Happy Day...x2

In a couple of hours, I will be sitting on the beach at a dawn service, waiting for the sun to rise so we can declare together that glorious truth; that Christ is risen.

As I write this post, and as many of you read it, it is still Saturday the 19th. But if you are reading this post then that means it is 20 April where I live... which is also my Birthday.

Did they not learn their lesson from Susan Boyle?

I am not usually a great fan of watching these YouTube videos where the judges and audience on a Talent show are ‘wowed’ by a surprise contestant.  The videos are heavily edited, and I am sure most of the audience never actually rolled their eyes at that moment and…

And you know exactly what is going to happen next.

But nobody saw this one coming I don’t think.  Even without the judges reaction, this is one the most amazing things I have ever seen.

 

Short Story

Review : The Surprising Secrets of Highly Happy Marriages

Have you ever looked at a blissfully married couple and thought, I wish I could know their secret?
Now you can. After years of investigative research, Shaunti reveals twelve powerful habits that the happiest marriages have in common.
Best news of all? Anyone can learn the secrets of a highly happy marriage!
 

This was the first free book I received from WaterBrook Multnomah for  review in terms of their Blogging for Books Programme. It was also the first time I have ever ordered an e-book, because I prefer hardcover books that can look pretty on my shelf.

And I loved it.

The premise of the book, by Shaunti Feldhahn,  is that it is based on research into how happy couples answer certain questions about their marriages, and what makes them happy.  And the answers are often surprising in their simplicity.

What I liked about the book was that it was incredibly practical and down to earth.  It does not make vague suggestions about changing attitudes, it literally tells you what to think and what to say to start making these changes.  It also has a lot of advice that goes against what we are usually told.  I was particularly interested in the chapter in why it is sometimes more important to go to bed mad than to try and resolve your problems at night.  And many of the chapters I was able to point at small things and say “That is true, I like it when she does that,” or ask my wife “Do you like it when I do …xyz?  And do I do it enough?”

The chapters are short enough not to bog you down, and included interesting graphs at the end, where you can study them if you are like me, or ignore the if you are like most people.  These graphs show that often successful marriages are based on people doing the right things, even though they sometimes think it is the wrong thing.

“We know we are not supposed to <Go to bed mad etc.> but we do, and we are happy.”

I would highly recommend the book.  But don’t take my word for it, go check out the sample below. 

If this review has been helpful, please take a moment to rate it.

Not gone

For those of you wondering why I am so quiet at the moment, I have not given up blogging for Lent.  In fact I am having quite a productive time... I am posting daily thoughts over at my other blog, FISH for Lent.

  

But never fear, I will still be posting over here as well... as soon as something post-worthy happens to me.

So how are you doing?

 

Grumble Hallelujah

When Rivadeneira was disappointed by life, she didn't feel like shouting a hallelujah. But then it occurred to her . . . maybe she could grumble one! Sharing candid stories and inspiring Scripture, she encourages you to stop blaming yourself, circumstances, or God for the challenges you face---and praise him for things that make your life worth living.

 

I am sure we have all had that time when we really don’t feel like shouting for joy, but we know that joy is not supposed to be dependant on what we feel like.

Right?

This book focuses on the age old question of how to find God in the midst of suffering.

And it does it well.

The book is a great mixture of real life examples, and practical applications. Each chapter contains a little bit of both.

The author makes her story both interesting, and inspiring, without becoming too preachy or holier-than-thou.

I was a little worried it might seem too trite, but altogether it delivers on what it promises.

I think it is saved by how honestly the author opens up about her own shortcomings and difficulties.  It makes it very heartfelt, and relevant.

3 stars out of 5.

I received this book free from the publisher through Tyndale book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

I AM A FOLLOWER : Book Review

“FOLLOW ME.”

These two words echo the heart-defining call of our Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples.

Sadly, this life-changing invitation has lost much of its original meaning. Immersed in a society that worships success, we have succumbed to a trendy fixation with leadership.

In I Am a Follower, author Leonard Sweet explains how Christians in a twenty-first-century corporate-obsessed culture have shifted away from a Jesus art of following toward a popularized form of leading.”

I read this book, because I thought this sounded like a good principle: That we need to move away from a culture of leadership (actually it says cult of leadership) and focus on followership.

Which is a good idea.

However I felt that the author spent too much time focusing on why leadership is bad, and leaders are misguided, and how we need to stop focusing on leadership.

BUT HE NEVER DOES.

I would have preferred to hear more about how to develop as a follower, and less about how bad leadership is.

I agree with the basic premise of this book,that we all want to be leaders, when we are called to be followers. But I think we can't undervalue the gift of leadership as a calling, provided it is secondary to the followership.

I also found the book a little disjointed. It starts out with a very good prologue, which tells a story about a YouTube video. Of course it assumes you have seen the video, which I have, but it might make more sense if they spent more time explaining what happened in the video, not just what it means. Then it has a section which seems to be part of the prologue, that compares following to dancing. Then it has in introduction, which is actually about 25% of the book, so I think I would have called it something else, like “Followership”. Then it gets to the three areas it wants to focus on (The way. The Truth. The life) which read like short snippets from a sermon or thoughts for the day.

I guess it just confused me more than it enlightened me, because it made it hard to follow any logical thread other than “LEADERS ARE BAD”

Not a book I enjoyed, and not one I would recommend. I am however led to believe that his other books are quite good, so I will try another one at a later stage.