LeadershipConneXtions

If Lincoln Did It - Maybe You Should Too!

Reading!

Leaders are learners.

There are so many things that you are only going to learn by reading good books. There are other things you will learn in other ways. You should have a variety of learning styles and approaches. 

But . . . there is some knowledge, insight and wisdom you will only find in books written by those who have been learners and who are not teaching and telling stories about what they learned.

Lincoln was wonderfully literate, educated and informed by the best wisdom of the ages. It shaped his worldview, framed his core values and deepest beliefs . . . and compelled him toward an integrity of action. Even at great cost.

So what are you going to read this weekend?

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
BrianRice@lcileaders.org 

The Road Trip That Changed the World

 

Author, church leader, "sociologist/cultural commentator" Mark Sayers is definitely one of my favorites.

His first book, The Trouble With Paris, is still one of my favorite explanations of post-modernism. When an author writes their first book and it is SO GOOD, you kind of wonder if everything else they write is just commentary on their first book. And not nearly as worth reading as was the first FRESH statement.

His latest book, The Road Trip That Changed the World, is a kind of commentary on the themes of the first book . . . but it is a deeper, more insightful, more integrated work than The Trouble With Paris. And he introduces more new themes that make this work broader as well.

Here is why I highly recommend Mark Sayers and The  Road Trip That Changed the World.

1.   He is a very good writer. He has learned the author's craft well. His book is a treat to read, just for the quality of writing.

2.  He is an outstanding student of our contemporary culture. He really understands the context of our times. He is truly a sociologist, cultural anthropologist and missiologist. Now before any of those words are a TURN-OFF . . . 

3.  He is incredibly accessible as he talks about these things. He does so in a way that is popular AND profound. Easy to understand AND wonderfully insightful. He explains everything simply and clearly, without making them simplistic and inaccurate.

4.  He is deeply grounded in historic, orthodox, evangelical, Reformational faith and theology. Here is why he is extremely valuable for me. Too many other post-modern writers are letting go of way too much orthodoxy (in my assessment and for my theological beliefs). Therefore, their post-modern assessments and prescriptions for living faithfully in theses times - seem to me as if they have serious compromises. (I am not getting into specifics or this post becomes painfully long and unreadable.)

5.  He does what Jim Collins recommends in Good to Great. He helps me confront the brutal facts and realities of our own missional context . . . and yet, without losing hope. Sayers is decidedly hopeful about possibilities, while painfully realistic. It is the genius of the Both/And.

6.  He weaves together philosophy, theology, art, poetry, literature, biblical exegesis, sociology, spirituality and more - and it all MAKES SENSE. He is a synthesizer of a diverse set of knowledge domains, and the narrative he weaves is all the more compelling.

7.  It is 270 pages in 25 chapters. Most books I think are at least 1/3 longer than they need to be. Most authors over-communicate and as they do, they are repetitive. There is a little of this in Mark's book... but just a little. At one point, I bogged down "a little" but then . . . it picked right back up. Each chapter is about 10 pages. Which means you can easily read (and think about) a chapter in 15-30 minutes depending on your reading/reflecting pace.

8.  And it is $15.00.

Thanks to my good friend and Book Savant, Byron Borger of Hearts and Minds Books who recommended this book to me and when he asked me TWICE, if I had read it yet, and admitted I had not yet done so... encouraged me to read what I buy. Especially when it is what he recommended.

Hey, do something counter-cultural. Reject the juggernaut of Big Book Business and go to the H&M website. Order it from Hearts and Minds.

Also, if you don't already do this, subscribe to his BOOKNOTES BLOG. It is right there on the left column. Easy to do. That way you stay up to date on the best new books coming out constantly, as well as hearing about the best already published books as well.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
BrianRice@lcileaders.org 

p.s.  And when you buy the book - you should probably read it.

 

Contagious

 
And That's a Good Thing!

I read this book over the last two days.

A fun read.
An easy read.
An illuminating read.

He picks up on the question that Malcolm Gladwell explored in Tipping Point (10 years ago) and which the Heath brothers explored more recently in Made to Stick.

But since the Tipping Point, a lot of research has been done which challenges some of the key findings in Gladwell's book. And the Heath brothers explore why an idea or product sticks with a person. Berger asks - why and how do they pass on these ideas to others.

So Berger (Contagious ideas) is an updated versin of Gladwell (viral ideas) and Heath bros (sticky ones).

He has a six theme model with the acronym: STEPPS to explain why people pass on ideas to others.

Social Currency

Triggers

Emotion

Publicly Observable

Practical Value

Stories

I won't tell you anything about each point here, other than, Berger is a very nice read on the significance of each theme to make your ideas and products easily transferable from one person to the next.

Berger's book is about 200 pages of researched and well narrated ideas, illustrations, suggestions and encouragement for anyone who is in the "business" of getting ideas, products and services "out there" so they are the subject of conversation, interest and commitment.

He has given me a lot of stuff to work on.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
BrianRice@lcileaders.org 

Thirsty and Foolish

 

It is Not a Good Combination!

The Scriptures consistently expose people as both thirsty and foolish. We long for the satisfaction we were built to enjoy, but we all move away from God to find it. (Larry Crabb)

Maybe the one passage that exposes this most painfully is Jeremiah 2:13:

My people have commiited two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

The language of longing, yeaning and desire is one of the most powerful themes I use in my own spiritual formation journey and in my work of spiritual direction with leaders. Larry Crabb was one of the first people who clued me in to the importance of these "creation embedded longings" that are the essence of our humanity (see his book, Inside Out).

But not only do we long for what we lost in the fall, we mistakenly pursue endless wrong roads to find what we are missing. James Wilhoit calls this, foolish, self-defeating strategies. "Our soul-thirst is powerful and it makes us all idolaters" (Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered).

Of course the wise pastor/theologian/social reformer/prolific author - John Calvin said it simply and perhaps best: "Man's nature is a perpetual factory of idols."

I think one of the most helpful short AND excellent books on this is Tim Keller's - Counterfeit Gods. Well, it is outstanding for naming and exposing these idols. It is not written as the spiritual formation way of resisting idols by means of drawing near to God (Jeremiah 30:31). It is not a prescription for how to drink the refreshing water of Christ (John 6:37-39).

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.

This is not simply an evangelistic text that is a once and done.

This is a sanctification, way of discipleship text. For every day we thirst and every day we must drink at the fountain of Spirit generated waters.

Taste the bread of life and see that Jesus is the goodness of God.
Drink the living waters and be find life that satisfied.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
BrianRice@lcileaders.org 

Why Do I Read?

Here is a beautiful thought from The Catcher in the Rye, which I read lonnnng ago. I was reminded of it in The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap by Wendy Welch.

It is one of the reasons why I read and why I will never stop encouraging you to read.

Among other things, you'll find that you're not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior. You're by no means alone on that score, you'll be excited and stimulated to know. Many, many men (and women) have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now. Happily, some of them kept records of their troubles. You'll learn from them -- if you want to. Just as someday, if you have something to offer, someone will learn something from you. It's a beautiful reciprocal arrangement.  And it isn't education. It's history. It's poetry. (Mr. Antolini to Holden Caulfield)

Who are you reading right now that is helping you understand the world around you and the world within you? 

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions Intl
BrianRice@lcileaders.org 

 

Latest Reading

Here are some brief booknotes about some of my latest reading.

I love C.S. Lewis, I regularly read and re-read my favorites by Lewis. I read the occasional biography about him or the study on him. Now this GREAT book by Alister McGrath is available.  C.S. Lewis - a Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet.

 

Mud and the Masterpiece by John Burke. Years ago I liked his No Perfect People Allowed. This one looks creative as it helps you see yourself and others through the eyes of Jesus.

I think I am going to like this. He is a good writer. And the theme is a great one.

 

Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics by Ross Douthat and Christianity After Religion: The End of the Church and the Birth of a new Spiritual Awakening by Diana Butler Bass are two opposing viewpoints and worldviews. Reading them alongside each other. Both Douthat and Bass are very significant cultural interpreters. I think I will be depressed by both of them.

 

Probably becaue Douthat is right... we are a nation of heretics... and that "ain't gonna change" in the foreseeable future. And Bass is right (sadly for me, but not for her) that we are seeing the end of the church and a new spiritual awakening where orthodoxy is despised. But I have only been skimming through both of these books.

 

 

And then there is a theme I think about often, and was delighted to find my favorite Old Testament scholar (with maybe the exception of Tremper Longman), Walter Brueggemann writing a new book: Truth Speaks to Power: The Countercultural Nature of Scripture.  

I am doing some writing on the counter-cultural way of Jesus' leadership and this sets the O.T. stage for the way of Christ.

 

 

Life long learning by . . .
Reading good books . . .
Reflecting, praying, journaling, discerning . . .
And then conversations with good friends about these great themes that matter the most . . . 

So what's on your nightstand? Or book shelf? Or desk?

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
BrianRice@lcileaders.org 

The Church in an Age of Crisis

My friend, you and I have lived in serious times.
John Adams writing to Thomas Jefferson
about the American Revolution

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
Charles Dickens writing about the
French Revolution
 

This past weekend I was with my good friend Pastor Tim Adour and his leadership team at Church of the Revelation in The Bronx, New York. The first leadership session we had on Saturday morning was on Discerning the Times.

I am currently reading The Church in an Age of Crisis: 25 New Realities Facing Christianity by James Emery White. White is also the blogger you can read at Church and Culture. I read 6-8 bloggers on a daily basis and White is one of them. He is an incredibly astute observer and interpreter of North American culture.

His book talks about 25 crises in five sections: faith, mindset, marriage and family, media and technology, and mission. Accessible, readable, relevant (very up-to-date) and still substantial - it is a great read for anyone Christian who wants to engage the culture in a missional way.

 

And that is exactly what Church of the Revelation is doing and I want to give a Shout Out to their pastors, their leadership team and the entire church. They are missionally positioned in a very challenging setting, That is where God is calling them to create Pockets of Missional/Kingdom Greatness.

Which is exactly what he calls all of us to do.

 

 

And speaking of Pockets of Greatness . . . like any book I mention, if you want to support a local AND INCREDIBLY AWESOME bookstore - order this book from:

Hearts and Minds Books

Great service from great people, selling great books . . .

They deserve a shout out as well.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
BrianRice@lcileaders.org 

Transcending, Deepening, and Becoming Your Self (Glory In...Glory Out)

 

Maybe these words - transcending, deepening, and becoming - seem a little overwhelming. But this is what you long for and what you are destined for.

A few weeks ago, I read a biography about J.R.R. Tolkien by Colin Duriez. Some of you may know that Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were quite good friends and colleagues. 

They both loved the world of literature and language, of mythic stories that speak about the great realities of life, of poetry that expresses the deepest longings of the heart . . . 

They knew the POWER of words to name, describe, interpret and deepen our experience of life.

In the biography (Tolkien: The Making of  Legend) there is a quote from C.S. Lewis about the nature of the experiences we have when we read great literature.

In reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself. Like the night sky in the Greek poem, I see with a myriad eyes, but it is still I who see. Here, as in worship, in love, in moral action, and in knowing, I transcend myself, and am never more myself than when I do.   (Lewis)

This is among the deepest of human longings. This is the restless heart of Augustine in the search and pursuit of what is missing.

This is why we ultimately lead (those of us called to leadership) and why we teach (those of us called to teaching) and why we mentor (those of us called to mentoring).

We are here to help everyone who is entrusted to us - to make progress on the searching journey that lasts a lifetime.

It HELPS ENORMOUSLY if we ourselves are walking that journey well. That you are engaging with books, music, film, art, poetry, nature - whatever it is that is helpful - that helps you transcend your current experience, deepen your experience and in this - becoming who you are meant ot become.

This is why I read the books I read - to see through the eyes of a thousand others.

This is why I go to movies like Lincoln, The Hobbit and Les Miserables - to experience their world and so find the way for my own experiences.

This is why I love art and the visual image - it helps me know the world the way the artist does.

This is why I enjoy deep conversations with good friends - they help me see more clearly what they are seeing.

Then, as all these words, images, experiences, conversations - mix and mingle, resonate and rejoice, struggle and wrestle inside me - I am changed. I become who I am meant to become. And out of that, there may be a worthy overflow and imprint that is offered to others.
 

If this is all too esoteric, here it is in plain English.

Garbage in - garbage out.

Glory, Beauty, Love, Majesty, Truth and Grace in - that is what is going to come out of you.

So . . . you know what I am going to ask, don't you?

What are you taking in to your heart, soul, mind and spirit these days?

What is helping you experience and interpret the great things of life and eternity?

And how is it overflowing?

Be profoundly self-aware, highly intentional and wisely strategic about your INPUT.

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International
BrianRice@lcileaders.org 

 

The Hobbit (The Movie)

 

“Great stories give us the grace
of a mystical experience,
on the level of the imagination.”  

The Philosophy of Tolkien:
The Worldview Behind the Lord of the Rings
by Peter Kreeft

What can I say about The Hobbit? Well, to say anything I have to take a detour.

I am a Raving Fan of J.R.R. Tolkien.

I read books about Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings world he created. Let me bore you for a minute.

I've read The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy at least 20 times. I started when I was in 7th grade. I would often re-read them on a yearly basis.

And I've read (not in any order):

• The Silmarillion
• Unfinished Tales
• The Children of Hurin 
• The Father Christmas Letters
• The Book of Lost Tales, Volume 1 and Volume 2 (First two volumes in the 12 volume History of Middle Earth. Someday I'll read  the rest of this series).

I read books about Tolkien. One of my favorites is The Philosophy of Tolkien by Peter Kreeft. I just read two more books about Tolkien in light of the release of The Hobbit.

I'm a Tolkien geek.

I am a purist.

Watching the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy by Peter Jackson . . . parts of it I loved and other parts were deeply disappointing. If you haven't read the books, but only watched the movies, as valiantly as Jackson seeks to follow the story, whenever he departs from it - the story is diminished. I can live with some of that (emphasis on some...). 

So I tempered my expectations of the trilogy. Enjoyed it mostly. Screamed (in my head) at times. Although apparently I am not that frustrated because I've had multiple viewings of the trilogy.

 

Enter The Hobbit . . .

Or Part One of three of The Hobbit.

I am aware that as of this sentence I have gone over 300 words in this post. I have about 90 words left... so unlike Jackson - I'll be brief.

I liked it. A lot.

The Hobbit was a child's story. Much different from the Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit grew and evolved as a book. It has internal inconsistencies. It doesn't always feel like the Middle Earth Tolkien created. It is simple. Unadorned. 

And Jackson's Lord of the Rings was a magisterial creation. How can he go backward and make a less than that Hobbit? He can't... and he won't. I understand that.

And, in my opinion, he mostly succeeds. For those who have not read the book... half of the movie was sheer adaptation and insertion of scenes and characters that are not in The Hobbit. But that's okay for me. In most cases, the characters and the scenes are the "in-between stuff" of The Hobbit. I like what Jackson did with this.

 

Pet peeves.

I have about four of them, with one being: The dwarfs are not dwarfs in this depiction. They are too human. But movies need good looking humans and not 12 versions of Gimli. Another more serious one is that Bilbo's character actually recedes TOO much in this version. Jackson has decided to upgrade this original "fellowship of the ring" to keep the movie interesting. Thorin the dwarf gets as much attention as does Bilbo. Gandalf becomes more central to the story. Bilbo recedes in part one. 

Likes and Really Likes

I have about twenty of them... and now I have gone on way tooo looonnng. So I'll stop.

But - I liked it. Quite a bit. Saw it twice. Wanted to see it one more time on the big screen but time flew by. What I liked most about it is that Tolkien did it first as the author and then Jackson does it as a director.

“Great stories give us the grace of a mystical experience, on the level of the imagination (Peter Kreeft).

I have been "graced" by Tolkien and Jackson. I eagerly await Part Two.

opps... 656 words... 657, 658, 659...

p.s.  That is it for my thoughts on movies.  Tomorrow . . .

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
BrianRice@lcileaders.org 

 

 

 

Les Miserables (The Movie-Musical) and Finding God at the Movies

 

I have never seen Les Miserables on Broadway.

I have watched various productions on TV.

I loved the Liam Neeson movie version of Les Mis.

I read the book (abridged version) many, many years ago.

I re-read parts of the book since then.

And I loved the the new Movie-Musical directed by directed by Tom Hooper.

I found God at this movie.

I don't mean I had a conversion experience. By "finding God" I am thinking more of that Ignatian way of discerning, discovering, experiencing God as we make our way through the days of our lives. Ignatius believed that we are meant to experience God, know His presence, share in His diving activity and receive His Words to us in the events of life.
 

I found God at Les Miserables. How could you miss Him?

As one reviewer said, Victor Hugo never wrote a bad book.

Another review speaks of The persistent greatness of Les Mis.

The themes of Les Miserables are the themes of life and redemption... of sin and evil... of sacrifice and suffering... of love and forgiveness... right and wrong... trust and surrender... of poverty, justice, injustice...  freedom and mercy... beauty and truth...

I found God because the characters, the story, the plot pulled me in to the experience of all these themes. It was almost too much... a fire hydrant flow of experience... I left emotionally exhilarated and exhausted. 

Anne Hathaway, in particular, gave as moving a portrayal of brokenness, of loss and lostness, of pain, fear, loneliness and grief as I have ever seen/heard. Her song, I Dreamed a Dream is stunning and raw.

I will say little else about the movie, the acting, the singing, the staging . . .  at times brilliant, stunning, breath-taking... and at places not as much... Everyone will have their own assessment.

I listened to two critics on a pop-culture, celebrity watch TV program be mostly critical of Les Mis.

Russel Crowe's singing was weak.

Anne Hathaway lost so much weight.

Hugh Jackman was "hot."

Cohen as the inn-keeper was joked about in light of his inane/obscene characters in other movies.

And not once in their critique did they give any hint that they understood (or even noticed) the glorious themes of this great book-musical. Apparently they missed God!
 

But I found God. I hope you found Him too.

Victor Hugo

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
BrianRice@lcileaders.org 

 

They Had Been With Jesus (Volume 5 of the Exercises)

 

Friends and readers, from time to time, wonder what I am up to. What am I reading? What am I learning? What am I working on?

I have several projects going on all the time, but here is my FOCUS for January, February and March.

These first three months of 2013 find my early morning writing time devoted to the editing (and additional writing) of the Exercises devoted to the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Friends have been using the Draft version of this volume for over a year... but the time had come to bear down and do the work of additional writing (the Exercises I never finished) and a very major EDIT of everything.

I have been immersed in the Gospels, reading and re-reading them.

And I am immersing myself in books about Jesus and the Gospels. Most recently I have read (or am in the process of reading) the following books.

The Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others by Scot McKnight.
If there is one book on Jesus that I would recommend to anyone - this is the one. McKnight is a wise scholar, a passionate teacher and a skilled communicator. It is not that anyone has to "help Jesus come alive"!!! But, McKnight shares with you how Jesus has come alive for Scott. As you read what McKnight has learned and how he has drawn close, you are greatly assisted in your own journey.

Images of Jesus by Anselm Grun
Grun is a German Benedictine. He writes for a post-modern world that is drawn to images. His book is 50 short chapters providing 50 images, or pictures or windows or illustrations to help you know who Jesus is. For someone who would like to do devotional reflections on Jesus and the Gospels in the new year - I recommend this warm book for you. The only detraction is this - he does not provide the core texts that stimulate his devotional musings!

Recovering Jesus: The Witness of the New Testament by Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld
This is not an easy book, but it is a good and worthy book. This is for someone who wants to do some more scholarly study of Jesus. It is written to be used by college students. He provides wonderful insight into the context and setting of Jesus' world as a means to make sense of the texts.

 

Jesus: A Portrait by Gerald O'Collins
This Austrailan Jesuit has written a very powerful book about Christ. Every author has their own Voice and every book has its own DNA. I am not exactly sure how to describe this Voice/DNA in a few words. I can say this. Every page hits me HARD and asks me - how will I respond to this peson called Jesus? I cannot IGNORE him. I dare not MINIMIZE him. I must FOLLOW him. This Jesus is Christ the Lord. Since I am writing/editing my own Exercises on Jesus, this Jesuit theologian, author, speaker, director is one of my favorite guides. 

Kingdom, Grace, Judgment: Paradox, Outrage, and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus by Robert Capon
This is a classic trilogy collected in one volume. There is probably no better explanation of the parables of Jesus and Capon is an incomprable writer.

 

 

There are still others I must get and read...

As well as revisit a few previously read books...

I am also diving into a number of new commentaries on the Gospels that are quite good...

The combination of thoughtful study that sets the stage for lectio divina reflection and prayer, which then works its way out in writing - that is my 1st quarter task.

I am also enjoying finding beautiful images of Jesus on the internet. I especially like stained glass representations like this.

I appreciate your prayers for grace, wisdom, stamina, discipline, creativity . . .

Blessings,

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
BrianRice@lcileaders.org 

 

Top Leadership Articles in Fast Company in 2012

 

What's On Your Reading List?

I read quite a few blogs, web-articles and newsletters on leadership. One that consistently has good stuff is Fast Company and its leadership articles. I think they must have had 250+ leadership articles in 2012.

They provided a "Most Often Read List" of their articles. Here is their list. Look it over. What conclusions do you come to about the "leadership needs and interests" of their readers? In most cases I just gave the title.
 

1. What successful people do with the first hour of their work day
2. What the most successful people do before breakfast
3. An article on social media and tweeting
4. Six simple rituals to reach your potential every day
5. What successful night owls get done before bed
6. The link between quietness and productivity
7. Eight signs you've found your life work
8. Measuring an employee's worth? Consider influence
9. Do like Steve Jobs Did: Don't follow your passion
10. Hate small talk? These 5 questions will help you work any room
11. The one conversational tool that will make you better at absolutely everything

 

Here is what I see in that list.

(1)   People are looking for personal, practical help to be more successful (1, 2, 4, 5, 6)

(2)  Articles on "preparation" and "getting ready" for productivity were of interest (1, 2, 4, 5)

(3)  10 of the 11 articles focused on the "SELF" of the leader. Only #8 was focused outwardly on others. There was not a lot of TOP READ articles that focused on the actual work of leadership.

(4)  We definitely like pragmatic, how-to help. And by the numbers.  The first hour, six simple rituals, eight signs, give questions, the one conversational tool . . . (1, 4, 7, 10, 11)

(5)  And there are enough leaders out there who want to improve, who want to grow, who know they need help, a competitive edge . . .

 
Three Questions for YOU:

ONE:
As you are beginning a new year - do you know where you are coming up short and what you need?

TWO:
Are you searching for resources to grow and to improve? (If not - why aren't you?)

THREE:
Do you have the will to implement and sustain your initial attempts? For growth only comes with desire and discipline, with the will to pay the price and the courage to change.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
BrianRice@lcileaders.org 

 

 

Some Recent Books I've Read and a Few I am Reading Now

 

Life Long Learning is a core value for Leadership ConneXtions. We are a team of learners who read a lot, think a lot, discuss a lot, innovate, and design learning systems (for individuals and organizatinos). I am on track to read quite a few books this year . . . probably the most I've read in ten years. It has been a rich year of learning.

First, is some of my October reading.

The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself and Transform Your Career by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha

An excellent book by the cofounder of Linkedin (Hoffman). There are few books that will be as useful as advancing your vocation/career and able to guide your developmental process as this one. I filled four pages just with "one line notes" that help me find the GEMS in this book. 

Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World. A Step-by-Step Guide for Anyone With Something to Say or Sell by Michael Hyatt.

Hyatt is the past CEO of Thomas Nelson books, he is world class social media guy, a great blogger, and he has written one of the most practical, how-to books on maximizing your use of social media to build your leadership/ministry platform. I know this stuff "fairly" well and I came away with dozens of next steps to take to either improve what I am doing, or to start doins stuff I was clueless about.

Deep Mentoring: Guiding Others on Their Leadership Journey by Reese and Loane. 

An excellent book on mentoring (leadership coaching with some spiritual direction mixed in at places). It is as good a book introducing the main themes of Bobby Clinton and the Focused Life Model of leadership development as I have found.

 

Introduction to the Devout Life by Francis de Sales.

This is one of the great spiritual/devotional classics by one of the true masters of the art of spiritual direction. de Sales works in what I call the "classical" tradition of spiritual direction and not the more liberally minded contemporary models of direction. There are so many pages of wise insight. There are places where a dated worldview is laborious. But there are times when his ancient wisdom confronts my "take them for granted" post-modern sensibilities . . . I used this for about two months as a devotional text for many lectio divina readings.

On Loving God (De Diligendo Deo) by Bernard of Clairvaux

While this one is short, it is a beautiful gem from the Cistercian Abbot and Saint who helped his generation and those that follow, discover and enjoy the deep love of God. Bernard is almost poetic in his prose. He speaks in the language of Scripture in nearly every sentence. You know this is not simply theology, this is spiritual intimacy which he puts in print for us to absorb.

 

 

October's reading also included: 

Good to Great - Collins (re-read)
Good to Great and the Social Sector - Collins (re-read)
Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness - Keller 
Friendship of Woman - Chitister
Seeing Through the Fog - Dobson
To Win Souls - Michael Casey
The Life of Aelred of Rievaulx - Daniel 

********
And now, for NOVEMBER, a few that I have started reading or am about to start. I can't say much about them now.

A Grace Revealed: How God Redeems the Story of Your Life by Jerry Sittser, who authored one of my all time favorite books - A Grace Disguised.

Discovering Lectio Divina by Wilhot and Howard. I read a lot of books on lectio, but this one looked real good.

Branding Basics for Small Business by Ross.

Grace Can Do More: Spiritual Accompaniment and Spiritual Growth by Andre Lout.  Looks awesome another classical work on spiritual direction.

Dangerous Calling: Confronting the Unique Challenges of Pastoral Ministry by Tripp.

The Doctors of the Church: Thirty-Three Men and Women Who Shaped Christianity by Bernard McGinn. Many of the greats of whom I am already familiar AND a bunch of people I don't know at all!

Engage: The Trainer's Guide to Learning Styles by O'Neill-Blackwell. A book that works with the 4MAT approach to adult learning.

*********

What are you reading?  

What is your current focus for learning?

 What are you doing to, in Stephen Covey's language, "sharpen the saw."

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions Intl.
brianrice@lcileaders.org 

Website for the Exercises Volumes

 H & H Graphics Group Site to Purchase The Exercises,

Volume One:   Conversations. 

Volume Two:  Invitations.

Volume Four:  What's Gone Wrong

Plus Volume One and Volume Two are available on Kindle. Go to Amazon.com and type in:  Conversations Brian Rice    and/or    Invitations Brian Rice 

Brian

Books I've Recently Read on Emerging Paradigms and Our Changing World

I teach this course about once a year and every time I teach it, I do another round of reading to refresh my thinking and get psyched for teaching these themes once more.

Here are the books I read in preparation for this time around with super brief comments. You may be interested in them. 

 

Missional: Joining God in the Neighborhood by Alan Roxburgh. Roxburgh is one of the fiercest critics of the established way of doing church. He is a missiologist, a futurist, an entrepreneur... and he is fundamentally concerned with the future of the church in our post-Christendom world... for which we are ill-prepared. This is a nice, accessible recommendation for how we can move away from attractional models of church to incarnational models.



 
 

Missional Map Making: Skills for Leading in Times of
Transition by Roxburgh. This is the third book Roxburgh has done on missional leadership. But it is not a retread of previous topics, although there is great congruence. Here Roxburgh makes his best case (to date) that a radical new way of leadership is necessary for those who lead the church... and that the existing models are in disastrous shape.




 

A Whole New Mind by Pink. This is a left brain, right brain book where the author says that left brain thinking will not be sufficient to move us through these challenging times and into the emerging world. It is a very easy book to read, and loaded with insight and tons of practical guidance. This is not just for leader. It is for everyone. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.



 

 

Age of the Unthinkable by Joshua Ramo. This was probably the most "in your face" book I read, but at the same time, it was delightfully challenging, great stories, a major critique of the failure of our current leadership models, political models, economic models (and again, those who are leading the way in this). In one sense, Ramo is giving us painful examples of how the old ways of thinking are disastrous and showing that new ways of thinking (A Whole New Mind) are vital if we are to survive the coming crises. I find myself wishing we had more Christians who were thinking and leading like Ramo is providing for the world of politics and economics. Brilliant. Readable. Provocative. Must Reading... but you will have to "work a little to do this."  Worth it... Get it...



 

Culture Making by Andy Crouch. I re-read this book in preparation for Emerging Paradigms. I don't think this is the best book on the subject of culture and the role of the Christian (and the church) as agents of culture... but it is a good one. Crouch is a good writer and a story teller. If you have never read anything about your vocation as a creative and an artisan and a cultivator of God's world - this is worth reading. And then figuring out how to make your way in the God's work of building culture.



 

Viral by Len Sweet. Sweet has long been one of my favorite authors. I read everything he writes. This is his attempt to explain what the emerging world is like in terms of its radical, social networked, internet-essential, googled citizens. And they are indeed differnet from their Gutenberg generation before them. Sweet is good, funny, clever, creative... but not quite as persuasive in this offering as he is on other things. Still, for the emerging world, those who are citizens of the Age of the Book are strangers in a new land of the Internet World. Life is becoming fundamentally different. New strategies and skills are needed for survival, much less "thrival."

 

 

 

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

Missional Thinking for Tomorrow's Leaders

 

Seminary prepared me to do ministry
using models that no longer worked
in a church that was no longer relevant
for a world that no longer existed. 

I first heard a version of that quote almost ten years ago, from a good friend and former colleague, John Stringer. I use that quote every time I begin the course I am about to teach.

In just a few weeks, I will be teaching one of the Core Courses we provide for our friends in Latin America, through REG's masters program in church leadership. That course is: 

Emerging Paradigms of Leadership
in a Post-Modern World.

It is one of my favorite courses and it ranges over a wide terrain of territory. While I do constant reading on this subject, I ramp up my reading of new books every time I prepare to teach the course.

Two of the books I am reading are by Alan Roxburgh of the Missional Network. He is an important voice in this conversation. He is not always a pleasant voice, and in fact, he is often an irritating one. I find I disagree with him on numerous points, but deeply appreciate him on others.

Brief Detour: Just two of the points of disagreement I have:

(1)  I think he fundamentally misreads the nature of spirituality that is both biblical and of great interest to postmoderns. His misreading is mainly one of being inadequate, lacking both breadth and depth of understanding. But that is not his interest. He is a missiologist and church planting specialist. 

(2)  I also think he is too modern is his thinking and falls in to the either/or thinking of modernity. And when it comes to his model, he is very either/or. His model is the only way in to the future. All the other ways of doing church are wrong. I believe Phyllis Tickle and her Great Emergent approach is better. She sees a multiplicity of models that will be viable.

I finished reading Missional: Joining God in the Neighborhood, which is the easier of the two and most accessible for most readers who are interested in the state of the North American church and "whither the future?"

I am almost finished reading Missional Map-Making: Skills for Leading in Times of Transition, which is a more challenging read, and I think mainly suitable for leaders. But it is very worthwhile. If you have read his two previous books written for leades, it is sufficiently different to warrant a reading.

His audience is a North American and European one. Here is a basic premise underlying both books, and for that matter, all the books which Roxburgh writes.

The times in which we (see above) are living are a fundamental time of change and transition. We are truly Post-Christendom. But, the church is still stuck in a Christendom model. That model no longer works. It can't be tweaked or morphed or salvaged. It is time to let go of it and move in to a new way of being and doing church.

Whether you agree or disagree with him, he throws down a necessary gauntlet of provocative stories, statistics and perspective (mapping a way forward).

 

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

The Future of the Global Church

A week or so ago I was having a morning cup of coffee with a misisonal friend who thinks a lot about the world, the mission, the church, the educational institutions that serve both... it was a great conversation.

He mentioned to me a book that he highly recommended. I got it. More expensive than I wish - $40.00, but it is a TREASURE TROVE of insights about the world. It is:

 

The Future of the Global Church: History, Trends and Possibilities by Patrick Jonstone.

For anyone who is seriously interested in global Christianity, what has happened, what is happening, and what might happen - this is MUST READING.

It is loaded with maps, charts, diagrams and well written briefs. 

As I work through it, I feel deeply connected with missional friends who are serving around the world for the sake of Christ, His  Gospel and the world He loves.

Get a copy.

Work through it slowly and prayerfully.

Soak in it, absorb its lessons, sense the emerging world around us, discern what God is up to and respond as you believe He calls you.

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com 

The Exercises, Volume Two: Invitations Workbook Available

Click here for the eCommerce Site.
Volume Two: Invitations NOW available.

Volume Three:  The Foucsed LIfe available sometime in May.
Volume Four:  What's Gone Wrong available late April 

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT - Volume Two: Invitations is Published

Even though it is
Volume Two: Invitations
It is the FIRST volume now available for purchase!

Click the link below to go to the eCommerce Site to purchase a copy. 

The Exercises: Secure eCommerce Site

Many of you know that I have been writing (and field testing) a Five Volume spiritual formation for leaders curriculum. Many of you have used draft copies and given great feedback on the material and your experiences. It is now available for purchase and can be shipped anywhere in the U.S.A.

For that matter, if you want a hard copy anywhere in the world, it can be shipped overseas, it is just that the price of shipping internationally will be high.

We are working on the eBook format that will be available for Kindle and anyone using a Kindle app. That is a financial investment and it takes some time. So for those who are overseas and want this, you'll have to wait a little longer. These will be available at Amazon.com. 

We are using a professional publisher/printer who manages all printing and sales and they have a secure website. The link takes you to their website.

Once you fill out the required information (takes a minute or so) then the information is saved and will be there when you want to return to purchase future volumes.
 

You can help us by spreading the word to others who may be interested in their own spiritual formation. We are so grateful for the stories of people going through them as they tell us of the life transformation that is taking place. 


 

The Exercises seek to create a learning experience that:

1.  Engages the great biblical and spiritual themes that matter the most.
 

2.  Uses a process of formation that uses the best insights and tools of spirituality and learning.
 

3.  Moves toward the desired outcome of loving God more deeply, knowing  God more intimately, following God more nearly, and serving His missional purposes in the world He loves with greater faithfulness and fruitfulness.
 

4.  And, if you can do this journey with a few friends, you add to all this, the relational, community component where spiritual formation is meant to take place.

And please be aware that it is a challenging process that leads you into a deep engagement with Jesus and a full embracing of spiritual formation. This developmental tool is designed for mature followers of Christ who want to go a lot deeper and further on the journey.





And An Update About the Other Volumes


Volume Four:  What's Gone Wrong  will be available on this same eCommerce site within a few weeks. It will not be available as a Kindle book until we are able to recover costs from the Volume Two eBook.  (It has been an education learning about the publishing of eBooks.)


Volume Three:   The Focused Life  should be available early May. 


Volume One:  Conversations  has been a looonnnggg time in writing. I am making good progress on it. My desire is that it will be available mid-summer.  This volume will have so many of the insights on spirituality, the spiritual disciplines, the growth processes and biblical/theological themes that shape how we seek after God. I know many of you have been waiting patiently for this volume. (I am just helping you learn to persevere...)


And finally . . .

We are making good progress on our new website which will have so much more to offer you than what I am able to provide through this blog. When it is ready, I'll let you know.


Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com


 

Only the Paranoid Survive

 

 

I don't always know how I should think about some things. Andrew Grove's book and thesis:

Only the Paranoid Survive

falls into this category

 

Before you dismiss this thought by Andrew Grove (read a brief bio of his remarkable life here) consider the political and economic conditions of the world in which we live.

Everything has changed and everything is changing.

Change
Rapid Change
Massive Change
Painful Change
is now business as usual.

And paradoxically, that is probably NOT going to change.

In this book Grove talks about Inflection Points which constantly erupt and insert themselves in to life. These Inflection Points are the things that happen outside of us, in our surrounding environments.
 

Here is what we can say about these Inflection Points.

They are quite beyond our control. 

They will keep coming our way, perhaps with greater speed and intensity than ever.

They will DRAMATICALLY impact us.

And only the "paranoid" are going to survive those times of Inflection Impact.
 

In a simple but massive way, the computer and the Internet are Inflection Points which have changed everything, for those in . . .

• the music industry
• the book industry
• any industry involved in printing texts (newspapers, magazines)
• movies and DVDs
• TV
• anything involving entertainment
• university education
• the postal service
• shopping for goods
• advertising
• searching for jobs
• viral ideas spreading
• fostering revolution in dictatorial countries
• etc. to infinity and beyond

And new internet technologies are constantly emerging and evolving and changing everything.

The paranoid are simply those people who know the unexpected is always going to happen.

The paranoid are those who know life will never be simple or easy.

The paranoid are those who choose not to hide or retreat or lament.

The paranoid are those who will be thoughtful, innovative, courageous, faithful and hopeful, prepared and preparing, learned and learning . . .

Welcome to the Future.

I hope you are sufficiently paranoid to survive.
 

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

 

 

Stories That Transform

 

 Read Any
Great Stories Lately?

The vital guides to moral wisdom
and life transformation.

 

How does a leader (or for that matter, anyone) build their character?

How do we grow in virtue?

How is a moral way of living fashioned?

There are many parts to that answer? Here I'll only offer one small part (but it is an important part).

Stories have a great power to illustrate and imprint us with the way of virtue. Which is one of the reason why the old stories were told. They weren't told to entertain their listeners. They weren't even taught to educate listeners (in the sense of only giving them ideas). They were told to form the lives of those who listened to them.

Think of Aesop's Fables for one thing. The same is true for most of the mythologies of the ancient world. They were laden with moral guidance and formation.

The great literature of the world are the stories that help us peer inside us, to make sense out of what is there, and to be guided toward becoming better people. Every time I read Lord of the Rings, I am motivated toward virtue.

This is why reading the classics of literature is so significant... and its loss to most of us so lamentable.  If you are looking for a place to get started, check out this site for one blogger's suggestions (as well as this beautiful image he uses on his site).

 

The best movies tell profound stories of morality, and do for a non-literaray culture, what the classics of literature once did. We watch them and we are guided and inspired to become better people.
 

• Amazing Grace
• Mr. Holland's Opus
• Shawshank Redemption
• Chariots of Fire
• Lord of the Rings
• The Mission
• Luther
• Remember the Titans
• Finding Forrester
• Of Gods and Men 

Now, finding and listening to these BEST stories is not all that is needed for the growth of virtue and the forming of a life of moral substance... but it is a start.

The work of God, the power of Scripture, the need for repentance, and much more is crucial for lasting change, still . . .

Perhaps this year is a time to read some of the great stories and watch (again) some of the great movies . . . and let the power of narrative inspire you on the journey of inner formation.
 

Check out:  Premier Magazine as a way to start connecting with great literature and the ides of great literature. (Also the source of the above image.)

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

 

 

 

Renovation of the Church (A Significant Book for Leaders) and a Few Other Recommendations for You

Here is a book that I highly recommend to all leaders who are interested in spiritually forming congregations (and other organizations). It is the story and wisdom of two co-pastors, who lead their church into a new paradigm of spiritual renewal and formation.

It resonates deeply with me. My story is similar. They tell their story with grace and insight. 

It is hard work - spiritually forming congregations.

I feel we have done major, good work in this at Living Word Community Church, which has always graciously been a "guinea pig" (okay, guinea sheep") but wide open and seeking on these things for the last (now almost) ten years.

**************

There are other good resources that you should read for your own stimulation and formation.

For example . . .

There was an outstanding follow up discussion to Renovation of the Church that took the form of a symposium recorded in the Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care, Fall 2011.  By the way, if you are a leader or teacher involved in the ministry of spiritual formation and direction, there are two journals I really recommend to you. They are different in makeup, but they are wonerful complements to each other.

The Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care is one of them. It is robustly evangelial, biblical and theological (but always accessible). It provides food for mind and heart as those of us who do this important work must be alert, wise and always grounded in the Scriptures.  It is published twice a year.

Here is the link for the website where you can subscribe to this journal on Spiritual Formation and Soul Care.

Another resource is Conversations: A Forum for Authentic Transformation, also published twice a year. This journal is written for a broader audience, although it is generally agreeable for evangelicals. Although there are a number of leading non-evangelicals who write for this journal and they are authors who would be pretty critical of evangelicalism. Still, it is generally a good journel. And since it is a conversation, simply converse (critically) back with all these authors.

Here is the link for Conversations.
 

*************

I have a second blogsite where I post once a week on matters of spirituality, especially as they connect with Ignatius, the Jesuits and the Spiritual Exercises. It is:

Evangelicals on the Ignatian Way and every Monday morning I have a reflection/essay about spiritual formation.

I think we would all agree that the spiritual formation of congregations, so they experience the transforming presence of Christ and join with him in missional service to the surrounding world, is of paramount importance. To do tht work well, we need to be doing all we can to be dreaming, praying, learning, growing, reforming leaders and teachers.

So at the start of this new year - be highly intentional, wisely strategic and deeply surrendered as a learner/leader.

In the grace of the Risen Lord Jesus . . .
 

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

The Grateful Dead (Learning Leadership From Unlikely Sources)

One of the books I read while on vacation at Cape May (the beach) was:

Marketing Lessons From the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn From the Most Iconic Band in History.

Hey, this was a fun book and a good one.

It was loaded with business (and leadership) insights.

This band did everything wrong (intentionally) and it worked. 

They were completely counter-intuitive by all the standards of the industry and they made a fortune and gained, not just fans, not just raving fans, but a global tribe of raving fans who are unlike just about any other followers of any other rock band.

They created one of the most memorable and sustaining BRANDS in the music industry.

Do you need to break out of some ruts.

Read this book and enjoy.

If's best if you can do it on the beach, but if not, read it anywhere.

And remember, leadership is almost always a long, strange trip . . .

Brian K. Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com
 

The Bossypants Guide to Getting Ready for Sunday – The Gospel Coalition Blog

Here is a fun article on leadership via the BossyPants Way of Tina Fey. I haven't read her book, but I enjoyed this focus on what she says about leadership.

Brian Rice  
LCI

From the Gospel Coalition.org site.
Click on the link after the intro paragraph. 

Tina Fey’s book Bossypants is somewhat like an episode of her TV show, 30 Rock. The show defies genres, sometimes driven by romantic comedy, sometimes by classic sitcom ensemble dynamics, and sometimes by seventh-grade bathroom humor. Her book, in similar form, ranges from a poignant memoir to absurd comedy. It’s foul-mouthed, honest, and a touch insecure, which is probably also true of Fey.

via thegospelcoalition.org

 

Leadership the Augustine Way

Augustine is one of the towering figures in the history of the church. His contribution to Christianity is incalculable. He strides across the long centuries with his influence.  (Born 354 --  Died 430)
 

Pagan philosopher turned towering theologian; self-centered indulgent narcissist turned sacrificial servant. He became a pastor, bishop, teacher and author whose influence endures today. His conversion changed the world.  (This Wiki Article is good.)
 

Richard Foster gives us a really short list of Augustine's key qualities. These are the three most distinguishing features of his life. ANY ONE OF THEM is worthy, but put the three of them together in synergistic energy and you know why Augustine continues to challenge the followers of Christ today as he did in his own day.

Augustine was a leader of:

• Eloquent communication,
• Brilliant intelligence,
• Passionate spirituality.

 

That's it. Oh sure, he had other things going for him as well… but this was his essence.

I know I would follow that kind of leader!

I think I'd like to be that kind of leader. I did some self-assessment recently, asking - how am I doing on these three qualities? What can I do to grow in each area? 

I recommend this same consideration to you.
 

Brian K. Rice 
Leadership ConneXtions International 
www.lci.typepad.com

 p.s. The Confessions of Augustine is a class of spiritual devotion.

This is well worth your time to work through the dated language, but eternal ideas and themes of faith.