Lots of really short articles on productivity and small business ideas. Witty. Irreverent. Challenging. It was a fun read. I'll post more thoughts on ...moreLots of really short articles on productivity and small business ideas. Witty. Irreverent. Challenging. It was a fun read. I'll post more thoughts on it later. (less)
Chris Seay's book does a decent job of bringing up themes of truth, mystery, love, and theology found throughout the Lost series. Where it falls short...moreChris Seay's book does a decent job of bringing up themes of truth, mystery, love, and theology found throughout the Lost series. Where it falls short, however, is in the fact that the majority of the material is more of a summary of the events of the show instead of commentary. I found myself wanting more of his insights at the end of each chapter, but it seemed that every chapter just tip-toed into interpreting the themes found.
I am glad I bought and read the book, though. It was entertaining at times and hlthought-provokig throughout. If you're a fan of the show or simply enjoy finding theological ideas in pop-culture you'll probably enjoy the book.(less)
Over the past month or so I’ve been wanting to get back into blogging and trying to figure out what my personal blog should be focused on. What’s my n...moreOver the past month or so I’ve been wanting to get back into blogging and trying to figure out what my personal blog should be focused on. What’s my niche? Why do people read my blog? What should I write about? It’s the type of questions that I believe every blogger asks at some point in the life of their blog.
Through the course of asking myself these questions, having a couple of conversations with a friend about a new joint-venture in blogging, and looking for some ideas to generate a little extra money on the side I decided to buy a copy of the book ProBlogger by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett. I’m glad I did.
The sub-title of the book is “Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income,” so I was expecting the it to be mostly a “I got rich blogging and here are the ways that you can get rich quickly, too” type of book, but getting rich quick was not really the main focus of the book. There are a few chapters on money-making blogging strategies, but the majority of the book is devoted to helping you figure out how to run an effective blog. In fact, throughout the book the authors stress that most successful/profitable blogs are the result of years of work.
The main takeaway that I got from the book was that the best blogs are ones that focus on a niche market. The more specific the niche the better. Beyond that, the book was filled with practical ideas on how to write content that people want to read and gave numerous specific examples on how to generate ideas for new blog posts.
Overall, I’m really glad I spent the time to read the book. I don’t know whether or not I’ll make even a dime from blogging, but it has given me some motivation to get back in the game.
If you’re new to blogging, a veteran blogger looking for ideas to get unstuck, or trying to figure out how you might make a little money writing in your spare time I highly recommend getting a copy of the book for yourself.(less)
I was over-exposed to Maxwell's writings in Bible college, so I stopped paying attention to his stuff for about a decade. It seemed like everything he...moreI was over-exposed to Maxwell's writings in Bible college, so I stopped paying attention to his stuff for about a decade. It seemed like everything he wrote was just a repackaging of the same concept: leadership=influence.
This book, however, goes beyond that. It may be the most important book he's written since 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. The main takeaway from the book is a reminder that not only is leadership not just a positional/title thing, but the majority of leadership happens from the middle of an organization. How a people lead when they're not at the top of the organizational chart has more impact on an organization's health than the actions of the person at the top.
There's a whole lot more than this, so if you feel called to lead, no matter what your current position may be, this book is well worth the read.(less)
This book could also be called "Unclutter Your Life in 21 Steps." The author didn't do the process herself in a physical week, so the advice...moreThis book could also be called "Unclutter Your Life in 21 Steps." The author didn't do the process herself in a physical week, so the advice can be applied in a non-calendar week fashion.(less)
This book is aimed primarily at people who have an entrepreneurial spirit and want to make money while working as little as possible. The goal is crea...moreThis book is aimed primarily at people who have an entrepreneurial spirit and want to make money while working as little as possible. The goal is create an automated process that basically runs itself and lets you live a free-wheeling life traveling throughout the world.
I have no doubts that Timothy Ferris has accomplished this life, but I don't think all of his ideas will work as easily as he tries to make it seem.
There are, however, some really useful ideas about productivity that anyone can learn from.(less)
This book has some really practical advice for churches of all ages and sizes. There's not a lot of in-depth advice for a church at any stage, but som...moreThis book has some really practical advice for churches of all ages and sizes. There's not a lot of in-depth advice for a church at any stage, but some good overall thoughts.
The most helpful section dealt with how churches go through life-cycles based on the age of the church. There are plenty of books that deal with growth barriers based on the size of the church, but the age of a church seems to be just as much of an indicator of the likelihood of growth.(less)
Bob Roberts has written a compelling case for churches to reproduce more churches. He calls for churches of all sizes to be sending out people to star...moreBob Roberts has written a compelling case for churches to reproduce more churches. He calls for churches of all sizes to be sending out people to start all sorts of churches to reach all sorts of people. His book isn't just a book of theories, but he speaks from the position of a man who has been there and done that.
He gives both practical advice and impassioned pleas. This book should be read by everyone in church leadership interested in expanding God's Kingdom here on earth.(less)
Gladwell has written a compelling book on the real reasons why people become succesful. His style is highly-intellectual and he writes with great insi...moreGladwell has written a compelling book on the real reasons why people become succesful. His style is highly-intellectual and he writes with great insight and clarity. The stories he shares challenge the pre-conceived ideas that many people have: people are lucky to be succesful or they have some inborn giftedness that no one else has. The reality is that people are successful when the perfect scenarios line up and indivduals put in a lot of effort and dedication.
I would have given the book five stars, but there are times when it feels like it is dragging.(less)
This book is mostly practical advice from one church planter's experience. While there is quite a bit of helpful ideas laid out, it almost feels like ...moreThis book is mostly practical advice from one church planter's experience. While there is quite a bit of helpful ideas laid out, it almost feels like the authors are just talking about how they're experts is the church planting world since they led a successful plant.
I'm glad I read it, though, and it's worth reading of you're considering a church plant. Make sure that you don't read only this book, though.(less)
The crux of this book is message + method + medium = message. The author doesn't use that formula specifially, but the idea is spread all through the ...moreThe crux of this book is message + method + medium = message. The author doesn't use that formula specifially, but the idea is spread all through the book. Some people will really struggle with the concept that he does outright state: "The medium is the message." I don't really have a problem with this statement, primarily because of Christ's incarnation. (less)
This is one of the best books I've read on church leadership this decade. It has a great combination of theory and practice. Every church leader shoul...moreThis is one of the best books I've read on church leadership this decade. It has a great combination of theory and practice. Every church leader should read this book and consider whether or not his or her church has truly discovered its vision. I'm going to read this book again, at least one more time.
The basic concept of the book is that too many churches simply copy what either Rick Warren, Andy Stanley, or Bill Hybels have as their vision of what their church is about and try to apply their vision to their own church. The problem is that each person has a unique blend of giftedness and passions that will drive how they lead the church. What are stated as aspired values and vision may not be the church's actual vision and values.
Do yourself a favor and read this book. It will shape your understanding of how to establish clear vision for church leadership.(less)
I was expecting this book to be geared more toward salesman and those interested in self-help books, but what it turned out to be for me was a reminde...moreI was expecting this book to be geared more toward salesman and those interested in self-help books, but what it turned out to be for me was a reminder on what leadership really is: influence. The overall premise of the book is that you should treat others not only as you'd like to be treated, but as if they're actually more important than you are. There were a number of useful ideas, such as:
- Become genuinely interested in other people.
- Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
- Make the other person feel important-and do it sincerely.
- Let the other person do a great deal of the talking.
- Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers.
- Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
- Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the otherperson.
- Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be “hearty in your approbation and lavish inyour praise.”
I'd highly suggest this book to almost everyone.(less)
I checked out the audiobook CDs from my library and finished listening to the book in less than a week. Overall it was compelling to listen to. The au...moreI checked out the audiobook CDs from my library and finished listening to the book in less than a week. Overall it was compelling to listen to. The author's writing style is captivating in that he draws you into the fictional story of a company struggling to cross a threshold.
As far as content goes I'm not certain that I completely agree with his basic premise, that meetings are disliked by most people because they're boring and lack conflict. Maybe I'm getting caught up in semantics, but just because a meeting may have drama, conflict, and interactive brainstorming doesn't mean they will be productive. He compares meetings to movies & television shows, which has some interesting paralells.
His second concept I know he's nailed. That is that many meetings are bad because they lack proper contextualization. They become a stew of varying types of discussions with a wide-range of importance to the organization.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is involved in a leadership position that requires you to have or facilitate meetings. It will be worth your time.(less)
**spoiler alert** This book reminded me a lot of Tribes by Seth Godin, but it definitely had a lot more practical ideas. I got it for free when he was...more**spoiler alert** This book reminded me a lot of Tribes by Seth Godin, but it definitely had a lot more practical ideas. I got it for free when he was giving it away to Kindle owners. I appreciated that because he wrote a lot about creating content then giving it away for free. If you're looking for ideas on using Web 2.0 or social networking sites to expand your ideas or business you should check it out. If you're not you probably won't get a whole lot out of the book.(less)
This is a really helpful book for anyone who gives presentations, speeches, sermons, or anything else using visual media. Garr Reynolds does a nice jo...moreThis is a really helpful book for anyone who gives presentations, speeches, sermons, or anything else using visual media. Garr Reynolds does a nice job of weaving communication and design theory with examples of practical examples of how those theories become realities. Anyone who wants to improve their effective use of PowerPoint or Keynote should read this book.(less)
![Choosing to Preach: A Comprehensive Introduction to Sermon Options and Structures [With CDROM]](http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1189139479s/1847283.jpg "Choosing to Preach: A Comprehensive Introduction to Sermon Options and Structures [With CDROM]")
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