The Grace of God by Andy Stanley Book Review

By E. Brown

Grace.

It’s something we all want. It’s something we all need. It’s something we have difficulty extending to others, especially those who have hurt us.

I have read several theological books on the grace of God over the years and I have to say this is one of the better books. The writing style and treatment of the topic will appeal to both church-goers and non-church-goers; both lay-people and lay-leaders.

While many equate the biblical Old Testament with God’s wrath and the New Testament with God’s grace, North Point Community Church senior pastor and author, Andy Stanley, does an excellent job of demonstrating God’s grace as a continuous theme from the beginning of creation up to our current day.

In The Grace of God, there is plenty of good news for those who have adopted a distorted view of the Bible and Christianity. Unfortunately, many who claim to follow the teaching of Christ have often been the source of these distortions. An adherence to rules-based religion and the demand for others to adhere becomes the main road block for most people outside the faith.

You’ll be glad to hear:

• God initiated a relationship with his people even before he told them what the rules were.
• Grace is not reserved for good people; grace underscores the goodness of God.
• God didn’t give the law to make us good. He gave the law to expose our sin.
• Receiving grace is often easier than dispensing it.

Some of the chapters to highlight are:

In the Beginning Grace – “In the beginning God created, and this was a marvelous act of grace. But that was just the beginning.”

Redeemed By Grace – “The Ten Commandments do not stand in contrast to grace; they are introduced within the story of God’s grace.”

Accepted By Grace – “The story of Jesus is the story of God drawing near to those who had pulled away by sin and were subsequently pushed away by the self-righteous.”

Although the book is only 214 pages (paper back) it is composed of bite-sized chapters and subsections which make it easy to read. However, do not be surprised if you find yourself often pausing after you have read a portion of a chapter to consider the principles and implications of those principles.

Many may read this book and have a hard time digesting the content. What-abouts are sure to abound. Grace can seem like a slippery slope – easy to take advantage of and abuse. But, to add anything to grace no longer makes it what it is. Like Stanley says, “Perhaps it is this tension that has driven churches and Christians through the centuries to add and subtract from grace. There’s something in most of us that screams, It can’t be that easy! But as much as we want to qualify grace, it can’t be qualified.”

It’s not humanly rational. It’s almost irrational. I guess that’s why it is often called amazing. It’s not our grace – it’s the grace  of God.

Comment below with you thoughts on this topic or the book.

Illusion By Frank Peretti Book Review

By E. Brown

Ever since I read This Present Darkness I have been a fan of Frank Peretti. I think I have read all of his novels. Every time I read one of his new stories I am intrigued by the subject matter and the subtle plot twists Peretti makes as he weaves his unfolding tale and memorable characters together. Like the previous works, Peretti’s newest novel does not disappoint. Illusion, is another excellent book you’ll want to add to your reading list.

While I would classify many of his other books as supernatural thrillers, his last book, Monster, and this one I would call more of a psychological science thriller. “How so?” you might ask. Well, I cannot say too much without giving away the surprises within Illusion.

The story begins with a crash – literally, and then begins to piece together fragments of story lines until the climactic finale. One fragment is Dane, half of the magic act of Dane and Mandy. With the loss of his wife he has become despondent and depressed. Moving into the house he and his wife had bought for retirement, Dane attempts to find new relevance for living while mourning for his former love.

Another fragment is Mandy. She feels displaced in time. Everyone and everything she has ever known seems to have disappeared or changed. But, there is one love that has been consistent in her turbulent life and it is her love and wonder of magic.

The last fragment is The Machine. What is it the machine? How does it hold sway over the lives of these characters? Can it be or should it be stopped?

All these elements make for a fast paced intertwining roller coaster ride. You will ascend slowly as anticipation builds but once the story hits its stride you will not want to put the book down. In Illusion, Peretti weaves a masterful tale of love, longing, faith, and discovery amidst chaotic and, sometimes, catastrophic events.

Pick up a copy for your Summer reading and enjoy Illusion.

BONUS

In reviewing this book for Handlebar, I have an extra copy to provide as a free give-away. To enter your name in the drawing, simply comment below why you’d like a copy of the book and include an email address where I can reach you. The drawing will be held at the end of May 4, 2013 – in time for a good Summer read. The cut off for entry will be 11:00pm (Pacific Time) on May 3, 2013. Unfortunately, this drawing will be limited to those with a North American mailing address. Sorry, that postage is coming out of my pocket. Comment below now for your chance to win a free paperback copy of Illusion by Frank Peretti!

Is A Balanced Life Really Attainable?

Note: Reposted as a good reminder

This is one of those primary yet tough life principles for me. I have learned that I need others in my life to hold me accountable to this principle. Accountable to my dreams, goals, and aspirations as a businessman, father, and husband. What is this primary life principle? It is balance.

I can still hear Mr. Miyagi yelling at Daniel LaRusso in the movie, The Karate Kid, “Balance Daniel-san, balance!” There is some truth to this in the concept of “life-balance”. We’re all torn in two directions, as illustrated below:

Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Speaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Productivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . Serving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Giving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Applying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Confidence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Duty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . External Life . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Leisure Meditation Following Listening Recreation Waiting Receiving Learning Humility Solitude Freedom Sorrow Internal Life

So, how do you find balance? Is it appropriate or even possible in this day and age to find balance in life? With all the competing areas above, most people settle for focusing on one area alone.

Sacrifice For The Sake of Excellence
Excelling in one area is good, right? Where would Michael Jordan be, or Donald Trump be unless they excelled in one focused area? By no means am I suggesting we stoop to the level of mediocrity. Yet, while unbridled attention in one area may bring success, it almost always brings failures in many other areas. For example, “it is not uncommon to discover a physician who fails as a parent, an entertainer who fails as a spouse, a pastor who neglects personal health, or an executive who fails at all the other areas,” says author and educator, Dr. Richard Swenson. Stanford Physicist, Dr. Richard Bube, recommends a more balanced approach so that we do not fall into, what he calls, “negative excellence.” A person who chooses to strive for high degrees of excellence in one or two areas often fails in others. While, the person who choses to live balanced has no outstanding levels of excellence but, they do not have any areas of failure either.

There Is An Answer
You’ll be glad to know that life balance is attainable. It starts with time. You thought I was going to say priorities. Business people practice prioritizing a lot. The mistake is, prioritizing dictates that one area is more important than another. What I am saying is that all these areas are important and that to attain balance we need to start with the time we give to each.

Learn to say “no.” In today’s Western society it is easy to overload and overbook ourselves. Saying “no” puts you in control of your time demands. This leads to the next item: Get better control of your life.

Getting control means overthrowing the tyrannical rule of the urgent. Reorient your life around the important, not the urgent things of life.

Next, watch out for the circular trappings of trying to find the imbalance in your life. In doing so you run the risk of becoming even more unbalanced. George Rust warns, “We respond to our sense of imbalance by committing more time and energy to an area in which we feel deficient.” The last thing you need is to commit more time than you have.

Finally, be considerate of others trying to live a balanced life. If someone tells you “no”, learn to accept it. Just because we choose to overburden ourselves doesn’t mean we have to do the same to others.

Balance is attainable. It takes work but it can be done. You might consider sharing your desire to live a balanced-life with a close friend and then ask them to hold you accountable. Give them permission to ask you how you’re doing on a regular basis — and, be honest in your reply.

Related Links
- Living More With Less
- The Overload Syndrome
- Margin
- A Minute of Margin

Are You A Dreamer?

Do you feel misunderstood?

Do you have trouble remembering details and instructions?

Do you love positive feedback, yet not desire to conform to the cultural mold of expectations?

You are not alone.

Lately, I have been doing reading about cognitive styles. Primarily, there is plenty of information about strong-willed children/adults and High-D personalities as well as compliant children/adults. Yet, there is little information out about “Dreamers.”

Dr. Dana Spears and Dr. Ron Braund have a very interesting book on Dreamers, the passionate-creative-culture-changers of the world. Join me soon for a more in depth look at this type of individual and see if you are a mold breaker.

Don’t Be Amongst The Millions Of Apathetic

What The Heck Is A Cartoon Doing On This Blog?

By E. Brown

If you noticed the recent addition of the Jaggedsmile widget in the sidebar, you may be wondering what the heck is going on? Need I remind you, this blog is dedicated to:

…common sense leadership/management, innovative developments in training, creativity, out-of-the-box ideas and business solutions, fun in learning and at work, tips and how-to’s, community building, and personal change. My desire is to present information that inspires readers to apply what they learn — and to have fun while doing so.

Call me optimistic, or as some, call me weird, but I believe that these areas (common sense leadership, creativity, fun learning, and personal change), working together, have untapped potential for impacting the future.
- From the WG page

Need I say more?

Leadership – Take A Personal Moral Inventory

By E. Brown

Every good leader I know, at least the ones worth following, take regular intervals of time for personal introspection. “Well, of course, that’s a good business practice,” you might say. Yet, rarely do people in leadership positions look at their moral compass. That thing inside them that guides their thoughts and consequently their actions throughout the years. Common sense tells us this would be a good exercise, but it sure is hard to put into practice, right?

Why is it hard? That is for you to figure out.

Below I have listed several areas for inspection to encourage you along the way. Set some time aside and reflect on these. It may be hard, because you will not like what you see. That could imply a need for change and change does not come easily, but it can have great rewards.

Self Examination Areas
Personal Life
- What consumes my thought life?
- Do I lie?
- What are the health of my relationships?
- Do I respect the opposite sex?
- Do I want what is not mine?

Public Life
- How do I treat employees?
- How do I treat my peers?
- Do I care about those less fortunate?
- What do I think about the needy?
- Am I genuinely interested in community causes?

Spiritual Life
- How do I use my money?
- What is my attitude toward revenge?
- Am I a hospitable person?
- In all things, what’s my motivation?

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WeirdGuy Blog Needs You!

Message From Eric - a.k.a. the WeirdGuy

As a reader of WeirdGuy blog I’d like to humbly ask you to help me. I have a short 10 question survey running from August 28 – September 7, 2008 on Zoomerang.  The survey should take 2-3 minutes to run through. Your thoughtful responses will aid me in future developments for this blog.

I realize I am asking you to volunteer your time, but I value your opinion. Please follow the link provided today — the survey is only available for 10 days.

And, if the survey takes longer than 2-3 minutes then you can feel free to spam me with your hate mail.

Thank you for your patronage…can I say “patronage”?…whatever, you know what I mean.

By the way, I’ll reveal the findings here on WeirdGuy when the survey is up, so if you want your response to count, now is the time to act…now! If you do not care, then what are you doing here at WeirdGuy blog to begin with?

Time Off WeirdGuy Blog – Just One Week

By E. Brown

I’ll be taking a week off to focus on closing out a project (July 28-August 1). More to come from the lessons learned during this engagement. It’s a really cool online course with custom hooks into a client app. The back-end was designed as “plug and play” so content can quickly and easily be swapped out while still being applicable to the course testing and grading scenarios.

See you in a week.

Advice On How To Stay Young

1. Try everything twice.

On Madams tombstone (of Whelan’s and Madam) she said she wanted this epitaph: Tried everything twice…loved it both times!

2. Keep only cheerful friends.

The grouches pull you down. (keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches)

3. Keep learning!

Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain get idle. ‘An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.’ And the devil’s name is Alzheimer’s!

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long, and loud.

Laugh until you gasp for breath. And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with HIM/HER.

6. The tears happen.

Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. LIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love.

Whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health.

If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don’t take guilt trips.

Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity!

11. Forgive now those who made you cry…you might not get a second time.

Prince Caspian (the Movie) Delivers!

Editor’s Note: No matter what you may think of the C.S. Lewis‘ Narnia Chronicles, you have to see Prince Caspian! I took my family on opening night and everyone agreed it was great. Aside from one scene where my youngest had to close his eyes, the movie was by far a big achievement for the director, Andrew Adamson.

For those that have read the books, you’ll find there were many creative liberties taken. Don’t be dismayed — the essence of the story is true to form, while the screen play allows for audience members, who may have never had exposure to the books or previous film, to come up to speed.

By Tiffani Barnes

The second installment in The Chronicles of Narnia series has hit theaters, and it far exceeds its predecessor. The opening of Prince Caspian finds the Pevensie children at a train station traveling to school when they are suddenly transported from the platform to the coastline of Narnia. While only a year has pasted for the children, it has been more than 1300 years for Narnia. As Trumpkin (played by Peter Dinklage) later tells them, they “may find Narnia a more savage place than when [they] left.”

Prince Caspian is a darker movie than its predecessor with battle and fight scenes that resemble The Lord of the Rings. Director Andrew Adamson, however, chose to leave much of the blood and violence to the imagination, which allows the movie to remain suitable for younger viewers without robbing the story of its power. The character of Reepicheep, a sword-wielding mouse (voiced by Eddie Izzard), provided a great deal of comic relief, which helps to break up the more intense moments in the film.

The visual effects, writing and acting in Prince Caspian are all improved over The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Whereas in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe the children didn’t seem completely comfortable in their characters and so gave, at times, stilted and awkward performances, in Prince Caspian the young actors seem at home in their character’s skin.

The movie isn’t without its teachable moments either—themes of humility, patience, trust, and what can happen when greed and anger take over are found throughout the film. They are subtle and woven nicely into the fabric of the film, instead of sticking out like a flashing neon sign on a dark night.

The Bottom Line: Prince Caspian is worth the price of admission and would make a great outing for the whole family. At two hours and 20 minutes, the film might be a bit long for younger viewers, but it does a good job of holding the audience’s attention.

Related Links
- Movie Site
- C.S. Lewis (Wikipedia)
- Prince Caspian Review (Wired.com)

Weird Week In Review – Mar. 28

In case you missed last week, here is your one stop review of all things from WeirdGuy blog. Have fun!

4 Things That Will Change Your Life

Hilarious “Cat Man Do” Video

Networking, Character, and Competency Still Matter

Rethinking Life and Relationships With Web 2.0

Quotable Quote – Cicero

Blogging, The Long Tail, And Leading vs. Following

Quotable Quote – Plato

How To Make Bananas Foster

Related Links
- Weird Week In Review (Mar. 21)
- Weird Week In Review (Mar. 14)
- Weird Week In Review (Mar. 7)

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4 Things That Will Change Your Life

By E. Brown

We like to have background noise — whether we’re in the car, at home, or in the office — we have the radio or TV on or the sounds of kids and coworkers keep a constant white noise. How many of us like quiet and solitude? How many like introspection?

More often than not, our outer life is the result of our inner life. Try as we might to hide certain aspects of ourselves, our character and motivations leak out. Do we like what we see? Do others? Here are four tips that will change your inner life and, consequently, impact your outer life:

1. Allow time to spend in solitude and silence.
2. Surround yourself with good counselors — this includes family, friends, and professionals.
3. Strive for balance in your personal life, family life, and work life — prioritize your time.
4. Be accountable to someone(s) — a life examined is a successful life.

Enjoy!

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Weird Week In Review – Mar. 7

Your one stop review of all things from last week on WeirdGuy blog – Have fun!

Managing Your Online Reputation

Creative Parent Training

Leadership: Are You Making Heaven Or Hell On Earth?

10 Tips For Using Direct Mail To Boost Your Network

3 Tips For Niche Marketing Success

Related Links
- Weird Week In Review (Feb. 29)
- Weird Week In Review (Feb. 22)
- Weird Week In Review (Feb. 1)

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Leadership: Are You Making Heaven Or Hell On Earth?

By E. Brown

I saw this story and thought about it in the context of leadership and management. Take a moment to read it and tell me what kind of leader or manager you’re becoming.

holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said,
“Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.”

The Lord led the holy man to two doors.

He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle
of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a
large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s
mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and
sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with
very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it
possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But
because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the
spoons back into their mouths.

The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.

The Lord said, “You have seen Hell.”

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the
same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large
pot of stew which made the holy man’s mouth water. The people were
equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were
well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, “I
don’t understand.”

It is simple,” said the Lord.
“It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each
other, while the greedy think only of themselves.”

- Author Unknown

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Weird Week In Review – Feb. 22

Your one stop review of all things from WeirdGuy. Have fun!

Candle Unlike No Other (PIC)

Innovation and Authenticity

Do We Need To Justify Innovation?

Peter Pan and Willy Wonka On Creative Thinking

Stop Making Cold Calls and Use Your Power Team

A Leaders’ “Heart” Opens Organizations To Possibilities

Related Links
- Weird Week In Review (Feb. 1)
- Weird Week In Review (Jan. 25)

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A Leaders’ “Heart” Opens Organizations To Possibilities

A friend sent me this yesterday. I like the analogy of the “heart” of the leader and it’s effect on the “heart” of the organization. Enjoy.

By Mike Hyatt 

As a leader, you pump possibility into every person and every project. Possibility is what keeps the organization alive. Your organization can survive without your experience, your knowledge, or your skills. They, too, are important but not essential. However, your organization cannot survive without your heart.  The most important thing you can do as a leader is to keep your heart open. What do I mean? Think of it this way. When your heart is closed:

• You are distant and aloof.
• You don’t connect to people.
• Communication shuts down.
• You leave people to fend for themselves.
• You focus on what people are doing wrong.
• You are critical and demanding.
• People feel oppressed.

The result? Possibility dries up and the organization begins to die.

Conversely, when your heart is open:

• You are fully present and accessible.
• You connect to people.
• Communication is wide open.
• You are a resource to your people.
• You may focus on what is missing, but not on who is wrong.
• You are affirming and encouraging.
• People feel free.

The result? Possibility flows through the organization and the organization grows and develops.

The bottom line is this: it matters if your heart is open or closed. It will have a tangible impact on your organization. The good news is that you can open your heart. This is the leader’s most important work. It is foundational to building a healthy organization.

The key is two-fold: awareness and discipline. With regard to the first, you must learn to discern the condition of your own heart. Is it open? Is it closed? Is it somewhere in between? I find that I have to check-in with myself several times a day. I call this a “heart check.” I ask, Where is my focus—right now? Is it in the past, where I am grieving over loss or regretting some situation? Or is it in the future, where I am worried about something that hasn’t happened yet. Either way, I am not present to what is happening now. If I sense that my heart is closed, I have a choice. I can either leave it that way or open it up. This is where discipline comes into play. I literally make a decision to open my heart up. I force myself to think about what is possible. I choose to see this situation—these people—from the lens of possibility. As a result, I am fully present, available to the potential that exists in any given situation or relationship.

Maintaining an open heart—pumping possibility through your organization—is the most important thing you can do as a leader. This is foundational.

The Power of Enthusiasm

By E. Brown

One of the questions I often ask speakers is, “Are you enthusiastic about your topic?” Whether it be a professional speaker, teacher, manager, or CEO the power of enthusiasm has a remarkable effect on people. When you are enthused and excited about a topic or project the people around you get excited too. When you are not enthusiastic about a topic or project — guess what? Yep, the people around you pick up on it and are not interested either.

The power of enthusiasm affects us all. Henry Ford said it well:

You can do anything if you have enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes rise to the stars. Enthusiasm is the spark in your eye, the swing in your gait, the grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of your will and your energy to execute your ideas. Enthusiasts are fighters, they have fortitude, they have staying qualities. Enthusiasm is at the bottom of all progress! With it there is accomplishment. Without it, there are only alibis.

Are you enthusiastic about…

- where you are in your job?
- the place that you work?
- the position you are in?
- your particular role on the team?
- where you are headed in your vocation?
- your personal relationships?
- what you are studying?
- the direction your life is headed?
- what will happen tomorrow?

As you can see, enthusiasm touches all aspects of our lives. Don’t settle for mediocrity. If you’re in a place that you are less than enthused about, what options or opportunities do you see around you? Can you get excited about what you’re doing or do you need a change of place and pace?

Life is and can be fun! Take a look around, assess the situation, and choose today what kind of enthusiasm you are going to show and teach. Enthusiasm is a powerful thing.

Related Articles
- Your Momma Was Right — Play Nice
- Need To Focus On The Good Stuff
- The Reciprocity Principle
- The Power Principle

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5 Keys To Success At Work And Life

By E. Brown

Author and coach, Dan Miller, offers these often overlooked factors that can become the keys to success in all you do. Although, these were originally aimed at the workplace, you will see that they have application across the broader spectrum of life. I hope you find them as encouraging as I did.

The 5 Keys To Success
1) Passion – Without passion a person drifts aimlessly through life taking each event and day as it comes. Fire fighting and rolling with the punches from week to week. But, a person with passion is a person with goals. They have a target and they are on the road to achievement.

2) Determination – Many talk about purpose today. Having a purpose in life and a purpose for the things done on a daily basis. When there is a purpose, there is determination to see it through. If an obstacle arises, it does not send a person spinning into other directions. An on-purpose person has the determination to stick it out and work through the obstacle to keep moving toward the goal.

3) Talent – There is a lot of talk today about talent. Finding your unique talent and strengths make you a better employee and person. As Jim Collins said in his book Good To Great and Marcus Buckingham said in his book Now Discover Your Strengths, not everyone is talented in every area. Yet, everyone has a talent. Wise is the person who discovers their talent and maximizes it.

4) Self-Discipline – Many dislike this word because it does not come natural. I struggle with this as well, but without self-discipline a person can be easily swayed. This is often the foundational character quality that the other keys are built upon.

5) Faith – You have done your research, you have crunched the numbers, you have talked with various people you trust, but there is still the uncertainty of the unknown. This is where faith comes into play. Sometimes you just have to step out. You cannot reach new heights by having both feet on the ground.

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Quotable Quote

It is good to dream, but it is better to dream and work. Faith is mighty, but action with faith is mightier. Desiring is helpful, but work and desire is invincible.

- Thomas R. Gaines