Get Real: Sharing Your Everyday Faith Every Day - A Short Review

This was a beautiful, simple book about real evangelism. The basic premise is that too much of traditional evangelism technique misses its mark. There are a bunch of reasons for this: it is too interested in speaking and not enough in listening, it is too one-size-fits-all in a world where one size rarely fits all, it is often awkward instead of feeling natural both to the Christian witness and to the non-Christian prospect. I could go on, but you might get the picture. I’ve learned a half-dozen different canned forms of sharing the Gospel, some simple, some complex. However, what this book says I have found true – those canned methods miss the mark in far too many situations.

I think another thing this book gets right is how much of what we consider evangelism is really weird. That is, it makes us and those we are trying to share with feel really uncomfortable. I guess you might argue that is natural in a sinful world or that we should go ahead doing traditional evangelism even though it feels strange because it is a sacrifice for God. However, Leonard is arguing that weird evangelism just plain doesn’t work, so something better ought to be aimed for.

So, he proposes sharing about Jesus only after hearing where a person is in life. Everyone is different, yet the Gospel is able to reach everyone where he/she is at in that moment. We just have to listen, first, in order to be able to see how God wants us to approach that person. He proposes simple things to put the other person at ease, like praying in the moment with them but only with eyes open. This both allows you to avoid awkwardness in the social setting you find yourself and to connect by actually looking into someone’s eyes as you pray for them. He suggests drawing the lost in by encouraging their curiosity rather than trying to answer every conceivable question before they even share an interest. This is done through good questions and by directing people to the Bible themselves rather than reading it to them. This helps them come to their own conclusions and puts away any idea that you are manipulating them.

These are just representative of the very good evangelism advice/training available in this book. Please check it out.

Red Storm Rising - A Short Review

I’ve read this book a couple of times before and always enjoyed it. I found it in a box of my books just before moving to Bull Shoals, and I figured I would need something fun to read while I was away from my family for a couple weeks. I was right.

Red Storm Rising is a fictional story of what World War 3 might have looked like in the mid-1980s. The inspiration for the book came from a naval simulation video game from that same period. I guess Clancy saw the game and just had this neat idea about how to develop it further. In the book, you follow a few individuals: a US Air Force meteorologist stuck on Iceland, a US Navy submarine captain, a US Navy destroyer commander, a US Army tank commander, a Russian general, a Russian junior member of the Politburo, and his son. Each of these stories swirl around as the war progresses over, I estimate, about 6 weeks’ time.

Like many other war movies and books, one of the primary themes of this book is that war is terrible and should be avoided, if possible. Of course, the addendum to that message is present here, as well – you must be prepared to fight if war is unavoidable. I can agree with this balanced approach.

I find it interesting that Clancy used an Islamic terrorist attack on a Soviet refinery as the catalyst for the war. Even in the mid-1980s, he could see that group as being a destabilizing force emerging in the world.

The Lonely Men - A Short Review

This novel was another centered on William Tell Sackett. It is different from previous books in two ways. First, most of the action occurs in Mexico, not the United States. Second, the primary enemy is actually a Sackett – Laura Sackett, Orrin Sackett’s former wife. I say she is the primary enemy, even though Apaches and disgruntled gunfighters are Tell’s actual threats, because she is the one who sent him on a wild goose chase down into Sonora to save a fictional son of her’s and Orrin’s. Tell, being a Sackett, doesn’t even bat an eye in decided to ride into the Apache homeland to save this boy.

There wasn’t much new I took away from the book. It was a good read, though.

The Sackett Brand - A Short Review

In this book, Tell Sackett is wronged in a terrible way. His new wife, Ange, is murdered, and the murderer tries to do away with Tell to keep the story from spreading. The murderer is a cattleman with some 3000 head of cattle – a very wealthy man, and he turns all forty of his hands out to track down and kill Tell. Of course, even after fearful wounds and deprivation, Tell survives and gets justice. He is a Sackett, after all. In fact, before it’s all over, all of the Sacketts I’ve read about to this point, and some I haven’t, show up to help save the day. The critical help he receives is linked to the name of this book – Parmalee Sackett bought out half of the stake in the cattle operation and fired the gunmen hired to kill Tell.

I loved the way the Sacketts all came together to help Tell out in this book. This is how friends and family ought to be when one is in need.

Mojave Crossing - A Short Review

This book is a shorter story about Tell Sackett traveling across the Mojave Desert with a mysterious woman and being tracked by her enemies. Tell eventually has to face down some California criminals, but he has help from a distant cousin, a Clinch Mountain Sackett by the name of Nolan. Nolan Sackett, a semi-criminal himself, at first seems like he might be Tell’s enemy, but they end up on the same side.

One thing I noticed here is that women tend to be very flat characters in L’Amour’s books, even when they are important to the story, as in this case. We are told early on that the lady in this book is something of a witch or temptress, and we are never given any more depth to her at all. This is unfortunate.