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Holding History In Your Hands

One of my hobbies is coin collecting. I enjoy building mint and date sets of American coins, and a few varieties of Canadian coins. And I have found that there is much to be gained from the hobby of numismatics.

Coins are beautiful items, worth much more than simply face value. You can enjoy the physical beauty of the coin, considering it’s strike and luster. But if you look deeper, you can see a whole lot more.

Coins represent history. Many of our nation’s coins have an historical significant attached to them.

Lincoln Cent - Obverse

Lincoln Cent - Obverse

Take for example the Lincoln cent. First minted in 1909, it commemorated the birth of Abraham Lincoln in 1809. Designed by Victor David Brenner, the bust of Lincoln on the obverse has remained mostly unchanged for the last 100 years.

This is one of my favorite coins to collect. With a hundred years of production, and from three different mints, the Lincoln cent can turn out to be a very large collection. And finding the older varieties in a high grade can be quite challenging. This is a collection that may take years to complete: to find just the right coins that catch the eye, and look great in my album. It’s a challenge worth the effort to complete.

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Missing: Miscellaneous Stuff That (Was) Important

Question Mark On SignIt is amazing how a move can rearrange your priorities.

We have moved. We packed up the house in Branson West with a lot of help from our friends and family at First Christian Church on June 1. On June 2, about fifteen people from our new church in Mountain View, MO, came and loaded us up and moved us to Mountain View.

Today, two and a half weeks later, I still can’t find things that I thought were so important, just a couple of weeks ago.

For example, I kept out a certain movie that I knew the kids would want to watch, since it’s new (Horton Hears A Who). I kept it out so I would know right where it was. As it turns out, I should have packed it with the rest of the DVDs. It is nowhere to be found.

I’m sure it’ll turn up. We have a lot of boxes in the garage yet to unpack. It is probably in there somewhere.

But the kids have completely forgotten about it. There are new things in our day to day lives that have captured their attention. And the new movie is suddenly not so special…

And it’s not just the kids who have been affected by this realignment of our priorities. Heather and I have discovered that certain things aren’t as important as we once thought.

We have often thought that we have too much “stuff.” And we do. Maybe now would be a great time to downsize a little. If we haven’t missed some of these things in the past couple of weeks, maybe we can do without them permanently. So, as we unpack, especially as we unpack the things that we have discovered to be non-essentials (we’ve found all of the essentials already), we will be donating them to thrift stores, or to the garbage man.

Maybe we can simplify our lives a little by reducing stuff, and thereby reducing stress.

It’s a worthy goal, anyway.

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A New Direction

Compass and MapGod has shone light on our path. We are finally able to see a few steps farther in the direction that he is leading us.

After our upcoming position with Creation Truth Foundation disappeared, we were at a complete loss as to where God was leading, or even what God was doing. But that confusion has finally passed.

Several weeks ago, while we were still trying to raise support for CTF, I decided to send out a few resumes… just in case our support needs didn’t reach the level we needed by the time we needed that support in place. It was a moment of incredible foresight, which I’m not sure I can really take credit for.

I sent resumes to about fifteen different churches, from California to Ohio to Florida, and several places in between.

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Book Review – The Noticer by Andy Andrews

The Noticer

 Jones is a man who notices. Jones notices things most people miss, even though these things are in plain sight to everyone. And Jones uses what he notices to help others. He notices things about situations and people that produce perspective. “That’s what most folks lack – perspective – a broader view. So I give them that broader view… and it allows them to regroup, take a breath, and begin their lives again.” 

In The Noticer, Andy Andrews tells the story of a simple man who notices things about people. And then he imparts wisdom and perspective into the lives of the people he comes into contact with; and into the life of the reader in the process. 

Filled with wisdom and insight, The Noticer is one of the best books I have ever read. Simple, and easily read in a couple of evenings, The Noticer is full of nuggets of truth that hit home, sometimes with painful intensity, and deals with some of the most difficult issues in life. 

Andy Andrews hits the nail on the head repeatedly in The Noticer. I cannot help but recommend that everyone I know reads this book. It is life-changing in its simple, yet profound, wisdom. A pleasure to read, and re-read. Add this one to your book shelf today! 

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

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Book Review – Put Your Dream To The Test by John C. Maxwell

Put Your Dream To The Test What is your dream? What are you so passionate about that you would do whatever it takes to see that dream realized? Are you willing to do anything to make that dream a reality? 

In Put Your Dream To The Test, John Maxwell identifies ten questions you need to ask yourself, and answer “yes” to, in order to see your dream through to fruition. Asking questions like, “Do I clearly see my dream?” and “Do I have a strategy to reach my dream?”, among others, Maxwell gives us the tools needed to help make our dreams come true. 

While John Maxwell has included a lot of great leadership material here, much of it can be found in many of his other books. That said, it is still helpful to have good material refreshed in my mind occasionally. Maxwell has done just that with Put Your Dream To The Test. 

Put Your Dream To The Test gave me some great ideas and encouraged me to examine my passions. Am I doing what it takes to see my dream become reality? I am much closer to that now than I was before I read this book. 

If you are interested in reading Put Your Dream To The Test, 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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Book Review – The Faith: Given Once, For All by Charles Colson and Harold Fickett

The Faith

Most Christians today have no idea what they believe, why they believe it or even why it matters. As a result, they have a very difficult time understanding and defending their faith; and find it even more difficult to live out their faith. Charles Colson and Harold Fickett have addressed that need by presenting a concise and accessible summary of the basic truths of Christianity.

Divided into two sections, The Faith lays out a detailed, yet understandable view of Christian Orthodoxy (right belief). The first section, entitled God and the Faith, examine several foundational doctrines that are central to Christianity. The second section, The Faith and Life, looks at truths and doctrines that relate to how we live out our faith within the context of community.

Why is it so essential that we comprehend clearly what we believe? Because truth matters. Truth matters because the heart of what we believe is at stake. When doctrine and truth are abandoned, the results are frightening. “Right doctrine leads to right behavior, often with unforeseen but wonderful consequences” (page 206).

Colson and Fickett have hit a homerun with The Faith. They have correctly identified that Christianity is not a religion, nor even a relationship, but a worldview. Christianity speaks to every part of our lives with authority. But if we don’t know what we believe, or even what Christianity is, how can we understand it, live it or defend it? We are truly crippled by our ignorance.

I highly recommend that you add The Faith to your bookshelf. It’s a great resource to help us return to the foundations of Christianity.

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

Disclosure of Material Connection:
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 – BoneMan’s Daughters by Ted Dekker

 

BoneMan's DaughtersTed Dekker is arguably the best Christian fiction author on the market today. And BoneMan’s Daughters another incredible story.

BoneMan’s Daughters is about Ryan Evans, an intelligence officer in the military who has failed as a father, in his own mind. At the same time, the BoneMan, a serial killer targeting young girls, is the perfect father looking for the perfect daughter, again in his own mind.

Evans is pulled into BoneMan’s world when his own daughter is abducted. And the race is on: Can Ryan Evans save his own daughter and restore her faith in him as a father? Or is Ryan Evans actually BoneMan himself?

BoneMan’s Daughters is an incredible story of a man haunted by his failures as a father; and his dream of restoring his relationship with his daughter. And the similarities between Ryan Evans and BoneMan are haunting. This story holds you spellbound; you simply can’t put the book down.

And yet BoneMan’s Daughters is more than simply fictional entertainment. Dekker leads you into examining your own role as a father, or your relationship with your father. While reading BoneMan’s Daughters, I couldn’t help but think of my children, wondering if I was doing all I could to be the best father I can be.

Dekker has achieved the goal of presenting a very entertaining story, while challenging the reader to think. I would highly recommend BoneMan’s Daughters. Enjoy!

If you are interested in reading BoneMan’s Daughters, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
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.”