Rich Kao

Definition: n.  a painful contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more.

This has been one of the most pleasureable and challenging books I've read in a while.  It's just plain convicting because the authors lay bare the consumerism culture of America.  Thankfully they do it in a most humorous way, making the medicine go down a bit easier.   The book is so chalk full of statistics and studies and figures, the reality of "affluenza" is undeniable.  

Using the "influenza"  flu analogy, the book is divided into three parts:  symptoms, causes and treatment.  The chapter titles alone will make you laugh and cringe at the same time.  Here are some sample chapter and section titles under the "symptoms" category:  "Shopping Fever,"  "Needing More Planets,"  "A Penny Saved, Barely,"   "Starter Castles,"   "When Houses Become Landfills,"   "Car Clutter,"   "Time Famine."  You get the idea.  Wait till you read the stats that go with these titles.  Ohhh my gravy.

I encourage you to pick up a copy of this book.  It'll will provide some heat and cleansing for your soul. 

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A great book by the legendary CEO of General Electric, Jack Welsh.  It's basically 40 years of leadership lessons and wisdom distilled into one book.  With the help of Harvard Business Review Editor (and his wife) Suzy Welsh, Mr. Welsh gives us a book well written, well organized and easy to read.  Mr. Welsh excels at boiling things down to its essence and saying it in a strong, pithy, conversational way.   The theme that ties the book together is the title of the book -- Winning, and it's refreshing to find a book that actually supports what the title is about!  One can clearly see how Mr. Welsh's wisdom and thinking springs from a mindset of winning - not at any cost mind you - but with integrity, excellence and a drive to be number #1.  Striving to win really does clarify many things and helps to codify how one should approach or not approach things.

Of course, for those of us in ministry, not everything in the book applies - like chapters on Merger & Acquisitions, and Six Sigma - but many chapters do have a cross over benefit, like his thoughts on Mission & Values, Voice & Dignity, Leadership, Strategy.

Most interestingly, he ends the book with great questions asked of him since his retirement  -- like "Norway just passed a law mandating that half of every corporate board be comprised of women.  What is your opinion of that?"; "China is killing us, how do we compete (paraphrased)?";  "Do you plan to enter politics?"; and the granddaddy of them all "Do you think you you will go to heaven?"  (P.358 for the answer).  Although he doesn't give the right answer for himself, I sure appreciate Mr. Welsh's candor and openness in putting such a question in his book (and at the end mind you)!   Shows what made his career - a willingness to be open and honest and face the tough questions. 

If you want a fresh injection of leadership ideas, something to reinvigorate you, this book will definitely perk you up. 

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A wonderful little treatise by George G. Hunter, Dean of World Missions & Evangelism at Asbury Theological Seminary.  The opening paragraph in the preface states the case well for why the book was written...in the face of a postmodern, neo-barbarian, feeling driven culture,  where do we look for answers when it comes to winning souls once again?  I like Dr. Hunter's chippy (not chirpy) attitude which almost borders on irreverance or angers at times at the lack of historical perspective current church planters take in addressing this issue.  The basic premise of the book?  Church history in the form of how the Celtic's evangelized (specifically St. Patrick, yes, of St. Patrick Day's fame) gives us a resounding answer.  After tracing the effects Patrick had on evangelizing the Irish and Europe, the book elucidates key method's of the Celtics that Dr. Hunter says should be applied today.   Here's a snapshot of what Patrick and the Celtics did:

    > They evangelised in communities ("apostolic bands"). 
    > Christianity was a movement, not an institution. 
    > They practiced the idea that the seeker needed to "belong before they believed."  
    > They were deeply given to the "ministry of conversation."
    > They were deeply committed to the "ministry of hospitality."
    > They were committed to understanding the people among whom they lived.

The book has its "academic moments" but is clearly inspired by a passion for the lost and recovering "methods" that can aid the church in doing so.   

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This is a wonderful little book by Roxanne Brant.  It calls us back to our first ministry.  I was greatly refreshed in reading Roxanne's thoughts, and it underscored again for me the primacy of ministering to the Lord as our first responsibilty.  In this day and age, even the phrase "ministering to the Lord" can seem archaic or out of date, given all our seeker-sensitive strategies, and desires to be relevant, yet we mustn't forsake this first practice.  I encourage of all you to become acquainted with the lessons of this book, and put it into practice.  It will truly make you a spirit-filled, Jesus-reflecting person.

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Recently bought a counseling book on the strength of it's outline.  I was wanting to update my library with some fresh marriage materials, but didn't have time to read the book more in-depthly at the bookstore.  Just finished it.  Except for the outline, I'm sorry I bought the book.  I didn't judge the book by its cover, but I did by it's outline.  I got fooled.  The outline is great, in fact I'll use it for future, but I won't be recommending anyone to buy the book.  The nine topics the author recommends to discuss in preparation for marriage are:  kids, careers, money, family, home, roles, leisure, and religion.  Solid stuff, but after that, not so solid.  Lesson: This experience in book buying reminded me that my previous habits of vetting a book's contents in part by endorsers, and success on the best seller list is good metric.  Not fail safe, but certainly improves one's chances of getting a good book.  This book had neither.  :(

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