Knowing God by Name

Three generations of women work together to bring us an eight week study on different names of God.

I am convinced that the more we get to know the character of God, the more we will understand Him. Our lives and decisions are effected by how we view God. That makes this book, and studying God's names and character, one of the most important things in our journey with God.

My favorite week was week three based on the names that were in those chapters: All Present, The God Who Sees, My Hope, The Lord Who Heals, The Lord is There. 

I don't like the cover. It really bothers me that her feet are dangling, one splashing while the other is not within reach of the water. Did she lower herself and hoist herself up? No, she has a coffee cup in her hand. Minor detail, but it annoys me.

This is great for women's groups to study, since there are five days and questions and time to reflect for day six.

I reviewed this book for Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers Blogging for Books. I received this book for free in exchange for a review of the book.

Under the Tuscan Sun: Book

When I started reading the book, I imagined the story line would match up with this:

It did not. Other than it had the same name, set in Italy, and about a woman revamping a home. The details are not at all the same. In the book, she is married and comes to Italy with her husband. While they do end up hiring people to help them with the work, she and her husband do a lot of the labor alongside the workers. It was not at all what I expected. Don't get me wrong.... I love the movie -- Diane Lane is one of my favorite actresses. The book was great as well. I don't normally like books that include foreign languages stuck throughout the book, but Mayes does a great job of explaining what each word in Italian means rather than assuming you know the language or want to check Google translate every time a new word shows up.

I love and miss Italy. I could understand a lot of what she was saying in the book based on my own experiences in this fascinating country. "I have known him two summers and this is the first personal information we have exchanged" (65). It takes time to get to know the people of Italy.

I appreciate Mayes' style of writing, and I'm pretty sure we could be great friends. "I spread my books, cards, and notepaper around me and indulge in the rare art of writing letters to friends. A second indulgence goes straight back to high-school days - consuming a plate of brownies and a Coke while copying paragraphs and verses I like into my notebook.... Hours go by without the need to speak" (76).

"The house protects the dreamer; the houses that are important to us are the ones that allow us to dream in peace" (86).

Mayes points out three things that are essential to know if you plan to go to Italy: ferragosto (186), which is the fact that almost everything is closed for a month long vacation for Italians in August, passegiata hour, where you will find "hoards of people mingling, visiting, strolling, running errands" (234-235) and siesta (275), that beautiful part of the afternoon when stores close so people can rest, watch TV, or just enjoy being together.

She spent Christmas in Italy and described it as follows: "Is this much happiness allowed? I secretly asked myself.... Many Christmases in my adult life have been exquisite, especially when my daughter was a child. A few have been lonely. One was very rocky. Either way, the season of joy comes with a primitive urge that runs deep into the psyche" (214).

You can check out her website.

Start with Why

Simon Sinek's purpose in life is to inspire others to do what inspire them. He has challenged me to change my way of thinking about life. Oh, this book... The following are some of my favorite quotes:

"WHY does your company[, church, organization] exist? WHY do you get out of bed every morning? And WHY should anyone care" (39)?

"People don't buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it. A failure to communicate WHY creates nothing but stress and doubt" (58).

"We do better in cultures in which we are good fits. WE do better in places that reflect our own values and beliefs.... It is beneficial to live and work in a place where you will naturally thrive because your values and beliefs align with the values and beliefs of that culture" (90).

Chapter eight, Start with Why, But Know How, was my favorite, probably because I am more of a HOW person than a WHY person. I did a TED Talk style presentation based on this book and specifically chapter eight. The main point of that is that people who know WHY need people who know HOW (140).

You can check out Simon's START WITH WHY site.
You can check out Simon's new book due out in January, Leaders Eat Last.
You can check out Simon's own TED Talk. The link for the video is on the right column.

All In

Since I started working at NCC two months ago, reading Mark's books have become personal. I have loved his writing style since I discovered his books years ago, but now I better understand what he is sharing because I see it in real life. His love and passion for his family, Jesus, and the Church are the real deal.

His latest book, All In, was quite the sucker punch (as described in his own review).

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

"We want everything God has to offer without giving anything up" (25).

"Which do you love more: the dream God gave to you or the God who gave you the dream? Is your dream a means of glorifying God? Or has the dream become the end goal and God is the means of fulfilling it" (45)? Ouch. This was the point of the book that I had to shut it and process.

"What got you to where you are may not get you to where God wants you to go next" (55).

In chapter six, Mark mentions the protege program (which I am now a part of!). "We have a protege program at National Community Church. It's a one-year unpaid internship, which presents a huge financial challenge given the cost of living in DC. Proteges have to raise their own support to come. But if they are willing to make the financial sacrifice, they will get a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And God has a way of honoring those who are willing to give up a paycheck to pursue His calling (61). God has been so faithful to provide for me.

"We Facebook more than we seek His face. We text more than we study The Text. And our eyes aren't fixed on Jesus. They're fixed on our iPhones and iPads -- emphasis on 'i' Then we wonder why God feels so distant" (77).

I feel like if I keep going, I will give away all the good stuff... So I recommend you grab a copy of it for yourself!

The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back

Sometimes you just need a of young adult fiction from your free Amazon kindle books, ya know?

I chose this because it was easy to read and a good story.

I like reading young adult fiction because it's clean (for the most part). This was a high school romance story that included interesting family dynamics.

I could relate to her jealousy of her stepsister's life, but seeing both sides helps to understand each other better. 

"I acknowledged my lack of fashion sense many years ago, and had stuck to basic black ever since" (kindle 3). The main character, Mattie, and I are kindred spirits. 

Good quick read. 

Sticking Points

I have always found the topic of the generations fascinating. Shaw compares the four that have entered the workplace and challenges us to see each other differently. There are reasons behind our behaviors and what causes friction right now can be used to understand each other and work together well in the future.

It was great to get more information on the four generations in the workplace: Traditionalists (born before 1943), Boomers (1944-1964), Gen Xers (1965-1981), Millennials (1982-2003) (kindle location 162).

Part one of the book covers the ghost stories from each generation. These are events that have happened that affect how we process the twelve sticking points. These events affect the way we think and act.

Part two covers the twelve sticking points: communication, decision-making, dress code, feedback, fun at work, knowledge transfer, loyalty, meetings, policies, respect, training, and work ethic. Each generations' view is covered as well as ways you can discuss with your employees the issue in that chapter.

It was an overall good book. If you are looking to understand people (and their behaviors) better, I recommend this book. It covers four different generations that are in the marketplace and is mainly for working through differences at work. I noticed a few things about family members and co-workers from this book.

In exchange for this review, Tyndale Publishing gave me the book for free.

Ragamuffin Gospel

Ragamuffin Gospel is quickly becoming my second favorite book (after Mike Yaconelli's Messy Spirituality), which means I will be rereading this book in the future. 

I really like Brennan Manning's style of writing and the way he connects with the reader throughout the book. You never feel like he is on a pedestal because he lumps himself together with everyone, even exposing some of his own weaknesses in this book. 

"Sadly, the meaning of meal sharing is largely lost in the Christian community today. In the NEar East, to share a meal with someone is a guarantee of peace, trust, fraternity , and forgiveness -- the shared table symbolizes a shared life" (Kindle location 630).

In chapter five, he talks about the loss of wonder in our lives. "Creation doesn't calm our troubled spirits, restore our perspective, or delight us in every part of our being" (Kindle location 1021).

I loved the section that talked about the power of media. "Grace abounds in contemporary movies, books, novels, films, and music.... Most people understand imagery and symbol better than doctrine and dogma. Images touch hearts and awaken imaginations.... Troubadours have always been more important and influential than theologians and bishops" (Kindle location 1075).

I highly recommend this book.

I reviewed this book for Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers Blogging for Books. I received this book for free in exchange for a review of the book.