(My review for : NavPress Blogger Review Program)

This book is daily devotional material for christian student who just graduate from high school, or one who will be a freshman in college soon.  But (I think) every one who wants to start to spent time with God can find it’s useful too. I only need (about) 7 minutes a day (kind of short ha?) to read some bible verses and reflect on them, by reading this book.

When I read this book, I don’t find the judging sentences, nor the complicated ones. I just feel the honest, simple, sincere reflection about God and His character. Because they are the students (alone) who write their experience, life lessons, and reflection on their relationship with God.

In short, this book is write by students and intended to students (too).

There are 10 variety topics about God, His character, and our life. Some of them are :

• Creative. Try to understand our Creative God by looking at his creature, his sovereignity around the universe.
• Passionate. Find the passion of God and try to make it your passion to.
• Faithful. Feel the faithfulness of God in every aspect of your life.
• And so on

This book is not a kind of  “quickly bored” book, because its colorful cover and its unique-creative layout. The topic also given in various way, so I can do these activities :

• Bible reading
• Prayer & solitude
• Fasting
• Action
• Celebrate
• And so on

At the end of the week I can summarize my own thought and experience about a current topic, by filling the blank paper in the book.

I think this book is good stuff for students (or everyone) who want to start spending time with God. When our heart for Him become greater, we’ll spend more and more time with Him naturally. And we will grow spiritually to Christlikeness every day.

This book can be found too in :

• Navpress
• Amazon
  

“Ngeblog dengan Hati” (Blogging with Heart) is best Indonesian book about blogging!!

There are so many books which offers the way to make money by blogging. But (I think) they are not real blogger. Wicaksono a.k.a Ndoro Kakung (one of the famous Indonesian blogger) describe what the real spirit of blogging is. It’s a spirit of sharing, spirit of giving one another. And we can only do it continually (again and again) if we use our (human) heart.

For the beginner blogger, this book is very good to find the right motivation to start a blog and also many blogging techniques. And for the experienced ones, they still can get the “right direction” (and fresh air) from blogging activity too.

Even Dee like it .

In short sentence : “If you are an Indonesian, and you want to start a blog, this is the only book you need to read!”

In May 2009, I found this book accidently.. I like story about people who leaves his own comfort world to other “painful” thing such as help poor country’s education..

Room to read, is a part of John Wood’s biography. John who? John Wood, an ex Microsoft Executive in Asia country, that found his “true calling” not by selling more Microsft’s software but by serving the kids with books, school, and education.

John write his story just personally. He told us how he found his “weird” vision when he had a holiday in Nepal. He also admit his confusion and struggle when he has to decide to leave Microsoft, a giant corporation with very big salary. How he handle conflict with his boss, friends, and even with his couple (unfortunatelly they have to separate..).

One lesson that I learn :

Follow your dream and your own heart, even when others say the opposite thing

John has a strong believe and he don’t hesitate to work hard (very hard) on it. He start with one school’s library in one country, and he end (until now) with thousands (7000) library (and computer labs) in 6 country around the world.

His experience in working for Microsoft taught him many things for running “Room to Read” organization well (and profesional). He is a kind of man that don’t thing that social work can be done carelessly, but it should be done perfectly.

I think the most important lesson I have learned from John is :

He believes that good education is really change people’s (espescially children’s) future.

His gentle and kind heart for the children’s education. His great passion on it. So he wants to risk his own “life”, financial security, almost everything to fulfill his mission.

Thank’s John for giving me (us..) a great example..

A book.

It’s not just some papers that bind in one cover. For me, a book is :

• A place to rest from hard days
• Kind of “time zone” that i can play as much as i like
• An aeroplane that takes me to many places in the world to see various culture and lifstyle
• A professor that teach his sophosticated theory
• A friend that understand my feeling, anytime
• Everything, may be..

So what do you thing about a book?