If We Survive (Book Review)

I read Andrew Klavan's Crazy Dangerous a while back, so I came into If We Survive with some expectations regarding pace, prose, etc. I was not disappointed. This was a very fun, very fast read, which follows a group of kids through the jungles of Costa Verdes, dodging bullets, poisonous snakes, and raging rapids in an attempt to escape with their very lives. 

The main character is Will Peterson, a 'normal' 16-year-old who wants to be a hero. He went on a missions-trip/school project to Costa Verdes to help rebuild a school, and minutes before they leave the country, a revolution breaks out. Because of their being Americans, and because they tick one of the leaders off, they are set to be executed. They narrowly escape, and it's a run for their lives for the border.

In the midst of a gripping tale, Andrew Klavan manages to weave in some complex ideas.....ideas like how to cope with killing someone in battle, the discrepancy between what we read and what really is happening in other parts of the world, and questions like "am I so very different from murderous revolutionaries?" or "what does it mean to be a hero?"

Needless to say, I would highly recommend this book. 

I received a copy of this book from the publishing company and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Me? a Leader?

Sometimes you hear something a number of times, but it's not until it's said a certain way that everything all of a sudden becomes clear. The connection between me and being a 'leader' finally clicked for me.

I was sharing with a friend how I often feel pressure to step up and be a 'leader.' People have frequently told me I'm a natural leader, but I've never understood that. I don't have the type of personality or drive to be a leader, and while I understand that anyone who has influence in the life of another is a leader, it just never seemed to hit home with me. But in one moment, my friend made everything seem clear. He said, "There's a difference between a business leader and a people leader. You are a people leader."

Upon reflection, I can see that I have been told that a number of times in a number of different ways, but it wasn't until that moment that I suddenly felt a freedom to embrace my leadership qualities and responsibilities. I can lead people....I can't lead a business.

I think there has been an underlying fear that if I became a 'leader,' I'd have to figure out how to run a department, business, or organization. I don't want to do that. I have no desire to rise in the ranks. I have no dreams of being the head honcho. I am perfectly happy in my placement on the org chart. So when I received pressure to become a 'leader,' I understood it to mean that I needed to change what makes me who I am.

But now that the lightbulb has turned on, I understand that I don't need to change who I am to be a leader. But I do need to maintain a greater awareness of how and where I am leading people. For instance, I have the ability to either incite mutiny or foster teamwork in my workplace. While this is definitely a heavy responsibility, it's really just paying closer attention to something I do naturally anyway.

Here's to friends who turn the lightbulbs on for us! :D

The LORD Provides

Earlier this week I was pondering the story of Abraham almost killing his son, Isaac. God told Abraham to do it and waited to the last minute to stop him from following through with it in order to test him. One thing that stood out to me was that after all was said and done, Abraham named that location 'The LORD Provides." It struck me that he didn't name it "The LORD Tests." I think it's safe to say Abraham was an optimist. :D

This evening I had my own "The LORD Provides" moment: I was leaving work, and just as I was getting ready to turn onto the street, I saw some sort of case lying in the gutter. I got out, picked it up, climbed back in my car, opened it, and saw that it was a practically-complete socket/wrench set! 

The socket set I have is old and cheap, so I have been wanting a new socket set for a long time. But I never seemed to have the funds to buy it. Tonight, the Lord dropped it in my lap - and not only a socket set, but the exact one I've been eyeing at Walmart! 

I examined it closely to see if there were any identifying marks on it, and even looked in the local Craigslist Lost&Found, but I don't have a clue who it might have belonged to, or how it ended up in the gutter.

I don't think it's a coincidence that on Monday I was exploring the concept of God's provision, and on Friday I had a first-hand experience with it. As Rachel and I work through supporters dropping off and our support needs increasing, this is a timely reminder that God is our Provider.

Recent Trip to Spain

I recently got back from a nine-day trip to Spain for work, and toward the end of the trip, I was asked if I had experienced any major surprises on the trip. I responded that there were a lot of little paradigm shifts, but nothing major. Upon further consideration, I realize that all of the little things really do add up. I won't take the time to go into everything, but these are a couple of the 'bigger' things:

To begin with, I was quite humbled by my interaction with the people there. The only other times I have traveled overseas, it was to a second or third-world country where I and what I brought were obviously very needed. On those trips, I was, in a sense, enlightening the people with whom I interacted. On this recent trip to Spain, which is a first-world country, I quickly understood that those I was interacting with were very much peers, and I had as much to learn from them as they might learn from me. I really didn't realize the pride I had in my knowledge until I found myself asking them for advice and recognizing the wisdom in what they were sharing.

I also found confirmation that I am an introvert. I love being around other people, interacting with them, going to parties, etc, and as a result, I often wonder if I'm more of an extrovert than an introvert. But being forced into an environment where I wasn't comfortable, I felt myself fighting a tendency to withdraw. I spent time there in self-evaluation, and that tendency, along with a few other things, led me to the conclusion that I, at my core, am an introvert. This realization didn't necessarily surprise me, but I am still figuring out the ramifications of it.

There are other mental-shifts that happened while I was there, but these are the two which most readily came to mind. As everything continues to sink in, I'm sure other things will surface, but for now, these have risen to the top.

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After reading back through this, I see that I haven't written this very eloquently, and it may be hard to follow, but I've found that it's very hard for me to verbalize my emotions and describe the way I view the world. If you would like me to elaborate or explain further anything I've written, let me know. Thanks!