Book Recommendations - History and Christian Living

 For the next several posts in this series, I will be making some book recommendations in various categories. The lists will neither be exhaustive nor full scale endorsements of everything in each one. I generally read to learn (not to be entertained) and welcome points of view from a broad perspective. 

The books mentioned will categorized this way: 

• Biographies
• Favorite authors
• Sport
• Theology
• Coaching
• Leadership
• Psychology
• Business Management
• History
• Christian Living

History - 

The Spirit of the Game: American Christianity and Big Time Sports by Dr. Paul Putz - In this book Paul Putz has done a tremendous job of chronicling how elite level sport and the Christian faith have intersected, intertwined, collided, and conflicted across more than a century. I learned things about the organization that had employed me for twenty-seven years I had never heard before. Paul's clear eyed vision of the good, the bad, and the ugly of these situations and personalities is always fair and candid. I highly recommend reading this book to anyone involved in sports ministry, particularly in the USA.

Foxe's Book of Martyrs by John Foxe - I first read this book many years ago, but failed to grasp its importance. I read it again just over a year ago with a clearer vision and an understanding that I have family mentioned in its pages. The price paid by many of our Christian forebears to remain faithful to their Lord and to personal convictions is displayed here in graphic detail. If you're willing to plow through the torture, beheading, and burning at the stake, there are inspiring stories in this volume.

Christian Living - 

The Jesus I Never Knew by Phillip Yancey - I remember reading this book in the fall of 1995 during football road trips. I would immerse myself in two chapters per trip, reading those chapters two to four times each. This greatly broadened my view of how the Church in scattered corners of the planet view the Savior. My small town, Southern Illinois, protestant view of Caucasian Jesus was challenged on every page. For that I am very grateful. 

The Grace Awakening by Charles Swindoll - I read this book in the late 1980s and it was very liberating. To that point, I was easily condemned by legalistic thoughts and teaching. This excellent, easy read brought freedom and ease to my easily condemned conscience. The writing is engaging and the grace communicated is liberating. Give this one a leisurely read.

The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan - This classic book is allegory, a genre very foreign to me, and is a great investment of time and imagination. This Puritan author spins a tale of remarkable characters and fanciful locations. It's available in two different English language versions: one in the original English from the 1500s, and an updated English version (much easier to read). The former will enrich and challenge your vocabulary, the latter is more quickly read. Both versions are a rich and encouraging story of the Pilgrim's Progress.

On Living Well by Eugene Peterson - This is a collection of some of Peterson's brief and pastoral writings. It is encouraging and inspirational. I love all of his books, but this one stands out as being like a series of personal letters to the reader. 

Book Recommendations - Psychology and Business Management

 For the next several posts in this series, I will be making some book recommendations in various categories. The lists will neither be exhaustive nor full scale endorsements of everything in each one. I generally read to learn (not to be entertained) and welcome points of view from a broad perspective. 

The books mentioned will categorized this way: 

• Biographies
• Favorite authors
• Sport
• Theology
• Coaching
• Leadership
• Psychology
• Business Management
• History
• Christian Living

Psychology - 

Mindset by Dr. Carol Dweck - This book is outstanding! It makes the science and research of neuroplasticity and other very technical factor in how minds work and makes them very approachable for knuckleheads like me. In particular, her juxtaposition of "fixed mindset" and "growth mindset" is tremendously applicable to our work in sport. I highly recommend this book.

The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey - This book was recommended to me by a college basketball coach. I immediately bought it to better understand his mindset and his approach to the mental side of sport. It is certainly not a Christian book and it's full of references to other religions, but it is valuable for understanding how many elite level competitors are approaching their mental approach to their sports.

Business Management - 

The Starfish and The Spider - The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations by Ori Brafman and Rod. A Beckstrom - I read this book in 2007 and it has been transformational in how I serve in organizations, many of which operate more like networks than multi-level hierarchical organizations. Several of their insights have been invaluable to my connections with and facilitation of colleagues across the USA and around the world. This is a tremendous book.

Start with Why by Simon Sinek - This book has been most helpful in the process of maintaining my focus on what is most important, "keeping the main thing the main thing," and budgeting time, money, and other resources. Iti is well written, simply illustrated with excellent diagrams, and full of practical examples of the differences between, "What, How, and Why."

Good to Great by Jim Collins - I read this at least twenty-five years ago, and some of its major points still shape my approach to making decisions about opportunities. The concepts like, "flywheel and hedgehog" are strong metaphors that stick in our minds. Like most books based on research, the author wants to tell you more about his research than you want to hear, but the results are worth the time to plow through the information.

Linchpin by Seth Godin - Seth is a blogger on business and marketing. His writing is direct and simple. It's also very applicable to us who serve in ministry. In particular, his thoughts about making yourself indispensable to your organization are very insightful. His assertion that, "Writers write. So if you want to be a writer, write something. Put it out there," (paraphrased from memory) has been a challenge that I have accepted and often challenge others to accept.

Book Recommendations: Coaching and Leadership

For the next several posts in this series, I will be making some book recommendations in various categories. The lists will neither be exhaustive nor full scale endorsements of everything in each one. I generally read to learn (not to be entertained) and welcome points of view from a broad perspective. 

The books mentioned will categorized this way: 

• Biographies
• Favorite authors
• Sport
• Theology
• Coaching
• Leadership
• Psychology
• Business Management
• History
• Christian Living

​Coaching - 

InSideOut Coaching by Joe Ehrmann - I believe this to be the best coaching book I have ever read. Joe outlines the difference between Transactional Coaches and Transformational Coaches. Further, he provides excellent models for transformational coaching, tips for shaping one's coaching, and inspiration for coaching in this manner. I highly recommend this book.

Season of Life by Jeffrey Marx - This book was my introduction to Coach Joe Ehrmann and his remarkable life story. It's an amazingly engaging read, telling Joe's story from childhood, through Syracuse University, the NFL, through the death of his brother, life in seminary, as a pastor, and eventually as a football coach with Gilman High School in Baltimore. This is a tremendous book full of inspiration and insight.

3D Coaching by Dr. Jeff Duke - This book chronicles Jeff's path through coaching at various levels of sport and how he learned to apply academic research to the practice of coaching. This is an easy read with many ideas presented for immediate application. 

Leadership - 

Heroic Leadership by Chris Lowney - This excellent book is a thorough look at the leadership principles and practices of the Jesuits. The "Company of Jesus" and its founder, Ignatius Loyola are the centerpiece of the book and the model for leadership advanced on every page. This Protestant reader was thankful and frankly surprised by the simple, clear, and effective leadership lessons provided.

Leaders Who Last by Dave Kraft - This book is quite practical and is informed by the author's long years of service in the Church. Of particular interest to me was the excellent outline for writing a life purpose statement. I use it myself, and I have shared it with many others. This is a good one.

Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels - Despite the red flags just raised in your mind from Hybels' messy departure from Willow Creek, the models for development of leaders in this book are outstanding. In particular, his outline of various leadership styles and ways leaders nurture their development are very useful. 

Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek - This book gathers models and examples from a wide range of societal backgrounds. The author writes with great detail and an engaging style. 

Legacy by James Kerr - This is a winner! Fifteen leadership lessons have been gathered from the New Zealand All Blacks Rugby team and its culture. This is not a "Christian" book, but its lessons are well presented the stories are told well.

Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders - Finally, this classic endures well and is as applicable as ever. This book shares timeless leadership principles drawn from the scriptures. It may be the best of the whole lot.

Book Recommendations - Sport and Theology

For the next several posts in this series, I will be making some book recommendations in various categories. The lists will neither be exhaustive nor full scale endorsements of everything in each one. I generally read to learn (not to be entertained) and welcome points of view from a broad perspective. 

The books mentioned will categorized this way: 

• Biographies
• Favorite authors
• Sport
• Theology
• Coaching
• Leadership
• Psychology
• Business Management
• History
• Christian Living

​Sport -

The Matheny Manifesto - A Young Manager's Old-School Views on Success in Sports and Life by Mike Matheny - As sport in the USA, particularly youth sport, has changed in recent years, this former MLB player and manager has expressed his views on how athletes and their parents should approach sport and life. I found this to be a refreshing and challenging read.

Onward Christian Athletes: Turning Ballparks into Pulpits and Players into Preachers by Thomas Krattenmaker - This author pokes Christian Sports Ministries right in the eye as he challenges many of our practices and our ethics. The trouble is, he's often correct in his observations. For people like me, this book is tremendously challenging, but also helpful. There is much the author doesn't understand, but his critical remarks can lead us to improvements in our delivery of service of Christ and His people in sport.

Focus on Sport In Ministry by Lowrie McCown and Valerie J. Gin - I am privileged to know these authors and to count them as friends. It was remarkable to see the genesis of these ideas, to see the development of this book as it happened, and to use it as a valued resource for my ministry in sport. I believe this is an essential read for anyone involved in any form of sports ministry.

Theology - 

Eugene Peterson's Spiritual Theology - Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, Practice Resurrection, The Jesus Way, Eat This Book, and Tell It Slant. I began reading this series about twenty years ago, and have enjoyed each one. Peterson writes with imagination, depth, and insight. I recommend starting with Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places​.

Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortland - A friend recommended this book to me and I have recommended it widely since I first read it. This book is a balm for your soul. It will encourage you and wrap your heart in a warm blanket of comfort, assurance, and grace.

Foundations of the Christian Faith by James Montgomery Boice - This book's subtitle is, A Comprehensive and Readable Theology. It is certainly that. Boice wrote this systematic theology for college students and it is a treasure for the not or not yet seminary trained disciple of Christ. I read this in the mid-1980s and have given multiple copies to my friends as they embarked upon their seminary education.

Evangelism and The Sovereignty of God by J. I. Packer - This book has been foundational to my approach to evangelism and discipleship since I first read it in the late 1980s. I have read it multiple times since. Packer's succinct writing and practical approach to this subject has been a tremendous gift to my ministry.

Book Recommendations - Biography and Favorite Authors

 For the next several posts in this series, I will be making some book recommendations in various categories. The lists will neither be exhaustive nor full scale endorsements of everything in each one. I generally read to learn (not to be entertained) and welcome points of view from a broad perspective. 

The books mentioned will categorized this way: 

• Biographies
• Favorite authors
• Sport
• Theology
• Coaching
• Leadership
• Psychology
• Business Management
• History
• ​Christian Living
  

​Biography - 

Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi - This remarkably candid and occasionally painful read provides tremendous insight into the heart and mind of a high profile, elite professional tennis player.

Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono (Paul Hewson) - I have been a fan of U2's music since Joshua Tree in the 1980s. This book provides tremendous insight into the band's origins, its growth and development, its influences, and the lives of its members. This is fascinating stuff for a man with virtually no musical ability.

Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich by Mark Kriegel - This book shared a lot more of Pete's father's story than I wanted to know, but eventually chronicles the successes and failures of a uniquely accomplished basketball legend.

The Man Watching: A Biography of Anson Dorrance by Tim Crothers - I read this book over twenty-five years ago and was fascinated by this coach's approach to coaching elite female soccer players. It strongly influenced how I served a women's college basketball program for twenty-eight seasons.

Curveball: How I Discovered True Fulfillment After Chasing Fortune and Fame by Bary Zito, Robert Noland - Barry Zito was a remarkably talented pitcher in Major League Baseball and this book provides an unvarnished view of the life of professional sport in the USA. Warts and all. It becomes a tremendous story of redemption and a growing life in Christ Jesus.

Favorite Authors - 

Eugene Peterson - Having received an early version of The Message in the early 1990s, I began searching for more from Peterson, and now my library is rich with his writing. He's a magical blend of pastor, theologian, and expert in ancient languages. His writing is rich with simile, metaphor, and meter.

John R.W. Stott - I began reading his books in the early 1980s and was immediately taken by his clear and direct style. Over the years, I began buying everything I could find from his pen. I was privileged to meet him in person in November of 2000.

Phillip Yancey - I greatly enjoy his writing as he tends to ask really hard questions and then carries the reader along in seeking answers. Yancey deals with thorny issues and offers genuine answers.

C. S. Lewis - Lewis' books are always challenging and insightful. From The Screwtape Letters' allegory to the more direct and candid volumes, the quotable Lewis has stretched my mind and challenged my heart.

Leonard Sweet - I iwas introduced to Sweet through Soul Tsunami in 2000, and was immediately confronted with the reality of how my "modernist' way of thinking would greatly inhibit my ability to communicate with younger "postmodern" thinkers. His writing on other subjects continues to challenge and inform my mind.

Malcolm Gladwell - I have enjoyed reading several of this gentleman's books, though we are widely different in many ways. His curious mind, depth of research, and playful writing style make his books easy reads with accessible insights. 

Effective Leadership of Volunteers

 For as long as I can remember I have volunteered in ministry efforts. First it was with my local church, then in short-term mission ministries, and for the last thirty years with ministries in sport. Across those years I have observed a few keys to effective leadership of volunteers, particularly in ministry efforts. A summary of those keys follows.

1. Give the volunteer one responsibility fitting his or her skills and gifts. Just one. If you give him or her too much, or if the responsibility is a poor fit, the volunteer will become overwhelmed, frustrated, or fail. Worse, the volunteer will simply walk away disappointed.

2. Give the volunteer clear instructions and expectations for the area of responsibility assigned. To fail in this leads to similar frustration, conflicts, and to the volunteer finding something else to do. If the instructions and expectations are too vague, the volunteer will be either too timid to serve well, or will overstep boundaries that were never clearly communicated.

3. Do not micromanage or become overly demanding of the volunteer. Give the person the responsibility and let him or her serve. To micromanage or to become demanding is perceived by the volunteer as a lack of trust and respect, and will result in withdrawal from your ministry.

4. Help the volunteer experience God's presence and pleasure in the activity. Pray with them. Thank God for them. Share exciting results with them. Acknowledge how the Lord is working in them through their selfless service.

5. Welcome their suggestions. I cannot emphasize this enough. Many of the most profound improvements in ministry policies, procedures, and processes have come from volunteers' suggestions. This will not happen if you don't create an avenue for receiving suggestions, and it won't matter if you don't have the humility to hear from people not "on staff."

​6. Celebrate their service and express thanks for it. One size does not fit all, but finding appropriate ways to celebrate volunteers, and expressing thanks frequently is a very important part of leading volunteers well. Some are very gratified to be acknowledged from the platform, while others would far prefer a handshake and a simple, "Thank you." Receiving a handwritten card is always welcomed by volunteers.

​It has been my experience that when these keys are followed, volunteers have great, even life changing experiences with ministries. When that happens, the volunteer will continue to serve week after week, month after month, year after year.

I still volunteer with a ministry I first encountered in 1982. I spend time, money, energy, vacation days, heart, and soul engaged with other volunteers and a very small staff because all six of the aforementioned keys are experienced each time.

Observations from Walking Through the Aging, Declining, and Dying Process with Parents.

Since the summer of 2010, my family has been walking through a difficult, significant, and occasionally traumatic process. On a hot August afternoon my wife and I made a hurried trip to the emergency room where her mother was being treated. It was obvious to me her condition was quite serious and we spoke very directly about the likelihood of this being a terminal situation. By mid-November, she had begun hospice care and she soon passed while I held her hand bedside.

 

In more recent days, we observed my father’s cognitive and then physical decline across three years, and then more rapidly across a couple of months, prior to six days of hospice care in an assisted care facility. My dad passed as I was standing with my mother beside his bed.

 

Earlier this year, my father-in-law also began to decline in health and passed in mid-September. For the last five years or so, Sharon had been caring for him as he lived alone in his home. Despite numerous physical and cognitive conditions, he wanted to remain independent. Sharon managed his finances and drove him to the grocery store, doctor’s appointments, and more. Eventually, a fall and a more rapid decline required a move to the same assisted living facility in which my father passed. A couple of weeks of hospice care and being surrounded by his children preceded his eventual passing early on a Sunday morning.

 

My ninety-year-old mother made the decision to move from her home to a supportive living facility as she was lonely and knew she could not maintain her home any longer. A couple of good conversations between Mom, my two brothers, and me made the process of moving her, selling the home and its contents, a much smoother process. She is in a good apartment, has plenty of independence, is very happy and secure. This pleases all of us.

 

Across these fourteen years, I have observed a number of things about the process itself and how it has shaped us as we have walked through it. Those observations follow.

 

I believe I am far too hurried, rushed, and too easily distracted from important matters and significant moments. In the normal busyness of life as a fifty-four to sixty-eight-year-old person, it’s really easy to miss the important moments of life because I am buzzing by them in a blur. Even in my visits to my parents’ home I would be preoccupied with text messages or phone calls, when I could have been paying better attention to their questions or concerns. I am sure I would have gleaned more wisdom from my father if I had simply left my phone in the car, stayed longer, and listened more intently.

 

There is a wide variety of ways families deal with crisis and stress. Some families deal with these matters by acting if they are not real, hoping it all works out, denying the gravity of the moment. Later in this process the grim reality hits them with a profound thud and it crushes them emotionally. Other families deal directly with a crisis, look it dead in the eye, and stoically move through the process. If they respond emotionally, it’s done privately and all along the way. By the time the crisis has culminated in death, they have largely processed the grief and appear to others to be cold, emotionless, and even uncaring. None of those perceptions are true; they have simply processed the grief across weeks or months, rather than in hours or days. Neither way is better than the other. There is plenty of room for grief and mourning to be done differently.

 

One can improve his approach to these matters, even if he would rather simply avoid them. I grew up with a large extended family, including grandparents and great-grandparents in both my paternal and maternal families. Because of this I grew up in funeral homes. It was most common to be at funeral visitations with my brothers, parents, dozens of aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. I thought this was everyone’s experience until I married my wife. We were twenty-one and had welcomed our son to our young family before she ever attended a funeral. It happened to be my great-grandmother’s funeral and I was stunned by her response to what she was seeing. It was a very emotionally difficult situation for her. In the years since then, she is much better with crises, emergencies, and death, but it’s certainly still very difficult.

 

After her mother’s passing, my wife took on the role of matriarch for her entire family and she does it quite well. It certainly stresses her, but she carries the responsibility with grace and dignity. I now find myself as patriarch for our clan and feel the weight of it. It comes with being the eldest brother and the one living in closest proximity to our mother. Sharon and I are certainly better at dealing with such issues of life today than we were in our twenties. We have learned. We have grown. We have matured.

 

Embracing these situations enriches one’s soul. I think there’s a natural, human desire to avoid pain, crisis, and emotional trauma. We’re human and don’t like the pain. However, I have learned that leaning into, embracing, and dealing directly with all such matters enrich one’s soul. As painful as it was to witness the final breaths of my mother-in-law and my father, these moments were full of important connections, grieving expressions of release, and mournful emotions of profound loss. I wear theses memories like scars on my soul; reminders of pain, but memorials to rich relationships.

 

Having walked through these experiences emboldens my heart for the arrival of the next crisis. I don’t fear it, nor do I want to hasten it. I no longer see it as something to avoid as a lethal enemy, rather I see it coming as a familiar, severe acquaintance with whom to walk for a few hours, days, months, or years.