Category Archives: The Randleman Review

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Book Review – How High Will You Climb? By John C. Maxwell

How High Will You Climb?I’ve always been a fan of John Maxwell’s leadership books. Some of the earliest books I read to develop my leadership skills for ministry were Maxwell’s books Developing The Leader Within You and Developing The Leaders Around You. Right along with those two was a book by Maxwell that had a significant impact on my life. It was called The Winning Attitude. It was given to me shortly after I began serving in ministry, and sparked my appetite for books in the leadership genre.

Maxwell’s newest book, How High Will You Climb? is an abridgment of The Winning Attitude. And it was extremely helpful to read it again. While a lot of the book was updated and revised to make it applicable in an increasingly changing culture, the core premises of the original book remain: Your success or failure is determined by your attitude. Cultivating the right attitude is key to seeing yourself grow in almost every area of life.

Maxwell compares the idea of developing the right attitude to flying an airplane. A plane must also keep the right attitude in order to stay aloft. To much change in almost any direction will present a dangerous predicament for the pilot. The same is true for your personal attitude. In order to maintain evenness and stability in your life, no matter if that is personal or professional, family or work, you must maintain the the proper attitude. Getting things out of alignment in this are will create a serious imbalance in every area of life.

What I love best about this book, and the original version, is that it harkens back to Maxwell’s days as a pastor in a church, before he became the head of an organization focused on leadership development. What that means is that this book has much more of a ministry focus to it than a lot of Maxwell’s more recent books. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, since his focus is developing leadership skills in both the ministry and in the marketplace. But with a heavier emphasis on biblical themes and personalities, this book is more appropriate to my current position than many of the others. I found that very appealing.

Since the book is a revision of an earlier book, many people may have an issue with that as they read How High Will You Climb? I did not. I frequently reread meaningful books and articles, and find as much to help me in the second or third reading as in the first. However, if you prefer not to read things again, be forewarned.

I enjoyed How High Will You Climb? as much as I enjoyed The Winning Attitude. Reading it again after so many years brought new things to my attention, and served to refresh my mind on other key points in developing my attitude. I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of this book and read it for yourself. Your attitude will benefit from it, as will your family, your job and almost every other area of your life.

Have you read any other books by John Maxwell? Which ones are your favorites? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in reading How High Will You Climb?, by John C. Maxwell, you can purchase it at Amazon.com in print or for Kindle. Or you can purchase the original book, The Winning Attitude.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Harper Collins Christian Publishing as part of their BookLook Bloggers review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“

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Book Review – The Third Day

The Third Day - Affiliate Link: Amazon.comAs a kid, and even as an adult, I’ve had a fascination with graphic novels and comic books. When I was in high school and college, I collected several series, from Superman, to X-Men, to Batman comics of all varieties. I even collected Archie comics for a while.

I never really was interested in the “Christian” comics though. They were always too cheesy, and felt forced.

That has changed.

The Good Book Company has released a new graphic novel that is simply the Bible. The Third Day is the gospel of Luke, from chapters twenty-two through twenty-four.

The words are timeless. They are exactly what you find in the Bible, from the Holman Christian Standard Bible.

The artwork is all original, drawn specifically for this edition.

And it is well done.

If you are unfamiliar with the gospel of Luke, these three chapters cover the events of the of the life of Christ, from the betrayal of Jesus, through the trial, the crucifixion, the and the burial of Christ, culminating in the resurrection on the third day.

And the release of this book couldn’t have been timed any better. With Easter just a few days away, this graphic novel is poised to point people to Christ in a way that will reach many, many people.

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Book Review – The Holy Land Key by Ray Bentley

The Holy Land KeyI’ve never been much of one to get really excited about studying prophecy. Since it’s generally predictive, that has always struck me as being to speculative. As a result, I’ve never really had much of an interest in reading much on the subject.

On a whim, I picked up and read The Holy Land Key, by Ray Bentley. Frankly, I was stunned. And captivated. I’ve always assumed that most prophecy books dealt with trying to establish a future timeline and find a date for the end of the world, or the return of Christ, or some other cataclysmic event.

The Holy Land Key is nothing like that… At all.

The basic concept is the idea that, as Americans, we look at prophecy as a forthcoming event or series of events. But Bentley approaches it from the point of view of the Jewish people. To them, they are living in the midst of prophecy. They are seeing prophecies from thousands of years ago being fulfilled around them, almost daily.

From the very first pages, I was intrigued. So I continued.

Bentley describes a reality in our world that I’ve noted for years, and I think he nails it. The conflicts that occur, even in our times, are the result of an age-old collision of two worlds. If you go back to the book of Genesis, you’ll find that Abraham had two sons. Isaac, the son of the promise, and Ishmael, another son who was given a promise as well. Isaac was given to Abraham, and from this line, the Jewish nation came to be. But from Ishmael, most of the Arab nations arose. And the conflict between two brothers has resulted in the world we face today.

Reading prophecy in light of this reality reveals things that I’ve never considered before. And Bentley takes the time to make these issues understandable.

After identifying how prophecy needs to be studied from the Jewish perspective, and how it is being revealed today, and why the Jewish people are hated by so many others, Bentley does delve into some “signs of the times.” This is the part that has always made me leary of books on prophecy. However, Bentley examines such as topics as the Sphinx, the signs of the zodiac, and blood moons, as well as such biblical topics as Daniel’s seventy weeks, the Old Testament Feasts and seasons, and more. He does so in a way that doesn’t belabor the point, making me wish I was reading something else. In fact, a few of the resources he mentioned I added to my wish list, in order to read more on the topic at a later time.

Even though I was a little fearful of reading a book on prophecy, in the end I was fascinated. Bentley has masterfully created a book that leaves you wanting more, without feeling like you need to stand on a street corner with a cardboard sign proclaiming “The End Is Nigh!”

If you’ve never read much on the topic of prophecy, The Holy Land Key would be a good place to start. If prophecy is your passion, then this would be an excellent book to add to your library as well. For more information on the book, Ray Bentley’s blog, and a list of prayer points for Israel, check out The Holy Land Key website.

Question: Have you ever read much on the topic of biblical prophecy? If so, what books did you find captivating, and would recommend? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

If you are interested in reading <em>The Holy Land Key</em>, by Ray Bentley, you can purchase it at Amazon.com in print or for Kindle.

I received this book free from Waterbrook/Multnomah Media as part of their Blogging For Books blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

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Book Review – Bad Dads Of The Bible by Roland C. Warren

Bad Dads Of The BibleOne of my greatest desires in life is to be the best dad that I can be. With six kids, that can be a heavy responsibility. Knowing that, I try to find as many excellent resources to help me be a better dad.

Roland C. Warren, former President of the National Fatherhood Initiative, has added another great resource to my shelf. His book, Bad Dads Of The Bible, gives some excellent input into how to be a better father to your kids.

Most of the time, books for dads are written from the perspective of what a dad should do. In this case, Warren has written his book from the perspective of what not to do.

Warren takes a brief look at the lives of eight men from the Bible, and examines the mistakes they each made with their children. From there, Warren encourages us to avoid those kinds of mistakes, and gives some positive actions to take to help.

The eight lives Warren examines are both well known and more obscure. Some are stories we are familiar with and others aren’t. And some of them you may find surprising. Here are the eight dads, and their mistakes.

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Book Review – Christian Biographies For Young Readers: John Knox by Simonetta Carr

Christian Biographies For Young Readers: John Knox by Simonetta CarrI enjoy biographies. I especially enjoy biographies of prominent Christian leaders and figures from history that played a large role in kingdom work. And when I have the opportunity to read and review such a biography, I do so.

That’s why I was pretty excited to read Simonetta Carr’s new biography on John Knox. As part of the Christian Biographies for Young Readers series, this has the potential to instill a love for biographies in the lives of my kids.

Knox led an interesting life, during an exciting time. As a Protestant believer in the 1500s, Knox played an important role in the Reformation, including pastoring a church where several members helped translate the Geneva Bible, one of the first versions of the Bible in the English language. This Bible pre-dated the King James version by more than half a century, and played a key role in the Reformation.

Much of Knox’s ministry was centered in Scotland, but he spent a lot of time in England and Geneva as well. Knox was very outspoken, especially of matters of faith, and even more so when government tried to dictate in matters of faith and worship. Knox’s stance against such tactics landed him in trouble more than a few times throughout his life.

In this biography of John Knox, Simonetta Carr address not only Knox’s life, but the greater cultural issues that drove him to become the man and leader he was. And she does this in a manner that is engaging and interesting, especially for younger readers.

I plan to pass this book around among my kids and see if it inspires them as it did me.

John Knox is an interesting figure form church history. Who is your favorite figure from the history of the church? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in reading this biography of John Knox, from the Christian Biographies For Young Readers series, by Simonetta Carr, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Cross Focused Media as part of their Cross Focused Reviews blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“

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Book Review – Bible Stories For His Beautiful Princess

Bible Stories For His Beautiful PrincessSometimes you just have to read things that are out of your normal genre.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been reading stories from Bible Stories For His Beautiful Princess. That’s because I have a three year old daughter, and she is completely fixated on princess stuff right now. Princess pajamas. Princess movies. Princesses wear their hair like this Daddy. Princesses dance this way Daddy.

In fact, my daughter is fully convinced that she is a princess. So when I saw the opportunity to read and review Bible Stories For His Beautiful Princess, and enjoy doing it with my daughter, that was a no-brainer for me.

My daughter and I have really enjoyed the time together.

Bible Stories For His Beautiful Princess isn’t really a Bible. The stories are Bible stories, but they are simplified and generalized to the point where they can only really be referred to as “Bible-based.” That’s quite alright, though. My daughter is only three, after all, and the finer details of most of the stories contained in these pages would be lost on her. But at the same time, these stories serve to teach her the basics of many of the main themes found throughout the Bible.

After each story, there are two closing elements. There is the Princess Jewel. This is a brief value lesson derived from each story. My daughter and I say these out loud together, enjoying finding the jewel of truth from each story.

The other element is the Princess Prayer. This is a brief prayer that seeks God’s help in applying the lesson learned form each Bible story. Again, my daughter repeats these after me, learning to ask God for his leading and becoming quite comfortable praying.

Bible Stories For His Beautiful Princess is an incredible resource that I enjoy sharing with my daughter. And she’s excited about it as well. After all, it is a princess Bible, and she carries it proudly to church, around the house, and has even been seen sleeping with it.

If you have daughters, and if they love princesses and princess things, then you need to check out Bible Stories For His Beautiful Princess. It’s an incredible opportunity to spend some quality time together.

My daughter’s favorite story so far is the story of Ruth? What Bible stories do your kids enjoy? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you would like to share Bible Stories For His Beautiful Princess, by Sheri Rose Shepherd, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“

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Why Write?

Today’s post is written by Jason Clark, author of Prone To Love. I highly encourage you to pick up a copy of the book. It’s incredibly encouraging!  Details about Jason and where you can find his book are listed at the end of the post.

 
Jason Clark, Prone To Love

Over the last years I have come to the belief that everyone should write, or in some form, capture the story. Not for a book deal, though we will celebrate that if it happens, but to release a future and a hope. It’s a reminder of where you have been and how good God was while you were there, even in the hard times—especially in the hard times.

But it’s also about establishing a promise regarding where we are going. It’s about destiny and legacy, about love, about remembering so we can know breakthrough, and breaking through so our kids can remember.

I once heard a message from a pastor hero of mine, Kris Vallotton, that captured why we should all write…

At the age of eighteen having already been a King for more than half his life, Josiah sent his man, Azaliah, along with a clean up crew into the temple to tidy the place up. Israel was at this point a pagan nation. They had fallen away from God and for several hundred years, they had served other Gods and the temple had fallen into disarray.

Soon after that Azaliah came to King Josiah with a discovery. “King Josiah, while we were cleaning up we found a book. And it appears to be the book!” (Paraphrase 2 Kings 22-23)