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Discover the Power of One: Make Your Life Count
Renowned speaker Michael Youssef shows how one person can become a dynamic and far-reaching force for good in the world.
- GenresChristian
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
3 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Michael Youssef
108 books74 followersMichael Youssef is the founder and president of Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, a worldwide ministry that leads the way for people living in spiritual darkness to discover the light of Christ through the creative use of media and on-the-ground ministry teams (www.LTW.org). His weekly television programs and daily radio programs are broadcast in 25 languages and seen worldwide, airing more than 13,000 times per week. He is also the founding pastor of The Church of The Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Youssef was born in Egypt, but in 1984, he fulfilled a childhood dream of becoming an American citizen. He holds numerous degrees, including a PhD in social anthropology from Emory University. He has authored more than 35 books, including recent popular titles The Barbarians Are Here and Jesus, Jihad and Peace. He and his wife have four grown children and eight grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 17, 2015
Four and a half stars.
In many ways, there are few things here that have not been said before. However, Michael Youssef's look at the life and times of the prophet Daniel often provoked me to see the familiar storyline with fresh eyes.
Some special quotes:
(1)
"In the ancient world, a name was a person’s identity. It was far more than a distinguishing label or an indicator of family heritage. A person’s name said something about who the person was in character or nature.
Most babies in Bible times were not named until the eighth day after their birth. This gave parents a little time to note the characteristics of their child—not only the physical ones, but the traits in their personalities and gestures that might give an indication about the nature of the child. In addition, it was a custom in Bible times that mothers spent hours singing and talking to their unborn children, bonding with them in a deep emotional and spiritual way. This bonding gave mothers special insight into the personalities and destinies of the babies in their wombs."
(2)
"In truth, the foods the Babylonians offered to Daniel and his friends were wrong for them to eat not only because the delicacies likely included shellfish, fatty meats and the meat of unclean animals. These delicacies were so called because the food has been offered first to the idols of the Babylonian pagan gods. The pagan peoples of the ancient world ate the leftovers of foods sacrificed to their gods as a means of identifying with the gods."
(3)
"The city of Jerusalem – the capital of Judea – was technically in the territory given to the small tribe of Benjamin but it had been ruled for centuries by leaders from the very large neighbouring tribe of Judah."
(4)
"If you question whether young people know far more than their grandparents ever dreamed of knowing about perverse sexual behaviour, watch an hour of MTV (music television) or rent an R-rated movie that is supposedly off-limits to teenagers under the age of seventeen but which is usually marketed directly to teenagers!"
(5)
"The word worry comes from a German word that means ‘to strangle’."
In many ways, there are few things here that have not been said before. However, Michael Youssef's look at the life and times of the prophet Daniel often provoked me to see the familiar storyline with fresh eyes.
Some special quotes:
(1)
"In the ancient world, a name was a person’s identity. It was far more than a distinguishing label or an indicator of family heritage. A person’s name said something about who the person was in character or nature.
Most babies in Bible times were not named until the eighth day after their birth. This gave parents a little time to note the characteristics of their child—not only the physical ones, but the traits in their personalities and gestures that might give an indication about the nature of the child. In addition, it was a custom in Bible times that mothers spent hours singing and talking to their unborn children, bonding with them in a deep emotional and spiritual way. This bonding gave mothers special insight into the personalities and destinies of the babies in their wombs."
(2)
"In truth, the foods the Babylonians offered to Daniel and his friends were wrong for them to eat not only because the delicacies likely included shellfish, fatty meats and the meat of unclean animals. These delicacies were so called because the food has been offered first to the idols of the Babylonian pagan gods. The pagan peoples of the ancient world ate the leftovers of foods sacrificed to their gods as a means of identifying with the gods."
(3)
"The city of Jerusalem – the capital of Judea – was technically in the territory given to the small tribe of Benjamin but it had been ruled for centuries by leaders from the very large neighbouring tribe of Judah."
(4)
"If you question whether young people know far more than their grandparents ever dreamed of knowing about perverse sexual behaviour, watch an hour of MTV (music television) or rent an R-rated movie that is supposedly off-limits to teenagers under the age of seventeen but which is usually marketed directly to teenagers!"
(5)
"The word worry comes from a German word that means ‘to strangle’."
July 22, 2021
The best thing about this is it's a very practical book. At the end of each chapter are questions and ideas to actually make use of the content. And it's great content, based on the life of Daniel.
There were a few bits where I thought he might be reaching just a little bit but they were only minor. On the whole, he brought Daniel's story to life and I often gained new insights.
There were a few bits where I thought he might be reaching just a little bit but they were only minor. On the whole, he brought Daniel's story to life and I often gained new insights.
October 25, 2010
Michael Youssef does a good job of reminding Christians that the "power of one" is a strong power, but reminds them that they must choose to lead a life outside of societal norms to do so. He also reminds Christians of one very important fact that I have seen many Christians refuse to remember: It's not man's place to judge another. Hate the sin...NOT the sinner. While it's important to turn away from the amoral actions of our world, and live a moral life, it is also important to remember that God is the one who is to pass the judgment and dole out the punishment: we do not. But there seems to be some double talk. For instance, he states that it is not our place to judge, and we are to love our neighbors as ourselves...yet he tells us to be intolerant of those who sin...and then tells us to love them and pray for them. He draws a line, crosses it, and then redraws it. It's almost as if he's saying that you shouldn't do something, but it's okay to do it in the name of God. I found some good lessons in this book, but I also found that some of the lessons were seemingly a way to fill the page or word count set forth by an editor because they didn't fit anywhere.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews