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Book Reviews

Book Reviews,

The Road to Character

The recently released book The Road to Character by David Brooks is my first “must read” recommendation of the year.

The book looks at a variety of men and women, all leaders and inspirational thinkers, who built a strong inner character. Each faced different circumstances, had different weaknesses and strengths, lived in different eras, and overcame different challenges. Brooks teases out lessons about developing our character from the stories of these men and women, concluding with his thoughts on why we need to imitate them and how to apply the lessons we’ve learned.

I like the simple image he uses …

Book Reviews,

Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands

There were all types of suggestions for books to read about hope, but perhaps one of the most counterintuitive was Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands: Lessons in Non-Linear Leadership by Nancy Ortberg. It’s a book I had read when it came out several years ago, and “hope” wasn’t the first thing that came to mind.

But then I re-read the first chapter and found myself furiously underlining sections about hope. Here are a few of the best quotes:

“I think the core of leadership is hope. Leadership is the hope that we can change the things that need to

Book Reviews,

Small Cloud Rising

Six weeks ago my friend Dave Gibbons told me he has a new book coming out. I immediately asked for a copy because Dave ALWAYS has a unique insight worth hearing. Honestly, I didn’t even know what the book was about, but I still wanted to read it!

So he sent me an early copy of Small Cloud Rising: How Creatives, Dreamers, Poets, and Misfits are Awakening the Ancient Future Church. A short book, in some ways more of a poem, it captures the readers imagination as it floats through Dave’s thoughts and visions for the future of our …

Book Reviews,

Scary Close, by Donald Miller

For over a decade Donald Miller has been exploring his inner thoughts about the complexities of faith in a culture seeking to package our spiritual journey into something neat and tidy. His latest book Scary Close: Dropping the Act and Finding True Intimacy continues the story. It explores the messiness of relationships and the beauty to be found in the chaos.

If the only way I knew Miller was through his books, well, honestly … he’d come across as wildly self-absorbed. But the separation between us is only 2 degrees and I highly respect the people who call him a …

Book Reviews,

Meet Me in Atlantis

One of my favorite books of 2012 was Mark Adam’s Turn Right at Machu Picchu. It was fun, informative, and adventurous. So when Mark (who I have never met) emailed an announcement about a new book describing his search for Atlantis, I knew it was going to be on my reading list.

Meet Me in Atlantis: My Obsessive Quest to Find the Sunken City continues Mark’s role as a writer/adventurer with a keen eye for detail and a self-deprecating sense of humor. Though to be honest, it seems like this book is less about the challenges of a great …

Book Reviews,

Hebrews – Journey of Hope

When I asked my friends what books on this journey of hope are worth reading, one friend (Steve) suggested the book of Hebrews from the New Testament. At first it seemed an odd suggestion because Hebrews has always struck me as more of an argument for the divinity of Christ than a book about hope. But reflecting on the (admittedly few) passages from Hebrews I remembered, they all had an underlying message of hope and confidence. So I jumped in.
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Several passages stood out. The most famous is at the end of chapter six as the author expounds on the …

Book Reviews,

The Colors of Hope

The second of twelve books I’m reading this year on the journey of hope is The Colors of Hope: Becoming People of Mercy, Justice, and Love by Richard Dahlstrom. Some of the books I’ll read will talk about the meaning of hope, others will talk about the hope God provides, but this book takes it another step forward in sharing how we are to become agents of hope to the world. Dahlstrom calls us beyond ourselves and challenges us to rise above the needlessly divisive debates of our culture

The author describes hope using the language and imagery of an …

Book Reviews,

Red Notice

Seems appropriate to post this review today with the sad news that Russian dissident Boris Nemtsov has been killed. Can it be anymore evident the once promising nation of Russia is now run by thugs and gangsters? By posting this I’m probably forever cutting off any chance of returning to Russia. But I don’t care. Enough is enough.

As if we needed anymore evidence of the outrage that is Putin, Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man’s Fight for Justice tells Bill Browder’s story as a successful Russian investor being taken down because he …