Book Review: From Peanuts to the Pressbox

(Note: While in college I was fortunate to have several internships, one of them taking place in the book publicity department for Thomas Nelson Publishers. For a book lover like myself who planned to enter the world of public relations and communications, it was a match made in heaven. Fast forward lo these many years later, and I've become a blogger reviewer for Thomas Nelson. From time to time I'll be posting reviews of books that they send me to read. Again, a match made in heaven.)

As an Alabama football fan, Eli Gold is for me synonymous with Tide football. It’s just not a game day without hearing his voice on the radio calling plays. Until I read his latest autobiography, From Peanuts to the Pressbox, however, I was unfamiliar with his radio broadcast adventures aside from college football Saturdays.

The book quickly remedied that with tales of Gold’s journey from a Brooklyn-born kid selling peanuts at Madison Square Garden to a leader in the sports broadcasting world. He serves up anecdotes from his long history in broadcasting, beginning with his first big break providing hockey play-by-play action for the Long Island Ducks. Gold has since gone on to more high profile gigs, including NASCAR, arena football, the NHL, the NFL, CBS and NBC Sports, and, most notably to this Bama fan, serving as the Voice of the Crimson Tide.

The book is filled with behind-the-scenes stories from arenas, racetracks and football fields around the country, many funny, some (such as the deaths of several NASCAR racers) sobering. Although the Bama fan in me would have preferred more stories about Alabama football, overall I enjoyed reading about Gold’s experiences inside and outside of the broadcasting booth.

Uprooted

I wonder if Abraham was ready to leave his homeland when God told him to go in Genesis 12. There's no indication that Abraham hesitated when instructed by God to pack up his family and belongings and to launch out on a journey to an unknown place. Perhaps he did waiver in his faith a bit; perhaps he really wrestled with the thought of leaving the place he was familiar with, comfortable with, the place that, for better or for worse, was his home.

Then again, maybe Abraham was ready to be uprooted, ready for whatever adventure God had planned for him. Maybe he had grown tired of the familiar landscape and was itching for some change in his life.

I am hopeful that one day in Heaven I'll be able to sit down and talk with Abraham and find out how he felt when God told him to go to a place where God would eventually show him. Was he excited? Scared? Ready for a new chapter in his life? Wary? Perhaps all of the above.

For a while now I've felt a desire for some changes in my life. I'm not sure if that's God preparing me to be uprooted and thrown into a new chapter, or if I'm just itching for change. I have a feeling it's more of the former. I think that God tends to do some prep work on us before asking us to follow Him to a new place. So perhaps this desire for change is a precursor to some changes ahead. Time will tell. When God DOES call me to move (whether to a new city, a new job, a new church, or making some other changes in my life), I want to show the same sort of faith that Abraham exhibited in picking up and following where God led him.

WFMW: PaperBackSwap.com

For as long as I can remember I've been a reader. As a child I spent countless hours at our local libraries. As an adult, I still frequent the library from time to time, but the selection is not always the greatest, and there are certain books that I want to keep permanently. For a long time I purchased my books from Amazon, where the price is usually far better than what I can get at a storefront. However, given my infinite love of books mixed with my finite financial resources, buying books on a continual basis is just not feasible considering that there are other things I like to do with my paycheck. Eating, for example.

So when a friend introduced me to Paperbackswap.com a few months ago, it was love at first sight. Here's how it works, in a nutshell:

-After setting up your account (quick and painless), you post a minimum of 10 "gently used" books (i.e., no highlighting or underlining) that you no longer want in order to get your starter book credits.

-When another member requests a book from you, just print out the mailing label and send it to them. You pay for shipping (which Paperbackswap.com calculates for you, normally at the low media mail rate).

-Every time you send a book to a member, you get a credit to use toward ordering another book. The books are free--your only cost is postage for the books you mail out.

-Use the credits to order books that you that other members have posted. (Books are one credit each; audiobooks take two credits each.)


What I like about it:

1. There's a huge selection of books in pretty much every genre you can imagine. And don't let the name fool you--it's not just paperback books; you can also swap hardbacks and audiobooks. (By the way, there are also sister sites for swapping CDs and DVDs.)

2. The cost to send out books is minimal--postage usually runs around $2-$3 per book, depending on the book's size and weight. If, like me, you want to avoid standing in line at the post office, you can pay a slight fee to print the postage yourself and mail books directly from your home.

3. It's a great way to get rid of books that you no longer want, as well as to acquire books that you've been wanting to read.

4. I can enjoy newer books that my local library doesn't carry at a fraction of the cost of getting them from a bookstore or from Amazon.


Getting great used books for way cheap? PaperBackswap.com works for a bookworm like me.

For more money and time-saving tips, visit the Works for Me Wednesday blog carnival at We Are That Family.

Psalm 25:4,5

Show me the path where I should walk, O LORD;
point out the right road for me to follow.

Lead me by your truth and teach me,
for you are the God who saves me.
All day long I put my hope in you.

Teach Us to Pray

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." (Luke 11:1)

One of the greatest lessons I've had in life is learning how to pray. I think that most people (even non-Christians) have an instinct to utter a "Help me, God" when something goes wrong, but that does not imply intimacy. For me, learning how to develop a meaningful prayer life has been key to fostering an intimate relationship with God.

I'm so thankful that God has provided so many people along the way to teach me to pray:

• My parents taught me to pray consistently.
• Aleah taught me to pray words of praise and adoration.
• Paul taught me to pray "big" prayers.
• Susan taught me to pray honestly and to share my hurts and struggles with God.
• Jon taught me to pray expectantly, thanking God in advance for the things He was going to do.
• Heather taught me to pray as if Jesus was just sitting in the chair right next to me.
• Toni taught me to pray reverently.
• Karla taught me to pray with an eye on eternity, keeping in mind the perspective that there is a greater, eternal life to come.

I could go on and on, but you get the picture. All of these people--and the other prayer warriors that God has brought into my life at different points--have set examples for me as to how to communicate with God in real ways.

That intimacy was what the disciples saw in Jesus' own prayer life, and what they were seeking when they asked Him to teach them to pray.

He said to them, "When you pray, say: " 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.' " (Luke 11:2-4)

Although brief, this prayer, commonly known as the Lord's Prayer, points to so many of the prayer lessons that I myself have learned. In this prayer, Jesus modeled reverence for the Father, acknowlegment of kingdom businsess being done on Earth, daily dependence on God, and the need for forgiveness, protection and wisdom. This prayer is just as relevant in our lives today as it was in the disciples' lives two thousand years ago.

It's a great blessing to have so many people demonstrate to me these characteristics in their own prayer life. How about you--who taught you to pray, and what did they teach you? What have you learned about prayer that you are trying to pass on to someone else?

Is Anything Too Hard for the Lord?

Lately I've been studying the story of Abraham and his incredible journey with God. One of the things I love about the Bible is that the people in it are shown as they really were--human, flawed, sinful, doubting at times, and yet also passionately pursued and wooed by a God who loved them. Abraham had a very intimate friendship with God, but he also wrestled with trusting God to fulfill His promises to him. Oh, how I can relate.

This morning I read the story of the Lord coming to Abraham in Genesis 18 to tell him that in a year, Abraham's wife Sarah would bear him a son. At the time, Abraham was 99 years old, and Sarah not far behind, so I really can't blame Sarah for laughing to herself at the thought of shopping for maternity wear at her age. Even though I've read the story many times before, this particular passage struck me today:

Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' Is anything too hard for the LORD ? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son." (Genesis 18:13-14)

I especially love the question asked, "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" It's a question that I needed to be reminded of, because there are times when I really wrestle with whether or not God is going to come through for me. There are certain situations that I've been praying about for months and years and I find it to be almost a daily struggle to keep turning those situations over to God rather than try to work things out on my own. Intellectually, I know that nothing is too difficult for God. Emotionally, however, I sometimes wonder if God's ever going to act in these circumstances.

I don't know what area of your life that you're waiting on God for--a relationship struggle, a job difficulty, financial troubles, family issues--but maybe someone else besides just me needs the reminder right now that nothing is too hard for Him. Even when we are faithless, He is faithful. Amen.

Making Room

Several years ago I made a deal with myself that, being the clothes horse that I am, whenever I buy new clothes I have to give some of my old clothes away. This helps me keep my closet in halfway-decent shape and prevents me from having a total meltdown because of too many choices of what to wear. It also forces me to rid my closet of clothes that I haven't worn in a long time.

Deciding which clothes get the heave-ho is sometime difficult. Sentimentality can play a large role in determining which items make the cut. For instance, I have a couple of sweatshirts from my college days that are ratty and oversized and don't ever get to leave the house. But I keep them anyway because they remind me of my days working in the sports information office and going to ballgames and what a blast I had.

There are a variety of reasons that I no longer wear some of my clothes. Some of them are too big for me (yay!). Others are (ahem) a little on the tight side. (Must have shrunk in the wash.) And then there are some that are just out of style. In a few cases, the clothes never were a great fit for me, the cut or color didn't flatter me, and I should have left them on the sales rack to begin with.

As I think about getting rid of some old clothes to make room for new, I'm also thinking about the friendships and relationships that I've experienced over the years. Some have become what I consider classic friendships--like that perfect black pair of pants or white button down shirt that never go out of style. I may go through phases where I'm closer to those friends than at other times, but I know they'll always be part of my life in one way or another.

Then there are some friendships that ran their course and ended gradually. These are friendships that no longer fit where I am in life. That doesn't mean that there was anything wrong with those particular friends; it's just that our friendship was only meant to last a season, and that season has passed. Those can be difficult friendships to let go of, even though I know we no longer fit as well as we once did.

When you've invested time and energy and emotion in a friendship and it seems to have transitioned into a more casual friendship (or, in some cases, a nonexistent one altogether), it's hard to admit. But I'm realizing that sometimes I have to make room and let some friends go in order to allow God to bring new friends into my life. And who knows, God may choose to bring those old friends back into my life at some point down the line. Or He may have an even deeper, better fitting friendship in store for me. Day by day, I'm learning to trust Him to know which people I need in my life at that particular moment. He truly knows what fits me best.