The Way Home

This movie is based on a true story about a father whose two-year-old son goes missing when his father becomes distracted. Throughout the search, the community supports the father and mother.

This is a good, but not a great, movie. It helped to know it was based on a true story. For me, who has no children, it was a good reminder of what’s really important in life and how many people will come to your aid when you’re tested.

The movie moves at a good pace and draws you into the story. It’s worth watching.

Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado

Max Lucado’s newest book exhorts believers to be intentional and bold in allowing God to use us to make a difference in the world, challenging us to consider the need (the world) and the tools (we believers). The author encourages to assess our abilities, team up with others, consider the ministry of hospitality, the ability to microfinance, do good quietly, help the poor, be humble, overcome our biases, see others through God’s eyes, and pray.

This book was a good reminder of the importance of people as ready, willing tools in God’s hands to do His work His way. The one change I would make in this book is to incorporate the suggestions in the Discussion and Action Guide into each chapter in order to help people apply practically what Max Lucado advocates.

As usual, this author’s book is well written and biblically sound. It was interesting and challenging. I recommend it to anyone.

I am a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program: http://brb.thomasnelson.com

“Let’s Do Lunch” by Roger Troy Wilson

The cover of this book says, misleadingly, “Eating all the CALORIES and CARBS you want to lose weight!” The true premise of this book is to replace all simple carbohydrates with fruit, beans, corn and peas, eliminating all sugar, potatoes, rice, bread and pasta, not as a temporary diet, but as a lifestyle. The author lost 230 pounds this way. Needless to say, the author is someone to whom excess seems normal, and this diet/lifestyle he advocates is excessive. Certainly there are a few for whom this diet/lifestyle would work, but they must be prepared to be excessively disciplined to overemphasize some food groups, such as fruit, fruit, fruit, and beans, beans, beans, and underemphasize others.

Breakfast is as much fruit as you want, with a few supplemental typical breakfast foods if you cannot stand to eat only fruit. Lunch is a big meal with protein, soup, salad and/or vegetables. Dinner is as much fruit as you can eat. If you cannot be satisfied with that, you can add soup, vegetables, beans, peas or corn, but no protein. Evening snacks? You guessed it, fruit. If all these beans and fruit bother you, the author recommends Beano and Imodium. What a way (not) to live.

The author made extreme statements, such as, “. . . in your body sugar turns to pure fat . . . .” and “these foods [bread, pasta, potatoes, and rice] turn into pure fat.” Certain foods do not turn into “pure fat”. The body stores any extra calories as fat, no matter the source of those calories.

“Let’s Do Lunch” isn’t the way to lose weight unless you are firmly convinced and committed to living permanently without simple carbohydrates or complex carbohydrates from grains. If you are willing to limit your food intake to lean meat, beans, very little cheese, very few grain-based crackers, vegetables, and lots and lots of fruit, then this is for you. If not, then skip it. This strikes me as an unhealthy way to live because it is unbalanced. Portion control in conjunction with the food pyramid is a much more healthy and successful way to lose weight and to eat in general.

I would not recommend this book to anyone, as I think it would be discouraging, not to mention unhealthy. While there are apparently those for whom this eating plan works, they certainly must be few and far between.

The Edge of the Divine, Where Possibility Meets God’s Faithfulness by Sandi Patty

While the title of the book may make you think it’s a theological treatise, this book actually centers around the author’s struggle with weight loss, her LapBand surgery and its effect on her life. It is really an account of why and how the author became overweight, her self-image, and how weight loss has affected how she feels about herself.
This book is for you if you love Sandi Patty, for it is a detailed account of her journey in the past couple of years. This book is not for you if you seek a book encouraging you to see God in your daily experiences, as the title seemed to imply.
If you love Sandi Patty, you will love this book, for it gives you a glimpse into the everyday life of this celebrated singer. She comes across as a person, not a performer.
This book was interesting both because of its author and its topic. It is the kind of book, though, that would or should not have been published if not written by someone well known.
The Edge of the Divine conveyed biblical truth well, as Sandi Patty discussed how her relationship with God helped in a very real way in her struggle with her weight

You Can Be Everything God Wants You to Be by Max Lucado

This small book is comprised of selections from the author’s Cure for the Common Life. It encourages the reader to find God’s uniqueness for his or her life by tracing interests and abilities from childhood on to see the talents, gifts, interests and abilities God built in carefully and purposefully as a design for success.

Max Lucado’s premise in this book is that God’s special plan for each person is revealed in God’s specific planting in each life. Contrary to popular belief, the author says, “You cannot be anything you want to be. But you can be everything God wants you to be.” Since no one possesses every ability or inclination, everyone cannot be everything.

The author encourages readers to know their S.T.O.R.Y, or Strengths, Topic (or passion), Optimal conditions (or motivation), Relationships (essentially, introvert or extrovert), and Yes!, or what brings God pleasure in you.

The book includes warnings against greed and ambition, which can move a person to give up their “sweet spot”, or position of maximum influence, for management or supervisory roles, summed up in the author’s thought that “In a desire to be great, one might cease being any good.” The book concludes by encouraging the reader to take great risks for God, trusting little deeds to help change the world.

This book was a good reminder that God’s ways are not man’s ways. It would particularly be good for an adolescent or young adult.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Friendship for Grown-Ups by Lisa Whelchel

It would be easy to imagine that someone like Lisa Whelchel, a child actor, had everything, including ideal relationships. After all, she came from a good family, worked for years with a group of talented actresses her age, and married young. In contrast to appearances, there was a gaping hole in her life: female friendships. From her description, she has only recently intentionally pursued friendship and has had to learn lessons many, but not all, learn in adolescence. Her book is aimed at those who have some of those same blank spots.

Mixed in with the lessons she’s learned are illustrations of the relational successes and failures the author experienced along the way. She is open and honest about her journey; her questions and struggles are ones most people know. Her thoughts are informative, encouraging, and challenging, and her anecdotes are ones most will understand.

Lisa Whelchel does a good job describing how to be and how to have a friend. Some of her most helpful thoughts are in the appendices, where the author gives practical steps and even questions to help foster friendships.

If friendship has been or is a struggle for you, this would be a helpful book.

Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Charts and Maps, 3rd edition

In addition to charts and maps, this book contains an outline, description and summary of each book of the Bible. It is thorough and is a good companion book to introduce someone to the Bible. I was quite impressed with this book, as it is packed with information. It is well written and very organized.

Having been to Israel for the first time recently, I especially appreciated the maps, which helped explain biblical events. In addition, I found each book’s outline to be carefully written. Charts were helpful and sometimes made comparisons which were new to me.

This book was so helpful I am sure I will reach for it again and again, especially when beginning a study of a book. I highly recommend this excellent biblical reference book.

What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend

This book is essentially an edited, abbreviated version of their earlier book, “God Will Make a Way,” outlining eight principles to help one begin again: begin your journey with God, choose your traveling companions wisely, place high value on wisdom, leave your baggage behind, own your faults and weaknesses, embrace problems as gifts, take life as it comes, and love God with all you are. Their earlier book applied these principles to 12 common dilemmas, and the recent version addresses three.

The eight principles encapsulate some of the best work of Cloud and Townsend. For example, the chapter on companions lists nine important characteristics in others: support, love, courage, feedback, wisdom, experience, modeling, values, and accountability, which to me is a deep and thoughtful look at how to evaluate potential friends.

This book is well written and easy to read. As usual, Cloud and Townsend present biblical truth effectively, citing Scripture appropriately and frequently.

If your life requires change, this little book is a great starting place. If your life requires deep, comprehensive change, I recommend “God Will Make a Way” simply because that earlier book provides more information and help.

Where is God? Finding His Presence, Purpose, and Power in Difficult Times By Dr. John Townsend

This book addresses the heart’s cry—“Where is God?”-- when God’s power or presence seem absent or when the question is really a protest, exploring the question’s faulty bases in our circumstances or in our perspective.

Chapters address where God really is—suffering with me, working behind the scenes, transforming me, connecting me with others and present when there are no answers.

This book is thorough, encouraging, practical, and helpful. Townsend lives in the real world, rubbing shoulders with people who face the difficult question, “Where is God?” in trying times. He carefully addresses the question from every angle, giving encouragement and solid suggestions based on Scripture. Biblical passages are woven beautifully into the principles and suggestions.

Anyone in any circumstances would profit from reading this well-written book.