Get your mind right

If you asked me why I asked for a review copy of Get Your Mind Right: 10 Keys to Unlock Your Potential and Ignite Your Success by Todd Durkin (Baker Books, 2020), I don’t think I would be able to tell you. I’m mostly retired so I’m not really needing to read a lot about leadership to jumpstart or further a career. The cover wasn’t really anything that I found overly exciting, I’m not familiar with the author, and I’m not a football fan so the fact that a football player wrote the forward wasn’t a compelling reason. But I kept going back to the signup page, and finally said yes.

And I’m glad I did. (Although if I had realized that Durkin was a football player, I may not have bothered.) This is more than just another leadership book, although there are certainly a lot of would-be leaders who could benefit from it. This book is full of helpful advice for people wanting to live a healthy and fulfilling life.  Reminders about slowing down, eating healthy, exercise, contact with God, and the need for healthy relationships come through on every page.  

            Durkin is the owner of a successful business and he tells the story of how that came about to clarify things and to get his point across throughout the book. There were times when things seemed to fall into place, (sometimes despite his best efforts) and other times when getting to where he needed to be was a real struggle. But along the way he learned patience, and to wait on a timing that was better than anything he could have imagined.

            I’ve read other books by athletes and frequently was unimpressed. There was too much bragging about their exploits—on and off the playing field. Or a lot of whining about all the bad breaks they got that kept them from the championship title.  I didn’t find any of that in this book: setbacks were seen as opportunities to learn, and success is another reason to be grateful.

            So go ahead, get this book, read it, study it, and learn to ‘get your mind right’. You’ll be glad you did.

Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.

5/5

on the way to becoming a good man

There’s really only ever been one ‘good man’, and even He said that no one but the Father is good. Yet men still want to be considered ‘good’ and most women and some men are looking for a good man, or think that they have found one.

            Of course, everybody seems to have their own idea of what ‘good’ looks like, so it’s pretty hard to define, but Nathan Clarkson has set out to give us a roadmap. The map is found in his recent book Good Man: An Honest Journey into Discovering Who Men Were Actually Created to Be (Baker Books, 2020) 

            

              The map takes us on the journey from who Nathan was or is to who he wants to one day be; along the way are 15 stops. Places with strange names like Adventurous, Devout, Heroic, Honest, Brotherly, Healthy, Emotional, Authentic, Romantic, Wise, Ambitious, Fighting, Simple, Servant-Hearted, and Committed.

            I’m not sure that I agree with all of Nathan’s conclusions, and I may have come up with a different list, but this seems to come from his heart. The lessons, failures, successes, heartbreaks and joys that he shares make for an intense read, or perhaps a painful one depending on how closely his experiences mirror yours.

            Whether you agree with his list or not, this book should give anyone looking for a good man some things consider while on that quest. And as far as being a book that guys should read, well, I think we all have some room for improvement. Why not learn from those who have gone before?

Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.

4/5

Jesus' Elevator Speech

Everyone should have an elevator speech prepared: that short (imagine you’re in an elevator and only have from the 1^st to the 4^th floor to convince someone of something) presentation of the gospel, a new idea for the company, asking someone out on a date, generating interest in what you do for a living in the hope of getting a new client.  You’re probably not going to get everything in within that few seconds, but maybe it will generate enough interest that you get a later opportunity to talk in more detail about the thing that you’re passionate about.

 Paul Borthwick makes that case that the familiar words of John 3:16 was the elevator speech that Jesus might have used. He presents his case in a short and easy to read book Mission 3:16—God's One-Verse Invitation to Love the World. (BakerBooks, 2020)

Paul is a missiologist, that is, he is involved with Christian Missions. In that capacity he carefully breaks down the verse we know as John 3:16 into small segments and explains what it could have meant to believers some 2000 years ago, and what it might mean to believers today. All in the context of presenting the gospel, after the elevator speech of “God so loved the world…” has gotten someone’s attention which allows you the opportunity to discuss in greater detail.  And there is much more detail involved than just seeing “Jn 3:16” painted on someone’s forehead when they appear on the jumbotron at a ball game.

As a believer we’re called to Join God on His mission, this book is a great tool to help you share your faith.

5/5