Fearless – Max Lucado

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Fearless

It was interesting to start writing a review about a book titled Fearless from the Mount Washington Roadway, an 8 mile traverse up one of the steepest roads in America to the highest peak in the Northeast. Mount Washington is also home to the most extreme weather in the world. Winds over 200 MPH have been recorded there, in fact there are over 100 days each year where the wind exceeds 100 MPH. The weather is so extreme that one building on the summit is literally chained down the ground. Extreme heights and extreme weather leave few people who can truly say they are fearless.

In the book Fearless, Max Lucado has done a wonderful job addressing one of the most prevalent and destructive emotions that millions of people are dealing with today. The sharp decline in the economy over the past few years has resulted in millions of Americans facing financial difficulty. Many are not able to pay bills to support their family, others are losing their homes to the bank, and millions more are unemployed. There are also major wars taking place across the world today. This summer we saw the number of American deaths in Afghanistan take off to new heights. There is also the seemingly unending health issues that appear without notice, Swine Flue (H1N1 has struck fear across the nation and the world). In addition to all of the known facts that are causing fear today is the fear of the unknown. The fact that everything about the future has a big question mark following it does not sit easy with anyone.

Jesus did not come to give us a spirit of fear. This is the point that Lucado makes and explains in this book. As Christians we know that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. We cannot take lightly the fact that Jesus addresses fear numerous times during his life on earth. Lucado makes the insightful point that each time Jesus speaks about fear he calls believers to the opposite of fear – Faith. As Christians we should not have fear about situations, but faith in Jesus.

Max Lucado addresses the fear that is part of life. There is no denying that there is much to be fearful of in this life, but Jesus came to change that. He came to earth and was crucified that we may live abundant lives. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Psalm 37:4 where it says “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” When we as Christians embrace the fact that Jesus really does know, care, and love us it changes the way we live. We are free to live in faith, not fear.

I encourage you to read this book. I am not someone who would have said fear was an emotion that I struggled with, however as I read this book I became convicted. I realized that I do not rest in Jesus the way he desires that I rest in him. Read and enjoy!

Fall 2009 – the beginning

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I cannot believe that it is Labor Day. Another summer is gone, but like so many others this one was filled with wonderful memories that I expect to fondly look back on for ages. I did not write over the summer because I was first focused on completing my MBA through Liberty University. As it turned out, the final few classes I took were the most difficult classes that I took in the entire program. Following completion of my MBA I then spend the majority of the summer reading and studying for my Series 7. I passed this exam just before Labor Day and with that I now head off into fall with no classes, exams, or required reading. This is for the most part the first time in my life that I have not been studying for an exam or writing for a class. I have a large stack of books to read and a number of things I look forward to leading and participating in this fall.

As we look forward to the fall we certainly are excited about our involvement with the young adults at church. We are changing the way we do high school youth group from the traditional “game, teaching, hangout” format to more of an in-depth, life application Bible study. This will take place in small groups with the girls and guys separate. After reading statistics about how 7 of 8 high school students who are involved with their church leave their faith in Jesus upon going to college we decided that we needed to make sure students addresses their deepest questions, questioned their beliefs, and build a solid defense of what they believe and why they believe it. The next few weeks I will be working with my co-leader to define the topics we are going to address each week although that will be subject to change depending on what questions and concerns the student have.

I’ll Make You and Offer You Can’t Refuse by Michael Franzese

I’ll Make You and Offer You Can’t Refuse by Michael Franzese

I have been actively involved with business and finance for over a decade. I traded my first stocks at twelve years old and I can remember in detail the days that I snuck out of class to go to the “bathroom” when in fact I was trading my favorite stocks on E*trade. Names like Genzyme, America Online, Natural Microsystems, and eBay made up my portfolio and led to returns that seemed to double my assets every few months. It was an incredible time and I learned more on those years than I could have possibly learned in any finance class. Over a decade later I have become more involved in finance than ever. I work with the largest, most important financial advisory teams in the country and help them make investment decisions that affect their clients. It is a privilege and a joy to it. Most of the skills I use every day came from managing my own portfolio through the boom of the 90s and bust of the early 2000s.

 

In much the same manner that I learned about finance, by doing it, Mr. Franzese learned about business – by doing it. This book is all about Mr. Franzese’s life in the mafia. He dealt with some of the most corrupt people on the east coast and through it all he learned important lessons. Lessons that work well in the mob which he feels work just as well in the business world. The book was fun and interesting to read. He told fascinating stories that really kept me involved with the book, but I did feel like he held back. I guess he had to hold back, I am sure there are things that he could not share and as a result intense stories were slightly dulled. The best examples to support his points may have had to have been left out of the book for the sake of keeping others from getting in trouble for the things they did. It was an interesting read and I certainly learned from it, however it was not one of the best business books I have read. There are other business books that are better on leadership and managing others, however this was certainly the most unique book on business and people management that I have ever read.

 

In the end I say this book it worth a read, don’t take your time and deeply study every page, but certainly read this book for an intriguing approach to business – the mob approach. In the end it isn’t about breaking the law or threatening people. At the end of the day the book really makes the point that business is about people, the people on the other side of the table as well as the people on your side of the table. You need to protect those who support you and deal honestly with those on the other side of the deal. This life is extremely difficult without trust. Be someone who others can trust and I think that the business will become far easier over time.

Enjoy it! Let me know what you think.

Amish Love

What’s all the hubbub about Amish fiction? Major media outlets like Time and ABC Nightline are covering it, and authors like Cindy Woodsmall are making the New York Times bestseller list regularly. What makes these books so interesting? Check out the recent ABC Nightline piece here (http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=7676659&page=1) about Cindy and her titles When the Heart Cries, When the Morning Comes, and When the Soul Mends. It’s an intriguing look at Amish culture and the time Cindy has spent with Amish friends. And don’t forget that Cindy’s new book The Hope of Refuge hits store shelves August 11, and is available for preorder now.

Gordon College commencement address – David Batstone

One of the main reasons that my wife and I chose to listen to Dr. David Batstone’s book Not For Sale during our road trip was that we just heard him give the commencement address at Gordon College last weekend. As you know, I graduated from Gordon College two years ago. Many of our best friends from college were graduating this year so we went to visit and encourage them in this great time of celebration. Dr. Batstone, Professor at the University of San Fransisco, gave the commencement address. He encouraged students that while others might be telling them that this is the worst possible time to graduate because the economy is bad, the reality is that a difficult economy opens up the opportunity for a Christian with a deep liberal arts education to do great things because there are great needs in the world today.

 

Here are some of my notes from his address:

-Think about who got you to where you are. Who assisted or encouraged you? What decisions made the difference?

-What does it mean to be a human being with value?

-You do not need to find your vocation, your calling. God will call you.

-Do you see what you have been given in this life as a gift? Do you see it as something for you to give others?

-Today business success is measured solely by the bottom line, profit. We need to moved towards an economy where profit is not the only motivation, but doing good is part of the equation

-Create a cause that people can believe in, ie. Hanna Anderson clothes

-Be the Generation known for Justice, be Generation J

 

You can access the address (and entire commencement) at the Gordon iTunes page and through the Gordon College website.

Not For Sale – David Batstone

My wife and I just returned from a wonderful weekend. We drove to Amish country, visited Gettysburg, biked all over the nation’s capitol, and had a nice dinner in Annapolis. We decided that with all of the time in the car we were going to download a few audiobooks to our ipods. We thought it was a great way to redeem the time we were going to be in the car driving.

 

One of the books we recently downloaded was Not For Sale, a book about the current state of slavery in the world today and the effort being made to end all slavery around the world. This book by David Batstone was amazing. It brought to light so much about this terrible reality of modern day slavery that my wife and I had never even known about until we listened to the book. Not For Sale walks through story after story of slavery that is taking place today in places like Cambodia, India, Peru, and even in our own backyards in places like San Francisco and Virginia. The reality of the global slave trade is almost unbelievable. With the knowledge of it, my wife and I are now determined to become abolitionists. I greatly encourage everyone to read or listen to Not For Sale.

 

Audiobook

Book

Not For Sale Campagain

Hero – Fred Stoeker & Jason Stoeker with contributions by Mike Yorkey

HERO by Fred Stoeker & Jason Stoeker with contributions by Mike Yorkey

As a young man I felt like most relationship books were a waste of time. They were so bland and boring, unhelpful for a young man seeking to honor God in his life and relationships then my friend gave me Every Man’s Battle by Stephen Arterburn, Fred Stoeker, and Mike Yorkey. This book was the first book about relationships that really dug deep. It spoke to the real questions and issues I had in wrestling with my faith and how to engage with girls. I recommend this book to every man, married or not.
Hero is the latest book from Fred Stoeker. In this book he brings in his son, Jason, to share about his battle and his victory over sexual temptation. As a recently married young man in my twenties this book wasn’t exactly written to me, however it was just a year ago that I was fighting the same battle that his book is about. More appropriately, many of my friends and family are in the high school and college years. They are dating, engaged, and single, but are all looking forward to that day when they will marry their love. I could not help but think of friend after friend after friend as I was reading this book. I heartily recommended it to all of them! I also shared with the young men I work with in the youth group at our church that this book stands apart as the best book I have read on relationships that specifically deals with the male portion of the relationship.
For any man who is a relationship or will be in a relationship – Read this book! It will not only give you insight into the whys and hows of relationships, but it also tell’s Jason’s story, a story of victory.

One review that I complete agree with said, “Hero is the perfect resource for any male striving to be the relational man God’s calling him to be as well as one anyone who wants to be an encourage to the men in their lives. Fred Stoeker, co-author of the Every Man’s Battle series, elaborates on the struggles men face in the world today, and what exactly they can do about. While explaining what God says about these issues, Fred, along with co-author Jason Stoeker and contributions from Mike Yorkey, get real with readers. Hero offers hard-hitting truth about what makes an ultimate hero to women—men who stand by their convictions and make their world a better place.”

We will be giving away one copy of HERO~ to enter send an email to COAHchurch@gmail.com. The drawing will take place on Friday May 29th.

HERO by Fred Stoeker & Jason Stoeker with contributions by Mike Yorkey

From the book HERO:

Summary:  You already know it’s not easy being a single man in this culture today. But it is easy to be overwhelmed, to feel helpless and hopeless about living by God’s high standards for singles. It’s easy to cave in to the pressures of this sex-soaked world and accept defeat—blaming the media, the culture, even girlfriends who don’t know how tough it can be.

But many men have read books like Every Young Man’s Battle and Tactics and have committed themselves to stand strong and pure in the power of God, and to go on the offensive against the onslaught of negative stereotypes. Some have suffered. Some have fallen. But many have experienced victory—and you can be among them.

What makes those committed men so desirable to women? Be Her Hero is their motto. From best-selling author Fred Stoeker, along with his son Jasen, come the straightforward insight and real-life examples you’re looking for to help you take personal purity to its logical conclusion. Here’s straight truth with irrefutable evidence of what makes an ultimate hero to women who long for men of faith—men who stand by their convictions and make their world a safer and better place.

Are you ready to accept the challenge?

Book Sale – $1,$2, and $3 – ENDS TODAY!

The 1,2,3 Dollar Sale!

 

For one week only (May 1st through May 8th), Canon Press is hosting this very special sale. We are offering over 50 of our titles—both old and new—for a mere $1, $2, or $3 a piece. Quantities are limited, so don’t be surprised when titles disappear quickly. Once these books are gone, you may not get another chance to grab them. Why this sale, and why now? We have several new books that we’d like to publish within the next year. But before we can do that, we need to make more room on our shelves and in our warehouses. We also need to save up some more so that we can afford to put these new books into your hands! Please tell your friends about this sale: we really, really, really need this to be big. Forward them our email postcard. Blog about it. A lot. You have our permission to be a pest.

Mother’s Day – Send Flowers with a Purpose!

OurGift.com is a floral gift provider that was established for the sole purpose of raising funds for charity. Founded in 1994 by Craig Wambolt, a Boston-area philanthropist and florist, OurGift.com provides cash donations to selected charities from the proceeds of each purchase of wire service flowers or gifts. OurGift.com is the perfect solution for anyone who would like to send beautiful floral bouquets or gifts to loved ones or associates while simultaneously benefiting worthy charitable organizations – at no additional cost to you! A 10% portion of your purchase price will be donated via Ourgift.com to the charity of you choice from our list.

Ourgift.com processes your order based on a selection of standard offerings and pricing from Teleflora and FTD – two of the leading international floral wire services. Your order is delivered by one of 22,000 network-approved local florists.

A Special 2nd Card Message

Along with the standard card that accompanies your gift, an additional card is included that indicates that a part of the purchase price was donated to a charity on the recipients behalf. So, your gift gives twice with “Ourgift” added on.

Ourgift.com is the flower company that cares, because with OurGift you’re not just sending flowers, you’re sending a message of hope.

ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT Ourgift.com,
email customerservice@frugalflower.com
or call: 1-800-687-4438
1-800-OUR-GIFT

*Disclosure: Craig Wambolt, the owner and founder, is a relative of mine.