Recommendations

Monday Mentions 4.12.21

A Book I’m Reading – The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

John Mark Comer wrote an incredible book that provides a path toward emotional and spiritual health. I previously recommended the podcast built around the same concepts last year. If you didn’t check out the book then, I’d highly recommend checking it out now.

From Amazon:

“Who am I becoming?”

That was the question nagging pastor and author John Mark Comer. Outwardly, he appeared successful. But inwardly, things weren’t pretty. So he turned to a trusted mentor for guidance and heard these words:

“Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life.”

It wasn’t the response he expected, but it was—and continues to be—the answer he needs. Too often we treat the symptoms of toxicity in our modern world instead of trying to pinpoint the cause. A growing number of voices are pointing at hurry, or busyness, as a root of much evil.

Within the pages of this book, you’ll find a fascinating roadmap to staying emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world.

A Fascinating Conversation About What Happens in our Brains When We Engage in Spiritual Practices

Pastor Chuck Allen and Julie Homrich, LPC sat down Sunday to talk about the integration of faith and counseling. In particular, they talked about what’s happening in our brains when we engage in spiritual practices. They introduced me to a new concept – Neurotheology.

A Mindfulness App Built on Scripture – Soulspace

Chuck Allen introduced this app to me a few days ago. It is a meditation app that is built on scripture. If you use the link above, you’ll receive a free month of their premium offering.

I have made it a habit to spend about 10 minutes a day in mindfulness at least 5 days a week. These relatively few minutes have a fantastic return on investment: lower stress, clearer thinking, & better sleep to name a few.

A Quote from I’m Thinking About

Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life.” – Dallas Willard

Monday Mentions 4.05.21

A Book I’m Reading – Leading Things You Didn’t Start

Tyler Reagin is a great guy with incredible insights. Most leaders will inherit the church or organization they’ll lead. It is inspiriting to hear about start-ups, but I think it’s equally inspiring to learn of leaders who build on the past and envision a brighter future.

From Amazon:

Sure, it’s inspirational when we hear stories about those who founded companies from their garages with one hundred dollars cash while in high school. But such success is super rare and not always how it plays out for great leaders.

The reality is that most leaders are responsible for corporations, teams, and products they didn’t launch from the ground up. Tyler Reagin saw the immense need to address this mission-critical but often overlooked aspect of leadership: healthy transition for leaders who inherit teams, places, or platforms others created.

His groundbreaking book Leading Things You Didn’t Start provides a faith-based four-step plan that answers practical questions such as:

• Do I really want to take over something loved by so many?
• Is there a secret sauce to doing what the leaders before me did?
• How do I get the current team on board with my leadership?
• How do I honor the past without being trapped by it?
• How do I steward the legacy of the leaders who started the movement?

Through the use of tried-and-true coaching principles and practical case studies with leaders like Buzz Williams, head coach at Texas A&M, and Cheryl Bachelder, former CEO of Popeyes, Reagin helps you maximize your newfound influx of influence and master the intentions of an inheriting leader.

Fast Food Pizza – Your Pie

Your Pie is a fast-casual pizza joint with lots of options! You can pick your dough, sauces, cheeses, and unlimited toppings. The pizza is cooks for 4 minutes in an 800-degree brick oven. I like that they have a cauliflower crust option.

An App worth Mentioning Again (& Again) – Goodnotes

I mention this app almost every year … it is so good! Goodnotes is the app that helps me leave paper behind, stay organized, and keep my important documents at hand. I use this app every day for reading and notetaking.

A Quote from I’m Thinking About

As a leader, you have to fight to master the basic in order to create the great.” – Tyler Reagin

Monday Mentions 3.29.21

A Book I’m Reading – The Glorious Pursuit

I started reading this book last week. Some days I read a section or two. Other days I read entire chapters. My goal in reading this type of book is to really absorb the content and allow it to change me. This book will really help you become more like Jesus.

From Amazon:

“When we practice the virtues of Christ,” writes bestselling author Gary Thomas, “we become who God created us to be.” In this classic book of spiritual formation, we encounter true discipleship―the life we were made for―by observing Jesus in his daily life: his interactions with the people around him, his reactions and responses to spiritual warfare, his thoughtful engagement of complicated questions about faith and profound temptations. Jesus embodied the virtues that God has invited us all to cultivate. This book becomes instrumental to our spiritual growth.

There aren’t a lot of books that focus squarely on classical Christian virtues; those that do often approach the topic in a scholarly, detached fashion. Gary Thomas has a deep concern for the spiritual vitality of his audience, and that concern comes through in this book.

Gary Thomas is one of the most celebrated writers on spiritual formation, with beloved books sitting alongside other contemporary classics by authors such as Dallas Willard, James Bryan Smith, and Richard Foster. In his distinct style, he provides a heartfelt survey of humility, chastity, generosity, patience, perseverance, and more, as demonstrated in the life of Jesus. These virtues are for us, and this book draws lines from our lived experience to the lived experience of Christ, and back to us, pointing the way to a more vibrant faith and a more fulfilling life.

A Great Executive Coach – Rick Forbus of Trove Inc.

Coaching has really helped me as a leader, husband, and follower of Jesus. I have had several coaches and mentors over the years and I couldn’t recommend engaging with a coach more. Our leadership team meets with coach Rick Forbus both individually and as a team once a month. He has helped us break through invisible barriers and accomplish more than we expected. Rick is funny, insightful, and a true partner in helping you and your team grow. If you have considered connecting with a coach, I’d highly recommend Rick. It will make a difference!

An App for Keeping Up with Everything – Evernote

I have used Evernote for years. It is essentially my digital filing cabinet. I store meeting notes, web articles, and random writing projects I’m working on. Development seemed to lag for a few years, but I am really looking forward to what Evernote has coming in the future.

A Quote from I’m Thinking About

The deception is that looking like you’re twenty-five when you’re fifty, or fifty when you’re seventy, is somehow worthy of more time and money and attention than growing in Christlikeness, whatever your age may be….The Glorious Pursuit—that is, the spiritual call to practice the virtues in the same way that a body builder lifts weights to shape his or her physique—is a cherished ancient practice in the Christian tradition, though it has grown out of favor as of late. Growing in the virtues won’t save us; but salvation must lead to growing in the virtues or one could question the reality of our salvation experience.” – Gary Thomas

Monday Mentions 3.15.21

A Book I’m Re-reading – Primal Leadership

I’m not sure I can recommend this book strongly enough for anybody that aspires to lead. I read this book for the first time a few years ago. I’m grateful I picked it up again!

From Amazon:

This is the book that established “emotional intelligence” in the business lexicon—and made it a necessary skill for leaders.

Managers and professionals across the globe have embraced Primal Leadership, affirming the importance of emotionally intelligent leadership. Its influence has also reached well beyond the business world: the book and its ideas are now used routinely in universities, business and medical schools, and professional training programs, and by a growing legion of professional coaches.

This refreshed edition, with a new preface by the authors, vividly illustrates the power—and the necessity—of leadership that is self-aware, empathic, motivating, and collaborative in a world that is ever more economically volatile and technologically complex. It is even timelier now than when it was originally published.

From bestselling authors Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee, this groundbreaking book remains a must-read for anyone who leads or aspires to lead.

An App that Looks Very Interesting – Mesmerize

This is a visual meditation app that looks intriguing. This app offers a way to clear your mind and relax with a unique audio-visual meditation experience.

A Great Way to Work on Strength at Home – ThereBand Resistance Bands

One thing I continue to work on at home is strengthening my rotator cuff muscles. I’ve found that these bands are perfect for this. They make it easy to work on my strength as well as my posture without going to the gym.

A Quote from I’m Thinking About

This emotional task of the leader is primal—that is, first—in two senses: It is both the original and the most important act of leadership.” – Daniel Goleman

Monday Mentions 3.1.21

A Book I’m Reading – A Time for Mercy

I’ve been reading this John Gresham book each night when I go to bed. I find that I sleep better and dream more when I read a bit of fiction before bed.

John Gresham’s books are typically easy to read and don’t take long to get into. This one is no different. Since this book is based on the character from A Time to Kill, I picture some of the movie actors as I’m reading the book.

From Amazon:

Jake Brigance is back! The hero of A Time to Kill, one of the most popular novels of our time, returns in a courtroom drama that The New York Times says is “riveting” and “suspenseful.”

Clanton, Mississippi. 1990. Jake Brigance finds himself embroiled in a deeply divisive trial when the court appoints him attorney for Drew Gamble, a timid sixteen-year-old boy accused of murdering a local deputy. Many in Clanton want a swift trial and the death penalty, but Brigance digs in and discovers that there is more to the story than meets the eye. Jake’s fierce commitment to saving Drew from the gas chamber puts his career, his financial security, and the safety of his family on the line.

In what may be the most personal and accomplished legal thriller of John Grisham’s storied career, we deepen our acquaintance with the iconic Southern town of Clanton and the vivid cast of characters that so many readers know and cherish. The result is a richly rewarding novel that is both timely and timeless, full of wit, drama, and—most of all—heart.

Bursting with all the courthouse scheming, small-town intrigue, and stunning plot twists that have become the hallmarks of the master of the legal thriller, A Time for Mercy is John Grisham’s most powerful courtroom drama yet.

There is a time to kill and a time for justice. Now comes A Time for Mercy.

My Favorite Way to Read – Kindle Oasis

I love physical books, but I’ve run out of space for them. The Kindle Oasis is the newest version of Amazon’s popular e-reader. It can hold thousands of books, but only weighs a few ounces. The current version has some features to make it easier to read at night without interrupting your melatonin production. If you don’t own a Kindle, I’d recommend giving one a try. You can buy a refurbished or used basic Kindle for pretty cheap.

A Fun Game – Play Nine

This is a fun game!

From Amazon:

hole in one: play nine, the card game of golf, is a fun and exciting twist on the classic game of golf. just like the actual game, the person with the lowest score wins!
all ages: recommended for ages 8 and up, play nine has easy to follow instructions and simple game play so the whole family can join in on a round and play a hole or two.
play: players are dealt 8 cards with a discard and draw pile at the center. players then take turns drawing, discarding, or trading their cards for the lowest value cards.
any occasion: perfect for family game night, reunions, holiday parties, or as a down time activity, this match game is just the thing to keep everyone entertained and having a ball.
specifications: for 2-6 players. recommended for ages 8+. includes 2 decks of premium play nine cards (108 cards), easy to follow game instructions, scorecards, and a pencil. play time: 15-20 min.
Skill level: Novice, Intermediate, Expert

A Quote from I’m Thinking About

Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.” – Viktor Frankl

Let’s change the world together!