Book Review: Beyond Opinion by Ravi Zacharias
Beyond Opinion is a book about apologetics. The editors divided it into three sections. The first looks at the various questions that postmodernism, atheism, world religions and science have about Christianity. The second part looks at how we have to internalize both the questions and answers. They discuss how the Holy Spirit is the only one that brings transformation and how persecution and doubt can aid in that transformation. The final section discusses the believer’s role in apologetics.
I enjoyed this book. It didn’t focus on one-size-fits-all arguments. Some of the chapters were very accessible and others leaned toward the academic side. They clearly presented the questions people are asking and gave guidelines on how to go about preparing to answer them. I appreciated that the authors continually pointed out that you can have all the right answers but without the power of the Holy Spirit, you’ll just be a clanging cymbal. In the final chapter, Dr Zacharias made a great point. When you are talking with someone coming from a different worldview, you have to step into their mindset to understand how to talk to them, just as Paul did with the Athenians, Corinthians and the countless others he preached to.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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.”
Mystically Wired by Ken Wilson
My struggle with this book began with the title. However, as Wilson points out, mystic simply means mystery. The author’s prolific use of science to support his ideas caused conflict for me. At times it felt more like a science lesson than a book on prayer, but Wilson points out that prayer is both spiritual and physiological. This idea had not occurred to me. Early on, Wilson discusses how rationalism and science have impaired us spiritually. I began to examine my faith to see what was cultural and what was biblical.
Several of the prayer methods mentioned I have often viewed as bordering on ritual. Upon re-examination, if implemented in the proper spirit, they can be beneficial. I still do not agree completely with Wilson, but I would recommend this book if you want to be stretched in your understanding and application of prayer.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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.”
Book Review: Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola
Jesus Christ is not a cause to get behind or a rallying point for political parties. He is the creator of the universe. He is God in flesh. He allows us to stand before a holy God without fear of condemnation. Many have lost sight of this and have focused on lesser pursuits.
I found this book engaging. Intellectually I understand many of the topics but I do not put them into action. I try to imitate Jesus without allowing his power to work through me. Then I become frustrated when I fail to be more like Christ. The chapter on narcissism struck a chord as well. So often I treat Jesus like my own personal genie. I want him to make me happy and comfortable. But his desire is to display his glory through me and use me to bring others into the same fellowship. The chapter on community also resonated with me. I do not want to rely on others or need help. However, as the authors point out, the church is how Christ expresses himself. Submission to Christ includes giving up my desire to be self-sufficient. I would highly recommend this book but it will probably take several readings for all of it to sink in.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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.”
Book Review: Friendships for Grown-ups by Lisa Whelchel
Whelchel covers developing friendships that encourage and strenghten each party. She takes the reader through the mountains and valleys of her journey. Whelchel discusses her struggle with self-sufficiency and the coping mechanisms she developed to hold her friends at a distance. There are times when it is ok to be needy but you also need to make sure you choose the people you confide in wisely. Each person in the friendship must be willing to be vulnerable and be willing to deal with conflict when it arises.
Much of this book is geared toward friendship among women but there are nuggets of truth applicable to everyone. Despite the differences in our upbringings and life experiences, I found similarities in our dysfunctional behaviors. Whelchel weaves in quotes from other authors and Bible verses which place her experiences in a larger context.
And for someone who likes lists, Whelchel gives discussion questions and conversation starters to use as you work to deepen your own friendships. I enjoyed this book and it made me evaluate how I relate to my friends. In the end, that is the whole point of this book.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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.”
Book Review: Life Together
I had to write a book digest for my Adult Small Groups class and decided I would go ahead and post it. Part of the assignment was to come up with a guiding principle from each chapter. These principles would be used by those starting small groups.
Bonhoeffer wrote this book while working at an underground seminary living with 25 students. He is very systematic and prescriptive in this book. He begins by looking at what Christian community is and is not. He then moves on to discuss how the community is to fellowship at various points of the day. Following this, he looks at how the individual is to go about their individual devotions which in turn will strengthen the community. Bonhoeffer concludes the book by looking at the ministries that the community is to perform for one another and how confession and communion are to occur within the community.
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Book Review: And the Word Came With Power
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, not so much because of the writing style or the exotic stories. I was enthralled at how God worked in miraculous ways among the Balangaos. This gave me a glimpse of how the Holy Spirit is still at work, just as He worked among the first century church. As the Bible Believer church grew, there were many parallels to the early church as they began to be mission minded.
Joanne Shetler devoted twenty years of her life to translating the Bible into Balangao. Even that ministry was sidetracked over the years as God decided to explain the Word in real-life ways. She dealt with cultural issues, death, evil spirits, and countless trials of faith. As she translated, she used deaths and other major events as teaching opportunities. She used her medical training to help women during pregnancy and others with basic medical needs. She translated and shared her life with these people, and as the Spirit moved her along, she acted.
One event that stands out to me was when she had an Elijah moment with the spirit mediums. The spirits were tormenting Benito’s son. Benito was a new believer and Joanne saw this event as an attack against him. The spirits had lost their hold on him and were fighting back in whatever ways they could. Joanne mentions many times that she did not like dealing with spirits but this one day I believe she had been empowered by the Holy Spirit to confront the powers of darkness. She grabbed Chalinggay, the medium and removed her from the house. Then with boldness and faith declared to everyone assembled, that God would prove himself more powerful than the spirits. However, this Elijah moment was not confined to this one experience. It continued for several days.
The next Sunday, Joanne went to apologize to Chalinggay for her rudeness. As she sat there, she was moved to confront Chalinggay about her empty life spent in service to the spirits. During this time, Joanne also spoke boldly to Forsan, another spirit medium. Both mediums were tormented physically for several days. However, with prayer and more teaching both women turned from the spirits to the Living God and were delivered both spiritually and physically. Through the supernatural work of God in those three lives, the Word began to move forth in power.
This book was humbling. It showed me how God can use one person who is willing to obey and persevere. The best part was that this did not occur 2000 years ago in Rome or Asia Minor. This occurred less than forty years ago in the Philippines. This shows me that God is still at work and wants to do this around the world.
Book Review: Joel on Software
Then my supervisor at my Fielder resigned. I became the entire web design department, and we were beginning redesign of the website. My new supervisor deferred to my judgment on how to proceed. I knew nothing about managing projects or relating to management.
That is when I came across Spolsky’s book. The book is composed of articles taken from his blog as well as some new material. Here are a few quotes from the introduction that express the feelings I had at the beginning of this project and now eight months later with the project still incomplete.
“You never asked to be a manager. Like most software developers I know, you would have been much, much happier if they would just let you sit and code quietly.”
“Managing software projects has nothing at all to do with programming. If all you’ve done so far is write code, you’re probably starting to discover that human beings are perhaps a smidgen less predictable than your garden-variety Intel CPU.”
“As a result, many software projects fail in some way or another, either overtly or covertly, because nobody on the team has any idea how a successful software project might be run. So too many teams never deliver their product, or take too long to deliver the product, or deliver a product that nobody wants.”
The Practice of Programming
One of the opening chapters discusses “The Joel Test.” It contains 12 simple questions, but it allows anyone involved in a software development project to determine the successfulness of the team. Our department got a 2 out 12.
Four chapters are devoted to writing functional specifications. “A functional specification describes how a product will work entirely from the user’s perspective. It doesn’t care how the thing is implemented. It talks about features. It specifies screens, menus, dialogs, and so on.”
I have to say that I geeked out after reading these chapters. I spent several days writing spec detailing how the new site would work. I even incorporated humor as Spolsky suggested to make the specs easier and more enjoyable to read. I showed them to our committee and they briefly flipped through them. They have sat on shelf for the last eight months.
To round out the first section, Spolsky covers how to create a simple project schedule in Excel, bug fixing, and Fire and Motion. This is borrowed from military tactics. Fire at the enemy [project issues] and move forward.
Managing Developers
One chapter is devoted to guerrilla interviewing. Any programmer interview should include an impossible question and a solvable programming question. These questions allow the interviewer to see the problem-solving process and the skills of the programmer. Do they use a naming convention for their variables? Do they plan before beginning to code?
Spolsky advises in the chapter entitled “Things You Should Never Do” that a developer should never scrap existing code and start from scratch. I faced this situation after coming on at Fielder. The decision was made to use a content management system (CMS) called DotNetNuke to develop the new website.
I spent several months beating my head against the wall trying to make it work. I finally convinced my new supervisor to permit me to write my own CMS for Fielder. In this instance, it worked out because I was able to tailor the CMS to the needs of Fielder and I wrote it in a language I am very familiar with. This ties in with the iceberg secret.
With software, the user interface, with all the graphics and fonts, composes 10 percent of the work while the programming is 90 percent of the work and goes unnoticed. So when a nonprogrammer sees a program where only 10 percent of the user interface is complete they assume that only 10 percent of the project is complete.
This happens every time I try to show off new functionality on the website. I might show them how I can switch translations of the site with a mouse click. Instead of oohs and aahs I get, “I don’t like the font color” or “Is that the picture we decided on?”
At the same time, most every page on the new site is devoid of copy. So every meeting, I get the question, “Where are we?” I have to remind them that my 90 percent of the programming is done. I just need copy from them. But since the site is empty the natural thought is that it’s a programming issue.
Being Joel: Random Thoughts on Not-So-Random Topics
In the final chapters, Spolsky discusses how to be successful when developing a software business. One chapter is simply titled, “Getting Things Done When You’re Only a Grunt.” Another chapter discusses how each company must either choose the organic growth model of Ben & Jerry’s or the “get big fast” model of Amazon.
Conclusion
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It wasn’t too heavy on the Computer Science (I’m a sociology major turned programmer). He provided a great deal of useful business advice in an entertaining way. I wish this book had been available when I tried my hand at self-employment. I would recommend this book to anyone in software, management or just wanting basic tech business principles.
