Avatar and Daughter #1

In case you haven't heard, the movie 'Avatar' is a big deal. My oldest daughter, Makenzie, and I went to see it a few nights ago.

As far as movies go, we really enjoyed the IMAX 3-D experience, the buttery popcorn, and a Cherry Coke. The visuals were off the charts! The story was fun, even though it was low-grade propaganda and predictable. And as far as post-movie dinners go, Arby's roast beef sandwiches were just fine. The Jamocha shakes were even better!

What I really enjoyed about the evening was spending time with my beautiful and intelligent daughter. She's really no longer a girl, she's a young lady. I am impressed with the way she carries herself. She is not locked into herself, she is aware of what's going on around her. She picked up on the not-so-subtle messages of James Cameron. She looks at things with a Christian worldview.

One day she'll break my heart when she says, 'Dad, Jose and I want to get married.' I'll freak out!!!  :) But until then, I am so glad I get to spend time with her and watch her grow as a person. I'm parentally proud of how she's doing and thankful to God that He has given Norma and I the opportunity, strength, and wisdom in training her. May He continue to help her along and bless us in the process.

The Way of the Shepherd

My friend and co-worker, Dale, told me that this was a good little book. He leant me his copy and it sat on my desk for a few weeks. I just finished it's 114 pages last night and I have to agree - it is good!

The subtitle is '7 Secrets to Managing Productive People' and it addresses that topic in a fictional form. The use of stories for communicating principles is nothing new and the actual principles in this story were also not new. But it was told in such a winsom and direct way that the book was fun to read and thought-provoking.

Since all leaders can always do better at knowing, caring for, and guiding their 'sheep', the opportunity to receive a few tips is not always welcome. I know that's true in my case, but this little book did it in a way that works. While reading I simultaneously thought 'Oh man, I've blown it!' and 'I can do that!'.  I think it has to do with that old song, "A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down."

While each of the principles has great value, the three that stood out most to me were these:
  1 - You have to know your flock, and they have to know you.
  2 - The rod of correction includes fighting for your sheep and correcting your sheep.
  3 - Great leadership is a lifestyle, not a technique. It's a matter of the heart.

I've gotta thank Dale for being a good friend, a leader who seeks to be a better shepherd, and a man who loves his family. Thanks for recommending the book; I'll give it back before Jesus returns!

To anyone looking for a quick refresher on fundamental leadership principles, I heartily recommend 'The Way of the Shepherd' to you. It IS a good little book.

Nelson's Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts 3rd ed.

Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, Third Edition is a nice piece for a basic, Bible study library. It is intended to give you information about each book of the Bible by telling you about the author, date, theme(s), and structure of that book. The anonymous compilers of this work have done a good job of using maps, charts, and outlines to give the reader a better grasp of the Bible book he/she is studying.

Being an owner of an older Comfort Print edition, I was happy to see the new look of the Third Edition! From cover to cover, everything looks better! After doing a few book-to-book comparisons, I found that the content had not changed one bit. It’s all about the packaging, and Thomas Nelson has done a great job with it. The addition of on-line access to selected charts is a nice bonus. It would be nice if ALL the charts, graphs, photos, and maps were available to owners of the book, but so would winning the lottery. Maybe that’ll come with the fourth edition.

Because the content is basic in nature, the seasoned student of Scripture will not find it especially helpful for discovering new data. He/she will find it more useful as a ‘refresher’. On the other hand, I think that the new student of Scripture will appreciate and enjoy the assistance offered in this colorful, easy-to-read resource for learning about the books of the Bible.