Book Review- Patton: The Pursuit of Destiny by Agostino Von Hassell and Ed Breslin

A new release from Thomas Nelson's "The Generals" series, Von Hassell and Breslin's book provides a brief overview of the complicated life of General George S. Patton. Less than 200 pages in length, this book provides the reader with a nice synopsis of the some of the main points and events in Patton's life. However, I found the book lacking in several areas. Rather than an historical biography, the book reads as though it were written by members of a Patton fan club.

First, the authors go to great lengths in the prologue to denigrate General Omar Bradley when compared to General Patton. The reasoning for this is unclear.

Secondly, Patton is portrayed as possibly one of the great cavalrymen in the history of the United States Army as well as one of the Army's all-time great strategists, tacticians, teachers and trainers, tank unit commanders and so on. While he may have had great strengths in these areas, no man is the best-ever in each of these disciplines.

Thirdly, though the back cover states that the book is written "without varnishing over his shortcomings", the authors make a great effort to explain the reasoning behind many of the "shortcomings" of Patton, from his excessive and unnecessary profanity to his slapping of two WWII soldiers, calling them "cowards" because he was afraid that anyone would accuse him of cowardice. Little is noted of Patton's womanizing, alcohol abuse and depression.

Finally, while the authors include a bibliography of 11 items, there are no notes given throughout the text. In fact, only periodically do the authors refer to previous works by other historians.

To get a sense of the major points in Patton's life, this book is effective in its ability to highlight those events that shaped the general's impact. However, its presentation is too uneven in its pro-Patton nature as to be objective.

I reviewed this book in conjunction with Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze program, was not compensated for this review and the opinions expressed are solely mine.

Fun on Friday

Recently at McDonalds as I placed an order for one of my sons:
Me: "I'd like to order ice cream in a cup instead of a cone".
Cashier: "So you'd like a plain sundae"?
Me: "Yes, I guess. If that's what you call ice cream in a cup".

Glad that fall practice for college football began this week and that NFL camps are open.

Speaking of fast food restaurants. The person who creates a way to more easily and cleanly dispense cup lids will make a fortune.

The baseball trading deadline came and went and the Yankees reloaded again. I'm no Yankees hater, but with their vast financial resources, it should be celebrated anytime another team besides the Yankees wins the World Series.

Great Quote Thursday

My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me- Jim Valvano

Book Review- How to Get to the Top: Business Lessons Learned at the Dinner Table by Jeffrey Fox

Part of the Fox Business Library, this book is broken down into 55 short chapters, each filled with thought provoking ideas for use in business and in life in general. In the foreword, the author describes the importance that the family dinner table has played in the development of leaders based on the opportunities it provides for parents to share wisdom and guidance. Fox gleaned many of these concepts in the book from well-known contributors such as George Steinbrenner, the late owner of the New York Yankees; Jim McDonald, the former President and CEO of Starbucks; and Kenneth Feld, the CEO of Feld Entertainment; as well as others.

The practical, easy-to-read chapters include the following titles: "When Thomas Jefferson Dined Alone"; "Quality in Not Job 1"; "Buzzsaw the Buzzwords"; and "Don't Park in Front of Your Store". My favorite, however, describing the necessity of putting the right people in the right positions is titled "Don't Put General Patton in Charge of the Mess Hall".

Elijah- The Importance of Mentoring

On Sundays, we're continuing our look at the life of Elijah, the Old Testament prophet.

II Kings chapter 2 records the last moments in the life of Elijah. He knows the end is near and he begins a journey from Gilgal to Bethel to Jericho and on to the Jordan River. At each step along the way, his protege, Elisha, vows to follow his mentor to the end. In verse 9, Elijah asks Elisha "What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you"?; basically providing Elisha an opportunity to glean any additional wisdom or information that my help him in the future. Elisha's response was to request that a "double portion" of Elijah's spirit be upon him. Very possibly, Elisha felt he was only half the man that his mentor Elijah was.

Here's The Point: Elijah had mentored Elisha and gained his respect. Elisha honored his mentor by retracing some major moments in Elijah's life (v. 25) and carrying on the work, in some ways to greater heights than his mentor ever reached. The practice of mentoring is Biblical. Christ and the disciples. Moses and Joshua. Elijah and Elisha.

What about you? If you're not involved in a mentoring process, even an informal one, you're missing out.

Vision Ministry

On Saturday, South-Doyle High School held its annual clean-up day, a day where community volunteers join some dedicated administrators and faculty in preparing the school for the upcoming return of students for the fall semester. As part of our church's commitment to be involved in the community as well at the school through our Vision Ministry partnership (an initiative to provide mentoring to students and encouragement to the faculty) at the school, some members of our Bible Fellowship class for young married/engaged couples spent some time on the South-Doyle campus.

Tree trimming and the deweeding of landscaped beds were the projects our group primarily focused on. Thanks to Morgan and Jamie Honeycutt and Jeremy and Betsy Steeves (pictured left to right with me in the above photo) for carving some time out of their schedule to serve in the community. Working with friends made the work go quickly.

The campus looked noticeably better by the end of the morning. When over 100 people attack a project, great things can happen.

Elijah- Preparing for the Future

On Sundays, we're continuing our look at the life of Elijah, the Old Testament prophet.

It's human nature to wonder about the future. Often, people will ask God for guidance, wisdom and direction when making both short or long-term plans. Many times, we are simply called to trust God and follow Him by faith. But sometimes, as in I Kings 19, God lays out a specific plan of action as He did for Elijah. As Elijah struggles with depression, in verses 15 and 16, Elijah is told what steps to take next (and he is reminded that God will take care of him- verses 17 and 18).

Here's the Point: While we often want to know God's will, we don't often act on what we already know to do. In the case of Elijah, even after God shared a three-step plan with him, there is no record that Elijah followed the plan God had graciously laid out for him. While Elijah is told to anoint Elisha as his successor, Elijah simply calls Elisha as his assistant. Not a way to prepare for the future.