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Book Review: The Final Summit by Andy Andrews

The Final SummitAndy Andrews has quickly become one of my favorite authors.

I was first introduced to his books a couple of years ago when I read The Noticer.  Another of his stories that I loved was The Heart Mender.

And I think he’s done it again.

The Final Summit is Andrews‘ newest book.  I sat down with it and read it straight through.  I didn’t stop until I was finished.  It kept my attention the entire way through.

While not as captivating as The Noticer or The Heart Mender, The Final Summit is well-written and extremely interesting.

Here’s the main idea:  David Ponder is nearing the end of his life, so he thinks.  Suddenly, he is visited by the archangel Gabriel, who has come for him. But not in the way David thinks.  Gabriel has come to escort David to a Summit, full of history’s most brilliant minds.  Their goal:  to find the solution that will save humanity from the horrific disaster looming in front of them.

David is allowed to choose only a few of the world’s best leaders and thinkers to help him discover the solution.  Can he do it in time?

I would highly encourage anyone to read The Final Summit.  Even though it’s a fictional story, it is full of incredible insight and wisdom, much like many of Andrews’ other books.  You need to read this one.  It will change the way you think about life.  It will change the way you involve yourself in the world that surrounds you.

Do something.  Read this today.

If you are interested in reading The Final Summit, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze 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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Memorize The Sermon On The Mount – Week 9

We’re up to week 9 as we memorize the Sermon on the Mount.

I’ve been really encouraged by these chapters from the book of Matthew.  This memorization goal has been great for me, so far.  And I only expect it to continue to get better the further we memorize in this passage.

The passage for this week is Matthew 5:19-20.

Matthew 5:19-20

Here’s a link to the passage at Bible Gateway.

So far, what part of the Sermon of the Mount do you love the best?  Let me know in the comments.

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Four Things I Love About Youth Trips (That You Should Too)

I’m headed out on a weekend trip with some of the teens from our church this weekend.

I’m taking some of the guys from our youth group and we are going to a weekend retreat hosted by Ozark Christian College.  It’s called Deeper Life.

Deeper Life At Ozark Christian College

It’s a pretty simple concept.  They host high school students on campus for the weekend and provide main sessions with incredible worship and a challenging message.  There will be an array of inspiring workshops to choose from, as well as some awesome fun.  They house us in the dorms with the students and feed us in the school’s cafeteria (read into that what you will…).

All this for $25!  Not too bad.

For this particular weekend, we didn’t have any girls sign up.  So this will be just a guy’s weekend.  We’ll be able to do a couple of fun things while we’re out.  We plan on heading down to see if we can see the Spook Light.  Probably not, but we’ll try.  We’ll also try to fit in a few hunts for geocaches.  (If you’ve never tried geocaching, you need to do it right away!  Excellent fun!)

I love weekend get-away like this.  Here are four reasons.

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Book Review: Breath Of Angel by Karyn Henley

Breath Of AngelOne of my favorite genres to read when I was in high school and college was fantasy fiction.  I loved series such as The Lord of the Rings and Dragon Lance.  In fact, I still go back and read a bit  of this genre occasionally.

This week I read Karyn Henley’s book Breath Of Angel.  This is a fantasy novel with a twist:  many of the main characters are angels operating in the world of mankind.

I was intrigued from the very beginning.  The story is about a young priestess named Melaia, who loves her life serving the Most High at the temple.  But she is quickly finds herself in the middle of a battle between two immortal brothers who destroyed a stairway to Heaven, and who will destroy the rest of the world if they aren’t stopped.

As Melaia discovers the reality of angels, immortals, and other beings thought to be myth, she is thrust into the center of this struggle for dominion between the two brothers.  Caught there, she discovers things about herself that she’s never known, and things about the world that she’s never suspected.

Can she do what’s needed to help save the world?  Can she do what’s needed to save herself?

I enjoyed Breath Of Angel.  While I felt that it was written with a younger reader in mind, I still enjoyed it.  And I’m sure that my daughter would love it.

If you are interested in reading Breath Of Angel, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Multnomah Books 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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Taking A Much Needed Break

We took a break last weekend.

As a family.  We took a break.

And it was nice.

I’ve been reading a lot recently about creating margin in your life.  I haven’t been actively looking for such a topic; it has just been discussed on several blogs that I frequently read.  When you create margin in your life, you allow yourself a chance to refresh and renew.  One of the areas I’ve been actively pursuing in my Personal Life Plan is an area of rest, of margin.

And so we took a break.

We went up to St. Joseph, Missouri and spent a few days with my brother and his family.

St Joseph Skyline

It was extremely relaxing.

My wife and I decided that this would be a break from work, from worry, from ministry concerns, from blogging, and texting and tweeting (mostly).  Heather mainly encouraged this.  She’s a very wise women.

We left last Thursday and headed to St. Joseph.  We didn’t plan a travel itinerary, which was a major step for me.  I like to have even our spontaneity planned out ahead of time.

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Memorize The Sermon On The Mount – Week 8

I’m posting this section of the Sermon on the Mount a day late.  I apologize for any inconvenience.  You’ll understand why it’s late when you read this post.

I don’t know about you, but memorizing Scripture helps me to have a better grasp of the passage being memorized.  I’m seeing things in these verses that I’ve never noticed before.  Things seem to stand out more, somehow.

The passage for this week is Matthew 5:17-18.

Matthew 5:17-18

Here’s a link to the passage at Bible Gateway.

I hope you’re having as much fun with this as I am!  Let me know in the comments.

 

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Creating A Personal Life Plan

Developing a life plan is one of the most important things you can do if you intend to grow.

For years, I’ve developed personal and professional goals.  And for years, I’ve been hit or miss in accomplishing them.  I wasn’t ever sure what was keeping me from achieving my goals; but I was missing something.

A couple of years ago, I changed my approach to goal-setting.  I continued to create an annual list of goals, but I added an extra dimension.  I started breaking my goals down into quarterly action steps.  And I posted these on the wall above my desk.

When I completed a task or a goal, I crossed it off the list.

This process helped my increase my completion percentage by a good amount; but I was still not as effective as I knew I could be.