The Art of the Good Life: 52 Surprising Shortcuts to Happiness, Wealth, and Success (2017) by Rolf Dobelli, Book Review

The Art of the Good Life: 52 Surprising Shortcuts to Happiness, Wealth, and Success (2017) by Rolf Dobelli

This is my second book from Dobelli. I enjoyed the first one, The Art of Thinking Clearly (2013), and since this is marketed as the follow-up book, I expected to have the same enjoyment with this one too (Here lie my many biases. Chief among them is the confirmation bias!). I do, most of the time. What the subtitle called shortcuts are actually Dobelli's "own collection of mental tools designed to build a good life" as he defines it. He derives these tools from classical antiquity to cutting-edge psychological research. As such, these are not original thoughts per se but packed briefly and simply for modern readers and aimed to be as practical as possible for the twenty-first century. The author, an economic philosopher, admits that "these fifty-two intellectual tools may not guarantee you a good life, but they'll give you a fighting chance." I like this kind of honesty.

Here are what I like about this book: 1) Each chapter consists of one main mental tool, with a clear definition or explanation and relatable examples. I think this is why Dobell is a good writer (it was originally written in the German language) because he can make complex concepts and academic journals accessible to common readers like me. Perhaps there are times when he oversimplified things and situations, but hey, these are just tools not laws; 2) I appreciate Dobelli's openness about his atheism and stoicism. This understanding helps me to see from his point of view and filtered through what I read with my own worldview; and 3) Notes at the end of this book are very useful if I want to explore each tool further. There are references and credits. By the way, I noticed that he loves to quote Warren Buffett, Charles Munger, Bertrand Russell, and Daniel Kahneman. Good thinkers.

Overall, I like it. Although, if you haven't read any book by Dobelli, I recommend you start with The Art of Thinking Clearly. That book will make you feel - and perhaps actually - smart. You may or may not read this one as a follow-up. I bought this at a massive discount bookstore. The normal price is expensive. So, borrow or find a secondhand one ☕#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #TheArtOfTheGoodLife #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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Seeing Jesus In All of Scripture #LeadersAreReaders May 2022

After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus. This is one of the many post-resurrection appearances. The Scriptures say that “God kept them from recognizing him” (Luke 24:16). Interesting. As they were walking, the two disciples talked about “the things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth” (v.19) to… Jesus. Interesting indeed. I’m not sure whether they believe everything they heard about Jesus was true or not, for sure, they heard that “Jesus is alive!” (v.23). Then, imagine this, Jesus, a stranger to them said strongly, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” (v.26). There and then, Jesus did an overview Bible Study with them. He “took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from ALL the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (v.27). read the rest of the passage. The good ending is this: “Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him” (v.31).

I love this sacred narrative. We can know about Jesus without really knowing Jesus. We can study the Scriptures diligently without recognizing Jesus in them (In John 5:39, Jesus said the Scriptures “point to me!”). And we can outline facts about what happened to Jesus from A to Z without really believing what we said. The two disciples were foolish and so are we if we don’t have faith to see Jesus the Messiah as He is. By God’s grace, He has opened my eyes to see and recognized Jesus in the pages of the Scriptures (This simply means I was foolish then and if I don’t see it now, I’m being foolish again). Now, this is both a supernatural and natural phenomenon. We can’t see and believe if God doesn’t open and make known to us the truth first. So we need to pray, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law [or the Scriptures]” (Psalm 119:18, bracket mine). Yet, we can’t see and believe if we don’t read and study the Scriptures. The supernatural and natural must go hand in hand. For example, in Isaiah 32 verses 1 and 3, “Look, a righteous king is coming! [So we must look]… Then everyone who has eyes will be able to see the truth” [But God is the One who enables us to see].

I have no advice for the supernatural since it is beyond our willpower to do so except to pray and ask God the Holy Spirit with humility. But I do have advice for the natural ways to see Jesus in “ALL the Scripture.” First, read the Scriptures a.k.a. the written Word of God a.k.a. the Bible prayerfully. This is essential and all else is subordinate! Secondly, join sound teaching and Jesus-centered Bible Study (if you want to join #DugDownDeep let me know). And thirdly, read books that can supplement and instruct you deeper into the Scriptures. Good faithful pastors, preachers, teachers, and writers are God’s gifts to us for the growth of His church. Two books that I finished reading in May 2022 that are very instrumental in helping me to see and read the Scriptures with Jesus at the center anew are: 1) Finding Jesus In the Old Testament (2015, 2017) by David Limbaugh. He wrote, “Just as the Old Testament is foundational to the New, our basic understanding of the Old Testament is crucial to our comprehension of how Christ dominates its pages”; and 2) Encountering the Book of Hebrews: An Exposition (2002) by Donald A. Hagner. The Book of Hebrews doesn’t make sense without the Old Testament and the Old Testament - particularly the Law, the sacrificial ritual, the covenants, and typologies - doesn’t make sense without it all being fulfilled by Jesus the Messiah as explained very beautifully in the Book of Hebrews. Blessed!

#ServeToLead #PreachTheWord #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain #JesusInAllofScripture

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Three (3) Categories of Books To Avoid #LeadersAreReaders April 2022

In his highly recommended book, Lit! A Christian Guide To Reading Books (2011), Tony S. Reinke shares three categories of books to avoid:

1) AVOID CERTAIN BOOKS BECAUSE OF TIMING. "Choosing what books to read is often not a yes/no decision but a now/later decision," writes Reinke. "The same is true for young Christians who are new to the faith. Be cautious of reading literature that you are ill-equipped to read with discernment. Sometimes the proper Christian approach to literature is humble postponement." I agree. One day, a student saw me reading Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion, a passionate atheist who states that it is irrational to believe in God and why religion is harmful to mankind. After he noticed that I'd written the review, he wanted to borrow the book because he was interested too. I'm all out for reading widely and books that I don't agree but he was not equipped to read this kind of book with discernment (Dawkins, although a brilliant scientist, is such a lousy layperson theologian). I know because I've observed his knowledge of the Scripture is still under development. So I refuse kindly, explained to him patiently, and encourage him to study the Scripture first. I love that he wants to read books at all but at this rate, he needs to practice "humble postponement."

2) AVOID CERTAIN BOOKS THAT GLORIFY EVIL. This does not mean avoiding books that mention evil or give descriptions of evil or capture the dark realities of life. The Scripture doesn't even avoid the topic of evil explains Reinke. "The more important questions are these: How are the violence, sexual sin, and skepticism presented? Is it presented as evil? Is fornication celebrated, or are the consequences of sin made obvious? Does the book celebrate sin, or leave evil unresolved?" These are good questions to think about. This is why I'm very concerned with the rise of open occultism and the glorification of witchcraft in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Books such as The Harry Potter and the likes should be avoided. As the Scripture says, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20). Books that expose evil, yes; books that glorify evil, no.

3) AVOID CERTAIN BOOKS FOR CONSCIENCE'S SAKE. Reinke asserts, "While there are no rigid rules for what Christians should or should not read, we must be sensitive to our own consciences and the consciences of those around us. As we establish our own understanding of what books we will and will not read ourselves, we must respect the parameters that other Christians have chosen to set for themselves and their children." For me, as an example, I have no problem reading books on Islam and from Muslim writers although I don't believe in their core teachings. I enjoy especially the writings of the liberal Muslim modern-day intellectuals. But I find myself couldn't even read a page or two of Anton S. Lavey's The Satanic Bible. Both are false religions (respectfully honest), yet, I couldn't consciously endure the other. It's a matter of conscience, a level of tolerance, and a mass amount of discernment. On this, Reinke has a good reminder: "A firm grasp of the biblical worldview learned directly from the study of Scripture is essential for a Christian book reader because distortions to the biblical worldview can be found on every shelf in the bookstore." Yes!

#ServeToLead #BooksToAvoid #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

CLICK THE LINKS to read my book reviews of #LeadersAreReaders for April 2022

1) The Science of Self-Learning (2018) by Peter Hollins, CLICK HERE
2) The Spirit-Filled Life (1895, 2019) by John MacNeil, CLICK HERE
3) The Message of Matthew: The Kingdom of Heaven (1988, 2000) by Michael Green, CLICK HERE
4) Matthew: The College Press NIV Commentary (1997) by Larry Chouinard, CLICK HERE

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The Science of Self-Learning (2018) by Peter Hollins, Sort-of Book Review

The Science of Self-Learning: How to Teach Yourself Anything, Learn More in Less Time, and Direct Your Own Education (2018) by Peter Hollins, Ebook

 
The title and subtitle say it all. Some books are easy to read and quick to finish simply because you already agree with the main theses of the book. And extra if you already applied most of the ideas. So, what is the benefit of reading a book that doesn't challenge me to do or think about something new? Well, for one, the feel-good effect I had due to confirmation bias. And the other, for self-reminder, that it is the right thing for me to continue to pursue. Peter Hollis, a psychologist by profession, wrote in such a way that is engaging and balances theories with practicality. He reminds me that the path - for me, not necessary for everyone - to education is through self-learning.

We all should've realized that the process of acquiring information has changed significantly over the last few decades. The author seriously joking that 30 to 40 decades ago, one of the main ways for people to look up general info was inside an encyclopedia! Today, all we have to do is just Google-ing absolutely anything and find out very specific info about any subject of interest in less than a few seconds anywhere, anywhen. What hasn’t changed, sadly, is our educational system. It is still based mostly on a traditional model, where students still learn what somebody else has decided for them to learn. Although there are exceptions and some positive sides to it, the outdated model is overall limiting and intimidating. Mr. Hollins writes, "[Motivating] someone to learn by threats or reproach isn’t just ineffective - it’s impossible. If one is feeling hurt or mistrusted, or if they’re dealing with depression, stress, difficult personal issues, or fear, they don’t have any resources left to help them learn."

Enter the keyword: autodidact (or a self-educator). It simply means a self-taught person. He or she is both a teacher and a student at the same time. Self-taught is not a new pursuit. There are famous people like Mark Twain, Albert Einstein, and Leonardo da Vinci who are autodidacts. The advantage for us today is that it is easier and faster for us to be one. “Courtesy of the Internet, the world is your oyster,” writes Mr. Hollins, “and we have the ability to learn anything we want these days.” Due to my personality and learning style, classroom-type, professor-guide, assignment- dateline like Bible seminary is not suitable for me. My process of directed personal education growth is via proactive intellectual curiosity. Thus, my motivation is not from the outside forces but from the inside a.k.a. intrinsic. Nobody can 'force' me to learn, I WANT to learn. The author puts it like this: "Rather than performing a task to gain rewards or avoid punishment from someone else, a person experiencing intrinsic motivation does an activity for how it will enrich them on an intangible level." Right!

If you are an autodidact, reading Chapter 1: Principle of Self-Learning is a good reminder for you to keep doing what you are doing (probably Chapter 1 is just enough). If you are aspired to be one, reading this book is a good starting point. You will learn the Learning Success Pyramid, the classic SQ3R Method, the Cornell Note-Taking System, Speed-Reading tactics, and more. The author is generous with his resources. I love this quote, "Anyone can be an autodidact - there aren’t any restrictions on age, gender, or background. All that’s required is the willingness to actively find new knowledge and to do so with a discerning, evaluative mind." Yes! ☕

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #TheScienceOfSelfLearning #AutodidactForever #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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The Royal Path of Reading #LeadersAreReaders March 2022

In the late 1800s, a six hundred pages book entitled, The Royal Path of Life, written by T. L. Haines and L. W. Yaggy, M.S became popular both in the refined East and in the pioneer West (Thank you Pustaka Library for making this book available). It is filled with great maxims, observations, and homespun wisdom. Here are some parts from the chapter entitled Reading:

"There are four classes of readers. The first is like the hourglass; and its reading being on the sand, it runs in and runs out and leaves no vestige behind. A second is like a sponge, which imbibes everything, and returns it in the same state, only a little dirtier. A third is like a jelly bag, allowing all that is pure to pass away, and retaining only the refuse and dregs. The fourth is like the slaves in the diamond mines of Golconda, who, casting aside all that is worthless, obtain only pure gems.

"One's reading is, usually, a fair index of his character... 'A man is known,' it is said, 'by the company he keeps.' It is equally true that a man's character may be, to a great extent, be ascertained by knowing what books he reads.

"Master your reading, and let it never master you. Then it will serve you with ever-increasing fidelity. Only read books aright, and they will charge your mind with the true electric fire. Take them up as among your best friends; and every volume you peruse will join the great company of joyous servitors who will wait around your immortal intellect. Then, too, your daily character will bear the signatures of the great minds you commune with in secret. And, as the years pass on, you will walk in the light of an ever-enlarging multitude of well-chosen, silent, but never-erring guides.

"To read with profit, the books must be of a kind calculated to inform the mind, correct the head, and better the heart. These books should be read with attention, understood, remembered, and their precepts put into practice. It depends less on number than quality. One good book, well understood and remembered, is of more use than to have a superficial knowledge of fifty, equally sound. Books of the right character produce reflection and induce investigation. They are a mirror of the mind, for the mind to look in. Of all the books ever written, no one contains so instructive, so sublime, and so great a variety as the Bible. Resolve to read three chapters each day, for one year, and you will find realities there, more wonderful than any pictures of fiction that have been drawn by the penciling of the most practiced novel writer in the dazzling galaxy of ancient or modern literature."

Here are my sort-of book reviews for this month:

1) The Spirit-Filled Life: Restoring A Biblical Understanding and Experience of the Holy Spirit (1895, 2019) by John MacNeil, CLICK HERE

2) Leadership Language: Using Authentic Communication To Drive Results (2018) by Chris Westfall, CLICK HERE

3) Jesus the Messiah: A Survey of the Life of Christ (1996) by Robert H. Stein, CLICK HERE

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #TheRoyalPathOfLife #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

To read my monthly articles on reading, CLICK HERE  

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Kemuliaan, Kedaulatan & Supremasi Yesus Kristus (Ibrani 1:1-3)

Penulis Surat Ibrani tidak membuang masa memperkenalkan dirinya sendiri tetapi terus masuk ke subjek utama, iaitu, keperibadian Tuhan Yesus Kristus: "Allah telah berfirman pada pelbagai zaman dan dengan aneka cara kepada nenek moyang kita melalui nabi-nabi. Tetapi pada akhir zaman ini Allah telah berfirman kepada kita melalui Anak-Nya..." (Ibrani 1:1-2).

Yesus ialah antara watak atau karakter yang sangat popular dari dulu sampai sekarang. Ramai orang mempunyai idea mereka masing-masing tentang-Nya. Dia menjadi titik kontroversi, debat, dan sejarah. Agama-agama utama di dunia seperti Islam, Agama Yahudi moden, Hindu dan Buddha - malah cults, mitos, lagenda, New Age, dunia hiburan - mempunyai pendapat dan kepercayaan mereka yang tersendiri. Tetapi menurut Alkitab Firman TUHAN yang hidup, siapakah Yesus yang sebenarnya? ⚡ #ServeToLead #PreachTheWord #SuratIbrani

Untuk mendengar Lapan (8) Hal yang menunjukkan Supremasi Yesus diantara segala-galanya, PERGI KE http://spoti.fi/3MAzXuW (Spotify) atau http://apple.co/3MEZjYO (Apple Podcast)

    
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Mesias: Tujuh (7) Nubuat Kitab Yesaya dalam Injil Matius

Injil Matius banyak memetik Perjanjian Lama. Kitab Yesaya sahaja lebih kurang sembilan (9) kali dipetik secara langsung dan lebih daripada itu secara tidak langsung melalui gambaran. Dalam siri pengajian ini, kita hanya akan melihat tujuh (7) nubuat dalam Kitab Yesaya yang digenapi oleh Tuhan Yesus Mesias dalam Injil Matius ✅ Semoga iman kamu dibangkitkan dan kamu diberkati! ☺#ServeToLead #PreachTheWord #InjilMatius

KLIK PAUTAN dibawah untuk menonton video pengajian ini:

Nubuat 1 https://youtu.be/uw0evG9z_Mw 
Nubuat 2 https://youtu.be/TBy3u6ku618 
Nubuat 3 https://youtu.be/82blz3Uu0QI 
Nubuat 4 https://youtu.be/YV8GsN4kT7g 
Nubuat 5 https://youtu.be/MMgJXQ8C0eI 
Nubuat 6 https://youtu.be/k8I6k3HjRIc 
Nubuat 7 https://youtu.be/NVvf2BbqNTM 

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