Clarity First by Karen Martin (New York: McGraw Hill Education, 2018)
Every organization needs clarity. They need to be clear on who they are, on where they are going, on how they are getting there. Leaders need to lead their organizations from a position of clarity, both personally and for the organization as a whole. One example that comes to mind is the area of communication. Clarity is essential in order to communicate the the purpose and vision to everyone involved.
In Clarity First, Karen Martin writes a solid treatise for developing and achieving clarity for any organization, and these principles certainly apply to the church. Clarity will help unleash potential, increase growth, and achieve results.
According to the dust jacket, “Eliminating ambiguity is the first step for leaders and organizations to achieve strategic goals. Learn how to gain the clarity needed to make better decisions, lead more effectively, and boost organizational performance.”
If you think your church or business needs better clarity, you might want to read this as well. You can pick up a copy on Amazon.
Love says: I’ve seen the ugly parts of you, and I’m staying.
Between Two Trees by Shane Wood (Abilene, Texas: Leafwood Publishers, 2019)
The Bible is a narrative that begins and ends with two trees. There is the tree of life in the Garden of Eden, and then there is the tree with leaves that heal in the book of Revelation. All of the rest — God’s entire narrative for our lives — is found between these two trees.
The problem with the first tree is that it is surrounded by the Fall and the Curse. The second tree removes the Curse and restores us to a right relationship with God. And that reconciliation happens because of the cross of Christ.
Shane Wood is a professor at Ozark Christian College, and shows us both the bad news of our sin and the Curse, and the Good News that provides our restoration. Between Two Trees promises to be full of hope and encouragement. You can find a copy for yourself at Amazon.com.
I love coffee. I enjoy drinking it. I enjoy brewing it. I enjoy roasting. I have even painted with it. It’s a big part of my day, and a hobby that I greatly enjoy. But I think it is misunderstood. Coffee contains caffeine, which many people think is some all-inclusive wonder stimulant. But it’s not exactly that. It has some great properties, to be sure. But just how does it affect our body? This video gives some insight to that, and is kind of amusing as it does so.
A materialistic world will not be won to Christ by a materialistic church.
Trillion Dollar Coach by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, Alan Eagle (Harper Business)
At the start of 2019, I joined a program called LeaderBooks, from Michael Hyatt & Co. So far, I have read through several different books on leadership, from various viewpoints other than church leadership. Most of them are centered on the business world, and yet they contain principles that can be applied to almost any context.
This is especially true with Trillion Dollar Coach. Written by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle, this book examines the life and leadership lessons of Bill Campbell. You could probably say that Campbell was more of a coach than a leader, and that the people he invested in have turned to do the same for others.
In this book, the authors take a good look at Campbell’s principles and practices, and reveal some surprising – and not so surprising – insights.
I’m really enjoying this book, and look forward to seeing what I can take from it and implement into my leadership role in the church I serve. If you’d like to read it, you can grab one from Amazon.
The weakest faith gets the same strong Christ as does the strongest faith.
