I have a confession to make: I have a stack of books that have been patiently waiting for me to review them… for a very, very long time. I haven’t gotten as much reading done in the past couple of years as I would like! :)

So, without further ado – some thoughts about Dr. Linda M. Clark’s Awaken the Leader in You.

This book is intended to outline “10 life essentials for women in leadership.” The 10 covered topics include: relationship with Christ, convictions, laughter/ sense of humor, communication skills, dealing with stress, attitude, celebration, embracing new beginnings, variety, and service. Dr. Clark’s years in leadership and ministry are obvious in the way she writes and illustrates. She clearly has a passion for the topic and a wealth of life experience to draw upon. Her writing is approachable and welcoming, presenting content in such a way as to not overwhelm the reader. A leader’s guide is included in the back with creative ideas for group activity and discussion to enhance the study.

At times, I wished that the Biblical foundation of the book was more clear. While Biblical illustrations are used in each chapter, I often did not find them compelling. The Biblical text seemed to be used as a subpoint in the author’s outline, rather than the main backbone of where each principle was being drawn from. Also, while the book did provide a basis for group discussion among our team, I found it a bit “clunky” to use for a one-session overview. The chapter topics and titles are not terribly clear and consistent – illustrations (like potatoes and a box of chocolates) are used as chapter titles and I found that they made it difficult for me to remember and concisely summarize the content. I also found the focus of the book to be a bit too broad – women in leadership in “the workplace, the church, the community, or at home” have quite a wide spectrum of different leadership challenges and opportunities, and I found the broad focus to make the content more shallow than I desired.

This is a worthwhile book to read for women in leadership positions. Dr. Clark’s content and application is solid, although if used in a group the leader should expect to need to add some depth and specific application for the women in her particular target group.

This book was provided to me by New Hope Publishers in order for me to review it… even though it took me far too long to do so. ;)

I am ridiculously behind on book reviews.  Yes, you might object that I am also ridiculously behind on starting our look at Revelation 4… many apologies!  [Blame it on the pregnancy!]  Truth is, I used up all my writing time last night finishing a book that I just could not stop reading!  So, today I will tell you about it and perhaps you can be the one staying up late, laughing, highlighting, and reading pages and pages aloud to your husband who is valiantly trying to work on other things. ;)

Somehow Wilson manages to look at the existence of God, the nature of good and evil, the reality of hell, and other such “light” topics in a poetic, sarcastic, highly unusual, dizzying, and sometimes provocative way.  I really do feel like I am spinning a bit after stepping off a carnival ride… do not read this book looking for a matter-of-fact apologetic argument or list of data.  This reads more like a stream-of-consciousness rambling from a poet who loves science and philosophy but loves God more.  And I loved it!

My only objection would be that, although I loved the artistic way he wrote about it, I would have liked to see him more clearly explain that the evil and brokenness in this “beautiful but badly broken” world was not the way God intended His creation to be – the sin of humanity shattered the original beauty.  He does allude to this in many ways, but never really says that outright.

This book was worth the read just for his chapter on hell.  His description and explanation of the reality of hell was the most thought-provoking and beautifully stated I have ever read.  It is a beautiful bookend to the way Wilson begins the wild ride through this book – he pictures this world as a carnival with “darkness lurking in the corners,” and where we are all “carnies” along for the ride.  He stitches this thought together with this wonderful statement:

“Would you go to heaven?  There is a sign you must stand beside where the man with the cigarette takes the tickets.  There is a height you must achieve.

You must be wretched.  That is your ticket and your only qualification.  It is an unexclusive ride, but wild, with weather you’ve never seen, and deafening light.” (page 180)

I loved this dizzying trip as I tried desperately to keep up with Wilson’s train of thought.  It left me with a profound sense of my smallness – and at the same time a reminder of the great security we have when we come in our wretchedness to the Maker and Sustainer of our souls.

So, if you’re in for a wild ride (and are not offended when a Christian book veers far from the beaten and expected path)… this is worth a read.

And yes… eventually we will get to Revelation 4. ;)

**I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for my review from Thomas Nelson Publishers. I am an amazon affiliate and would receive a small percentage of any sales resulting from the link above. The opinions expressed in this review are my unbiased thoughts as in keeping with my disclosure policy.

Those of you who have been regular readers for a while know my tension with Christmas. I absolutely love it, and yet sometimes feel like we’re missing the point. Tradition is not bad, but even well-intentioned and meaningful traditions can also become idols.

So, when I received 25 Days, 26 Ways to Make This Your Best Christmas Ever to review, I was skeptical but hoping for the best. The book is written in short chapters that are intended to be read one at a time from December 1st through the 25th. This is not a devotional, but rather a light “reflective reading” book from a Christian perspective.

I have to say, as I began reading this little book my hopes were lifting. I really enjoyed reading Ace Collins’ accounts of the historical “Good King Wenceslas” [I never knew he was a real person!], the church’s historical observance of advent, the way Christian missionaries in years long ago used mistletoe and evergreen trees to share the gospel, the roots of some of our most beloved Christmas carols, and Martin Luther being the first to add candles to the Christmas tree to symbolize Jesus as the Light of the World. Collins’ historical tidbits really did add a new layer of understanding and appreciation to Christmas traditions for me. I also appreciated the emphasis he rightly placed on giving and generosity, and that we should be seeking to emulate the love and heart of Christ.

BUT. I found Collins’ approach to refocusing on the meaning of the season to be shallow and scattered. His approach to lessening stress during the holidays seems to be “do more and be happy about it.” I felt like my hand was being slapped [albeit jovially] for not being a person who typically sends Christmas cards – and in fact, that I should be picking out individual cards that reflect the tastes of each friend and family member I send them to. I should pick out more gifts more thoughtfully. I should put up more lights more carefully. I should bake more cookies and give them away. I should take more pictures. Oh, and if I’m finding myself too rushed I should slow down and ride my bike. If I feel stressed about these things I should hum a Christmas carol and “turn my frown upside down.”

No matter how meaningful the roots of our Christmas traditions, I still contend that those very traditions can become idols that can overtake our focus on Christ. They aren’t bad – Christmas cards, lights, decorations, music, shopping, baking… all are enjoyable and fun and can create lovely memories. But perhaps instead of doing more and feeling guilty about not embracing a Clever-family Christmas, we should consider doing less. Perhaps we need to free ourselves a bit from the guilt of all of the “must-do” items on our agendas this time of year that really don’t matter in the lens of eternity.

In short, if you’re looking for a light and mildly interesting read about Christmas traditions, this might be what you’re looking for. Just please take it with a grain of salt and banish the guilt of feeling that you must do more.

Consider learning about traditions, carefully choose what you will do, and do less… with more purpose. :)

**For more information or to purchase a copy, click on the image above to be taken to the Amazon listing. I am an affiliate and will receive a small percentage of the sale of this or other products. I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for my review from Zondervan. The opinions expressed in this review are my unbiased thoughts as in keeping with my disclosure policy.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, I believe that part of our God-given “mandate” as human beings is to be good stewards of the earth and to care for God’s creation. This is His world, and rather than exploiting and plundering His masterpiece, we should be enjoying, using, living in it in a responsible way that allows His creation to continue to sing forth His glory to those around us.

Because of that, I have been quite torn about the global warming debate. It is hard to get a straight, logical answer about this issue. Often one receives an overly emotional, not terribly scientific argument supporting the global warming hysteria, while arguments against global warming seem to be whispers amidst the clamor.

I really enjoyed reading Global Warming and the Creator’s Plan by Jay A. Auxt and Dr. William M. Curtis III. This book is logical, Biblical, and very easy to read. They frankly discuss the fact that the data available simply does not allow us to accurately understand what is happening. Is global warming occurring? We don’t know. They address the fact that the “Al Gore” type arguments for global warming break down very quickly from a scientific perspective, as well as addressing common misconceptions that global warming is causing increased hurricane activity, melting glaciers, etc. They also give clear comparisons between “alternative fuel” sources and explain why the energy debate is not as clear-cut as the media might lead us to believe.

One thing that I found very interesting was that they tie in a Biblical framework of the age of the earth and the 2nd law of thermodynamics, as well as pre-flood vs. post-flood differences. Having a Biblical framework for the purpose and age of the earth vastly changes this debate: if the earth is under the curse, forever altered by the flood, and was never intended to support life for “millions and millions” of years, one views the current “crisis” very differently. Auxt and Curtis lay a good case that man’s activity on the earth has had minimal impact in any global warming that may or may not be occurring. What we are observing is the groaning of a creation deeply marred by sin and the curse.

In some ways, I felt that their arguments could have been fleshed out more. I vacillated between feeling like they weren’t giving hard scientific evidence and feeling like they were giving too much math and science with too little “plain language” explanation. But then on the other hand, sometimes their arguments seemed like they could have been more thorough.

I think this book would be more impacting if I knew who Auxt and Curtis were. Only once (very briefly) was any reference made to their expertise in this subject. While I felt that the book’s content was logical, understandable, and balanced, I looked in vain for an explanation of why these two men were the ones standing up against the global warming frenzy. I learned more about the authors from the 1 paragraph “about the author” note on Amazon.com than I did reading this entire book.

So all in all, it was good. I enjoyed it, found it interesting and informative… but I think it could have been better.

**For more information or to purchase a copy, click on the book cover image or the amazon link provided. I am an affiliate of New Leaf publishers as well as amazon.com and will receive a small percentage of the sale of this or other products. I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for my review from New Leaf Publishing Group. The opinions expressed in this review are my unbiased thoughts as in keeping with my disclosure policy.