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This book is amazing, it changed my whole perspective on work, forever. I read it over 5 years ago, and am still impressed at how well the authors articulated God's purpose for work in our lives. Indeed, it's a form of worship. Should be required reading for every Christian, really.
Well done expose on Romans 12:1-2, how Christians do not see their calls as whatever work God gives them to do, that there they are His ambassadors, to carry His light and let it shine through them in whatever endeavors God equips them to do.
Work was there for humans even before the fall into sin, and thus this book does a great service to the church when it encourages it to take this significant area of our lives and let it still be part of our God given stewardship.
I used this successfully as a Bible study. Sherman and his company at that time had great additional materials, including a video, etc.
To go more into the background of all this, see Gustav Wingren's "On Vocation."
This book has addressed many of the burning questions. Yes, God is interested in every aspect of your life - your body, family & work! You can integrate religion with work and business! God has something to say about why he wants you to work, what kind of job to do and how to handle the unpleasant aspects of work, anything you name it.
If you seriously want to glorify God every minute of your life, you should not hesitate to spend a few hours reading this book that can change your eternity! Books like this is rare!
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There are two sections to this work: how to find a mentor, and how to be a mentor. Hendricks emphasizes there are many more men seeking mentors than there are men who are willing to be mentors. He discourages actually using the title of "mentor" when establishing such a supportive relationship, for fear it will intimate one of the parties. Instead, he promotes referring to the interaction as what would occur between two friends. Hendricks also describes how to spot a mentor or a protégé, then how to avoid common pitfalls of such an arrangement.
For anyone seeking to learn from a respected male friend, or for someone seeking to invest his life-lessons of experience in a younger man, this book is simply invaluable.
17 As iron sharpens iron,
So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend
NKJV
Here, we have the example of keeping our friends in the light of God and this book elaborates on it. Discipleship is the key to good fruit in our life.
I am sure many of you know discipleship from the New Testament but do you realize it is as old as Time? God wanted to disciple Adam and Eve and in return, they would disciple the World. This book relates specifically to the "Men" doing the discipling.
I was pleased to see how much my life and Ministry changed after reading this book and listening to the voice of the Spirit of Truth. If you are a man in need of a closer walk, pick up a copy of this book and see if you too will be changed.
Mike Menchaca wrote:
As you all know, your first reading assignment was to self-select a mentoring book from Amazon.com. You can thread your postings from here.
It will be very helpful to the class if you'd include the following: 1. Author and Name of the Book 2. Three Major Important Points emphasized by the book. 3. Why you liked the book. 4. Why you didn't like the book. 5. Overall assessment of the book.
QUESTION #1: Howard and William Hendricks (Father and Son Team) Building Character in a Mentoring Relationship: As Iron Sharpens Iron - 1995 (270 pages)
QUESTION #2: This book is addressed specifically toward men and is broken in 2 major parts with a Mentoring Action Plan located in the back of the book. Its release was scheduled to coincide with the 1995 schedule of the national Promise Keepers conferences.
Part 1 is for men who want to be mentored.
This part helps the reader to understand what character traits he should look for when trying to find a mentor: someone who is real, creative, and captures your heart. The book focuses on the mentoring that leads to spiritual maturity with numerous analogies and examples of what character traits a man needs to nature our souls. Hence the title which is derived from the Bible: "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens the other." (Proverbs 27:!7)
It identifies on p.63 "Ten Marks of a Mentor" The ideal mentor is a person who... 1. Seems to have what you personally need. 2. Cultivates relationships. 3. Is willing to take a chance on you. 4. Is respected by other Christians. 5. Has a network of resources. 6. Is consulted by others. 7. Both talks and listens. 8. Is consistent in his lifestyle. 9. Is able to diagnose your needs. 10.Is concerned with your interests.
This part of the book explains the benefits of having a mentor: helps you reach your goals and provides a role model. Where to find a mentor: at work, at college, or your church. How to cultivate a mentor relationship. The differences between a formal and informal mentoring relationship. The expectations both realistic and unrealistic. And taking personal responsibility for growing a mentoring relationship.
Part 2 is for men who are willing to serve as mentors.
This part of the book cites several examples of Biblical men (Paul and Barnabas) who felt inadequate about leadership, yet were very influential to the lives of numerous men. It explains the benefits of being a mentor: relationships, personal growth, and making a difference in the lives of other men. The roles of a mentor are clearly explained and "analogized" with several examples. On page 159 the book defines the mentoring relationship by using these practical keys to serve his protégé.
A Mentor... - is a source of information - provides wisdom (as guided by the Bible) - promotes specific skills and effective behaviors - provides feedback - coaches - is a sounding board - is someone to turn to - helps devise plans - nurtures curiosity
Then this part of the text goes on to state how to find a protégé, what to look for, and how to properly cultivate the mentoring relationship.
The Mentoring Action Plan found in the third section of the book is designed as a workbook to help develop Mentor / Protégé relationships in a thoughtful and practical manner. It focuses on the art of mentoring in a reflective way with discussion and activities that can be used a a primer for mentoring relationships.
QUESTION #3:
I enjoyed the many practical examples presented in this book. It is straightforward, easy to read, and can be life changing. It is one of those books that you want to go back and reread for insight and direction.
QUESTION #4:
This book is targeted toward a very specific audience. As a man and a Christian, I had no complaints with this book. However, if I was neither this book probably would not be very useful or convincing to me.
QUESTION #5: Overall, I would recommend this book to other men who are wondering how to create meaningful, Godly relationships with other men.
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The issue this work is concentrated on is the identity and motives of the assassin or assassins. The authors present a very strong and convincing argument of why they feel Sirhan did not act alone nor did he fire the fatal shot; the mysterious "girl in the polka dot dress" allegedly seen with Sirhan, and later allegedly seen fleeing the hotel minutes after the assassination, shouting "We shot him!" Did such a girl exist? If so, who was she and what was her involvement? As for Sirhan, there appears to be little doubt that he was involved to a certain extent in the death of Robert Kennedy; just how great that extent was and who else was involved remain open questions.
The biggest open question of all never knowing what Robert Kennedy would have accomplished had he not died. His untimely death in 1968 has left a painful void in history.
One wonders, now in 2003, what relevance is left to this book. After reading it, any reader should better understand how too blind a faith in our government and its agencies might lead to a loss of control over these agencies, with disasterous results. Will we allow history to repeat itself? At a time when significant diminishing of our individual freedoms is occurring, the histories of RFK and JFK might make us rethink how far we might want to go to battle terrorism. Even if you don't really buy-in to any of the conspiracy theories, the clumsiness of the investigations should provide plenty of reasons to want _more_ oversight of these agencies, not less.
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He also does an excellent job in not overselling his claims. He pulls no punches about when and where the therapy failed to work. When it does work, he also doesn't hold back in his enthusiasm. Some might be put off by this last fact, but I think his presentation is well-balanced, overall.
My only criticism is that, while most documentation is excellent, I wish the author had paid a bit more attention to completing all of his references. I have a second edition copy, which includes a reference on page 232 to something called, _AIDS - The End of Civilization_, Chapter 6. Unfortunately, there are no other descriptions of that book that I could find, such as who wrote or published it. I learned later that it was another book by the same author, but that fact should have been included in the reference.)
Another example of an inaccurate reference is on page 236, where he mentions a blue light therapy performed on a little girl in Chapter 14. Unfortunately, Chapter 14 is about a doctor with AIDS and how he has dealt with this personal crisis. It has no reference to either blue light therapy or the little girl.
Such mistakes aside, the overall value of the book is tremendous. I recommend it heartily to anyone whose mind isn't closed like a steel trap.
I also recommend another book by the author called Hydrogen Peroxide, Medical Miracle. The two books should really be considered companions of each other.
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Second, he injects a strong element of postmodern thinking into the conversation that forces us to think in nonlinear terms. Third, he is clearly spiritual and Jesus-focused in his clues.
Fourth, he has a handle on leadership from an individual perspective, a congregational perspective, and the denominational or larger Church perspective. Fifth, he challenges church leaders about their primary client. Do they serve the congregation, or do they serve Jesus?
Sixth, he challenges the church at various levels to anticipate the kind of leadership that will be needed in the 21st century. Seventh, he has a clear focus on helping the church at various levels address the spiritual needs of 21st century preChristians.
The demise of the Modern Age and Christendom is declared. Mr. Easum intersperses throughout the entire book, evidence of cataclysmic and permanent social change that is currently taking place. He demonstrates how the emerging generation learns and receives information differently than generations before it. He shares statistics that demonstrate major demographic shifts in the make up of families, in church affiliations, in education, etc. A new emphasis on spirituality and the value of emotion in the emerging generation is discussed.
The change is compared by metaphor to the "wormhole." This is a name given by scientific theorists for the gateway between entire universes. Mr. Easum contends that the change being wrought in our time is paramount to travel through a wormhole into an entirely new universe and time. Rather than giving this new time / place a name, such as "Postmodern" which describes what it is not; he compares it to the "Pre-Christian" time of the establishment of the New Testament Churches. This sets up the next focus of this book, life and leadership in the wormhole.
The majority of the book describes "clues" about leadership characteristics and tactics in the wormhole and in the resulting new era that Mr. Easum calls the OtherSide. The changes are so complete and being made at such a fast rate that concrete principles or rigidly defined characteristics of leadership become obsolete almost as fast as they are identified. Therefore, rather than provide such concrete definitions of leadership, he provides clues that help us picture what effective leaders and leadership activities and motives will look like during this change of eras.
One of the leadership clues discussed involves the creation of a "permission giving" culture. Easum uses another metaphor, DNA, to illustrate a church's having identified and communicated its mission and values throughout the congregation. All persons are encouraged to develop leadership skills and to participate in ministries that help the church "replicate" its DNA (move toward and accomplish its mission).
The end of each chapter (called Portals) contains a series of thought provoking, evaluation provoking exercises. They are entitled, "Journal Entries and Other Painfully Wonderful Experiences to Help You Feel and Think. These exercise, along with several suggested Internet sources, including one produced by the author, make the journey of reading this book interactive.
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I. America's religious panorama 9
II. basic differences between Catholicism and Protestantism 18
III. the Lutherans 25
IV. the Presbyterians 39
V. the Espiscopalians 49
VI. the Methodists 60
VII. the Baptists 72
VIII. the Disciples of Christ and the Churches of Christ 81
IX. the United Churchmen 89
X. the Quakers 96
XI. the Perfectionists 104
XII. the Pentacostals 108
XIII. the Seventh-Day Adventists 117
XIV. other Protestants 125
the Moravians 125
the Mennonites 127
the Reformed 130
the Christian Reformed 131
the Brethren 131
the Salvationists 134
the Convenanters 136
XV. the Unitarian Universalists 138
XVI. the Eastern Orthodox 145
XVII. the Old Catholics 152
XVIII. the Cultists 167
the Swedenborgians 168
the Spiritualists 169
the Unity School of Christianity 171
the New Thoughters 173
the Worldwide Church of God 175
the Hare Krishnas 177
the Scientologists 178
the Moonies 179
XIX. the Mormons 184
XX. the Jehovah's Witnesses 198
XXI. the Christian Scientists 207
XXII. the Jews 218
XXIII. the Muslims 226
XXIV. the Baha'is 230
XXV. the Buddists 238
church membership statistics 241
general bibliography 247
index 249
252 pages total
Whalen's Separated Brethren is not apologetic in style, but it is apologetic in effect as it enumerates with certainty the post-apostolic origins of non-Catholic, Christian religions. Like Foxe's Book of Martyrs? Read this. You will be blown away when you see the other side of the coin. Are you a Christian who would like to see the early Church restored? Read this and find that She never died. She is, perhaps, unrecognizable, but only because She has grown more wise and beautiful.
Whalen also brings together in one volume the teachings of all the mainline Protestant traditions, as well as some cults and some non-Christian traditions. I would like this book to be in the hands of every Catholic who thinks that it doesn't matter which church you go to. They are NOT all the same.
A quote from "Critic" on the back cover calls this book "a masterpiece of synthesis." Well said.
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As soon as one can let go of the identification of awareness with its objects, or of the mind with its contents, boundaries vanish on every side. Instead of boundaries there is a new lightness and clarity. This is the boundless, this is emptiness, that which contains everything but is itself not anything. This is inner awareness and absolute reality. This is the pure essence of mind...This is the book's message, transcending to awareness through meditative prayer.
The book is sprinkled with anecdotes and stories that helped me gain insight into the philosophy and objectives (if you can say it has an objective). It contrasts Western versus Eastern thinking and how our driven culture stands in the way of living a contemplative life. This helped me drastically in my Christian walk.
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collection. Each of the 112 pages comprising this paperback
has at least one photograph, and many pages have two or three!
In my mind the pictures alone are worth a binding of their own. They
include many of his co-workers, and famous peers. After looking
at all of them for the first time, you really get a "feel" for
the environment in which he has been working (living) for the
last 30 - 40 years.
The entire collection of quotes (quotes and pictures are all you get, folks)
are catagorized by a plethora of topics, which enables quick referencing,
so you really should learn ALOT about his PERSONALITY.
I say "personality" because the quotes are in
conversational mode, candid, ranginging from silly quips and
understatements to very sincere and thoughtful comments; the way
I imagine he shares with intimates. This is not a stilted,
unemotional, professional collection of aphorisms, and I feel better informed
as a result.