Then Sings My Soul

What do you do when you have a bad day…complain about the unfairness of life, tell your sob story to anyone in shouting distance, or maybe just crawl under the covers and hope things turn out better the next morning? How about turning to God and focusing on His amazing love and the grace that is greater than our sin? He has redeemed us and given us all we have needed day by day as we acknowledge our dependence in Christ alone. God will take care of you in times like these, and as we know His eye is on the sparrow, joy can fill our inmost heart today as He leads us to higher ground. Come, we that love the Lord, to join in a song of praising the mighty fortress that is our God.

In the previous paragraph, perhaps you picked up on some familiar phrases that came straight from several hymns of the faith. These hymns (and others like them) lift up the soul, provide strength to the weak, and cultivate joy in the believer’s heart. In the latest book I read, Then Sings My Soul, Vol. 3, author Robert Morgan highlights many of the hymns that form our rich heritage and gives the background on the writing of the hymn. Covered in the book are ancient hymns sung by the early Christians to modern ones written by current hymnwriters, with a few stops along the way. This is the third book in the trilogy, so not all the traditional hymns are covered in this installment.

I really appreciated the author’s thoughts and views on hymns. Hymns are a way of turning our focus outward and upward for what God has done for us. Hymns are eloquent expressions of our beliefs, and many are prayers that we sing to God. In addition to being used in corporate worship, they should be read, committed to memory, meditated on, played, prayed, leaned on, quoted, and passed on to the next generation. It is important to dig into the wealth of wisdom the generations before us have left us through the richness of the hymns of the faith. Along with the cloud of witnesses, let us here and now proclaim, “How great Thou art!”

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of Then Sings My Soul, Vol. 3 through Book Sneeze, in exchange for my honest review.

Babylon's Falling

Several months ago I had the opportunity to take a trip to Israel with a group of my friends and coworkers. It was relatively easy—hop on a plane to fly across the ocean, go through customs, and start touring the sites in the comfort of a brand-new Mercedes bus (also known as “chariot” in those parts). Excellent food was prepared for us at every stop, and our lodging was in the nicest area hotels. Communication with folks back home was possible through free wifi access or even the occasional cell phone call, thanks to international roaming. But that’s not how traveling to Jerusalem has always been. Jerusalem is situated in a mountainous region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea, meaning travel in the old days before the modern inventions of planes, trains, and automobiles, was a long and arduous undertaking. Extra measures would have to be taken to ensure all needed supplies were brought along, because there were no Wal-Marts back then. Travel would take days, weeks, or even months depending on how far one was going on foot. A book I just finished reading brings to light what life might have been like in that part of the world at the time of the Babylonian conquest during the time of Daniel and his three friends.

In the beginning pages of Babylon's Falling, we are introduced to four Israelite young men as they are beginning the exile out of Jerusalem after being captured by the Babylonian army. The historical novel continues through Daniel’s and his three friends’ ascent into places of prominence in the Chaldean court of wise men as they honor God in their daily living even though they have been placed in a heathen king’s palace. The author uses the first six chapters of the Book of Daniel as inspiration for the events that take place in these men’s lives, but also takes some liberties to suggest why Daniel was not present when Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abednego) were thrown into the fiery furnace.

I’ve discovered that historical fiction is a great way to stir up interest in past cultures, geography, and events that shaped the history of the world. I found myself riveted to the plot of this fictional work even though I knew the Bible-inspired stories. The dialogue and conversation between the characters brings out the fact that these Bible heroes were in fact human and had important choices to make how they lived their lives given their circumstances. Throughout his service in the foreign land, Daniel regularly sought the Lord his God in prayer three times a day. Because of his willingness to be used of God—whether in the countryside or in the courts of kings—he was able to provide service as a provincial governor and a counselor to at least four kings. May we be like Daniel who said, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to Whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding” (Daniel 2:20-21).

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of Babylon's Falling through Book Sneeze, in exchange for my honest review.

The Book of Man

For the past several months, my dad and I have been part of a fellowship of men at church who have been meeting every week to build each other up in our manhood journeys. This program called Men’s Fraternity has facilitated times of talking about our past, discussing struggles and successes, praying for current situations, and looking to affect the future with positive change. All in all it has helped each one of us to see a larger picture of God’s design for us as men and leaders. In addition to listening to the lectures from Robert Lewis, I’ve supplemented the study by reading through an anthology of quotes and literature entitled “The Book of Man: Readings on the Path to Manhood” compiled by William J. Bennett.

This hefty volume is divided into six main sections: man in war, man at work, man in play / sports / leisure, man in the polis, man with woman and children, and man in prayer and reflection. Each section is nearly 100 pages of biographical sketches, speeches, poems, or excerpts of classic literature showcasing the type of courage a real man must have—courage to stand up and fight for what he believes. As I read through the book, I was struck with the relevance of its passages—several of them I had just come across earlier that week, whether it was brought up in the pastor’s sermon, Men’s Fraternity, or another book I was reading.

One aspect I appreciate about this book is that every selection was meant to teach a different attribute of manhood. I can learn as valuable a lesson from a soldier as I can from an ancient philosopher as I can from a basketball coach as I can from a president. Nobody here claims to be a perfect example or to have all the answers—and for answers, the best place to go is the Bible—but still, each one is valuable for “in the multitude of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14b).

I am very pleased to have this book on my shelf from here on out. I can see myself coming back to this book again and again as I continue on my quest for authentic manhood.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of The Book of Man through Book Sneeze, in exchange for my honest review.

The 17 Essential Qualities Of A Team Player

Exercise…with it come strength and growth; without it come laziness and stagnation. Exercising the body is important to maintaining a good physical well-being, and likewise it is also important to regularly exercise the mind. For me, this has taken the form of reading good books and looking for ways to apply in my life what I am reading.

I recently started a new job and was delighted to discover that I now have access to hundreds (if not thousands) of digitized books thanks to the company’s partnership with Books 24x7. In between checking e-mails and waiting for clearance to work on the team’s projects, I’ve had plenty of time to spend perusing the wealth of information contained within the windows of my web browser.

First on the list of gems I’ve uncovered is John Maxwell’s exposition on the 17 Essential Qualities Of A Team Player: Becoming the Kind of Person Every Team Wants. For each quality, Maxwell brings in thought-provoking quotes, engaging stories, practical advice, and probing questions to cause the reader to get a handle on each quality and begin the process of continuous personal growth in his life. I’m a fan of all things practical, and this book is full of first-rate observations from a man who has proven himself in the very areas he is writing about. For this reason alone it is a worthy use of time as his advice comes from experience. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who interacts with other people—and who doesn’t? As you read, you’ll be challenged to be adaptable, collaborative, committed, communicative, competent, dependable, disciplined, enlarging, enthusiastic, intentional, mission-conscious, prepared, relational, self-improving, selfless, solution-oriented, and tenacious—qualities that will take you far and will help your team achieve new levels of success.

What’s holding you back from being a better team player? The best way to improve is just to work on it—get out there and exercise your mind!

Through My Eyes

In my humble opinion, the best person ever to play the game of college football was Tim Tebow. I say this not because he won a lot of games or led his team to the national championship or because he set all sorts of records, I say this because of the person he was and is off the field. Being in the limelight can cause many people of lesser character to stumble, but Tim was able to use the platform he had earned through his athletics as a springboard for sharing his faith. Tim not just talked the talk, he lived it every day from being faithful in his backyard chores to being an example on the foreign mission fields. In his recent memoir, Through My Eyes, Tim explains why he is the way he is, and what (or more specifically, Who) has brought him to where he is right now, a starting quarterback in the NFL.

Tim's story begins before he was born, when his parents specifically asked God for another son to raise as a preacher. God answered by sending along Timmy, but not without much difficulty in the pregnancy. In fact, doctors recommended an abortion to save his mother's life, thinking there was no way both would survive. However, God's plan was much different than the doctors', and God delivered both mother and baby in a hospital room in the Philippines where his parents were missionaries. Their incredible story has been heard nationally through a Super Bowl ad that Focus on the Family sponsored.

After such a beginning to life, the Tebows knew Tim would be a special boy. He grew up strong and healthy and was always competing with his four older brothers and sisters. I'll not recount all the stories he told in this book about his growing up years—that's what the book is there for, so you'll have to go read it yourself. Many of them are quite humorous! As the book progresses and he moves from high school into college, he takes us inside his helmet to show what he was seeing and what he was thinking in the big games and major events he participated in. One of the biggest things that happened to Tim was being selected as a Heisman trophy finalist three years in a row. Tim was the youngest Heisman trophy winner when he won in 2007. This says a lot about his determination and commitment to being the best he could be.

It's not often that I prefer reading about sports than watching it happen in front of me on the TV, but with this book the commercial breaks were never long enough! I think I ended up missing most of the weekend's games due to being enthralled in this story. Well done, Tim Tebow, and all the best as you continue your legacy in the NFL while honoring your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Doing Virtuous Business

As a follow-up on the theme of living courageously, I’ve been studying some ways to practice the message in my daily living. It is important to live courageously with the family at home, but it is equally important—if not more vital—to do so in the workplace. It is within the realm of enterprise that most people spend a significant portion of their waking hours holding a job and conducting business. It is the habit of some people to spend more time at work than they do with their families. The ideas shared below come from my recent reading of the book, Doing Virtuous Business: the Remarkable Success of Spiritual Enterprise, by Theodore Roosevelt Malloch.

Contained within the pages of this book are treasure troves of wisdom focusing on the benefits of spiritual capital in doing business. In each chapter, different companies are analyzed to find out what made them as successful as they are or to identify where the business went wrong and brought disaster upon itself. This book does much more than simply state the need for business ethics—it spells out the benefits for virtues such as faith, hope, and charity and what can happen to businesses (or people) who lack the qualities that invoke trust from others. Other characteristics that must be cultivated are leadership, courage, patience, perseverance, discipline, as well as the softer virtues of justice, forgiveness, compassion, humility, and gratitude.

I would recommend this book to everyone who interacts with other people in their line of work (which would be just about everybody). There’s a saying, “those who don’t learn from history are destined to repeat it.” Reading this book will help the reader learn from the CEOs who made wise choices and avoid the mistakes of those who went down the wrong path. In the back of the book is a lengthy appendix of businesses who have done the right thing, including the likes of Chick-Fil-A, IBM, Habitat for Humanity, Wal-Mart, and others. After reading this book, I’m more likely to give my business to a company that possesses and practices the spiritual capital discussed in the pages of this book. I think you will too, after you give it a read.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of Doing Virtuous Business through Book Sneeze, in exchange for my honest review.

Courageous

Dad and I have had some great father/son time this weekend—and the weekend is really just getting started! Due to a Christian educator’s convention happening in Detroit, it was just the two of us at home for a while. After a nice meal eating out, we spent some time last night going through his old memorabilia—stuff he saved from his childhood. I got to read letters and postcards his father wrote and enter a little bit into the relationship they shared in my dad’s early years. My grandfather died before I was born, so these kinds of memories are the only tangible things I have of him. He was a pastor and his love and care for his flock was evident through the letters left behind.

Our father/son time continued today through watching the new film “Courageous” together. What a film! Sherwood Pictures has done it again in creating a poignant illustration of a timeless message that fatherhood must be taken seriously. There will come moments of putting one’s life on the line, tragedies requiring going to God for grace to get through, situations for making tough decisions to stand up for convictions, and the time to own up to past failures and shoulder the responsibility. Honor begins in the home, and this is where a lifelong impact on a child’s life is formed. I’ll not give away the plot any further, but the film is riveting and is packed with both action and emotion.

What does God have to say about being courageous? “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9, ESV). That’s pretty clear isn’t it? Go live courageously!