Musings on Spiritual Matters » Books

Read “The Seven Triggers to YES”

Matthew — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:53:17 +0000

In ministry, one must practice the highest form of leadership. There are no stock options to hand out, no firings to intimidate with, and no positional authority. The minister must have the art of persuasion as a skill. As a lot of ministers seem to read a book about preaching every year, I try to read several people skills books a year. This book is an excellent treatment of the classic tactics for influence. The book deals with the art of persuasion. There are certain laws that seem to heighten the percentage of agreement among people. They are friendship, authority, consistency, reciprocity, contrast, reason, and hope. These elements help us as ministers to present our cases for improvement, for development, and spiritual growth in a fashion that will gain a greater following. The book is a great review of these principles. If you have not read a good people skills book recently, I recommend this one for ministers.

Read “Rapid Chess Improvement”

Matthew — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:00:10 +0000

I know that most of my readers are not into chess, but chess is a part of my reading habit. For those who enjoy chess, here is another book review. This book seemed to promise a lot in regards to improvement in the game. I am always looking for a system to help me go to the next level in my chess skill. This book has some helpful ideas to improve as one is to work through the board with each piece and one is to master tactical problems over and over again. The problem with the book is that these projects must be completed by using 2-3 hours a study a day. Let’s face it, who has time for this with a job and a family. This book is for the person who is absorbed in chess, not the person who enjoys it as a hobby.

Read “Dixieland Delight”

Matthew — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 17:57:48 +0000

This book is a wonderful adventure through the various stadiums of the SEC Conference. One man, who is a passionate University of Tennessee fan travels across the South to visit every stadium. He takes part in all the festivities like the tailgate party, the after party, and any particular tradition that the home team has. He is a superb writer as the narrative flows with ever easiness and comical breath. This man who is a Vanderbilt law school graduate invites friends, family, and his wife along for the adventure. He logs hundreds of miles throughout the South in his search for college football. If you love college football, and especially the SEC this book is a joy to read. As I love going to Knoxville to watch the Vols, as I survey the field before the stadium fills, and as I hit the hands of the players on the Vol walk, I love as Clay Travis loves, the college football experience.

Read “Chess Tactics for Champions”

Matthew — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 17:21:06 +0000

This is another excellent book by Susan Polgar. Her first book is similar to this one, but with the major difference being the difficulty of the chess puzzles. The first book was elementary compared to this one. This book really tested my skills and eyes for the correct move. It basically deals with developing the art of seeing the tactic or creating the winning move with little instruction. The chess puzzles help the speed player. This book is great practice in using the art of tactics. It has helped my play by supporting wins over a high 1400, 1500, 1600 this week. An excellent book for the intermediate player.

Read “Meat Market”

Matthew — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:08:22 +0000

It did not take me long to become a huge college football fan. The first time I stepped into Neylam Studium I became a serious fan. This love for the college game has continued to increase with every passing year. As people know, when I enjoy something I study it. So I ordered some books to enjoy about college football. The recruiting aspect is fasinating to me. The book “Meat Market” is about a year of recruiting at Ole Miss when Ed Orgeron was coach. The book is a great read for information behind the recruitment process. It is a cuttthroat business. I was happy to see that a few of the players that the coach wanted ended up as Vols. If you love the recruiting rumors, rivals.com, and the High School game, you will love this book.

Read “Pagan Christianity”

Matthew — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:59:39 +0000

When I noticed this book I was unsure about the contents of the material. It had reviews that were negative and positive. It seemed controversial. As I read the book it reminded me of some of the early writings of the Restoration Movement. The book denounced extra-biblical practices in the religious world. The book highlighted the cultural practices that have become a norm in the Christian world. Many of these practices were originated from pagan practices. The book’s plea was to go back to the early church. It was a primitive message to the core. Much of the book, the churches of Christ would amen. The plea of the book was the same as our plea. It was interesting to see how the church has mixed first century practices with accepted cultural practices in Christianity. There are some elements that people will disagree with, but the overall message of the book is restoration thought in its purity.

Read “Predictably Irrational”

Matthew — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 14:08:40 +0000

Rarely do a buy a book through spontaneity. But I was in Target last week and noticed this book. I picked it up and flipped through the pages. The content seemed interesting. From the beginning impression to the final impression, the book did not disappoint. It was a great read about behavioral economics. It highlighted studies of how peer pressure and slogans influence our decisions. This style of economic thought differs from the classic economics because of the classic approach of assuming that all business transactions deal with rational people, but this discipline of thought realizes the wide variety of influences over our buying decisions. The book is more than just a technical rendering of the material, it has fresh insights and helpful application. If someone enjoyed Freakonomics, then this book is a must read.

Read “The Amateur’s Mind”

Matthew — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 13:22:47 +0000

This is a advanced chess book for the improving player. It is beyond tactics or tricks, but dives into the positional element of the game. It deals with imbalances, Knight verses Bishop endings. It has sections dealing with weak squares and where to attack the other party. This book allows the average chess player to see the board clearer. After reading the book one will have a better understanding of the development and future of the game. You learn to read the weaknesses of the pawn structure and the defense to choose the best game plan for victory. This book improved my ratings on Yahoo. I am up to 1551 with a strong win over a 1575.

Read “A World Champion’s Guide to Chess”

Matthew — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 14:13:32 +0000

This is another book on my way to chess mastery. Maybe not, but the book did improve my skills. The best part of the book was the positions to solve. After each tactic is given, there were numerous tests to complete. This sharpened the skills in being able to see the move on the board. The book is good for an beginner to an intermediate player. It is a book that would be worthy studying again in the future. I liked this book so much that I brought the second book in the series by Polgar.

Read “The Question Behind the Question”

Matthew — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:18:51 +0000

This book counters the prevailing mindset of blaming others in today’s culture. Most people have witnessed when churches do poorly, whatever is judged to be poor, typically this is a decline in numbers or contribution, there is a mindset to look for the problem or person to blame. Often the mentality is to assign blame to someone or some group. Typically the elders will blame the minister, the minister will blame the elders, and around and around we go. This book deals with this issue of blame. Instead of asking who, we are to ask “what can I do to help the attendance, or “How can I be more evangelistic.” The book deals with taking responsibility for situations. The easy solution is to blame, the mature solution is to fix the problem yourself. This is a quick book to read, and the message is a great reminder to us all.