Monday, December 21, 2015

Objective Troy by Scott Shane

The backstory of two men, President Obama and Anwar al-Awlaki, and how the use of drone technology came to play such a role in their careers.


Shane tells quite the story in this thick book. The chapters take turns in covering Obama and then al-Awlaki and their respective responses to 9/11 and terrorism.

Anwar was a promising Imam in The United States and was even promoted as a moderate voice by the media following the terrorist attacks. But as the military began it's devastating retaliation, his lectures and promotions became more and more extreme.

For his part, President Obama was enthralled with the use of drones to attack terrorists. It limited the amount of boots on the ground and "appeared" to be a cleaner option.

Shane does a fairly good job and explaining why President Obama chose his course of action. He brushes aside some of the more FoxNewsy type of rhetoric and boils it down to what actually was taking place that most of the nation wasn't aware of happening. He also does a fine job laying out why al-Awlaki went the route he did in his life.

Shane will explain his views of using drones and how they don't eliminate civilian casualties and how, often, they will only kill civilians. But the two-tone character path was eye-opening for me.

You read about how Anwar al-Awlaki turned more extreme with each web address or online forum and you really can't form a frame of reference. Add to that some of the things his own family remembers and it's a book of utter despair.

Can't we be better than this? On both sides. I suppose that might be a take-away.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Tim Duggan Books

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

The Art of Work by Jeff Goins

This is not your typical motivational "find purpose in your purpose" type of book.


Jeff Goins has such a terrific way with words, he gets you comfortable and feeling encouraged about discovering what you were meant to do.

You'll find three parts to the book and a conclusion. The first two parts: Preparation and Action have three chapters each. And the titles of each part gives you the clue as to what they are going to cover. But, as I said, this isn't like anything John Maxwell or any of the other motivational writers have put out.

Part three deals with what your legacy is going to be.

This book is part encouragement, part challenge, part personal biography from Goins and entirely fresh.

Take a peek at this book and allow it to break your stereotypes and give you the push towards fulfillment. We all need a better way to do life. Goins' book can help.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Thomas Nelson Publishing.

Ten Prescriptions for a Healthy Church by Kay Kotan and Bob Farr

These two people have done it. They have created a resource team to go into churches, observe, take notes, and plan the strategy to return it to effectiveness.


These ten prescriptions are basically common sense but many long-time church attenders and ministers can get into the habit of missing them. Familiarity breeds whatever the phrase is. But this book is a breath of fresh air into the staleness of musty churches.

I enjoyed how this is a get-to-the-point resource. Not much time is spent on what-ifs and generalities and making wide berth claims. Farr and Kotan state what their teams have experienced and what they have done to change/fix the situations and how other churches can too.

I found this book to be incredibly effective and encouraging. Now I need them to come to my church!

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Abingdon Press.

Glory Days by Max Lucado

Think your best days are behind you?


It isn't hard to fall into that trap. If you spend any time watching the news or simply listening to the latest gossip at the barbershop, you'd think the world is so much worse off than it was ten, twenty years ago.

Max Lucado's book, Glory Days is meant to temper those falsehoods and encourage you that you can live your "promised land life" now. See how he pulls from the story of the Exodus?

The first thing I noticed about this book was the size - it's much larger (thicker) than his previous books. Typically, Lucado puts out thinner, quicker reads. But this book feels heftier. Which is a good thing. I enjoy reading Lucado's words and the thicker the better right?

Inside you'll find sixteen chapters that take lessons from Moses, Joshua and the Israelite's journey from Egypt into the Promised Land and place them within your own story. Lucado fills some space with his own fantastic anecdotes as well.

One of the best things I love about reading Lucado books are the stories and the simple applications. It's encouraging to read about going from fear to victory, overcoming rejection and embracing the reality of your identity in Christ, getting rid of attitudes and other mindsets that are so unhealthy and replacing them with the truth of God.

You learn Bible, you gain practical life application and you do it all in the relaxing cushion of your favorite chair.

Max Lucado does it again with this fantastic read.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Thomas Nelson Publishing.
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Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Oasis by Dima Zales

Headline news: This is a Young Adult novel full of strong language.


I fit with other adults who enjoy reading some young adult books because of the lack of adult-themed material (language, graphic violence, sexual content). I thrill at a good story without having to resort to those gimmicks.

The publishers have written a disclaimer that this book contains strong language as part of the theme of the book. I disagree. I didn't think it needed to be in it.

Oasis is about a boy named Theo who lives in a dome-like structure with the other inhabitants of the last livable area on earth.

Reading this I was reminded for other Young Adult books like The Maze Runner, The Giver, and Corridor. Something isn't quite right with Oasis. There's a girl's voice inside Theo's head. Is she real? Is she a figment of his imagination? A friend of Theo's suddenly vanishes and no one seems to remember he even existed. Then there's this goo stuff that is real nasty stuff.

Oasis is not the perfect place and Theo is thrust into the heroic role against his better judgment. Who can he trust? Is Oasis even real or is it a virtual reality game?

I thought this was an "okay" book. As I wrote earlier, this felt like a retread of most of the other post-apocalyptic Young Adult stories that have been written. I didn't really feel like new ground was covered. There's even a twist at the end that, honestly, did anyone NOT see it happening?

The strong language was a big turn off for me but I wanted to finish the story. I wanted to see if the answers to the questions would be satisfying. And I found them to be "okay".

This is the first book of a supposed series so we'll have to see how Zales wants to continue the adventure as this could stand on its own without a sequel.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Mozaika Publications.