great illustrations, story line lacking

I’ve read a previous book in the “Slugs and Bugs” collection and thought it was a delightful way to engage small children and teach them about Christian values. So I was eager to take a look at the The Society of Extraordinary Raccoon Society ( Randall Goodgame, B&H Kids, 2019)

                Eager, but disappointed. Yes there are valuable lessons about giving, and sharing, but I had a hard time reading this as a rhyme, and it didn’t seem to be much of a story. 

                Once again I feel that this is geared to a younger audience than the stated targeted age group, and that’s because of the illustrations by Joe Sutphin which are whimsical and fun. Small children will enjoy the colors and the friendly-seeming, fun-loving raccoons.  Older kids, probably not so much,

I struggled with a rating for this book, but because I liked the illustrations opted to give it a 3/5

I received a copy of this book as a member of the publisher’s bloggers program

should convince the most skeptical of skeptics

From a practical standpoint it seems to me that there are two types of people in the world: those who admit that they have or have had doubts about Jesus and the claims that He made about Himself, and those who are lying about never having had a single moment of doubt. Let’s face it, some of those claims are pretty outrageous.

                John S. Dickerson is one of those who had doubts, and so he set out to see for himself what was really true about Jesus.  As an investigative reporter, he is well qualified to look at these claims, and then decide for himself about the validity of the claims.  The result of that investigation is his latest book Jesus Skeptic: A Journalist Explores the Credibility and Impact of Christianity (Baker Books, 2019). Spoiler alert:  Dickerson is now serving as Lead Pastor at Connection Pointe Christian Church in Indianapolis. This skeptic investigator found enough evidence to convince him that Jesus existed, and that his impact on the world continues even today, 2000 years later.

                I particularly enjoyed his comments on Jesus’ continuing influence. Most people are forgotten within just a short time after their death. Sure sometimes we still study them in history books, but a decade after leaving school, even if we still recognize the name, we don’t often remember what they were famous for. But Christians, taking on the mantle of Christ, have been preeminent in the fields of science, medicine, education, and even instrumental in bringing about the end of slavery.

                There are close to 500 endnotes, which normally would scare me, but they are not long detailed, explanations of a single point. When Dickerson cites the ‘primary evidence’ he wants to make sure that the reader can go check it out for himself. This book is fairly easy to read, and is full of fascinating facts about Jesus and the impact He had and, still today, has on the world.

                There’s enough here to convince even the most skeptical of skeptics. A must read, and must share book.

                I received a copy of this book as a member of the publisher’s blogger’s program; thoughts are my own, and there was no expectation or requirement that I would post a positive review.

4.5/5

Bet on Talent, Dee Ann Turner

Recently at the gym where I work out, three new trainers came on board. I’m used to working out with trainers who have been there for a while, so there was a noticeable difference in skill levels. I’m not sure that I would have hired all of them, and in conversation one day, a comment was made that has stuck with me. “The person who hired them saw something in them that you’re not seeing”.  So, I went to that hiring official to see what it was. And it was simple: they’re teachable, and willing to learn. We have a culture that we want all of our trainers to embrace, and if they come in convinced that they already know how to do things, we have problems.

                As I read Dee Ann Turner’s book Bet on Talent: How to Create a Remarkable Culture that Wins the Hearts of Customers (Baker Books, 2019). I began to understand. This is Turner’s story of over 30 years at Chick-fil-A. After she had applied more than once, someone took a chance and offered her a job. She started working in the corporate office, and worked her way up to become the first female vice president of the company.

                The book is full of practical tips for creating that culture for your business that leaves your clientele so satisfied that they want to come back again and again. Although most of the anecdotal it material comes from Chick-fil-A, she also gives credit to other companies from whom she has learned.

                But the bottom line is that it pays to bet on talent. Bet on talent, and then mentor them and train them to fit the company culture. There’s a big difference between compliance and commitment, and Turner offers several examples of how a culture of commitment is more beneficial to your business than is a culture of compliance.

                Although it may seem that this book is geared to CEOs and franchise owners, there are certainly lessons that anyone in management can and should learn. I plan to pass on this book to a friend who was recently promoted to a management position.

                I received a copy of this book from the publisher as a part of their bloggers’ program.

                4/5

welcome to adulting devotional

About a year ago I read Jonathan “JP” Pokluda’s book Welcoming to Adulting. Recently, he’s come out with a follow-up: Welcome to Adulting Survival Guide: 42 Days to Navigate life. (Baker Books, 2019).

This easy to read book is a 6 week devotional, a few minutes a day to read a short passage, and then some things to think about, an action step, and a short prayer. And since this is Christian in nature, day 7 of each week is considered a day of rest.

JP covers any number of things that young adults (actually adults of any age) have to deal with—sometimes occasionally, sometimes on a regular basis. The transition from teen to young adult is often a turbulent time, and this books help navigate discovering and embracing your identity, learning about God's will for your life, recovery,  pornography, freedom in Christ, Sabbath, relationships, forgiveness, and several other things that most people deal with, some more successfully than others.

This is written for young adults, and while ‘young’  often refers to a chronological age, many more seasoned people never learned these valuable lessons at the appropriate time in their life. Bottom line, it’s never too late—at least it shouldn’t be—to learn how to be an adult.  Even if you think you’re ‘too old’ for this book, you might want to reconsider---but it for your young adult, but read it yourself. You’ll be glad you did.

As a member of the publishers bloggers program, I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

4/5