Mike's Minutia

2011-09-29T15:37:00.000-04:00

It's getting to be an annual event, getting together with some old friends once a year to do some sort of adventure. This year we met near Munising, Michigan and on Saturday, September 17, we kayaked along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Then on Sunday we hiked 9.3 miles along the top of some of the same rocks we kayaked by the day before. Good times.

M. L. Anderson site seeks writing opportunities

2011-03-27T16:57:00.002-04:00

My website is getting a facelift in my quest to gain more writing opportunites. Check it out and give me feedback. www.mlanderson.com

Margie Carroll selects Mister Anderson's Company

2011-03-27T16:54:00.002-04:00

Author/Wildlife photographer has selected Mister Anderson's Company as her premiere distributore for her four new children's books Check out http://www.misterandersonscompany.com

Mike in Rockies

2011-03-04T08:45:00.000-05:00

Noting quite like the Rocky Mountains

Margie K. Carroll's Childrens Books

2010-09-18T11:20:00.000-04:00

Margie K. Carroll's four new childrens books have arrived! And what delightful keepsake additions to any child's library.

Check out the "busy week" adventures of Salvador the newly-hatched sandhill crane, Grandella the cute little gray fox, Lindberg the baby blue heron, and Portia the pigeon-toed polar bear at

http://www.misterandersonscompany.com

Big Booksigning at Yawn's

2010-08-19T14:17:00.004-04:00

Saturday August 21, from 11 AM - 1 PM there will be a multi-author

Book Signing and Readings

Yawn's Bookstore

210 E. Main Street
Canton, GA 30114

678-880-1922

Contributing authors of the sensational new American Remembered anthology will be on hand meet soon-to-be fans and sign the new books

Salvador is hatched!

2010-07-10T10:51:00.004-04:00

At long last, the first of several adorable childrens books from Mister Anderson's is released.

Filled with her rich mesmerising wildlife photography, author Margie K. Carroll spends the first days of life with Salvador, a sandhill crane, from his egg-shell break out beginings to his first swampy swim. Children and parents will enjoy the precious story of adorable little Salvador.

Look for more titles by Margie in the fall of 2010.

$17.95 harback with dust cover. Books may be ordered through http://www.MisterAndersonsCompany.com/. For more information contact AndersonWriter@gmail.com or call Mister Anderson at 770-735-3020

Kids Book Review

2010-03-26T09:00:00.001-04:00

Breaking Out of the Bungle Bird

Aaron Reynolds / ZonderKids

ISBN: 0-310-70956-3 / $12.99

Move over Dr. Seuss. There’s a new storybook in town based on Proverbs 13:10, stressing, “Those who take advice are wise.”

Breaking Out of the Bungle Bird, originally penned by Aaron Reynolds in 1970, is a delightful story about a "mosquita" named Fleeya and a butterfly named Sue. They are best friends until the day they are eaten by a bungle bird. Now the two insects are trying to think of a plan to escape from the stomach of the bird before digestion cascades further.

Using rhyming and humorous dialog between the friends, the wisdom of taking advice shines as Fleeya engages her publicized plan and becomes free, while Sue …well. She should have listen to her friend.

Colorful and clever illustrations by Pete Whitefield highlight this hardback book targeted for ages up to eight. This should be a popular story for it’s fun and valuable lesson.

* * *

2010-03-07T16:04:00.002-05:00

I'm interupting my reviews to post a picture of my newest grandson at four months old. Can there be a cuter smiling baby?

Book Review

2010-01-05T17:32:00.003-05:00

Soul School

Jeanne Stevens / Youth Specialties (Zondervan)ISBN: 0310274964 / $15.99

Youth leaders come and go. They arrive passionate. They leave exhausted, sometimes questioning their calling and gifts. It’s time to enroll them in the Soul School.

At first glance, Soul School resembles a college course syllabus complete with course descriptions, homework assignments, labs, and tests. By page 13, adult readers know there are serious soul lessons to follow when they’re prompted to sign the Soul School Commitment Statement. Be careful to glean what you read. “Pop quizzes” can often appear as you turn the page.

Author Jeanne Stevens shares her burden to help youth ministers in a three-part format that blends poignant devotional reflections from her own experiences, wisdom nuggets from notable Christians, and scripture meditations. She asks (and answers) the tough questions like what gets applauded in youth ministry and why? Who are you trying to make happy? Does ministry activity hide your deficient spiritual life? Stevens gently exposes youth ministry “golden cows” and confesses her past idol worshipping.

Soul School is not a quick-read manual with tips on planning a car wash, egg hunt, or a “mission trip” to the beach. It contains no strategies for attracting more students or mobilizing volunteers. Rather, this intimate read transports the youth ministry leader, whether a rookie or veteran, into a deeper understanding of whom he or she is.
Retailers might suggest Soul School as a must-read for all adults involved in a church youth ministry leadership, especially those in a full-time teen and “tween” opportunities. The ten chapter titles are intriguing and mesh well with the bite-sized sidebars. The content is soul-searching, the page layout is fresh, and the flow is pleasantly moderate. Soul School would be a valuable addition to a church staff library.

Darwin - The Voyage That Shook The World

2009-10-30T10:06:00.001-04:00

Video Review

The Voyage That Shook The World

Creation Ministries International / Exploration Films

DVD UPC: 678570090952 / 55 minutes/ $22.95

Who are we? Why are we here? Charles Darwin, even as a boy, examined these questions. The Voyage That Shook The World takes the viewer on an expansive journey with the man whose writings would shake the world with controversy.

Released to mark the 150th anniversary of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (1859),
the film is a dramatized documentary. Using actors, voice-overs, and brief interviews with British historians and scientists, opinions and insights are shared by proponents of evolution, creationism, and intelligent design.

Moderately paced, the biographical project expands from Darwin’s childhood with his penchant for “fabricating grand stories” to his epic five-year voyage sailing around the world as a geologist. He challenged the teachings of the established church and began amplifying his “natural selection” theories writing that the “species were continually undergoing slow uniform changes.” Darwin’s works were “freeing science from the Bible.” The film ends before the controversy erupts.

Filmed on-location in the Galapagos Islands, Argentina, Chile, and the United Kingdom, Voyage attracts viewers with its excellent cinematography and graphics.

Voyage treats Darwin’s works with respect. The film provides no blatant conclusions, but subtly points out flaws in the science of Darwin’s day compared to science of the 21st century. Scientists 150 years ago never studied stem cells, chromosomes, or DNA. Because Voyage leaves questions of species origin unanswered and makes no strong suggestions, it is suitable for both Christians and non-Christians alike.

The film would most be enjoyed by high school viewers and older because of the generous use of use of scientific terms and lofty language. The DVD special features include the “making of”, extended interviews, and subtitles in 23 languages. At 55 minutes, Voyage is suitable for church and school classroom presentations.

40 Days Living the Jesus Creed

2009-05-04T10:37:00.004-04:00

40 Days Living the Jesus Creed

Scot McKnight / Paraclete Press
ISBN: 9781557255778 / $14.95 / Trade paper / 210 pages

Inspired by his Jesus Creed, author/professor Dr. Scot McKnight now offers a devotional guide to his 2004 award-winning book and takes the reader further into the New Testament.

In 40 Days Living the Jesus Creed, McKnight serves a series of “daily feedings” designed to help believers better understand the life applications of his Jesus Creed, an expression he uses for Christ’s “double commandment” to love God and to love others, Mark 12:29-31.

The content is lean –no fat, no fluff – and is best internalized by serious disciples desiring to put into practice a deeper love of God and others. The 40 chapters are brief blends of scripture focus, Biblical history nuggets, and illustrations from McKnight’s life. Titles include Loving the Face in the Mirror, Loving Wrongdoers, and Boundary-breaking Love.

There is an emphasis on daily recital of the Jesus Creed as McKnight skillfully melds the Shema traditions of the Israelites with the early Christians. The author cites the Jesus Creed in the writings of the Apostles Paul, James, and John.

If readers enjoyed the Jesus Creed, then here’s a good follow-up. If they didn’t, well too bad.

* * * * *
M. L. Anderson

2009-04-27T19:18:00.004-04:00

10 Minutes A Day with Jesus

Jim Reapsome / Baker Books

ISBN: 978-0-8010-1307-2 / 336 pages / hardcover/ $17.99

Sir Paul McCartney penned the lyrical question “ Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs. And what’s wrong with that?”

10 Minutes a Day With Jesus is a fresh bite-size study into the life of Jesus. Readers will relate their own worldly troubles with those Jesus encountered to better understand Christ’s teachings and apply them in their daily life. Veteran author/editor/pastor Jim Reapsome serves up a single nugget of inspiration to ponder in every two-page offering. Each of the 156 devotionals ends with a pair of “to-think-about” questions and a brief prayer. The objective is that through Reapsome’s perspectives on Christ’s life, the adult reader will grow in their love for Jesus.

Retailers might balk at yet another new release to squeeze onto their devotional bookshelves, however shouldn’t Christian bookstores be the place offering a generous selection of devotionals to their customers? It must seem at times like all the Christian publishers want to fill the world with devotional books. And what’s wrong with that?

*****
M. L. Anderson

What I do for fun

2009-04-27T19:11:00.008-04:00

Check out my web site link to see what my friends and I do for fun these days.