A book

Well, once again it has been a while since we posted. We just like to keep you all hoping and anticipating a new entry. I hope it is worth the wait.

I just finished reading a book that I enjoyed and thought I would share a little bit about it. It was a book Greg gave me for Christmas. The title is "Cure for the Common Life" by Max Lucado. Many of you probably know him because of his children's book " You are Special". We love that one too. He is a Christian minister who has written many books. This particular book is non-fiction and is about finding what you are good at. It seems geared to those in the working world, but I was able to find some personal value in it for myself, although I am not in that world. He basically says that we are all given gifts, or talents if you like. These talents were given to us from God and will help us give something special to the world while we are on this earth. When we use them we are glorifying God, and we should acknowledge that He has given them to us. There were a couple of things that I liked about this book. One, it is full of excitement and makes you believe (or remember) that you are special and important as an individual. You are important to the Lord, and you can bless the lives of others in ways that no one else can.

I also liked the fact that he very openly addressed the issue that even the little things are important. To be useful to God and to be important to Him doesn't neccesarily mean that you are a great political leader or the CEO of a company or whatever else people see as "important". There is need for those who are great plumbers, artists, mothers, friends, computer scientists, ministers, and whatever else. There is a place for all of us! We are needed! We are all special. It had a great sense of that in the book, and and at the same time, a sense that you shouldn't let that go to your head. Give the credit to the Lord. He gave you those gifts. Let Him use you.

There was also a simple but helpful section in the back that helps you think about and find your own strengths. He says we should look at past experiences including childhood for some direction. I haven't spent a lot of time in this section, but I think it will be helpful, and it sounds like it is really a condensed version that is used by professional consultants. It is just nice that Max Lucado is trying to help you actually apply, in a very real way, the things he has written and believes.

For those of you Mormons out there, the religious language is a bit different from our own and the scripture references are from different versions of the Bible, rather than the King James version, but I didn't think that mattered much at all. It is also very simply written and easy to read. You almost feel like he is standing there talking to you, or at least you are listening to him teach a group. I would recommend it, especially if you are feeling dissatisfied with work or just wondering what you have to offer to anybody.