Books I’m Reading | christopherhildreth

Archive for the ‘Books I’m Reading’ category

Awareness

March 24, 2008

Several years ago I read a book by John Eldridge called, Wake the Dead. It was probably one of the most transformational books I have ever read. The key to its effect was a quote on the cover and repeated in the book itself. It was a quote by Saint Ireneas which stated that “the glory of God is man fully aware.” I could not get that quote out of my mind and soul.

The essence of the words continued to revolve around inside me as I sought out what it meant to be “fully aware”. I can’t say that I know even now what it truly means to be “fully aware”, but I do know that the journey toward the zenith of that quote has brought me into contact to many ideas and concepts that I would have probably shunned before. In many other religious practices the idea of awareness is central.

Too often we live according to a mechanistic attitude based only on what has been done by and to us and correlated with what we desire to do or dread will be done in the future. I can only remember the past and hope for the future. Awareness can only be known in the current present I am living. To truly notice life as we pass through it is to glean wonder and awe from each moment, and in the gleaning really live.

Categories: Awareness, Books I'm Reading

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Richard Florida

March 12, 2008

Richard Florida is the guru of the Creative Class. His book, The Flight of the Creative Class, has opened up a new way of looking at what being creative means for more than just the individual. The book discusses the “global competition for talent” and offers ways the United States can compete.

What I really like is his new book, Who’s Your City. In this book he discusses the attitude that “cities should focus on attracting high-paying, attractive jobs. Economic growth and a thriving jobs market would attract the best talent, right? Wrong. It turns out that it’s more important for cities to focus on creating a strong, diverse talent base. By fostering a strong creative class, cities are assured of future economic growth and prosperity.”

In an interview Florida also says something that needs no more interpretation than to simply read it:

“Talent and creativity do not reside in the individual. They reside in the relationship.” Think about that one for awhile.

Categories: Books I'm Reading, Creativity, Cultural Ideas, Influence

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Jeffrey Sachs

March 11, 2008

Jeffrey Sachs is the author of The End of Poverty – which you should read if you haven’t, you should. His new book, Common Wealth, is like a textbook for the world.

In the book he lists four major things that need to be done in order to prevent a global economic meltdown.

1) Environmental Sustainability

2) Stabilization of the world’s population

3) The end of extreme poverty

4) Effective global cooperation

Despite the doom and gloom feel you could get from the title and index, the book itself is very readable and provides real optimism for both individuals and governments if the paths offered are followed.

Categories: Books I'm Reading, Cultural Ideas, Influence

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God Is a Salesman

February 28, 2008

Picked this book up a few days ago and started to read. The concept is centered around the fact that in a world where we need proof and trial studies and perfomance data, we take the idea of a God without any of these things.

The author’s point of view is that for God to be able to have that many followers with so little in the way of actual “stuff” to show, God has to be the best salesman out there. Since in our lives we find ourselves always selling something, we should take some pointers from God and let the observations influence the way we live and express our lives.

I’m about halfway through and have to say that I am enjoying the book. It’s not a blockbuster, but it’s small size gives you the “light at the end of the tunnel” to keep you motivated to finish.

I intend to utilize many of the ideas listed in the book.

Categories: Books I'm Reading, Context, Creativity, Cultural Ideas

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Living from our strengths

February 12, 2008

I have to say that one of my favorite people to read and listen to is Marcus Buckingham. He worked with the Gallup organization for several years and co-authored the books, First, Break All the Rules; Now Discover Your Strengths and authored the book The One Thing You Need to Know. His emphasis for some time now has been to help people focus on living through their strengths instead of trying to improve their weaknesses. His point is taken with an example of a scale from 1 to 10: 1 being weak and 10 being strong. If you are an 8 in one area and you improve by a point or two, great; but if you are a 3 in an area, you have the potential to only get yourself up to a 5 or 6 – still mediocre at best.

His analysis displays the fact that when we live and work from our strengths, we are happier people. No one has to tell you what you’re good at – you know it, it is instinctive and you feel pleasure from it. Conversly, no one has to tell you what you are bad at – you know these things also. you dread them and they deplete your energy.

When we focus living in our strength zone, we make life better for ourselves and those around us. A team of people working from their strengths can change the culture of an organization and increase the whole workforces attitude about a particular business. The impact cannot be emphasized enough.

Living and working from our strengths utilizes the best we can offer to any person or situation. It breeds success, and decreases failure, resulting in much more confidence and inner direction and (pardon the pun) strength.

Categories: Books I'm Reading, Context, Creativity

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One Month to Live

February 7, 2008

I had to comment on this new book. I had read an article that mentioned it and then during the Super Bowl, I saw and advertisement for it. I picked it up at the local Books-a-Million and found an interesting idea. What would you do if you knew that you only had 30 days to live.

Who would you talk to, what would you write, where would you go; what would you do? I found the questions compelling and decided that I would actively ponder the thought and put action to some of my conclusions.

What I found was an immediate sense of anxiety. There were so many things that shot through my mind. So many people and places and events. What struck me though, probably the most, was that after the initial shock and feeling of being overwhelmed, I quickly began to automatically sift through and decipher the important things that had value.

My conclusion is that this exercise can be extremely beneficial in helping us to see the things of great value that surround us each and every day. We have many scattered ideas about what things we have to do, but in light of the question of being gone in 30 days, reality helps us really see around us.

I remember as a youth I became busy, as most of us have, and walked up the steps to my house and noticed that the flowers on the dogwood by the front door were falling. I had been so consumed with my own perceived important things, that I had missed the blooming and grandeur of the flowers. I only realized and recognized them when it was too late to enjoy their gift of beauty.

Take a moment today and think about that question: what would you do if you had only 30 days to live?

Categories: Books I'm Reading, Cultural Ideas

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C. S. Lewis

January 20, 2008

Found this quote and thought it fit great with the previous post – it’s long but poignant

“In a narrow place between two rocks there came to meet me a great Lion. The speed of himwas like the ostrich, and his size was an elephant’s; his hair was like pure gold and the brightness of his eeyes, like gold that is liquid in the furnace….In beauty he surpassed all that is in the world, even as the rose in bloom surpasses the dust of the desert. Then I fell at his feet and thought, Surely this is the hour of death, for the Lion (who is worthy of all honor) will know that I have served tash all my days and not him. Nevertheless, it is better to see the Lion and die than to be [king] of the world and live and not to have seen him. But the Glorious One bent down and touched my forehead with his tongue and said, Son, thou art welcome. But i said, Alas, Lord, I am no son of Thine but the servant of Tash. He answered, Child, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me. Then by reason of my great desire for wisdom and understanding, I overcame my fear and questioned the Glorious One and said, “Lord is it then true, as the Ape said, that thou and tash are one?” The Lion growled so that the earth shook (but his wrath was not against me) and said, It is false. Not because he and I are one, but because we are opposites, I take to me the services which thou hast done to him, for I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him. Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oath’s sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it it I who reward him. And if any man do cruelty in my name, then though he says the name Aslan, it is tash whom he serves and by Tash his deed accepted. Dost thou understand, Child? I said, Lord, thou knowest how much I understand. But I said also (for the truth constrained me), Yes I have been seeking Tash all my days. Beloved, said the Glorious One, unless thy desire had been for me thou wouldst not have sought so long and truly. For all find what they truly seek.”

from C. S. Lewis, The Last Battle pp. 164-165

Categories: Books I'm Reading, Context, Cultural Ideas

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Creativity

December 30, 2007

Right now I’m reading the book Creativity by Mathew Fox. I bought it because of the “people who bought this book also bought this” from Amazon. I know it’s just a way to make more sales – and they did with me – but it looked like a book I would like and I bought it. I’m about half way through and had to make a comment on it.

My big thing right now is Influence – our use and misuse of it – even when we aren’t aware of it. 2008 for me seems to be laying out like a year where I hope to utilize some of the information and knowlege I have gathered over the past few years about the subject.

I’ve discussed the idea of a few books with a publisher and hopefully, either with them or with others a book could be on the way. Hoowever, this book, Creativity, is a unique one. The quotes in the book come from a wide variety and the ideas are very creative – pardone the pun. I like to think outside the normal quadrant and sometimes it gets me in trouble. In this book you’ll find commentary from Thomas A’Quinas to Buddah.

In short I am loving it.

It is provoking me to think more about the idea of truth and the Spirit of Creativity and our responsibility than ever before. As far as Influence is concerned – to not use our influence to utilize out God-given creativity in the world is a sever misuse of our current place in creation.

Can’t wait to finish and see where this takes me.

Categories: Books I'm Reading, Creativity, Influence

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Messy Spirituality

November 30, 2007

A friend of mine reminded me of this book, Messy Spirituality. I had picked it up a few years ago when I was involved in youth work. Yaconelli was known for his “freeness” and in this book does a masterful job at expressing the incredible love of God for His children.

In spite of and probably because of our shortcomings we see that, as the Shack so eloquently put it, He is “fond of us”. So often I wonder if we seclude ourselves into the walls of the church because we are afraid of entering into the world. Could it be because we are afraid of the judgment of others as we enter the world. Could it be that in entering the world we are afraid that we will find that we should have been there all along and have wasted precious moments sitting on the wrong side of a glazed window.

Is a building really necessary and can it become a hindrance rather than a blessing? Is the cost of upkeep worth the lost community influence through helping the poor and needy?

I don’t know the answer, and would not presume we should all sell our land and give to the poor. It simply gives me pause to consider that the areas we are being drawn to serve in are outside the church walls.

Perhaps a new monasticism is emerging. Where once monks secluded themselves inside the church to find God, possibly now monks will seclude themselves outside the church in order to find God.

Maybe a greater portion of spirituality and grace can be seen in the faces of those who choose not to enter the church. Maybe it is outside in the harsh surroundings that we discover the pleasant scent of communion and conversation.

Categories: Books I'm Reading, Context, Creativity, Cultural Ideas, Influence

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The Shack

November 3, 2007

O my God what a book! Our Director of Operations here at Lifepoint gave me this book a couple of moths ago. At first I just couldn’t get into it, but a few days ago I felt like I needed to give it another shot. In two days I had finished and the way the book personifies God and Christ and the Holy Spirit is truly amazing. The feeling and emotions that came up during the reading of The Shack gave me a sense that I was reading some of my own story. Through a tragic set of circumstances an adventurous, well-traveled God emerged. In the end the concept of God and the godhead go through a singularly remarkable transformation in the psyche of the reader. A transfer takes place and into the shack you go. Along with you go all the preconceptions of who and what God is. Once ready for your journey home, each step taken is fresh and new, a symbolic gesture of a new-found freedom and reality of a God who loves and loves well. You will feel yourself robbed of a moment worth remembrance if you awaken in the future having not read The Shack.

Categories: Books I'm Reading, Influence

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