If I Could Ask God Anything by Kathryn Slattery

As a former curious kid and a father of four inquisitive daughters I elected for a change of pace and chose to review a book geared for children and Kathryn Slattery's If I Could Ask God Anything caught my attention. The 200+ page book is divided into major sections (e.g. Questions about God, The Bible, Jesus, etc.), and in this way it reminded of a kid's version of a survey of Christian doctrine. Questions usually averaged about a one page answer (some more, some less) and were written on about a 3rd-4th grade reading level. I found the book to be fairly thorough and informative.

Now for the negatives. I rarely expect any author to be in exact agreement with me on all things, but this book fell short in some areas. I had some doctrinal concerns, especially with the questions concerning salvation and baptism. I also felt that at times the author interjected opinion over scripture, especially in the section concerning guardian angels. Overall , I think the book is a good reference for parents to use with their children, but I would be wary of handing it to my child without me there to help explain. Besides, it's kind of hard to beat the ultimate answer book, The Bible.

Road Trip!

Road Trips.

As a kid I loved them. The highlight of the year was piling into the car for a 26-hour drive to Nebraska. Along the way we played games, read books, tried to sleep and found unique ways to get on each other's nerves. It was the perfect formula for building memorable moments that are told and re-told for years.

Memories like the time my sister (about 5 years my junior) was three years old and a common, ordinary housefly decided to stow-away on the trip. as we entered about the seventeenth hour of the drive (about 3am) my father, hopped up on about every form of caffeine you can ingest is struggling to keep his weary eyes on the road. Mom and myself have drifted off to sleep. And then my sister discovers the fly. To the average person a fly is nothing to fear. A nuisance? Yes. Worthy of being on the business end of a rolled up newspaper? Absolutely! But something to be terrified of? No, unless you are a three-year old. To a three-year-old a common housefly is as fearsome as a fire-breathing dragon. Needless to say, when this unsuspecting fly alighted upon my sister, an ear-piercing scream of terror pierced the quiet atmosphere of the car. Mom jolted awake and I found my self clinging to the headliner. My father, nerves frayed from sleep deprivation, fought to keep the car on the road.

What ensued was a confused conversation that took the form of the following:

Dad: "What was that?!?"

Mom and I: "Angie screamed."

Dad: "Dave, what did you do?!?"

Me: "I don't know. I was asleep."

Dad: "Well, don't do it again!"

Me: "What? Sleep or make her scream?"

As you can tell, I was less than helpful. As for the winged culprit? He had disappeared for the moment. Ten minutes later, we get a repeat performance that would have made a B-Movie queen proud. This ensued for several rounds until we finally discovered the source of the commotion and rolled down the window to set the captive free.

What memories are you making for your family? Currently, I am in the van headed to Kentucky with 4 excited children, and they are laughing and playing and singing, and I have discovered that I still love road trips.

The Revolutionary Paul Revere by Joel J. Miller

Woven into to the tapestry of American history is the familiar image of a man riding through the New England night crying out, "The redcoats are coming! The redcoats are coming!" on the eve of the battles of Lexington and Concord. What Joel Miller does is he takes that two-dimensional picture and adds depth and life to a man who should be known for so much more than one historic night. Starting with the journey of his indentured servant father, Miller spins a yarn that takes us through Paul's apprenticeship, his famous ride and so much more. Along the way Paul masters his craft, serves in the military during the French and Indian War, and socializes with the likes of Sam Adams and John Hancock. He joins secret societies like the Masons and the Sons of Liberty, which thrusts him into the role of chronicler of the Boston Massacre and partaker in the Boston Tea Party. Eventually, Paul ends up being the official messenger between the Sons of Liberty and the Continental Congress, which lands him the historic role of being the harbinger of battle.

But the story doesn't end there. Paul again serves his country through military service. What is most remarkable is that after independence is won is that Paul personifies America's entrepreneurial spirit. From silversmith to dentist to forger to bell-maker, Paul takes advantage of his new found liberty to build a successful business and uses his abilities to help his new country and when the war of 1812 breaks out, 80 year old Paul volunteers his services once again for the cause of Liberty.

As a lover of history I quickly devoured this book. Written in a narrative style it was easy to read while being well-documented. I fully recommend this book to anyone curious about one of America's early heroes. In doing so you will learn of a man who sought to serve his country no matter what his age, social status or financial situation. May we be so patriotic.

Spring Fever

Spring is here! I absolutely love this time of year. The sun shines, the thermometer rises, flowers bloom and from now until the end of summer you will hear the crack of the bat as baseball and softball leagues limber up for another year of competition. But as much as I love all these things, my favorite part of spring is celebrating Resurrection Sunday.

God's planning is so precise that He chose the time of year when things that were dead in the winter come to life as the moment to raise His Son from the grave. As I look around I see withered grass turn green; dead limbs sprout leaves; colorful flowers bloom from what was in the fall a cold and dead seed. Evidences of a Risen Savior are everywhere.

If you feel dead, I invite you, turn to the Living Son of God. He will raise you up from the sleep of winter into the wakefulness of Spring!

God bless and have a Happy Easter!

March Madness

Over the next several weekends American society will turn from it's daily rituals and pause. We will sit on the edge of our seats with bated breath. Some will have their dreams crushed while others will celebrate with joy. All will watch the TV for the next moment. Will a giant fall? Will the underdog prevail? Will my bracket survive this?

That's right, it's March Madness and as the NCAA basketball championship gets underway, I have made my picks and I am excited, once again about watching some basketball. My favorite thing to do is cheer for the underdog. I love watching a smaller, relatively unknown team topple a perennial powerhouse. I'll be the one rooting for Siena, Cornell, Richmond and New Mexico State, as opposed to Kansas, Kentucky or Syracuse.

I think there something within us all that relates to the underdog. We all know what it's like to go unnoticed. We have felt the pain of under-appreciation. We know how it feels to be counted out before we even start a task. So when a David gets to take on a Goliath, we cheer for David. We pull for the little guy, because in a lot of ways, we are the little guy.

Over the next few weeks, enjoy the basketball. Root for your team. But do not neglect the observance of the day when God made all the underdogs matter. The day the unnoticed got recognized, the under-appreciated received a nod of acceptance and the counted out were invited in. Easter is the day before the championship game. Easter is the day the ultimate victory was won. When Christ arose, it gave every underdog a chance to be victorious in the only thing that really matters: life!

So when I sit down to watch the championship game this year, I will probably be cheering for the team least likely to win. But I will rest assured that no matter the outcome of the game, my victory is secure, and this underdog celebrates that win every day!

Everyone Communicates, Few Connect by John Maxwell

I was first introduced to the writings of John Maxwell as a Bible College student studying for ministry. Since that time I have read nearly a dozen of his books and always look forward to reading his next work. Everyone Communicates did not disappoint. In fact, I would rank it in his top three books as far as its applicability and ease to understand.

Maxwell spends the first half of the book describing the principles of how to connect with others. As is his style, he mixes simple concepts with real life illustrations in order to demonstrate the principle in action. As he says, "it's simple to understand, but difficult to apply." The second half of the book is where he rolls up his sleeves and shows us how to connect through five simple practices. As you read, you can't help but notice how he follows his own advice, even with his writing style.

I found this book to be extremely helpful. My profession requires me to connect with people as individuals, small groups and larger audiences. Every chapter ends with practical advice on how to connect on each of those levels. Some of the advice is simplistic and common sense, but often we complicate the simple and overlook the common and it was good to be reminded of those principles. A definite must read for anyone who is in leadership, or even for those looking to better connect with the people in their lives.

My Brutal Cross I Carry

Alright I admit it, there is a part of me that is "artsy fartsy." That being said, I occasionally write poetry (please don't judge my manliness). Over the past several weeks this one has been on my mind. I wrote it about three years ago.

The night is over
And morning has dawned
The rooster crowed
And friends have gone
And my brutal cross I carry

Judges have sneered
Kings have mocked
Guards have beaten
Eternity is rocked
And my brutal cross I carry

The whip whistled
Flesh was torn
The knees buckled
Thorns are worn
And my brutal cross I carry

The crowds jeer
Satan awaits
Demons prepare
To storm Heaven's gates
And my brutal cross I carry

Pain sears
Ears roar
Patience is tested
Grace soars
And my brutal cross I carry

Nails pierce
Hands bleed
Lips thirst
Sinners need
The brutal cross I carried

Soldiers wonder
Crowds are awed
A thief forgiven
Because he saw
The brutal cross I carried

Strength fades
Angels hearken
Will I call
As the skies darken over
The brutal cross I carried?

Death awaits
Veils are split
The earth shakes
As I submit to
The brutal cross I carried

Three days pass
In the tomb
The sun rises
As I overcome
The brutal cross I carried

My call goes out
Far and wide
In order to live
One must die
and bear
The brutal cross I carried