Title: Living the Overcoming Life
Author: Richardson George
Date: 2015
Quote: "This book presents practical principles for overcoming life's many challenges drawn from the life of Jesus Christ."
Of the making of inspirational sermons and Bible study books about how to lead a good Christian life, there is no end. Nor should there be. Christians love writing them, and Christians love reading them. This book is a good example of its genre. Richardson George discusses overcoming rejection, fear, personal attacks, and other obstacles to leading a good Christian life.
What you'll like about this book: Solid outline, focussed presentation of the author's points, and a good sound scriptural foundation all the way.
What's not to like: I found one thing. The author does not parrot the too common advice Christians get to "Be a people person!", in defiance of the neurological fact that being "a people person" seems to be mostly a defense against a defect or damage to the brain that keeps a person from developing a healthy conscience or, usually, any other talent that involves a healthy cerebrum. "People persons" seem to live in a torture chamber of envy, resentment, and fear of other people that comes out as an obsession with getting control of other people's attention. They probably do like, and may try to reward, those who encourage their antics but their attitudes toward people who have talents and vocations, and don't reward the "people person's" demands for attention, give them away. The Bible doesn't say that they're not going to be resurrected at all, since they don't have fully human minds, but the arguments for that interpretation are credible. The way twentieth century society devolved into a support group for these wretched extroverts was one of the major obstacles that people with spiritual consciousness have to overcome..I could not recommend a book that specifically advised Christians to try to imitate these puppies in human shape, and I'm glad to report that this book doesn't do that. But it does include in its bibliography, and thereby recommend, a book with the actual title Be a People Person.
In view of the fact that the most convincing way a person who has a conscience can pass for an extrovert is to have a blood alcohol content beyond the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle, it's encouraging to note that the author is in favor of sobriety and offers sound advice for those tempted to backslide into drinking alcohol, taking drugs, shoplifting, and all the stupid little sins that tempt the very young.
The function of books like this one is not primarily to teach people things they didn't know, but to remind them of teachings they may have been tempted to overlook. Living the Overcoming Life is likely to offer a good reminder to almost any Christian in almost any situation. That means it's also a good choice to give as a gift.
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