Tag Archives: Reading

Books of 2016

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It’s here! The 2016 Book List. I didn’t read as many books as I wanted this past year. For some reason I fell off the wagon sometime in August. I didn’t finish a single book during the last four months of the year. But, there are some outstanding books in this list. There is also one stinker.

I lean heavy on Presidential Biographies when I stray from traditional non-fiction/life improvement type of books. This year I read three such biographies and one more of a man who probably would have been President in MLK.

Scroll down to read my review/opinion on a few. Let me know your opinions in the comments. Let me know which of these you’ve read. And yes, those are affiliate links. (Affiliate earnings allow me to purchase more books!) The author links bring you to the Amazon Author Page for each author, if available.

  1. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
    Author: Jon Meacham

    Reading about the Founding Fathers is always a great time for me.
  2. Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush
    Author: Jon Meacham

    Jon Meacham provides a great review of the incredible life of a great man who dedicated most of his life to the service of his country. George H.W. Bush is a national treasure.
  3. The Last of the President’s Men
    Author: Bob Woodward

    This book can be described with one word: Horrible.
    My copy is now serving a better purpose helping to hold up my wobbly desk. Mr. Woodward may have been a great journalist in the 70’s, but this effort is not worthy of any recommendation. Please avoid it.
  4. The Echo Factor: Living a Life That Resonates Freedom
    Author: Kinda Wilson

    I’m proud to say the author of this great book is a personal friend. Kinda creates a great read combining psychology, story telling, and travel to bring the reader on an adventure that will help you look at yourself and life in general in a different way.
  5. Quarter-Life Calling: Pursuing Your God-Given Purpose In Your Twenties
    Author: Paul Sohn

    If you click the link for this book, you’ll notice it isn’t available until April 4. How is that possible? In self-publishing such an incredible book at the start of 2016, Paul Sohn attracted the attention of agents and publishing houses. This great book will be revised and re-released this coming Spring. Don’t miss out on this one. Pre-order it now.
  6. I’m Proud of You: My Friendship with Fred Rogers
    Author: Tim Madigan

    A great book about the incredible Mr. Rogers.
  7. Gerald R. Ford: An Honorable Life
    Author: James Cannon and Scott Cannon

    President Ford is a hometown boy for me. This biography is well done and worth the read for anyone interested in Presidential history.
  8. Seven Women: And the Secret of Their Greatness
    Author: Eric Metaxas

    Another well written book by one of my favorite biographers.
  9. Breaking Busy: How to Find Peace and Purpose in a World of Crazy
    Author: Alli Worthington

    I liked this book so much I included it in a blog post. Read more about it HERE.
  10. The Alchemist
    Author: Paulo Coelho

    The Alchemist has sold over 150 million copies world-wide. That alone makes it worth the time to put it on your “To Read” list. I read it for the first time this past year, and it will definitely be on my list again in the near future.
  11. Walking on Water: Reading, Writing, and Revolution
    Author: Derrick Jensen

    This book was not on my radar at all this year. My oldest son read it for one of his college classes and asked me to read it as well. Jensen provides an interesting perspective on the profession and practice of writing. While not at the top of my list for books to read on writing, I would still recommend it.
  12. More Than Rivals: A Championship Game and a Friendship That Moved a Town Beyond Black and White
    Author: Ken Abraham

    This is hands down the best book I read in 2016. Ken Abraham weaves an incredibly important story into a wonderful read. 5 Stars all around. Truly a great story, shared well. Special thanks to my friend, Anna Floit, for bringing this one to my attention.
  13. Let the Trumpet Sound: A Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.
    Author: Stephen B. Oates

    Widely considered the preeminent biography of one of the greatest men to ever live in this world. I learned a lot of new information reading this biography. It has also encouraged me to branch out from our Presidents in my search of biographies of great Americans.
  14. I’m Fascinated by Sacrifice Flies: Inside the Game We All Love
    Author: Tim Kurkjian

    It’s baseball. It’s Tim Kurkjian. What more could you want?

There you have it. The whole (short) list.
Later this week I’ll publish my “What I want to read in 2017” list.

On Reading and Learning

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I take notes when I read books. Not every book, but most. I try to read for pure enjoyment sometimes, but even then I find myself taking a few notes.

One book I recently finished is Jon Acuff’s new book Start. I took 12 pages of notes. Some of you may think I’m nuts. That’s fine. My feeling on taking notes goes something like this: “Why read something if I don’t plan to take something from it to improve my life?” Hence, I take notes.

When I’m finished with the book, I review the notes. Then I make notes on my notes. Here are my notes on the notes from Start.

 

Action Points / Steps To Take

  1. What is my passion? Inspiration?
  2. Discover/uncover what inspires my wife and boys.
  3. Sing.
  4. Serve. Help others.
  5. Awesome is taking the detour in your day and enjoying the change of path it is taking you on.
  6. Be brutally realistic about your present and dream honestly.
  7. Forget about spending time “finding” your purpose. “Live” your purpose today. Start! Take the step. Open the door and walk through it.
  8. Gather trusted advisors. Stand on their shoulders.
  9. Document your voices. Share your voices. Share your fear and doubt.
  10. Be selfish at the appropriate time of the day. Claim your time, not others.

 

So now you’re asking what I did with the notes on the notes. Did I follow through on any of the 10 points? Yep. Every day I’m working on these points. Sometimes I need reminders though.

Also, writing this post ties into #7. I’m still working on all of these, but today is a new day, and I’m “punching fear in the face”.

Q: What actions do you take to remember and learn from the books you read? Let us know in the comments! Thanks for joining the conversation.

(This post originally published on August 12, 2013 on https://ricktheule.com.)

 

Explaining Love and Law

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“…because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.” – Ephesians 2: 4-5 (NIV)

I love you God

After reading through Monday’s post and comments a few times, I realized I didn’t explain myself very well. I wanted to explain one thing, and it came off as something a little bit different. If you haven’t read Monday’s post, you may want to read it before continuing. Click here Love and Law

What I realized after reading it over again (and again and again…), is that I didn’t properly tell you where I was stuck.

You all understood the Love part. I need to let the grace and love of Jesus flow into my heart.

The stuck part is in my head. It is not, as I failed to explain, the Law. I’m not hung up on the rules. I’m not legalistic.

I’m stuck on the academic.

The desire to understand doctrine and theology, to decipher the words written by respected theologians and ministers, grabs me. It has grabbed me for decades.

I like reading what they wrote. I like reading about their lives.

John Calvin
Martin Luther
Abraham Kuyper
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and many more.

Sad to say, I can remember thinking more than a few times over the years, the sermon I was hearing needed more details on the doctrine and theology of the sermon topic. I wanted to know the roots and foundation of the pastor’s points.

Did the words I was hearing from the pulpit, in the music I was listening to, in the words I read in the dozens of books I read every year, fit with the doctrine and theology I believe? I wanted to understand the intricacies of the doctrine and theology. (I’m sure I’m not the only person trying to come to a complete understanding of the Trinity while on this side of Heaven. Right?)

Now I intend to pay attention to both. Love and Law. Or more accurately, love and the details of the love working in me and through me to better understand it all.

Let the Love of God flow into me so that I may better understand His Amazing Grace.

Il Divo – Amazing Grace