Safely Home | President’s Pages

President’s Pages

A fresh lead on a good read

A Note from Dr. Jim Colman

Have you ever read a good book and wanted to let others know they should read it? That situation happens to me frequently. I love to get a fresh lead on a good read. President’s Pages is a monthly book review designed to give you some quick insights into a book I think you’d enjoy. If you’ve got a book you’d like to review, send me an email and we’ll see about getting you on the schedule.

November Review: Safely Home by Randy Alcorn

Recent headlines have placed a spotlight on the growing persecution of Christians in China, only one among many countries where followers of Christ face hardships. This month’s book provides a contemporary and relevant reminder of the high cost some pay to serve the Lord.

Safely Home by Randy Alcorn is a Christian novel with a story that crosses political, cultural, and spiritual boundaries. The story follows the lives of two Harvard roommates, one American and one Chinese, whose lives intersect in China decades after graduation.

Every day, Li Quan asks himself, “Is this the day I die?” He is fully aware that practicing his faith in Christ could lead to the loss of his life. Ben Fielding, a self-sufficient businessman with much that the world has to offer, discovers why Li Quan is willing to ask such a question, and his life is shaken to its very foundations.

Alcorn does a masterful job weaving the characters together while making us care about them. In the end, he delivers a powerful message about faith, hope, and the power of God to bring his children safely home. I highly recommend this book.

— Jim Colman

President’s Pages is written by Dr. Jim Colman, CEO of Lenawee Christian Ministries. Jim is married to Becky and they have two children and several grandchildren.

Alone: Finding Connection in a Lonely World

President’s Pages

A fresh lead on a good read

A Note from Dr. Jim Colman

This Month's Review: Alone: Finding Connection in a Lonely World

Youth leader and author, Andy Braner, is frequently asked, “What’s the biggest problem we can identify in the teenage nation today?” For him, the answer is easy: Teenagers are living all alone. In spite of seemingly endless connectivity, young people are essentially alone.

Braner seeks to explore this contention in his book entitled, Alone: Finding Connection in a Lonely World published by NavPress. He suggests that more electronic connection with people located literally around the world is a poor substitute for the presence of real people with whom we can share experiences.

The book is aimed as a direct communication to teenagers, but it can certainly benefit adults as well. It takes an honest look at the causes of loneliness. Some of his topics include the role of online connection, the darkness of depression, fear, addiction, and love. Braner asks hard questions and seeks to provide insightful answers drawn directly from a strong belief that faith in God and an understanding of His Word, the Bible, can give hope in the loneliest of times.

Braner says, “My hope is that we can tackle the reasons so many of us feel alone in the world and shine some light on how to make loneliness disappear.” I believe your teenager, and/or you, will find encouragement in Braner’s exploration.

— Jim Colman

President’s Pages is written by Dr. Jim Colman, CEO of Lenawee Christian Ministries. Jim is married to Becky and they have two children and several grandchildren.

Courage: The Backbone of Leadership

President’s Pages

A fresh lead on a good read

A Note from Dr. Jim Colman

This Month's Review: Courage: The Backbone of Leadership

“Thus courage—or its absence—determines all outcomes. Modestly put, courage decides quality of life and personal as well as institutional success.”

These introductory words set the stage for a wonderful and insightful book entitled Courage: The Backbone of Leadership by Gus Lee. The team that serves with me at Lenawee Christian Ministries has frequently heard me say that the decisions we must make are seldom hard to figure out. The question is whether we have the fortitude to make them. This idea lies at the heart of Lee’s book.

The book is aimed at anyone who leads. It is not a “Ten Easy Steps…” or a “Top Five Qualities…” book. Instead, like William Wallace rousing the troops to battle in the movie Braveheart, it’s intended to strengthen the hearts of those who must make hard decisions. The encouragement is centered on two important activities. First, we have to establish high core values and second, we have to make courageous decisions in alignment with those core values.

Lee shares his ideas in three sections. The first is a hypothetical story in which the characters are faced with tough decisions. This section will remind every leader of similar experiences in their lives. In the second section, Lee unwraps the important preparation and practices that lead to courageous decision-making. The third section provides clear steps leaders can take to grow their courage.

Courage: The Backbone of Leadership is a very enjoyable read. Lee’s easy-to-read writing style and the obvious wisdom he’s gained from personal experience are a powerful combination. I highly recommend the book for anyone in a leadership role in which tough decisions occur.

President’s Pages is written by Dr. Jim Colman, CEO of Lenawee Christian Ministries. Jim is married to Becky and they have two children and several grandchildren.

President’s Pages – Kristin Wynalda

President’s Pages

Have you ever read a good book and wanted to let others know they should read it? That situation happens to me frequently. I love to get a fresh lead on a good read. If you’ve got a book you’d like to review, send me a note and we’ll see about getting you on the schedule. – Dr. Jim Colman

A Note from Dr. Jim Colman

I love to get a fresh lead on a good read. Since many of you are probably in the same situation, I’m starting a monthly Lenawee Christian Ministries feature called President’s Pages. Each month, I’ll pass along a book title for your consideration. The recommendations will include books I’ve read as well as suggestions from guest reviewers. Topics will range across the literary spectrum from fiction to non-fiction, parenting to leadership, and if you’ve got a book you’d like to review, send me an email and we’ll see about getting you on the schedule.

Today’s reviewer is Kristin Wynalda. Kristin is a stay-at-home mom who has a passion for reading to kids. She’s the author of a blog devoted to chapter book reading to young children that you can find at: www.bigbookslittleears.com.

This Month's Review - May 2018

As a parent, I have been vigilant about teaching my kids to say “thank you.” After birthdays and Christmas, I make them sit down to write out their thank you notes. I know that expressing thanks is an important skill they need to have.

But getting kids to do the outward actions of saying “thanks” and writing thank you notes is the easy part. It’s training their hearts to actually be appreciative that is so hard. This is the topic Kristen Welch tackles in Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World.

The writing style is very casual. She writes from experience raising her own kids and is very transparent about the things that worked and didn’t work. If you like a good blog post, you’ll love her style, but if you’re looking for a scholarly book about parenting, this probably isn’t for you.

I appreciated Kristen’s honesty. As she writes, she makes it obvious that she is in the thick of this parenting thing with us. She knows the struggles we are dealing with as we raise our kids TODAY, because she is raising her kids right now with us.

Another thing I appreciated about the book is the practical action steps she suggests. This book is not about parenting theory. Rather, this book is filled with things you can do with your kids today and every day. My children are preschool-age and the book is geared toward parents with school-age children, but I still came away with a plan to combat selfishness in my kids.

Kristen also offers the encouragement that as we slog away trying to teach our children gratitude we are doing it for the Lord. Our love for God and our children can help us take on this monumental task of raising appreciative children. This book reminds us we can do it, and we aren’t alone.

I highly recommend Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch and published by Tyndale Momentum.

— Kristin Wynalda, www.bigbookslittleears.com

President’s Pages is written by Dr. Jim Colman, CEO of Lenawee Christian Ministries. Jim is married to Becky and they have two children and several grandchildren.