LeadershipConneXtions

What Matters Now

Hey, this morning I had a GREAT post from Seth Godin. There is a free PDF document called:

What Matters Now.

It is about 85 pages of thoughts on a wide range of subjects, written by some of the smartest people there are. And, it is very readable and accessible.

Go to this Squidoo site to get it.  

And, if you scroll down, you are going to see a very impressive reading list. Here is what hits me about that reading list.

If that doesn't work, go here to Seth's blog. Find the paragraph that begins, "Here's the deal..." and there is a link to the download. 

The smartest leaders and thinkers of our day are reading... they are reading a lot... and they are reading a lot of good and varied books.

I think Christian leaders should be right up there with that group.

So, as you scroll down through that list, just observe if you have read ANY of those books listed. These are the influencers of our time. We need to be reading these things.

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

Movements That Change the World

I have had an interest in "movements" for some time. The biggest reason is that i am interested in starting one. Well, that sounds a little grandiose, so let me say, I am interested in being one more person who facilitates a movement that produces a new kind of leadership.

So I study movements. I have read some very helpful, popular level treatments of movements.

The Starfish and the Spider by Brafman and Beckstrom

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.

Tribes by Seth Godin.

   

And I am reading some more technical stuff as well.

A new book I read in one sitting is a great introduction to movements and specificallly, Chrsitian movements.

Movements That Change the World by Steve Addison. It is 130 pages of concise, illustrative, motivational teaching on the nature of Christian movements.

If you are a Christian leader, get this book immediately. Block about two to three hours to read it. Then, sit down and start thinking about your organization and ministry in light of this book.

This book is basic and insightful. It focuses on the Five Core Principles and illustrates them nicely. It is biblicall based, especially looking at Jesus and the Gospels and then illustrated with some of the great movemetns in the history of the church AND, current historical examples. He also provides "just enough" sociological explanation of movements, to understand their nature and power.

After two introducory chapters, one on St. Patrick of Ireland as a case study, and then a short chapter on why movements matter, the heart of the book focuses on the five main principles found in movements,with a chapter devoted to each one.

1. White hot faith
2. Commitment to a cause
3. Contagious relationships
4. Rapid mobilization
5. Adaptive methods

I won't go into what he says in each of these chapters, but each chapter is highly accessible. The great follow through challenge will be for leaders and readers to assess their own organizations in light of these principles, and then the even bigger challenge will be how to "infuse" these principles back into the organization if they are lacking.

We live in a time when there is a lot that is up in the air for "negotiation, re-engineering (what a modern term), revisiting, revisioning and renewing about the church. We live in a time when some of this renewing work might become a movement (or might not). For those who are interested in renewal on a large scale, this is a good book to read.

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

Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters

This is a very important book by Timothy Keller, senior pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan.

There are few themes as significant as that of idolatry and Keller exposes the idols of our time in a way that few others are able to do. Keller begins his book by explaining why idolatry is not just an ancient religious problem, but is the essence of "life" today, in modern and post-modern culture. We live in a culture that is an idol-making factory and the heart of every human is an idol-making factory as well.

The four great idols of today that he explores are that of love (romance and sexuality, relational security), money, success, power and glory. A chapter is devoted to each of these idols.

   
Keller's book is so significant because Keller is able to do what many writers cannot. While some are able to do any of the particular things that follow very well, Keller's gift is to do them all quite well and weave them together in a synergistic way.

FIRST: He exegetes the Scripture and tells the great narrative story of the Gospel in simply magnificent ways. He opens up a major text for each chapter and I will never read several of those texts as I use to. He is a biblical theologian who is accessible to all readers.

SECOND: He exegetes our contemporary culture in profound and yet very understandable ways. Specifically, Keller lives in one of the greatest cities in the world and he understands that culture in depth. He is both apologist and missionary, prophet and pastor as he dissects that culture and explains its significance. He is one of the sons of Issachar who discerns the time.

THIRD: He exegetes the human heart with the skill of a master surgeon, wielding the sharpest scalpels. As I am reading Keller, I am reading my own heart. My own idols are being exposed to me. He takes me deep beneath the water line and helps me understand and discern the intricacies of my heart. That this is crucial is seen in Proverbs 4:23:

"Above all else guard the heart,
for it is the wellspring of life."

Keller knows the damage of idolatry as what is hidden in the heart erupts into one's life.

FOURTH: He constantly brings us to Christ and to grace, for only Christ can conquer the idols in our hearts and only through grace can we receive the power of a new and greater affection.

This book is pastoral, biblical, cultural, prophetic, apologetic, missional . . . AND it is accessible to everyone. I am just not aware of anything else like it.

To say it a slightly different way, Keller exegetes the Scripture, discerns the culture, interprets the heart and weaves it together in a way that is pastoral, apologetic and a touch prophetic. Every chapter I read, was my favorite chapter.

And here is where this book will become extraordiarily useful for you. Use it as a stepping stone for reflection and discernment about the idols in your life.

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

p.s.  And as a final thought, in light of the series I have been doing on the church, I wonder if (for some of us) we have made the Church an idol and when it has clay feet, we are devasted, hurt and angry?

Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional (A Review)

This is a very good book, but I think it's audience will mainly be for church or mission leaders who are interested in and already familiar with the names, the issues, and the positions swirling around the "debates" about the Traditional Church, Evangelical Church and Emergent Church.

I have one main criticism. I don't know if Third Way is the best language to use. Probably One More Way would have been better, just less dramatic. 

I think there are more partners in this conversation than just the Traditional Church (which he doesn't really describe or define with a lot of clarity) and the Emergent Church (which he describes and defines very well). And he eliminates from the conversation, the Evangelical Church, except to occasionally make some general comments about parts of the Evangelical movement (which is a very broad and diverse movement). 

I understand why he chooses not to include the Evangelical movement as a legitimate partner in the conversation. But that doesn't feel real good for those of us who are in that movement, appreciate it and want to do it better. 

So in one sense, I felt a bit like an outsider, listening in to a conversation between two other voices. Since I was interested in that conversation, and in the two partners in conversation, I listened in.

 

 

However, with that said, this is a very good book. Here are a few things I really like about it.

He does a great job explaining the three main sub-groups within the Emergent Label. This is very helpful for the Emergent movement is far from monolithic. In fact, after reading Deep Church, I even wonder if the term Emergent is helpful, for it automatically lumps some very different people together who are quite far apart.

He does a nice job explaining classical orthodoxy or "mere Christianity" or the Great Tradition as vital for Deep Church. This is a key point and it grows with significance as he moves through the book.

He does an exemplary job charitably crafting a critique of both Traditional and Emergent approaches and charting out another way. I especially appreciate the warm, irenic, nuanced way he critiques the Revisionist Camp within the Emergent Movement (think McLaren, Tony Jones and Doug Pagitt). He refers to his "Reformed misgivings" about the Revisionist's theology. Whether he is right on all his critiques (and I think he is), he is certainly very right in the conversational, respectful way of engaging with that position.

And he does an adequate (and more than adequate) job on all seven chapters dealing with the primary issues:  Truth, Evangelism, Gospel, Worship, Preaching, Ecclesiology/Church, and Culture. I say adequate, because each theme is so big that is difficult to cover it well in a single chapter. I think adequate is about the best one could do on these major themes in a single chapter. Especially in trying to chart/map out what the Third Way Forward looks like. (So these adequate chapters are well done!).

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

Some Thoughts on Reading Good Books

I wanted to take a break for a day or two on my reflections about the church,  Quitting Church, renewing the church... This theme is on the front burner for me right now and I have a lot of things I want to share (whether you want to read them is quite another matter). But they will be mixed in with other topics that are on my mind as well.

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It is no surprise to readers of this blogsite, that I am a RAVING FAN of reading good books. I also am a collector of quotes and this month I have quite a few quotes on reading and books. Rather than hold them until the first day of the new month when I give all the quotes, I thought I would share these particular quotes a little early. And follow them up with a little encouragement about your reading.

So, here they are:

How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book.  Henry David Thoreau

I would rather be a poor man in a garret with plenty of books than a king who did not love reading. Thomas Macaulay (pictured to the left).

A bit of trash now and then is good for the severest reader. It provides the necessary roughage in the literary diet.  Phyllis McGinley

No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu

Reading – the best state yet to keep absolute loneliness at bay.  William Styron

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.  Joseph Addison

The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest men of past centuries.  Rene Descartes

The use of reading is to aid us in thinking. Edward Gibbon

When you reread a classic, you do not see more in the book than you did before, you see more in you than there was before. Clifton Fadiman

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.  Abigail Van Buren  (pictured to the right)

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I know many people do not like reading… (is abhor the word to use?). I want to make a case that leaders need to get in touch with the most profound ideas you can. If you don't read, you eliminate one of the main ways to get access to life changing, world shaping, leadership accelerating ideas. So - where will you find those ideas? Will it be through talking with another person who has read? That means they are the ones doing the hard work. The other readers are the ones getting the most benefit. 

So, here are a few questions:

What are you reading right now? 

What is on the night stand?

What is sitting on your desk?

What are you learning?

What are you doing with what you are learning?

Leaders are those who read, learn and then lead out of their learning.

The posts I am doing on the church have emerged out of reading one book, which then led to another book and to another. By the time I am done, I'll have read at least a dozen books on this subject in about two months. And that is just some of my reading. 

If you want to stay informed of a wide variety of very good books, you should subscribe to the weekly Book Review by Byron Borger of Hearts and Minds. It is always a great review, usually on a theme and then 5 to 10 of the best books on that theme.  So for example, Click Here to Read About Books on Marriage, the latest one Byron did.

And... if you have a book you want to suggest - do so. Just do it in the comments by clicking on the comment button.  Pass on your best recommendations to others.

A friend (a very good leader by the way) recently sent me a list of leadership books her company passed around. She sent it to me, I asked her for her top recommendations and I am going to read what she recommended.

May you be led to the best book and the worthiest ideas... learn... and then lead with greater wisdom and passion.

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

A Brief History of Spirituality

I had picked up this little book a few months ago and read it the other evening. It was a good several hours spent in reviewing the broad scope of Christian spirituality through the centuries. 

Here are a few thoughts I had.

ONE:  We have a very rich and deep history of women and men who pursued hard after God in their era. Over the years I have read many of the devotional classics of the Christian faith. The problem is that they are written centuries ago and many of us have difficulty with the style and content. If you are interested in exploring this part of our heritage, I would recommend two different books by Richard Foster which are collections of readings and guided reflections. 
 

   

Devotional Classics by Richard Foster
Spiritual Classics by Richard Foster

TWO:  I was also hit by the theme of renewal. The church is always in need of renewal. This brief historical survey reminded me again of how God has worked to renew his church and mission throughout history. I found myself longing for renewal again.

THREE:  I was also reminded of the need for a holistic and integrated spirituality. Throughout our history, it is easy for a person or group to focus on just one aspect of the spiritual life. We need a spirituality that is:

(1)  mystical (connects us with the life of God through Christ)

(2)  moral (changes us internally so we become good, holy, godly, fruit of the Spirit, etc.)

(3)  missional (launches us into redeeming engagement with the world around us)

It is easy for a group or a person to focus on just one aspect and therefore become imbalanced.

FOUR:  And it was comforting to know there is a great tradition and a cloud of witnesses of which I am a part. In my own struggle to be faithful,  God has provided roots and guidance and directors for my own journey. I am deeply appreciative of this.  Part of my ministry is helping contemporary followers of Christ get in touch with this heritage.

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

Kids Books for Leaders (Of All Ages)

So you say you don't like to read!

That's really too bad. Even though there are many different styles of learning, and even though there are many people who just do not learn easily through reading, the fact remains that there is a world of ideas and insights that are just not easily obtainable unless you read (or have frequent conversations with someone who does).  Which by the way, is one of the reasons I write this blog. I read a lot and ransack good sources for worthwhile ideas to pass on to you.

Here is a proposal that I came across in The 100 Best Business Books of All Time. Read children's books. There are some great ones loaded with leadership wisdom.  Here are a few that come highly recommended. Some of them I have read, others I haven't.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
The Little Prince

The Three Questions by Jon J. Muth
The Three Questions by Muth

Rules of the Red Rubber Ball by Kevin Carroll
Rules of the Red Rubber Ball

Walk On! A Guide for Babies of All Ages by Maria Frazee
Walk On! A Guide...

On the Places You'll Go by Dr. Suess
Oh the Places You will Go

The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
The Little Engine That Could

Hey, if you have one you would recommend, tell me what it is and why you like it.

And PARENTS - here is a million dollar idea.  Read these books with your children and talk about the lessons in them. If you do and you have a great conversation - let me know how it went.

Brian "I miss my inner kid" Rice  
Leadership ConneXtions International  
www.lci.typepad.com

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life (Book Review)

Some book reviews are profound.

Like my friend Byron Borger of Hearts and MInds bookstore. He always writes profound reviews. You can check his review of A Million Miles out at:  his blogsite.

This is not one of them.

In this Thomas Nelson book review, I am simply going to give you a whole bunch of reasons why you should read this book.

 A Million MIles in a Thousand Years:
 What I Learned While Editing My Life

  Don Miller

 
Thomas Nelson Publishers

Think of this review as a kind of
 Twitter Teaser.

1.  It is now my favorite Don Miller book. I thought that nothing would trump Blue LIke Jazz. This one does. And this is not over-promising...

2. If you buy this book and read it, that will help Don feel good about himself and get over his insecurity as a writer (at least temporarily).

3.  If you buy this book, that will make Thomas Nelson publishers happy and they will ask Don to write another book to make them more money and that will make everyone happy and you will be contributing to the America economic recovery. 

4.  You will find out why Don likes to write books about himself.

5.  You will learn what a good life story is and how you can get out of a bad story and into a good one.

6.  You'll learn to take responsibility for the story of your life.

7.  You'll laugh. Not the deep, belly kind of laugh, but the quiet chuckle and the wide smile that means you know exactly what he is talking about because you've been there and done that and Don helped put in to words your own story and you are glad he did.

8.  You'll find hope that God can guide you into a better story than the one you've been writing.

9.  You'll learn about "inciting incidents" and keep your eyes open for one to come along your way and maybe you will even join in with it when it does come your way.

10.  You will be able to decide if your story is being hijacked.

11.  You can find out how well Don did hiking a very perilous trail (where it was, you'll have to read and find out).  It actually stimulated me to want to go do the same thing, but then my knee started to act up in proactive protest.

12.  You will find out what are the TWO ingredients that turn a story in to a really, truly, wonderfully EPIC story. After all, why settle for a story when you can be in an EPIC story.

13.  You'll meet Bob and his very cool family and you'll wish you could really meet Bob and his family.

14.  You'll be motivate not to give up on your story.

15.  A Tree in the Forest, Freud and Frankl... e-nuff said.

16.  It's good to be Danish, or at least it is good to have a little Danish in you. No not the pastry kind. Why it's good to be Danish - you'll have to read the book.

17.  You'll discover why it is good to build altars from time to time..

18. You'll come away knowing that you don't always have to win to have a great story.

19.  Ex-nihilo...

20.  Get in the parade... or start one... you'll find out how.
 

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Living Word Community Church in York, PA is hosting Don Miller on his upcoming speaking tour to promote his new book. For details and ticker information you can:

go to this page on the Living Word website.  

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

Conformed to His Image: A Book Review (and a Proposal for My Friends)

I am going to be extravagant and almost hyperbolic in what I say in this post. Even though there is the danger of me over-promising on something and it under-delivers, I ignore that possibility and I make a bold proposal and a heartfelt request

Read this book - for it can change your life.
This book can help you discover the life you have always wanted.
It can do that, if you use this book in the right way (which I, happily, will just happen to describe in some detail).

First I'll tell you what the book is and what it contains.
Then I'll give you my recommendation on how to use this book.

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Conformed to His Image: Biblical and Practical Approaches to Spiritual Formation
by Kenneth Boa
published by Zondervan
cost - about $25.00
pages - 466, plus another 80 pages of appendices, resources and indices 
 

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This is a big book. It can be a bit daunting looking at its size and thumbing through its pages.

This book is a labor of love from Ken Boa.  

(Ken - a personal thank-you. I am sure you will write many more books and add them to your list of publications, but this one may be your Magna Opus. If you surpass it with a later book... !).

Boa has sweepingly studied and understood the wide gamut of Christian spirituality in all its many traditions and expressions. And he has nicely summarized his findings in a well organized, biblically rich, pastorally sensitive, spiritually wise offering.

Make no mistake, this book is solid theology and savory spirituality. Boa invites you to think wisely and experience widely of God's manifold richness. It is always grounded in the Scriptures and yet always oriented toward the practical expression of truth.

This book is substantially informed with nuggets of gold from the great spiritual writers and devotional classics, both ancient and contemporary. it is warmly Evangelical and widely Ecumenical in its scope.

Every single page, in fact (really) every single paragraph, and (truly) almost every single sentence is a stepping stone for reflection and prayer.  

Boa has woven together the traditions of sacra pagina and lectio divina  (read Chapter 15 to see what I mean).

This book (if you let it) will undo you and be used by the Spirit of God to remake you from the inside out (Larry Crabb) and reorder your disordered world (David Naugle)

I don't know what else I can say to entice you to read this book.

Organizationally, it has twelve sections which Boa calls "facets." Metaphorically, he is describing Life With Christ as the gem/pearl of great price and uses 12 facets to explore the depth and breadth of that life.  They are:

1. Relational Spirituality
2. Paradigm Spirituality
3. Disciplined Spirituality
4. Exchanged Life Spirituality
5. Motivated Spirituality
6. Devotional Spirituality
7. Holistic Spirituality
8. Process Spirituality
9. Spirit-FIlled Spirituality
10. Warfare Spirituality
11. Nurturing Spirituality
12. Corporate Spirituality

Then, each facet or section of the book is further divided in to several chapters, for a total of 36 chapters, of 12-18 pages in length for each chapter.

Gary Thomas talks about the Spiritual Pathways, Richard Foster discusses the six (or seven) Streams of Christian Spirituality, numerous authors write about 10 or 15 or 30 Spiritual Disciplines. Ken Boa's approach is different. He uses the word "facet" and I might use the word "theme" or "approach" to spirituality.

That is what the book is. Now, the next important question is - how to use this book? And this is a crucial question.

Heroic Leadership: A Review of Jesuit Spirituality and Leadership Formation

First I'll let you know I am a raving fan of this book. 

Second, I am enormously influenced by the Jesuit approach to spiritual formation. 

Third, as you know, my profession has to do with leadership development. 

Finally, I am always looking for how to improve the process, the delivery system, the content, the relational engagements and the outcomes when I design leadership training environments. 

Oh, by the way, I am not a Jesuit and I am not Roman Catholic. I am an evangelical Protestant who is deeply appreciative of a variety of religious traditions and grateful for help I can find in different traditions. I just happen to find a lot of help from the Benedictines, the Fransiscans and the Jesuits (above all).

The book, Heroic Leadership: Best Practices From a 450 Year Old Company That Changed the World, by Chris Lowney (a former Jesuit) is rich in ideas, insights, illustrations and a "system" that was designed by Ignatius of Loyola in the mid-1500's. 

In a nutshell, Lowney (pictured to the right) organizes the Jesuit genius around four organizing pillars that are not individual pillars, but which weave together in a synergistic whole where the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. 

Here are the four pillars: 

(1) Self-Awareness and the reordering of one's inner world. Self-Awareness is a core value for how LCI approaches its leadership development process and the Jesuits were cenuries ahead of time in figuring out how to do this. I'm not sure most of us have caught up with them yet. 

(2) Ingenuity and the ability to radically innovate in a changing world. The Jesuits were sent on missions where communication with headquarters and home was a years long process. So they had to be leaders who could fully innovate and create on the spot. And trusted that they would do this in light of the Company of Jesus' values.

(3) Love as essential to a worldview that generates the resonance of emotional intelligence. Wow, did they ever get this one figured out. This was a company of friends of warm affection and support for one another. 

(4) Heroism and having great desires, great resolves. The Jesuits created a process for helping people run full speed into perfection. The Jesuits went way beyond good, they stopped briefly at great and then soared on to atmospheric heights above that. They were truly one of the greatest missional organizations ever created. 

Lowney explains each of these pillars clearly. He provides historical examples of the Jesuits in action who illustrate these pillars. 

Rabbit Trail Note: I really like these historical examples for I am involved in cross cultural missional work and I love history. If neither of those are of interest to you, you can skim through those sections. Not that I would advise doing that... but you can. 

Second Rabbit Trail Note: If you ever saw the movie The Mission with Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons, read chapter 8 to get some of the historical and political background and then watch the movie again.  (By the way, this is one of my favorite movies.)

Lowney also pulls into his book, themes from the Spiritual Exercises. For someone who is not familiar with the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius, you won't fully benefit from his allusions to them. I have gone through the Exercises and am currently going through them again. Lowney gave me some new windows to appreciate the greatness of the Exercises and actually expanded my vision on their usefulness. I now see them, not just as spiritually formative exercises, but as leadership forming exercises. Some new lights are going off i my head . . .

For me, the desired outcome of reading a book is that I come away with ideas for change, motivation to do so and a few practical ideas for how to run full speed toward perfection. Chris Lowney has provided all of that and more. 

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

Seth Godin: General Genius and All Round Stimulating Author and Entrepreneur

From time to time I find an author that really charges me up. Seth Godin is currently that author for me. And fortunately he is a prolific writer.

We all need those who will sow lots of seeds into our awareness. Seth Godin is my current seed sower.

We all need those who will provide stepping stones of new ideas. Seth Godin is my current stone layer.

We all need conversation partners who tease and tantalize with provocative perspective. Yep. That's Seth.

I am on my fourth book by Seth in the last six months. I am currently reading Small is the New Big, which is a collection of 184 of Seth's favorite posts and articles. It is a cornucopia, plentifully full of delicious thoughts.

The first book by Seth I read was incredible and it got me hooked. 

Tribes. Go get it right now and read it this week.

I also read Meatball Sundae, The Dip and I will be reading Unleashing the Idea Virus next.

I also read Seth's blogsite. Check it out here, plus I have it listed under my blogsites on the left and column.

Here are five reasons why you should read Seth Godin (especially if you are a leader involved in Christian ministry of any sort.)

First: Seth is smart, perceptive and a prognosticator about a lot of important stuff that most of us are not clued in to. We can't afford to be clueless on these things in the world that is emerging. Marketing, trends, the world of the Internet, business . . . He is a deep generalist and the synergy of his areas of knowledge is incredible.

Second:  He is witty, fun, teasing and an all-round interesting conversation partner. You don't get bored with Seth. Irritated - occasionally.  Perplexed - okay, from time to time, yes. Entertained - always. Educated, informed, wiser - if you choose to interact with his seeds - absolutely.

Third:  There is a benefit from sustained interaction and engagement with an author. Some of the greatest authors who have influenced me are those who wrote many things and as time went on and I read their works, there was a cumulative, almost exponential impact. Seth has a lot he has already written. And he is not going away. He will be around for a long time and for many conversations.

Fourth:  The practical, what to do and some how to do it, and the motivational - you need to start doing this now, implementation value is enormous. I have been making a lot of changes for LCI with every book I read by Seth. I have pages of journal reflections on things I know I need to learn and get better at.

Fifth:  He is accessible. He writes for the internet world. Sound bytes of ideas. Tidbits of tasty ideas. He grabs your attention with every new paragraph. 

If you wind up reading any of his books, let me know what you are reading and how he is shaping your reading.  I suggest you start with Tribes.  Short, powerful, fun.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

The X and Y of Buy: Sell More and Market Better by Knowing How the Sexes Shop (NelsonFree)

"Men buy. Women shop and then purchase 80% of everything."

And then Elizabeth Pace is off and running, helping us explore the different worlds of men and women. Pace takes us through the findings of neurophysiology and biology in a highly readable and enjoyable way. She explains the hard wiring of the male and female brain in a way that is easily understandable. She explores the issues of: perception, priorities, values, time management, the five senses, eye contact, speech patterns, emotions and much more. You learn how and why men and women are generally different on these matters.

This is, first of all, a fun, illuminating book on the male-female differences. I was frequently chuckling and at times laughing as I saw myself (y mi esposa) described throughout the book. It will really help you understand the what, why and how of the differences between sexes.

Then, this book is a useful book. Because those differences make a difference in how we shop and buy, and for that matter, conduct all manners of business. Pace has written this book to help the world of business and service understand that men and women are different and they must market and do sales different ways to be successful with both genders.

DO NOT ignore this book because you think it is only about business. For me, that is just a bonus. It is a book that will provide some self-awareness, some relational awareness and then as a substantial extra, provide business awareness.

I would offer one caveat. I am always a little careful when it comes to hard and fast distinctions between men and women. Pace mentions that these are general differences and that there are always exceptions to these general rules. But at times, I think she is a little too black and white and makes the dividing line a bit sharper than it is. 

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Historic Mentors (With a Special Focus for Women Leaders)

A great way to learn about leadership is to read about and study the lives of great leaders. Today, we have no end of opportunities to do this.

Bobby Clinton calls this "historic mentoring" where we are guided by our reflections on the lives of these people indirectly. We learn from them "at-a-distance." They may be far removed from us  (I like to read about past American presidents). They may be current (Bush or Obama). They may be biblical figures (Moses, David, Esther) or from the history of the church (Wilberforce, Luther). They may be from the world of business (Jack Welch) or sports (Tony Dungy).

And for women leaders, there is a good list of great women leaders to learn from. In the past, I have recommended books on Queen Elizabeth, Mother Teresa, Esther (the biblical figure), Joan of Arc, Catherine Booth (Salvation Army), Amy Carmichael (served in India), and Dorothy Day (profound worker for social justice).

If you want a nice introduction to a good variety of women who have made major contributions to the church and mission, read Ruth Tucker's Daughters of the Church.

In the world of business, I recently came across an outstanding women leader through a review of her autobiography. It is Katherine Graham and the book is Personal History. After her husband died, Katherine took over the leadership of the Washington Post Company which had divisions devoted to the newspaper industry, TV and radio stations across the nation.  And Time Magazine.

In her book, you will discover a woman of stellar character, commendable skills, an avid life-long learner, and at the same time, a very real person who worked hard on her weaknesses and insecurities.

Women - find some of the best historic woman leaders you can and read good books about them.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In: A Book Review

He's back!

And you should run out and buy his book immediately.

Jim Collins serves up another fine leadership feat in his latest book, How the Mighty Fall. And ironically, it started out to be simply an article, but grew into a small and excellent little book.

I picked up the book last night (not even knowing it had been released, not hearing anything about it),I devoured it this morning and will think about its ideas for weeks to come.

This books is Collin's answer to these two questions:

ONE:  If some of the greatest companies in history can collapse from great to mediocre to bad, what can we learn from studying their decline and demise?

TWO:  Is it possible to detect decline early and reverse it's course?  And better, is it possible to practice preventive medicine?

Through his typical rigorous research methods and controls (which by the way is one of the things that sets Collins and his organization apart from a lot of leadership books),  Collins finds answers and then speaking with a "prophet's passion" sets them forth in 123 pages of text (the rest of the book being Appendices and Notes).

He describes and illustrates the five stages of decline: (1) Hubris born of success, (2) Undisciplined pursuit of more, (3) Denial of risk and peril, (4) Grasping for salvation, and (5) Capitulation to irrelevance or Death.

I found it interesting that some of the early "critical readers" found this book "grim and a bit depressing... a bit like studying train wrecks." I didn't find it that way at all. It is stimulating, provocative and enlightening on every page.

If you are really in a hurry, you can get the gist of the book from the chapter that introduces the five stages of decline and then from reading the end of chapter summary of the markers that describe the stage under discussion.

Even though Collins is focused on the greatest businesses of the past century, I think most of what he says has enormous crossover value to my world, that of the non-profit sector and specifically, the church and para-church organizations.

Finally, Collins leaves a teaser for his forthcoming book . . . and I'll tease you by saying no more.

Okay, get this book now.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Between Wyomings: My God and an iPod on the Open Road (A Review)

Kierkegaard, that brooding Dane, said, "Life is lived forward but understood backward." In Ken Mansfield's, Between Wyomings, Soren has a genuine soul mate. 

Between Wyomings is a journey into the past. It is spiritual autobiography and it is a geography of the soul. It is personal memoir and well told story. Past and present weave together as Mansfield winds his way down the road of remembrance with his ever present iPod. And what a long strange (and delightful) trip it has been for Ken.

He is on a journey to revisit the landscapes of his major life experiences, and now, with retrospective insight as a follower of Christ, to understand what they meant and how God was at work.

On "almost" every level, I like this book. The stories are great and well told. In one sense, Mansfield falls into that category known as "celebrity." He tells stories, as an insider, about the shapers of popular culture, of which he was one. The music is fun. I am a child of the classic rock era. I know almost all the musicians and groups he describes in the rock genre. I was not as much into the country and Outlaw world of music, but their names are known to me. So the stories about the music and its makers are great.

I like the way Ken writes. He is a wordsmith that knows how to turn a phrase and make it memorable. He is quotable. Clever with his metaphors and analogies and other assorted literary devices.  His humor moves from the whimsical to dry, with just an occasional nod to the "corny." He writes with authenticity and just enough of an appropriate edginess that makes it real. If he were to write with the full edginess of what actually happened and what he experienced, the book would be less marketable for the Christian audience.  On all this, he gets five stars from this reader.

Now, here is what it drops off a bit. The autobiography was wonderful, the spiritual autobiography less so. The spiritual insights felt a little too repetitious and a little too generic. The "aha" moments were a little too underwhelming, save for the chapter on Plane English. As the book went on, I found myself more and more skimming through his spiritual reflections, they just weren't interesting enough for me. 

The autobiography was that of someone in the celebrity world and well told. The spiritual autobiography was that of everyman/woman and just not as useful. There was little in his spiritual autobiography that made me want to (and which helped me) reflect on my own journey. And that is the final test for me, of reading someone's spiritual memoirs. Their own Kierkegaardian labors catalyze my own.

This is a fun book. A good choice for summer reading. But ultimately, not quite realizing its lofty goal for this reader. So, I give it a Four Star.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

The 100 Best Business Books of All Time: What They Say, Why They Matter, and How They Can Help You

It feels like I just had a Neo/Matrix experience. Do you remember when Neo gets plugged into the database and starts learning martial arts? A few hours later, when the programs are done, Neo opens his eyes and says, "I know Kung Fu!"

Well, I just unplugged from The 100 Best Business Books of All Time  by Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten, and when I was done, I blinked a couple of times and thought, "Wow, do I ever have a lot to learn about leadership."  (Where is Morpheus when I need him?)

Covert and Sattersten divide their reviews into the categories of:  personal growth, leadership, strategy, management, sales, marketing, biography, entrepreneurship, narratives, innovation, creativity, and big ideas.

They actually provide more than 100 of the best books, but of the main 100, I had read 27 of them. After going through this collection of business book reviews, I now have a list of 35 more that I have as "must reads."

But more than that, these book reviews stimulated learning, seeded great ideas in my awareness and opened up new avenues of exploration in fields that I considered myself somewhat well travelled. When I finished the book (I read it in three days so everything was real fresh) it felt like I had ended a wonderful conversation with two really insightful writers talking to me about 100 of their friends.

Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten love what they do. They are the Zen Masters of leadership the Yodas of learning, the Artisans of new business ideas. They read hundreds and hundreds of books, cull the best ideas from them and through their business, make these resources available for the hungry.

I recommend this book for any leader who wants to seed their leadership learning process. I hope you'll come away with at least a dozen books you want to rush out to buy and start reading, reflecting, thinking, and acting in new ways.

By the way, here is their website and it has their blogsite on books for CEOs.   

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Best Selling Business Books

Here is a little follow up to yesterday's book recommendations. Today is leadership/business specific books.

In The 100 Best Business Books of All Time, there is a list of the top ten best selling business books from January 2004 through August 2008. How many of these have you read?  

Good to Great  1,447,000 copies

Freakonomics  1,200,000 copies

Blink  1,111,000 copies

Who Moved My Cheese?   940,000  copies

Now, Discover Your Strengths  880,000  copies

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team  652,000 copies

Winning  476,000 copies

Little Red Book of Selling  456,000 copies

Getting Things Done  446,000 copies

StrengthsFinder 2.0  443,000 copies

If you need to sharpen your leadership, almost any of these will be worthwhile. 

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Summer Reading Recommendations

Summer is almost here. School is almost over. Vacations are almost ready to start. I hope all of you have some extra downtime this summer.

I asked a number of friends to give me one of their top book recommendations for summer reading. The only "caveat" I gave them was to keep it on the easier side, since it is for summer reading.   Why don't you make it your goal to read a book each month of the summer?  Here is one list to get you started with some ideas. 

Each book comes with a brief blurb and the name of the person recommending it.  By the way, I am cutting and pasting their comments with NO editing. And when I do this from other documents, the transfer protocols do funny, messy, mysterious, unordered inexplicable things to the text. So, if the fonts are different - it is not by choice.

Thanks to these friends who are avid readers, learners, mentors, teachers, motivators, and conversation partners.

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Recommended by Aaron Brown (LWCC, Sr. High Ministry)

For a good summer read, I’d recommend My Name is Russell Fink by Michael Snyder. It’s technically a Christian fiction, but doesn’t read like a Christian fiction, which is why I loved it. Snyder managed to create this great balance of irreverence for all that we sometimes make Christianity out to be and deep awe how God moves in our midst. Russell Fink is a starving artist stuck in a horrible job with a narcissistic fiancé, self-medicating mother, washed-up televangelist father, and an old hound dog that becomes prophetic when drunk on whisky-soaked doggie biscuits. It involves a doggie murder mystery and a roommate engaged to an astronaut. What more do I need to say? It’s a journey through the messiness of life that leaves us with a tangible and beautiful picture of hope and redemption.

 

Recommended by Miriam Philipps (Coach/Mentor, LCI Partner, and Guest Blogger from Amsterdam)  Blink by Malcolm Gladwell (the author of The Tipping Point) has been a book everyone I've suggested it to very much enjoyed. This is fast-paced writing about snap judgements and first impressions, told with dozens of engaging stories and accounts of studies backing his premises. Raising our awareness about our own snap judgements and those of others goes a long was to helping us make use of these impressions and to avoid their pitfalls.

 

Recommended by Connie Milchling (Worship Arts Director, LWCC)    In my ideal world I would go through this the way Sittser designed it … as a J-term class for Whitworth University on Christian Spirituality {offered over the course of a few weeks in January in the winter beauty of an isolated camp in the Pacific Northwest Cascade Mountains region}.  But, since I live in the real world, not the ideal world, I read it in my sacred space, at home, in the springtime.  Based on 15 years of research and study,Water from a Deep Well: Christian Spirituality from Early Martyrs to Modern Missionaries looks at stories and practices of Christian believers throughout history as a means of shaping contemporary faith.  Sittser considers past rhythms such as sacrifice, simplicity and community, (among others), in chapters titled: witness, belonging, struggles … all through the lens of informing and enriching our present-day spirituality.  

 

Recommended by Deb Turnow (Spiritual Director, LWCC)

Coming up for Air by Margaret Becker  This book will appeal to women more than the guys. It is her own story about taking a month off (don't we all wish we could do that) to re-evaluate her life and regain her equilibrium.  Great read with humor and also practical application for being intentional about living into what we say we value. Deb also sneaks into a second book, Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller.

 

 

 

Recommended by Aaron Kunce (Pastor of Marriage and Family Life and Poet)

Christianity Beyond Belief by Todd Hunter   Applies fresh language, straight talk, and winsome reasoning for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I experienced ‘the scales’ falling off my eyes while reading this.  Nearly every page has highlighted phrases and underlined stories and quotes.  And sneaking in one more, Aaron also recommends The Prodigal God by Keller.  As you can tell, I have sneaky friends who read too many good books for them to give just one suggestion.

 

 

Recommended by Chris Smith (Worship Director, LWCC)

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell is fascinating, well-written and germane to the topic of leadership.  One of the central premises of the book is that success is not merely a result of individual merit, IQ, talent, etc., but that the communities we come from play a large part in determining whether we flourish (or not).  Several times I have said to Beth, "Honey, listen to this...or check this out..."  So I would heartily recommend this book.  Great for reading on the beach...or at your favorite vacation destination.  
 

 

 

 

 

Recommended by Celesa Hagan (Small Groups Ministry)

Wide Awake by Erwin McManus . . .  God has used this book in my life to open my eyes to the “future that is waiting within me”.  I had been sleep walking through life.  There were unfulfilled dreams and longings that I am now moving toward.  Recognizing that it is my responsibility to maximize the talents and skills God has given me, I am now wide awake and ready to embrace my role in human history.

 

 Recommended by Lisa Amspacher (teacher, blogger, book reviewer for Thomas Nelson)

The Noticer by Andy Andrews . . .   "Sometimes all a person needs is a little perspective" I found this book enjoyable and challenging. The Noticer is a MUST READ book. Andy has described people from all walks of life in his book. I found myself "hooked" in chapter one and I couldn't put it down.  The main character, Jones, a career noticer weaves his way in and out of the lives of many people in a small Southern town. I found myself often resonating with the characters. Then I would be challenged by the perspective Jones would offer.  My favorite piece of perspective from Jones occurs in chapter one, "The view is great on the mountaintops - they're also cold and rocky. To grow we must come off of the mountain and go through the valley.... Think. Learn. Pray. Plan. Dream. For soon... you will become."

 

Recommended by Lanny Kilgore (Pastor NCCC)

Classic Sermons On The Prodigal Son.  Compiled by Warren W. Wiersbe and published by Hendrickson.  This book contains short written sermons by some of the best-ever preachers on one of the most popular parables ever told.  The book contains ten masterful sermons by such classics as  Charles Haddon Spurgeon, D.L Moddy, and D.Martyn Loyd Jones.  Each of the sermons can be read independently in about 20 min, which makes for good use of early summer morning reads or time at the beach.  The skill of these bible preachers helps remind us over and over of the grace of God that leads sinners to repentance. While most of these were written and preached many years ago, their content is proof that the Scriptures contain truth that is never outdated.  With so many friends and loved ones living outside of the Father's blessings nowadays, I was encouraged to continue in prayer and maintain confidence in a God who can bring about restoration.  Classic sermons such as these also demonstrate the giftedness, genus and spiritual anointing on the ministry of these church leaders and can enrich your own skills in bible interpretation.  I was also inspired by the passion these men had to see lives changed by the power of God.    (By the way, the image is not the book cover, but a painting of this story by Rembrandt.)

 

 

Recommended by Rob Tucker (Pastor Young Adults, LWCC)

Brennan Manning: The Furious Longing of God is a devotional style book, written in a manner that only Manning can pull off.  It is poetic, but not too lofty.  It is deep, but not over my head.  I appreciate his continued themes of grace, forgiveness, and the love of God that, when grasped, will fully change who we are.  For those who continue to look for God's complete and utter healing in their lives, this book will help you in that journey.

 

 

 

Recommended by Gordon Carpenter (Worship Arts,  LWCC)     The Divine Nobodies, by Jim Palmer (not the baseball player)

I think the description on the book says it well: “What does a Hip-Hop artist, Waffle House waitress, tire salesman, and disabled girl have to do with discovering spiritual truth? What if embracing authentic Christianity is a journey of unlearning? Welcome to Jim Palmer's world!”

Jim Palmer was a rising star in the pantheon of evangelical leaders, but after a series of setbacks he left the ministry a very broken man. Through a series of encounters with ordinary people he sees God at work and he begins to rediscover God in new ways.  Jim’s stories as told in Divine Nobodies are honest and real dealing with his struggles, doubts, and frustrations with God, the Church, Christianity, and much more.  As I read his book I had my journal close by because God spoke deeply to me about my own struggles, doubts, and frustrations with God, the Church, Christianity, but especially me.  I laughed, I cried, I hungered for a deeper and more intimate relationship with God as shown possible in Divine Nobodies.  What a delight to read and soul refreshing!

 

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Well, this is a start for book recommendations by some of my friends who are avid readers.  Tomorrow I'll post a list of leadership books that have been best sellers and whcih are well worth reading.

 

Be sure to "hug a good book" this summer.

 

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

 

p.s.  While this book recommendation post "has not" been sponsored by Hearts and Minds bookstore in Dallastown, PA, you can still get all these books there.  Visit them at their website:

 

Hearts and Minds Books.com

 

And by the way, if you have any good books you would like to recommend, leave a comment telling us about the book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Collapse of Distinction by Scott McKain (A Review)

A friend of mine (Lisa A.) introduced me to the Thomas Nelson book reviewer blogger world and this is my first review for them. Normally I would add some more detail and nuance, but they prefer the reviews to be about 250 words or less. 

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The Collapse of Distinction: Stand Out and Move Up While Your Competition Fails

by Scott McKain

Scott McKain wants to help you succeed in whatever your business is. To do that, you need to stand out from your competition. To stand out, you need to be highly differentiated to the point of distinction. For most organizations, the essential place where we must be distinct is at the point of customer contact. If you can create the ultimate customer experience that highlights your distinction, you will gain loyal customers.

I read 20-30 books on business and leadership in any given year. After a few hundred books, it is pretty hard to get my attention. Kind of a “been there, read that before” problem.  Scott McKain got my attention. There are some recent TV commercials about a particular beverage and the word they use is “Drinkability.”  To borrow their idea – this book has “Readibility.” Each chapter has solid ideas richly illustrated through great stories, an executive summary highlighting the message and highly practical action steps.

The substance of this book is the Four Cornerstones of Distinction, with a chapter devoted to each distinction. Clarity, Creativity, Communication and Customer Experience Focus are the cornerstones.  Each chapter covers these ideas with ideas to help you right away, while at the same time, seeding the discovery process for ongoing learning. While this book is not a biblical study of leadership, the wisdom it contains will be beneficial to every church leader who wonders why their church or mission is not growing.

You can check out Thomas Nelson Publisher at their site for book review bloggers.   

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Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

The Long Lonliness (and other Immortal Longings)

The Long Lonliness!   Dorothy Day used this language for her autobiography. This post is really not about Dorothy Day or even the idea of lonliness. But as I was reading a short essay about Dorothy Day, this theme set me to thinking once again about how do we as leaders and communicators connect with people.

Many years ago, I listened to Rick Warren's seminar, Communicating to Change Lives (that may not be the exact title of it). In that seminar, Warren recommended that all communicators discover what are the needs, the hurts and the dreams of people. If you speak to those needs, hurts and dreams, you will never lack for an audience and you will never lack for themes on which to speak. This idea has stuck with me ever since and I start here with almost everything I teach.

Sometime ago, I picked up the language of "immortal longings" from reading Ronald Rolheiser (The Restless Heart and Forgotten Among the Lillies) as well as some works on Celtic Spirituality. Boy did that idea ever connect with me! It gave me a window of insight to understand the deepest wiring of the human heart. Dorothy Day was very aware of one of her immortal longings and the pain (the long lonliness) of that longing unfulfilled.

These are the great things that matter the most on which communicators must speak. But we do not speak about them in just theoretical ways. We speak about them, out of our own wrestling with those longings and our experience of those longings both satisfied and unsatisfied. I encourage you to take time to search out your own Story in terms of these longings. You will best speak to the needs, hurts and dreams of others, when you are anchored in your own needs, hurts and dreams.

For leaders, leadership is about creating environments where the needs, hurts, dreams (and immortal longings) of people converge and are addressed and forward movement is launched around these themes.

But, it all starts when we are in touch with our own Story on these things. Maybe it will be worth your while to consider your own deepest longings and how you are doing with those longings in the real time of the here and now.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

The Shack and its Lasting Power

Way back in May of last year, I did a review of The Shack.

You can read that review here.

I still get comments from time to time about that review. Well, the comments are not so much about the review as they are about the Shack.

And I still hear personal stories from people who are reading it for the first time.

I am going to re-read it sometime this summer.

I just find it interesting that this book has some staying power for people. It is because of the relational Christianity it presents.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

the message // remix: SOLO

This is the latest HIGHLY RECOMMENDED devotional resource that I am adding to the review of these resources that is posted two weeks ao and available by clickign here. Deb Turnow, spiritual director at LWCC told me about it.

This resource is incredible.

It is a year long devotional using selected TEXTS from The Message. Each devotional is two pages. On the left hand side is the biblical text (Message version) and on the right page are guided thoughts organized around the Lectio Divina method of:  

Read

Think

Pray

Live

This devotional will be an excellent choice for several reasons.

One, it will take you through over 300 biblical texts covering Genesis through Revelation.  So you will be immersed in the Bible

Two, it will use the Message translation and so, give you a fresh reading of the biblical text. I recommend that you read the Message text first and then do a second reading in your usual translation.

Third, it will help you move past an information orientation to a heart engagement with God's Word

Four, there is plenty of room on each page for you to jot down thoughts and notes as you encounter God. Why this will be good is that it is a nice way to get involved in journaling or "logging" your journey.

If anyone starts to use this, give me some feedback on how it is workign for you after about a month of using it.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

The Deep Meaning of Happiness

Reordered Love, Reordered Lives:

Learning the Deep Meaning of Happiness

by David Naugle

Oh my!   What a book!

I am almost afraid to speak of it. For I cannot do it justice. It is beyond my ability to describe it to you in brief words. And because I want you to read this book, relish it, and through it connect with the deepest longings of your heart . . . I am afraid. For it will require thought and work on your part.

We prefer to have our truth presented to us in sound bytes and pithy slogans. Short, to the point, practical, enjoyable, quickly attained. David Naugle's offering in this book is none of that (except enjoyable).

It has been said that every author has ONE BOOK in them which they are born to write. Several years ago, David Naugle wrote a book (Worldview: The History of a Concept) that seemed the obvious canidate for him. It was so good that it won the Christianity Today 2003 Book of the Year Award (quite the accomplishment). And if you assumed that was the book David Naugle was born to write, then it is easy to forgive you for your error. For I thought the same things as well. 

Reordered Love, Reordered Lives is the book David Naugle was born to write.

I (almost) do not know how to describe it to you since it is so sweeping and magisterial in its theme and scope and depth. How does one describe wisdom... describe what is profound... describe what is wonderful and beautiful?  For that is what this book is.

It is wisdom, prose, poetry and story... It is philosophy and theology... It is spirituality and psychology. It is sociology and cultural anthropology...  It is all this seamlessly merging together. Naugle is able to pick up the many diverse fields of fabric and threads and weave them together into a tapestry masterpiece that is far greater then the individual pieces.  It is all these things in an intelligent way without being academic. Keep that in mind. It is intelligent but not academic. I know intelligence is a quality associated with living beings, but it is the best word I can come up with at the moment.

David Naugle opens up the heart of God and the human soul and tells the story of Original Happiness, Lost and then Regained.

He carefully, yet boldly, names our deepest longing and its distortion, its corruption, and its loss. He describes our "now" condition of disordered loves and disordered lives built around those confused loves, and how unhappiness grows ever deeper. He diagnoses our condition like a spiritual doctor of the soul and then he guides our way forward as a spiritual director.

He uses (almost) all of my favorite authors who have wondered about and written on this theme of original happiness, now lost.  Augustine, Lewis, Pascal, Kierkegaard, Donne, Bonhoeffer, Calvin, Chesterton,  Edwards, Piper, Kreeft, Sayers, Plantinga, Rolheiser, Tolkien... and so many more. I have loved these authors because they have written of the great things that matter most. As I read Reordered Love, Reordered Lives, David Naugle seems to be as a conductor who gathers these magnificent instruments and voices together into a delightful symphonic orchestra. If the individual solist was good, when joined with her/his peers, together they are transcendent.

He invites me to name my sorrows, to know their cause, to see their manifestation, to acknowledge my disordered response to the inconsolable longing inside.

But then . . . like a spiritual Gandalf he leads me through the Middle Earth of my life, with an eye to the evil of Mordor which corrupts all good things. He leads me into the fray against what is wrong with the world, what is wrong with me, and helps me make my way back home to the Shire/Eden and a reordered love and life. I feel like I can say with Sam, "Well, I'm back."  He has come home and so will all who read this book.

I recently re-watched Shawshank Redemption and here is the image of Joy regained. David Naugle wants to you to find this place once again.

Devotional Resources for the Soul of the Leader

For about ten years now, I have been using a variety of devotional books as part of my spiritual formation journey. I believe leaders can find much insights and wisdom from the thoughts of those who have gone before us. So, I encourage leaders to make use of these resources, getting something new every year.

My friend Gordon Carpenter uses devotionals more than anyone I know. We have been friends for many long years and in the last five years we have met regularly for spiritual friendship conversations. I've always appreciated how Gordon finds significant devotionals and uses them as part of his daily routine. He has recommended several to me over the years that I have used. So I asked Gordon the impossible. Tell me just a FEW of his favorites. Heroically he did this. So this post first has four devotionals by Gordon. (By the way, I am getting a copy of All Saints for 2009.)  Then I tell you two of my favorites. Finally, I provide a link for a review by Byron Borger on a number of devotionals.

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All Saints, by Robert Ellsberg

Hebrews 12:1 says that “we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.”  All Saints is a splendid collection of daily reflections on a 365 of those witnesses.  This is not your stereotypical collection of saints. It includes well-known saints, apostles and martyrs, along with lesser-known men and women who normally wouldn’t fit into a neat category of “saint.”  Philosophers such as Kierkegaard, artists like Van Gogh, writers like Walker Percy, social activists such as Stephen Biko, and many more.  This book is a great treasure of both history and spiritual insight which I have read through several times, being challenged and inspired with each reading.  Helpful biographical sources for further study are provide for each person.

 

A Minute of Margin, by Richard A. Swenson, M.D.

We all struggle with keeping balance in our lives.  We are over-committed, stressed and exhausted by life. Something has to give.  Dr. Swenson, the author of Margin and The Overload Syndrome, offers us some much needed “prescriptions” to help restore some balance to our lives.  In 180 two-page reflections, which any time-challenged person can read, he offers a reflection on the problem and a practical suggestion along with a pithy, profound, proverb (eg. “Happiness is a place between too little and too much.” Finnish proverb).  This is one of those devotionals I have to keep reading because it constantly reminds me of what’s really important in life.

 

Reflections for Ragamuffins, by Brennan Manning

The publisher HarperCollins over the years has produced a series of daily devotions based on the writings of some well-known Christian writers, such as Frederick Buechner, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Thomas Merton and many more.  One of my favorites is the collection based on Brennan Manning’s many books titled Reflections for Ragamuffins.  It is comprised of a verse of Scripture with a complementary reading from one of his own writings.  I think the devotional can be best summed up in the words of  Brennan Manning’s preface to the book, “I share these reflections with a specific purpose in mind: not to transmit inspiring thoughts, but to awaken, revive, and rekindle radical, ruthless trust in the God bodied forth in the carpenter from Nazareth.”  This book fulfills that purpose.

 

 

Magnificent Prayer, by Nick Harrison

If you struggle with prayer, as I do, this year of daily devotions can help in your continuing communion with God.  It is comprised of a verse(s) of Scripture and practical reflections of men and women in church history who were proven prayer warriors of the faith.  These include Andrew Murray, Charles Spurgeon, Madame Guyon, Brother Lawrence and many many more.  You have collected in one book some of the richest words on prayer.  With each daily reading there is an actual prayer exercise to put these words into practice.  The author has also provided a nice reading list of some of the best books on prayer. 

 

 

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Faith and Culture (A Book Review, Actually, More a Book Endorsement)

A Faith and Culture Devotional: Daily Readings in Art, Science and Life.

I picked up this book for the wrong reason! Every year I like to use a devotional resource as part of my daily routines of Scripture reading, journaling and prayer. I picked this book up because it said it was a devotional on the stated subjects and I thought that would be interesting.

Well, it is actually NOT a devotional as I understand the word. It is just a book of readings that are, in most cases, very good readings. I think if they would change just one little word in the title, they would be dead on accurate in the description of this book. Call it:

A Faith and Culture Primer: Daily Readings in Art, Science and Life.

There are 105 short reflections (mostly about two or three pages in long) grouped into seven categories of:

1. Bible/theology

2. History

3. Philosophy

4. Science

5. Literature

6. Arts

7. Contemporary Culture

As you can tell, the scope of the book is really substantial. And there are about 75 top shelf authors who provide these reflections. Let me whet your appetite as to the topics and themes. You'll find readings that cover things like . . .

The Truman Show (movie)

Paradise Lost (classic literature)

Picasso

Life as entertainment

The love of truth, beauty and goodness

The Big Bang and the Bible (and lots more good stuff about the world of science)

Lewis, Tolkien and the search for joy.

Moral relativism critiqued

What's wrong with tolerance as we define it today?

Faustus and selling your soul to the devil

Tolstoy

Rembrandt's Prodigal painting

Post Secrets

U2

The fall of Rome

Living in light of the resurrection

Cynicism

And I'll stop there.

105 stepping stones. Short. Accessible. Informing. Enlightening. And suggested pathways to go further in each one. This little primer is a delightful cornucopia of The Great Things That Matter the Most. I came away with ideas of books to read, movies to watch, music and art to enjoy, thoughts to pursue, growth areas to consider.

Here is one more thing. Because there are so many reflections, if one particular reading doesn't do much for you, just go on to the next. I did not do it as a daily reading. I picked it up and read 7 - 10 of them at a time.

Leaders, even though many of these topics seem far removed from the realm of leadership, these are the things that are part of the world in which we live and these are some of the things that bring flavor into our leadership.

So, stretch your mind, inform your faith, deepen your devotion. Get this book.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International