Emily T. Stickney

Amazing book!

Revisado: 12-31-23

I listened to this in a few days. It is so compelling, sincere, well written and well narrated. No wasted words. Highly recommend !!

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Trigger warning

Revisado: 12-31-23

I am a huge fan of Bradley Jersak and was listening to some of his other books, narrated by Boyd Barrett, at night. I find his theology and Bible / early church father scholarship compelling, and this narrator is fantastic.
That is why I gave this title a try. HOWEVER. I am slugging through the last chapters and honestly wish I had never bought this. The philosophy chapters summarizing Nietzche, Dofskoefsky, Simone Weil and others were interesting, but about 90% of this book seemed to me like disconnected fragments of various people's mental breakdowns. It even gets quite "woke" and whiny.
Also, he gives a trigger warning before certain sections, but this book is chock full of references to trauma, torture, cruelty towards children, and other horrible content that has not been good bed time material.
Maybe this book would serve someone in an active dark night of the soul, but to me it was unnecessarily HEAVY.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

False teachings

Revisado: 01-27-23

This author used to be my "favorite Biblical scholar" -- before I read the actual Bible and got obsessed with Christian apologetics.
She makes a case for the idea that Jesus' disciple Thomas was at theological odds with the disciple John, and compares the two "gospels," making John out to be close minded and Thomas to be the one carrying the "true" mystical teachings of Jesus.

It is very easy for non-Christian Biblical scholars to make compelling cases for why we should not believe the eye witness authorship of the canonical gospels-- until you actually listen to the Christian apologetics side of the story, which shows very strong evidence for Jesus' disciple John having written the Gospel According to John. However, Pagels admits in this book that the Gospel of Thomas was not written by Jesus' disciple Thomas, rather by a member of a Gnostic sect. When one researches historical Gnosticism, one finds its core doctrines and beliefs shockingly at odds with the most basic teachings of the Bible and of Christ. Indeed, Gnostic theology as it existed in the 1st and 2nd centuries when this book of Thomas was written and circulating, considered Yahweh (the God of the Bible) to be an oppressive demon inferior to man who was the serpent responsible for the fall of man. Gnosticism was also known for being fiercely misogynist: here's a quote from the Gospel of Thomas: "women are not worthy of life." (Saying 114).
These are dangerous waters, my friends, and this book and others like it is in direct opposition to Biblical teaching and the red letters of Christ. It will lead people directly away from the cross of Christ, the source of truth and salvation.... and down the rabbit hole of ever popular new age, be-your-own-savior, live-your-truth nonsense.

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This book will punch you in the face

Revisado: 11-20-22

"What a stud." This is now one of my new favorite things to say, and makes me smile to remember Tim using this phrase so many times in this book to express admiration for the strength, heroic actions, and character of the many men he encounters in this wildly entertaining, raw, outrageous and inspiring memoir that reads like a journal, written and read in present tense. It will truly transport you.

I first heard of Tim K through comedian and political commentator JP Sears, who casually, briefly introduced him as his friend and mentioned that he had just returned from Afghanistan where he and a dozen other veterans basically self-deployed, risking their lives to rescue a staggering number of allies and service members during the catastrophic pull-out of US troops in the summer of 2021. Tim basically blushed and said it was the least he could do. WHO IS THIS MAN?! WHO DOES THAT?!
I had to know. And for the critics that think he did all that as some sort of branding move to promote his apparel company and new book, well, it is made clear that these events happened during the final deadlines for this book which was already 99% written, and it adds a whole new layer of depth to know that he left those companies, his home and family, to trudge through sewers escorting Afghani civilians to safety, and could have very well not made it back alive to even write this last chapter.

This book is refreshingly personal, it truly is a collection of stories --like none I had ever heard!-- from this uncommon man's unusual life of risk taking, (admitted) stupidity, bravery, fearlessness, and extreme physical training and survival through war, military operations, and professional MMA fighting. It is COMPLETELY, most generously, devoid of politics.
Tim does not comment on the state of affairs in America, in politics, in culture, at all. Not once. I find this beautiful, as it reduces the concept of patriotism, freedom loving, sacrifice and service back down to their intended pure origins, as a natural, healthy masculine impulse to use one's strength and body to serve and to protect. And as unifying AMERICAN values, not partisan ones. At the same time, Tim does not shy away from giving his honest personal opinion and experience of abuse of power and corruption in the fighting and military worlds, but it's always only ever from his personal direct encounters, neither blindly glorifying NOR vilifying these obviously imperfect institutions.

The closest I heard him get to political commentary was one sentence asking "was is worth is?" in regards to the loss of life throughout the long, controversial war in Afghanistan. A more than fair question, especially for some one who lived through that hell and experienced it up close. But Tim does not get on an idealogical soap box at any time, does not identify with a party or an agenda in this book, and that's what makes it, to me, so powerful. I am personally very skeptical and critical of the war on terror and other faceless wars ( war on drugs, on poverty, etc ) and yet I have very high regard for veterans. Their voices are so very important.

Anyone who is under the unfortunate spell of the last decade's radical anti-man propaganda (seen a "the future is female" T-shirt lately?) and believes that all aggression, competition and other evolutionarily vital masculine traits are inherently "toxic" would be challenged by this book, and probably by meeting Tim in person as well, as he is clearly a compassionate, funny, helpful, service minded family man capable of loving commitment and gentleness to his small children. Any one fundamentally anti-police, pacifist, or anti-military, drawing over simplified assumptions about the type of men drawn to such important careers as law enforcement and military, would have their minds opened by the nuances, mental emotional physical and moral struggles, and self awareness of this story.

There is something archetypical about Tim's story, and as a conservative feminist, pro-gender role, pro-America, Christian woman with a deep awareness of the anti-American, Marxist ideology infecting and threatening our country and our youth from every angle, I absolutely loved the "unapologetic" nature of this equally brutal, human, and hilarious life story. We need warriors. We need men to step up into their healthy, natural warrior capacities and learn, through resilience to failure, through hard painful work, training and dedication, how to be a GOOD strong man and an asset to society at the highest level possible.

I hope this book inspires people to watch Tim's youtube interviews, learn of and support his nonprofit work (Save Our Allies, and Sheepdog Response-- which is a basic training for civilians in self defense, appropriate use of force, responsible gun use, and how to make the world safer in general). As a sensitive, empathic female intellectual, I never would have imagined myself watching MMA fights, but I had to go find every one of Tim's and watch them. Martial arts training is an invaluable asset to any individual and you can see clearly in the book how the discipline and values of this sport helped make Tim a better Green Beret and how that made him a better fighter. It's a book you won't want to end.

One note on the narration- It took me a minute to get used to Mr. Kennedy's halting, brusque cadence and generally short sentences. But it grew on me and I came to appreciate it. He speaks similarly in interviews, as a high energy and to-the-point kind of communicator. Thank you Tim for helping me feel okay about being proud to be American. I am giving this book to my dad, best friend, and therapist (the son of a fallen WW2 pilot), and I would recommend it for every male athlete and leader as a great Christmas gift. It also helped me as some one who struggles with chronic, severe pain from a 26 year long debilitating illness. It's nice to hear stories of people willfully facing hardships and pain in this era of comfort, complacency and complaint.

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