Taking On Goliath is about facing the challenges that we come
up against when pursuing our dreams, the Goliaths we meet along the
way. Based on the Old Testament story of David and Goliath, the book
looks at the characteristics of faith, the kind of faith we need in order
to reach our dreams.

Taking on Goliath

Rob Marshall
Morgan James Publishing LLC (2005)
ISBN 1933596597
Reviewed by William Phenn for Reader Views (9/06)


Rob Marshall is a good Christian husband and father. He is not your typical motivationalist with an arm load of letters after his name. Over the years, Rob has held such non degreed positions as a dishwasher, office supply salesman, and software engineer.

“Taking on Goliath” is an uncommon approach to an age old problem - how to motivate someone who has a fear of failure. Mr. Marshall tackles this problem with some unusual motivational tools - quotes from the Bible. On almost every page, Rob makes references to passages in the Bible; specifically those that deal with the story of David and Goliath. He explains how putting our faith in God can make all the difference in the world - allowing Him to take the burden off our shoulders and point us in the right direction. “Taking on Goliath” explains the reasons we can not do it alone and how God is there to help.

Mr. Marshall covers topics like ‘Learning to be Faithful’, where he discusses how we handle the everyday problems as well as others that come up. In the chapter ‘Handling Criticism’, he touches on how we all want to fit in and not be singled out. ‘Learning to Trust’ was a great chapter on the whole scheme of things. The book emphasizes that God has a master plan for us all and is there to help us every step of the way by giving us little preparatory missions that will aid us in the attainment of our goals. ‘Facing Our Fears’ and many more well written chapters take the reader deeper into the David and Goliath comparison.
 
“Taking on Goliath” is for the faithful. It is a very Christian book which explains how God is there for us in our daily struggles. When Rob uses the David and Goliath passages from the Bible, he is doing more than comparing the acts of David. He not only compares, but actually analyzes the actions of God and how He showed David the way - much as He will show us if we want Him to.

I found “Taking on Goliath” to be a very thought provoking, 183 page motivator for my own views of life and what I want out of it. The author used a very straight forward writing style with many examples and good verses along the way. I found the book to be an easy read and very understandable. “Taking on Goliath” gets my high rating of an A; it will not appeal to everyone. But for the believers who buy it; it will open their eyes to the help that God can give.