Risk is Right - Book Review

I didn't know what to expect when I started listening to Christian Audio's version of Risk Is Right: Better to Lose Your Life Than to Waste It by John Piper. I hadn't heard of this book before I downloaded it. I am writing this review to tell you that I really liked this book.

Before I begin, here is Christian Audio's description of the book:

As social justice, environmental causes, and not-for-profit ministries rise in popularity, more and more people are looking for a life of adventure, to live for something greater than themselves. Helping Christians put their faith into action for the glory of God, popular pastor John Piper is releasing this stand-alone edition of chapter 5 from his best-selling book Don’t Waste Your Life. Piper teaches that risk is an action that opens us up to the possibility of loss or injury, but that living for Christ necessarily involves taking risks in faith, a road that ultimately leads to fullness of joy, the glory of God, and the good of others.

First of all, as with all of John Piper's books that I've read, there is a significant emphasis on scripture. I love this about his books. They feel more like an expository breakdown of different passages, than they do an opening up of John Piper. Sure, it is just a book, and we are going to get the author's opinion when we read (or listen) to it, but it is so saturated with the Word of God that it feels like the personal opinion is filtered out and the opinion of the inspired text reigns supreme. Because of this emphasis, this book, like so many others that Piper has written, can easily be read over and over again, feeling like there is always something else to get out of it. This also paves the way for this book to become more of a study resource, than simply a light read.

Secondly, this book drilled into an issue that is close to my heart. I have always loved the aspect of excitement and adventure in following Jesus. This book really honed in on this part of my heart in a way that made me think a bit more realistically and at the same time it made me dream big when it comes to risking it all for the sake of Christ.

Finally, on the audio version specifically, David Cochran Heath is one of my favorite voice talents. I had heard his voice in audio Bibles before, but have just recently been hearing his voice in a few audio books. He really brings life to the book and his emphasis always seems properly placed.

This wasn't a very long book, but you can pick it up for an affordable price right now. It is worth it.

The Seed and The Soil of Education (New Learning Project Part 1)

(This is my entry for the first part of my project for my New Learning course that I am taking.) Introduction Corn Fields in Illinois I have lived the majority of my life in the Midwest: mid-state Illinois to be specific. Where I live, farming is everywhere. My grandparents and great-grandparents on both sides of my family were farmers. My dad grew up on a farm and owned farmland, well into my own adulthood. But, even if it wasn’t in the family, I still would have been surrounded by farming. You can’t go more than a mile outside of my city’s limits without encountering miles and miles of fields. Most of our highways, and even interstates, are located between acres of farmland.

This too shall pass...

Gam zeh ya'avor (Hebrew) "This Too Shall Pass" Welcome! According to Google Analytics, this is by far the most visited post that I have ever written. If someone comes here from a search engine, most of the time they are looking for " this too shall pass quote " or simply " this too shall pass " on Google or one of the other search engines. I am sure that most of the time visitors are looking for the originations of this quote, but I have to wonder, why is this quote on people's minds? Why are they pondering the passing of events? Here is my thought: It is probably because most of us have realized that the adult life is much harder than we ever imagined it to be. There is more pain and more sorrow than we had ever imagined as children, but we have learned that time keeps ticking. And as time continues to flow things pass. In fact, even the really big things and the really hard things will still pass. If you are here because you are thinking ...

The Minnesota Crime Commission wrote:

Every baby starts life as a little savage. He is completely selfish and self-centered. He wants what he wants when he wants it: his bottle, his mother's attention, his playmate's toys, his uncle's watch, or whatever. Deny him these and he seethes with rage and aggressiveness which would be murderous were he not so helpless. He's dirty, he has no morals, no knowledge, no developed skills. This means that all children, not just certain children but all children, are born delinquent. If permitted to continue in their self-centered world of infancy, given free reign to their impulsive actions to satisfy each want, every child would grow up a criminal, a thief, a killer, a rapist.

HARMLESS THOUGHTS

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