Facing the Blitz: Three Strategies for Turning Trials into Triumphs

Jeff Kemp, former quarterback of several NFL teams writes of the trials we face in life and how to handle them. The first thing I found interesting in the book is that Mr. Kemp likened the trials we face to blitzes that occur on the football field. Mr. Kemp writes of the many lessons he has learned in life and shares the anecdotes others have taught him. There are three lessons he imparts to the reader for turning lifes trials into triumphs: take a long-term view, be willing to change, and reach out to others.

I found Jeff Kemps lessons interesting. I especially found the lesson of being an investor in other peoples lives rather than being a consumer. I felt that this was a reminder to serve as Jesus served and also reminded me of the passage in Philippians 2:3 Consider others as more important than yourselves.”

Overall, I think this book is thought-provoking on the ways we can positively face our trials. I would recommend this book to a football fan or anyone that wants to learn from another individuals story on how you can make it through the trials in life.

Note: I received this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for a review.

{Thank you to Kirk Farrell for the review.}

In the 60's, 70's, 80's, I was much more of a professional sports aficionado than I am now. It was Bill Russell's Celtics, followed by Bird, Parish and Michale. The Pittsburg Steelers and now to a lesser extent the New England Patriots.

I knew of Jack Kemp, a quarterback, politician, and head of government housing and urban development. The author of Facing the Blitz, Jeff Kemp? Nope, never heard of him.

This book has enough about sports and Jeff's own professional career to tickle the interests of died in the wool zealots or casual observers like me.

However his message, his book, has more to do with Christian faith than it does with sports. His breakdown on pages 95, 96, and 97 are worth the price and time it would take to read the book.

Jeff Kemp breaks it down to two mindsets: What can I get? vs What can I give? Will I be a consumer in life, or an investor?

Me, I've been both. Shamefully often a consumer, occasionally an investor.

Go and get this book. It's a touchdown. For an extra point I'm going to re-read it.

Thank you Bethany House for providing me with a review copy.

Facing the Blitz by Jeff Kemp

This book will be of benefit to many-

Each chapter is filled with Sport analogies, supported by real-life vignettes. Each chapter ends with good questions that quickly let you know how well this book fits your journey. Good questions summarized to, 'What are you doing?' 'What do you want to be doing?' and 'What are your limits in commitment and giving?', are revealed by the reflective questions.

It presents the counter cultural view of marriage and relating, supporting the idea of giving in a relationship versus 'taking/or feeding' off of the other.

It presents the idea that the sum of parts in a relationship is worth commitment,giving, and sacraficing for, to enable the greatest good of the total. The holy sum of two is greater than 1 + 1 when God calls people together.

It portrays critical moments in being community, in relating and the life-changing impact of a moment of giving in a committed and dedicated relationship.

A book to pass around; wish the print was larger-it would make the text more inclusive for a larger number of others.

P.S. Some will be beyond this book. For those who find themselves in that place, those places that are beyond the answers there are words for-this book will not be as evolving.

For those who find this book embraceable today, if tomorrow it no longer seems as helpful, holdfast to Faith, or let Faith holdfast to you.

-30-

Jeff Kemp compares facing a trial in life to a blitz in a football game. He talks about his experience in the NFL and the lessons he has learned in life.

His three strategies are to take a long-term view, be willing to change and to reach out to others.

There was a lot I disagreed with Kemp on in this book. For a book that is supposedly to be from a Christian perspective, I found the book to be very worldly in nature. There were very few references in the book to God and the Bible. A lot of times if felt like people talking about God was thrown in there, but it didn't go further from there. There was only ONE part of the book where he took what he was talking about and using scripture verses to apply what he was saying. There is a good Biblical application at the very end of the book, but again there is only one verse to apply what he is saying. There could have been a lot more Biblical application put in throughout the book.

I also strongly felt he was talking about how we should put ourselves first. We should not put ourselves first, we need to put ourselves last. JOY spells Jesus, Others, You. When we are going through a trial we need to turn to God and ask him for his help. We need to turn to others and ask them to pray for us.

This is not a book I would recommend.

I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers for the sole purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

In life, like in football, a blitz is an unexpected attack hoping to disrupt the opposing team. Kemp experienced them on and off the field and shares what he has learned about surviving and thriving past them. The way we face a blitz makes all the difference, Kemp says. He wants to help us experience growth, not setback.

He gives three major strategies. First is taking a long-term view. He encourages having the mindset of finding opportunity in the experience. We may have to be flexible, letting the old dreams die. But God may have allowed the blitz to get us moving in a new direction. Second is being willing to change. He suggests taking a deep look at ourselves, accepting responsibility. He writes about relationships, being an investor, not a consumer.

Kemp excels in his third strategy, reaching out to others. He writes about our team and looking for the good in others. He advocates inspiring and elevating others (LIFT). He writes quite a bit about family and leaving a legacy.

Kemp uses lots of examples from football so this would be a great book for lovers of football. He also has stories of people he knows who have experienced a severe blitz in life and have formed a way forward.

He shares insights from his experience on the football field. He has great insights into performance based acceptance and rejection and ultimately finding our value in Christ. Other insights include the value of teamwork and how blitzes help us understand ourselves. His writing about consumers and investors was excellent. His section on humility was superb.

But Kemp doesn't leave readers with just good ideas. He also gives some very practical suggestions for action. He ends each chapter with questions for self-reflection and ideas for action. He asks some very thought provoking questions. Many of them would be helpful for someone anticipating a career change.

This is a very good book for anyone facing a situation that may seem overwhelming. A reader will enjoy this book the most if he or she is a lover of football, since that's the topic of many of the illustrations and stories.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.