The Pharaoh’s Daughter by: Mesu Andrews!

My wife and I are both graduates of Multnomah University in Portland, OR. I had the honor of being mentored by Dr. Roy Andrews. I spent quite some time with him, and in that process, I got to meet his wife Mesu. Not knowing a whole lot about her, I at least knew that she was a woman who Loved God, and loved family. I would hear about her trips away for her books, and I’d hear about her next project(s). It was awesome. So when I saw this book in the Blogging for Books list, I had to pick it up.

I must say that I have never been a huge fan of Fiction books in general (which is why you don’t see a lot of them in my reviews). However, I figured since I knew Mesu, and that since my wife and I work with teen girls who love reading fiction, I’d give it a shot. I AM GLAD I DID!

Mesu’s writing style is captivating, and engaging. Before I knew it I was more than half-way through the book. Being a Bible College graduate, and being a Pastor to students, I am always looking for ways to present God’s word in a catchy way.

In The Pharaoh’s Daughter Mesu tells the story of Moses, but from a completely different perspective than is commonly taught (this is what makes it fiction). She tells us the story of Moses’ mother, who was an Egyptian. While it is true we don’t know a whole lot about Moses’ mother, Mesu has taken it upon herself to study the culture, to study the way of life, and to take that in-depth knowledge and tell us what ‘may have’ happened. I am extremely impressed. She has done a great job of staying true to the Biblical text, all while helping us to look at the vague details in a deeper way.

This is defiantly a series I would recommend to those in my youth group, those in my family, to those who love fiction, and to those who want to learn biblical truths but need to do so in a more creative way.

I got this book for my honest review through the Blogging for Books program.

American Sniper: the autobiography of the most lethal sniper in U.S. history by: Chris Kyle

I’ve said it before, my wife and I love to look around in shops in towns, look to see what makes towns special, and to just enjoy being together. There is this one little store in Sweet Home Oregon that has tons of books in it! It’s actually one of the places we like to look at when we are looking for books for my wife’s classroom (anything Disney, and anything about Ramona the Pest). So one day we went in looking for books and on the shelf next to the register I saw American Sniper!

Having both seen the movie, we both were happy to see this book for ‘dirt cheap’ (after all this little store sells used books for dirt cheap). I must begin by saying this book is NOT about the war! If you are against the war many things in this book will frustrate you. If you are for the war, many things in this book will frustrate you. The reality is, that Chris Kyle is giving us a ‘sneak peek’ into what life as a SEAL is really like. He goes into gruesome detail about training, being shot at, killing people, clearing buildings, and many other things that go with war. (I in no way assume that Chris went into full detail in this book. Nor am I sure that I really would have preferred that he did).

American Sniper is a candid, book giving us different perspective. We all have our opinions about what war looks like, and some of us have family members who served, or have seen war’s impact on the lives of those we know and love. But Chris doesn’t even care about that. He wants us to see that the US MILITARY is a family! Regardless of rank, branch, or job, they all work together to reach a common goal (in this case kill bad guys in Iraq). With all of the war things, Chris is also very candid about the affects war had on his marriage. We often hear that war changes people, and it isn’t uncommon to hear about divorces after soldiers return from war. But I appreciate the fact that the Kyle’s story is different. They have shown us that yes, war does change the soldier. Yes, war does make it hard on the family. BUT…… they showed us that when you get married that you work through issues.

Like I said earlier, I don’t for one minute believe that Chris told us all the gruesome details of war. Nor did he tell us all the details of how it affected his family and marriage. But I do know that he has encouraged us to support our troops (regardless of how we feel about the war they were fighting). Excellent book!

Built to Last:Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by:Jim Collins & Jerry Porras

When I was in the mood for another book to read, I found BUILT TO LAST on my shelf. I must admit that I originally had no desire to read this book. I received it from a friend of mine who was retiring and wanted to spread some of his knowledge onto me as I was beginning my career. I am greatful for his willingness to share this book with me.

BUILT TO LAST is a book that is every euntrpanure’s dream book. The basic premise of the book is to figure out what makes a company not just be ‘good’ but ‘exceptional.’ This book is heavy on research. In fact, they basically do research on 2 companies in a specific area of focus, and proceed to show us what made the one skyrocket above the other.

If you are a part of a start up company, or are on a management team, or are on leadership with a non-profit organization, you will want to check this book out.