Book It 2010

I finally finished Amy Dacyzcyn's "The Complete Tightwad Gazette".  All 900+ pages of it!  And just as my mid-book review said...I still wasn't very impressed.  I just can't see myself doing many of her suggestions.  I mean, don't get me wrong - they were great and I could see the sense and sensibility in doing them, I just don't see ME doing them.  I did glean a few ideas from her book though and if the time comes that I ever become a stay-at-home mom then maybe even more of her ideas will come in handy.  For now though, I'm sticking with what I know.

I picked up Jeffrey Marx's "The Long Snapper" on Monday night.  I could NOT put it down.  I found it on Dave Ramsey's list of recommended books.  Ohmygosh.  I am so glad I chose to read it!  I finished it today at lunch and it makes me want to go back and watch the 2003 Super Bowl all over again. 

Now, I'm a huge football fan as it is.  I grew up watching football, basketball and going to track meets (my dad was the coach).  I'm one of the few wives around that asks Brian to invite the guys over on Sunday so we can hang out and watch the game.  LeeAnn knows that on Sundays, during football season - there are no cartoons because we have football on all.day.long.

I first read about "The Long Snapper" on Dave Ramsey's website and it sounded like a really great read.  Written by Jeffrey Marx, who won a Pulitzer for investigative reporting, the book is a quick and easy read that really hit home with me. 

From Dave's website (and the inside flap of the book):

"The Long Snapper is the story of a man who finally achieves the success he has always wanted. Brian Kinchen's championship ring is a powerful status symbol for all to see. But his journey forces him to re-examine what really matters, and he realizes the true measure of a man has nothing to do with status: life is not about prestige, it is about passion and purpose. It is about impacting the lives of others."

And more than once through the book Brian Kinchen talks about doing what he does (in everything he does) to glorify God.  On page 128 he is working on developing a life statement of his own (based on what he'd read in "The Man in the Mirror" by Patrick Morley).  Kinchen wrote in the back of his Bible, "Life Purpose Statement, 1-14-04.  To continually seek God's heart, and share Him with the world through the love and respect I give to everyone around me.  Love and raising my children to have hearts for God and to be my living legacy in this world and the next." 

Wow...  Kinchen's thoughts and Marx's delivery of those thoughts touched me in so many ways.  This book is an excellent read and I recommend it to everyone - even if you're not a football fan.

Next on my list:  finish "The Starter Wife" and start working on "Fearless" by Max Lucado and a digital photography how-to type of book that I found at the library on Monday night.