Productivity 101

Sometimes reading just comes natural to me and sometimes things are very slow. I intend to write about the books I read on this blog because of the fact that it forces me to reflect on books just before I put them back on the shelf.

I tend to have a couple of topics for books that I like to read. I blend them together with autobiography types of books. Generally you can learn a lot of people who take the effort to write down what happened to them.

As part of the Thomas Nelson Book review blogger initiative I got the chance to read the book “Through the Storm” by Lynne Spears, the mother of Britney, Bryan and Jamie Lynn Spears. This book has given me an peek into the hectic life of a family that went into a world not suited for them nor even made for them. As Lynne tells herself in this book they were just a middle-class small-town family.

The book is very well written. It is an easy read but not boring at all. Balanced and with tension are words that come to mind. Two things really stand out after reading this book:

1. Stars are just ordinary people not prepared for the things that come with stardom. In a sense the Spears family didn’t ask for a lot of things that came with the tremendous success of Britney. They just have a place where they grew up just as all of us. They come from the same planet. The people and the media treat stars as if they are from a different planet.

2. Your life is greatly affected by the choices you make. Thinking about big decisions in your life is really, really important. I see a sad combination of wrong choices, wrong people and bad luck as the factors that attributed to the trials this family went through. Lynne sums it up quite nicely somewhere in the book when she writes:

“I wish now I had trusted the professionals a little less and given myself more credit for my own instincts.”

Together with the fact that she puts here hope on GodI makes this book a strong story because not all whent well. In the end a glimpse of hope is evolving and I sure hope and pray that life will bring more joy for the Spears family.

Title: Through the Storm, a real story of fame and family in a tabloid world
Author: Lynne Spears with Lorilee Craker
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Book review as part of the Book Review Blogger initiative by Thomas Nelson (http://brb.thomasnelson.com)

written by Fokke \\ tags: Book review, Books

When I came across the Book Review Bloggers program from Thomas Nelson I immediately signed up. I love reading and writing about books that have impacted my life. I heard about The Noticer project from @michaelhyatt on Twitter.

The book is a novel about planting seeds of perspective in peoples lives. It is a lovely read, beautiful stories tied together by Jones who appears in the lives of people just at the right moment. The only thing Jones does is offering people a new perspective on their lives. And frankly until you read it this might sound odd to you, but the words are really powerful.

Around the book – available this week -  is a campaign to notice the five most influential people in your life. On a special web site people are encouraged to notice and acknowledge these people for the things they have done. I have added an item to my quarterly review list to think about and name the five most influential people in my life.

Title: The Noticer
Author: Andy Andrews
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

As part of the Thomas Nelson Book review Bloggers (http://brb.thomasnelson.com)

written by Fokke \\ tags: Book review, Books

One of the wonderful things about being a blogger is that every once in a while someone wants you to review something. Or you get opportunities you normally won’t have. I don’t blog because I want to become a rich man, although money is something you can’t without in our Western Society. If you don’t have money you can’t provide your family with the basic needs of life like eating, drinking and clothing. Let alone education and healthcare.

A couple of weeks ago I read a tweet from Michael Hyatt where he announced that the first 100 bloggers to respond would get a free copy of the new book by Stephen Mansfield on the Faith of Barack Obama. I follow Michael Hyatt on Twitter and have read his blog post about the book. I am living in Europe but American politics have had my interest for a long time. There have been times in my life I seriously wanted to move to the US. Being a husband and dad of five wonderful children makes that to sheer impossible journey. But I still have a genuine interest in the history of the US. I also follow the news on what is happening across the pond.

The 2008 election campaign is something not easy to miss. Even here in the Netherlands during the Clinton and Obama battle news has been dominated by these events. For us here it is sometimes hard to understand and grasp what all the fuss is about. So I already had this book on my To Read list. So when the tweet came by, I was online and was amongst the first 100.

The faith of Barack Obama by Stephen Mansfield has clearly helped me getting a better understanding of what is going on in the US right now. If Barack Obama will become president of the US, it will be in more than one way a big change in US history. Not only because of the color of his skin but also his outspoken religious left standpoint will be new. The problem is that not everybody will have that in mind. It was a pleasure reading the book. Stephen Mansfield has succeeded in giving a nice and comprehensive overview of a big part of the political issues that are surrounding the election this year.

It is my opinion that especially those voters that want their christian worldview to be reflected in their president should read this book. As I write this McCain is in the lead in the polls. My fair guess after reading this book is that it is still too early for Obama to be able to win this election. I personally think that in the end most American citizens will choose for McCain because the America Obama stands for is still to come.

On The faith of Barack Obama, written by Stephen Mansfield, Thomas Nelson 2008, ISBN 978-5955-5250-1. 

written by Fokke \\ tags: Books, Personal