Author: admin

[rating:3.5]

(Nashville: Broadman Holman Publishers, 2009)

267 pgs

Having grown up in Canada, I was pretty oblivious to the racial tensions churches experienced south of the border. When churches sent their youth groups on mission trips to assist us in our pioneer work, few of the teenagers were of any color or race other than white American. As I became aware of the tensions between races and people of color in America, I wondered how the church would ever overcome the race barriers that seem to still plague their country. Rodney Woo’s book, “The Color of church” seems to have an answer to my question.

Coming to Wilcrest Baptist Church in a changing neighborhood in Houston, Texas, 1992, Woo intended to change a declining “white” church into a true reflection of his understanding of what church was meant to look like. Though the congregation was a victim of “white flight”, they hesitantly voted to allow their new pastor to begin the transformation of a race-based church (homogenous unit principle) into a cross-cultural and inter-racial congregation. They had no idea just what that would mean to them as a congregation nor did they truly understand the impact is would have on them individually as they faced their own personal prejudices honestly.

Woo states, “My contention is that it is God’s will that all churches move toward reaching across whatever racial and ethnic lines that have been established in their immediate community. At the bare minimum, the local church should reflect the racial make-up of the neighborhood and do whatever it takes to embrace and integrate all the nations. Many churches have done well in going to all the nations, but the increasing dilemma occurs when the nations come to us.”(7)

“The fact that as humans we perceive and treat each other with a dignity commensurate with this truth. To interact with someone who has been created in His image, regardless of skin color, affords us the opportunity to see the face of God as we gaze into the face of another created being. (8)

Woo’ father worked for the SBC Home Mission Board which meant growing up in challenging places. Being half Asian was challenging enough, but growing up in an all-black community taught him a great deal about the challenges he would face. Woo begins his book with a theological framework for his rationale, then Woo outlines his strategy and his progression through the challenges, both the successes and the failures. He challenges the commonly held assumptions that language groups prefer to worship in their own language, and that people of color prefer to worship with those of like color. Woo’s book peels back the reasons/excuses many churches hold for why they are not reaching people of color and navigates the challenges his church faced with principled determination.

His church had more than 500 prior to the “white flight” to the suburbs, declined to below 200, and through perseverance and determination brought it back to over 500. His efforts and success gained him notoriety and a place as a speaker at the Southern Baptist Convention’s pastor’s conference a few years ago.

I didn’t expect to learn a great deal because of my background growing up in Canada and having ministered in more than 40 countries, but I was mistaken. I learned how deep seated racism can be even among believers. I learned how there is resistance to integrate among people of color as well. I learned that some of my own understandings of “mission churches” and “language works” were not necessarily biblical models. I also learned there is a price to pay for doing the right thing, and sometimes the most resistance comes from those who should be supporting rather than hindering.

Woo’s story is one story of helping a church move from a homogeneous model to an integrated, cross-cultural model. No doubt there are others who have done this successfully as well. But his honesty, his deliberate planning and constant re-focusing of his church is a great model to study. The one question I had was regarding language. I wondered if his model would work just as well in China, France, Thailand or Norway using their national language, or if it would necessarily have to be English as the common language. Doing this in America necessitated the common language to be English, but could it have been Spanish?

I did note that Woo acknowledges the impact that Henry Blackaby’s book, Experiencing God had on his church as they journeyed down this road together. It gave his church a common language to speak and helped them to watch where God was at work among them and learn how to join Him in what He wanted to do in their midst. I recommend this book to anyone who has come to the conclusion that races worshipping together in harmony is preferable to races worshipped separately in their own buildings and wants a model for how to transition their church.

by Tom Blackaby

[rating:3.0]

(New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2013)

372 pgs

Jeff Bezos presents an intriguing conundrum to students of leadership. His success makes him impossible to ignore. But his unconventional methods and demanding leadership style can be troubling to those who believe that leaders ought to build up their followers even as they build their companies. One thing is sure: Bezos’ leadership model will be studied for many years to come.

Jeff Bezos’ mother became pregnant with him when she was 16. When he was seventeen months old, his mother filed papers to divorce his father. Jeff’s father disappeared from the scene and lost track of his son for many years. His mother would remarry a refugee from Cuba and relocate to Houston. It was not the formative years one would expect for someone who would later create Amazon.

Rather than summarizing this book, I’d like to pull out several key leadership beliefs or practices (good and bad) that stood out to me as I read this book.

First, Bezos was a gifted, focused child. In the sixth grade, he developed a system to evaluate the performance of his sixth grade teachers! (4).

Bezos followed his dream. Even though he had a successful career on Wall Street, he left it to head to Seattle and establish Amazon. When his parents invested in his fledgling company, Bezos felt it only right to warn them that there was a 70% chance his company would fail (37). For years Amazon has been the outgrowth of the dream of Jeff Bezos.

Bezos did not believe in work/life balance. If employees were concerned about spending adequate time at home with their family, Amazon was not for them (44).

Bezos was willing to make tough decisions. After five years, Bezos believed Amazon had outgrown his partner, Kaphan’s skills, and he moved him to the sidelines. Though he appreciated him, Bezos would not allow his dream to be held back by other’s inability to keep up.

Bezos was obsessed with the customer. He demanded that customers have a good experience when dealing with his company. If one customer complained, he assumed others had the same problem. His goal was to give customers a great experience, not merely to make money. (As a result, he made a lot of money!).

Bezos rejected the notion that you throw more personnel on big problems. He believed that adding personnel actually slowed work down on projects (168).

At times Bezos would leave visual reminders of mistakes employees had made to remind staff of how not to behave (174). He once removed all of the video monitors in the conference rooms because he did not believe in that communication process. He left the brackets in the walls for a long time to remind people that mistakes or sloppy thinking would not be tolerated.

Bezos rejected the approach that companies had to be constantly working on their communication. He claimed: “Communication is a sign of dysfunction. . . . we should be trying to figure out a way for teams to communicate less with each other, not more” (167). Bezos thought that a healthy, organic workplace environment would require less, not more communication.

Bezos decided that he would not meet one on one with his direct reports. He felt it wasted too much time and was repetitive (175).

Bezos refused to allow his teams to use Power Points in their presentations (175). He demanded that they write out a narrative, as if it was a press release, that was no longer than six pages. He felt this made people think more deeply. He claimed: “I don’t want this place to become a country club.”

Bezos also enforced a “two pizza rule.” This meant that teams working on projects at Amazon could not be larger than what could be fed with two pizzas (169). He believed that larger teams were less effective.

At times Bezos could use a “scorched earth” policy to destroy competitors. Once he got you in his sights, it was extremely difficult to fend Amazon off. Bezos could also be extremely demanding of his suppliers and partners, often resorting to bullying to get the low prices he was seeking.

Bezos observed that some large companies were generally loved, and others were hated. He listed Apple, Nike, Disney, Google, Whole Foods, Costco and UPS as companies people generally liked. He listed Walmart, Microsoft, Goldman and Sachs, and Exxon Mobile as companies others feared. He wanted Amazon to be a company people liked. He observed:

Rudeness is not cool.

Defeating tiny guys is not cool.

Close-following is not cool.

Young is cool.

Risk taking is cool.

Polite is cool.

Winning is cool.

Defeating bigger, unsympathetic guys is cool.

Inventing is cool.

Explorers is cool.

Conquerors are not cool.

Obsessing over competitors is not cool.

Empowering others is cool.

Capturing all the value only for the company is not cool.

Leadership is cool.

Conviction is cool.

Straightforwardness is cool.

Pandering to the crowd is not cool.

Hypocrisy is not cool.

Authenticity is cool.

Thinking big is cool.

The unexpected is cool.

Missionaries are cool.

Mercenaries are not cool. (318).

In many ways, Bezos is a classic example of an American entrepreneur who was brilliant, driven, and a visionary who thought on a grander scale than those he worked with. His genius, much like that of Steve Jobs, could lead him to become extremely impatient with smaller thinking subordinates. His biographer notes: “In a way, the entire company is scaffolding built around his brain” (330).

Unfortunately, like Steve Jobs, Bezos’ impatience and anger became legendary. Some of his more “printable” comments to staff included:

If that’s our plan, I don’t like our plan.

I’m sorry, did I take my stupid pills today?

Are you trying to take credit for something you had nothing to do with?

Are you lazy or just incompetent?

If I hear that idea again I’m gonna have to kill myself.

Does it surprise you that you don’t know the answer to that question?

Why are you ruining my life?

We need to apply some human intelligence to this problem.

Can someone get me the A team document? I don’t want to waste my time with the B team document.

Clearly there is no excuse for berating and demeaning staff. Yet it is interesting that despite his demanding leadership style, his company has grown to dwarf those who appeared to be led more professionally. Bezos lost many key staff over the years. At least one claimed he suffered PTSD after working at Amazon. Nevertheless, Bezos, perhaps by his sheer willpower and genius, managed to move his company forward. Amazon reached 100 billion in sales in record time. Bezos, is now one of the top 15 wealthiest people in America.

This book provides a heavy dose of “Amazon.” It offers interesting insights into how innovative developments such as Amazon Prime and Kindle were developed. What seems natural to us today, such as e-books, were not viewed by many as the future of reading when Bezos pushed for them. What Bezos did was anticipate the future and then he created it.

It is also fascinating how his biological father did not even know his son was one of the wealthiest, most successful businessmen in America until much later in his life. While is father was running a bicycle repair shop in Glendale, Arizona, his son was ranked 14^th in personal wealth and led one of the world’s most successful companies.

This book can drag into the tedium at times of distribution systems and technical information. It would also have been interesting to know more about Bezos the husband and father. Even his reconnecting with his biological father is passed over quickly.

Nevertheless, what Amazon has done to business makes it a force that must be considered. Since most people today could not imagine living without an Amazon Prime membership, perhaps this is a must read. If nothing else, readers will feel compelled to ask: “And what is the dream I am willing to invest my life in?”

by Richard Blackaby

[rating:3.0]

(Dallas: BenBella Books, 2014)

201 pgs

Tim Irwin is an organizational psychologist who owns his own management consulting company in Atlanta. He previously wrote two books: Running with the Bulls, and Derailed. Irwin primarily works with corporate executives, so, while his books are certainly helpful for church and non-profit leaders, they are most applicable to leaders in the marketplace.

In this book, Irwin explores the essential nature of leadership. In a previous book, Derailed, he examined why talented leaders get “derailed” through moral, ethical, or other disastrous means. In this book, Irwin bores down into the inner core of a leader.

He states: “Oddly, leadership failures rarely reflect a problem with the leader’s competence. Most often the fall occurs because of a breach of something inside the leader” (xv). He notes: “Very few leaders realize their aspirations . . . Instead, somewhere along the line many began working for money instead of meaning . . . Some actually went off the rails, but most were simply dead on the tracks” (7). Interestingly, Irwin suggests that “Dailyness” can quench the noble aspirations of a leader (7).

Irwin claims there are three “faces” of a leader. These are the leader’s 1) Style: the outward face of a leader; 2) Conduct: their day to day actions; 3) Core.

It is the inner core of a leader that Irwin addresses throughout the book. He claims that many leaders are driven by external goals or motivators. He also suggests that many leaders have never been helped to clearly understand their inner core. He comments: “There is no MRI for our core!” (19).

However, Irwin suggests that, “Our core has a voice” (15). “Whether we are aware if it, there is a fairly steady conversation going on inside of us, and when we learn to pay attention to that voice, the revelations about ourselves can be informative if not startling” (16). He suggests that, “we are our own black box” (21). We contain within ourselves the answers to our behavior. Irwin offers help to leaders so they can be in tune with their core. He argues that, “Skillful self-examination builds a strong core, which makes us more effective leaders” (23).

In the following pages, Irwin walks readers through a number of ways they may become better acquainted with themselves. He has sections on “Looking Backward, Looking Ahead, Looking Side-to-side. Irwin has some great catchwords, such as, “The gravitational force of yourself” (30).

The bottom line is for leaders to take time to learn about, listen to, and understand, themselves. For, “Self examination leads to self awareness” (38).

Irwin suggests that, although many leaders are active and in the public spotlight, they often have never taken time to reflect upon their actions and to examine their motives. To listen to themselves. He quotes Abraham Lincoln who claimed: “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power” (68). Irwin adds: “If arrogance is the mother of all derailers, then humility is the mother of all safeguards” (68). He also includes a C.S. Lewis quote: “Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less” (68).

Irwin has led a successful consulting company for a long time. He has dealt with numerous leaders and worked with a diverse array of personality tests and instruments. He knows his stuff. Throughout the book he offers helpful insights that, if heeded, are certain to enhance leadership at any level.

Irwin suggests that for leaders to inspire people to follow them, they must inspire people by staying true to their core. He suggests: “People follow a leader they can trust, not one who provides great entertainment value” (79).

Chapter Ten is entitled, “Lies Leaders Love” (109). He cites Robert Heinlein who claimed, “Man is not a rational animal, he’s a rationalizing animal” (109). Irwin notes that, “Leaders who lie to others lie to themselves first” (113). He also offers an interesting formula: Q times A = E. That is, a 10 Idea times 0 acceptance equals zero Effectiveness. He argues that if leaders do not gain acceptance of their ideas from followers, then it matters not how good the idea is, its implementation will be ineffective (126).

Finally, Irwin suggests that leaders are motivated by ideas. However, sometimes the ideas driving their behavior are false. In such cases, leaders need to examine their ideas and ultimately “detonate false beliefs” (135).

This book is filled with helpful wisdom that can help any leader to be more effective. The key is self-awareness. Incredibly, many high profile leaders, as well as leaders at every level, are blind to their own personal issues and erroneous beliefs. Often the issues that ultimately derail leaders could be overcome, if only leaders would take the time and enlist the help of others to ensure they understood themselves, and their issues, clearly.

In my own work with leaders, I have at times been amazed at their enormous blind spots. At times their pride or insecurity or anger was apparent to everyone in the room but them. Yet often these same leaders refused to seek feedback or to enlist help from others. There is simply too much at stake for leaders to turn a blind eye to their weaknesses and false notions. Wise leaders will not take any shortcuts in becoming the finest leader they can be.

Irwin is writing to secular as well as Christian leaders. As a result, he does not specify the work of the Holy Spirit or prayer in the leader’s life. Certainly no one knows our core more intimately than the Holy Spirit. It is His voice we need to learn to identify, as well as our own. Prayer and meditation are extremely helpful tools to gaining heaven’s perspective on our core as well as or situation. Without the assistance of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we may indeed unearth some ugly aspects of our character and past, but be unable to address it in our own wisdom and strength. Writing to a secular audience, Irwin did not delve deeply into these aspects, so I feel like some valuable tools are missing for the Christian leader. Nonetheless, this book will offer the leader many helpful insights. Perhaps it would be best to pray before you begin reading this book, that the Holy Spirit will walk you through each page and open your eyes to see the truths that you need to address in your life.

by Richard Blackaby

[rating:4.0]

(Nashville: B and H Publishing Group, 2013)

341 pgs

I love reading biographies. I do this in part because of the testimony of Proverbs 13:20, which assures us that if we spend time around wise people, we’ll pick up their wisdom. I do this with biographies. By reading one, I spend time with great men and women of God. My prayer is always that something will rub off on me!

Ron Dunn is one of those people worth spending time around. He died in 2001 and so his books and recorded sermons have to suffice. I’ve heard about Dunn for years, but I had never taken time to read about him or familiarize myself with his teaching. I am so glad I finally did.

Ron Owens wrote this book. It is the officially authorized book by Dunn’s widow, Kaye. Owens interviewed many family members and friends of Dunn and throughout the book he inserts comments and reflections from them. Owens knew Dunnn personally. Owens wrote a great biography on Manley Beasley, who was a mentor to Dunn, as well. Owens not only tells the story, but he weaves in the person’s own words through their sermons and books. I was especially impacted by hearing Dunn’s own words from his sermons and books.

Dunn was born on October 24, 1936 in Poteau, Oklahoma. He was a Midwestern man who deeply reflected his roots. He was converted at age seven and called into Christian ministry at age 15. He loved to preach and was gifted with fresh insights into Scripture and his down to earth way of explaining deep spiritual truths.

Throughout Dunn’s life, he knew and impacted many Christian leaders. Those who contributed reflections on his life in this book are like a “Who’s Who” of today’s most prominent leaders. It was, however, when he became the pastor of MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church in Texas that God began to use Dunn powerfully in revival (31). For the first four years, Dunn served admirably as the church’s pastor. However, in 1970, he was preaching a revival meeting in Colorado. God began to bring revival to that church and it changed Dunn. He returned to his church and immediately announced that he could no longer keep pastoring the way he had been. With deep honesty and humility, as well as boldness, Dunn announced that his church desperately needed revival. He told his parishioners that if they did not want to change their ways or to repent of their sin, they were welcome to leave the church and find another one where they could remain comfortable living as they always had. He stated in a sermon: “. . . it costs too much to lose the presence of God, while it costs but a six-cent stamp for us to move your letter . . .” (45). God began to revive Dunn’s church. The next five years were filled with the powerful working of God. People who were driving by the church would feel compelled to pull into the parking lot and enter the church to see what was happening.

Dunn left the church as pastor in 1975 and began an itinerant speaking ministry. He would travel widely preaching around the world until his death in 2001. At Thanksgiving in 1975, Ronnie Dunn, the Dunn’s oldest son, committed suicide. He was bi-polar and after three years of struggle, succumbed to the disease (75). This tragic event caused Ron Dunn to enter into a ten-year struggle with clinical depression. Dunn, who had believed that with faith, he could overcome any problem, discovered that many of the simplistic answers he had originally believed required much deeper thought and understanding. Even as he suffered greatly, his preaching reached a depth it never had before. Dunn also was bold for his time, admitting to people that he was clinically depressed. Like many leaders before him, such as Charles Spurgeon, Abraham Lincoln, and Churchill, his depression drove him to his greatest work.

I especially enjoyed the excerpts from his sermons on some the most difficult issues in life. The following are some of those thoughts:

In his sermon, “Surprise, It’s God!” he noted: “Good and evil run on parallel tracks, and often arrive at the same time” (72).

“The transformation God wants to work in my life doesn’t happen in a single moment, but rather it takes place gradually over a period of time, usually when we are alone and in the dark. Now I’ve no problem with thirty-second experiences at the altar, but thirty-second experiences will not transform you” (81).

Dunn had a powerful sermon based on Jacob’s struggle with the angel. Here are some quotes:

“Why do I find it easier to say ‘no’ to the devil when he tempts me than to say ‘yes’ to God when He’s wrestling with me?”

“The angel was not asking for information. That angel was looking for a confession” (85).

“’What is your name?’ The most terrifying experience in life is facing yourself-what you are.” (86).

Dunn pointed out that Jacob’s encounter with the angel is the only place where blessing comes through struggle.

He also has a great insight from Matthew 13 and Jesus’ parable on the tares. He notes that the tares are left in the ground with the wheat for the sake of the wheat. He notes that life is like this. We all have tares that God has allowed to remain in our life and they are so intertwined with the good things in our life that to remove them would cause us to miss out on God’s blessings (91).

As you might expect, Dunn also drew rich insights from the life of Job. He notes: “We do not live by explanation; we live by promise. Instead of asking ‘Why’ let’s change to ‘Alright Lord, what now?’ To what end, for what purpose has this happened?’” (112).

“Just because a question can’t be answered doesn’t mean it can be ignored” (119).

Dunn became a popular speaker at the Keswyk conference in Britain. He began his first sermon by declaring to the audience that there was nothing wrong with them that a miracle couldn’t cure” (147).

“The most important thing you can do for God is the next thing God tells you” (154).

“Prayer is not a substitute for work, or merely preparation for work-it is work” (158).

“Prayer is like a missile that can be fired toward any spot on Earth. It can travel undetected at the speed of thought and it hits its target every time. It can even be armed with a delayed detonation device” (158).

“Satan has no defense against this weapon. He doesn’t have an anti-prayer missile” (159).

“I don’t understand all about electricity, but I’m not going to sit around in the dark until I do” (162).

Vance Havner, one of Dunn’s mentors once claimed: “The situation is desperate, but we’re not” (163). When comforted about “losing” his dear wife, he replied: “No, I haven’t lost her; I know right where she is” (323).

“God is bigger than our theology. God makes no promises that paralyze His sovereignty. My expectations do not bind Him. My wish is not His command” (168).

“The granting of the answer to prayer is immediate, but the giving of it into our hands may be delayed” (169).

“There has never been a mighty outpouring of the Spirit in revival that did not begin in the persistent, prevailing prayers of a desperate people. Revival has never come because men put it on the calendar. It has come because God placed it in their hearts” (174).

“Either write something worth reading, or live something worth writing.” Benjamin Franklin

Stuart Briscoe described the life of most Christians like a metal bedstead: “Firm on both ends and sagging in the middle” (184).

Dunn liked to joke that many Christian’s lives looked like their passport picture. People could look at the way the Bible describes the Christian life and what it ought to look like, and then say, “I saw a picture of you in the Bible but you don’t look anything like it” (185).

“You can do the right thing at the wrong time” (187).

“Never make a Christ out of your faith” (190).

Discussing Job, Dunn pointed out that God never answered Job’s questions. Rather, He asked better questions! (200).

“In every battle there are losses, even for the victor” (209).

With God, timing is more important than time” (216).

Dunn once slept past the time he was supposed to be speaking at a church located near his hotel. The service had begun and yet the speaker was nowhere to be found. Someone was ultimately dispatched to the hotel where they found him sound asleep. Hurriedly dressing and racing to the service already under way, Dunn made his way to the pulpit. Everyone wanted to know what the groggy preacher had to say for himself. His first words were: “Whew! . . .Waking up is a terrible way to start a day!”

One of his most famous sermons was entitled, “Chained to the chariot.” In it he observed: “ If we can learn to live bound to the chariot, there is no conceivable situation in life in which God cannot give us victory. But this may require us to redefine the word ‘victory”” (274).

Owens cites an African quote: “When an old man dies, a library is burned” (288).

“Humility is not whipping yourself; it is forgetting yourself” (297).

Ron Dunn suffered for several years with chronic illness. While undergoing his final health struggle, his daughter was recovering from a serious car injury that required her leg to be amputated and his wife Kaye was diagnosed with lymphoma and had to undergo chemotherapy treatments. In many ways this great preacher suffered throughout much of his ministry. Some who knew him best claimed that Dunn was the greatest preacher they had ever heard and that he suffered more than any person they knew. Perhaps the two qualities are closely linked.

Dunn liked to joke, “I may be Dunn, but I’m not finished!” (327). Certainly his ministry continues. His Lifestyle Ministries sells CD’s of his sermons as well as his books. Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia, pastored by Michael Catt, has a center dedicated to the ministry of Ron Dunn. It houses his library in an office built to replicate the one Dunn used in his home.

I enjoyed this book. I found his preaching, his illustrations and his insights into Scriptures refreshing. His preaching made me want to dig deeper into the Scriptures both for myself and my preaching. Ron Owens did a great job bringing out the essence of the man, often in his own words so that you felt like you knew him.

I would encourage people to read this book, especially if you are a preacher. It will encourage you to take whatever God has allowed in your life and use it for His glory.

by Richard Blackaby

[rating:4.0]

(New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2013)

305 pgs

Malcolm Gladwell has a knack for making his readers think. His previous books, The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers have all examined common life experiences from a fresh perspective. He continues that tradition in this book.

Gladwell is a staff writer for The New Yorker. He was born in England and grew up in rural Canada.

Gladwell begins this book by re-examining the biblical story of David and Goliath. The miracle of the story is that an idealistic teenager is able to defeat in mortal combat a fully armed giant named Goliath. It’s one of the most unequal contests in history.

Yet Gladwell points out that David was not nearly as disadvantaged as we generally think. Goliath may well have been suffering from acromegaly, a tumor that causes an overproduction of the human growth hormone. This would account for his immense size. But the side effect was that he had blurred vision. He could not see his enemy when he was far away. Thus he angrily demanded that David come close so they could fight at close range. David, however, used his speed and firepower to his advantage. Rather than assuming he had to play to Goliath’s strengths, David took what appeared to be a weakness, his youth, speed and agility, and used it to win a victory over a much larger opponent. One commentator concluded: “Goliath had as much chance against David . . . as any bronze age warrior with a sword would have had against an [opponent] armed with a .45 automatic pistol” (12).

Gladwell’s point is that we often have misconceptions about what is an advantage and what is a disadvantage. He cites various studies that demonstrate that, “When an underdog fought like David, he usually won. But most of the time, underdogs didn’t fight like David” (31). He claims this is because “underdog strategies are hard” (32).

Throughout the remainder of the book, Gladwell cites studies and examples of people who used their perceived weakness to actually be a strength. He does not argue that weaknesses automatically are strengths. It all depends on how you use them and grow from them.

Gladwell cites Vivek Ranadive, who coached his daughter’s basketball team, even though he had never played basketball himself. The girls on his team were far less talented than those on other teams. But as he studied what was happening, he realized that by playing a full court press the entire game, he could neutralize most of the other team’s advantage in skill. His team began winning. Any team can play the full court press, but because it is so exhausting to implement, few do. His team had to embrace the reality that they did not have as much skill as other teams, before they were desperate enough to sacrifice what was required to be successful. Gladwell’s point is that, even though people do have certain limitations, they prefer to do things just like everyone else, rather than using their disadvantage, to their advantage.

As is customary of Gladwel books, there are plenty of interesting stories and statistics that highlight his point. Some will certainly be controversial. For example, he cites the belief that smaller classroom sizes enhance better learning (40). He claims that no profession has had more money thrown toward it by well meaning politicians than teachers. Yet he claims that studies do not substantiate the claim that smaller classroom sizes lead to better education (42). Gladwell shows that, to a certain degree, smaller class sizes is beneficial. But, at a certain point, the benefit ceases, and, in fact, education can be harmed by classes that are too small. As always, Gladwell is challenging conventional thinking.

Gladwell also demonstrates that larger household incomes do not necessarily lead to greater contentment in life. In fact, he suggests that $75,000 per year in household income is optimum (49). After that amount, there is a law of diminishing returns. He also shows how suicide rates are actually higher in countries where citizens are generally happy and content with life, versus countries where people generally have difficult lives. This is because people compare themselves with those immediately around them. If you feel depressed in a country filled with happy people, you suffer more, knowing that in a land filled with happy people, you are unhappy. He also demonstrates, statistically, why enrolling in an Ivy League school may not be best for certain college students. He demonstrates that being at the top of an average school may lead to greater success than being in the middle of a highly ranked institution (87). This is because people compare themselves to their immediate context. An average student at MIT or Harvard may feel that they are not very smart (compared to their fellow classmates), yet they may be far brighter than many of the top students in lesser-ranked universities. It is called the Big Fish Little Pond Theory (80). Well meaning parents generally desire to send their child to the best university possible. Yet they may be inadvertently harming their child’s career possibilities rather than helping them. As Gladwell repeatedly argues, what we assume is an advantage may in fact, be a disadvantage (93).

Gladwell then embarks on a discussion of perceived disadvantages that, in some cases, can actually be an advantage. He labels this section, The Theory of Desireable Difficulty. He looks at case studies of people with Dyslexia. He shows that, depending on how people dealt with it, it could actually propel people to great success (99).

He also discusses the theory of the “remote miss” (130). This was experienced during the bombing of London in World War Two. Experts assumed that the citizens of London would be demoralized by incessant German bombing. But the opposite happened. Because the people survived the bombing, they came to believe they were invincible and that even the most horrific human suffering was survivable and therefore not as bad as it was made out to be. Gladwell cites British studies that demonstrate that a high percentage of successful people as well as political leaders suffered the loss of a parent at an early age (141). As these children suffered this terrible loss, they learned they could survive, and even thrive. By learning at an early age that they could overcome difficulty, they gained confidence that enabled them to thrive, even when facing adversity. He notes: “Courage is what you learn when you’ve been through the tough times and you discover they aren’t so tough after all” (149).

Gladwell cites additional examples from Northern Ireland and from Vichy France to demonstrate that adversity can actually motivate people to rise to acts of greatness. He also challenges the theory that tougher laws reduce crime. He cites the example of the murder of Wilma Derksen in California and the “Three Strikes Law” that resulted from it (232). Though California passed some of the toughest laws in the country, the success of such laws has been challenged.

I don’t agree with all of Gladwell’s conclusions, but I do enjoy the way he challenges me to think. He is a great storyteller and he cites interesting scientific studies to back up his theories. In the case of this book, he is not saying that all adversity is good or that all conventional thinking is bad. What he is arguing is that, certain situations that we would normally assume to be bad, might actually, result in much good. Likewise, what we would normally assume was good, might in fact, be harmful. We are all compelled, therefore, to think deeply about what we are doing to determine its true benefit.

Certainly for those who are leaders, it is not enough to let conventional thinking or popular opinion do our thinking for us. And, if we currently are experiencing difficulty, we might not be too quick to assume that no good can come from it. The key is how we adapt our thinking to the situation. As long as David assumed his only alternative in fighting Goliath was hand-to-hand combat at close range, he was a dead man. But when he thought about his problem differently, he became resoundingly successful. In our day, as we face so many difficult challenges, this may well be a timely word for us all.

by Richard Blackaby

[rating:3.0]

(New York: Harper One, 2014)

200 pgs

It is undoubtedly not a surprise when an artist believes that God intends for everyone to be an artist. From their vantage point, this would appear self-evident. It would be equally understanding for a doctor to assume that God intended for everyone to bring healing to others or if an engineer believed that God intends for everyone to build something with their life. So it is not a surprise that Raphael McManus, an artist, believes that there is within each person, an artisan soul.

Erwin McManus is the founding pastor of Mosaic, a church located on the Hollywood strip. He has authored numerous books, including Soul Cravings, Chasing Daylight, and The Unstoppable Force. I will be visiting his church next month. His ministry intrigues me because he is seeking to bring the good news of the Gospel to an extremely secularized society to which he ministers.

McManus argues that the church has for too long presented Christianity as if faith and creativity were adversaries rather than allies (6). He also notes that society tends to view creativity as the domain of extraordinary people, rather than as the possession of those who are ordinary (4). McManus argues that God is the ultimate artisan, and, being made in God’s image, people are never more like God than when they create as well (22). His book is a call for people to have the courage to free their artisan soul.

McManus is an artist and this book reflects that. He has a number of interesting, thought-provoking quotes. However, one of the downsides to twitter-like quotes in a book is that statements can be made that are all-inclusive without providing adequate context or support to make them convincing.

Some of these statements include: “The creative act is an act of courage” (7). Obviously I agree that it does take courage to create, sometimes. But does it always require courage? Or, “We cannot create without risk” (9). Again, I am drawn to ask if this is so in every circumstance. Or, “Jesus’s early followers formed a movement of dreamers and visionaries” (17). Here I would challenge that the apostles were not following their dreams or their visions, but God’s. Throughout the Gospels, whenever the disciples pursued their dreams, Jesus rebuked them! (See Luke 9). McManus states: “Artists love without reservation” (35). This type of generalized statement trips me up and makes me begin thinking of the exceptions to this rule. I don’t mean to be overly critical, because I liked this book. It is just that, as an artist, McManus offers some broad strokes that may produce an overall pleasing effect, but can often break down upon closer examination.

I found that McManus has one general message in this book and he promotes it in various ways throughout his book. I do think he makes some interesting points. He states, “To create is an act of worship” (10). I felt like this could be a beautiful depiction of our God-called vocation, whatever that might be. I was also intrigued by his comment, “Sometimes we get trapped in the past rather than at the beginning” (23). He poignantly suggests: “We cannot live a life of passion and not know sorrow. To pursue a dream is to invite a nightmare!” (35). Sounds a bit pessimistic, but does give one pause for thought. Some other interesting comments were: “Our demons rarely come at us from the future; most often they chase after us from our past” (42); “Far too often, we are more afraid of silence than we are of emptiness” (43). These statements often make us think for a moment, but they often pass along to the next theme without providing much supporting evidence for the point just made.

McManus provides an interesting challenge in urging people to take the pen or brush into their own hands and refuse to allow other people to tell their story. He urges people to let their Creator define them, rather than other people. He notes that, “Every other voice will either make us less than we were intended to be or convince us that we are more than we really are” (59). He humorously comments that the difference between a sane man and an insane man is that the sane person knows that the voices he is hearing in his head are not his own! (64).

McManus also has an interesting discussion about developing our own story. He observes: “We don’t see people for who they are; we see them through the filter of everyone we’ve ever known” (73). He adds; “Truth is not nearly as powerful as interpretation” (72). He also claims that our experiences are not nearly as powerful in our lives as our memories (85). He argues that we must interpret our experiences for them to have meaning. Therefore, how we choose to interpret our experiences determines the joy as well as the success of our lives.

McManus claims that the human imagination is the most profound and unique aspect of being human (95). I might challenge this point. Generally the possession of a soul or the ability to reason has been recognized as humanity’s most unique trait. Nonetheless, he suggests that, “Everything that exists began as an idea” (93). Therefore, we must cultivate our imagination as it has the power to create much beauty in an often, colorless world. He suggests that every creative act ought to bring life to others (109). This is certainly a noble view of art, as opposed to a much more self-focused view of an artist.

I liked McManus’s discussion of dealing with limitations. As an artist, I know personally how limited I am! But he notes that “We aren’t limited because we have limitations; we are limited because we haven’t embraced them” (149). He challenges readers to not allow themselves to be defined by their limitations (152). His ongoing challenge to his readers is to refuse to be buttonholed into a dreary, unfulfilling life. Rather, to imagine what God might do through their lives if they let Him write the script of their lives, rather than accepting the critical and negative interpretations that others have made of them.

As in so many books like this, there are times when it appears that readers are being encouraged to write their own story for their life and to take the brush firmly in their grip for whatever becomes of their life. Yet at other times McManus clearly encourages readers to allow their Creator to narrate and unfold their life as only He can. Clearly it is best to allow our Creator to define us, and our purpose, rather than to spend our entire lives searching, unaided, for meaning.

This book was easy to read. McManus is a good writer and makes a number of interesting comments. Because he makes some broad sweeping statements and because he views life through his own artistic perspective, he invites a certain amount of push back from the reader. Nevertheless, his style also causes readers to consider a perspective they might never have thought about before. Certainly in an age of political correctness and trends, we all need to be challenged to let our Creator guide us to become the masterpiece He designed us to be.

This book is good for more logical, linear type thinkers like me to read, on occasion. It adds texture and beauty to what can at times be a drab, uninspired perspective on life. Nevertheless, you may also want to pick up a more rational, systematic work next to garner further support and biblical foundation for such an artistic view of life.

by Richard Blackaby

[rating:5.0]

(Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, 2002 [originally published in 1737])

159 pgs

I found this book to be a thought-provoking, inspiring read. I enjoy reading Puritan authors. They have a way of digging deep into practical subjects and bringing the weight of biblical testimony to help readers understand issues common to the human experience. This book is a classic in this regard.

The Crook in the Lot is an intriguing title and one that, at first glance, seems so antiquarian as to be of no use to modern Christians. The “lot” refers to our condition or lot in life. Since Puritans were generally Calvinist in outlook, they assumed that their condition in life, for good or ill, was the direct result of God’s sovereign will. The “crook” is the crooked parts of life. These are the discomforts, pains, trials, and tribulations. If a trouble-free life is perfectly straight, the “crook” is the disagreeable portions of our life that go contrary to what we would desire. Job’s life was going splendidly for a time. He was enormously wealthy and he had delightful, carefree children. Then God allowed a “crook” into his life!

Thomas Boston was splendidly qualified to explore the reason why a loving, all-powerful God should allow crooks into the lives of His beloved children. He served as a minister in the Church of Scotland. His wife had paralyzing bouts of depression. Boston himself suffered painful kidney stones. He died at age 56. His friends ultimately completed the work he had begun and published it in 1737.

Boston, like a good Puritan thinker, takes a primary verse of Scripture and digs deep into it. In this case it is Ecclesiastes 7:13: “Consider the work of God; for who can make that straight which God hath made crooked?” Boston takes the essential Puritan view that human affairs are determined by Providence. If our lives experience trials, it is ultimately because God determined that we should. That then raises the difficult question: If God loves me and He is all-powerful, why would He allow me and my family to suffer grievous trials? The book sets out to answer this question. Further, Boston deals with the issue of how we should respond to difficult circumstances.

I will not try and lay out all of Boston’s arguments. Rather, I’ll give you a sampling of his thinking and approach. He begins by declaring: “As to the crook in the lot, God hath made it so, and it must continue while He will have it so. Should you ply your utmost force to even it, or make it straight, your attempt will be in vain . . . only He who made it can mend it, or make it straight” (19). Further, he notes: “Wherefore, the greatest crook of the lot on earth, is straight in heaven: there is no disagreeableness there. But in every person’s lot there is a crook in respect of their mind and natural inclination” (24).

Boston’s point is that everyone has a crook of some degree in their life, due to sin. Some crooks are severe and last a lifetime. Others are much more mild and can dissipate when God’s purposes have been accomplished. Boston’s counsel is not to focus on the crook, for it can only make us bitter and cause is to miss the divine work for which it is intended (25). Boston notes that crooks come in many forms. They might occur with our health, or in relationships, or in our finances. He cautions that often we find our greatest cross where we expected our greatest comfort (32).

God uses crooks in our lives for various reasons. It might be to reprove sin, or to correct us, or to prevent sin (42-45). Boston offers hope: “Let them know that there is no crook in their lot but may be made straight, for God made it, surely then he can mend it. He himself can make straight what He hath made crooked, though none other can” (52). Boston encourages people to trust in God’s wisdom and timing. If He chooses to allow the crook to remain in our life, He must have a divine purpose. He notes: “There are many now in heaven, who are blessing God for the crook they had in their lot here” (56). Boston concedes that it is not sinful to seek to address your crook, if you do not use sinful means and if you keep your focus on God (58). He concedes, however, that “God’s time . . . is seldom as early as ours” (59). He cautions: “Fruits thus too hastily plucked off the tree of providence can hardly miss to set the teeth on edge and will certainly be bitter to the gracious soul” (62). He urges people to trust in God’s wisdom and not to be too hasty in seeking the removal of their crook before God’s work is fully done. He suggests: “What is not to be cured must be endured, and should be with Christian resignation” (69).

One of the primary reasons God allows crooks in our lot is to teach us humility and to free us of pride. Yet despite lowering our circumstances, we may not choose for our spirit of pride to be broken. He notes: “Many a high spirit keeps up in spite of lowering circumstances” (84).

Boston suggests that righteous people will be reluctant to cut the work of God short in their lives, however painful it might be, while the unrighteous will believe that their discomfort should end immediately (89). He also makes the interesting observation that the pride of a person’s heart will subject them to greater crosses than will the humility of a humble spirit (90). Pride leads to humiliations that a humble person would not even notice.

Boston suggests: “Let all the afflictions in the world attend the humble spirit, and all the prosperity in the world attend pride, humility will still have the better: as gold in a dunghill is more excellent than so much lead in the cabinet” (93). Boston makes this keen observation: “What therefore betters the man is preferable to what betters only his condition” (97). He also observes: “The subduing of our passion is more excellent than to have the whole world subdued to our will: for then we are masters of ourselves (Luke 21:19)” (98).

Much of the work of crooks in our lot is for the suppression of our pride. Boston notes: “bringing down our spirit is our duty, raising it up is God’s work” (105). He also observes that God may bring down our lot, but only we can voluntarily bring down our spirit (113). That is, God can bring us into humble circumstances, but only we can choose to humble ourselves in the midst of our circumstances. That is why there will be fierce pride among the residents of hell. Even the most humiliating circumstances cannot crush a prideful spirit unwilling to bend.

Boston concedes that at times, we cannot see the wisdom of our crook. Yet, he cautions that “if at any time you cannot see that need, believe it on the ground of God’s infinite wisdom, that does nothing in vain” (120). Boston also offers hope that even if we should never be freed in this life from our crook, still we have heaven to look forward to in which God makes all things straight. He declares: “I would ask you, is it nothing to you to stand a candidate for glory to be put on trial for heaven?” (122). He adds, “What a vast disproportion is there between your trials and the future glory! Your most humbling circumstances, how light are they in comparison to the weight of it! (122). Much of our suffering on earth is but our being made ready for heaven. Yet Boston argues that many insist on ease on earth in preparation for glorious comfort in heaven. He asks: “Pray, how do you think you are made meet for heaven, by the warm sunshine of this world’s ease, and getting all you will there?” (123).

Boston also urges readers not to be in too great of a hurry to be done with God’s work in their lives. He notes: “Humbling work is long work” (128). He adds: “A few days might have taken Israel out of Egypt into Canaan, but they would have been too soon there” (130).

Boston adds, “That is the pattern Providence copies after in its conduct towards you. The Father was so well pleased with His method in the way of His own Son, that it was determined to be followed, and copied over again in the case of all the heirs of glory” (134). Boston notes that if the Father, in His infinite love for His Son, chose a crook, then surely we should expect no less.

Boston notes: “God gives worldly men their stock here, but His children get nothing but a sample of theirs here” (144). He adds, that when we look back upon our troubles on earth from the viewpoint of heaven, we will declare, “He hath done all things well!” (146). Concerning God’s promises, Boston acknowledges that we must at times wait long for them to come to pass. Yet he notes: When God pays His bonds of promises, he pays both principal and interest together, the mercy is increased according to the time they waited” (147).

Incredibly, perhaps, Boston suggests: “There is not a child of God but would, with the utmost earnestness protest against a lifting up before due time, as against an unripe fruit cast to him by an angry father which would set his teeth on edge” (149). The true child of God is also differentiated from an unbeliever by the way he handles adversity. Boston notes: “. . . there is readily a greater keenness to vindicate our honor from the imputation the humbling circumstances seem to lay upon it, than to vindicate the honor of God in the justice and equity of the dispensation” (152). Pride will cause people to protest their innocence, as Job did, when evil befalls them. Humility will ardently protest God’s righteousness instead.

One area I disagreed with Boston is in his contention that Christians carry the memory of their trials with them to heaven so that heaven is all the sweeter. He cites the example of the rich man and Lazarus, pointing out that the rich man in hell remembers his brothers left behind (157). However, it is the rich man in hell who remembers his life on earth, not Lazarus. I would contend that it will be our memory that will make hell all the more bitter, while heaven would not truly be heaven if we still remembered those on earth who did not join us.

I appreciated this book because Boston had the courage to take on one of the most controversial topics of theology: why do good people suffer? Boston goes deeper and deeper in his discussion and draws in many wonderful Scriptures along the way. Boston uses Scripture in such a way that he makes you want to look up those same verses while making you wonder why you have never seen what he so clearly makes clear in the text. His Eighteenth Century English may make for slow reading for some, nevertheless, it also forces the reader to go more slowly, which considering the depth of the writing, is a good thing.

If you are not accustomed to reading from the Puritans, this is a great entry point for you. I strongly recommend this book. It is a work that ought to be on every Christian’s bookshelf.

by Richard Blackaby

[rating:4.0]

(New York: Harper Collins, 2010)

238 pgs

This is a supremely practical, and much needed book. Most books, especially on leadership, tend to be positive, and fall within the self-help, “you can do anything you put your mind to” camp. But I am finding that the more I read and study about leadership, the more I am convinced that the greatest decisions leaders make have more to do with what they choose not to do, rather than what they choose to do. That is what this book is about.

In a nutshell, Cloud suggests that we cannot fully embrace the future God has for us until we first bring to a close those relationships, activities, and commitments in our life whose usefulness (if they ever had one) have expired.

Henry Cloud is a clinical psychologist who works as a leadership coach to CEOs and business executives. He has written several books including the helpful, Boundaries.

Cloud observes: “It’s been said that some things die hard and some things need to be killed” (7). He also declares: “Good cannot begin until bad ends” (8).

Cloud notes that, “There are endings to be had, needing to be had, yet unexecuted” (10). Cloud notes that people often instinctively know they need to end an unhealthy relationship or fire an underperforming employee, yet for various reasons they cannot bring themselves to do it. As a result, they languish in an unfulfilling relationship or their organization is held back due to a weak team member.

Cloud uses the analogy of pruning. He states: “Pruning is the process of proactive endings” (15). He encourages people to not allow their reluctance to “hurt” someone to prevent them from bringing about an ending. He notes: “There is a big difference between hurt and harm” (21). He also notes that sometimes a leader keeps hoping that a person will change, so they delay bringing about a much-needed ending. He suggests that, “Sometimes, the best thing a leader or anyone can do is to give up hope in what they are currently trying” (26).

Cloud draws the controversial conclusion: “So if no one ever leaves your organization or your life, then you are in some sort of denial and enabling some really sick stuff all over the place” (27). Cloud draws on the lesson from Ecclesiastes 3 and the seasons of life. I saw many parallels with what he describes and what I outlined in my book, The Seasons of God. He claims that winter comes in relationships and in seasons of our life and it signifies that endings are a natural part of life’s cycle. He also cites brain research that indicates that the human brain can only handle between 140-150 relationships (47). This suggests that when we add new relationships, we need to downgrade or end other ones.

Cloud posits: “Some people are not going to change no matter what you do, and still others have a vested interest in being destructive” (48). He suggests that a wise leader will determine what is motivating someone not to change and then develop an appropriate strategy. He adds: “I have watched well meaning people literally waste years and millions of dollars trying to bring someone along who is not coming” (49). He notes that the greatest hindrance to bringing about a necessary ending is people’s hope that someone will eventually change. He cautions; “Hope buys time, and spends it” (85). He also states: “If you are in a hole, rule number one is to stop digging” (89). Cloud challenges people’s false hope that positive change will occur. He asks: “What reason, other than the fact that I want this to work, do I have for believing that tomorrow is going to be different from today?” (90). He quotes the well-known axiom: “The best predictor of the future is the past” (93). He concludes: “By and large people do not change without new structure” (103).

Cloud suggests: “The best performers know how to fail well” (50). He also claims there are three kinds of people:

1. Wise
2. Foolish
3. Evil

Cloud suggests that the key to effective leadership is recognizing what kind of person your people are. Cloud claims, “The fool tries to adjust the truth so he does not have to adjust to it” (133). His prescription is to stop talking to the fool, for he will refuse to take responsibility anyway. Cloud suggests: “Whenever someone is not taking responsibility, there are always consequences. The question is, who is suffering the consequences?” (140).

Cloud also claims, “Playing the movie forward is one of the best known motivators in human behavior” (151). He also suggests, “A deadline without a consequence is not much of a deadline” (164). By putting consequences before people, it either provides sufficient motivation to change, or it brings about a much-needed ending.

Cloud suggests that leaders must embrace a certain level of “detachment” (178). They must ask: “What particular outcome are you willing to sacrifice to realize your vision of the future?” (178). He claims that, if we are unwilling to face the pain of loss or of difficult conversations, then we may not be willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve our goals. Finally, he urges the reader: “Hold on to your power, the power of self-control” (208).

I enjoyed this book. Perhaps it helped that it aligned with a book I previously wrote! But it is also preeminently practical. Cloud laces his book with keen psychological insights along with examples from his own coaching practice. He offers some scriptural support for his approach, but this book is not heavily Bible-supported. I suspect he is writing to a broader audience, many of whom are not looking for constant biblical support. Nonetheless, this book is extremely helpful and one I will be recommending to others. Whether you are dealing with difficult relationships, a troubled employee, or an outdated practice, you will find the discussion concerning necessary endings to be extremely helpful.

by Richard Blackaby