In “What Difference Do It Make” by Ron Hall, Denver Moore, & Lynn Vincent, readers of “Same Kind of Different as Me” will find themselves picking up where these authors left them.
Personally, my reading of this book was often put on hold while I read another title on my reading list, so the full completion (skimmed quite a bit in the middle and some at the end) took quite a while because I never felt enough of a separation from the 1st book in terms of format. I believe their aim is to add some background to certain aspects of the story & to fill-in a few areas that the authors felt would add value to the story(ies) they had shared, and in doing that they succeeded.
My favorite part of this book was the illustrations of Mr. Moore’s artwork. This is probably because I’ve always felt that seeing how people express different periods of their life artistically, be it by drawing, writing, painting, adds to the person and their story the way nothing else can.
Although I won’t be reading this book or its prequel any time soon, I’m glad I have this book to add to this story of two unlikely friends that I’m sure to revisit one day. And if “Same Kind Of Different as Me” was a book you really enjoyed so much you have read or plan to read it again, or if it left you wanting to know the characters more deeply, I’d recommend adding “What Difference Do It Make” to your collection as well.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255
In this autobiography, Eli Gold shares his journey from a young boy skipping grade-school to pursue his interests to his present day life as a man fulfilling his childhood dreams of being a sportscaster. He tells of his first job, starting out as a peanut vendor at Madison Square Garden and shares the various stories of luck, chance meetings and hard work that got put him where he is today.
As someone who’s done play-by-play for Arena football, the NFL, NHL, and is the host of NASCAR Live, not to mention The Voice of Alabama’s Crimson Tide for over twenty years, most would agree he’s achieved his goal of being a successful sportscaster.
While the book was an easy read and had some interesting stories from his life in sports, I was a bit disappointed in the lack of depth regarding Gold’s personal life as it relates to his professional pursuits. I would recommend this book to any sports fan that loves hearing “behind-the-scenes” stories from an insider, however, if you are seeking inspiration or a more motivational read that goes a bit more in depth, that most likely won’t be found here. Overall, it’s worth the read, just keep the expectations to a minimum.
In this, m
y most recent book to read from Thomas Nelson, Dr. Emerson Eggerichs starts by pointing out that a majority of the problems faced by married couples today is a breakdown in communication. While this may not come as a huge surprise to many, Eggerichs proposes that the point is often missed due to the often overlooked relationship of love & respect. He explains that although men & women need both love & respect, women desire & seek out “love” as a top priority, men seek “respect” in the same way. The key, according to Eggerichs, can be found in Ephesians 5:33. Lacking an understanding of the deeper meaning in this verse, can lead to a vicious cycle of women feeling unloved and men feeling disrespected. The book is filled with examples from his marriage as well as from others, and I think that any reader would be able to relate many of the “mis-communications” to their own marriages, & Dr. Eggerichs offers his thoughts on how this vicious cycle can be broken.
What I found to be very useful in the way Eggerichs approaches the subject is that he makes it clear that women having respect for their husbands doesn’t mean they should be a doormat for a husband that doesn’t give the same respect back. He does this in a way that seems to clarify the verse in Ephesians in a way that shuts the door on men using it as a way to gain control over their wives as it’s been used in the past.
One drawback for me was that Eggerichs tended to repeat ideas at times, and although the book was a quick and interesting read, it could have been a bit shorter. Overall, I think “Love & Respect” would be a good book for any married couple who experiences frequent or occasional breakdowns in their communication. I really liked the biblical focus of the book, which tends to add even more credibility to Eggerichs’ way of thinking.
The latest book from Andy Andrews, The Noticer, makes it quite clear how valuable perspective is in our lives. The main character, “Jones”, is a guy that notices things that others often miss. This book follows Jones as he interacts with various people of a place called Orange Beach, bringing each of them a little perspective they wouldn’t have otherwise had.
I don’t usually gravitate toward fiction books, but this one was different. The book had a good flow to it and kept me wanting more. The wide range of people Jones interacted with touched many areas of life, & the way all the characters tied together added a bit more “perspective” as well.
I highly recommend this book. I often found myself unable to put the book down because I was so interested in what advice Jones was going to impart on his subject. The advice he offered almost seemed to be common sense at times, however, it was also usually something most of us tend to overlook as our world gets faster and faster.
This book was a good change of pace for me, it slowed me down. Although, not specific advice from Jones, that may be what I noticed from his interactions with others. He wasn’t any smarter than his friends, he just wasn’t in as big of a hurry. That’s just what I took away from it. Jones probably has a little personalized perspective for each individual reader, that’s what I think makes this book so easy to recommend to anyone.
