Hindsight: Seventh-Day Adventist History in Essays and Extracts (1996) by Dave Fiedler

Book's pages: 283

It is clear that Dave Fiedler purposefully titled this book "Hindsight" because he was aware of the human temptation to look back at history and judge those who made wrong decisions in history. I had a number of times when I was close to tears and I wished I could get a time machine to take me back to those days and shout and tell some of these individuals in our history that "Ladies and Gentlemen stop being arrogant, prideful or divisive. Come on! The lives of millions on this earth depend on you making the right decisions." But then again, I'm looking with "hindsight." I hope I (and anyone else today) can take Dave Fiedler's advice that we need to learn from the mistakes of those who lived before us.

This book gives a very clear picture of the history of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, its successes and even its terrible failures. I must say that the greatest lesson I got from learning the history of this church is that of the truthfulness of Ellen G. White's inspired prophetic gift. Some of her friends became her enemies and some doubted her. But it is clear that the path she promoted ended out to be the correct path. Said in another way, individuals and the church experienced terrible consequences for taking a different path than she told the church to follow. The pain and lost victories of opposing or ignoring her can still be seen today. I will be as bold as to say that the promises of Deuteronomy 28:1-14 would have been given to this church but unfortunately we refused to listen, or 'innocently' ignored her, or simply were negligent to find from her writings the best course to take.

It is said that:

• Daniel was ten times wiser than any of the wisest and was given top positions in both Babylon and Persia, 
• Solomon was the wisest person in the world, 
• Pharaoh could not think of a wiser person to take charge of governing the greatest kingdom of that day than Joseph

God promised that those who obey him will achieve great heights in life. When one considers:

• the worldwide impact of Dr. John H. Kellogg's career and his sanitarium which became a world-known health center at which even nobility from Europe came, 
• how Ellen G. White's health principles led to the creation of the Kellogg Company (a $12 billion company) and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation (a $9 billion foundation) (both launched by W. K. Kellogg an Adventist and Dr. John H. Kellogg's brother). Click here (wikipedia.com), here (www.kelloggcompany.com), or here (www.kelloggcompany.com) to read a short description of how W. K. Kellogg launched both the company and the foundation.
• the impact of Ellen G. White's health principles. Even though she didn't finish elementary school her writings have caused scientists to recognize Seventh-Day Adventists as among three of the longest living groups in the world. Watch the following CNN video for more information.

Maybe one day Adventists will recognize that they are sitting on gold! Come on friends! It's now time to read those Ellen G. White books.

Click here to buy a copy of the book Hindsight: Seventh-Day Adventist History in Essays and Extracts by Dave Fiedler

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The Rising of Africa: A Video and Various Resources

This is just a roughly put-together post. It's interesting how this CNN video shows that trouble for Europe is becoming an opportunity for Africa.

Here are a few books and reports that are great for anyone with an interest in Africa and where Africa could be headed. Please put these on your reading list.

Africa Rising: How 900 Million African Consumers Offer More Than You Think (2009) by Vijay Mahajan

Africa's Greatest Entrepreneurs (2009) by Moky Makura

The Promise of Emerging Africa (In the report Rapid-Growth Markets (January 2012) by Ernst & Young)

Africa Oil and Gas: A Continent on the Move (2011) (Report by Ernst & Young)

Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa (2009) by Dambisa Moyo

Look out for more resources of Africa.

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A Simply Beautiful Wedding (1999) by Eileen Silva Kindig

Book's pages:  149;

Eileen S. Kindig is obviously writing mainly to American brides and their mothers. Nonetheless, the principles she gives are useful in any culture and can also help bridegrooms to assist in the planning of a “sensible” wedding. As an individual who’s planning to be married shortly, I decided to read this book to get a little understanding of the “female world” in relation to weddings. I think reading this book will certainly help me avoid some headaches with my Bride as we plan our wedding.

I feel that a lot of my friends, especially my American friends, could save themselves a lot of headaches and heartbreaks if they listened to even 20% of what Eileen states in her book. There a lot of things that some of my friends and colleagues have done or money they spent on their weddings that just shocked me. I got a good cultural education (and cultural shock) just by looking at the jaw-dropping stuff that surrounded their engagements and weddings. I wonder if someone else will look at my wedding and express the same amazement as I express to my friends and colleagues weddings. Wish me all the best (and save me from myself) please!

Click here to buy a copy of the book A Simply Beautiful Wedding by Eileen S. Kindig for even a $0.01 on Amazon.com (plus $4.00 shipping).

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Catastrophe: Risk and Response (2004) by Richard A. Posner

Book's pages:  322;


Sorry friends, I'm a bit busy studying for my Certified Public Accountant exam so I don't have a review prepared for this book at this time. Please check back in the near future. I hope I'll remember what this book was about!

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The Crisis Ahead: A Compilation from the Writings of Ellen G. White (1970) Prepared by Robert W. Olson

Book's pages:  133;

Robert W. Olson put together this compilation of Spirit of Prophecy quotations (Ellen G. White writings) to give a brief summary about Ellen G. White's view on various topics. It is the most concise book I have come across to date on Ellen G. White's views of the challenges facing the planet on all fronts and the Adventist church's role and calling during the time of those challenges. I don't even remember where I got this book.

I think I'll let Robert W. Olson himself describe for what this book is intended.

"This compilation has been prepared in the Gift of Prophecy class at Pacific Union College. It is not an attempt to dogmatically finalize on the sequence of future events, but it is rather a gathering together, for study purposes, of the most important E. G. White statements relating to those prophecies which remain to be fulfilled prior to the return of Christ. These quotations have been outlined in what appears to me to be a logical order but this has been done without prejudice toward alternate or opposite views held by others.

" It is impossible to arrange the chapters in perfect sequence since so many of them include overlapping material. For example, the "Latter Rain" and the "Loud Cry" are parallel experiences, one the cause and other the effect. The chapter on "Satan's Personation of Christ" might have been located near "The Close of Probation" but it seems best to study this topic in connection with "Satan's Miracles."
"The Lord instructed Sister White to "charge the teachers in our schools to prepare the students for what is coming upon the world." FE 526, 527. And the Lord gave that same prophetess the information which is reproduced in this syllabus. May its study be rewarding to each student. 

Robert W. Olson"

Click here to buy a copy of the book The Crisis Ahead (Ellen G. White Comments) compiled by Robert W. Olson

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Lord, Teach Me How To Pray (2011) by Stephen L. Lyons

Book pages:  44;

Sorry friends, I'm a bit busy studying for my Certified Public Accountant exam so I don't have a review prepared for this book at this time. Please check back in the near future. I hope I'll remember what this book was about!

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Christian Service (1925) by Ellen G. White

Book's Pages:  275;

This is another book that contains compilations from Ellen G. White's writings highlighting the various aspects of Christian service. The topics cover virtually all practical topics related to this issue.  Ellen White writes about every Christian's duty to serve others for the sake of humanity's spiritual and physical benefit. She addresses the biblical and ethical basis for such service, and the role of everyone - the young, the old, the wealthy and the less privileged.There is a lot I could highlight from this book but the following statement caught my attention more than any other. Ellen G. White wrote this sentence to encourage anyone of the assurance of success when one subjects oneself to God when serving others. 

"As the will of man co-operates with the will of God, it becomes omnipotent. Whatever is to be done at His command, may be accomplished in His strength. All His biddings are enablings." (emphasis added) Christian Service, 258.6/Christ Object Lessons, 333 

 Click here to read (FREE) the book Christian Service by Ellen G. White

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Ministry to the Cities (2012) by Ellen G. White

Book's Pages:  224;

A timely book! This book is a compilation of Ellen G. White's quotations that highlight that the Adventist church should embrace the ministry to the world's cities. In 195 easy-to-read pages, this compilation has enough information to help a reader understand the biblical basis for a thorough worldwide city ministry and the Spirit of Prophecy support for that work. 

The church, under President Ted Wilson's Mission to the Cities endeavor is endorsing the church's work as outlined in this book. In summary, city ministry work should be conducted using the framework of Isaiah 58/Matthew 25:31-46. This will be the framework used by the foundation my friends and I are launching - 3Angels Livable Communities Initiative (3AngelsLCI) International. Stay tuned!



Here is a quotation from the book which shows how a San Francisco church embraced Ellen White's advice and enjoyed simple but powerful community outreach activities:

"During the past few years, the “beehive” in San Francisco has been indeed a busy one. Many lines of Christian effort have been carried forward by our brethren and sisters there. These included

• visiting the sick and destitute,
• finding homes for orphans,
• and work for the unemployed;
• nursing the sick,
• and teaching the truth from house to house;
• the distribution of literature,
• and the conducting of classes on healthful living and
• the care of the sick.
• A school for the children has been conducted in the basement of the Laguna Street meeting-house.
• For a time a working men’s home and medical mission was maintained.
• On Market Street, near the city hall, there were treatment rooms, operated as a branch of the St. Helena Sanitarium.
• In the same locality was a health food store.
• Nearer the center of the city, not far from the Call building, was conducted a vegetarian cafe, which was open six days in the week, and entirely closed on the Sabbath.
• Along the water front, ship mission work was carried on.
• At various times our ministers conducted meetings in large halls in the city.

Thus the warning message was given by many." 

Ministry to the Cities, p. 190; The Review and Herald, July 5, 1906 (Welfare Ministry, p. 112).

 Click here to buy a copy of the book Ministry to the Cities by Ellen G. White

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Urban America: US Cities in the Global Economy (2012) by McKinsey Global Institute

Book's Pages:  54;

This McKinsey Global Institute publication has many interesting insights but I will note a few that were very interesting to me.

1. Large US cities will contribute more than 10% of global GDP by 2025.
2. 80% of the US population lives in large cities.
3. Almost 85% of US GDP was generated by 259 large cities in 2010.
4. The cities that attract and retain new residents have greater chance of growing their GDP. The report even mentions something as "simple" as possessing universities that attract foreign students to be a benefit to GDP growth.
5. Tokyo is projected to retain its position as the largest city by both GDP and population. The current largest cities by GDP are as follows (from largest to smallest):  Tokyo (Japan), New York (US), Osaka (Japan), Paris (France), London (UK), Los Angeles (US). 
6. Atlanta, Georgia (the city in which I will be working) rose from being the 15th largest US city to 10th largest US city (GDP ranking). I like the fact that the median home price in Atlanta is $104,000 compared to the US city average of $110,000, San Jose's (California)  median price of $397,000 or Washington, DC, median home price of $191,000. If I decide to buy a home in Atlanta it would be at a relatively cheaper price than most other comparable cities.
7. Some global cities are creating strategic ways to grow their GDP. For example, Netherlands aims to attract 50 significant international businesses through the efforts of its Dutch Innovation Platform that brings together government, business leaders and other key players. France has an Ambassador for International Investment. Singapore and Ireland have agencies that attract foreign direct investment. Chicago's World Business Chicago is an organization that developed a program to produce a fact-based analysis of Chicago's strength and weaknesses, define strategies to respond to future trends, and engage a broad set of stakeholders to assist in Chicago's economic growth efforts.
8. Raleigh, North Carolina (the city in which I just graduated with a Master in Accounting degree last Saturday) is considered a "gazelle." A gazelle is a top performing city that has had significant GDP and population growth "by building on [its] strong university and research presence in growing tech industries." Austin, Texas is another example of a gazelle city.

The report is very insightful to businesses and policymakers who are thinking about tapping into the power of cities to help reap opportunities and/or assist in economic growth and development.

Click here to read this McKinsey Global Institute report

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Steps to Christ (1892) by Ellen G. White

Book's Pages: 126;

This little amazing book has been translated into more than 70 different languages and has had more than a million of its published copies sold and shared in probably every single country on the planet. My two favorite chapters are the first chapter entitled "God's Love for Man" and the eleventh chapter, "The Privilege of Prayer." The following is a short excerpt from the beginning of the chapter "The Privilege of Prayer:"

"Through nature and revelation, through His providence, and by the influence of His Spirit, God speaks to us. But these are not enough; we need also to pour out our hearts to Him.... Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not that it is necessary in order to make known to God what we are, but in order to enable us to receive Him. Prayer does not bring God down to us, but brings us up to Him."

I think the trustees in charge of the publishing this book described the book best when they stated:

 

"The title of the book tells its mission. It points the reader to Jesus Christ as the only one who is able to meet the needs of the soul. It directs the feet of the doubting and halting to the pathway of peace. It leads the seeker after righteousness and wholeness of character, step by step, along the way of Christian living, to that experience where he can know the fullness of blessing which is found the in the complete surrender of self. It reveals to him the secret of victory as it unfolds in simplicity the saving grace and the keeping power of the great Friend of all mankind."

Check out this great musical , based on this book, by a Canadian high school choir, the FountainView Academy.

You can purchase this musical (DVD has 39 songs) here..

Click here to read Steps to Christ online.

Click here to buy the E-book  modern English version of Steps to Christ (i.e., Steps to Jesus) by Ellen G. White for $0.69.

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The Three Angels Messages of Revelation 14.6-12 (1892) by J. N. Andrews

Book's Pages: 141;

Since my friends and I are launching 3Angels Livable Communities Initiative (3AngelsLCI) Global, I thought it would be important to read the history of what the 3 Angels Messages mean. J. N. Andrews and his colleagues, such as Ellen G. White, wrote extensively about the 3 Angels Messages. 

In summary, they argued that the 3 Angels Messages are God's last great messages of mercy "to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people" Revelation 14:6.  These 3 Messages of mercy are proclaimed by the church and they are also revealed by the life of church members who then demonstrate the love of God by dedicating their lives "to loose the chains of injustice … to set the oppressed free and break every yoke… to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter … to clothe [the naked], and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood." (Isaiah 58:6-7).


The spirit of the message of Isaiah 58 underlies the goals of 3AngelsLCI. When you get a chance, visit 3AngelsLCI Global Humanitarian News to read about humanitarian issues from all over the world.


Click here to read The Three Angels Messages of Revelation 14:6-12 by J. N. Andrews (1892)

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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989/2004) by Stephen R. Covey

Pages: 340;

This is probably the third or fourth time I have read this book and surprisingly I still feel that I will have to read it again. The book is very rich. Stephen Covey states,

"I would recommend that you not "see" this material as a book, in the sense that it is something to read once and put on a shelf.... [The] material is designed to a companion in the continual process of change and growth."

Of the many books I have read, this is one of the few books that uses a lot of practical examples to illustrate its concepts. In my view, Stephen Covey possesses a teaching style that is comparable to that of one other person who taught similar principles many centuries ago (leave a comment if you can guess who I am alluding to).

The book teaches the following seven principles which Dr. Covey argues to be principles essential for high effectiveness in individuals, families, organizations, communities and nations.

1. Be Proactive.
2. Begin with the End in Mind.
3. Put First Things First.
4. Think Win/Win.
5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood.
6. Synergize.
7. Sharpen the Saw .

For those of you who may be as busy as I am, you may want to learn about the Quadrant II Tool (the fourth generation time management tool) which teaches the concept of "organizing and executing around priorities." The tool teaches what Covey believes to be the best method of time management: organizing the week. The stages for this time management tool (or rather self-management tool) are as follows:

1. Develop/tap into your mission statement.
2. Identify your roles as they relate to your mission statement.
3. Choose one or two goals to accomplish in each role in the next week.
4. Schedule time to accomplish the goals you identified above.
5. Adapt each day to prioritize your goals "while responding to unanticipated events, relationships, and experiences in a meaningful way."

Click here for an overview of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

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The Acts of the Apostles (1911) by Ellen G. White

Pages: 602;

The writer presents the courage, leadership, friendship, love, passion and fearlessness that a group of first-century individuals showed to a cause they had recently found through their young Jewish friend, Jesus of Nazareth. 50 days before, this Jesus of Nazareth had been killed through a humiliating and painful Roman killing practice called a crucifixion. The Jewish nation expected Jesus' friends to be completely devastated and fearful; sure enough, they were hiding and fearful. However, on the fiftieth day from Jesus death, which coincided with the Jewish festival of Pentecost, this group suddenly developed boldness and courage to stand for their beliefs. Many of them were killed, arrested, tortured, and exiled. Nonetheless, their courage did not wane even as they were killed like their friend, Jesus of Nazareth.

Some of the heroes in this book include Stephen, Phillip, Dorcas, Peter, John, Paul, Barnabas and James. Among these, Paul seemed to be the key individual. He was a very educated individual who held both the Jewish and Roman citizenship. Though he starts off on the side of those killing and arresting the Christians (a name later given to the friends of Jesus of Nazareth), he has a life-changing event which transforms him into a ardent support of those persecuted. His story exemplifies dedication, passion, love, strong leadership and endurance. His extensive traveling and launching of new affiliate centers all over the Euro/Middle-Eastern area, and his management, oversight, and thorough grooming of new leadership shows that he possessed strong CEO-type qualities.

Click here to read The Acts of the Apostles by E. G. White.

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The Sad, Beautiful Fact That We're All Going To Miss Almost Everything (2012) by Linda Holmes

Pages: 4;

"The vast majority of the world's books, music, films, television and art, you will never see."

Yesterday, a friend shared with me a very interesting NPR article. This article convinced me that I should not use my 1-Million-Page Challenge to attempt to read all the great books in the world . I was aware (to a certain extent) of the facts highlighted in this article. However, reading this article helped me to think about these facts very differently. Basically, the author clearly articulates why no one can ever read most of the great books in the world, not even one percent. In fact, even after I read the 2,500 books in 10 years, I would have not read much of the great books in the world. Yes, I would have read much more than the average person but I would have read very little of what the world has to offer.

After reading this article, I'm convinced that I should not try to read all or even most of the world's great books. It's impossible! It can never be done! However, my goal should be to read as much books as I need to read so that I can equip myself to achieve my life goals. If reading all the world's greatest books is impossible (which it is), then I will at least read as much books as I need to read in order to optimize my life. I think reading at least 2,500 books in my lifetime is probably good enough for that, don't you think?

Click here to read the NPR article by Linda Holmes.

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Learning From Toys: Lessons In Managing Supply Chain Risk from the Toy Industry (2001) by M. Eric Johnson

Pages:  20;



M. Eric Johnson writes about the supply chain risks of the toy industry and provides ways to manage these risks. This document suggests that the solutions to manage the supply chain risks for the toy industry can be used by other industries with similarly short product lives.

The author classifies the risks into product demand risks and product supply risks. An example of a product demand risk in the toy industry is short product life and an example of a product supply risk is logistics capacity. The short product life can managed using a rolling mix strategy. Logistics capacity risks can be managed using supplemental outsourcing.


Click here to access the document.

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Global Risks 2012 Report by the World Economic Forum's Risk Response Network

Pages:  64;

The World Economic Forum has published the seventh edition of the global risks report entitled the Global Risks 2012. It first features an insightful section that covers the cases which show the potential catastrophic events that could result because of the interconnectedness of the global risks. The three cases are:

1. Seeds of Dystopia:  This case highlights how societies worldwide could become chaotic as high unemployment rates among young people persist and as governments fail to maintain social provisions.
2. How Safe are our Safeguards:  Experts are concerned that our regulatory/governance systems will fail to manage today's complex systems including our financial and political systems.
3. The Dark Side of Connectivity:  Virtual hyperconnectivity creates enormous personal and organizational risks. Think of cyber attacks and the infamous/famous Wikileaks.

The report features 50 global risks in five categories which experts believe global leaders should be most concerned about. I will list three risks under each category. The first risk under each category is the most frequently chosen.

1. Economic Risks:  chronic fiscal imbalances, severe income disparity, prolonged infrastructure neglect.
2. Environmental Risks: greenhouse gas emissions, persistent extreme weather, irremediable pollution.
3. Geopolitical Risks:  global governance failure, terrorism, critical fragile states.
4. Societal Risks: unsustainable population growth, food shortage crises, backlash against globalization.
5. Technological Risks:  critical systems failure, cyber attacks, massive incident of fraud or theft.

Don't miss the section with the special report on The Great East Japan Earthquake (and tsunami) that killed nearly 20,000 people in March, 2011.

Click here to read the Global Risks 2012 report: http://www.weforum.org/reports/global-risks-2012-seventh-edition.

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Christ Our Righteousness (1924) by Arthur G. Daniells

Pages: 165;

The author argues that righteousness (doing right) by faith through Jesus is today's message for the church and the world. The Third Angel's Message of Revelation 14:6-12 is the message about Jesus Christ our righteousness, according to the author. In essence, Daniells is saying that the Third Angel is going to the whole world to present the only true righteousness which is the righteousness by faith through Jesus; the angel's warning is against those who try to obtain righteousness by any false methods that are not prescribed by God. The author believes that God is calling the church to a higher level of His saving grace. He references Ellen G. White's statement which states,

"Christ imputes to us His sinless character, and presents us to the Father in His own purity. There are many who think that it is impossible to escape from the power of sin, but the promise is that we may be filled with all the fulness of God.We aim too low. The mark is much higher."

Also, the writer presents two parts of righteousness: justification and sanctification. This E.G. White quote from the book summaries those two parts:

"The righteousness by which we are justified is imputed. The righteousness by which we are sanctified is imparted. The first is our title to heaven; the second is our fitness for heaven."

 Click here to read Christ Our Righteousness by A. G. Daniells.

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Reading Progress: Slow but Steady!

I started the challenge some time around November, 2011. Currently, I have finished reading 12 books, which total 2,801 pages. That is nowhere close to where I should be. The inertia at the beginning was tough but now that I'm a few months into the challenge, I'm gaining momentum. To stay on course, I need to have read about 200,000 pages (or about 500 books) by December 2012. You can tell I've got a lot of catching up to do. A luta continua!!! (The struggle continues!) Here is the list of the 12 books I finished reading.

Education by Ellen G. White

 Surviving and Thriving in Uncertainty: Creating the Risk Intelligent Enterprise by Frederick Funston and Stephen Wagner

Increasing National Resilience to Hazards and Disasters: The Perspective from the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi by The National Academies

The Fourth Dilemma - P. E. Barkhuizen

Miracles of My Life: Autobiography of J. N. Loughborough

Individuality in Religion by A. T. Jones

Success through Failure: Paradox of Design by Henry Petroski

Welfare Ministry by Ellen G. White

Reaping the Whirlwind by Joe Crews

What Every Adventist Should Know About 1888: An overview of events and issues that made the  Minneapolis General Conference session so important in church history by Arnold Valentin  Wallenkampf

Christ Our Righteousness by E. J. Waggoner

Risk Intelligence: Learning to Manage What We Don't Know by David Apgar

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