One man’s approachable and worthwhile compilation of the life lessons his faith has taught him.
A Christian guide focuses on helping readers discover their purpose in life.
Garguilo grounds this second edition of his book in his own personal history of happiness, adversity, and Christianity, which he embraced at an early age. His rebirth is dramatically described at the manual’s beginning: “At that moment I felt an urgency to open up my Bible to find the answers I needed.” The hardships are likewise encountered in the guide’s early pages: The author donated a kidney to his brother, experienced post-operation depression that he combated with antidepressants, became a real estate agent, and got thrown into financial chaos by the Great Recession of 2008. Finally, he decided to put his faith in God’s guidance and chased his dream to become a horse farmer in Kentucky. And yet, as he narrates, he still didn't feel completely satisfied, and the self-help books he was reading at the time reinforced one basic question: “What were you put on this earth to do?” Garguilo became a “Christ-centered life coach,” and the bulk of his brief work consists of the useful lessons he’s learned along the way. During the course of his helpful manual, he shares this knowledge mostly in the traditional way of extrapolating life lessons from various Bible tales. He examines the story of Joseph and his brothers, for instance: “We can all relate to feeling betrayed, but holding on to resentment will take your focus off of your vision and cost valuable energy you will need for your incredible journey. I encourage you, like Joseph, to choose compassion over revenge.” The author very effectively blends these Sunday school lessons with his own hard-won life experiences; Christian readers will find it all relatable.
One man’s approachable and worthwhile compilation of the life lessons his faith has taught him.Pub Date: May 19, 2022
ISBN: 9798985145014
Page Count: 75
Publisher: Promised Land Productions LLC
Review Posted Online: Dec. 19, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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