Wednesday, 23 March 2016

The Long View - Matthew Kelly


The Long View
Matthew Kelly
Wellspring Publishing
formerly
Beacon Publishing for
Dynamic Catholic
ISBN 9781937509743
eISBN 9781937509880
ASIN B00T53MDKS

 This book is an excellent read even in it's briefness. The ebook comes in at 81 pages of text but could easily be a quarter of that size. As each page for the most part contains short thoughts, But the book as a whole is an address given by Matthew on May 17, 2014 that was given at commencement at Xavier University. It is a very powerful message. And to be honest even though I have read it twice I know I will be going over it a number of times as a reminder. 

 A few quotes from the book will highlight the impact of this speech.

 "Most people overestimate what they
can do in a day, and underestimate
what they can do in a month.
We overestimate what we can do in
a year, and underestimate what we
can accomplish in a decade."

 "If you learn to take the long
view, you will find yourself in
possession of two of life's most
precious commodities: patience and
generosity."

 "Taking the long view teaches us to
be patient, and all of life is better
for a patient person. Patience will
pay immeasurable dividends in
your career, marriage, parenting,
health and well-being, personal
finances, and in your spiritual
journey."

 "So, get really good at delaying
gratification. Hone this skill.
Become a master of this ability and
you will become master of yourself."

"The constant denial of self in small
things will give you the clarity of
heart, mind, and soul to see the
present for what it really is and the
future for what it still can be.:

 There is a great deal of wisdom in this little volume. If you will read it, take it in and apply it not only will your life be changed but you will have a huge impact on other people's lives. Possibly down through generations like the examples that Matthew highlights. This would be a great book for those in university to get them off to a good start, and for those of us later in life we can still gleam the wisdom and apply it to our lives. This is another excellent book from The Dynamic Catholic Institute and by Matthew Kelly I strongly encourage you got give it a read. 


Books by Matthew Kelly:
I Know Jesus
The Long View
Decision Point: The Workbook
Decision Point: The Leader Guide
The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic
The One Thing
Off Balance: Getting Beyond the Work-Life Balance Myth to Personal and Professional Satisfaction
Why Am I Here?
Perfectly Yourself: 9 Lessons for Enduring Happiness
Perfectly Yourself Discovering God's Dream For You
Building Better Families: A Practical Guide to Raising Amazing Children
The Dream Manager
The Seven Levels of Intimacy: The Art of Loving and the Joy of Being Loved
The Rhythm of Life: Living Every Day with Passion and Purpose
Building Better Families - 5 Practical Ways to Build Family Spirituality
The Book of Courage
The Shepherd: A Modern Parable about Our Search for Happiness
Mustard Is Persecution, Matthew Kelly Foundation
A Call to Joy - Living in the Presence of God
The Rhythm of Life: An Antidote For Our Busy Age
Words from God
Resisting Happiness
The Narrow Path
Our Father
The Biggest Lie in the History of Christianity
Why I Love Being Catholic
Good Night, Jesus
In a world where you can be anything ...

Beautiful ... Series:
...

Rediscover Books by Matthew Kelly:
Rediscover Catholicism: A Spiritual Guide to Living with Passion & Purpose
Rediscover Advent
Rediscover Lent
Rediscover Jesus: An Invitation
Rediscover the Rosary: The Modern Power of an Ancient Prayer
Rediscover the Saints

Audio by Matthew Kelly from Lighthouse Media:
Becoming The Best Version Of Yourself
The Best Way To Live
Don't Just Try, Train
Faith At Work & The Holy Moment
The Four Signs Of A Dynamic Catholic - Excerpt
The Jesus Question
My Spiritual Journey
Our Lives Change When Our Habits Change
Raising Amazing Children
The Seven Levels Of Intimacy
The Seven Pillars Of Catholic Spirituality

(Note: this books is part of a series: A Year of Reading Intention - Catholic Reading!)

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Tuesday, 22 March 2016

Prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola


Prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola

Father, I abandon myself into your hands;
Do with me what you will. Whatever you may do, I thank you; I am ready for all, I accept all. Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures.I wish no more than this, O Lord. Into your hands I commend my soul; I offer it to you with all the love of my heart, for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands, without reserve and with boundless confidence, for you are my Father.
Amen.

 (Taken from 40 Days, 40 Ways: A New Look at Lent by Marcellino D'Ambrosio Day 37.)



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Sunday, 20 March 2016

Updated 2016-04-13


This post has been redacted because of personal conviction. I would appreciate if you say a prayer for me. 

 Oh, Saint Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires.
Oh, Saint Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession, and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, So that, having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most Loving of Fathers.
Oh, Saint Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms; I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss his fine head for me and ask him to return the Kiss when I draw my dying breath.
Saint Joseph, Patron of departed souls – pray for me. 
Amen


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Friday, 18 March 2016

Secret of the Water Dragon - Tracey West and Graham Howells - Dragon Masters #3


Secret of the Water Dragon
Dragon Masters #3
Tracey West (Author)
Graham Howells (Illustrator)
Scholastic
ISBN 9780545646253

 I need to start out by stating that my 3 children love these books. I started reading them with my son who is 8, soon his younger sister who is 5 joined us, and then his older sister who is almost 10 is now helping read them to the younger two. The books are entertaining and engaging from 5-45 years of age. And that in and of itself is a pretty strong endorsement.

 The young dragon masters encounter a new threat in this book in the series. The main focus is on Drake and his earth dragon Worm, and Bo and his water dragon Shu. Someone tries to steal the Dragon stone which is used to find children to be dragon masters and which each master wears a piece of to facilitate communication between master and dragon. In this adventure we encounter The Raven Guard, ninja like characters, we have further adventures against Maldred and his dark magic. And a threat against Bo's family. The dragons and children will need to work together to counter all these threats.  

 Graham Howells does some amazing illustrations. And my children love looking at the books again and again. Almost every page is enhanced with embelishments and combining that with the stunning illustrations and a wonderful story and it makes for a great combination.

 This books are highly loved by my children. We have now read the 4 books available currently in this series, and eagerly anticipate book 5's release. My children love these books so much they are willing to shut off the TV to start reading earlier than normal. And we are now working through the series a second time. They are great reads and the adventure in this one was even more intense as the tension in the series builds. This is a great read for young and young at heart. 

Dragon Master Books:
1. Rise of the Earth Dragon
2. Saving the Sun Dragon
3. Secret of the Water Dragon
4. Power of the Fire Dragon
5. Song of the Poison Dragon
6. Flight of the Moon Dragon
7. Search for the Lightning Dragon







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Thursday, 17 March 2016

Becoming The Best Version Of Yourself - Matthew Kelly


Becoming The Best Version Of Yourself
Matthew Kelly
Lighthouse Catholic Media

 Over the last few years I have encountered Matthew Kelly in numerous ways. First the ministry he help found Dynamic Catholic, and specifically the daily email and also the advent and lent devotions. Second through his books, I have read parts of a number and read a few completely. All of his books are excellent. This is the first longer audio file I have done and it is amazing. 

 Matthew states: "God wants us to become the best version of yourself. That is his dream for you. God wants you to become the best version of yourself. God doesn't want you to become some second rate version of your parents. He doesn't want you to become a second rate version of your brothers and sisters. God doesn't want you to become some second rate version of your friends. And God want's us to stop being second rate versions of ourselves." And then he goes on to give a number of practical examples of how to move in that direction. 

 One of the key teachings is that "God wants us to become the vest version of ourselves, and that is the fundamental principle of life, of Christianity, spirituality and when we understand this fundamental principle everything else makes sense." And Matthew through the examples gives us multiple tools to help us learn to grow to live this principal. 

 Matthew mentions that books can change out life. He has over 2000 books in his office, but has a special shelf of 37 books that are his life changes, that he goes back to. He also has a list of 10 books he recommends as a starting point. Matthew challenges us to spend 10 minutes a day every day for the next year with a good book. And a good book meets the fundamental principle. If we understand that fundamental principal and evaluate everything in our life by it we will be changed. 

 It is so true that 90% of the Happiness and 90% of the misery in our life comes from our choices. Learn to start choosing the options that will lead to the best version of ourselves. It is what we were created for, it is what we were put here for it is the true meaning of life. I have listened to this three times through and recommended it to a few close friends. It is an awesome resource.


Books by Matthew Kelly:
I Know Jesus
The Long View
Decision Point: The Workbook
Decision Point: The Leader Guide
The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic
The One Thing
Off Balance: Getting Beyond the Work-Life Balance Myth to Personal and Professional Satisfaction
Why Am I Here?
Perfectly Yourself: 9 Lessons for Enduring Happiness
Perfectly Yourself Discovering God's Dream For You
Building Better Families: A Practical Guide to Raising Amazing Children
The Dream Manager
The Seven Levels of Intimacy: The Art of Loving and the Joy of Being Loved
The Rhythm of Life: Living Every Day with Passion and Purpose
Building Better Families - 5 Practical Ways to Build Family Spirituality
The Book of Courage
The Shepherd: A Modern Parable about Our Search for Happiness
Mustard Is Persecution, Matthew Kelly Foundation
A Call to Joy - Living in the Presence of God
The Rhythm of Life: An Antidote For Our Busy Age
Words from God
Resisting Happiness
The Narrow Path
Our Father
The Biggest Lie in the History of Christianity
Why I Love Being Catholic
Good Night, Jesus
In a world where you can be anything ...

Beautiful ... Series:
...

Rediscover Books by Matthew Kelly:
Rediscover Catholicism: A Spiritual Guide to Living with Passion & Purpose
Rediscover Advent
Rediscover Lent
Rediscover Jesus: An Invitation
Rediscover the Rosary: The Modern Power of an Ancient Prayer
Rediscover the Saints

Audio by Matthew Kelly from Lighthouse Media:
Becoming The Best Version Of Yourself
The Best Way To Live
Don't Just Try, Train
Faith At Work & The Holy Moment
The Four Signs Of A Dynamic Catholic - Excerpt
The Jesus Question
My Spiritual Journey
Our Lives Change When Our Habits Change
Raising Amazing Children
The Seven Levels Of Intimacy
The Seven Pillars Of Catholic Spirituality

(Note: this books is part of a series: A Year of Reading Intention - Catholic Reading!)
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Wednesday, 16 March 2016

Good Use of Time: 11 Principles to Live By - Rafael Tomás Caldera


Good Use of Time: 11 Principles to Live By
Rafael Tomás Caldera
Scepter Publishing
ISBN 9781594171857
ASIN B00D5VUHPY

This was a great little read. It was mentioned by an author in another book I was reading and I thought I would pick it up. Coming in under 50 pages it really packs a lot of information into it's brief format. The sections in the book are:

Prologue
 1. He Has More Who Needs Less
 2. Today, Now
 3. Urgent Things Can Wait
 4. Devoting Time to the Good Use of Time
 5. Put Your Heart Into What You Are Doing
 6. First One Thing, Then Another
 7. Make Haste Slowly
 8. Many Measures of Oil Can be Poured Into a Barrel Full of Nuts
 9. Setting Time Limits
10. Growing On The Inside
11. Remember That One Day You Too Are Going to Die
Epilogue

The intent and focus of the book is to help us live better lives, in the prologue the author states: ""Teach us," the Psalmist asks the Lord, "to number our days, so that we may get a heart of wisdom" (Ps 90:12). Each of our lives is a learning process that can never be repeated. So let us wholeheartedly make the Psalmist's prayer our own." And this book is a great little tool to help remind us about what is important especially in the use of the finite hours we have here on earth. I must confess that while reading I reflected upon my recent use of time: movies, tv, books, and games and came to the conclusion that I need to tighten down my focus yet again. And this book helps us to do so.

Rafael also reminds is to "The task at hand then becomes the most important thing we have to do, and we can dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to it." That was the advice by Saint Josemaria Escriva that the author heard directly, and it is very sound advice for us also. For especially in this digital age it is so easy to be distracted and multitask especially on our electronic devices.

The final quote I highlighted my first time through this books was "And here is the ultimate secret, the key to everything: loving. Love is the highest and most noble human activity, redeeming every moment we consecrate to it. From love stems diligence, love in action, proper to creatures subject to time, who must strive to act within the constraints imposed by our corporeal condition, with its servitude resulting from sin." The greatest of these is love.

This is a little book I know I will be going back to again as a reminder from time to time. It is a great little read and wonderful reminder. I am sure you would benefit from giving it an honest read.


(Note: this books is part of a series: A Year of Reading Intention - Catholic Reading!)

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Monday, 14 March 2016

Pope Francis and the Thomas Merton Connection - Ray Yungen


Pope Francis and the Thomas Merton Connection
Ray Yungen
Lighthouse Trails Publishing
AISN B01BPKEGNK

Sometimes you read something so horrible it amazing you. This was one of those times. If there was a way to review it with giving 0 Stars I would. The title of this book grabbed my attention. I have ready many books by and about Merton going back to my days in university. I have been reading a lot by and about Pope Francis. I figured this book would be along the social justice lines, pointing out similarities in their thoughts or approaches.

The author claims to have studied Merton for over 20 years, so I wonder how he can misread Merton so badly unless he has such huge blinders or it is intentional misrepresentation of facts. Most of his Merton quotes are partial and some with numerous … thus clipping the original context and distorting the intention. If Ray Yungen wants to understand Merton maybe he should go back and read some of Michael W. Higgin's works on the man. Or even my own piece Thomas Merton The Man, The Monk , and on Monasticism.

Fortunately this is a very short booklet or I would have given up, and reviewed it without finishing. This book is supposed to be non-fiction and if so It is the worst I have read that I can recall ever. Don't waste your time or money, I wish I had mine back.

(Note I usually link to both author and publisher websites when I write reviews. This book was so horrible I could not bring myself to do so.)


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