Tuesday, April 27, 2010

New Beginnings...

Tomorrow I will spend my last night at Trinity Baptist Church in Harker Heights, Texas. I have been a member there for almost four years. In that time I have been honored to teach preschoolers, children and youth in various classes. I have spent time with a wonderful group of ladies on Tuesday afternoons. I have made friends that will always be near and dear to my heart.

I am leaving because I have a job! Starting Sunday, May 2nd I will officially be the Minister to Children and Youth at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Paris, Texas. It is an opportunity to go home and minister in the place I grew up. It is a chance to serve alongside some incredible people. I am blessed to be headed in this direction.

And yet, while I am excited, I am also realizing that Central Texas has been home for more than nine years. I love this place. I love the diversity. I love the folks serving in our military. I love the scenery and culture here. I will miss it immensely.

So, as I look forward, I look back. I am grateful for my time here. I am excited about my time there. And as always, I am humbled to serve others in ministry.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

A Century Turns--William Bennett

Bill Bennett walks through United States' history from 1988-2008 in his latest book, A Century Turns. In his third book about recent American history, he focuses on major events within the life of the nation. Beginning with the 1988 election and ending with Obama's run and victory for the White House, he shares candidly about his time working with various administrations in Washington.

While he is honest about his political leanings, Bennett tries to present an unbiased and fair review of actions and events. He states what he considers were good decisions and bad choices by leaders and the American people. I appreciate his attempt to point out the good and not so good, regardless of the political persuasion.

I enjoyed this book because, for the first time, I was reading American history that I lived. I remember the presidential elections, the Branch Davidians in Waco, and the Gulf Wars. I remember seeing many of the events on TV, some that were making history for being the first live video feeds from around the world. Because of this, I have an even greater appreciation for other written history.

It took me a while to get through this book because it was a different genre than I normally read, but it was a good read. I would encourage history lovers, and students, to read A Century Turns if they are interested in modern American history.

This review is a part of the BookSneeze blogger review program. I received this book for free in order to review it. I was not compensated in any other way.