My Daily Pause

Category: Book Review

  • Book Review: Figuring Out What Jesus Would Post

    How you present yourself online can last for a looooong time!
    How you present yourself online can last for a looooong time!

    Social media is becoming so ubiquitous in our day to day that it is no longer wise to go head first into it without a few ground rules.

    One thing to remember as free users of the social sites: we are the product being packaged and sold. We are not the site’s customer. As one who promotes a blog and Facebook page for daily Bible reading, I can tell you first hand that they are doing everything they can for me. I occasionally spend a few dollars to get just the right audience to pitch my page. That makes businesses and others like me the customer.

    For those of us that are trying to live a Christian lifestyle (or may want to in the future,) it is vitally important to control what we post about ourselves on the Internet. Once it is out there, it is out there forever. Since we are the product, the effect is compounded because our data is being actively collected and indexed.

    We need some ground rules for posting. We need to discipline ourselves and teach our children how to protect ourselves. This involves our reputations, trust and credibility for the rest of our lives.

    Anyone that doesn’t believe this is true can just look at any election cycle. Remember all those candidates that had to drop out because of indiscretions that happened years ago? There were some great people among them that just couldn’t overcome the stigma of their sins.

    What Would Jesus Post addresses these concerns. In seven essays, Brian D. Wassom lays out with Biblical principles how to act when we are online. In reality, these principles apply to how we act in any venue, not just social media. Since this book is easily read in one sitting, one could conceivably put these principles into action tonight.

    I will not be recommending this book to anyone though. Ironically, in the chapter called Don’t Be A Stumbling Block, the author actually breaks his own rule. He tells us that the Bible teaches us that it is okay to drink alcohol socially, and then goes into all the reasons he hides the fact that he does. These are the exact reasons the Bible teaches us that intoxicating beverages should not be consumed. I do not want others to think I believe otherwise by endorsing this book.

    That chapter aside, the rest of the book holds up as a good baseline for how to present ourselves via social media. Especially the idea of being true to yourself, and not trying to be someone you are not.

    Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

  • Book Review: 20,000 Days and Counting

    I have lived 17,544 Days
    I have lived 17,544 Days

    20,000 Days and Counting did not change my life.

    But then, no book will.

    “The Robert D” (Robert D. Smith) did not come right out and say it, but he showed me I have a lot of work to do. If I want to do something other than drift through the next 20,000 days of my life, there are some definite steps I need to take. A book like this can never do more than direct and motivate. The getting started part? That’s up to me.

    No change is going to happen until I stand up and do something different.

    20,000 days.

    Twenty. Thousand. Days.

    Imagine what we will accomplish if we salvage just one hour of each of those days from the way we are wasting them now. What if we got up each morning and planned to live the next 24 hours on purpose? How important would the next 20,000 days become?

    Robert D. gives us an outline to do just that. Some thought provoking anecdotes, some motivation, and some examples of what could be our first steps come together in a fast paced read that will get the reader off the couch and make him intentional about the day.

    Two Questions:

    1. What is important to you right now?
    2. What is next for you?

    20,000 Days and Counting will make you understand how important these questions are and how to deal with them going forward. I usually congratulate people who announced a new job by saying, “That’s great! Now you know what’s next!” I think I better understand the implication of what I am saying now.

    Spend about 20% of one of your next 20,000 days with this book, and then get out there and make your life change.

    Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
  • Book Review: Wisdom Meets Passion

    Book Review: Wisdom Meets Passion

    The job that gets you the gold watch and a pension after devoting your life to the company is becoming a rare bird. The time is now to develop a craft, a trade or a skill that will help you earn. As long as you are going there, why not make it something you love and maybe even add a little service to others?

    If you have followed Dan Miller at all with his 48 Days to the Work You Love, No More Dreaded Mondays or his blogs and podcasts then nothing in this book will surprise you. Dan and his son Jarad do inspire in their tag team approach to explaining the goal of working and living well. I have been following Dan for a few years and knew I would enjoy this book, but I was not ready for it to stir up a strong desire to look more seriously at some ideas I have had.

    The fundamental question Dan asks in all his work is “Why would you choose to do a job you hate, when there is plenty of work available that you can love?” Why indeed? Pick up this book and let it guide you to transition to work you love!

    Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://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

  • Book Review: Popes and Bankers

    Book Review: Popes and Bankers

    One of my hobbies is looking for connections between successful businesses and godly principles. Even if the business owners do not know it, they often used a philosophy found in the Proverbs or the Sermon on the Mount to lead their company. I am also somewhat of a history buff so the description of Popes and Bankers appealed to me right away.

    Jack Cashill tells us the story of usury as it transforms from a disrespected and even illegal practice to what we have in the modern day. As an economically and religiously conservative person, I found that I agree with the broad points made by Mr. Cashill and have no problems using them as proof in my own conversations. Whether or not one agrees with his fiscal philosophy, time spent with this book will be worthwhile as the reader thinks about the historical events.

    Worldviews aside, this book is a great read. It moves fast and allows us to have a fresh look at the history of the world. For those not living debt free, perhaps it will even cause some self-reflection into their own borrowing habits and not make those commitments so casually.

    Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://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

  • Book Review: The Noticer by Andy Andrews

    The Noticer by Andy Andrews

    Need a little perspective in your life? Come spend a little time with Jones. With a length of only 156 pages, one might think of The Noticer as a ‘quick read’ – and certainly can be if one so chooses because it is hard to put down – but this story should be read in small doses with time spent savoring and reflecting upon each encounter. This talented writer is able to transport you to this gulf coast town in Alabama in a way that you almost feel personally affected by each of the characters and their situations. You will find yourself pulling for their success; you may even find yourself – and gain a perspective that surprises you too.

    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

  • Book Review: Living Life in The Zone

    Being a big tough man might be the single biggest call to action from our peers growing up. It is painful to think what irreversible damage has been done in marriages, friendships and fatherhood by the macho attitudes. The inability to overcome this worldview could be a major roadblock to achieving excellence in life.

    What if we told these young men that in order to be a real man, one has but to turn to God’s word and see the plan He has laid out for us? How many would respond positively and turn their lives around in the next few weeks because they sat down with a Bible and learned the truth? All things considered, I would guess the response to be limited to the very exceptional few.

    We need a plan then. We need people that men can trust and look up to, to tell their stories. We need to build some new habits.

    Living Life in the Zone takes this approach with a forty day exploration into the issues men face. Lots of sports lingo and an informal tone gives the book warmth that feels just right for a men’s devotional group. The layout is structured and easy to follow whether reading alone or in group study. Each day the same structure mostly repeats itself, so we have an easy to follow plan.

    The Zone sets the tone for each day’s lesson by following a respected sportsman’s life through a difficult journey or situation and allows the reader to see how they allowed God to take them through the test. Emphasis is placed on consulting God first in difficult times, not as a last resort. Getting a glimpse of some of these men’s lives gives us the examples we need of trusted men.

    The Zone uses forty days as its timeframe for change. When God took forty days to do something, it was important and changes of great magnitude happened, and the forty day schedule in this book pays tribute to that. Forty days is a reasonable time to devote to an effort to improve ourselves.

    The Zone references lots of Bible passages in the New King James Version and each day points out Scripture that relates to the day’s topic in the form of “God wants you to…” The most excellent part of this book is that it doesn’t attempt to replace the Bible in the reader’s new daily devotional habit but points him towards it to verify what God says. I did not find any out of context use of Scripture. The Scriptures referenced were easily verified to mean what the Bible intended them to mean.

    Overall this was an excellent book and I highly recommend its use for new Christians and mature ones alike as a means of centering their lives, developing devotional habits and growing their spirit.

    Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://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