Category Archives for "book review"

February 4, 2012 Week in Review

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This week, I’m going back to a written recap as opposed to the video “throw down” that went on last weekend.  (Thanks for the feedback, I don’t think video posting is dead for me, but I need to take it in steps.)

At any rate, it was a pretty good week here on The Stretched Blog.  Traffic was on par with other weeks (maybe a bit higher than average).  Comments seemed to be up from previous weeks.  I’m not sure if the topics covered in the posts were more engaging or if more people decided to add more feedback to the community.

Here’s a run-down on the posts from the week:

Here’s some of my favorites from around the blog world this week:

Don’t forget to subscribe to The Stretched Community on the right of the main screen.  Also, stop over and join Jon Stolpe Stretched on the Facebook Fan Page.  Thanks as always to the regular readers and to those who leave comments.  You make this Stretched community so great!

How was your week?  What was your favorite post on your blog and elsewhere this week?  Please share, so we can all enjoy!

 

Book Review: Jolt! by Phil Cooke

This weekend, I finished reading my second book of the year – Jolt! by Phil Cooke.  (Hopefully, I can keep this momentum going.)

I had never heard of Jolt! or Phil Cooke before I received a free copy of this book thanks to Brandon Gililland who gave me a copy as part of a contest he was running on his blog.  Thanks, Brandon!

The subtitle for Phil Cooke’s book is “Get the jump on a world that’s constantly changing.”  In Jolt!, Cooke provides his take on how to keep up with what keeps changing in today’s world, while staying grounded and energized.  The book is broken up into five sections which encourage readers to “jolt” different parts of their lives and perspective.  Cooke encourages readers to “jolt” their direction, “jolt” what matters, “jolt” their potential, “jolt” their heart, and “jolt” their future.

Many parts of this book seemed to echo others books that I’ve read encouraging readers to have goals, stay focused, and adapt to change.  I didn’t find any parts of the book shocking or extremely “jolting”, but I was challenged and stretched by the reminders.  I liked the way Cooke integrated quotes and personal stories to demonstrate his points.  I also appreciated the application to my work.  Jolt! stretched me to be more intentional when it comes to encouraging creative thinking and independent decision-making in my department.  Jolt! also stretched me personally to keep learning, keep giving, and keep accountability in my life.

All in all, I give Jolt! four “stretch marks” out of five.  I’d recommend this book whether you need a kick in the pants related to your personal or business growth.  You can purchase a copy of Jolt! by clicking the link below.  Also, consider jumping over to Phil Cooke’s blog for more insight.

When was the last time you were shocked or jolted?  How did that go?  What needs a good “jolt” in your life right now?

January 22, 2012 Week In Review

The week in review for was pushed back a day thanks to the wonders of our winter wonderland and the need to take care of some things at home.  It was a good week on The Stretched Blog.  On Wednesday, The New Stretched Blog experienced the highest traffic day so far!  I will be traveling this week, so I’m turning the blog over to some great guest bloggers for a few days.  Please read the excellent posts by Diane Karchner, Chad Jones, and Kevin Stone and join the conversation in the comments.

Here’s a recap for this week:

Your continued contribution to the blog through comments is greatly appreciated.  Your comments are what makes this Stretched Community!  Please remember to take the time to Subscribe to the NEW blog, so you can have Stretched delivered daily to your e-mail inbox.  Also, don’t forget to stop by the Jon Stolpe Stretched Facebook fan page.  Become a fan to keep up with some additional Stretched stuff.  I am sharing more blog highlights from other blogs that I read regularly.  I think you’ll find some great stuff here.  Thanks!

Here are a few of my favorites from around the blog world this week:

How about you?  How was your week?  If you’re a blogger what happened over your way this week?  Did you read any great blog posts this week?  Share with the rest of us!

Book Review: The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson

Last month, I shared that leaders are readers.  One of my goals for 2012 is to read more – at least one book per month.  This may not sound like a lot to many of you book worms out there, but I’m a slow, deliberate reader so this goal will be a challenge for me.

The first book I finished this year is The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson.  The Circle Maker is a book about prayer based on a Jewish man named Honi who lived during first century BC.  He was known for drawing circles in the ground where he would stand praying until he received an answer.  Batterson discovered Honi while reading a book about legends from this history of the Jewish people, and Honi’s story inspired Batterson to pray more deliberately and with more conviction.

In The Circle Maker, Batterson relates the story of National Community Church (the church he started in Washington, DC) and the story of Honi to inspire readers to dream big, pray hard, think long, and to keep circling.  He also shares personal stories of how he has seen the power of prayer in his own life.

When I started reading The Circle Maker, I quickly decided to use a blue pen to take notes in the margin and to underline key sentences and points in the book.  I highlighted many things that spoke to me, and I wrote in the margins questions and comments that came to mind as I read through the book.  I was inspired and motivated to pray bigger prayers.  I was challenged to be much more specific in my prayers.  And I was encouraged to keep praying even when the answer doesn’t come right away.

This is the perfect book to read for starting the new year.  Here are a few ways that The Circle Maker stretched me:

1.  I decided to start actively keeping a journal of my prayers.  Through Batterson’s encouragement, a prayer journal will help me keep a closer record of my prayers so I can stay in tune with how God answers my prayers.

2.  I decided to be more deliberate in praying circles around my wife, my kids, my church, my town, my extended family, and my job.

3.  I decided to be more intentional in dreaming big.  I am working on my Life Goal List (or Bucket List).  I’ll post this at some point, and I’m asking The Stretched Community to hold me accountable to this.

So how can you be stretched by The Circle Maker?  Pick up a copy of it for yourself.  I’m actually going to give away a copy of The Circle Maker to the top commenter this month.  You could also head over to Mark Batterson’s blog and join in the 21 Days of Prayer.  I think they’re on Day Six, but it’s not too late for you to get plugged in on this challenge.  Finally, I’d recommend starting a prayer journal for yourself.  Start today dreaming big, praying hard, and thinking long.

How’s your prayer life?  How have you seen your big prayers answered?  What or who are you circling with prayer?

January 14, 2012 Week In Review

This has been an exciting week for The Stretched Blog!  On Thursday, we moved over to our own domain (from the WordPress domain).  Traffic on the old and new sites remained high this week, and I’m looking forward to the week ahead where I’ll be reviewing The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson, Frank Chiapperino will be visiting the blog on Wednesday, and The Stretched Blog will be visiting The Point on Thursday.

This week was truly a blessing as we made the transition to the new platform.  Monday’s post featured my first eBook review of Michael D. Perkin‘s Manifesto on Being Myself.  Tuesday, I shared some of my thoughts from Matthew 6.  On Wednesday, Brandon Gilliland stopped by to share his thoughts on discerning God’s will.  The new platform was introduced on Thursday.  And we ended the week with another fun ice breaker question about going back to the future.

Your continued contribution to the blog through comments is greatly appreciated.  Your comments are what makes this Stretched Community!  Please remember to take the time to Subscribe to the NEW blog, so you can have Stretched delivered daily to your e-mail inbox.  Also, don’t forget to stop by the Jon Stolpe Stretched Facebook fan page.  Become a fan to keep up with some additional Stretched stuff.  I am sharing more blog highlights from other blogs that I read regularly.  I think you’ll find some great stuff here.  Thanks!

Here are a few of my favorites from around the blog world this week:

How about you?  How was your week?  If you’re a blogger what happened over your way this week?  Did you read any great blog posts this week?  Share with the rest of us!

Book Review: Starting Over A Manifesto on Being Myself by Michael D. Perkins

Over the years, I’ve reviewed many books here on The Stretched Blog.  Today, I’m reviewing my first eBook.  Starting Over A Manifesto on Being Myself is a creative and challenging eBook by pastor and blogger, Michael D. Perkins.  In Starting Over, Perkins challenges bloggers (and other creative persons) to break free of the formulas that govern traditional blogging (and other forms of creativity).  Michael’s unique blogging style which usually appears on The Handwritten is taken to the next level in this handwritten work as he encourages readers to avoid copying others and to find ways to be ourselves.

From a personal perspective, I was challenged by every page of Starting Over.  My engineering personality thrives on formulas and routines.  So much of my blogging has been influenced by “big name” bloggers like Michael Hyatt, John Saddington, and Jon Acuff.  I think it’s okay to be influenced, but it’s important to find our uniqueness in our on original styles and forms.  Starting Over definitely STRETCHES me as I consider my Stretched Blog.

If you are a blogger, I definitely recommend downloading a copy of this FREE e-book.  You can pick up a copy by clicking here.  Let me know what you think!

How about you?  Who had influenced you as a blogger?  And how have you found your unique voice through your blog?  What do you need to change in order to become yourself?

New Year’s Eve 2011 Week In Review…

It’s been a different week here at the Stretched blog.  The holidays have provided a great opportunity to catch up with family, to relax, and to regroup for 2012.  The traffic to the Stretched Blog was a little lower than the past few weeks, but that was expected.  On the positive, December 2011 has been the best month (by far) since the blog started!  Thank you!

Here’s the rundown on the posts for the week:

Monday: Top Posts of 2011 Number 3 – Reflect More, Risk More, Leave A Legacy – Start Blogging (A Guest Post by Jason Fountain)

Tuesday: Top Posts of 2011 Number 2 – Ten Things Every Small Group Leader Should Know

Wednesday:  Top Posts of 2011 Number 1 – Top 10 Things To Do At Grove City College

Thursday:  Book Review: Rumors of God by Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson

Friday (this actually posted Saturday do to a visit to me by the stomach flu):  Ice Breaker – Resolutions

I am so thankful for your continued contribution to the blog through comments.  Your comments are what makes this Stretched Community!  Please remember to take the time to Subscribe to the blog, so you can have Stretched delivered daily to your e-mail inbox.  Also, don’t forget to stop by the Jon Stolpe Stretched Facebook fan page.  Become a fan to keep up with some additional Stretched stuff.  I have started to share more blog highlights from other blogs that I read regularly.  I think you’ll find some great stuff here.  Thanks!

I’m really excited about this upcoming week as we roll into 2012!  I’ll be guest posting on a blog or two, and I’ll have more stuff right here.  Please stop back so you can see what’s going on here!

How about you?  How was your week?  If you’re a blogger what happened over your way this week?  Did you read any great blog posts this week?  Share with the rest of us!

Book Review: Rumors of God by Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson

Several months ago, I received a free copy of Rumors of God from Brandon Gilliland (Thanks, Brandon!) as a prize for reading and commenting on his blog.  I love this time of the year as it gives me a chance to catch up on some reading.  I finally finished reading this book this week.

Rumors of God was written by two pastors from Australia – Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson (he even spells his name correctly).  It seems that this book was written as a challenge to American churches and American Christians to live like God is real – to live like the rumors of God aren’t just rumors, God is real!.

“But what about us (America)?  Are we simply content to watch the American church limp into eternity?  Are you ready to drift through the rest of your life, lulled and softened by our comfort and ease?  We believe that deep in your soul you long to see the fame and deeds of God renewed and known in our time.  We believe that you were created for a radical pursuit of Jesus and his kingdom.”

The book does an excellent job reminding readers that faith is meant to be experienced.  For many Americans, our faith is generally inactive, private, and stuck in our heads.  In Rumors to God, Whitehead and Tyson share stories and stories from scripture that inspire readers to make their faith active, out-loud, and alive.

I really appreciated how the authors start at the personal side of faith by challenging readers on the topics of love, grace, generosity, and abundant life.  And I love how they end with challenges related to community, justice, and hope.  The book definitely provided encouragement and inspiration.  I would recommend it.

Have you read Rumor of God?  What did you think?

What steps are you taking to experience your faith?

What are you reading right now?

Leaders Are Readers – Creating My Reading List For 2012

“Leaders are readers.”

I’ve heard Tim Sanders quote this in several interviews on the radio and on podcasts.

It seems to me that there is a lot of truth to this statement.  When we feed our minds (with good stuff), we fill it up with tools that are useful for leading and for life.  With this in mind, I am beginning to assemble a list of potential books to consider reading in 2012.  I should let you know that I’m generally a slow and very deliberate reader, so I’m planning to narrow the list down to twelve with a couple of alternates.  Here are some of the books that I’m considering so far:

The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson

EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey

Today We Are Rich by Tim Sanders

The No Complaining Rule by Jon Gordon

Community:  Taking Your Small Group Off Life Support by Brad House

Creating Community:  Five Keys To Building A Small Group Culture by Andy Stanley

So these are a few of my ideas.  I will most likely throw in a fiction book or two (or three).

Now I’d like to hear your thoughts.  What would you add to the list?  What’s on your “To Read List”?  What have you read recently that you think I should consider?  I can’t wait to see what you’ve got!

Book Review: Hell Is Real (But I Hate To Admit It) by Brian Jones

 

Brian Jones‘ third book, Hell Is Real (But I Hate To Admit It), came out a few weeks ago.  In Hell Is Real, Brian takes a different look at the topic of hell than other recent books that have raised some eyebrows like Love Wins by Rob Bell and responses to Bell’s book like Francis Chan‘s Erasing Hell.

Brian opens the book by explaining his own four-year period following seminary when he didn’t believe in hell.  From here, Brian goes on to explain that not only is hell real, but many people are heading there if they don’t find Christ and decide to follow Him.  He also shares his belief that many Christ followers lack what he calls apocalyptic urgency – an all-consuming urgency that hell is real and Christ’s message must be shared.  The real motive behind Brian’s latest book is to provide encouragement and practical tools for Christ followers to share their faith with others and to help save them from the eternal wrath of hell.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t crazy about the title of this book when I first picked it up.  The titles of Brian’s first two books, Second Guessing God and Getting Rid of the Gorilla, made more sense to me initially.  But after reading Hell Is Real, I get it now.  Hell Is Real is a quick read as Brian uses his story telling skills to weave stories in with his overall message.  But Hell Is Real is also very challenging.  I finished the book pondering and challenged to examine my relationships and to be strategic in sharing the message of Christ.

I definitely recommend Hell Is Real (But I Hate To Admit It).  I think it will change the way you think about sharing your faith.

How would you change the way you live if you really grasped the fact that your time left on earth was fading quickly?

(If you’re interested in getting small group discussion guides for Hell Is Real or other materials for making the most of your read, go to the website for the book by clicking here.  My small group is using the small group questions found at this site to discuss this topic.)

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