Chariots of Fire (movie review)

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Posted by Jeff on May 16th, 2013

Chariots of Fire (movie)

Eric Liddell is fast, really fast. They call him the “Flying Scotsman.” With the 1924 Olympics looming, he is ready to answer the call to run the 100 meters for God and country; but he has also answered the call to serve as a missionary in China. He can’t do both, can he?

Harold Abrahams is fast, very fast. He has never lost a footrace. Running for his Oxford alma mater, he wins medal after medal. His sights are on the Olympics as well, but can he outrun the Americans with all of their world records?

As Britain’s finest travel to Paris, both men wrestle with their inner demons. To his dismay, Eric discovers that his heat is scheduled on Sunday, and racing on the Lord’s Sabbath is contrary to his deeply help convictions. Harold is wracked with waves of self-doubt. He has poured most of his life into preparing for this one race – only 10 brief seconds. What if he loses? What would be the point of his life then?

SO WHAT

Chariots of fire, men running, NoEndToBooks This movie is not so shallow as to be a mere sports story. The men and their motivations take center stage as we attempt to peer inside these athletes’ souls to see what makes them tick. What drives people beyond their limits to achieve such greatness?

The contrast between the protagonists is striking. Eric has but one goal: all for the glory of God. Harold, on the contrary, acutely feels the disdain of society upon his Jewish heritage, and runs to prove himself and upstage every gentile rival. Their post-race responses are especially telling: Eric celebrating joyfully with teammates, Harold drunk and morose.

Why we do what we do is more than what we do. Every one of us was created for a purpose. “God made me fast,” Eric says. “When I run, I feel His pleasure.”

These men may be fast, but this 150 minute movie is not. Younger tykes will find the pacing slow and uninteresting. For the more mature, however, the finish line is more than worth the marathon.

My favorite part of the movie is the iconic and award winning soundtrack by Vangelis. It has stood the test of time: memorable, creative, inspiring – a trailblazing foray into the relatively new genre of electronica.

NoEndToBooks RATING

5 out of 5 running shoes

WHY THIS MOVIE?

We watched this as a family movie (my 11 year old was bored to sleep).

SUGGESTIONS

CONVERSATION

Have you discovered what you were created for? When do you feel God’s pleasure?

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Categories Video reviews

10 Best-selling Books I Won’t Be Reviewing and Why

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Posted by Jeff on May 13th, 2013

There’s a reason this book review site is called NoEndToBooks: the quantity of published books has exploded with the recent advent of the ebook and the rise of the self-publishing movement. Unfortunately, the quality of many of these books is nearly nil, the majority being poorly conceived, poorly written, and poorly edited (assuming they were edited at all). Others are laden with morally objectionable content, appealing only to our prurient natures and most base instincts.

owl on books noenedtobooks Occasionally, these books get the better of us, and become temporary best sellers. As discerning readers, we must carefully guard what enters our minds through the eye-gate, testing everything, rejecting what is worthless, and holding fast to what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

To this end, I have compiled a list of currently top selling books that I will not waste time reviewing. Many of these may be good books, just a little outside my genre. They are listed according to their ranking in Amazon’s Top 100 Best Selling Books.

THE LIST

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Leadby Sheryl Sandberg – I’m not qualified (wrong gender)

StrengthsFinder 2.0, by Tom Rath – borrowed this book from the library, checked it out (pun intended), not much new here

Dad Is Fat, by Jim Gaffigan – I resemble that title! (might actually read this one someday, once I get over myself, or lose some of myself)

VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 to Lose Weight and Restore Your Health . . . for Good, by Mark Bittman – while we are on the subject of fat, you’ll have to get the skinny on this one yourself. If I jogged five miles for every new weight-loss fad that came around…
(this eliminates almost half of the bestsellers – what does that say about America?)

Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, by E. L. James – steamy sex scenes, ‘nough said (somebody has gotten very rich with filthy lucre. I’m not even going to include a link.)

What to Expect When You’re Expecting, 4th Edition, by Heidi Murkoff – been there, done that (well, uh, my wife has done that)

The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, by Shigeru Miyamoto, et. al. – I’m not geek enough (there is actually a book for this?)

The Amateur, by Edward Klein – I don’t get into political screeds. Obama may or may not be the worst president in modern history, but the political vitriol can be nauseating.

The Harbinger: The Ancient Mystery That Holds the Secret of America’s Future, by Jonathan Cahn – I glanced through this contrived attempt to find Biblical prophecies that correspond exactly to specific events of the past ten years in America. Rarely has Bible prophecy been stretched so incredulously.

Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman – good book with copious research into the science of behavioral psychology; too long to sit through all of the details, when it could have been summed up in just a few paragraphs.

COMMENTS

What do you think? Agree or disagree? Would you give any of these books the green light? Is there a book you would like to see reviewed on NoEndToBooks?

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Categories Book reviews

The Air We Breathe (book review)

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Posted by Jeff on May 10th, 2013

The Air We Breathe

By Christa Parrish

There is great power in a story. Stories communicate who we are and what is important. Good stories remind us what it means to be alive. Great stories inspire us to empathy and motivate us to action.

The Air We Breathe is a great story. The characters are genuine and three dimensional. The plot is riveting. The struggles, the hurt, the pain, the loss are all real.

Author Christa Parrish

Molly never leaves the wax museum where she lives, works, and home schools. Whenever she tries, panic immobilizes her feet as waves of anxiety wash over her.

Claire no longer makes left turns when she drives, not since that terrible day, the accident, her precious ones in the back seat…

Young Hannah’s tranquil world is shattered when she becomes an innocent hostage during a bank robbery.

Where is God in all this tragedy? How can good come from all this pain?

Christa Parrish masterfully weaves together these tragic and seemingly unrelated stories into a beautiful tapestry of hope and healing.

SO WHAT?

This is no “easy answers” book. The author looks as evil full in the face and does not shirk from its reality. The reader comes away with hope for life and an increased empathy for the hurting all around. The source of that hope is clear. The author’s Christianity illuminates every page, not in a preachy manner, but in a down to earth, life impacting way.

It is a pleasure to ready authors that write with local color, especially when the locality is your own. The author lives near me, so I recognized and instantly connected with details such as grabbing an ice cream cone at Stewarts.

Since the author has visited my church in the past, I also have a sneaking suspicion that she modeled the church in her story after my church’s former building:

She called it New Life Christian (mine is New Hope Community Church).
It was a red brick building, a former insurance agency (check, and check).
Dead-on description of the auditorium: “a large room with padded seats instead of benches, plain walls, and two fake trees in the corners up front. Someone had strung white Christmas lights through them, and the shiny, too-green leaves mirrored the glow…coffee brewing on the table in the lobby.”
Dead-on description of my pastor: “he wore normal clothes and brushed his hair forward so the ends became his bangs.”

NoEndToBooks RATING

5 out of 5 genuine, hurting people

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“Christa Parrish is an award-winning author of three novels. Her debut, Home Another Way (Bethany House, 2008) was a finalist for the ECPA Fiction Book of the Year. Her second novel, Watch Over Me, won the ECPA Fiction Book of the Year and the ForeWord Reviews bronze medal for religious fiction. Her long-awaited third novel, The Air We Breathe (Bethany House, 2012) has already been named a finalist for the 2013 Christianity Today Book Award.

“When not writing, Christa is creative director of the modern contemporary worship service at her church and co-director of the youth group. She also produces a weekly radio show, helps facilitate DivorceCare and DC4K, chauffeurs her Grand Champion blue belt to and from Taekwondo clases, and chases a toddler. She and her husband, author and pastor Chris Coppernoll, have three children in their blended family: Gray (18), Jacob (11), and Claire (2).”

WHY THIS BOOK?

I was given a complimentary copy of this book to review on NoEndToBooks by Bethany House publishers.

SUGGESTIONS

CONVERSATION

Let’s start a hall of fame: name one person (friend or relative) in your life who has stuck by you through every trial you have faced.P5SR2HFKHE2F

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Categories Book reviews

5 Books for Mom (for Mother’s Day)

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Posted by Jeff on May 7th, 2013

Looking for a gift for Mother’s Day that will say, “I love you, Mom”? Something that will lift her spirit and make her glad that she’s your Mom? Here are some great suggestions from NoEndToBooks:

“Every Day Matters” Study Bible for women (New Living Translation)

Give Mom “The Good Book.” This is a great place to begin when looking for a gift for Mom. Help her begin every day focused on making each day count for God and for eternity. This beautiful soft cover, rose Bible also contains over 300 articles by prominent, Christian leaders and writers.

The Power of a Positive Mom & The Power of a Positive Woman

Two books for the price of one! We get beaten down by so much negativity in the world, shouldn’t the home be a safe-haven of encouragement? Giving Mom this book is not telling her that she’s not positive enough: instead, it reminds her of the amazing influence she has over the atmosphere of her home.

Praying Circles around Your Children

Do you believe in the power of prayer? Are there any prayers more powerful, more earnest, more passionate than a mother’s prayers for her children? This small and inexpensive book will help Mom carry on a powerful legacy of prayer for the ones she loves the most.

Special thanks to my wonderful wife and helpmeet, Julie, for her invaluable contribution to this NoEndToBooks list (and for being such a marvelous mother to our children).

Would books would you recommend for Mom?

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Categories Book reviews