Book Review: Man Alive

I just finished reading a new book called Man Alive by Patrick Morley.  Morley is know for his book The Man in the Mirror, which has sold around three million copies, and for leading a weekly bible study that reaches over 5,000 men called The Man in the Mirror Bible Study. 

Man Alive is a book relating to helping men find their God given purpose in life. It’s about pushing men to live a life outside of mediocrity, one where we are not just going about days half alive, or just existing. Morley’s intention in this book is to help men answer questions, about themselves, their families, and God. 

I really thought Man Alive was an easy book to read. It is thought provoking, yet not wordy. It is setup well, explaining major problems in many men’s lives with solutions to help solve those problems. Each chapter ended with questions that, if one were to take the time to answer, would help a man examine himself. Even though each chapter is about 20 - 25 pages, they feel short and straight to the point, something I believe most men can relate with. 

Overall this is a great book for men. I would definitely recommend it if you are seeking answers to questions in your life like:

- I don’t feel like God cares about me personally - why?

- Why are my most important relationships not working?

- Where do these destructive behaviors of mine come from?

- How can I live a life that will make a difference in the world?

I received this book for free to review from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers. If you would like your own copy I suggest Amazon. 

David

Remembering

It's hard for me to believe that 11 years ago today, devastating acts of terror were taking place in my own country.  At the time it felt like I was watching a movie unfold right before my eyes. It felt surreal. 

Now I know how real that day was. I've been to the World Trade Center site. I saw the holes in the ground where two massive buildings used to stand. I rode in a subway that passed a destroyed train platform. I was seeing destruction in real life that I only thought could happen in the movies. I was seeing the aftermath of pure evil. 

As I think about it now, I'm still at a loss for words. Even though I was not personally affected the events themselves, I still ask "Why?". I know I may never have the answers to those questions, but I still have them. 

Today, I am reflecting a little bit on the events of 9/11/01. Why? Maybe because I saw a similar post like this on a blog or facebook. Or maybe because it's good to remember. Remembering helps us to see how God has changed us from those times. How we've grown, hopefully to Him. It helps us to see who we were, as individuals and as a country then, and how we are today. 

So as we remember, here are links to a couple of videos we did at Riverside Church last year where I was the music minister. We purposefully took time to remember and pray for individuals affects by these events, and for our country and its leaders. Maybe today, we could all do the same. 

The first link is how we opened our service last year, a video of the band playing Alan Jackson's 'Were Where You?'  Oh, and sorry for the poor video quality on this, it was the only camera we had. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z998M5RBoxk&feature=plcp


The second is to an interview video we made of people telling their stories from that day. 
http://vimeo.com/28870401 


-DS