Good News - September 2021

Each month we ask faith, business and non- profit leaders to answer a light-hearted ques- tion designed to help people get to know them better and bridge our community.Thismonth, Good News Wants to Know… What book, story or movie has been a life changer or path changer for you (aside from the Bible)? Nothing Like It In The World: The Men Who Built The Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869 by Stephen E. Am- brose – The building of the transconti- nental railroad changed the way people and goods moved across the U.S., ul- timately changing the world. It is impor- tant to note that Congress committed funds to build the transcontinental railroad in the middle of one of the darkest periods in US history – the Civil War (1861- 1865). The difficulty of those days is almost unfathomable today. Therefore a key lesson from this book, that has been transformative in my own personal life and leadership, is that one cannot wait until things are good again to invest in the fu- ture. That has been my model ever since: “belt-tightening” during hard times while simultaneously investing in the future allows one (and organizations) to come through crisis stronger than before. Dr. Debra A. Schwinn, President, Palm Beach Atlantic University I have found the final scenes in two movies particularly impacting. In “Gladi- ator” the movie concludes with the freed slaves, the soldiers and the senate hon- oring “a solder of Rome” and then his Ethiopian, gladiator comrade looks up in the empty colosseum and says: “We are free. We will see each other again. But not yet.” In “Saving Private Ryan,” as Ryan ages before our eyes at the Omaha Beach grave of Captain John Miller who saved his life he is haunted by Miller’s final words: “Earn this” and says: “I’ve tried to live my life the best I could. I hope that it was enough” and then looks to his wife and says: “Tell me I’ve lived a good life. Tell me I’m a good man.” William “Bill” C Davell, Director, Tripp Scott, PA This was not an easy question to answer as I have read several path defining books during this pandemic. The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson reminded me "Prayer puts us in a spiritual frame of mind. Prayer helps us see and seize the God-ordained opportunities that are around us all the time" and "God doesn't settle for a good option but the Best option." Char Talmadge, Director, Rescue Upstream Shane Claiborne’s Irresistible Revolution radically changed my world view. I used to be a clean kid that loved people poorly. I now hope to be a guy that loves people well and gets dirty in the process. Shane, Tony Campolo and Donald Miller all wrote books that pushed me in that direction. Bob Denison, President, Denison Yachting I enjoy reading biographies, especially of political leaders and entrepreneurs. If I had to pick a specific book that changed my path or provided direction for my path, it would be “Lincoln.” The adversity that President Lincoln faced, from his political adversaries to the loss of a child, did not deter him from working towards his goal. Many would have thrown in the towel at many times throughout his time in office, but he knew that his work was right and just. Chip LaMarca, State Representative, Florida House District 93 One book that has really had an impact on me is One Minute After You Die by Erwin Lutzer. This is the premise of the book: One minute after you die you will either be elated or terrified. And it will be too late to reroute your travel plans. It is a great reminder for me to focus on what really matters and that is my relationship with God and spreading the Gospel. Chris Lane, President First Priority of South Florida For me, the works of Rudyard Kipling were very formative. I loved The Jungle Books , but most of all his poem “If.” Those and “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred Lord Tennyson, spoke to the idealistic man inside my boy’s heart and inspired me to reach for greater things, to dream big and to do hard things. I was glad that my father read them to me and my brother, Austin, and inspired us to be strong men. H. Collins Forman, Jr., P.A. The book that most impacted my life is Bruchko by Bruce Olson. It's about Bruce, a 19 year old American, his capture by the Motilone Indians, a murderous, stone age tribe in Columbia, and his adventures in Christianizing them. It's the only book that kept me up all night to finish. It so inspired me, I became a mission- ary with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) in the Dominican Republic. More recently, friends and I have been traveling to the unreached, stone age tribes in the headwaters of the Amazon in Peru where we use Bruce's wisdom as a model for reaching them. A subsequent book is The Motilone Miracle . So worth the read! Deborah Cusick, FAU Campus Volunteer, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship "The Tony Fontane Story" is an old dramatization of the life of teen singing idol and television personality. It chronicles his rise to stardom and his splashy Hollywood lifestyle. The film focuses on the 1957 auto accident that nearly killed him and, consequently, resulted in his conversion to Christianity and abandonment of his popular career to become a gospel singer. As a young boy this movie was the catalyst that brought me to the Lord. Don Campion, President, Banyan Air Service, Inc. What's So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancey came out in late 90's but has continued to shape how I see the world through the eyes of grace. The alter- native is to see life through the eyes of "ungrace" – a much less desirable, anti- gospel alternative. As recipients of such great Grace, we have the chance to not just believe it for ourselves, but live it out in the most difficult moments of life. Turns out this book is strikingly relevant in this cultural moment. Doug Sauder, Pastor, Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale The book, Broken Things by M.R.DeHaan was a life changer for me years ago. You have to break an egg, a peanut and a coconut to get to the good stuff and, at that time, I needed to be broken so I would allow the Lord to get to the "good stuff" in my life. A kernel of corn needs to be "broken" so that it might be- come popcorn. We're so afraid of the breaking process but, at the same time, it can be the best thing that ever happens to us. It was for me, and today I thank the Lord for the breaking process. Jeremiah 18:1-6. Lord, have Your way. Fidel Gomez, Pastor, Calvary Chapel Hollywood William “Bill” C. Davell Char Talmadge Bob Denison Chip LaMarca Chris Lane H. Collins Forman Wants to Know… Dr. Debra A. Schwinn