Beaconhill NW

This past week I was reading “Deadly Viper Character Assassins” by Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite.  I found many practical insights for my marriage, ministry, parenting, and business.  I shared a story from the chapter titled “The Assassin of Character Creep” with my children to illustrate how cutting corners can be deadly:

“the Titanic sank because of three million faulty rivets that held the steel to the ship’s hull.  Apparently, during the manufacturing of these rivets, the plant cut a few corners and used sub-standard iron to save a few bucks.  The force of the collision with the iceberg created immense pressure on the rivets, which caused them to catastrophically fall.  Thus, the steel plating of the ship’s hull catapulted off the frame allowing the freezing waters of the Atlantic to rush inside the doomed ship.”

“We must realize life is about the rivets, the little details.  We must acknowledge whether we are cutting corners and identify where we are vulnerable.  When the pressure comes, will we be able to stand the force, or will our hull be compromised?”

This is the kind of book that you can give out to anyone-collegues , friends, clients.  It has a universal flavor that is a great primer for discussions.  This organization had a huge impact on me in the past year as a leader in my home, career, and ministry.  The authors do a pretty good job of living out these principles of radical grace and radical integrity…not perfect, but looking to be excellent in those areas.

The one assassin that I most identify with is The Assassin of Amped Emotions.  I read Jud’s section and then shared it with my wife.  For years I’ve struggled with a short-fuse.  And when this beast rears it’s ugly head…no one wants to claim me…

One quote really stood out

“Anger is a signal, and one worth listening to.”

This assassin wants you to feel threatened, insecure, and to be overly focused on your shortcomings.  They give several pointers to get you headed in the right direction:

-Identify your pathway: identify the triggers

-be mad about the right things: it’s a choice

-be fast to forgive: you make the choice

I found a lot of good, solid common sense stuff that some of us need reminders about.  These could be things you’ve overlooked.  And there are mirrored-images of biblical principles throughout.  So if you are reading Deadly Viper book or blog with a furrowed brow…stop it.  There are not books like this in the CBD catalog…This is not a self-help book.  It’s a get-off-your-butt and start living right with grace and integrity.  Step into the dojo and practice the principles.

DISCLAIMER: This blogger was sent an advanced copy to review by the authors.

In this short book author Mark Greene attempts to explore the simple question, “How does what I am about to do affect relationships?” His hope is to help his readers find satisfaction in a frazzled world.

I have to admit that Mr. Green had some difficulty in capturing my attention.  He writes in short paragraphs that appear to be thoughts, but they don’t always seem to have a sense of continuity with the rest of the chapter.  He seems to think that every single decision we make has a relational impact on those around us….even the purchase of a microwave.  What about pizza? Does the pizza that I order affect those around me?

I found much of the book to be a combination of an attempt at a self-help to re-focus on building relationships, complaints on socio-political issues that I have no idea about, and  brief reflections on scripture.  I would suggest that if you are going to write a devotional book…write it.  But too much of this book mixes and matches with topics and context that leaves me wondering why I bothered to read it.  I even read ahead to find some hope. But, alas, it was not found.

Perhaps Mr. Greene is writing to a different audience that I am familiar with? Perhaps you should stick with speaking on contemporary culture at conferences around the world?  I’m not even sure that I will keep this book. 

Jesse Rice gives us valuable insights regarding our innate need for connection and how it is most clearly revealed in the experience of dis-connection.  Dropped cell phone calls, the loss of a job or career opportunity, a romantic breakup, the death of a loved one-each kind of disconnection alerts us to the fact that we were meant to connect.  He uses BBC’s Television series Horizon as an excellent choice to explain further how six people subjected themselves to forty-eight hours of sensory deprivation.

I was hooked to the remainder of the book once I read the second chapter Revolution which gives us a history behind Facebook and it’s founder Mark Zuckerberg.  One quote that stood out was from Clive Thompson who calls Facebook “the most significant intergenerational shift since rock’n roll.”

What’s fascinating is that Rice does a great job explaining the spiritual, psychological, physical ramifications of this shift and how it is changing how we live, worship, and relate to the world around us.

We’ve all experienced the emotional buzz that Rice talks about that keeps us thirsty for more.  We get chills up our spine when we reconnect with our friends and family from the past.

He leaves us at the end of the book with this question:

“How can we take our co-creative tools modeled by Jesus-intentionality, humility, and authenticity-and use them to make something good like Facebook even better?”

5 points to put this into action:

1-Practice regular check-ins with ourselves

2-Make the intention to not go online immediately before bed and immediately after waking up

3-Practice mindful Facebooking

4-Practice authentic Facebooking

5-Adopt one or two Facebook friends for one month

I know what you are thinking…”Why is he reviewing a book about women and leadership?”