Category Archives: Book Reviews

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Life Principle #2: Give Honest, Sincere Appreciation

I have been struck by the power of affirmation and appreciation.  I have also been struck by the destructive power of criticism.

Recently I tried to encourage someone to always find the good, always look for the opportunity to compliment and appreciate, and never complain or criticize.  Their response was, “But if you only knew that person, if you only knew how difficult they can be, and how much criticism they deserve.”

This response misses the point completely!  It was only when I dropped the contempt and criticisms did I start to see the gifts in the other person.  It is only when you look for the appreciation will the critical spirit in YOU fade away.

It is NOT about the other person; it is about YOU.  It is about healing YOUR image of yourself, the world around you, and others.

Our marriages and relationships would truly be transformed if we followed Carnegie’s first 2 principles always leading with this one.

“I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among my people…the greatest asset I possess, and the way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement.  There is nothing else that so kills the ambitions of a person as criticisms from superiors.  I never criticize anyone.  I believe in giving a person incentive to work.  So I am anxious to praise but loathe to find fault.  If I like anything, I am hearty in my approbation and lavish in my praise… in my wide association in life, meeting with many and great people in various parts of the world… I have yet to find a person, however great or exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than he would ever do under a spirit of criticism.”-Charles Schwab

“Every man I meet is my superior in some way.  In that, I learned from him.”-Emerson

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Carnegie:

  • “That is what Schwab did.  What do average people do?  The exact opposite.  If they don’t like to think, they ball out their  subordinates; if they do like it, they say nothing.  As the old couplet says: “once I did bad and that I heard ever/twice I did good, but that I heard never.”-pg 38
  • “I once succumbed to the Fad of fasting and went for six days and nights without eating… I was less hungry at the end of the sixth day than I was at the end of the second.  Yet I know, as you know, people who think they had committed a crime if they let their families or employees go for six days without food; but they will let them go for six days,  six weeks, and sometimes 60 years without giving them the hearty appreciation that they crave almost as much as they crave food.”-pg 40
  • ” When Alfred Lunt, one of the great actors of his time, played the leading role in Reunion in Vienna, he said, “there is nothing I need so much as nourishment for my self-esteem.”  We nurish the bodies of our children and friends and employees but how seldom do we nurish their self-esteem?  We provide them with roast beef and potatoes to build energy, but we neglect to give them kind words of appreciation that would sing in their memories for years like the music of the morning stars.”-pg 40 one
  • “When we are not engaged in thinking about some definite problem, we usually spend about 95% of our time thinking about ourselves.  Now [just imagine], if we [ could] stop thinking about ourselves for awhile and begin to think of the other person’s good points…”-pg 41
  • “Try leaving a friendly trail of little sparks of gratitude on your daily trips.  You’ll be surprised how they will set small flames of friendship that will be rose beacons on your next visit.”-pg 42
  • “Pamela Dunham of  a New Fairfield, Connecticut, had among her responsibilities on her job the supervision of a janitor who was doing a very poor job.  The other employees would jeer at him and litter the hallways to show him what a bad job he is doing.  It was so bad, productive time was being lost in the shop.  Without success, Pam tried various ways to motivate this person.  She noticed that occasionally he did a particularly good piece of work.  She made a point to praise him for it in front of the other people.  Each day the job he did all around got better, and pretty soon he started doing all his work efficiently.  Now he does an excellent job and other people give them appreciation and recognition.  Honest appreciation got results where criticism and ridicule failed.”-pg 42
  • “Hurting people not only does not change them, it is never called for.  There is an old saying that I’ve cut out and pasted on my mirror where I cannot help but see it every day: ‘I shall pass this way but once; any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now.  Let me not deferring or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.'”-pg 42
  • “Let’s cease thinking of our accomplishments, our wants.  Let’s try to figure out the other person’s good points.”-pg 43
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Men on the Path, November 4, 2009: True Success

We were in session #3 from a quiet strength a men’s Bible study by Tony Dungy and our question for today is: How is God’s definition of success different from how most people define it?
We looked at five key verses: Psalm 1:1-3; one Samuel 16:7; Micah 6: 6-8; Matthew 22:34-40; acts 1:8; Philippians 1: 21

God’s definition of success is “to live is Christ to die is gain” only when we can die to ourselves can we truly be successful. J. C. Ryle in his book titled Holiness points out what it costs to be a true Christian (to gain true success).

“For one thing, it will cost us our self righteousness. We must cast away all pride and high thoughts and conceit of our own goodness… for another thing it will cost us our sins. We must be willing to give up every habit and practice which is wrong in God’s sight. We and our sin must quarrel, if we and God are to be friends….For another thing, it will cost us our love of ease…we secretly wish we could have a vicarious Christianity, and could be good by proxy, and have everything done for us. Anything that requires exertion and labor is entirely against the grain of our hearts… in the last place, it will cost us the favor of the world… surely a Christian should be willing to give up anything which stands between him and heaven…A religion that costs nothing is worth nothing! A cheap Christianity, without a cross, will prove in the end a useless Christianity, without a crown…”-pg 82-86

“We must seek to have personal intimacy with the Lord Jesus, and to deal with him as a man deals with a loving friend. We must realize what it is to turn to him first in every need, to talk to him about every difficulty, to consult him about every step, to spread before him all our sorrows, to get him to share in our all our joys, to do all as in his site, and to go through every day leaning on and looking to him.”-pg 113

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Life Principle #1: Don’t Criticize, Condemn, Complain

I continue to revisit a book and audio book that I wish that I had memorized when I was younger: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

Time and time again  I have found myself using (or trying to use) his principles in my marriage, parenting, and other relationships.

Recently I have had conversations about affirming and its counter–criticizing your spouse.  I have seen and heard about a wife or husband who continually criticizes their spouse.  I have been a master at this myself.  For the most part, I have made a major effort to STOP completely this process.  It is a waste of time, and it turns out to do the opposite of what you want it to.  We seem to think that by giving ‘constructive criticism’ the other person will improve, but they don’t.  In fact, they seem to do MORE of the actions that we want them to change!

2 things:  1. The more you affirm and not criticize; the MORE likely their behavior will change!   2. Don’t try and change your spouse; just love them the way they are!

Principle #1: Don’t Criticize, Condemn, Complain

  • “If you want to gather honey, don’t kick over the beehive.”
  • “Criticism is futile because it puts a person on the defensive and usually makes him strive to justify himself.  Criticism is dangerous, because it wounds a person’s precious pride, hurts his sense of importance, and arouses resentment….B.F. Skinner, the world-famous psychologist, proved through his experiments that an animal rewarded for good behavior will learn much more rapidly and retain what it learns far more effectively than an animal punished for bad behavior.”
  • “Lincoln…had learned by bitter experience that sharp criticisms and rebukes almost invariably end in futility.”
  • “The secret of…Ben Franklin’s…success? ‘I will speak ill of no man…and speak all the good I know of everybody.”
  • “Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain–and most fools do.  But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.”
  • “As Dr. Johnson said: ‘God himself, sir, does not propose to judge man until the end of his days.’  Why should you and I?”
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Patient Satisfaction Linked to Expectations

This article in the September 2009 Annals of Emergency Medicine: Patient Satisfaction as a function of Emergency Department Previsit Expectations points out, once again, the importance of interpersonal skills often can be more important than what you know and what skills you have as a physician.  I am confident this applies to most occupations.

Books such as How to Win Friends and Influence People can help us to be better husbands, friends, parents, and professionals by focusing on interpersonal skills.  I strongly recommend this book.

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How David Beats Goliah: HARD Work, Listening, & Great Coaching

I have thoroughly enjoyed Malcolm Gladwell’s writing.  I recommend all 3 of his books: Tipping Point, Blink, & Outliers.  He also has a website which contains much of his articles/writing.  I found this very interesting and, at times, inspiring article about Basketball, hard work, coaching, and life.

Let us know your thoughts.

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Medical Myth #6 (example #4): Placebo’s don’t work

The power of the placebo is so incredible and interesting that I have shared many examples from this thought provoking book (Enjoy example #4):
Hippocrates’ Shadow: Secrets from the House of Medicine (David Newman)

“Moerman describes a study in which placebo injections for pain are given to two sets of patients under nearly identical circumstances. In the first, the physician is told that theres no chance that a real narcotic medication will be given. In the second, the physician is told that theres a chance that the patient will receive a narcotic. In both cases the patient receives a placebo, but the placebo is far more effective in relieving pain in the second case, when the physician believes that a narcotic may be in the injection. While the impact is very different in these cases, the only difference is in the physicians beliefs.”

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Contempt is the key to a BAD Marriage

I was reminded of some powerful marriage tips and principles from one of John Gottman’s great marriage books when Gottman’s research was brought up in Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.

Gladwell points out that Gottman has done detailed, objective research to find traits that can sink any marriage.  The primary trait that will ruin a marriage? CONTEMPT.

“Four Horsemen: defensiveness, stonewalling, criticism, and contempt. Even within the Four Horsemen, in fact, there is one emotion that he considers the most important of all: contempt. If Gottman observes one or both partners in a marriage showing contempt toward the other, he considers it the single most important sign that the marriage is in trouble.
“It’s trying to put that person on a lower plane than you. It’s hierarchical.” Gottman has found, in fact, that the presence of contempt in a marriage can even predict such things as how many colds a husband or a wife gets; in other words, having someone you love express contempt toward you is so stressful that it begins to affect the functioning of your immune system. “Contempt is closely related to disgust, and what disgust and contempt are about is completely rejecting and excluding someone from the community.”
“The big gender difference with negative emotions is that women are more critical, and men are more likely to stonewall. We find that women start talking about a problem, the men get irritated and turn away, and the women get more critical, and it becomes a circle. But there isn’t any gender difference when it comes to contempt. Not at all.” Contempt is special. If you can measure contempt, then all of a sudden you don’t need to know every detail of the couple’s relationship.”–excerpt from Gladwell’s book
My marriage was in trouble, and I didn’t even know it.  I specialized in contempt.  It has been a slow process, and my wife remembers when I was filled with contempt, but we both look back amazed at how contempt has been eliminated from our marriage for many years now.  How?
  • HUMILITY through serving her, putting her ahead of yourself, learning to love her the way that she needs to be loved
  • BROKENNESS–being willing to acknowledge your own faults and inadequacies helps to break the contempt cycle
  • CONFESSION–share with her your brokenness, be volunerable with her, allow her to see the real you–flaws and all.
  • working at making our marriage better
  • being WILLING to change and serve your spouse
  • dating other men–deep, meaningful relationships with a few men has helped me to be a better husband (and person)
  • spending time in the appreciation room (see Love Dare book for details)–leaning and training myself to look at and appreciate her for all her beauty and for who she is–being grateful for her.
  • walking with Christ–prayer, Bible study, learning more and more about His love, humility, service, sacrifice

There is more to follow….

Marriage is an adventure and a journey not a destination, and just like when you said I do to her and to Christ, it is just the beginning–the relationship (sanctification) is the adventure.

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Anxiety and Simplicity by Foster

Here is another excerpt from Foster’s GREAT book: Celebration of Disciplines regarding our struggles with anxiety–

“As Jesus made clear in our central passage, freedom from anxiety is one of the inward evidences of seeking first the kingdom of God. The inward reality of simplicity involves a life of joyful unconcern for possessions….

Freedom from anxiety is characterized by three inner attitudes. If what we have we receive as a gift, and if what we have is to be cared for by God, and if what we have is available to others, then we will possess freedom from anxiety. This is the inward reality of simplicity. However, if what we have we believe we have gotten, and if what we have we believe we must hold onto, and if what we have is not available to others, then we will live in anxiety. Such persons will never know simplicity regardless of the outward contortions they may put themselves through in order to live “the simple life.” To receive what we have as a gift from God is the first inner attitude of simplicity.

To know that it is God’s business, and not ours, to care for what we have is the second inner attitude of simplicity. God is able to protect what we possess. We can trust him.

To have our goods available to others marks the third inner attitude of simplicity. If our goods are not available to the community when it is clearly right and good, then they are stolen goods. The reason we find such an idea so difficult is our fear of the future. We cling to our possessions rather than sharing them because we are anxious about tomorrow. But if we truly believe that God is who Jesus says he is, then we do not need to be afraid. When we come to see God as the almighty Creator and our loving Father, we can share because we know that he will care for us. If someone is in need, we are free to help them.

When we are seeking first the kingdom of God, these three attitudes will characterize our lives. Taken together they define what Jesus means by “do not be anxious.” They comprise the inner reality of Christian simplicity. And we can be certain that when we live this way the “all these things” that are necessary to carry on human life adequately will be ours as well.”


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Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

This is a GREAT book.  I have enjoyed all 3 of Malcolm’s books.  They are engaging, informative, and filled with very interesting anekdotes.  In Blink he talks about how we make our decisions in life.  This is a summary that very clearly describes what he is getting at in his book.  His discovery is conterintuitive but helpful for us.

“One of the questions that I’ve been asked over and over again since Blink came out is, When should we trust our instincts, and when should we consciously think things through? Well, here is a partial answer. On straightforward choices, deliberate analysis is best. When questions of analysis and personal choice start to get complicated—when we have to juggle many different variables—then our unconscious thought processes may be superior. Now, I realize that this is exactly contrary to conventional wisdom. We typically regard our snap judgment as best on immediate trivial questions. Is that person attractive? Do I want that candy bar? But Dijksterhuis is suggesting the opposite: that maybe that big computer in our brain that handles our unconscious is at its best when it has to juggle many competing variables.Dijksterhuis did another similar experiment, only this time in the real world. He questioned shoppers coming out of a Dutch department store called De Bijenkorf, which sells relatively low-cost items, like kitchen accessories. He asked them how long they had deliberated before they bought what they bought. Then he called all the shoppers a few weeks later to find out how happy they were with their purchases. Sure enough, the people who had thought the most before buying were the most satisfied, and those who had made impulse purchases more often regretted their decision. For the second half of the experiment, Dijksterhuis went to the furniture store IKEA, where people were making much more complicated and expensive purchases. Now the reverse was true. A few weeks later, the thinkers were least happy, and those who had gone with their gut instinct were the happiest. Dijksterhuis argues that his findings represent a fundamental principle of human cognition, and that “there is no a priori reason to assume that [it] does not generalize to other types of choices—political, managerial, or otherwise.” Not long after I read the Science study, a reader sent me the following quotation from Sigmund Freud. It seems that the father of the unconscious agreed: “When making a decision of minor importance, I have always found it advantageous to consider all the pros and cons. In vital matters, however, such as the choice of a mate or a profession, the decision should come from the unconscious, from somewhere within ourselves. In the important decisions of personal life, we should be governed, I think, by the deep inner needs of our nature.”-Malcolm Gladwell, Blink

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Medical Myth #6 (example #1): Placebo’s don’t really work

Medical Myth #6 is the notion that placebo’s don’t work.  The fact is that they work incredibly well, and we all should embrace them as a legitimate means of healing.  Here is our first incredible example—
Hippocrates’ Shadow: Secrets from the House of Medicine (David Newman):
“In 2002 an unusual study from Houstons VA Medical Center was published. It was a study about surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee, a condition that causes pain and disability due to thinning and breakdown of cartilage (the padding) in the joint. Patients occasionally have surgery to shave off the rough edges of the cartilage, or sometimes to wash out the knee joint. There were three groups of patients in the VA study: one group got the cartilage in their knees shaved, another group got their knees washed out, and one got an elaborate act. When the patient arrived in the operating room he was given anesthetic and the surgeon was then handed a sealed envelope telling him which surgery to perform. If the card inside the envelope said placebo, three incisions were made in the skin but nothing surgical was done to the knee joint. In case the patient was able to subconsciously hear or feel, water was splashed to simulate the sounds of the surgical procedure. In addition, the patient was kept in the operating room for the length of an actual surgery, during which the surgeon asked for all instruments and manipulated the knee as if surgery was being done. The operating room staff was sworn to secrecy, and outside the operating room no one was told which surgery the patient had undergone. The study results were shocking to many, including the orthopedic physicians who perform knee surgeries every day: the two real surgeries had been no more effective than the sham surgery. In retrospect, perhaps this should not have been surprising. Osteoarthritis is due to thinning of the knee cartilage, and there never was a good or even very feasible argument for why either of the treatments, shaving or washing, should work; after all, neither cures or reverses the thinning. But what is surprising even in retrospect is that all of the groups showed significant improvement in knee pain and function. In an article about the study and a closely related smaller study by the same researchers, one gentleman who had been enrolled told an interviewer that he was now able to mow his lawn and walk wherever he wanted, and added, The surgery was two years ago and the knee has never bothered me since. Its just like my other knee now.  He was in the placebo surgery group.”

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Medical Myth #5: Strep Throat

Another Medical Myth is the diagnosis and treatment of strep throat. Here is a GREAT summary written by Dr. Newman and some very good comments. The excerpts below are from a carefully researched book: Hippocrates’ Shadow by Newman. As always share your thoughts.

How do we diagnosis strep throat?

physical exam: “The signs and symptoms of strep throat have been exhaustively studied, and from this research we know that there are four important markers of strep throat infections: tender lymph nodes, fever, visible pus on the tonsils, and absence of a cough. When patients have all four of these characteristics, the chance that they have a strep throat infection is about 50 percent. But when they have zero, one, or even two of these characteristics, 10 percent or less will have strep throat.”-Hippocrates’ Shadow

throat cultures: “The problem with throat cultures is that they find too much strep. More than 10 percent of schoolchildren (the group at highest risk for strep throat infections), for instance, have live strep bacteria permanently and harmlessly in their throats, so even when there is no infection, a culture will be positive.”

But if we “use the test on a group of schoolchildren that has fewer than three of the four hallmark signs of strep throat. Only 10 percent or less will have a true case of strep throat, therefore no more than 10 percent of them can have positive test results that are right. But we also know that more than 10 percent of those being tested will have positive test results that are wrong (due to the harmless bacteria in their throat). Therefore, a positive test result in this group is mathematically guaranteed to be wrong more often than right. More positive results will be due to harmless bacteria than due to a strep infection. More positive results will be due to harmless bacteria than due to a strep infection.due to harmless bacteria than due to a strep infection. This situation, in which a positive test is more likely to be wrong than right, is very undesirable. We perform the throat culture test because we would like to accurately select the patients who should have antibiotics. But when we test people who have a less than 10 percent chance of strep throat, most of the people who are given antibiotics will be taking an unnecessary drug with potentially serious side effects. Unfortunately, the great majority of patients (schoolchildren and otherwise) that have a throat culture have fewer than three of the hallmark signs of strep throat, and often two, one, or even zero. Therefore most people who are given antibiotics because of a positive culture for strep throat don’t have strep throat.”-Hippocrates’ Shadow

Treatment: Antibiotics appear to do more harm than good? “In a brilliant sequence of six studies, the physicians used placebos and other modern scientific research techniques to examine the impact of antibiotics on the strep throat infection itself, and also on the rate of rheumatic fever that followed it. They published their landmark results for the first time in 1950, and established definitively that treating strep infections with antibiotics had reduced the chances of developing rheumatic fever. While the antibiotics had little impact on the strep throat itself’which seemed to last equally as long and cause symptoms equally severe’rheumatic fever occurred roughly 1 percent of the time after antibiotics were used. In those patients given placebos, it occurred roughly 2 percent of the time. Using antibiotics had cut the rate of rheumatic fever occurrence in half.”-Hippocrates’ Shadow

This is AMAZING to me. We are trained to treat ALL strep throats with antibiotics. But the reason we have been taught to treat with antibiotics (to prevent rheumatic fever) is rare and the antibiotics only reduce the risk of this complication by 1%!!! In fact “today we would likely have to treat more than a million in order to prevent a case of rheumatic fever. This changes things. The basis of treatment for any condition is the presumption that the disease poses more danger than the treatment. But 1 million prescriptions for antibiotics (to prevent one case of rheumatic fever) will cause more than twenty-four hundred potentially fatal allergic reactions…, as well as a hundred thousand cases of diarrhea and a hundred thousand rashes. In addition, long-term rheumatic heart disease is the target that antibiotics aim to prevent, but only a third of rheumatic fever cases result in heart disease. Therefore, the number of antibiotic prescriptions it takes to prevent one heart problem is three times as high as the number it takes to prevent rheumatic fever. To prevent one long-term heart problem it would take 3 million antibiotic prescriptions, and more than seven thousand [life threatening reactions].”-Hippocrates’ Shadow

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Medical Myth #4: Mammograms

Once again Dr. Newman’s research has found some astounding findings.  Here are some summary statements from his research regarding mammograms:

Roughly 25 percent or more of cancers are missed.
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So how often do mammograms produce false positives? The cumulative risk of having a false-positive mammogram in ten years is 50 percent; therefore half of women undergoing regular mammograms for ten years will receive a positive result that is incorrect. Indeed, 97 percent of positive mammograms are false rather than true.

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During ten years of mammograms about 20 percent of women, or one in every five, will have a false positive that leads to a biopsy.

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For every 10,000 women screened routinely over ten years, it has been estimated that one case of breast cancer is caused by the radiation.
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 Having mammograms was of no benefit at all.
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 Women were alive and surviving at the same rate whether they had been assigned to receive mammograms or not.
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finding cancer earlier may not always be the answer. In the case of breast cancer a large proportion of cancerous lumps, perhaps 25 percent or more, are slow-growing and may therefore never lead

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In the case of breast cancer a large proportion of cancerous lumps, perhaps 25 percent or more, are slow-growing and may therefore never lead to serious danger.

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That regular breast exams are a better screening tool than mammograms is a suggestion that has been made before, convincingly.

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In summary:

mammograms do not appear from the research to have any benefit

regular breast exams are a better screening tool

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Imagine: Using our Minds and Imaginations to Grow Closer to God Part 2

Enjoy sermon #6 in the Animate Series by Greg Boyd

Here is an excellent book that helps with prayer life and using imaginitive exercises to grow closer to God:

Animate Sermon Series by Boyd (This is the link to notes on the Series)

Celebration of Disciplines by Foster (This is an AMAZING book on spiritual disciplines.  It is filled with GREAT quotes from Christian disciples and with practical ways to grow deeper with Christ.  It is a How To on prayer, Bible study, fasting, etc.  Below is an excerpt from the book.)

mediation exercise: “The following is a brief exercise to aid you in “re-collection” that is simply called “palms down, palms up.” Begin by placing your palms down as a symbolic indication of your desire to turn over any concerns you may have to God. Inwardly you may pray, “Lord, I give to you my anger toward John. I release my fear of my dentist appointment this morning. I surrender my anxiety over not having enough money to pay the bills this month. I release my frustration over trying to find a baby-sitter for tonight.” Whatever it is that weighs on your mind or is a concern to you, just say, “palms down.” Release it. You may even feel a certain sense of release in your hands. After several moments of surrender, turn your palms up as a symbol of your desire to receive from the Lord. Perhaps you will pray silently: “Lord, I would like to receive your divine love for John, your peace about the dentist appointment, your patience, your joy.” Whatever you need, you say, “palms up.” Having centered down, spend the remaining moments in complete silence. Do not ask for anything. Allow the Lord to commune with you, to love you.”-Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

Finally I end with a quote from Francisco whose devotion, passion, and focused imagery inspires and transforms our often lifeless faith.  Try starting your day with Jesus WAITING for YOU to take each day as a unique adventure!

“When I wake up every morning, Jesus is waiting for me.”-Francisco

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Imagine: Using our Minds & Imaginations to grow closer to God Part 1

I have placed 1 of the 8 sermon series on this post because it is so important for Christians in the U.S. to come back to the early church practices of prayer, meditation, and using ALL of our sense and especially using our imagination/minds.

As a western physician, my brain is entirely left without a right.  The use of imagery in prayer and in our walk with Him could transform our faith if we took the time to practice these exercises.

As a former atheist, I am quick  to put distance between myself and God when life is going smoothly and to be filled with doubt when life is going rough.  These sermons inspire and challenge all of us to use our minds/imaginations to grow closer to Him.

Animate Sermon Series by Boyd (This is the link to notes on the Series)

As always share with us your thoughts.

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Book Club

A few of us took a book club organized by one of my mentors.  It was 6 Christian classics each year with audio commentaries.  It was AMAZING. For those of you who have asked about the books, here is the list.  They are ALL worth reading but I have put my summary opinion.  (*=good read; **=must read)  Anyone have any other opinions who have read these books please share with us by leaving a comment below:

Year #1

Confessions by Augustine

Of the Imitation of Christ by Kempis**

Here I Stand by Bainton*

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners by Bunyan

Purity of Heart by Kierkegaard*

The Screwtape Letters by Lewis*

Year #2

Reading the Scripture with the Church Fathers by Hall*

How the Irish Saved Civilization by Cahill*

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs*

The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Burroughs

Holiness by Ryle**

How Should We Then Live? by Schaeffer

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Did you know? The early church had a choice not to be persecuted.

In Mike Erre’s newest book: Death by Church he points out that the early church had a choice not to undergo persection.  “…if the early church had wanted itself and its purpose to be construed in privatistic and individualistic terms, there were abundant cultal and legal resources at hand for them to do just that.  The early church could have easily escaped Roman persecution by suing for status as a cultus privatus, or ‘private cult’ dedicated to ‘the pursuit of a purely personal and otherworldly salvation for its members’ like many other religious groups in that world.  yet instead of adopting the language of the privatized mystery religions, the church confronted Caesar, not exactly on his own terms but with his own terms.”-Clapp, Peculiar People, pg 81

This is amazing.  The early church chose to rebel and go defiantly up against Caesar because of their confidence and faith that Christ was the only true king!

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Near Death Experience #1: Cardiac Arrest while Awake?

Listen and enjoy and share with us your thoughts about this amazing medical case.  I have NEVER seen anything like it in my career and neither has anyone that I know in medicine.

This is a story of a patient that I cared for whose heart stopped beating but continued intermittently to respond to us as we tried to get his heart to start beating again.

The term N.D.E. (Near Death Experiences) is somewhat of a misnomer.  A truly N.D.E. is when a patient is declared brain dead and comes back to tell of their experiences.  This is a case of a N.D.E. in which the patient was not declared brain dead but was clinically dead-no heart beat.

BTW-A GREAT book on the topic of N.D.E. and the notion of humans having a brain and a mind–being material and immaterial–also known as substance dualism is Beyond Death by J.P. Moreland and Gary Habermas.

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Start the New Year with a Resolution: A Daily Devotional

Now is the time to start a yearly devotional.  It is imperative to our walk with Christ to be in a devotional daily. The secret to the best devotionals? Reading the Bible (And if you do this every year, one way to motivate you to keep going is to read through the Bible in a different translation than one that you usually read e.g. New Living Translation, New American Standard, God’s Word, to name a few):

1. The Discipleship Journal has several options (I am doing this one this year) AND I am using a different Bible translation: Holman Christian Standard Bible AND I am reading the Bible using The Apologetics Study Bible which is excellent for those with a lot of questions.

2. A One Year Bible is a great way to go

A few GREAT options for those who want to do a daily devotion but not read through the Bible:

1. The One Year Book of Church History (I just finished this one, and it was AMAZING! I HIGHLY recommend it.)

2. Promises by Bill Bright (I did this one years ago. It is excellent, but I think it is out of print.)

3. Our Daily Bread: You can download it to your PDA, read it online, or order a paper copy. (I have done this one for years, and it is simple, concise and FREE! They will send you a free copy FOREVER–even tracked me down when I moved across the country!)

4. The One Year Book of Bible Prayer is another great option.

5. walkthru.org has a eDevotion that is sent to you via email, and they have some GREAT paper devotionals

(Their Daily Walk will walk you through the Bible in a year, and their Closer Walk will walk you through the New Testament in a year–both are excellent.)

Finally there are some GREAT audio options:

1.  The Bible Experience (you can buy on itunes via audiobooks or at their website)  I have bought the book of John and the Psalms and listened through it.  They are VERY good. 

2. The Bible Podcast is a FREE audio version of the Bible that is also excellent.

It doesn’t matter what you do as much as doing SOME form of daily devotion.  Ideally you are reading the Bible daily.

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Love Languages

We all hear and feel LOVED in different ways.  In his landmark book: The 5 LOVE Languages, Gary Chapman explains that there are 5 main ways that we hear and/or feel LOVED.  If we can take the time to learn our LOVE language (the language that makes us feel LOVED), and learn our spouse, family members, neighbor, and patients LOVE languages, we can ‘speak’ to them in THEIR LOVE language.  This is VERY important because we often can only feel or hear LOVE when people speak to us in the LOVE language that we can hear or feel.  If your spouse’s LOVE language is QUALITY TIME, then you can do the dishes and clean the house for the REST of your life, and he or she may NEVER feel LOVED! Strange but VERY true.  So STOP spinning your wheels and learn that her or his LOVE language is QUALITY TIME and see how it transforms your relationship by simply spending TIME with her or him!  Yes, it can be that easy.

The 5 love languages are:

QUALITY TIME

GIFTS

ACTS OF SERVICE

PHYSICAL TOUCH

WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

What is your love language? What is your spouses? What are your kids? Take this quiz and find out and begin to grow deeper and more fulfilling relationships!