Donald Roberts

God’s Grace in Real Life

Revisado: 05-29-24

Do the claims of Jesus and the teachings of the Bible make a difference in real life? Is God’s grace a. real thing in everyday life? This is a book about former champion boxer Andre Ward. This is a book about how God uses His grace to bless and transform a wayward life. This is a book about the people God uses to bless Andre.’s life like, his wife, Tiffany, his trainer, and mentor Virgil, Hunter,to name a couple. Yes, there is plenty in this narrative about his boxing career. But, primarily this is a book about how God works in a person‘s life to bring glory to.Himself. The only problem with a narrative like this is that it cannot be objective. Andre Ward is one of the authors of this book and tails the story in his own words. That of course means we only get his view of the events contained herein. Both the good, and the bad events, seen in this book definitely demonstrate God.’s grace in a person’s life..

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What Does Genuine Faith Consist Of?

Revisado: 09-26-23

What does a genuine Christian faith consist of? For example,what is the repentance spoken of by Jesus in the Bible? Is there a type of faith that God does not accept,but instead rejects in whole? What does it mean to really believe? Is discipleship optional? In other words,isn’t it just enough to believe without going the extra mile of being a disciple? These are the types of questions answered in this book. How far off the mark ,is most of American Christianity ,when it comes to the Biblical Gospel,as it is taught in many churches?The answers in this book may confirm what you believe. They may anger you. This book is definitely provocative.In my view ,it is a book that is badly needed today.

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Almost , Everything You Wanted To know About The Story Of Animation But Didn’t Know To Ask

Revisado: 06-25-23

There was a lot of information covered in this book.It was an enjoyable listen The animation Studios of Warner Brothers, ( You know, the wacky gang of Fritz, Freleng, Tex Avery Chuck Jones,among others is extensively covered. )The Fleischer animation, studio history is also well covered. However, I have some gripes regarding this book.Where for instance is Walter Lantz ? I don’t recall his name being mentioned anywhere in this book. For those who are not familiar with Lantz he was the creator of Woody Woodpecker.DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, in my opinion, is not covered extensively enough. It seems they barely received any coverage at all. . The two principal men behind the studio are definitely from Warner Bros., golden age, namely, Depatie, and Fritz Freleng. The character of the Pink Panther is only briefly covered. What about characters like the Inspector or the Ant and the Aardvark? You can forget it. Not a word is written about about the rest of that stable of characters. If you are.a Disney fan, however, this is the book for you! His early history, and right up to the end of his life is extensively covered. Hanna Barbera and their collaboration, creating Tom and Jerry at MGM studios, you would think that would be extensively covered, right? Forget about it, and not even a mention as to the creation of these great characters. Such a shame! There are some glaring omission’s in this book, but if you can overlook them, it is an enjoyable listen, if you are looking for an extensive history of MGM, studios animation for instance, forget about it . It just is not here . While I understand, you can’t cover everything. These omissions are just too much for me to ignore. In my opinion, the author should have covered more ground than he did. While the book was enjoyable, these omissions just are not right to be ignored.

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Can a Christian Still Serve in the U.S.Government?

Revisado: 11-19-22

I think the primary reason Mike Pence wrote this book is so that history can have an accurate account of what happened during the entire Trump. administration. At least his first term,as of the composing of this review it is ,11/19/2022 and Donald J. Trump has recently announced his intention to run for a second term for President of the United States. Don’t get me wrong this book is a biography of Mike Pence’s life thus far but, when it gets to his service in the federal government in the executive branch as Vice President the details are extremely exhaustive, and I mean just that, no detail however small is left out. I think what he wanted to show the American people in this book, is how much the Trump administration accomplished for the populace at large .What is also important to Mike Pence is his Christian faith. In fact, his love for God is central to his entire life! The title of this book is actually a prayer. He talks about that in this book. He talks about his conversion experience from a religious person to a relationship with Jesus Christ also. We see how important God is in every aspect of this man’s life, from lifestyle, to family, to friends, and yes even to his politics. The Bible is heavily quoted in this volume. This may turn many people away. I hope not. This book demonstrates how faith in God strengthens one in all areas of their lives. Yes, January 6th..2021 from Mike Pence’s perspective is extensively covered in the last chapters. Is this book exceptionally well written? Well, in my opinion, no. But, it is written well enough to be read or listened to.If you are a policy wonk/ nerd as stated above there is plenty to chew on throughout this narrative. I asked a question in the title of this review. Can a man or woman of the Christian Faith still serve (successfully) in the U.S, Government ? I think Mike Pence’s answer would be an enthusiastic yes!

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A Book Only Stan’s Critics Would Love

Revisado: 07-18-22

At first as I began to listen to this book, I thought to myself this narrative is tremendously negative and one sided. But as I continued to listen the evidence of the true man just overwhelmed me, The truth about Stan Lee as it is seen in this book, is not easy to digest. I do however, disagree with the author’s assertion that Stan Lee, was a man a of little talent. Having read many of , but not all,of the comics he helped produce,I feel he was a gifted wordsmith with his own unique style. This is a tell all book in the classic Hollywood sense. What I mean is, the legend is torn to shreds. Nothing of the legend remains, only the hard regrettable truth. That does not mean, that I believe this book is a hit piece, a smear job, out to deliberately tarnish its subject. On the contrary, due to the amount of sources cited in this volume, to me, it has the ring of truth. The picture it paints, is indeed, not a pretty one. Stan Lee is seen as self-serving, cold in many respects, hating the profession that was his livelihood vehemently, in my opinion, willing to look the other way, when it came to certain moral issues, especially when it involved money. He is seen in the book ,as always cordial to the public and his fans. This is a warning to all Stan Lee fans, if you are looking for the legend you know and love, you will not find it here.What you will find is , interesting, cold, hard, bitter, truth. Does the author have an ax to grind? At first, I thought so, but as the evidence and the sources continued to mount I was forced to change my mind. Be warned. This is an interesting, but hard listen for Stan Lee fans and comics fans.

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A Gem

Revisado: 05-14-22

I just do not have the adjectives to describe how good this book is.
1. It is a must for all baseball fans
2.It describes Jackie Robinson’s journey through the minor-leagues and his breakthrough first year in the majors in great detail
3. It is truly like going back in time to another place the 1940’s and seeing what life was like for black people in particular.
4. We get to learn about the Negro Leagues and some of the mythic figures we don’t hear enough about like Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson.
5.We get to learn about other pioneers who broke the color barrier like former Cleveland Indian( Now the team is known as the Cleveland Gaurdians..) Larry Doby the first man to break the color barrier in the American League. This book is an Evergreen. For a baseball fan to overlook or miss this volume is a crime.

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Wow, I Just Didn’t Know.

Revisado: 01-27-22

I’ve always liked this movie and after listening to this recording I definitely learned something about this classic film that millions before me picked up on the first time they viewed it.First let me say that this is not your typical audiobook.You will hear from the actual people themselves via voice recording that were involved in making the picture. These include the legendary director Frank Capra, Donna Reef,and very briefly James Stewart and more. It turns out there is a message Frank Capra wanted to pass on to all of his fellow man through this picture. The message is whether you are in prison, alone ,going through cobalt treatment etc. every life matters .I had no idea before listening the many people in prison and throughout the country this film influenced for the better and is doubtless still influencing today. There is no telling how many suicides this film has prevented. You will hear how much fun those involved had in making it and the pride they all had being associated with it.Maybe you too will learn something about this movie you didn’t know.

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The Richness Of Memory

Revisado: 01-08-22

This book about baseball in general and the New York Yankees in particular captures the very essence of what a baseball fan is and what it means to them. It shows how at a young age you come to discover the game and then you advance in your young life just a little further and discovery turns to passion. At this young age you now find yourself aware of teams and players and you adopt a team and they become your team and thus for a certain length of time you enter though you are not aware of it at the time every young fan’s Golden Age Of Baseball. The author’s Golden Age of Baseball as he tells his story is the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. He goes on to describe in vivid prose his ride with his Yankees through the years and his ride through life as seen through the eyes of a baseball fan. He also comments on the state of the game and how it changes over time.. This is not an exhaustive year by year recounting of every season but an entertaining overview of a baseball fan’s view of the game he loves. This book is an Evergreen that is not to be missed. I highly recommend this listen!

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A MAN IN HIS TIMES

Revisado: 08-18-21

The only way someone would understand the impact James J. Braddock had on his contemporaries was to be alive and aware in the depression era 1930’s He was a family man on relief working hard to put food on the table for his loved ones. Yes, he and his family received federal relief help but Braddock took it grudgingly working when he could. It was at this low point in his life that fortune smiled on James J.Braddock. His manager was working tirelessly to get Braddock another shot in the boxing ring and this is where the story of this book takes flight. To be really remembered in the sport of boxing it helps to have a rival for example Muhammad Ali had Joe Frazier. Well, Braddock had his very colorful adversary in the form of Max Baer. These men were polar opposites in personality Braddock being the salt of the earth nose to the grindstone type whereas Baer looked for fame, women and a party wherever he could find them. I think Baer would be more celebrated today than Braddock but that really underscores for me.where we are in society today When what I will call the party animal mentality is more celebrated in my opinion than what should be uplifted that is family and hard work. I will be fair here and point out that Max Baer did mature settle down and raise a family Max Baer Jr. was Jethro on the tv. sitcom , “The Beverly Hillbillies “ Times were different in the 30’s where family and hard work were much more revered. The party animal with all the women you can handle attitude was deeply frowned upon. James J. Braddock was a decent man with thunder in his fists and a hero to his contemporaries. A man living, loving, and working hard for his family . He was a man in his times and a good example for all times. I recommend this book.

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A MUSLIM’S JOURNEY TO JESUS

Revisado: 03-27-21

I will admit at the beginning I have a bias. I am a staunch believer in Jesus and that He is God. I am composing this from a Christian worldview so naturally this book appealed to me. This is the story of two young men Nabeel Qureshi and David Wood.They were college classmates and good friends.Nabeel being a Muslim and David being a Christian challenged each other in regard to their separate faiths. As you might expect one used the Bible and the other used the Qur’an and surprisingly to me Nabeel would also use the Bible in defense of his Muslim faith. These were educated young men so they had another tool in their toolbox that they brought out in their friendly debates in their search for truth and that is the cultivated skill of critical thinking. David used this skill more so in the beginning Nabeel tries to explain to us his listeners the vast difference between eastern and western thought and how the eastern individual would present their argument Nabeel quickly became adept in the art of western critical thinking. They had their share of heated arguments as you might expect but most of the time it seems they enjoyed these talks. It is a lesson for Christians to learn that many times to be an effective witness you must develop a relationship with the people we are trying to reach,
On his journey to faith in Jesus one of the issues Nabeel was having with the Christian faith was the fundamental doctrine of the Trinity. Let me say this both faiths believe in one God..The Christian faith also believes in one God ,three separate but co equal persons the same in essence ,God The Father,God The Son, God The Holy Spirit. To Nabeel this was blasphemy.For him it was simple Allah was God and Mohammed was his prophet. How could his good friend David believe such a thing. One day both young men were sitting in class hearing about science on the sub atomic level. I must confess here I could not grasp what the author Qureshi was trying to convey here as far as the science was concerned but for him something in his brain clicked. If the process, nature etc.. (Whatever it was),is proven to work like this on a sub atomic level it began to open his mind to the possibility of a Triune God.Just a personal word if I may.I hope skeptics who doubt the existence of God listen to this portion of the book with an open mind.
For Nabeel his search for truth continued. His critical thinking and his friend David’s apologetics led him to make the courageous decision to give his life to Jesus as his Lord and Savior It should be noted that Qureshi’s research reveals some very disturbing things about the life of Mohammed.and his followers.We dare not turn ourselves away from historical truth. There is a belief that Christians hold ,Romans 3 verse23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”Men or woman no matter who we are need a Savior. Jesus The Christ because we are all sinners and need God’s forgiveness . Jesus said,”No one comes to the Father but by me.” If we repent of our sins He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us according to the Bible.The word repent means to turn away from our sins .We must give our lives to Jesus The Bible says we become His and have life with Him forever or as the Bible calls it abundant life. This is what Nabeel Qureshi preached and believed along with his friend David Wood who also believes this. I urge everyone to listen to this book.






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