Smack-Dab in this Review.

I received a copy of Brennan Manning and John Blase's book for children titled Smack-Dab in the Middle of God's Love from Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze blogger review program.

Upon first glance, it's nothing special, just what you'd expect from your average children's book, lots of pictures and a few words.

I like the point that Manning and Blase try to make for the kids, but I'm not sure it's suitable for all ages. What I mean is, my daughter's are 4-years-old, and while they were very excited to have a new book and asked me to read it to them over and over again at first, I'm not sure they really understood the point.

I know they enjoyed the story, and of course they liked looking through the pictures. I just don't think it spoke to them yet at this age, and that could be because it's a bit vague for the average 4-year-old.

All that being said, I think this is a pretty fair effort in trying to convey the message of God's love in a way that slightly older children, I'm thinking maybe even 6 or 7, can appreciate. However, if your children are younger than 5, or you have a problem with an evangelistic message, this book is not for you.

Today is a good day.

Today is my birthday; it's really nothing special. I turn 24 at 4:41 PM this afternoon. I only know that because my parents argue about it every year, and every year they're both wrong. I'm the only one who remembers, that, my birth weight, and that fact that I was born on Mother's Day of 1982 are really all the memories I have of my birth, and they are, of course, facts that I came to learn long after the event.

I woke up to my wife being very sweet. You see, even though she is pregnant, she let me sleep in and kept the puppy out of my hair for an extra half an hour this morning. As I left with puppy Siku to go on our morning walk, I noticed a note on my gloves, there were about a half dozen or so spread different places in the house and in my work folder this morning. She is a very sweet woman, very sweet indeed. Siku (our Siberian Husky puppy) even seemed to understand today was significant too, not too much fuss and howl during the walk this morning (he's in training, he does not like corrections).
I got to take a shower, and even though my Hawaiian shirt is missing a button and I was unable to wear it, I am still comfortable in what I ended up wearing, and I like it enough to keep it in the closet so that's that.

My dad called me this morning on my way to work. He is the second person to wish me a Happy Birthday. I decided I want to trade jobs with him today; he gets to go to a 3M plant and burn things in a 2,000-degree oven. He's testing fire retardants today. He loves being a building inspector more than he ever liked being a working blue collar stiff. I am happy that he called me this morning. My dad is a really cool guy.

Now I sit here at my desk, my office looking like Times Square on New Year's Eve, and I am happy. My 'crew' as I call my group of female co-workers (I am the only male among us as of yet) was kind enough to decorate my office while I was at the first OB appointment that my wife and I had for our unborn child. So while I was listening to a heartbeat that sounded like an old steam engine (It was really quite beautiful) they were throwing confetti, balloons, and crepe paper around my office. They also stole one of my 'signatures' and posted a huge list of odd/fun facts about the year and date of my birth. Useless knowledge such as this is something that is usually saved for me to acquire and spread around on a rainy or boring day, and they've used it against me! Ain't life grand?

Two of my co-workers will be unable to attend my 'office birthday lunch' later this week, and have offered to take me out for lunch today. We're going to go get Chinese food. This is special for me because my wife doesn't like it much, and therefore, we do not usually have Chinesey things in our home. (See, good day for me!)

I only know that my evening will consist of spending time with our kids and my wife. That there will be cake, Which my very loving wife made right out of the box for me. That is huge for her, and I am very, very happy with it. She even let me eat the extra frosting, am I a dork, or what? But I don't care and I don't have to today.

I say every year that it's no big deal and just another day, and you know what, it's still working, every year that I say that, I end up seeing that it is a big deal and that people really do care for me. So I'm sticking with what works, at least if I'm right, I can only be mad at myself that way, right?