Month: April 2019

Review: Meb For Mortals by Meb Keflezighi

by billy, posted in Review

At the recommendation of a friend (and Amazon), during summer 2016 I picked up a copy of Meb For Mortals: How To Run, Think, And Eat Like A Champion Marathoner by Meb Kflezighi. From everything I have seen on Twitter and at major running events, Meb is a charismatic and inspiring athlete, and an individual deeply dedicated to his faith and to bringing out the best in others.

The book itself is divided into chapters centered around goal setting, training, racing, stretching, recovering, and cross-training among their subjects. In each chapter, Meb provides details into his routine and regimen, and then offers a series of dos and don’ts around the subject area for the reader to consider. I personally love the fact that Meb starts the book by talking about goals and having the mental preparation in place for wanting to improve. I’ve personally become a strong proponent of the philosophy that unless we have a clear vision of where we want to go and why, we are highly unlikely to persevere or to put in the effort needed to get there.

Are you a runner? Are you looking to get stronger, faster, better, and more fit for your next race? Meb’s book and the series of exercises he recommends may be a good tool to get you there, but only if you are willing to put forth the effort. I recommend Meb’s book because it is clear that he is not recommending anything that he hasn’t done—in fact, he’s recommending things specifically because he’s seen these activities demonstrate benefit in his own life. Give Meb’s book a read, and hopefully I’ll see you out running this year!

Reflection and Review: Forty Chances by Howard G. Buffett

by billy, posted in Reflection, Review

It was in fall 2013 that I first picked up a copy of Howard G. Buffett’s book 40 Chances: Finding Hope In A Hungry World, and I had meant to both read the book and write a review within days of the book’s release. I had accomplished half of the goal; I had read it quickly, but I was not able to write a review. I had hoped to write the review partially because in the last section of the book, Mr. Buffett dedicates 2-3 pages to the story of Nuru International and Jake Harriman. Given that I’ve known Jake and his family for more than half of my life, and that he and I have been passionately working together to address extreme poverty from Nuru’s beginnings, I wanted to read and share this book with others.

But, as often happens with many of us, time got the best of me. I finished reading the book, and then I was recovering from running the Marine Corps Marathon as well as stepping up my travel for Nuru. But, four years later, I still want to share this book with others. The reason why I wanted to share goes beyond Mr. Buffett’s stories of impact in his own work to address global hunger specifically, or even as a result of him giving mention to Nuru and Jake among many organizations that are doing great work. Mr. Buffett’s life has been an interesting one. He is a farmer, photographer, and philanthropist, and he has been able to experience and document some incredible experiences in this book.

But, I wanted to write this review because of the title of the book, 40 Chances. The idea comes from a lesson Mr. Buffett learned about farming when he was younger. He says that an average farmer has about 40 chances, or 40 growing seasons, to improve on their farming and harvests in their lifetime. He makes the connection to his own work in addressing hunger, but the metaphor lends itself well to every arena.

In the book of Psalms, Moses implores God, Teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom. I believe 40 Chances, as much as it is a series of 40 stories of hope and lessons with regard to addressing hunger, for me it is a reminder that we each have limited time on this earth, and we should make the most of it.  Maybe I’ll live longer and be able to use more than 40 years to make a contribution in the world; maybe it will be less. Regardless, it behooves me to live each of my days ensuring that I am aligned with my purpose and that I am taking ground, moving forward and improving with the limited time I have. And that’s true for all of us.

So, I do recommend giving 40 Chances a read, and taking time to consider what you might be able to do to address the food insecurity and hunger that one out of five of our global neighbors confronts as a daily reality, and further, I encourage you to give consideration as to how you will use your own 40 chances to make a contribution to a better world for the next generation.

Review: Teach Us To Want by Jen Pollock Michel

by billy, posted in Review

Jen Pollock Michel’s book Teach Us To Want: Longing, Ambition, And The Life Of Faith received Christianity Today’s Book Of The Year Award in 2015, and that fact alone led to me deciding to give it a read. I always enjoy a thoughtful book, and at times it is helpful when others have already indicated a text is worth the read.

Teach Us To Want is definitely a thoughtful book. Based on my reading, Jen Pollock Michel has herself read broadly, and she weaves themes from several classic works into her own narrative. The book is anecdotal, personal, vulnerable, and very thoughtful with regard to the internal wrestling that a person of faith encounters with regard to discerning which desires emanate from within and which are God-given directive or calling. Jen, through her own story shares very candidly both the good and the bad sides of desire, and how it can be either destructive or redemptive depending on the source.

In the early chapters of the book, she alludes to one of my personal favorite authors, and one who I believe had a significant influence on the rhythm of the book, Annie Dillard. Dillard’s book Pilgrim At Tinker Creek is a book about faith, environment, place, and time. Pollock Michel’s book extends along a much longer duration than Dillard’s single year, and also extends across a variety of places, but, she builds a framework for exploring desire from both the via positiva and the via negative.

To be honest, when I first started the book, I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy it, but it is incredibly well written, and I found myself looking forward to each new area of content. In particular, I really appreciated her chapter on prayer and its focus on how God’s willingness to provide as well as his encouragement for us to ask.

Looking for a thoughtful, vulnerable narrative to explore? Give Jen Pollock Michel’s book a read, and consider more deeply what it means to call out to the Creator of the universe with all of our wants.