Moments of Truth – John MacArthur

It’s a good idea to routinely – every day, even – dive into Scripture and meditate on what God has to teach us. It’s amazing how often truths declared in the Bible apply directly to life’s greatest “mysteries.” As someone who’s enjoyed reading John MacArthur’s thoughts on the Bible and life in general (and as one who has something of a collection of daily devotionals), I jumped at the chance to get a combination of the two. And it hasn’t disappointed. This book is a nice collection of easy-to-digest snippets from MacArthur’s writings that help set the tone for each day and provide encouragement to delve deeper into studying God’s Word. I still miss days now and again, but don’t we all?

peace… love… bdg…

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The Richest Man Who Ever Lived – Steven K Scott

So, I wasn’t certain what to expect from this book. Form the title, you could kind of guess that it’s a “get rich quick book” or perhaps one of the many self-help books that tries ever so awkwardly to spiritualize the art of becoming successful by the standards of the world. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it’s more about reading the book of Proverbs and applying its wisdom and truths to your life. About pursuing a Godly life and reaping success according to higher standards. Included in the mix, there’s advice to help you find favor among men – the importance of diligence, kindness, truth, graciousness, and generosity – as well as tips for building a solid network, dealing with adversity, and managing conflict. But ultimately, and the reason I enjoyed the book, it was all rooted in Proverbs, which is a great book to refer to for sound advice for life. Solomon knew what he was talking about – especially when he decried the struggle for material wealth at all cost.

peace… love… bdg…

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so now we’re down to ten and we start off with a depressing montage of footage from last week when everyone said goodbye to Shannon… anyway, we move along… the rumor is this week is Billy Joel week and Ryan verifies that in short order… Steven chimes in, noting that if you can’t sing Billy Joel, you can’t sing… i think that means that Billy Joel songs are cake… let’s see… also getting promos this week are Diddy and Tommy Hilfiger… off we go…

Don’t Ask Me Why by Billy Joel

DeAndre Brackensick chose Only the Good Die Young… it’s going to be hard to not directly compare these contestants to Billy Joel, but i’ll try… this is the dullest, most energetic performance i’ve seen… he’s bouncing around, but it’s so ridiculously fake… Steven thought it was too happy, but that’s what the world needs… J-Lo thought it was a great way to start off the show, laid back and grovelly… Randy agreed, but noted that it didn’t wow him, but it was okay…
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nothing is without controversy and this show is apparently a petri dish to examine life… someone has been eliminated during the off days after cooperation with law enforcement… but apparently we’ll get to that later… first let’s look at baby pictures and get ready to hear the top eleven whippershappers sing songs from the year they were born… off we go…

Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry

Phillip Phillips moves from closer to opener and fights through kindey stone surgery to bring his rendition of Hard to Handle from the Black Crowes to the Idol stage… it’s really solid, but i do get the feeling that he has a little more he could’ve given into that performance… great song choice though… Randy says it was good song choice and he sounded incredible… J-Lo says performing is so natural to him and it’s from every fiber of his body (except apparently his kidneys)… Steven says it matched his voice and style well and it was great…

Jessica Sanchez… maybe they’re going in opposite order… she chooses Gloria Estefan’s Turn the Beat Around which really doesn’t suit her and she struggles throughout it (just like last week) but again, no one will care after she jacked up the closing chorus… Steven says she can’t stray too far from ballads and she was off the beat… J-Lo agrees about the rhythm and says it wasn’t her favorite performance… Randy says it was a bad song choice that hid her “big ole voice”…
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okay, so it seems like every year, i’ve all but decided to give up on American Idol and most of the time i crawl back into it and keep up… i’ve gotten myself all caught up on the shows leading up to the finals and i’m ready to go… guys vs. girls tonight because we always need a new twist… Stevie Wonder songs for the guys, Whitney Houston for the gals… first up, the guys… off we go…

Uptight (Everything’s Alright) by Stevie Wonder

Joshua Ledet leads off with I Wish and they were concerned about him being to gospel-ly in the finals… dude can sang and the high energy really sold it well… Randy says he turned it out… flawless… J-Lo says she felt his performance and she loved it… Steven says he had the snap and he brought it home…

Elise Testone got vetoed on her song selection because she was horrible… they encouraged her to sing I’m Your Baby Tonight… good call… i’m still not sold on her though… if she does have a “dope” voice like Mary J says, she needs some help… this is awful… too much yelling and growling… J-Lo says a lot of nice things before telling her it wasn’t her best… Steven says she has a great voice, but it was just good… Randy says she sounded like she was boxing with the song and it wasn’t her best…

Jermaine Jones, the “gentle giant,” tackles Knocks Me Off My Feet… it’s a ballad which works for him, but his biggest struggle will be to prove he has dynamics in his vocal rather than just a monotone bass… some nicks and bruises here and there, but this was a’ight… Steven says the song fit him like an Armani suit… J-Lo says he’s such a sweetheart, but needs to connect more with the song… Randy says he loved the verses, but not the chorus…
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As Tim Tebow leads the Broncos into the playoffs against the Steelers this weekend, there may be no better time to talk about what we have and can learn from this remarkable phenomenon that stole NFL headlines all season long, from the rumors of a Kyle Orton trade in the preseason, to the 2-4 start, the 6-0 run, and the 0-3 finale that finds the team limping into Wildcard weekend, by the narrowest of margins. Dramatic, yes, but what I’ve seen is endless lessons on innovation. (Maybe it’s just how I’m wired). Here’s what I’ve learned thus far…
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Fyodor Dostoevsky – Peter Leithart

I’ve read a few of the biographies from this collection now and every time, I’m surprised by how different they each are. Given, I’m including books from The Generals series as part of this overarching series, but still these are definitely not formulaic biographies. Each edition is well-researched and approached from a unique standpoint, making them very engaging to read. Which brings me to Fyodor Dostoevsky.

I’ve been meaning to read some of Dostoevsky’s work for years now, but for one reason or another, I’m left with that gaping hole in my reading accomplishments, so I thought perhaps reading about the man would lead naturally into reading his books. Hopefully, that’s the case. I will say, though, that this was a very interesting biography framed as a series of conversations. Most of it had me flipping through the pages with anticipation, though there were a few sequences that left me a bit disinterested.

Keys that I took from this book and really enjoyed were threefold. First, I really enjoyed understanding how Dostoevsky’s philosophies took shape. In the book, you get a good sense of how he formed his opinions on life and eternity and all things in between. Had I read his books, I get the sense that these stories would’ve leapt off of the pages at me because his writing is reportedly quite transparent. Second, I was struck by his sense of purpose and the passion with which he pursued that calling. He certainly wasn’t perfect and knowing how he overcame the multitude of distractions that plagued him throughout his lifetime gives me a sense of hope that I can do the same.

Finally, Dostoevsky’s strategy for accomplishing his goals – reaching out to the people, writing about topics and concernds of “pop culture” like interest, and essentially building a platform from which to launch his greatest seem way ahead of his time. Now, it’s the standard operating protocol. No wonder his writing has held up so well over time.

peace… love… bdg…

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The Bone House – Stephen Lawhead
As I mentioned in my review of The Skin Map, which precedes the story captured here, my history with Stephen Lawhead has been shaky, but with the Bright Empire series, Lawhead is rewriting that history – and every other history imaginable. After a pretty interesting twist, book the second picks up where we left off, in the thick of the action.

Kit and company double and triple back through the dimensions as we fill in some gaps in the overarching story and blaze new narrative trails. Our travellers are determined to finish the mission of tracking down the skin map and unlock the keys to understanding the universe. We learn a bit more about the leys and our key players in the midst of their adventures. And, once again, we’re left satisfied, but looking forward to the next meal.

Another gripping piece to the unfolding saga that unlocks the reader’s immagination and keeps us hanging on until the end… and beyond. I’m going to have a hard time waiting for the next installment to land.

peace… love… bdg…

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Now we’re down to seven groups and they lead off with a Halloween medley which must’ve felt weird when they recorded it weeks ago… sounded good though… the judges seemed to get a kick out of it… tonight they’re tasked with superstar medleys, which is three songs from a superstar mashed up into one… should be interesting… off we go…

now playing: Singing in the Rain/Umbrella by Glee

Urban Method chooses Rhianna as their superstar… i like Umbrella, but i’m pretty tapped out on her catalog at that point… this is a longer performance than i expected, and the medley portion was much more distinct than i had hoped… they are trying to prove that they are more than a rap group, and it comes through fine, but they have lost a little of their identity with it… it was pretty good, but nothing spectacular… Sara says she loved the last song and they should be more confident… Shawn liked that they showed the potential of the girls and compared them all to candies that needed to be unwrapped… or un-rap-ped… Ben thought it started off well, fell apart in the middle, then came back together in the end and overall it was great…

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Average Joe – Troy Meeder
I finished this book a while ago and I just haven’t gotten around to reviewing it. Sometimes I like to let books simmer in my subconscious and develop into more complete thoughts, deeper insights, and practical solutions. Sometimes – as in this case – they don’t. In fact, Average Joe all but disappeared from my thoughts shortly after finishing. It’s not that it’s a boring book or a “bad” book, but it’s definitely a lightweight approach to a pretty heavy topic.

It seems that the topic of embracing manhood and engaging men within the church has become a hot topic. [continue reading this post...]

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