And the Good News Is . . ., by Dana Perino

I have to admit, I have developed a bit of a crush on Dana Perino.  She is so much fun to watch on The Five, playing the straight man to Gutfeld and Watters.  She seems so smart, level-headed, well-informed, even-tempered, and, of course, quite lovely.  Her book And the Good News Is . . . gives insight into her personality and background that might not be so evident watching her on TV.

Throughout the book, Dana's positive outlook and appreciation for her life sets the tone.  She writes lovingly about her family and upbringing, riding horses and working on the family's ranch.  She clearly is crazy about her husband, with whom she quickly fell in love during a flight.  And of course she loves her dog--that goes without saying!

The most substantial part of the book deals with her work in Washington, culminating in her time as George W. Bush's press secretary.  She holds nothing back in describing her admiration and appreciation for President Bush.  I especially loved her stories about his visiting injured troops in the hospital.  She got to see first-hand on many occasions the way President Bush could connect with people, both strangers in public and among close friends and staff.  If you don't have an appreciation for President Bush, read these portions of Perino's book and you'll love him the way she does.

And the Good News Is . . . was published in 2015, so we don't get any tidbits from the Trump era of American politics.  But Perino's tone in the book, and her consistent tone on Fox News is of someone who is kind and civil, no matter the circumstances or opposition.  I love that about her.  She is exactly the kind of voice and personality that we need more of in American news media.

Running for My Life, by Lopez Lomong

When Lopez Lomong was snatched away from his village and his family during Sunday morning worship, his life was forever changed.  In Running for My Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games, he tells his sometimes heart-wrenching, sometimes miraculous, and consistently inspiring story.  At only six years old, Lopez was taken by Sudanese rebel soldiers who wanted to train him to be a soldier.  With the help of some older boys, he escaped the soldiers' camp and bushwhacked all the way to Kenya, where he found a place in a refugee camp. 

With thousands of Lost Boys of Sudan and other refugees, he made a new life in the camp, going to school, scrounging for food, and playing soccer.  The older boys who controlled the soccer field mandated that everyone had to run the perimeter of the camp before they could play.  It was a big camp--that daily run was 30 km, about 18 miles.  Little did he know where those runs would take him.

After ten years of life in the camp, Lopez was accepted to immigrate to the US.  A family in Syracuse, New York adopted him, so with only the clothes on his back and very limited English, he moved to the United States, was embraced by this white American family, and started school.  He didn't have much education up to that point, but he could run, and led his high school to state championships.

Lopez's love of running and his adoptive parents' supportive insistence that he get a college degree led him to run for Northern Arizona University, where he enjoyed enough success to enter a professional career.  Eventually he made the US Olympic team, and was selected to be the flag bearer for the opening ceremonies in Beijing.

As he built his career, he never forgot where he came from, and has spearheaded efforts toward development in his native Sudan.  After more than a decade of believing his parents to have been killed at the time of his abduction, he was reunited with his parents and brothers.  He continues to work, in partnership with World Vision, to improve life in South Sudan.

Running for My Life shows the best of the human spirit, as Lopez overcame so many obstacles to fulfill his dreams.  It shows the best of the United States, as the country, and specifically his adoptive family, welcomed him, supported him, and contributed to his success.  His life has been so positive after coming out of such miserable, tragic conditions, that I couldn't help but to be deeply moved and inspired.  As a runner, I enjoyed reading about his training and racing experiences.  But on a much more profound level, I enjoyed reading about his journey and the hope he gives to others.

Not Forsaken, by Louie Giglio

Louie Giglio is well known to American Christians, especially those who are 40 and under.  Founder of the Passion Conferences, sixsteprecords, and Passion City Church in Atlanta, Giglio has made an outsized impact on American Evangelical Christianity.  Giglio's new book, Not Foresaken: Finding Freedom As Sons and Daughters of a Perfect Father, explores fatherhood and reminds us that we are children of the perfect father.

A major issue Giglio addresses is comparing our earthly father to our heavenly father.  He writes, "No matter what has happened on this side of eternity between you and your dad, you are not forsaken by God.  No one who knows Him as Father will be forsaken."  Giglio points out that "the number one image of God that Jesus paints for us again and again is that God is a Father.  He is our perfect Abba Father."

As anyone who has heard Giglio speak can tell you, his speaking is captivating and lyrical.  He tells great stories, both from his own life and from the Bible.  Not Forsaken captures his speaking style very well.  (Apparently this is a result of an author who helped him transcribe his sermons and prepare them for the medium of print.)  In a way, this is a great strength.  But it's also a deterrent--he takes a long time to make a point, and at times the book seemed repetitive. 

Not Forsaken is a great reminder to us all that we are children of the perfect father.  No matter what wrong or incomplete perceptions we have about fatherhood based on our earthly fathers, God is the remedy.  He calls us to know Him and to be like him.  To this I say, Amen, brother!


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

Feels Like Home, by Lee Eclov

Long-time pastor Lee Eclov points out that the Bible uses many metaphors to describe the church: the bride, the field, the temple, the body.  But "God's household is the very definition of the church.  We're not like a household or family.  We are one."  In Feels Like Home: How Rediscovering the Church as Family Changes Everything, Eclov challenges the church to live up to this calling, to be the family of God--and act like it.

Unlike a biological family, physical resemblance doesn't mark the church family.  Rather, "among Christians our distinguishing family feature is this: 'By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.'"  Our problem is that, like virtually any other human endeavor, we tend to be numbers driven.  Eclov writes, "The Bible never tells us to grow our churches bigger, but it tells us again and again to love one another. . . . Still, it's much easier to count noses than to measure love."

One of the weakness of Feels Like Home is that Eclov never satisfactorily answers the question of church growth.  He writes, "The larger our church grows the harder it is to keep track of people who slip away quietly."  He calls on churches to deemphasize numerical growth, and offers ideas on having smaller groups within the congregation in which the functions of a family can be seen, but his model and mindset seem to stay away from the culture of the megachurch.

That said, Eclov's emphasis on family life, corporate prayer, and the natural evangelism that emerges in Christian community is right on.  Like Eclov, I have seen numerous examples of people whose lives have been changed and who have become Christians as a result of being connected to a church family.  Eclov is right, a church that feels like home is "a gospel miracle."

The bottom line is that church leaders must resist thinking of a congregation as an organization, and remember that the church is first and foremost God's family.  Any Christian who has experienced this--and hopefully you do, every single Sunday and many days between Sundays--can attest to the truth of this. 


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

Rockstar Grandparent, by Chrys Howard

As my 19-year-old son reminded me recently, it won't be too long before he graduates from college, then he might get married, and, shortly, he and his presumed future wife will make my wife and me grandparents!  Slow that bus down, brother!  But he's right; time marches on.  Fortunately for him and for my wife and me, he has terrific grandparents.  We only need to look to them for examples.  But it doesn't hurt to hear from others who have been there before.  That's where Chrys Howard comes in.  In Rockstar Grandparent: How You Can Lead the Way, Light the Road, and Launch a Legacy, she tells great stories and offers guidance for grandparents (and future grandparents, like me).

In case you don't recognize her name, Mrs. Howard is part of the extended Duck Dynasty family.  She is Korie Robertson's mother, Sadie Roberton's grandmother.  I have never actually seen the show (I know, I know) but apparently she appears on the show regularly.  She certainly has the good humor and deep faith for which the family has become famous.  In Rockstar Grandparent, she names each chapter after a popular rock song of her youth, cleverly using the lyrics as a springboard into grandparenting wisdom and anecdotes.

This reminder captures her attitude toward being a grandparent: "I'm sharing all this to say, again, to all you grandparents out there, you have the greatest job ever!  You are the link to the past that your grandchildren need in their lives.  The past is what gives our present and future a sense of security and purpose."  Much of her activity as a grandmother is designed to build memories and a legacy with her grandchildren.

Mrs. Howard is very honest about some of the hard parts of her life as 2 Mama.  (There's a cute story behind that name, of course!)  Her kids have not been perfect spouses and parents (whose have?) but she has been able to be a consistent, positive force in their lives.  Part of the ongoing success of their family has to be their shared faith in Christ, and their shared lives.  Most of the extended family lives close by, and many attend church together every week.  That shared faith and community, along with Howard's commitment to building a legacy in her family, is worth emulating for any grandparent (and future grandparent).


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

The Stressed Years of Their Lives, by Dr. B. Janet Hibbs and Dr. Anthony Rostain

Anyone who has been to college or who has a child in college can tell you those years can be stressful.  But why does it seem so much stressful now than it did 30 years ago when I was in college?  (30 years??  Yeah, I'm getting old. . . .)  Psychiatrist Anthony Rostain and psychologist B. Janet Hibbs have first hand experience as counselors and parents observing and treating college kids.  In The Stressed Years of Their Lives: Helping Your Kid Survive and Thrive During Their College Years, they provide parents and educators with some tools they need to deal with their college kids.

Hibbs and Rostain write both as professional counselors and as parents.  In their own families and among their college clients, they see the trends among students.  Over the last few decades, college students are under stress like never before.  They write, "We are now recognizing that our widely accepted education benchmarks--standardized tests, honors in high school, the increasing necessity of a degree from a name brand college--all intended to prepare children for adult success, are often toxic to emotional development."  Getting into college is pressure-filled enough, but "the feeling that if you fail even once in college your entire future is over, that pushes students over the edge."

In this atmosphere of pressure, college counseling offices are busier than ever before.  But it's more than academic pressure and social pressure that impacts many college students.  Hibbs and Rostain explore mental illness and psychological issues that increasingly impact college students.  Anxiety and depression often goes undiagnosed, or are dismissed, sometimes with tragic results.  Thankfully, the stigma attached to these mental illnesses is disappearing, so hopefully college kids and others will be more likely to seek help.

The problem with The Stressed Years is that by the time most parents take time to seek out this book, it's probably too late.  Unfortunately, most parents are not aware of the deep problems their students are having until they are deep into trouble.  Hibbs and Rostain hope to give parents the tools and information they need to prepare their children for college and to recognize warning signs of anxiety, depression, and other issues.  With lots of personal stories and practical steps, parents and their college kids can stave off the inevitable stress of college.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

A Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge

In Book 2 of his Zones of Thought series, Vernor Vinge rolls back the clock thousands of years before the events of A Fire Upon the Deep to an earlier time in human's reach around the galaxy.  A mysterious star, appropriately called OnOff, goes through periods of decades of brightness and decades of darkness.  The sentient spider-like species who lives on a planet in that system are on the verge of a technological revolution, roughly parallel to the late twentieth century on Earth.

Meanwhile, two groups of humans, the Qeng Ho and the Emergents, meet up on a mission to investigate OnOff.  Their competing visions lead to a devastating battle.  They need supplies to return back to open space, but the spider world doesn't have the technological capacity to provide supplies.  So they wait.  And wait.  For decades.  The humans develop a new cultural symbiosis of victor and victim, while the spiders develop their technology.

A Deepness in the Sky is long and slow to develop, but I must say that Vinge doesn't waste a lot of plot.  The story elements work together and drive forward to a satisfying, expansive conclusion.  For the patient reader, the payoff of the story is solid.  Epic in scope and decades in the telling, A Deepness in the Sky is worthy of the awards it was given.