Fight Pastor

Got Fight by Forrest Griffin

Over the last several years, MMA stars have been writing books faster than most people can read them. Well, they aren't writing them their ghost writers are. After reading Matt Hughes horribly written autobiography I can't say I blame them. Anyways, Got FIght? was Forrest Griffin's turn at co-authorship.

I expected this book to be similar to the ones previously written by Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, and Matt Hughes. Those books were biographies that highlighted each of their rises to martial arts fame and fortune. While none were literary masterpieces they were, for the most part, pretty interesting (if you are into MMA). Matt Hughes's book was the worst written (Liddell's probably being the best) but it was still pretty interesting.

Got Fight? was a major disappointment. It veered away from the biographical stories of the other UFC veterans and tried to be a satirical version of Bruce Lee's famous Tao of Jeet Kun Do. (I don't know if that is what they were intending but that is the best way I can think to describe it.) Needless to say, it failed. The book was an assortment of ridiculous stories from Forrest's life. The stories reminded me more of John Blutarsky from Animal House  rather than a serious mixed martial arts fighter.

The only parts I found somewhat interesting were Forrest's deep reverance for certain athletes. He spoke very highly of the natural athletic giftings of Michael Jordan and Anderson Silva. If you didn't know the book was published prior to his 1st round destruction at the hands of Anderson Silva you'd have assumed he wrote the book in response to that fight. The fight basically played out exactly the way you would have assumed from what Forrest wrote about him. It was obvious to me from the book that he was afraid of Anderson.

If you are looking for a great book about the life of an MMA fighter buy Tito's or Chuck's books instead. They are exactly what you are looking for and are fairly well written. This book is definitely for MATURE audiences only (Forrest uses lots of colorful language) and has very little to do with his UFC career. I give this 2 our 5 stars.

Developing the Leaders Around You by John Maxwell

I haven't read a John Maxwell book cover to cover in 10 years. My theory has been once you've read Developing the Leader Within You and the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership you have pretty much read everything he has to say. Don't get me wrong, both of those books are incredible and must reads. Most of his other books have been expounding on points in those books. So I moved on to other leadership authors years ago.

This book has been sitting in my book shelf unread for years. I started it multiple times but got distracted by other more engaging books. I finally read this book for my coaching network in New York this past week. Maxwell's primary purpose for the book is to help us work with developing and recruiting our team. While Ken Blanchard's book, Leading at a Higher Level, on the same topic is far superior, this book is pretty good. The one benefit of John Maxwell's books is they are fairly easy reads. Blanchard's leadership books, while very well done, are also very academic and take commitment to read.

So here are some of the great thoughts from a book Maxwell wrote 15 years ago they I finally got around to reading.

• Acquiring and keeping good people is a leaders most important task.

• Leaders carry two buckets, one with gasoline and one with water, which are you training your people to use?

• Leaders must model the leadership they desire.

• Spend more effort on the "Farm Team" than on the free agents. Raise leaders up from within your organization rather than always hiring from the outside.

• When it comes to poor performance ask yourself, "Should this person be trained, transfered, or terminated?" If the poor performance comes from undeveloped skill it calls for training. If the poor performance comes from not having the right skill set this calls for transferrring. If the poor performance comes for other reasons this probably calls for termination.

• Successful leaders recognize that personal growth and the development of leadership skills is a lifetime pursuit.

• The primary responsibility of a successful leader is to identify potential leaders.

• One great person will always out-produce and out-perform two mediocre people.

• The leader must know his people well enough to identify attainable goals that require a stretch.

The section of the book that I personally found the most helpful was when he explained the 10 qualities you should look for in a potential leader. They are:

1. Character
2. Influence
3. Positive Attitude
4. Excellent People Skills
5. Evident Gifts
6. Proven Track Record
7. Confidence
8. Self Discipline
9. Effective Communication Skills
10. Discontent with the Status Quo

So, if you haven't already, you may want to check out Developing the Leaders Around You. Odds are I am the only one who hadn't read this book yet but if I am not alone, go for it. If you have already read it, go buy a Ken Blanchard book. Graduate up to the next level of leadership books. Many blessings on your journey to become a more effective leader.

Leading at a Higher Level by Ken Blanchard

I am winding down my time in Nelson Searcy's coaching network. (My last trip to New York is in September.) The latest book he had us read for our coaching network was Ken Blanchard's book, Leading at a Higher Level. Great book on leadership within any type of organization. It provides some great insight on managing your team, regardless of its size. Here are some great thoughts from the book

• When an organization does not live up to its stated values, employee and customer trust and commitment erode, negatively impacting all aspects of the bottom line.

• Vision is the responsibility of every leader at every level of the organization.

• Values define leadership and the way employees act on a day-to-day basis.

• The ultimate responsibility for ensuring and maintaining a vision remains with the leaders and cannot be delegated to others.

• Boundaries in an empowerment culture tell people where they can be autonomous and responsible, rather than telling them what they can't do.

• Leadership is not something you do to people, but something you do with people.

• You can expect more if you inspect more.

• Changes in performance occur either because the job and the necessary skills to perform it have changed, or because people have lost their commitment.

• Goals are the guideposts along the road that make a compelling vision come alive. Goals energize people.

Those are just a few of the great thoughts Blanchard shares in his book. He also spent time explaining his concept of situational leadership. He uses this diagram as an illustration of situational leadership.

If you enjoy books on organizational leadership check it out. If you are looking for a simple read this probably isn't for you, stick with Andy Stanley's Next Generation Leader.

Real Leaders Don't Do Powerpoint by Chris Witt

I read this book as I was flying back from New York. The flight was pretty memorable for me because of the gal sitting behind me. She was an 18 year old from Canada. I know this because she kept kicking my seat during the entire flight (like you would expect from a 4 year old) and talking at a very high volume (like you'd expect from a teenage girl). I am assuming not all Canadian women are this inconsiderate. Anyways, I read a great book that helped take my mind off of the annoying teenager. It is called Real Leaders Don't Do Powerpoint and was written by Christopher Witt. The book is basically about how to communicate as effectively as possible. It was very interesting, easy to read, and gave me some things to consider. (I do have to be honest and admit I use extensive powerpoint in my messages.) Here are some great quotes from the book.

• If you are a leader, you must look and sound like a leader in every speech you give.
• Who you are is inseparable from what you communicate.
• As a leader it's up to you to communicate a vision, a direction, a purpose, and impetus for acting.
• When given the choice between longer, more impressive-sounding words and shorter, more concrete ones, choose the latter.
• Well-focused brevity is the hallmark of a good speech.
• Regardless of why your listeners are there, they have one unspoken hope: that you'll make good use of their time.
• The truth is, any fool can complicate something. But it takes skill and effort to clarify a complex subject.

Those are just a handful of the great thoughts that this author shares. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has to speak in front of any size group or who leads an organization. Hope you enjoy it.

The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn

While laying by a pool, watching my kids play, I read the simple book The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn. The principles in the book were so powerful I thought I would immediately blog on it and encourage everyone to read it. This book gives the most clear concise explanation for why we should give and how we should give I have ever heard. I don't want to spoil the book by writing an extensive review of it but want to give you a couple of my favorite quotes.

"He who lays up treasures on earth spends his life backing away from his treasures. To him, death is loss. He who lays up treasures in heaven looks forward to eternity; he's moving daily towards his treasures. To him death is gain."

"The tithe is God's historical method to get us on the path of giving"

"Health and wealth gospel dishonors Christ, since any gospel that is more true in America than India is not the true gospel."

"Whenever we think like owners, it's a red flag."

Just a few of the great quotes in this book. The book highlights Alcorn's 6 steps to The Treasure Principle which I won't spoil by sharing. I want to encourage everyone to read this book. If you attend Canyon Creek Church I am going to buy a few dozen copies of this book and have it available to give to those who can't afford it. See me when I am back next Sunday for your copy!

Challenging Book!!

I have to be honest and say after 8 books per graduate school class I have been fairly burnt out of books on church growth, the emerging church, vision casting, leadership, postmodernism, etc. Basically any book not written about sports or motorcycles... Church related books all sound the same after reading the third one in any particular category. I realize saying that probably irritated half of you that are reading this. I am not saying to stop reading your Bill Johnson or Andy Stanley books, I just remember reading the same books in the 90's when they were written by Michael Brown and John Maxwell.
After once again losing to my weekly bout with insomnia, I decided to read Dan Kimball's popular book They Like Jesus But Not the Church. You can tell by my attitude about Christian books that I was expecting it to help me fall asleep. I was actually really surprised. This book is great. It is very practical for any pastor who desires to have a church that is trying to reach the unchurched. Kimball's 6 views that the unchurched have about the church were extremely thought provoking. Over the next week I will write a short blog on each one. If you are looking for a book that will cause you to think but also help you in fulfilling your personal mission, pick one of these books up.