Quotes to Live By

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.
(John Quincy Adams)

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit. (Aristotle)

Every artist was first an amateur. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. (Thomas Jefferson)

It takes ten years to build up a reputation, but only five minutes to ruin one. (Anonymous)

Thursday, October 31, 2013

For God's Glory


God had a purpose when He designed and created the world. God had a purpose when He designed and created you.
Do you know the purpose for which God designed you? 

A truck driver was hauling a load of 500 penguins to the zoo. Unfortunately, his truck broke down. He eventually waved down another truck and offered the driver $500 to take the penguins to the zoo. The next day the first truck driver got his truck fixed and drove into town and couldn't believe his eyes! Just ahead of him he saw the second truck driver crossing the road with the 500 penguins waddling single file behind him.

He jumped out of his truck, ran up to the guy and said, “What’s going on? I gave you $500 to take these penguins to the zoo!” To which the man responded, “I did take them to the zoo. But I had enough money left over so now we’re going to the movies.” That guy didn't fully understand what he was supposed to be doing. Likewise, many believers today are fuzzy about their purpose for living.

What is your reason for living? Are you a little fuzzy about why you’re here?

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Samson

During World War II, Jewish men were forced to box on Saturday night for Nazi entertainment. The winner got extra food. The loser went to the gas chambers.
The year is 1943, and Samson Abrams has just made a life or death decision, coming to the aid of a young Jewish boy being beaten by the Nazis. Before long, Samson’s entire family must board the train to Auschwitz.

As they arrive at the camp, Dr. Joseph Mengele, a man who will later go down in history as a person of pure evil, oversees the “selection” process. The young, weak, and elderly are all sent to their deaths. Samson tries to attack, but is calmed by Maximilian Kolbe, a Catholic monk also at the camp. For Samson, all of this evil reaffirms his belief that there is no God.

Samson is soon recognized as a 1936 Olympic boxing participant and is offered a deal: he can box for his life, but if he loses, he will find himself on Mengele’s experimental operating table.

Adding to the complexity is the slow renewal of Samson’s faith through his relationship with Kolbe. Here, he must somehow reconcile with God while he witnesses the violent, tortured deaths of so many.

A historic battle ensues with Hitler, Himmler, Höss, and many of the highest ranking officials in the Nazi Party watching... an incredible final fight which culminates in Mengele himself getting in the ring.

 I really liked this book and again, I couldn't wait for the book to arrive, so I borrowed it from my fellow blogger. I'm pretty sure he knows why I'm always knocking on his door. Good thing he reads the novels pretty fast. I really couldn't wait for a copy of my own, so I always need to borrow his.

This book was pretty fast-paced. I love anything to do with the Holocaust, so this book was a fast read for me. I really like survivor-type books from any history era. It's just that the Holocaust was so horrific, I hold a special fascination for it.

The book will be made available to the public on October 29th, 2013!

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Payback in Panama

After two attempts on her life, Alex is faced with the ultimate decision . . . kill or be killed.
U.S. Treasury Agent Alexandra LaDuca is at a crossroads. Her job is beating her up, emotionally and psychologically. And the moral battle between her faith and her responsibilities is taking its toll on her effectiveness. For the first time, she wonders how long she can last.

Forcing an end to her long-running and treacherous duel with the heads of the Dosi Cartel, Alex knows this is her last do-or-die operation. It’s time call in all the favors owed to her.

Her fight takes her into the criminal underground of America’s east coast, south into the violent underworld of Central America, across Honduras and El Salvador, and finally to Panama for a shattering confrontation.
Alex’s career, her life, and her future with the man she loves---a future she never expected after the violent death of her fiancé two years earlier---are all at stake.

After a final payback in Panama, nothing will be the same . . . if she even survives.

 I love these thriller books that keep me on the edge of my seat. Even though I haven't gotten my copy yet, I borrowed it from a fellow blogger. I read it in two days between the times I do my homework for grad school and substituting for my county. I just can't get enough of reading these books. But once I finish, it's back to square 1. I am yet on another search to find a book that will keep me occupied for another two days.

This book comes out on October 22nd, so unless you have a fellow blogger that has 
the copy of the book, you will have to wait for another two weeks.