Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Neighbors + Wise Men

I have a friend from college who knows Tony the Beat Poet from Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz. Tony has written a book, Neighbors + Wise Men.


I could relate a lot to what Tony was saying throughout the book because he had to unlearn quite a bit of religion he grew up with in order to relate better to people and reach a healthier state of being.

Tony shares his experiences abroad in Albania, surviving seminary, conversations in Portland pubs, and interacting with students at Reed College.

I started reading this book without a highlighter. Eventually I broke down and started marking up my book because even though he's sharing his stories, there's so many great lessons!

"What if sharing the gospel was... like sharing a sunset?... As you share a sunset, you must stand shoulder to shoulder, not face to face. When you share a sunset, both observers are caught up in the glory and beauty and mystery. When you share a sunset, everyone present has equal opportunity to contribute; anyone can have a thought to share or implication to suggest. It is a remarkably shared experience" (172).

Because of his stories of interacting with people, I want to be a better person. Tony shared so many lessons from who he met, no matter their religious beliefs. He was able to learn from every person he encountered, which is a great way to live life.

Sometimes when I read books I am ready to finish them and the writing gets worse as the book goes on, but this one just became even BETTER! The last few chapters were really challenging.

Tony has a new book coming out soon and I can't wait to read it!

Coming January 2015: ALOOF: Figuring out life with a GOD who HIDES.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Leaders Eat Last

If you're a leader, get to know the name Simon Sinek. He also wrote Start with Why. I presented a TED Talk to my protege class on that book and decided to follow up with another TED Talk on his latest book, Leaders Eat Last.


This book was engaging. It is applicable in every situation -- ministry and marketplace positions. The main thing I got from the book was creating a Circle of Safety within your workplace environment. 

It's the difference between working a job where you don't know your co-workers to feeling like you BELONG somewhere and enjoy getting to know your co-workers on a deeper level than work. 

I will never adequately review this book because there's just so much inside, but I will highly recommend it for people seeking to improve their leadership. 

Here's my TED Talk (and you can definitely find Simon Sinek's talks online):