Books!!! The above picture is of Pa-Pa. A teammate of mine shared this picture with me. At a ripe age, Pa-Pa decided to read the Bible.  Please encourage others to read. To discern for yourself. To get to know you. To understand why you think the way you do. To know your “Worldview!” Below are some suggestions:

May 2016!

My book – The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel

“If Darwin’s right, we’re just sophisticated monkeys. The Bible is wrong. There is no God. And without God, there’s no right or wrong. We can just make up our morals as we go. The basis for all we believe is destroyed. And that’s why this country is headed to hell in a handbasket. Is Darwin responsible? I’ll say this: people have to choose between science and faith, between evolution and the Bible, between the Ten Commandments and make-’em-up-as-you-go-ethics. We’ve make our choice and we’re not budging.”

 

“Understanding our day demands understanding the day before. This means history.”

 

Christianity

 Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis – I’ve read it 12 times and continue to read it. I remember Lewis telling a story about trying to love someone who has ‘did you wrong’ or who you just don’t agree with. Lewis said, instead of trying to figure out how to love him, just act as if you do. There is so much in this good book. Lewis examines free will better than anyone else in my opinion. Thanks David for the book.

A Dairy of Private Prayer by John Baillie – If I had a million bucks, I’d send this book to each one of you. There is a morning prayer and an evening prayer for all 31 days of the month. I’ve been reading this book daily for 4 years and won’t stop.

I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist by Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek – What an exploring read. “Can we handle the truth?” When I taught high school so many  students were so confused as to the “Real Truth,” that they just accepted that what ever you thought was true to you was good enough! Fantastic read I am still into!!!

The Bible – I’ve often wondered why so many people in my life have given me Bibles. What were they trying to tell me? I’ve spoken with many friends about this Book. If you want leadership, if you want politics, if you want wisdom or even to take a risk on asking God to change you because you’ve come to the conclusion you can’t, a book can’t, a mentor can’t,- I suggest you try and read this Book. Get a  good study Bible as well!

Beyond Opinion by Ravi Zacharias – I heard Ravi on the radio. Whoa! A life-long learner. He studied under the authors of I Don’t Have enough Faith to Be an Atheist above. This book is about teaching you to defend your faith. And who would you expect to see in this book? Perhaps our friend Clive Staples Lewis! Well Done! Love it!

The Reason for God by Timothy Keller – Have you ever tried to reason with an atheist? Or – with yourself over what you believe or do not believe? Have you struggled with the priest or minister or preacher who teaches the wrath of God one sermon and the love of God on the next? I have. Keller does a wonderful job on this. Great thinking book.

Faith & Doubt by John Ortberg – I’ve read it 3 times. Cynics – Skeptics – Rebels. When smart people disagree. This is a fantastic book and I know I’ve said that before. Do you have faith? Do you have an inkling of doubt? It’s so much fun to review these books. Encourage reading please!

The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller – This is a great book about the man who had two sons. ‘Neither son loved the father for himself.’ They were both using the father for their own self-centered ends rather than loving, enjoying, and serving him for his own sake. Get this book – you will not regret it.

The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren – I am so glad I read this book. When a friend of mine was grieving the loss of his wife and was mad at God, this book gave me an idea of how to answer. I love the first sentence in the first chapter of this book. It really puts you in your place.

Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander, M.D. – A neurosurgeons personal experience with E. coli. And death – And life. And being there. A love book. A God book. A science book. A family book. A great Christmas present! ‘A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be.’ (Albert Einstein)

Jesus Calling by Sarah Young – A great daily devotional. Ms. Young writes, “My days started alone with God, equipped with Bible, devotional book, prayer journal, pen, and coffee.”……”I did all the talking.”…….” I decided to listen to God with pen in hand.” This is a great little devotional. A great gift as well.

Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman – A pastor/friend gave me this devotional and wrote,” I confess that simply writing the date above was a bit ‘risky’ as it will always bring to mind the days after Arlington.” We all have streams in the desert. This devotional helps daily. A great gift as well.

History

Serious Times by James Emory White – How did we get to where we are today? Secularization – Pluralization & Privatization – big words and Pastor White nails them. Insights put together in an outstanding manner. You will journal this book. On every page I wrote a note.

Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley – You want to really know about Iwo Jima? Do you want to know the background about that statue?  Read this book.

Killing Kennedy by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard – If history books were written this way – history for non-history students would be enjoyable. Kennedy’s assassination was a significant event in my life at 11 years old.  It still is. This book is simply a sit back in a good chair and get lost in time book.

Killing Patton by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. – Like I said above. Wow. I purposely delayed ending this book because I enjoyed it so much. Please teach history by these wonderful books. Kids would learn to love to read! I had no idea. Roosevelt and Stalin in cahoots against Churchill? Someone possibly killed Patton? What a great history book!

Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard – My son turned me on to the Civil War. Many people have given me books about Lincoln and then O’Reilly comes up with this one. As a teacher who covers history, I highly recommend this book and the Kennedy book. You can read these books and tell a story which will captivate students and encourage them to read.

America’s Secret War by George Friedman – founder of Stratfor – ‘Geopolitics teaches the importance of place in the world. Americans tend to think of its leaders as fools and knaves and of its enemies as psychotic. This seems to comfort us. This book argues that while America’s leaders might be knaves, they are not fools, and that while our enemies might have utterly different moral values that are repugnant to us, they are far from insane.’ I’ve read this book twice. Lent it out. Didn’t get it back and bought it again.

Flyboys by James Bradley – History you never knew. You will get in a chair and get lost in this book just like his other – Flags of our Fathers. This is a real read. A man’s book!

Extraordinary Encounters with God by Walter L. Walker – History from 593 B.C. to 1995. Short stories (1&1/2 pages). Very interesting. Everything from Epimenides of Crete to Dennis Byrd, defensive end of the NY Jets. Joan of Arc story is super!

Character

 The Power of Positive Thinking  by Norman Vincent Peale – I read it on Mr. Miller’s advice in 10th grade and it has made a significant impact on my life. My three favorite words to go to sleep are: tranquility, serenity and black. Awesome book!

The Road to Character by David Brooks – Doc sent me this book. A great one. The two Adams – Adam One – the gatherer – the conqueror, Adam Two – the thinker – Why are we here? Also, when did we change as a people from being team centered to individual centered? Johnny Unitas vs. Joe Namath!

Developing the Leader Within You by John C. Maxwell – Great book on leadership. Great book to read if you coach captains on teams, if you lead people or if you want to become an influential leader who people WANT to follow. Maxwell writes, “Long ago I realized that in working with people I have two choices. I can close my arms or I can open them. Both choices have strengths and weaknesses…….”

Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy – Coach Dungy lets you in on his personal life and the people who mentored him along the way. If you’re a coach (and who ain’t) you should read this book.

No Excuses by Brian Tracy – I’ve listened to Brian Tracy CDs and he is just great. Tracy explains the power of “mindstorming,” asking yourself a question and then generating twenty different answers, and challenges you to “keep raising the bar” in your own performance. This book is about self-discipline

The Book of Man by William J. Bennett – Thank you Doc! The chapters are : Man in War; Man at Work; Man in Play, Sport, and Leisure; Man in the Polis; Man with Woman and Children; Man in Prayer and Reflection; and Man at the End. Great book for man!

Leadership

Lee Kuan Yew by Lee Kuan Yew – Chapters include The Future of China, the United States, U.S. & China relations, Future of India, Future of Islamic Extremism, Future of National Economic growth, Geopolitics and the Future of Democracy. What a great leader this man is. Thanks Doc!

Winning Every Day by Lou Holtz – Coach Holtz’s humor makes you smile. After reading this you can understand why he was so effective.

The Speed of Trust by Stephen M. R. Covey – Trust – The bottom line is trust in every aspect of family, business, God, kids, school and you name it. Once again, Dr Suse, thank you for this autographed book.

Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni – I read this book in 2004 and have read it again. If your a coach, a team builder, a military leader, a CEO or a dad or mom I suggest you read this book and apply Lencioni’s principles. If your organization has dysfunctions – this great book will start you on the journey of getting them fixed. There is a simple questionnaire to give people in your organization. This will provide you feedback. I’ve used this. Sometimes reality hurts.  Oh, by the way, the first dysfunction is ‘Trust!’ The second is ‘Fear of Conflict!’

Ronald Reagan THE NOTES edited by Douglas Brinkley – Collected by the Ronald Reagan Foundation, The Notes is a fantastic window into the mind of our fortieth president. Example: “Today the average man lives 25 yrs. longer than he did a century ago – he has to – to get his taxes paid.” This little book will make you think and smile!

Coaching

Ten Men You Meet In The Huddle by Bill Curry – Football lovers of the 60’s & 70’s and history buffs of football with just get lost in these 10 men Bill Curry writes about. Can you imagine being in a huddle with Johnny Unites? This book is so fun!

Ruanaidh by Art Rooney Jr. with Roy McHugh – The Steelers history. If you are a Steeler fan forever, you may want to purchase this book. This autographed book was given to me by Doctor Suse! I thank you!

The Winners Manuel by Jim Tressel – This is also a sports book by the former Ohio State coach. It’s a combination of faith, discipline, team concepts and the Block of Life. Excellent coaching book! Jim Tressel got a bad rap. Shame!

Hey, Coach by Jeff Dudan – I have coached mid-school football with Jeff, an Appalachian grad and football player and leader. I just like the way he thinks and encourages the people who now work for him to read. He’s a book advocate and sent me this book. Awesome for any sport or business or school. How do you handle parents, staff members, teammates, family and as Jeff wrote in the front of the book to me: Coach Mark, “If we lose our why, we lose our way!”

Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni – I read this book in 2004 and have read it again. If your a coach, a team builder, a military leader, a CEO or a dad or mom I suggest you read this book and apply Lencioni’s principles. If your organization has dysfunctions – this great book will start you on the journey of getting them fixed. There is a simple questionnaire to give people in your organization. This will provide you feedback. I’ve used this. Sometimes reality hurts.  Oh, by the way, the first dysfunction is ‘Trust!’ The second is ‘Fear of Conflict!’ (This book is in the leadership section of this site as well.)

Health

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan – I thought margarine was better than butter. I had no idea about margarine until I read it’s beginning. Now I do. Processed foods – the inside of a grocery store – the sugar, the stuff they put in our foods, the whole low-fat deal – could it be bogus? Very educational.

Killing Cancer Not People by Robert G. Wright – The book’s author is not a doctor and he doesn’t play one. However, this is a very educational book on cancer and I suggest everyone should read it. The author claims that, ‘This book is about truth. Cancer truth.’

Love

Living, Loving & Learning by Leo Buscaglia, Ph.D. – This book cost me $1.00 at a used book store. Ever hear of a professor who has the guts to teach love, to cry, to get real – real with you? Leo is fantastic. People who are dating with the intention to get married should read this book. Dr. Buscaglia covers love, life, death, kids and so much more. Google him and see a utube of his teaching if you don’t believe me.

Crazy Love by Francis Chan – ‘Change is uncomfortable. So why does God still love us, despite us? Daily life is mostly focused on today’s to-do list, this week’s schedule, and next month’s vacation. How many of us would really leave our families, our jobs, our education, our friends, our connections, our familiar surroundings and our homes if Jesus asked us to?’ Twice I read this great book. Check out his utubes also.

Philosophy

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell – Do you make judgments on people within 3 seconds? Yep! We do. Gladwell takes this all apart and explains it so well. He was on 60 Minutes on 24 November 2013. Interesting author and thinker. I like him! More on his other books later.

After World View Edited by Matthew Bonzo and Michael Stevens – A very good book on worldviews. How do we see the world? A very short book with several opinions. I got this in a used bookstore for .50 cents.  It’s a small paperback book which I just find fascinating

The Art of Living by Epictetus – Short and put together by Sharon Lebell. Epictetus (epic-tee-tus) believed that the primary job of philosophy was to help   folks meet the challenges of everyday life and to cope with inevitable difficulties.

The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis – This was Lewis’s hardest book to write. Why? He had to think like the devil. Great book which exposes you to the sly way evil works!

Between Heaven and Hell by Peter Kreeft – Thank you Ann! Ann always said I should get this book. I got a hard copy and a kindle copy. Just a great theological book. On November 22, 1963  C.S. Lewis, Aldous Huxley and John F. Kennedy died. Kreeft does a hypothetical dialog with these three theologians as they meet somewhere after death. This is a thinking book and I’ve read it 4 times.

David & Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell – Ever feel like you’re the Little Fish in the Big Pond or the Big Fish in the Little Pond? This book is so well put together. I had no idea David had the advantages over Goliath that he did. I often wondered about peer pressure and ‘those real smart students.’ How was I ever going to compete? I highly recommend this book!

A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley – Clone em! Program em so they know no better. What a piece of work! “Reducing the number of revolutions per minute,” Mr. Foster explained. “The surrogate goes round slower; therefore passes through the lung at longer intervals; therefore gives the embryo less oxygen. Nothing like oxygen- shortage for keeping an embryo below par.” Again he rubbed his hands.

Switch by Chip Heath & Dan Heath – This is a book about many things but mostly it centers on human behavior. I’ve used the many things this book has taught me in the classroom. Bad books  for instance. This book says this: ‘Bad is stronger than good.’ As Leslie Fiedler once said, lots of novelists have achieved their fame by focusing on marital problems, but there’s never been a successful novel about a happy marriage. (They obviously haven’t read Leo). Either way. A great leadership book. Thanks Jeff for the book!

 

Education

An Education of our Time by Josiah Bunting III – So many of you have commented on what General Buntings had to say about changing our educational system. Does it need to change? Have we drifted from philosophy? Should we have coed dorms? Have we drifted too far from morals in all aspects of life? Are colleges too liberal?

 Gifted Hands by Ben Carson, M.D. – We need more Doc Ben Carsons in the world. What a fantastic story. Several of my readers have purchased this book for presents for their families. What a mom he had. As Dr. He loves to read (because of mom)- imagine that!

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch – Just like the books by Leo Buscaglia teaches, death is part of life. Mr. Pausch gives his last lecture to the students at Carnegie Mellon University. This is about cancer. This is about life. This is about a loving husband and wife. This is about young kids and a dad dying of cancer. This is a reality book.

Grief

A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis – When Joy Davidson died (Lewis’s wife) he grieved and he put all his thoughts down in this book. Many people I know have experienced a grieving loss in their life. I’ve given this book to so many. Besides the Bible, this is the best book I know of when one grieves. This is a sad topic – but it is reality.

Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo – A little boy, before he even understood life – goes to heaven. He tells mom and dad stuff they knew that he didn’t know. He waters their eyes. Great book to read to your kids at night and they will want more each night. Many kids have checked this book out of my library. EnJOY!

Parenting

The One Minute Father by Spencer Johnson, M.D. – ‘The more children like themselves – The more they like to behave themselves.’ ‘Could it simply be that you didn’t have a happy homelife because it wasn’t one of your goals?’ Do you need to be a better dad? Enough said.

tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom – Life’s greatest lesson? Great ‘read to your kids book!’ I heard the door to Morrie’s study close. I stared at the TV set. Everyone in the world is watching this thing, I told myself.

Retirement

Halftime by Bob Buford – Sent to me by the ‘Doc’ and I’ve read it because I am in my second half. I gave this book to my buddy Zman who is in his second half and he loves it as well. If you are lost, or searching, or wondering what to do with your second half – Read this book!

What’s going on?

The Koran – After 9/11 I went out to Barnes and Nobles and had to buy this book. Glad I read it. Hard read for me, but I gained insight for myself.

Keep it Pithy by Bill O’Reilly – What fun. Direct as could be – pithy! Mr. O’Reilly covers everything from Christmas to Rosie O’Donnell in a very fun and thought provoking way. Does he  bloviate or is he pithy? Do we enjoy freedom of religion in America? ‘Because of the rise of secularism, a philosophy that argues there is no room for spirituality in the public arena, religious expression in public is under pressure from some in the media and, of course, from the intolerant secularists who hold power in many different quarters. They are definitely not looking out for you.’

 

Fiction

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis – Awesome – Just awesome! “No fear! said Polly. “We don’t want any danger.”

“Oh, but don’t you see it’s no good?” said Digory. “We can’t get out of it now.”

They both looked at it hard and,  as you might have expected, the letters cut in the stone where strange.

Make your choice, adventurous Stranger;

Strike the bell and bide the danger,

Or wonder, till it drives you mad,

What would of followed if you had. 

more to come

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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