Book Review by Debbie Hymer: Dangerous Virtues

Dangerous Virtues

John Koessler

Let me start off by saying this book is not an easy read. Let me explain.

I am not a highly educated person but, I have a fair amount of education, some college and plenty of life experience. I can read a book with words not in my vocabulary and provocative thoughts however, it is a slow and cumbersome experience. Not a reading experience I typically enjoy. This book does have that type of content to be fair. The reasoning behind my explanation in the first sentence of this review has more to do with its convicting and deep, thought provoking content. The writer has written this book in such a way that it encourages the reader to look into self, the beliefs, the upbringing, and motives. It’s an eye opening, spiritual awakening type of book.

To be perfectly honest, I had to put this book down after only reading a few pages. It took me quite a while to pick this book up again. I had to have a changed mindset to even begin reading it. I personally could not read this book in one sitting. In fact, I could only read a few pages at a time and then had to let it digest for a few days before I could pick it up again.

With all of that said, I did enjoy the book. I learned quite a bit about God, myself and the world. The prime learning achievement is dissecting what I learned about what the Bible says. Not about the authenticity of the Bible, but what man has exploited. It’s no surprise that humans have misused what scripture says. Especially in the non-Christian world, but in the Christian world as well. The name of the book says it all, “Dangerous Virtues”. The book is actually about the Deadly sins and how our world has turned them into virtues. There’s quite a bit of controversial matter in this book and must be read with an open mind to Gods teaching and truth. It puts the ‘worlds argument’ of making sin a virtue into perspective. It helps the Christian see Gods truth and to be able to find a truthful and loving answer backed up by scripture. It reveals what the ‘world’ calls ‘inconsistencies’ not to be inconsistent at all.

John Koessler clearly states that being a Christian is not a magic pill. He also clarifies that it’s not gloom and doom. I will admit it is a hard reality to swallow that all of us are not immune to pride, greed, lust, gluttony, and so on. This is all very depressing when you fail to grasp the truth of the Hope of God.

In the midst of all of the sin and junk going on in this world today, it points out that God is in control. God gave everybody a way out, His Son Jesus. Everybody has the same opportunity to accept Christ as Savior. Because of this fact, not one person is better than another. If I had to come up with just one thing from this book, it would be that ALL of us are in this together and we ALL have a choice to make. Jesus or No Jesus. That choice makes the difference between eternal life or death. That choice makes the difference to spend eternity with God or without God.

To point out some highlights from this book I wanted to mention a few things.

In the first few pages we are told, as if we can’t already tell by listening to the news, that most sins have been turned upside down.

A great verse John pointed out is, Psalm 51:4 “Again you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.” Our generation does not see life and what we do with this point of view. John Koessler points out that Jesus tells us that no one is good but God. None of us want to hear this. And we hear over and over again that a loving God would not allow all this hurt and pain in this world.

We are reminded that when Adam and Eve sinned, it affected the whole world, not just humans. Genesis 3:17-18 “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat of plants of the field.”

When we focus our hope on God, our mindset and desire change. Our happiness is fulfilled.

Dangerous Virtues covers humility to an extent that covers Christians and non-Christians, past and present. Humility is clarified not as a humility that hates self, but how true humility is to our relationship to God and others. Humility is knowing that we all have the same choice to accept God’s gift of Grace.

I love the quote from the author, John, “Those who are in Christ do not need to compete with one another to win God’s approval or gain Christs affection.”

One last thing I wanted to mention is something that really stuck out to me. Phil 2:3-4 “In humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interest of others.”

My inner thoughts are stretched, stimulated, intrigued by the fact we humans are specks, insignificant specs in this universe, in the world. Yet, God knows each one of us by name. He knows how many hairs are on our heads. He gave us His Son and is patience in Love waiting for us to accept His gift of Grace in a world of turmoil.

Easy read? NO Good read? YES

Not a read for enjoyment, but a read for growth. I almost gave this 4 stars, less one star for the difficulty of readability. Then I thought, no, it’s a thought-provoking book that everyone needs to read. It speaks the hard truth and is very convicting. We need that! Five stars it is.

(I received this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for my review.)

2 Comments

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    Cable hip abduction is a basic exercise to hit the gluteus
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    If you’re on a mission to add size and strength to your
    glutes, hip thrusts can get you there with consistency and proper kind.
    Nonetheless, most people discover them too easy to be effective
    or lean again to make pumping out lots of reps in time to music extra
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    exercises, and activate your glutes earlier than every session. Single-leg cable kickbacks present a targeted burn to the
    lower glutes, creating definition and form. Glute Ham Developer (GHD) workout routines work both hip
    extension and flexion to create robust, shapely muscles in the underbutt space.
    To perform Decrease Glute Training Workout A effectively,
    it’s best to do three sets of 10 to fifteen reps per
    exercise. Progressive overload also needs to be implemented by increasing weights or resistance bands over time.
    Decrease Glute Training Exercise B incorporates single-leg Romanian deadlifts, front foot elevated split squats,
    and stability ball hip raise and leg curls for a complete decrease
    glute exercise. Research have proven that workouts like single-leg hip
    thrusts that target specific areas of muscle recruitment are highly effective for building power and
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    Over the years, she grew to become hooked on cracking the code
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    the coach behind this challenge. Opt for the lightest weights,
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    You must train the butt and decrease again with varied workouts
    however give yourself time to recover.
    This is an excellent exercise for targeting and strengthening
    the largest glute muscle—especially if your aim is
    to develop size and power in your glutes. This exercise is typically carried
    out with a loaded or unloaded barbell, but you can strive it with dumbbells or plate weights if you don’t have a barbell.
    Shoot for 2-3 glute exercises per week, incorporating the butt exercises into your leg day exercises.
    The glute-focused train portion of your exercises shouldn’t
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    to your butt. You can hold a dumbbell in each hand, a
    kettlebell at your chest, or a barbell throughout your back to make this
    glute train more durable. Aim for 0.eleven to
    0.18 grams per pound of body weight each time you eat.
    You might want even less at first—start with zero.sixty three grams per pound.

    It’s possible to put an inch of muscle in your glutes by the end of this six-week program, Brockman says.

    You can start with a ratio of strolling fast for one minute, followed by
    five minutes of walking slowly. As you get used to this cadence, you can enhance the
    period of time you walk quick for.
    If you’re taking this variation, remember to repeat on the opposite side.

    Recruit your glutes by rolling your foot from heel to toe with each step.
    Take a step forward, land on your heel and with a “sweeping” motion, push through to the ball of your foot.
    When you make contact with the ground, squeeze your butt cheeks together.
    Push off the ball of your foot to propel your self forward, releasing
    the squeeze. The thrust should have your decrease leg and upper
    leg resemble a 90° angle at the prime of the thrust.

    Lower glute exercises not solely give you a shapely and
    toned butt, but they also improve posture, enhance
    sports performance, and scale back the risk of injury.
    Correct glute activation is essential for maximizing progress in building the underbutt as a end result of it ensures that the focused muscular
    tissues are firing properly during exercises.
    Consistency in performing these exercises twice every week can result in vital improvements in lower glute energy and muscle
    development.
    Whether you’re a guy wanting to impress the ladies in your denim jeans or a
    girl trying to agency up and add some measurement to your booty,
    I am here to show you ways. This complete information mixed with our high
    10 larger butt workouts will guarantee that you construct a big round butt you may be
    proud of. Even the best butt workouts alone won’t guarantee you
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    The smallest of the gluteal muscles and lies beneath the gluteus medius.
    Like the gluteus medius, the gluteus minimus contributes to
    hip abduction and stabilisation. Laying beneath the gluteus maximus, situated on the outer surface of the hip,
    the gluteus medius originates from the outer surface of the ilium and inserts into the femur.

    The gluteus medius plays a vital role in hip
    abduction and stabilisation.
    “If you’re simply starting out, think of practical day-to-day functions to train your gluteus maximus, like choosing the steps over escalators,” Katie says.
    If you want to break up your exercises by body part, you might
    dedicate two days a week to your glutes, Katie says.
    In Any Other Case, incorporate a number of of the workouts above into your regular full-body routine.

    Purpose for three units of eight to 12 reps of any glute train, in accordance with the NASM.
    Some of probably the most basic lower-body strikes target your glute max (not to mention your gluteus
    medius and minimus).
    The higher the step you tackle, the tougher your quads must work to straighten your
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    make sure you’re getting essentially the most
    out of this move. Step ups won’t solely give your booty a nice raise, they’re a practical exercise, too.

    It’s essential to also be conscious of your pelvis
    throughout all upper glute exercises, Schemper says.
    Hip thrusts can also be carried out utilizing a Smith machine, found
    in most gyms. Align the bar on top of your hips and perform the train as described.
    Some health facilities have began to supply dedicated hip thrust machines as well.
    Just like any other muscle, your glutes will grow quickest by
    coaching with moderate masses for at least 10
    sets per muscle group every week.
    In this train, the muscles on one facet
    of your body are working dynamically when lifting your leg in opposition to the band, however the
    muscles on the other side aren’t resting either.
    They are working isometrically, keeping your pelvis stable in the course of the train, similar to in single-leg workout routines
    like lunges or Bulgarian cut up squats. The barbell hip thrust might be probably the most heavy-duty isolation exercise for the glutes
    that there is.
    The Seated Abduction zeroes in on the outer portions of
    your glutes, concentrating on these often-overlooked smaller glute muscles—the gluteus medius and minimus.
    The exercise involves pushing your legs outward against resistance, which is the essence of hip abduction. If you wish to really construct an awesome tush,
    you should hit it with workouts that trigger the best percentage of muscle activation from the three gluteus
    muscles. The glutes are most activated if you obtain near full hip extension. So, concentrate on exercises that target the
    glutes and obtain this full range of movement through the hips.
    The queen of glute constructing exercises, the hip thrust – but with an added layer of difficulty.

    The gluteus medius sits above the maximus on the outer shelf of the pelvis.
    The gluteus minimus, meanwhile, is the smallest
    of the three butt muscle tissue. Like the glute bridge, the single-leg glute bridge is an exercise that requires no equipment, but on this
    variation, you’re employed one leg at a time.
    This makes the train significantly more durable and in addition challenges your
    stabilizing glute muscular tissues, such because the gluteus
    minimus and medius. The single-leg Romanian deadlift provides an efficient way to
    coach your glute muscles without utilizing heavy weight.

    This could be useful in a rehabilitation phase or when doing leg workouts at home.

    The gluteus maximus muscular tissues are answerable for the shape and lift of your butt,
    plus play important roles like stabilizing and extending the hips and thighs throughout standing and walking.
    Remember, we’re not changing your compound lifts or
    decrease body routine; we’re enhancing them. These glute activation workout routines should
    be built-in into your normal leg day or glute workouts. Maintaining your knee bent and foot flexed, raise your proper leg until your thigh is parallel with the ground and you may be “stamping” the ceiling with the best foot.

    Lower your leg back down and back up in path of the ceiling in a continuous motion. When performing this train, it’s necessary to
    make sure you’re not relying on your quads for assist,
    as it’ll hinder glute activation.

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