A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L'Engle)

Young teenager Meg Murry is a troubled but gifted youth.  She greatly misses her father, a scientist missing for years.  One day, she (with brother Charles Wallace and friend Calvin O'Keefe) meets an eccentric trio of beings intent on helping her.  She learns that her father has used a tesseract to travel through space and visit distant worlds.  He's learned a horrible truth- a great darkness, calling itself IT, is intent on making all conform to his image of a perfect universe by controlling all minds and making everyone precisely the same, doing everything 'just so'.  Fighting against this, Meg's dad is trapped on a world controlled by IT, and it's up to Meg, Charles, and Calvin to do something about it.  How can they fight such great power?

The first of a 5-book series, I mostly enjoyed this award-winning children's literature classic.  I liked several of the messages in the book (won't share them all to avoid spoiling them)- one quote that stuck with me was “Like and equal are not the same thing at all.”  It was a quick read, and I want to know how it ends, but I don't feel compelled to read the next four volumes to find out.

Rating: A-

Making Small Groups Work (Cloud & Townsend)

Making Small Groups Work sets out to live up to its title.  Authors Henry Cloud and John Townsend draw on years of training and experience to provide a helpful list of items anyone leading a small group (in any setting) should know; "it was designed not only to help you create the right environment for growth, but also to give the practical tools needed to make your group one that truly impacts lives."  What follows is a brief overview; quotes/paraphrases are from the book.

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Small groups (be they Bible studies, support groups, prayer meetings, etc.) are an increasingly common element of Churches today.  God uses people, and "what happens in a good small group is part of the very work of the church itself."  As a small group leader, God "has called you to help restore life unto himself in the way it was created to be . . . the transcendent goal is the ministry of reconciliation [see 2 Corinthians 5:18-20]."  We reconcile by helping group members with six aspects, paraphrased below:

- Reconnect to the Source of life (God)
- Reconnect through real relationship to God and others
- Experience total grace, acceptance, and forgiveness
- Learn and experience the value of obedience to God as our authority
- Learn God's ways and how to apply them
- Give control to God while being responsible

Achieving a ministry of reconciliation takes "grace, truth, and time."  It's a supreme challenge, but the benefits are significant.  "Small groups help heal, grow, mature, and repair people."  The 'connectedness' we experience in a good group allows us to be fully honest with ourselves and form true relationships with others, granting us life the way it's meant to be lived.  Much of the book centers around relationships and how to form them constructively, including tips on gracious honesty and active listening.

Ultimately, we each want to know and be known (which is "a big part of what it means to love and be loved"), but our sinfulness is at odds with this- we hide our failures, fearing rejection, and in so doing isolate ourselves from each other.  A key part of relationship is acknowledging our failures and pointing each other to the grace and forgiveness found in Christ, enabling us to repent and turn to the light.

The authors proceed to describe what happens in a good group, starting a small group, the responsibilities of both leaders and members, and how to deal with problems.
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This was a good resource.  A bit repetitive in places, but solid, and definitely worth having as a reference.  Small groups are a key way people grow and interact in this world, and it's good to know how to make the most of them.

Rating: A

Champions of the Force (Kevin J. Anderson)

Champions of the Force concludes the Jedi Academy trilogy, picking up where Dark Apprentice ended.

Luke Skywalker is alive in the spirit plane but unable to communicate with his students, who guard his body as they figure out what to do.  Mon Mothma's illness continues, and there's a plot to steal Anakin, the youngest Solo.  Meanwhile, Kyp Durron is still on the loose with the deadly Sun Crusher . . . can the fledgling New Republic pull through?

Unfortunately, the conclusion to the trilogy was also the weakest offering.  Things continued at a lightning pace, and plot development/characterizations/dialogue continued to be poor (some minor characters were simply ridiculous).  The overall pace was uneven, with several climaxes coming rather early in the book.

Overall, there were some good stories in this series, but they weren't delivered well, developed well, or integrated well with each other.  It would have been stronger had it focused on a few of the stories.


Rating: C+

Spiritual Leadership (J. Oswald Sanders)

Spiritual Leadership looks at qualities, expectations, and realities of leadership from a Christian perspective.  Every Christian is called to be a leader in some capacity (hence the subtitle); this book is intended for all.

This book had some good points, but didn't sit overly well with me.  First, I disagree on the author's interpretation of Scripture (he's an Arminian, believing in free will and all associated ramifications).  His view gives the book a self-contradicting and slightly moralistic tone, giving lip service to God's sovereignty while implying that we as Christians need to get our act together in many areas if we expect God to use us.  Scripture and my own experience testifies otherwise- that God routinely calls and uses fallen wayward people to fulfill His purposes.  And Sanders makes other statements that I doubt are universally true (and again, can contradict other statements in different chapters).  So there are faults here, and I recommend other books (like Storied Leadership or Conviction to Lead) above this one.  That said, there are some nice points to ponder, so I'll end with those:

True greatness, true leadership, is found in giving yourself in service to others, not in coaxing or inducing others to serve you. 

The ultimate test of a person’s leadership is the health of the organization when the organizer is gone. 

Jesus told His disciples, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you” (John 15:16). The sovereign selection of God gives great confidence to Christian workers.

Samuel Zwemer remarked that the only thing Jesus took pains to show after His resurrection were His scars . . . Scars are the authenticating marks of faithful discipleship and true spiritual leadership.

Hudson Taylor lists the goals of leadership:

1. Improve the character of the work
2. Deepen the piety, devotion and success of the workers
3. Remove stones of stumbling, if possible
4. Oil the wheels where they stick
5. Amend whatever is defective
6. Supplement, as far as may be, what is lacking

Rating: C+

Ghost Blaster

Today's review is of the 2014 release, Ghost Blaster.  For 1-4 people, it takes 15 minutes.  It's a children's game.

Overview
Get the ghosts before time runs out!  You and your teammates control three ghost hunters working on a 4x6 grid.  Each starts on the lower left.  On your turn, roll the die.
- If you get the clock, advance the clock one hour.  (It starts at 12, and if it gets back to 12 before you've blasted all the ghosts, you all lose).
- If you get a number, advance any ghost hunter that exact number of spaces (you cannot move diagonally, but you can enter a space you just left).  If the card you land on is face-down, turn it face-up.  If it's a keyhole, that hunter goes to to the appropriate jail* (three corners have a unique prison that matches each hunter).  If it's a ghost, check the other hunters.  If they're also on matching (and 'unblasted') face-up ghosts, all three are blasted with goo.  Once you leave a card, turn it face-down (unless it's been blasted- then it remains).  

Get all ghosts blasted with goo before the clock strikes 12!

a completed game; image from here

Review
This is . . . okay.  A twist on memory, the cooperative aspect is nice, and the theme is fun.  I have two main complaints:
- it's conceptually difficult for some kids to understand that you can move any hunter on your turn.
- the clock means the game could end before you have a realistic chance to win.  One time we played, we had the clock at '6' before we 'gooed' three ghosts.

It's not bad overall, but Sleepy Castle is a better (and less frustrating) twist on memory.

Rating: B

*to get out of jail, another hunter must land on (or move past) the occupied jail.  Then that hunter is freed.

Still Too Much

legos sorted; image from here

I haven't blogged as much this month as I'd like, because I've been spending a good chunk of time sorting stuff (specifically, legos and collectible card games).  It's reminded me that I still have too much, plain and simple.

I've blogged about materialism several times . . . I won't bother recounting that here.  I'll say only this: who owns whom?  Do I own my things, or do they own me?  A look at the past few weeks would indicate the latter.  How many evenings and hours have I spent trying to get things in order?  I don't want to know the answer.  Though I believe I've made great strides in reducing my things over the past three years, it's clear I still have way too much.  A part of ownership is storage, and (when things get unmanageable) sorting can dominate a life.  It gets worse with children.  How much time do my wife and I spend putting away their things?

This situation has inspired us to start another reduction effort.  It should be easier than last time . . . and paring down is a routine we should incorporate into our lives.  Join us if you like- take on that closet that you've been meaning to get to for years, or that garage, or that attic.  The less you have, the better you'll feel.

“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” - Luke 12:15

Dark Apprentice (Kevin J. Anderson)

Book two of the Jedi Academy trilogy, Dark Apprentice picks up where Jedi Search left off.

The New Republic is in peril on multiple fronts.  A diplomatic mission goes awry when Admiral Ackbar crashes into the priceless Cathedral of the Winds, leading to his immediate resignation.  At Luke's nascent Jedi academy, a mysterious spirit seeks to sway Luke's students to the Dark Side.  Admiral Daala wreaks havoc with her Star Destroyers, wiping out a colony on Dantooine before striking at Mon Calamari itself.  Mon Mothma is dying of an unknown and uncurable illness.  And as Leia scrambles to hold the New Republic together, she doesn't know another menace is on the horizon . . .

Book two was okay.  Certainly had good parts and interesting plotlines, and moved quickly (the highlight was Exar Kun, an ancient Dark Lord of the Sith whose spirit is trapped in the Massassi temples).  But perhaps too quickly- character development was poor and the original trilogy characters (Han, Luke, and Leia) were poorly portrayed.  Plus several side stories were unnecessary, boring, and unrelated to the overall tale.  The pacing seemed uneven, too, especially with Kyp Durron's character and actions.  There is some good here, but there are better offerings.

Rating: B-

The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book, released last year, is my first foray into Disney's live-action reboots of their classic cartoons.  Combining elements of the cartoon and Rudyard Kipling story, it follows the story of Mowgli, the man-cub raised by wolves after his father is killed by the tiger Shere Khan.  When Khan comes looking for the boy years later, Mowgli sets out to find a man's village.  On the journey, he'll meet a snake (Kaa), panther (Bagheera), bear (Baloo), ape (King Louis), and other creatures who will help or hinder him.  Ultimately, Mowgli must decide: where is his true home?

This film was universally lauded . . . and I didn't care for it.  Ultimately, I didn't understand what the film was trying to be.  It's a bit scary (several scenes were more intense than its PG rating), a bit funny (but not much), a bit lighthearted, and bit musical (but not nearly like its cartoon predecessor).  In trying to be everything, it falls flat.  The visuals are certainly stunning . . . but I was disappointed.

Rating: B-

Sleepy Castle

Today's game review is of the 2015 release, Sleepy Castle.  For 1-4 players, it takes 10 minutes.  It's a children's game.

Overview
In Sleepy Castle, your job is to sneak by snoozing guards to nab the treasure between them.  Twelve unique and alert guards ring the castle; in between each is 1-3 gold coins (randomly determined during setup).  In the center is a 4x3 grid of face-down cards of twelve matching- but sleeping- guards.  On your turn, you flip two cards.  If those guards are adjacent on the ring, you get the gold between them.  Then flip the cards back face-down and the next person goes.  The game ends when all the treasure is collected.  Highest total wins!

in this example, no gold is collected, as the bird and chicken are not adjacent on the ring (image from here)

Review
Bearing in mind that this is for children, this is a nice game.  It's a memory variant, of course, and a good one.  I like the 'weighted' options on the ring- you obviously want to go for the highest gold totals, and that can influence your choices in the game.  And I enjoy the fact that you're going for adjacent figures- its a nice twist.  My 5-year-old loves it, and I enjoy it too.

Rating: A-

Escape (The Curse of the Temple)

Today's game review is of the 2012 release, Escape (The Curse of the Temple).  For 1-5 players, it takes 10 minutes.

Overview
You and your fellow explorers are in the center of an ancient and mysterious temple.  Too late you realize the curse- you have 10 minutes to get out before all hope is lost.  To escape, you'll need to do two things: return gems to certain rooms and explore new rooms to find the exit.  A cooperative game, you will succeed or fail together . . . which will it be?

Simplified Gameplay
You each start with 5 dice (unless playing solitaire- then you have 7).  Each die has 2 green men, 1 black face, 1 golden face, 1 key, and 1 torch.  When the timer is flipped, you have 3 minutes  20 seconds to roll them as many times as you can/want.  This is a real-time game, so there are no turns- everyone is rolling all at once.  To explore new rooms (place new tiles), you'll need to roll two green men.  To enter new rooms, you'll need a man and a key or torch.  To return gems, you'll need a number of keys or torches.  But watch out!  Rolling a black face 'locks' the die (it can't be re-rolled) until you roll a golden face (which unlocks up to two black face dice).  If all your dice get locked, you'll need a teammate in the same room to roll a golden face for you (or pay other penalties to continue).

At the end of the 3 minutes 20 seconds, you must be back in the starting chamber- or you must forfeit one of your die.  Then the timer starts again for the next 3:20, giving you a chance to explore more rooms/return more gems.  Again, when time's up you must be back in the starting chamber.  Then you have one last 3:20, but this time, you must locate the escape room and exit successfully- all of you.  The number of keys you must roll to exit depends on the number of gems returned- the more you return, the fewer keys you must roll.  A game in progress is below.

a game in progress; image from here

Review
Fast, frantic, fun . . . this is a great and unique experience.  The theme works perfectly.  The real-time aspect of it is exciting and stressful (in a good way).  It's simple enough to be doable in 10 minutes, but varied enough that it's no guarantee.  And it's fun for solo players, too (a rarity in board games).  It's more of a party game than anything- and a good one at that.

Rating: A

Jedi Search (Kevin J. Anderson)

Eleven years after the Battle of Yavin, the New Republic is still establishing itself.  Leia has married Han and they have three children, raised safely in hiding by Leia's friend Winter.  The twins (Jacen and Jaina) turn two and are prepare to come home, while baby Anakin remains in Winter's care on a secret planet.  While Leia adjusts to balancing government responsibilities and raising her twins, Luke Skywalker sets out to find others strong in the force and start a Jedi academy on Yavin 4.

Meanwhile, Han Solo and Chewbacca end up as slave laborers in the spice mines of Kessel when a diplomatic mission goes awry.  There they meet Kyp Durron, a young man with strong (but raw) Force ability.  They use a surprise encounter with a deadly spice-producing spiders to escape the planet . . . but are forced to flee into a series of black holes called the Maw.  Using Kyp's force ability, they navigate the treacherous area but run into a secret Imperial research facility, the Maw installation- known only to Grand Moff Tarkin and cut off from the outside world for over a decade.  There Admiral Daala overseas the top secret research- that produced the Death Star among other things- with her four Star Destroyers.  Capturing Han and company, Daala learns under their torture that the Empire has fallen, the Emperor is dead, and there's a New Republic.  Outraged, she takes her fleet and sets off to wreak havoc.  Before she does, though, chief scientist Qwi Xux has remorse over her role in developing deadly weapons, and helps Han, Chewie, and Kyp escape in the latest- the Sun Crusher, an indestructible ship capable of making stars go nova and wiping out entire systems.

I recall little of my childhood, but I still remember seeing this book in the store in 1994.  One look at the cover was enough to hook this young teenager- "Wow!  The Millenium Falcon crashed?!"  It was in an era when new Star Wars books had just started to expand the adventures of the movies- this book followed the Thrawn trilogy and Truce at Bakura.  It was an awesome time to be a Star War fan.
The book itself is okay.  Re-reading this as an adult, it's a good story poorly told.  I loved the concept of a secret installation cut off from the outside world for years, but the 'yet another superweapon' concept starts getting old [and it would continue time and time again in Star wars books].  The dialogue was frequently poor, but the action was good, and the characters (especially Admiral Daala) were enjoyable.  Relegated to the 'Legends' pile now that Disney wiped out this old canon, it was an enjoyable walk down memory lane.

Rating: B