Book of the Week: Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris

Be warned: don't read this book unless you're ready to make some change in your life.  The book Do Hard Things is a good one about teenagers doing things for God—and not just any old "things", but hard things, things that make us "rebel against low expectations."  This is the book that started it all off for the Harris' boys movement, one that hundreds of teens have stood for in the last four years.  It's about the need for teens to go above and beyond the small prospects their parents, teachers, and other adults constantly (and unknowingly) give them.  How hard can it be to take a little more initiative and get some other things done—something other than the normal, "make your bed, do most of your homework, and have a semi-daily record of taking out the trash?"  Instead, Alex and Brett chose to do above and beyond what they needed to by launching the Rebelution.

This book helps us figure out how to change the way we think based on 1^st Timothy 4:12, "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity."  It helps us to go above and beyond the low values and expectations that our country has given to teenagers and help lead a growing group of young people who are totally sold out for God and what He wants for us.  There is a quote by Randy Alcorn on the front cover of this book that defines the whole book—"Will prove to be one of the most life-changing and culture-changing books of this generation."

Book of the Week: The Gold of Exodus, by Howard Blum

The Gold of Exodus has made me think about the Bible in a much different light than I originally did.  It helped me realize that all those careful calculations in the Old Testament are actually there, well, for a reason.  And now I've decided that one of those reasons was for us today, to better believe and more literally interpret the lists and meticulously documented histories of the Old Testament. 

The book is a non-fiction narrative taken from 1979-1995 or so, when the Saudi Arabian government was working on "Project Falcon."  Most of the book focuses on two unlikely companions, a self-made millionaire, Larry Williams, and a police man/mountain climber/former football player, Bob Cornuke.  The Gold of Exodus follows their journey from America to England, and finally Egypt and Saudi Arabia, where they found Mount Sinai, or at least the mountain they (and some other archeologists) consider to be Mount Sinai.  The thing I really liked about this book was how easy to read and exciting it is!  As it said on the inside cover, it's "part high-tech treasure hunt, part modern-day spy thriller, and part biblical detective story."  Most non-fiction books are hard to begin, but this one takes you to the middle of the story and makes you feel a part of it from the very beginning.

Howard Blum has used actual Scripture that the men used to make their calculations throughout the book, or at least Scripture references.  When there was a reference, or even when I wanted to check something to see how "real" what they were saying the Bible said really was, I was able to go right to the true source for information.  It helped me get a better grip on what the Exodus was like for the Israelites.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in Biblical history and archeology, or just a bookworm who needs a new book to read! J