De-Railed

by Tim Irwin

I like to read books in my area of knowledge (i.e. biblical studies and fantasy baseball).  I also like to try to expand my horizons by reading good books for other areas.  De-Railed is my latest foray into the business world.

The premise of the book is simple…look at what makes corporate CEO’s crash and burn, then do the opposite.  In a way, it makes sense because there are countless books published that look at the good habits of business leaders.  To to this, Irwin divides the book into two sections–case studies and lessons learned.

The book opens with cases studies of several leaders who lead familiar companies but eventually derailed themselves and their companies.  For those in the business world, these names probably are familiar (their companies were, but the individuals were not familiar to me.)  Two things came to mind while reading these profiles.  First, while they were interesting at first, they quickly became repetitive.  Second, at some level these profiles in failure seemed akin to tabloid journalism.  While Irwin states that his sources are public, it still just seems a little gossipy as he provides details of personality flaws, bad decisions, and corporate failure.

The second part of the book attempts to gather common lessons for the profiles that lead to leadership derailment.  The lessons learned are certainly valuable, but not new discoveries in any way.  Actually, they are more common senses than anything else.  “Don’t be self-centered.”  “Character trumps competency.”  “Be nice to people.”  Really?  These things seems like lessons that we should have learned in grade school, not at the corporate level. 

In the end, the concept is interesting, but the information could have been stated in about 1/4 of the time and space and still have accomplished the same thing.  Are the leadership lessons valuable?  Absolutely.  Should they apply to any leadership position?  Absolutely.  Did I learn anything in this book that I haven’t seen in about a dozen other books?  No.  It really felt like I was reading  a report by a consultant, which is exactly what the author is.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

I’ve found that anyone who has read a Donald Miller book falls into two camps: either you love his books or you’re just “eeeehhhh, he’s just alright.”  I definitely fall into the latter category.  My previous experience in his work was the gazillion seller Blue Like Jazz.

In his latest book, Miller does what he does best…tell stories.  It’s different now, though.  This book is a story about telling stories.  He recounts how his life changes after meeting two people who want to make Blue Like Jazz into a movie.  Through the process, he learns about the elements that make up an interesting movie and story.  He then realizes that a person’s life should contain the same elements, which should produce an interesting life worth living.  Along the way of this life transformation, he meets incredibly interesting people, becomes engaged and breaks up, begins a mentoring program, and rides his bike across the country to raise money for clean water in Africa.

Some of the things that I really liked in Blue Like Jazz are still present.  Miller has a knack for making your care about him and his life through personal transparency and getting to know the people he runs with.  He has no problem revealing the good and bad sides of himself.

Also, many of the things that I didn’t like in Blue Like Jazz are still present as well.  His writing style is short, clipped, and very unsophisticated.  At times I feel like I’m reading a book written for 6th graders.  Also, it just really bugs and annoys me that he makes so many references to drinking and smoking.  I realize that my personal views on those habits differ from many (like I don’t see any redeeming value in either), but I just get the feeling that he wants to be the new Brennan Manning by showing the world that he loves to smoke and drink.

Here’s the rub of the book for me, though.  I totally get the concept of making our lives a story worth telling–and I’m in agreement with that.  The whole time, though, I kept thinking, “you’re having all these amazing personal experiences that are completely atypical of anyone else.”  He jet sets all over the county, hikes the mountains of Peru, paddles all over the Pacific, and tears across the country for seven weeks on a bike.  He wants to encourage all of us to make our lives adventurous, but so few people are capable of doing anything remotely like anything in the book.  His life is a great story because he’s got the money, time, and connections to do those wild things.  I just wonder if he could have written this book as a single mother with little money and no prospects of going on an adventure.

For those who have read the book, I know what you’re going to say.  “His point isn’t to be like him, his point is to live a great story whever your are in whatever life you’re in.”  I believe he thinks that.  The reality though, is that people who live typical lives (spouses, payments, regular jobs, etc.) can’t identify with the idea.  I’ll never take off to Peru just to hike, so my life can’t be anything like the book.

In the end my evaluation is this…while the concept is there, the application isn’t.  Miller spends a lot of time chastizing us for wanting to find fulfillment in life through things, products, etc.  In the end, I felt like this book was just another infomercial that he makes fun of.  “If you live by the principles in my book, you’ll have a much more exciting life.”

If you’re a Miller fan, you’ll love this book.  If you’re an ambivolent Miller reader, then this book will just confirm the opinion you already had.

The Disciple-Making Pastor

Before I began my sabbatical this past June, I order about 15 books to read.  I made it through a couple of them, but the last one I started was The Disciple Making Pastor by Bill Hull.  I just finished the book today (December 2.)  Of course, I had a few interruptions (a job, a family, teaching a college class, and taking a grad class.)  Anyway, I finally turned the final page.

This book is a combination of great idea, great theoretical principles, rants, great biblical exposition, and some venting.  Overall, Hull does a very good job of laying out the calling, duties, and theory of what it takes to make disciples in the church.  Much of it is very good.  At times, it seems like things you learn in a college/seminary setting from someone who hasn’t actually worked in a church for a long time…good theory but doesn’t work in real life.  There are other times, though, when Hull is dead on with his evaluation of the church and its practices. 

The best sections of the book include…

• why seminary education is important.
• definitions and explanations of pastors, ministers, and elders.
• descriptions of disciples.
• a strategy for making disciples.

Overall, this is an excellent read.  Hull is attempting to change the culture of the church and ministry by refocusing it on the primary goal of disciplemaking.  This book is certainly a useful tool to help accomplish that.

Nelson’s Illustrated Guide to Religions

by James A. Beverley

Writing a book on the religions of the world can be dangerous in our culture of tolerance and political correctness.  What better way to offend people than call their religion into question?  James Beverly takes this challenge on admirably.

Writing from a very well-stated Christian position, the author first lays out some basic questions to the study of cults and religions, names what qualifies as both.  This kind of helpful information seems to be missing from other popular books on the subject.  The main body of the book, though, is a catalogue of the worlds major religions, the major arms of Christianity, significant Protestant groups, and finally groups that have been traditionally viewed as “cults.” 

Overall, the author’s treatment of each of these categories is very fair and helpful.  He states from the outset that he measures truth from a Christian perspective, which necessarily means calling many of the groups surveyed in the book inaccurate and wrong.  This negative evaluation is always given with personal respect and Christian love rather than acrimony or disdain.

The best feature the book offers is very helpful summary charts for each group.  They provide good information in easy to understand and read formats.  The “illustrated” aspect of the book is very minimal.  There are a few photos scattered throughout the book that do not significantly add to the value.  That being said, this is a great resource for students, ministers, and anyone wishing to understand the diverse world we live in.

Shelfari

I am now a member of Shelfari, a website that allows you to track which books you’re read and also allows you to see what other people are reading.  Like most people, I am always looking for good books to read.  You can see my profile at www.shelfari.com/donsanders.  Take a look and join so I can see what you’re reading!

Rethinking the Church

I first became acquainted with the writings of James Emery White several years ago when I received one of his books by accident from my IVP book club.  The book was Serious Times and I almost sent it back.  It sat on my desk for probably a year before I picked it up and started thumbing through it.  I’m glad I did, as it was one of the best books I’ve read in the last 10 years.

Rethinking Church is an earlier work of his (originally 1997 and revised in 2003) and it came highly by several people I respect.  Going in to the book, I had several fears of what a book on “doing church” might be like.  Usually, these types of books fall into two groups.  The first group simply points out how horrible a job the church is doing.  Statistics abound to show why the church is ineffectual in our modern society.  This group is long on criticism and negativity while short on constructive ideas.  The second group of books focus primarily on the “how to” of church.  They peddle the latest and greatest programs and many times are written by the newest megachurch celebrity pastor.  This group offers lots of advice on what to do, but rarely addresses the deeper theological issues or takes into account the differences in geography, personality, or background of churches.

It is at this point that Rethinking Church diverges from the pack.  White does an admirable job of bridging the two needs of a book on leading a church: theory and practice.  Specifically, the author addresses eight areas that need to be evaluated in the church: Foundational Questions, Evangelism, Discipleship, Ministry, Worship, Structure, Community, and Change.  Each of these chapters deal with the need for change and offers both biblical and practical ideas for rethinking them.  In each area, White does a very good job of not only challenging long held assumptions, but offering constructive ideas for moving forward.

The book has two primary strengths.  First, it is short and simple (barely over 160 pages.)  It can be read in a short time and is not overly difficult.  Through concise illustrations and statistics, White drives home his point without being negative or critical.  At the end, the reader thinks, “Hey, this is a very doable thing that God has called us to.”

The second strength is that there is a distinct lack of programming suggestions.  There is no lack of books espousing the latest ideas on programming.  White freely admits that “Why and what” we do are foundational to “how” we do it.  I appreciate that he allows the specific implementation of the biblical principles to the individual.  He respects the church enough to know that one size, copy-cat programs do not work.

I highly recommend this book to every church leader, whether on staff or volunteer.  It is not the deepest or the latest book on how to do church, but it is a very accessible and useful launching pad for those who take seriously the Great Commission.

Leading on Empty

This past year has been one of the most difficult for me in ministry.  Many circumstances collided into the “perfect storm” of being over committed, over worked, over eating, under rested, and generally operating beyond healthy boundaries in most areas of my life.  In the back of my mind, I knew that June was coming.  Every five years, the ministers on staff at HCC are blessed to take a one month sabbatical from ministry at the church.  I knew that I needed something to guide my time off.

As I began preparations for my sabbatical, this book came highly recommended.  In this brutally honest account of his own journey through severe ministry burnout, Wayne Cordeiro details his descent into depression and the steps he took to ascend out of it.  Sometimes meandering narrative and sometimes self help manual, the book is a very engaging read and very insightful.  I’m not sure that I could have written such brutally honest things about myself, but I’m thankful that Cordeiro did and shared it with the rest of us. 

While I’ve not hit the lows that the author describes, I’ve had periods of tremendous challenges to my mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical state.  Some of the book, therefore, was more theoretical to me personally, but I imagine to others it would be like reading their own personal diary.  While the books tries not to be a “takes these 7 easy steps and you’ll be fine” kind of self-help guide, the final several chapters do provide some very useful and insighful lessons. 

For those who are not in full-time church ministry, you probably won’t understand the difficulties that Cordeiro describes.  He makes a great point that ministry is just simply different from any other occupation.  Because of that difference, the toll that it takes on the person and family of the minister is unique.  Without the proper boundaries in life, the longevity of the ministry and quality of life will be greatly diminished.  For those in ministry, you will completely identify with the situation and shake your head in agreement. 

This is a must read for anyone in ministry–if not as a path through the storm as a map around it.

When Did the Bible Become Boring?

Can 600 “tweeners” be wrong?  Well, if the question is “Is reading about supernatural adventures exciting?”, then their resounding response would be “YES!”  Tonight I took my kids to listen and meet the very charismatic author of the Percy Jackson “The Lightning Thief” books.  Now, this is not a post about the books per se, but more about my thought about being in a library with over 600 very enthusiastic kids who are about as fanatical about these books as their older siblings were about Harry Potter.  Now, I haven’t read the books yet (although my son is applying some serious pressure.)  If you’ve not read them (this is according to my kids), the basic premise is that the ancient Greek gods have descended on modern day USA and begin to play havoc with our society.

After waiting in line on the parking lot, fighting other parents for seats, and waiting for over an hour in a stiff backed chair, I found myself very impressed with the author (Rick Riordan).  A former middle school teacher, he was a treat to listen to and was great with the kids.  He actually got me excited about his stories and reading in general.  On the way home, though, I had two thoughts (actually, I had another one about introducing polytheism into the popular culture, but I’ll save that for another post.)

First, people long for the divine.  From the ancient Canaanites to the Greeks and even to our modern society, humans long to be in touch with divine beings.  Actually, I think our modern fascination with “super heroes” is a fulfillment of this innate human quality.  After all, what are super heroes if not modern reincarnations of the Greek demigods?  Simply put, deep down in our inner beings, humans want to be touched by God.  Just look at our fascination with mythology and magic (Lord of the Rings, Spiderman, Superman, Narnia, Harry Potter, etc.)  Our culture desperately wants to believe that there is something beyond what is visible in this life.

Second, Christians believe that the Bible is more than just another ancient mythological collection.  We possess the stories and accounts of people who actually were touched and empowered by God.  We have Elijah calling down fire from heaven, Peter and John healing people, Joshua commanding the sun to stand still, Moses parting the Red Sea, and Jesus resurrecting from the dead.  Contrary to popular opinion, the Bible isn’t fiction.  It is better than fiction.  The Bible is reality.  As creative as these very creative authors and filmmakers are, they are no match for what God actually did.

So, my question is this…What do we have to do to get 600 tweeners crammed into a library about to wet themselves over the best stories ever told–the real ones in the Bible?  For that matter, what do we have to do to get adults as excited about the Bible as the next Spiderman movie?

A Short History of the United States

A Short History of the United States
by Robert V. Remini

I love reading about history, particularly American history.  So, when I received a gift card to Barnes and Noble for minister’s appreciation month, I jumped at the opportunity to delve into another history book.  In the past, I’ve read a lot of books on particular periods of US history (20th century, WWII, space program), but never a one volume of our entire history.  The only thing that I knew about this book before I bought it was 1) it was new, 2) it had a nice cover, and 3) I’ve always had good luck picking books blind.  It also helped that it was only $2 less than my gift card.

Starting just prior to Columbus’s historic voyage in 1492, the author covers over 500 years of history in just 336 pages (11 chapters.)  As I’m sure you can do the math yourself, that means that there isn’t much time to stay too long in one place.  Really, though, the title should be, “A Short History of the Presidents and Congress of the United States,” because they are the primary characters.  Even with that, you can tell which eras and people the author has written on before (he gets all misty-eyed when writing about Andrew Jackson.)  None of this is bad–just thought you’d like to know before heading in.

Thumbs Up

• I have to admit that I learned a lot reading this book.  While I knew most of the main events and people, there are so many interesting people and stories from our past that rarely come to the forefront.  I definitely felt like reading this book was worthwhile.
• The author does a good job of showing how events connect together.  I think one of the mistakes we make when studying history is taking it out of context.
• Because this book covers so much in such a short time, you don’t get bogged down by any one topic.  He covers such events as the Civil War in like 4 pages and WWII in about 3 pages.
• Until the 1960’s the author presented both the good and bad points of each president.  More about this below.

Thumbs Down

• I realize that no historian is completely objective.  However, there are a couple times when the author seems to interject a very obvious bias (concerning the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and the terrorist attack on 9/11.
• One of the points that the author stresses is that the US came about its territory by bullying other nations. (This was probably true on a few occasions, but certainly not all.)
• When he comes to the 1960’s, the author all of a sudden shows a distinct bias toward Democratic presidents and against Republican presidents.  Simply from the aspect of the book, it seems like he shifts into a different way of evaluating history that he lived through.

A Few Observations

• Politics hasn’t really changed.  I always think that each election gets more acrimonious that the previous.   Apparently, though, elections have always been about candidates tearing one another down and exposing their moral weaknesses.  We do not live in a unique age in this regard.
• Our country swings from one extreme to the other.  Except for the FDR years, it seems like every 8-12 years, the opposing party gains the presidency.  In fact, you can almost look at it by decades.  1930s & 1940s were democrat (FDR & Truman).  1950’s were republican (Eisenhower).  1960s were democrat (Kennedy & Johnson).  1970’s were transition (Nixon, Ford, Carter).  1980’s were republican (Reagan, Bush).  1990’s were democrat (Clinton).  2000’s were republican (Bush).  If history repeats it self, it is time for a run of democrats in the White House. 
• Americans tend to keep a balance of power.  It has been rare for a president of one party to have a congress controlled by the same party.  Even when this happens, it usually only lasts until midterm elections.  I think deep down that Americans just like balance.
• Should there be a mandatory waiting period before something goes in a history book?  The passage of time certainly gives historians a new perspective, especially when they personally have not lived through the events they are writing about.  (As an aside, I believe that is why Stephen Ambrose is such a great WWII historian–he didn’t participate in it.)  I bet if you go back and read books written shortly after or during some of our most desperate times (War of 1812, Civil War, Reconstruction, WWI, WWII, Civil Rights Era), you would get a very different perspective than you do today.  Presidents who may have been reviled in their time have proven to be much better than their generation gave them credit for, and vica verse.  Speaking of the Second Gulf War, the author says, “The invasion of Iraq proved to be one of the most disastrous foreign policy mistakes ever committed by the United States.” (p. 329.)  I just don’t know how anyone can make that evaluation right now.  One hundred years from now, historians may indeed look back and think that, but then again, they may think it was one of the best decisions.  So, I recommend that Congress pass a law that institutes a mandatory 50 year waiting period for history text books.
• Humans judge history very differently than God does.  Just chew on that one for a while.

Overall–I give this book a thumbs up, especially if you want a quick holiday read to prop up your US history knowledge.

ESV Study Bible

Not Actual Size--It's Much Larger!

Just a quick note…

The ESV Study Bible was released last week and I just got my copy.  My first reaction is WOW.  It certainly is an impressive volume.  I haven’t been this excited about the release of a Bible in a long time.  It contains all the things you would expect from a study Bible (notes, introductions, diagrams, illustrations, articles, etc.) which are all new.  However, the thing that really sets this apart is the extra stuff.  There are over 200 pages of resources and extras.  This includes everything from an overview of biblical languages to articles on theology to lists of OT references in the NT.  In reality, all the extras amount to an entirely separate book.

Visually, the Bible is striking.  The pages are full color and the layout is very easy on the eyes.  The maps are very nice as well.

Oh yeah, one thing I forgot to mention is that it comes with a lifetime subscription to the on-line edition of the ESV Study Bible.  You gotta love that!

I switched over to using the ESV about 5 years ago after reaching critical frustration with the NIV (the final blow came over verb translations in 1 John, but I won’t air my dirty laundry in public!)  Ever since, I’ve been pleased with the every increasing specialty resources accompanied with the ESV (especially the Literary Study Bible and the Reverse Interlinear New Testament.)  However, the ESV Study Bible far surpasses anything that has previous been published.  In the few days that I’ve had to look through it, I am completely amazed and impressed. 

I’ve been tossing around the idea of reading through a Study Bible completely next year as my Bible reading.  I’ve been thinking about using the Archaeological Study Bible (which is also quite impressive), but a new challenger has surfaced.  It would be quite a feat to read it through in a year, but you’d learn quite a lot.

To see all the features click here.

Anyway, if anyone out in cyberspace has picked it up, let me know what you think.