So, You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore?

I am not sure of the best way to describe the book I’ve just finished reading. It is entitled So, You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore? It is a fable written by two men, Wayne Jacobson and Dave Coleman. You can read the book for free in a .pdf format at http://www.jakecolsen.com/Jakespreads.pdf.

This book has really messed with me and has challenged me once again, to look at “church” in a new light. If you are looking to start a relationship with Jesus or if you have ever been frustrated by a congregation, denomination, or Christian, you might discover a thing or two if you are willing to be honest with yourself.

You can also learn more about Wayne Jacobson at www.lifestream.org

I really don’t want to describe too much. The title describes it well enough. If any part of you answers the question in the title with a “yes”…well…then read the book. Whether or not you believe in Jesus, or whether or not you even want to believe in God, I think you’ll appreciate this book at some level.

The Duke Brothers and Us

Last night I needed sometime to veg out so I laid down on the bed and began flipping channels. I came across an old episode of the Dukes of Hazzard and pleasant memories of watching the show as a child kept my eyes glued to the T.V.

The show may not be of the greatest quality, but I remember as a child after getting my bath and ready for bed, I would lay down in the living room floor, curl up with a blanket and enjoy my favorite prime time tv show with a bowl of cereal. I must have been in kindergarten at the time. Dad took a nap in his chair and mom read Reader’s Digest while I waited in anticipation for General Lee to take off on a chase, make a huge jump, and honk Dixie through the air. I cracked up with laughter every time ole’ Roscoe P. Cole Train went Git-Git-Git….and his dog, Flash, did nothing.

It could be argued that it was a waste of time watching that show as dumb as it was, but I wouldn’t trade the memory of being with mom and dad for anything else. Seeing that show, made me feel at home again, curled up in a warm, safe place with not a single worry in the world.

I don’t care what the TV show is today, but I want my son to have the same kind of memory one day.

Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars

I’ve fallen behind in my book reading goal for the year but I’m not worried. I have plenty of time to rebound. Anyway, I just finished Patrick Lencioni’s Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars.

This book has a great message about the danger of silos within a company. It’s a very important message and it’s an issue that should be addressed. As a company grows, silos can easily creep in and begin to negatively influence productivity. Lencioni suggests that companies, even churches, need to find a Thematic goal to work toward, in order to over come the turf wars.

I enjoyed the book, but it wasn’t my favorite Lencioni book. I had a hard time getting excited about this one. I still recommend it though.

The Tipping Point

I realize that I am behind most readers since I am just now finishing with Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point. I really did enjoy the case studies in this book and how group dynamics and social settings can determine the success or failure of various things.

I particularly enjoyed reading about the Broken Windows Theory. If a broken window appears in a neighborhood it gives the impression that no one is home, no one cares, and it invites more destructive behavior. I thought this theory was applicable to web sites also. Broken links, old images, out of date copyrights, etc… all give the impression that no one is hear and nobody cares.

This book can take a while to work through if you are a person that gives a lot of attention to detail. I will be moving on to Malcolm’s other book Blink soon.

How to Become CEO

I picked up How to Become CEO by Jeffrey J. Fox the other day and thoroughly enjoyed reading this little book. I think this will become one of the those handy little books to keep by my desk and review every now and then.

The chapters are bite-sized, and although I don’t agree with everything he suggests, the book provides a great platform for ideas as a leader. He covers over 70 different areas that you can work on to be a better manager and leader.

The Dip

For a few weeks I have been side tracked by Zelda the Twilight Princess - a game a friend of mine let me borrow. Now, it’s time to catch back up on my reading goal. To get back into action I picked up Seth Godin’s latest book The Dip.

It is a great little book that can be read very quickly. The message is short and sweet and would serve as a nice little appendix in Good to Great. Basically, he says if you are going to do something, make sure you are setting out to be the best in the World. Just remember there will be dips and you must work through those dips in order to be the greatest. However, there are times when it is ok to quit things and there are times when you should quit things. His book explains in more detail when those times are.

It offers a little bit of motivation and helps make you think a little harder. It’s worth the read.

The Singing Salesman

My friend Smitty emailed this story to me. It’s a performance on Britain’s Got Talent television show. This man is Paul Potts, a 36 year old salesman. Yep, it is one of the Simon Cowell shows he is on. That’s why I wasn’t sure what to expect when I pressed play on this video. I was prepared to laugh…but when I read “Potts, who has battled a burst appendix, a huge tumor on his adrenal gland and a shattered collarbone after being knocked off his bike, knocked 'em dead... I didn’t expect to hear this...

I'm Moving My Blog

I finally decided to make the switch after several people at work have requested it. I am moving my blog to WordPress @ http://petpeeving.wordpress.com. There are a lot of things I like about both blog platforms. There is also a lot of functionality I will miss that Blogger offers.

Anyway, I will get the domain switched over soon, but until then you may want to use the link above to read my latest post and comment.

I think Americans hate TV

We American's love television right? Whether we are watching it or not watching it, doesn't it always seem like it is on at home? If a room has a television in it, how long does it usually take for someone to turn it on? I dare say, not very long. It's like glutton saying, "if the Twinkie is on the counter, it needs to be eaten." If there is a t.v. in the room how many of you feel like it has to be on?

Okay, on with criticism aspect. Our awesome boss just upgraded the lunchroom with a nice new television (there was no television before). When you go in there now, the TV is always on. That's fine because we all love TV, right?

Right and...well...wrong! Why do I say wrong? Whether it is here or anywhere else that a room of TV loving Americans gather around a television (that is always on), most of the conversation in that room will be criticizing and making fun of what is on. Do we love our television only so we can criticize everything we watch.

Test my theory. The next time you are watching TV with a group, take note of the amount of criticism that takes place compared to positive comments. My personal experience was three days in a row, three different channels, and three different distinct groups, all ended up criticizing what they were watching. Americans have a love/hate relationship with television.

Am I wrong?