So What Have You Read Lately?

Wld at Heart

2010-12-17T08:38:00.000-08:00

WILD at HEART
By John Eldredge

What can I say about “Wild at Heart”? I liked the basic premise that men need to embrace masculinity instead of apologizing for it. Eldredge argues that men should feel free to be "wild at heart." A deep relationship with God is key to a satisfying and meaningful life for a man. I am in full agreement with this. However, I did not like that it addresses all men as though they were the same. Many men have served in the military, saved lives, reared masculine sons and feminine daughters and been warriors for the kingdom of God and yet did not necessarily enjoy hunting or any other stereotypical "masculine activity" you can think of.

WILD at HEART is certainly not a bad book. And though based more on Eldredge’s own experiences than scripture, it is thought provoking. But remember, sometimes real courage is meeting the daily grind of life head on and still living with purpose.

(This book was provided for review, free of charge, by BookSneeze.com. I was not compensated in any way and all opinions are 100% mine.)

Derailed

2010-04-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

Derailed
Five Lessons Learned from Catastrophic Failures of Leadership

As a pastor, I appreciate reading good books on developing and maintaining healthy leadership. In Tim Irwin's book, he starts out with six profiles of leaders who were derailed in their leadership of well known companies. He then points out ways that we can avoid derailment in our personal and leadership lives.

Self examination is an intricule part of leadership that can be left by the wayside as leaders forget what made them leaders in the first place. The point is, that a failure in character trumps any effectiveness or competence you have in skills and organization. I enjoyed this book and if you're in any leadership position, you'll probably get some real insight from it.

The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be

2009-08-31T11:24:00.000-07:00

"(T)he road I’m on always determines where I end up. Direction—not intention—determines our destination.” ~ Andy Stanley

"The Principle of the Path" is not a new approach to reaching goals but a reminder of what works.What Stanley gives us is a very common sense approach to reaching our destination. Just as any athlete will tell you, it always comes down to knowing the basics and doing them well. When we forget the basics we get into trouble. As Stanley explains, we may have great intentions, but our intentions do not determine our destination. The road that we are traveling on determines where we will end up. Using the wisdom of Proverbs, Stanley has us look at the road we are on to determine if our goals will be realized. I recommend this book to anyone starting out on a journey or for anyone who feels they have lost their way. It is never too late to change direction.

it: How Churches and Leaders Can Get it and Keep it

2009-05-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

This is a book I have had on my reading list for sometime and finally was able to sit down and enjoy reading it (no pun intended). Craig Groeschel has been instrumental in taking a church plant from a handful of people to a campus of thousands, including an internet campus. What propeled this growth? Something Groeschel calls "it".

Groeschel is unable to define "it" but lays out many factors that are instrumental in obtaining "it" and keeping "it". Vision, passion, and a willingness to fail play important roles in obtaining "it". You have to get people to listen before they can hear the message. He is not talking about poularity but attraction. Attraction gives people the opportunity to see what you have to offer without changing what you offer. Change occurs in the method, not in the message.

"Simple Church" is still the first book I would recommend to church leaders but "it" expands on the ground work of "Simple Church". "it" is a book that church leaders should read no matter what size church they attend. Every church should not only "love God with everything they are" but also "love their neighbors as themselves". Only both principles sum up the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Collapse of Distinction

2009-04-28T07:38:00.000-07:00

What can I say? I really enjoyed this book. Not because Scott McKain is a fellow Hoosier, but because McKain has something important to say. Scott McKain has taken a subject that could be dry and boring and kept it interesting throughout the entire book. Each chapter is well written and insightful. The executive summary at the end of each chapter can be quickly reviewed, but I encourage you to read the entire book.

So what is Distinction about? Distinction is about being different, standing out, and getting noticed in the sea of sameness. Having distinction is important to any organization's survival. Distinction takes an organization's focus off of what the competition is doing and places it squarely on what the customer desires. True distinction helps promote innovation and casts uniformity aside.

McKain does not lay out a formula to follow, but gives guiding principles which will challenge anyone who is willing to examine themselves and their organization. Clarity is the starting point.

“Many organizations and professionals are so afraid of losing to the competition, they strive to become almost all things to almost all people, believing it will bring them more customers.” ~ Scott McKain

You have to know who you are and who you can reach as a customer. The remainder of the book builds on this principle. You have to ask yourself the tough questions, and McKain list many of them at the end of each chapter.

As a minister, this is a book I would not only recommend to entrepreneurs, but I would encourage any church planter to read as well. Thanks Scott, for a book I will open on more than one occasion.

Skeeter and the Mystery of the Lost Mosquito Treasure

2009-03-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

Is the most recent addition to the Max Lucado's series Hermie and Friends! I had the chance to watch this gem with some children the other day. They were quickly caught up in the story of wrong-way Skeeter, with his crooked stinger and his "perfect" brother, Sinclair M. Skeeto. The adventure involves a mysterious treasure map left to Skeeter and his brother by their father. Skeeter and his brother learn important lessons about themselves and others as they work their way through the adventure.

The key scripture verse for this episode is Psalms 139:13-14, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well"

Skeeter and the Mystery of the Lost Mosquito Treasure comes to life through the voices of John O’Hurley, Tim Conway, Rob Pottorf, and Melissa Disney. The DVD has bonus material that includes a trivia quiz with multiple choice answers. It's worth taking the trivia quiz just to read the humorous answers the writers came up with. This DVD has great content for children and adults, great animation, good music, funny characters, and a wonderful story. I recommend this video for the young and the young at heart.

http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=1400313066