Book Review - The Faith of Leap

About the Book
As Helen Keller observed, "Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."

To Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch, so much of how we have learned to experience and understand the faith has been divorced from the overarching adventure inherent in our God and in our calling. This book is a corrective to the dull, adventureless, risk-free phenomenon that describes so much of contemporary Christianity. It explores the nature of adventure, risk, and courage and the implications for church, discipleship, spirituality, and leadership.

My Take on the BookToo often a church can become stagnant in its decision making, and even when change is needed it does not occur due to past traditions or concern about what could happen (instead of what should happen). This book was a breath of fresh air in this regards because it encourages and charges churches and the leadership within a church to take a leap and to work on being a change agent in the church. 


What I loved about this book was that it pulls from so many fields and authors. It does not simply rest on the laurels of the thoughts of the authors but is supported instead through the writing of others. 


Though none of us may know what risk really looks like, this book gives us a good start on making substantive change that will only assist our churches to be better in the future.


All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Book Review - Coach Yourself to Win

About the BookCoach Yourself to Win: 7 Steps to Breakthrough Performance on the Job and in Your Life, examines the key question: How can you achieve permanent behavior change both in the workplace and in your private life?

Bringing over 20 years of executive coaching experience to the subject, author Howard M. Guttman advances a unique, rigorous approach to the professional and personal development categories, long dominated by pop psychologists and new-age thinkers.

Observes Guttman, "The gap in most professional and personal development books is that they offer a program for improvement without providing the core skills needed to help people achieve permanent behavior change. Those skills relate to people's ability to coach themselves through the highs and lows that inevitably occur along the pathway to change."

Coach Yourself to Win takes the trade secrets of executive coaching-ones that Guttman has applied to help hundreds of senior executives in major corporations improve their performance-and reinvents  them so they can successfully be put to use for personal and professional growth in the life space and workplace arenas.

Guttman's book is refreshingly honest. He notes in Chapter One that self-coaching isn't for everyone.  He provides readers with self-test and evaluation criteria to determine whether or not the approach he recommends is the right one for them.

One of the biggest self-coaching challenges that the book addresses is a person's willingness to accept feedback, a key part of Guttman's self-coaching process.  As Guttman explains, "Self-coachees must be willing to be vulnerable and allow others to provide them with feedback. When you treat feedback as a gift rather than a threat, you open up the possibility of achieving personal breakthroughs."

To help achieve breakthrough performance on the job and in life, readers learn to master a practical 7-step process that enables them to:

• Clarify, set, and stay committed to realistic Intentions
• Zero in on what had been holding them back
• Find the support they've been lacking
• Develop a path for change
• Evaluate themselves along the way-and make necessary corrections
• Realize their Intention to achieve a "new you"

To help readers implement their plan, Coach Yourself to Win provides a dedicated Web site-www.coachyourselftowin.com-where they will find supporting insights and materials for going through the process.

About the Author
Howard M. Guttman is principal of Guttman Development Strategies, Inc. (GDS), a Mount Arlington, NJ-based management consulting firm specializing in executive coaching; building horizontal, high-performance teams; strategic and organizational alignment; and management development training (www.guttmandev.com).

GDS's clients include Bloomberg LP; Colgate-Palmolive; John Hancock; Johnson & Johnson; L'Oréal USA; Mars, Inc.; Novartis; Pfizer; and Walmart.

Mr. Guttman is also the author of Great Business Teams: Cracking the Code for Standout Performance and When Goliaths Clash: Managing Executive Conflict to Build a More Dynamic Organization.

My Take on the BookThis book was great! I have my own small business and have been working as a
professional for some time and this book encapsulates some wonderful advice and resources that will help anyone! In reading this book it reads like a manual, one that you can follow along with and practice along the way.If you are looking to grow as a leader and as a professional, this book will definitely move you in the right direction!

One of the things that I liked about the book was the positive and change-oriented nature that the author takes. It's tone was refreshing and motivating and after reading it myself, I was motivated to set some new goals and move forward toward achieving them!

I truly believe that if you put the time into this book you will take so much out, you will not be disappointed!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
 
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Book Review - The World I Imagine

About the Book

Active volunteer and peace activist Debbie Jordan’s book, The World I Imagine: A creative manual for ending poverty and building peace is a collection of 47 essays originating in the column she writes for the Arizona City Independent Edition. Jordan writes about her personal experiences with volunteering and at times needing a helping hand from others herself.

• How a more practical approach to advancing age and disability would make better use of human resources 
• How minimum wage is not enough for many families to make ends meet and without change poverty will not end in the United States 
• How volunteering changed Jordan’s life and molded her into the person she is today 
• How parents can inspire their children to volunteer and help those in their community

My Take on the Book I know that for myself I would love to provide my girls a world of peace. Where no wars exist and we can live in harmony with each other and our surroundings. In this book, the author examines whether this type of peace is even possible. I found Ms. Jordan's inspiring and thought provoking. Her book truly stands out as one that will help anyone to make a more sustainable and better world for all.

While this book sets forward the author's dreams and vision for the world, she explains and makes the reader see how simple all of this could be if we all just worked together.

If you would like to get a copy of this book for yourself, you can find it on Amazon!

I could easily see this book being a great one for anyone in a leadership role in today's society, as it only takes one person to strike the match of change!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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