one looks on the handling of money differently.

                As I have mentioned this is a needed book.  As we all handle our money according to how we approached our allowances as a child.  We need to stop and consider what habits concerning money we bring into our marriage. Therefore this becomes a discussion starter.

                I found this book to be very useful in opening money talks with my wife. I had her read it also. Then we were able to sit down and discuss the insights in the small 180 page paperback.

                I would recommend this for pastors to hand out at the pre-marital counseling sessions. It is also useful for married couples to generate useful family discussions around the table. The children should also be included.

                This book was received free from the publisher through the Book Sneeze.com book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions discussed are those of the reviewer and not the publisher

The Blessed Church by Robert Morris

There is a secret to growing a church. Church growth is more than just numbers on a roll. It is involved people. To go another step, it is a matter of proper link to the God who formed the church.

            Morris shares with the reader  his understanding of  the principles set down in scripture concerning the proper dictates concerning the church. He calls them keys to a blessed church. Each key is embedded with a scripture quote and can be found as illustrative sidelines to the subject handled in each chapter.

            Morris uses Gateway Church in suburban Dallas-Fort Worth as the basis of what a blessed church could look like.

            It is written in a conversational over the fence style that will appeal to  the general church developer

             I enjoyed the book. It informed and challenged me to look sat how I am helping my church group develop. Not everyone is going to be blessed with a big fellowship. But everyone of us can plug in to the keys and work with what God has provided us.

            Morris has conveyed scriptural truth to the leaders and the sheep in every congregation. I would recommend this to the church family.

            This book was  provided free from WaterBrook Multinomah Publishing Group for this review. I was not required to give a positive review and the viewpoints expressed are those of the reviewer and not of the publisher.

Soul's Gate by James L. Rubart

        Unknown to us there are demons around us along with elect angels. What if there was a team of people who could tap into the spiritual realm and fight these forces of evil? What would their training be like? What if they could not only pray against these forces but actually see with their spiritual eyes the enemy forces?

Rupert is beginning a series of novels that have the theme of spiritual warfare. He is calling them Well Spring Novels. Well Spring is the training ground. Four people have been chosen to undergo training about spiritual warfare.  The demons are fighting back.

Rupert is attempting to expose an area of influence that many are unaware of. He does it as a story teller. In this he is like Jesus who told stories to get points across. Hiding the kernel within the story makes it easier for us to grasp the truth.

                Of course it is a plot driven book. Tension is heightened as each one of the four individuals encounter in the flesh a demon who tries hard to derail them.

                In stories of this kind the suspension of belief is necessary. The concept that a person can enter the soul of another is a bit jarring. Rubart in the author’s note states that idea of entering a persons’ soul is fiction on his part.

                The book ends with the implication that there is going to be a sequel. The battle has begun.

                The reader it is written for is the Christian who wants a good knuckle biting story. It holds a person’s interest throughout as it imparts information.

The book is published by Thomas Nelson. The next book in the series “Memory’s Door’ is coming out in August 2013.