Book Blog

Life got busy last week, so I skipped a blog post. But we are back this week with a best seller that was made into a prestigious Hollywood film. 

Unbroken is the biography of Louie Zamperini, a world-class athlete turned WWII hero turned...well many other things.

Laura Hildenbrand authored this work, following her award-winning Seabiscuit. It's subtitle touts the his life as a tale of resilience and redmeption - words that often get thrown around flippantly in our day and age. Zamperini's life defines those terms however. 

When his bomber crashed in the Pacific, he survived not only the crash but 47 days floating in the ocean. He was found and captured by the Japanese Navy who shipped him off to a POW camp. His experiences as a POW are harrowing and the movie spends most of it's time on these years.

The story is so astounding that it almost seems too incredible. But Hildenbrand's research and sourcing back up these astonishing events. 

What the movie couldn't do justice to was the post-war life Zamperini led. The book transparently describes how Louie struggled to adapt to normal civilian life when he came home. Eventually his wife convinced him to attend a Billy Graham crusade, where he gave his life to Christ.  Zamperini devoted himself from that time forward to serving others, living until the ripe old age of 97.

After the book had come out in the early 2010's, I first heard of him and this book when my employer, Grace College brought him in to speak. I waited to read Unbroken for a couple years and ended up reading most of it on a plane ride to the Philippines. It made the 16+ hour flight go quicker given Hildenbrand's engrossing style and Louie's incredible story. This is a book that teaches us so much about perseverance, redemption, and even forgiveness. 

Don't be intimidated by the book's size, it is story well-worth the time to invest in.

Book Blog

Last week, I shared a favorite book of mine that had connections back to my college and seminary days. This week isn't just one I read back in college, it was written by one of my professors. 

Plowshares and Pruning Hooks helped me understand biblical prophecy and apocalyptic literature in a much deeper way. Like Walter Bruggemann before him, Sandy carefully asks some relevant questions about the way we read prophecy in Scripture:

• What was the purpose of prophecy?
• How literally should we take these passages?
• Are we using a consistent hermeneutic?
• What does past fulfillment teach us about promises we're still waiting to be fulfilled?

I've gotten the sense that this book received criticism from some theological circles, but I know it has been widely affirmed in many others. 

Personally, I always found Dr. Sandy to be a humble, engaging, and encouraging teacher. He was more apt to ask us questions than feed us answers. Even if you differed with him, he was willing to listen and engage you. That is no doubt why I appreciate this book like I do, I know the heart behind it.

In the end, I highly recommend this somewhat obscure book for anyone interested in being better equipped to handle prophecy and apocalyptic parts of the Bible. 

Book Blog

This week's featured book was one I caught the second time around. 

By that I mean that I didn't read it the first time I had the chance. It was one of my Bible or theology classes in undergrad and I remember Dr. Soto encouraging us to read it and do a short response paper for extra credit. I must have felt that I didn't have the extra time to put in the extra effort and I'd learn later how much I missed out.

A few years later, as an intern at my home church, our senior pastor had our elders and staff read it for discussion purposes. I'm pretty sure I read it through at a much quicker pace than our discussions because I quickly discovered what a beautiful piece of literature it was and what a profound look into David's life it was. 

A Tale of Three Kings was written by Gene Edwards in 1980. While it is centered on King David, it traces his life in relation to two other kings - Saul and Absalom. 

The central theme is that God desires his people to embrace humility and brokenness. But even that summary barely does the book justice. It's format is one like a play with short scenes reflective of the biblical text. Edwards does interpretively "fill in the blanks" with some details and conversations but never strays from the spirit of the text.

In the first part of the book, Edwards observes David's responses to Saul - submitting to God and refusing to manipulate things to get what is rightfully his. And he keenly demonstrates that those are the same responses David has towards Absalom, who does rebel against the King and seeks to manipulate to get what he believes is his.

The applications that are made both subtly and overtly are what gives this book it's power. Edwards connects the dots to our present day by showing how the leadership issues in play in the stories of Saul, David, and Absalom are vital questions pastors and spiritual leaders must answer in our day. 

How will we react when the leaders above us seem to be unqualified or misguided?

How will we respond when our authority is challenged?

How will we leave if we are forced out of or called away from a leadership position?

This book made a significant impression on me and I enjoy re-reading it every couple years. The truth of it's insights have been validated again and again the more I've been in ministry. Interestingly enough, I got to observe the very same pastor embody these principles a year or two later after reading the book. 

I've come to believe that David wasn't "a man after God's own heart" because of his courage or passion. I believe he earned that title because of his brokenness and repentance. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure it's a big piece of the puzzle.

Book Blog

Universally recognized as the greatest basketball team ever assembled, the 1992 United States men's Olympic team genuinely earned the nickname "The Dream Team" by their performance on and off the court.  Amazingly, it wasn't until 2012's "Dream Team" by Jack McCallum that the full story of that experience was told. 

McCallum is a long-time sportswriter and author who has long been recognized as one of the greats in his field. This book is an instant classic offering everything a basketball junkie like me can appreciate - from little personal anecdotes to the broad historic perspective on the impact that team had on the popularity of basketball worldwide. 

What makes this book special is the fact that McCallum himself traveled with this team every step of the way and later was able to procure interviews with everyone - from the players and coaches to the FIBA organizers who originally thought of allowing NBA players in the Olympics. 

McCallum is an enjoyable read and he works through the selection process, preparatory practices, qualifying tournaments, and finally the Olympic games themselves. He skillfully blends in biographical sketches of each of the players too, capturing their personalities and what made them individually great. 

My favorite part of the book is his minute-by-minute breakdown of what's now become a famous inter-squad scrimmage right before the Olympics in Monte Carlo. The scrimmage, like all practices, was video recorded, but copies of the game are extremely rare. McCallum had the connections to get his hand on a copy and he details the ultra-competitive pick-up game that pitted Michael against Magic, Ewing against Robinson, and Barkley versus Malone.

My memories as an 11-12 year old kid are crystal clear. I remember initially desperately hoping that my hero, Larry Bird, would be selected even though his health was deteriorating. I remember them demolishing every opponent but doing so in such a poetic and beautiful way. This team had plenty of egos but never played selfishly. Reading this books account confirms what had stuck in my memory. It was the greatest game being played at the greatest level.

The way we remember things and the way they actually happened are not always in line. Thankfully in this case, it was as spectacular as I thought it was.

Book Blog

My Week 2 book that's made a great impact on my life is "The Pursuit of God" by A.W. Tozer. 

I can't remember exactly when first read it, high school or early on in college probably. But from it's first few pages, I knew it was going to powerfully speak to my heart. 

Tozer's been called a modern-day prophet. And he certainly was. Not in the fortune-telling sense but in the conviction and encouragement sense. Prophets in the Bible criticized and energized their people (cc. Walter Bruggemann). Tozer does exactly that as he offers us biblical perspective on what it means to know God. Not just know of Him, but know him closely and intimately and to enjoy the beauty of that fellowship. 

Whenever I feel like my spiritual life has grown stagnant or stale, I go back to Tozer's writings and usually to this book first. It will challenge the hardest of hearts and will inspire the thirsty soul. 

Book Blog

I saw a trend on Twitter a week or so ago that had people tweeting pics of their favorite books without comment and challenging their friends to do the same. I got challenged and accepted because it seemed kind of fun.

So, I'll be setting aside my long-running "Music Mondays" to feature this "Book Blog" (I'm great at titles aren't I?). Here, unlike the Tweets, I will be providing commentary on the books and why I recommend them. I'll try to go with the order of my Tweet Challenge and maybe go from there.

First up, The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons. Ever since he became a featured writer on Espn.com, I've enjoyed reading Simmons' sports takes. It didn't hurt that he was a big Celtics fan like me and that he loved the movie Hoosiers. Published in 2009, my wife got it for me as a Christmas gift and I immediately immersed myself in it. 

I'm not sure, but I've read it a total of 6-8 times I'd guess. I normally do it piecemeal as the different chapters and sections make it perfect for reading in spurts. 

My favorite parts are hard to choose. I love the whole thing. But his fundamental premise is one element that shines. His theory is that greatness in basketball is not about basketball, it's more about making others better. This is a team game and individual talent only matters to an extent. The history of the NBA has shown that things like skill, selflessness, and sacrifice are as important as athletic ability. As a former player, this resonated with me as being absolutely true. 

I also loved his breakdown of the classic Wilt vs. Russell argument. Basketball junkies have long debated these two rivals and many experts consider Wilt as the singular greatest player ever before Jordan. Simmons destroys this revisionist history with facts comparing the two. It's a detailed and sound argument that undermines all the assertions of the "Wilt was better" crowd.

Simmons' greatest contribution is his Hall-of-Fame pyramid, ranking the best 96 players of all time. But the ranking is done in tiers. The thinking is, not all Hall of Famers are equal. What if there was a way to put each player into proper context. So he goes about the painstaking work of ranking the greatest players of all time via these levels. Each player has his career accomplishments listed as well as specific commentary about his game and career. Simmons has done the video and statistical research and his rankings are well-supported, even if one may not agree with them. In the past ten years, he has publicly mentioned how his rankings have changed, so my edition is a little dated. But it is still good fodder for guys who love the history of this sport. For my top 13 players, see the end of this entry.

This is a basketball masterpiece, though I imagine if his writing style doesn't connect with you it may not resonate as much - there is plenty of off-color language, bad jokes, and more pop culture references than you can shake a stick at. I highly recommend this book if you like professional basketball and honestly can't give your basketball opinions any credit if you haven't read this book.

Now, for my top players of all-time (with short explanations) These rankings take eras into account plus their grasp of The Secret - which is how Simmons evaluates the players too:

13. Shaq - dominant at his best, but didn't always max out his potential.
12. Hakeem Olajuwon - immense skills plus astounding all-around stats, 2 rings.
11. Oscar Robertson - great individual talent, I was convinced by Simmons' write up that he has been a little over-rated historically.
10. Kobe - killer scorer who learned The Secret through Phil Jackson.
9. Jerry West - the biggest victim of the great Celtics' dynasties, he was a phenomenal player even when falling short.
8. Wilt - his lack of winning was on him more than it was due to Russell. Reading the accounts of his day plus Simmons' analysis knocks him down my list.
7. Tim Duncan - the most under-appreciated star of the last 25 years. Always made his team contenders and won a bunch of rings in competitive eras.
6. Larry Bird - A great scorer and all-time great rebounder, he let his passing be his signature weapon.
5. Magic - Gets the nod over Bird due to a little longer career and more Rings.
4. Bill Russell - the greatest winner of all-time, his stats are phenomenal as well.
3. Kareem - the definition of greatness over decades. Is underrated because of his longevity.
2. LeBron - has an outside shot at #1 because his peak greatness has been lengthy. He drug mediocre teams to the Finals and I don't knock him for not winning it all more because of it.
1. Jordan - I lived through his prime and it always seemed inevitable that his teams would come out on top. His all-around greatness was only matched by his competitiveness.

Music Mondays - Movie Edition

The year was 1996 and Tom Hanks was coming off an incredible run winning Oscars for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump and starring in the hit "Apollo 13". Apparently, this ride of success allowed him to pursue a pet project about a band hitting it big in the 1960's music industry. 

What he produced became one of my top five movies ever. It's a well-told story with a lot of heart to go along with a lot of great original music. On top of all of that, it is hilarious. 

Fumbling around Youtube this weekend, I came upon a "behind-the-scenes" feature that I had never seen before. After watching it, I knew I had to feature it for Music Mondays. If you haven't seen the movie, go watch it. If you have, enjoy this look back: