Book Description
We don't usually identify with the author of a great story. Instead we bond with the hero and heroine-the ones that the story is
about. We share in their heartaches and triumphs. We cheer their accomplishments and mourn their losses.
When we think about our own story, we may see God as the author-an omniscient and omnipotent cosmic mastermind-but fail to recognize Him as the central character. In
Epic, a retelling of the gospel in four acts, John Eldredge invites us to revisit the drama of life, viewing God not only as the author but also as the lead actor, exploring His motives and His heart. Eldredge examines the power of story, the universal longing for a "plot" that makes sense deep inside us, our desire for a meaningful role to play, our love of books and movies, and how all of this points us to the gospel itself.
It's a story better than any fairy tale! Our human hearts are made for great drama, and the gospel, with its tragedy and grandeur, truly is epic. Also available as an unabridged audio on CD, as well as hardcover Spanish edition.
Customer Reviews:
Haven't received it yet.......2007-06-01
I don't know why earning "free shipping for orders over $25" should be a penalty. It takes 4-5 times longer to get your order when you do this. I have not received this book.
Great book.......2007-02-22
This is a good book, easy to read, and short. Great as a gift, or for your own personal curiosity. We've given away several.
Life changing paradigm shifts.......2007-02-21
I first saw the DVD, which I recommend watching first and using the book to supplement. Eldredge offers three versions in DVD set--a short 37 minute version, an hour long version, and a small group study version that is just over 1 1/2 hours with commentaries if you watch all 6 parts at once. I highly HIGHLY recommend that the first time you watch it, you go ahead and commit to watching the study version all the way through in one sitting. I got several life-changing insights and they keep coming. After seeing the DVD, I wanted more and read the book. While the book doesn't have quite the same impact, it does offer a little more information.
I've been a Christian for 30 of my 36 years and this DVD (and book) impacted me more than any sermon I've heard.
The Prologue sets up the format. He presents the gospel as an epic--a story and gives us a larger view of Christianity and where we fit into it. It's SOOO not all about us, yet we are a valuable part of it, we have our role to play.
The first "Act" is Eternal Love. It made me see God's nature more clearly. Yes, God is love, as we have all heard. But understanding the Trinity love relationship helped lay a foundation for the overall insight of We can trust the heart of God. That we are invited into something good that already exists and offers a sense of belonging to something greater.
The second act "Entrance of Evil" reminded me that sometimes I forget and see the world (and thus God)as if there weren't a villian. I also see how his biggest lie (You can't trust the heart of God) was being perpetuated long before creation. It was effective with the fallen angels and I fall prey to it sometimes myself.
The third act is where creation began and we currently are. I've heard (even occasionally taught) that God loves me innumerable times. While I knew in my head that this was unmistakeably true, I never experienced it like I did because of this. "The Passion of Christ" gave me a glimmer, but this much, much more so. The way Eldridge describes creation and us made in the Trinity's likeness (an echo) made me feel Psalms 139:13 like never before. I've struggled with feeling valuable and this insight offered a sense of security I've had a difficult time obtaining. Despite what we do (the she-camel verse struck my very heart), God still melts for us and pursues us, without force. Christ's life and death somehow seem more real to me. With love like this, I can trust the heart of God.
Act four talks about Heaven. NOT the typical (unfortunately) view of heaven and endless (i.e. boring) worship and praisefests. (Yes, we will worship God, but not just through song and church services in the sky) This presents a biblical view of heaven that really does sound like heaven. You really need to hear this, it's inspiring and exhilirating.
The Epilogue wraps it up and reasserts our place in the epic.
There isn't any way to convey all the ways or the degree how this DVD (and book) moved me and changed me. It's still happening. I find myself coming back to it again and again. I know Eldredge has written for men, I'm a woman and I don't think this is targeted just for men at all. I think it will speak most strongly to those who enjoy reading and movies a little more, just because he references so many. Each reference, if you're familiar with it, can evoke a feeling or situation in an instant that only adds to the message he is conveying. However, you don't have to know all the references to get an amazing amount out of it.
Good Sunday School Curriculum.......2007-01-04
I just completed teaching a Sunday School class using John Elderidge's Epic along with the DVD as a curriculum. The class was a cross generational men's group.
I must admit I was somewhat concerned about how this material would be received by the over 60 age group. My fears were unnecessay. The Epic served as a springboard for many good discussions. We discussed everything from relationships to the meaning of life. (You do encounter these topics when you ponder your role in the "Big" story.)
I was really blessed by the insights expressed by our group and came away with a greater appreciation for my seniors. The Epic also appealed to the younger members who could more easily relate to the media connections.
As some of the other reviews have pointed out, I agree that the Epic is not strongest work of scholarly theology. If this is your expectation then I would suggest you look elsewhere. If you are looking for a curriculum with broad appeal and is easy to teach this is just the ticket.
Good followup to Wild at Heart.......2006-12-01
I enjoyed as a followup. It helped keep my focus on another way of looking at situations. I think he may be onto something.
Book Description
In their most popular book, bestselling authors Eric and Leslie Ludy challenge singles to take a fresh approach to relationships in a culture where love has been replaced by cheap sensual passion. When God Writes Your Love Story shows that God's way to true love brings fulfillment and romance in its purest, richest, and most satisfying form. This new edition includes an extra chapter from Leslie Ludy about the surprises of life after marriage!
“I had dreamed of a perfect love story for my entire life. But somewhere in the midst of the endless cycle of temporary romances, my dreams had shattered.” How can I find a love worth waiting for?
Lay the foundation now—whether you’ve met your future spouse or not—for a lifelong romance. Bestselling authors Eric and Leslie Ludy invite you to discover how beautiful your love story can be when the Author of romance scripts every detail.
Story Behind the Book
Eric and Leslie Ludy want to offer an exciting vision of hope, proving that the Author of romance is alive and well and that true and lasting love can become a reality. Using the “four secrets to an amazing love story,” Eric and Leslie present a Christ-centered approach to building a relationship that will stand the test of time.
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic!!.......2007-10-05
This book is fantastic! It is incredible insight into what happens when you allow God to take control of your love life. I found the principles true/valid for all areas of my life not just my love life. I highly recommend this book.
Must Read.......2007-10-02
I've heard of this book through the grapevine and it got great reviews, especially from the church youth group ministries. Once I began reading it, I could not put it down. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is dating seriously, looking at dating, or even trying to figure out the path to take for a great future.
A Very Good Book.......2007-09-28
I teach an Ezra class at my church for teenagers. I ordered this book for them and we are discussing it and reading it and they are really enjoying it. This book is about real people with real experiences like them. They can relate to it. The Lord is teaching them through this book. Thank you for selling it and I thank the authors for writing it.
Wonderful!.......2007-05-12
This book I would recommend for young teens as well as adults. Anyone who has looked for love, but in all the wrong places, or anyone who is uncertain that they will ever find love at all; this book will comfort and guide you. Using scriptural backing, this books tells the reader how they must first love their heavenly King before they can every hope to find their earthly handsome prince.
This book was such a blessing to me. A must read for all young Christian adults!
I tried to make the most of it.......2007-04-29
I think the book is ok in that it offered new insight into my relationship with God that I was unaware of, and for that, I appreciate the book. However, as "the ultimate approach to guy/girl relationships," I don't think it was quite that. I think that they should have elaborated more on what is wrong with most current guy/girl relationships and talked about how we should approach these differently, both in the aspects of friendship and dating. The prime example would have been to use their own relationship as an example, which they did not. The reader just discovers one day (towards the end of the book) that they were friends who were not even considering marriage and the next thing you know, they're married. Maybe they elaborate more in their other books, but I am not buying those when stuff like that should have been explained in a book that is supposed to tell you the "ultimate approach to guy/girl relationships!" I think that their book titles should reveal that this is one couple's limited perspective because even the references of other people's experiences as examples do not tell you much.
Also, they seem somewhat limited in their experience and their thinking to be telling others how to correctly approach these relationships. In the aspect of loving yourself and growing closer to God, the book is good, but I don't really think it helps too much with relationships.
Another thing is the writing style was kind of a turn off to me, and I found it to be annoying. But I think that perhaps it may appeal to some people. It seems somewhat simple and patronizing, which immediately made me think this book was for high schoolers, but even when I was at that age, I still would have regarded it as too simple. Plus their humor did not appeal to me so they should try to keep that to a minimum in their future books. Honestly, they sounded as if they were young adolescents when they wrote this, and there is a difference between trying to appeal to a certain age group and sounding like you are from that age group.
Lastly, they should not paraphrase what is in the Bible. I actually did look up something they paraphrased and had a completely different understanding of it so I think they should write exactly what is in the Bible and then offer their perspective. Overall, I tried to get as much out of it as I could, but I would not want to buy another book written by them.
Book Description
An inspiring description and story showing how a church can become an irresistible influence on its neighborhood, community, and world by building bridges over troubled waters to a dying culture through showing the love of God in action.
Customer Reviews:
This is where its at.......2007-07-03
This book is right on. If we all were able to show Christ to the world around us the way the book encourages us to do, we would live in a different world. This is a must read for anyone wanting to make an impact on the world they live in.
Church of Irresistibel Influence.......2006-02-25
This is an excellent book for anyone who is concerned about reaching their community with the gospel. It is a different approach to the challenge that churches face today in our culture where the local church has often become irrelevant in the eyes of the community.
Worth reading for every church leader..........2006-01-31
"The Church of Irresistible Influence" is one of the most compelling books that I've ever read about what the church can and should be. I'm not one to casually embrace huge concepts on a whim, so I'm not yet convinced that every notion from this book is appropriate or even workable in many churches. In fact, Lewis' church has undergone some significant organizational changes since he wrote the book. I would be most intrigued to read a sequel that describes the process of becoming a church of irresistible influence after several more years of experience.
In any case, perfect model or not, Lewis presents many extremely dynamic examples of how his church (and, more specifically, the people within his church) began to impact the Little Rock community in amazing ways. It's great to read those stories of connection, blessing, and service, particularly as so many churches are becoming painfully aware of how useless they really are to their communities.
I would strongly recommend this book to any modern church leader, not because I think that every church should adopt this exact model of church structure, but because it presents some big issues and paradigm-shifting ideas that have the potential to totally redefine the impact of the American church. It just might totally rearrange the way you think about church!!
An Excellent Guide.......2005-03-05
This book is an excellent, balanced, scriptural view of the need for the church to be engaged in outreach. It is not only a good view, theoretically, but it is extremely practical and motivational. Even though Fellowship Bible church has moved on from the approach described here, it is still an excellent stepping stone for a growing church.
Move on out!.......2004-03-24
Church is not just about a service on Sunday - but about becoming prepared to really live God's Word - and then living in the Word in our communities. What an inspiration. And I am not a Pastor ... just one of the congregation!
Amazon.com
Fish! Tales is Stephen C. Lundin, John Christensen, and Harry Paul's follow-up to Fish!--their enormously popular fable that draws lessons aimed at combating dysfunctional workplaces from the happy fishmongers at Seattle's Pike Place Market. In Fish! Tales the authors show how these lessons were put into practice at businesses both big (a major hospital and long-distance carrier) and small (a local car dealership and roofing company). Anyone who enjoyed Fish! (or, for that matter, Who Moved My Cheese?) or is looking for a motivational tool to help energize their own workplace, should find this short, upbeat primer worthwhile. --Harry C. Edwards
Book Description
Fish! Tales is Stephen C. Lundin, John Christensen, and Harry Paul's follow-up to Fish!--their enormously popular fable that draws lessons aimed at combating dysfunctional workplaces from the happy fishmongers at Seattle's Pike Place Market. In Fish! Tales the authors show how these lessons were put into practice at businesses both big (a major hospital and long-distance carrier) and small (a local car dealership and roofing company). Anyone who enjoyed Fish! (or, for that matter, Who Moved My Cheese?) or is looking for a motivational tool to help energize their own workplace, should find this short, upbeat primer worthwhile. --Harry C. Edwards
Download Description
FISH! told the story of a fictional company that transformed itself by applying lessons learned from Seattle's famous Pike Place Fish Market. Now, with FISH! TALES, readers can learn how real-life businesses and individuals energized their workplaces--and their lives--by implementing the lessons from FISH!. Best of all, the book stands on its own for newcomers to the FISH! philosophy. FISH! TALES focuses on diverse companies such as a bustling Sprint regional customer service center, a quiet neurosurgical unit at a major hospital, and a brilliant car dealership. It features dozens of short takes--quick and easy ways to apply the FISH! philosophy right now. And it includes a detailed program with specific steps and action plans.
Customer Reviews:
Fish! Tales: Real -Life Stories..........2007-07-08
This book was used for a skit at a convention. It had the audience in stitches, while being presented some "boring, but important training." After reading the book, I thought of many friends and relatives who would enjoy and benefit from reading FISH.
Great book.......2007-07-04
I've seen the video and LOVE it!!! Just had to get the book since I tend to read more than I watch DVD's. A must have for anyone working or not working of any and all ages. Great concepts and principles.
Keep the Spirit Fishy!.......2005-10-24
Keep your experience of the Fish Philosophy fresh! This is a great companion to the original book. When you talk to folks about Playing and some of the other important parts of bringing a workplace alive, they often counter with, "What about the kind of job where you can't play. Like a hospital?" This little volume recounts tales of just such venues. Some stories are bite sized morsels, some are more substantial. They all provide nourishment!
Review of CD .......2004-11-12
The CD set is 3 hour
it has the feel of a bad Human Resource video on office rules.
It is read from scipts and sounds as such ....10 minutes into the First CD I ejected it from my Car's CD player.....
Even in a captive environment ......it got the "boot"
Insightful!.......2004-06-12
Things are going swimmingly in Fish! land. In the latest volume, Fish! Tales, authors Stephen C. Lundin, John Christensen, Harry Paul and Philip Strand build on the successful training program that evolved from their first Fish book. Tales shows how four companies - a long-distance call center; a hospital neural-renal unit, a car dealership and a roofing company - have applied Fish! theories effectively. They also provide short examples from other companies to show how well the Fish! function. The four main principles are familiar by now - keep the work fun, seek to serve others, stay focused on your customers and have an enthusiastic attitude - but the examples in the book bring them alive. Along the way, the authors heavily sell their Fish! courses and merchandise - that's just good salesmanship - but the real catch of the day is the final how-to section, showing ways to apply these principles in any organization. The lively writing style helps keep you hooked. We suggest that if you haven't yet caught any Fish!, start with this one. Its cheery, accessible methods should lure you in, hook, line and sinker.
Book Description
Would you willingly overlook clear direction from God that speaks directly to you and where you are in life right now?
God’s guidance is near at hand. He is not only your Authority, he is also your Author. As God writes the stories of your life, he uses your past to open up your future.
It is your privilege to listen to your own story so you can live boldly for the sake of the Greatest Story, the good news of Jesus Christ. God reveals himself to you–and to others–through the story he has written in your life.
In this insightful and compelling book, Dr. Dan B. Allender shows you how to read the stories of your life. He helps you understand the meaning that God has written into every detail of who you are. As a result, you can share your story with others and listen to their story, revealing unique aspects of God’s hand at work.
Starting today, you can find deeper meaning in your story–a story To Be Told.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Highly recommended!!.......2005-03-18
Dan Allender in his book, "To Be Told" presents both the tools and the inspiration for each of us to understand the stories that God has written in our lives. By understanding the story that God has written in the past, he contends that it will help us to understand the direction that God would have us to take for the future.
Allender does a great job in this book of presenting a method for understanding the difficulties of our past. His sharing of his own difficult background shows that he personally knows of that which he speaks. And since he keeps it simple it is accessible to anyone.
One area that I wish Allender had done a better job of was to broaden the application of understanding our stories. Although dealing with the past and understanding the direction for the future are both important applications, I think that there may be a whole host of others.
However, that small difference aside, Allender's book is well-written and includes powerful practical ideas on how to understand how God is writing your life. I highly recommend it and the accompanying workbook.
For a longer review, go to the blog listed in my nickname and click on the 'Reading' category.
(...)
A Story Worth Reading.......2005-03-16
The idea of life as a story is not some recent fad. Rather, God tells His eternal story in story form--the narrative of the Bible.
Nor is the idea that we should listen to our own story some post-modern invention. Augustine insisted that there were only two things worth knowing--God and self. Calvin taught that all knowledge can be summarized by knowledge of God and knowledge of self.
With this historical backdrop, Allender becomes your guide on a journey into your own story and how to discover God's sometime hidden, often perplexing trail as you travel with Him.
As Allender puts it, "God is not only your Authority, He is also your Author." That is, He is both Sovereign and Shepherd. He is over you seeing your whole path, yet also beside you blazing the path with you.
Since these concepts are not novel, Allender provides wisdom for reading your life novel. With humour and grace, he describes how to search your past to find meaning in your present and hope for your future. None of this is done with a self-centered focus on self, but rather with a focus on how to glorify God through telling and living the unique story He is writing in your life.
"To Be Told" is a river worth wading in. It's a valuable travel guide--something of a "Theological Mapquest" through the narrative that we call "Life."
Reviewer: Dr. Bob Kellemen, author of "Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction" and "Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction."
Insightful guide for living an intentional Christian Life.......2005-03-03
In his latest book, TO BE TOLD, Dan Allender encourages readers to examine their lives in a search for the story that God is telling through their existence. Allender says we often don't know our own stories because we doubt their existence, dismiss their importance, or we're distracted.
"Too many people are missing their story because they're watching the stories of others. We live vicariously through television, sports, magazine, and talk shows. Such stories may occasionally educate us, but most often they sedate us. They free us from admitting that our own life is dull and lifeless. They attract us because they offer life without risk. They are deathly safe."
Fans of John Eldredge's writing, especially THE SACRED ROMANCE, will find similar themes of brokenness, revelation, desire, and narrative redemption here.
"Something must awaken us to the fact that we are asleep. And what awakens us is usually a moment of exposure when we see that the conventions that guide our steps and promise us a good life are nothing more than illusions."
"The stories told in most families are a kind of propaganda."
"You must listen to the heartache and hope that etched in the narrative of your life. And you must find the meaning God has written there."
"Your plight is your redemption."
"Desire is both our greatest frailty and the mark of our highest beauty."
Allender has a humble and disarming tone that is humorous and relatable. It can be hard at times to wade through the jargon of "story" --- feasting on story, editing together, writing your destiny ... what does all that mean? But the effort to truly understand what Allender is getting at is worth it. In essence, he's trying to get people to remember. It sounds simple, but it's not given that so many people have a dysfunctional relationship with the past. Whether good or bad, it can be hard to deal with, and so people tend to forget. But by entering into the past, Allender says that we can understand the present and help write our futures.
"God is the Potter, and we are the clay. Even the word human --- derived from the Latin word humus, meaning "dirt" --- shouts loudly about our origin. We are dirt. The name Adam (Hebrew 'adama) means "red," the color of clay. God shaped, molded, and formed us to reveal something about himself. He is a Being who loves to reveal and who invites us to join the process of revelation by calling to ask, seek and knock. God always intended for his children to join him in completing creation. We are no inanimate entities that merely reveal glory but living stories that are meant to create glory."
In other words, by seeing and understanding the stories God is telling through our lives, we can be more alive.
TO BE TOLD will provide insight for just about everyone interested in living an intentional Christian life. In addition to his wise observations about life, Allender gets practical in his suggestions for knowing one's story, including fasting, prayer, and of course, writing. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a bit of a memoir-writing fad ensues. And frankly, if Allender is right, we'd be better off for it.
--- Reviewed by Lisa Ann Cockrel
I can't wait to get my hands on this book........2004-11-17
I have not read the book yet but I recently attended an all-day seminar with Dr. Allender teaching this subject. His transparency, accessibility, and humor are disarming and overwhelming. Today I am grappling with some old truths seen for the first time from a new perspective. I am genuinely excited about learning and telling my story and the potential for new depths of intimacy in my relationships. Eight hours into the conference I didn't want it to end. I can't wait to get my hands on this book. If it reads half as good as Allender teaches, we are all in for a treat.
Book Description
Once in a while, a book comes along that has the power and the wisdom to speak to the best part of us and awaken our highest selves to the miracle our lives were meant to be. In this truly unforgettable guide, Robin Sharma, author of the national bestseller The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari and a man whose life lessons are currently transforming the lives of many thousands of people across the planet, will show you how to access your inner gifts and reshape your whole outer life in the process. With brilliant simplicity and remarkable insight, The Saint, the Surfer and the CEO will teach you:
• How to stop betraying your self and live your destiny
• Simple ways to feel a rare amount of fulfillment and joy in your days
• How to reconnect to your inner child like heart for a more passion-filled life
• Lessons to conquer stress, balance life, and feel good about yourself
• A proven process that will revolutionize your relationships and fill your life with love
• How to restore adventure, simplicity, and prosperity into your life
• Powerful principles to become strikingly successful at work
• Practical wisdom to help see a gorgeous vision for your future and then make it a reality
Customer Reviews:
A lesson for me?.......2007-08-20
I enjoyed this book. It is a compilation of helpful and inspirational thoughts and ideas from all the other books and tapes currently marketed. Kind of a "cliffs notes" of self-discovery.
The author sets the fictional story in a hospital where an accident victim is recovering. He is met by his father, who he has not seen in decades, and his father gives him some advice and a letter before the father passes away. The letter contains details on three life coaches the son must go meet so he can learn and uncover his true self.
The first coach is a priest in Rome. The priest teaches him how to live wisely, using a metaphor of a stained glass window. You see life colored by your perceptions, like looking through a stained glass window you see things colored by the glass. Change your perceptions and life changes.
The second coach is the surfer, who teaches him how to love well. He teaches him to stop living in his head and start living in his heart. Live in the moment and enjoy what is happening right now. Everything you do comes from a place of love or a place of fear. Where are your thoughts coming from right now.
The third coach is a CEO of a brokerage firm. She teaches him how to serve greatly. Telling him you can get anything you want in life if you just help enough other people get what they want, and you must conduct yourself with the utmost integrity.
The majority of this book I have read or heard in other places. Its not new material, but it is presented in a new way. One part of the book talks about how every meeting with another person is your chance to learn something new. If you keep meeting up with people who are filled with problems or complaints, its because they are being sent to you so you can learn a lesson that you need right now. They will continue to be sent to you, UNTIL you learn these lessons.
I guess that makes sense. Maybe this book came my way because it contains a lesson I still need to learn?
Great book - made me think.......2007-04-06
This was a great book and i really enjoyed the story. I did feel that it was very "simple" and rolled a lot of the messages that one learns along the way (and is looking for it) into one and have the feeling that i couldve saved a lot of time and money just by reading this book first.
Nonetheless, it was a very good book - easy read, very simple and extremely helpful. It made me think about some things and i "feel" good after reading it.
Insightful and Entertaining!.......2007-03-17
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is written as a fictional story, but it is chock-full of wisdom and inspiration.
This book is about determining what really matters in life- not money, not material posessions, but the real stuff of life. The main character meets with three inspirational coaches who each offer a slightly different perspective and different advice on living an extraordinary life.
As a Professional Life Coach, I am always looking for books with deep wisdom and useful metaphors. I read this book with my highlighter in hand and I soon found that I had highlighted nearly the entire book! This is a book I will definitely read again and will recommend to my clients.
The information in this book is not new. Many other self-help books contain similar words of wisdom and advice. What was new about this book was the fact that it was an entertaining and easy read. It also contained many metaphors and examples that made it easy to relate to the concepts presented.
This is a wonderful book for anyone who is searching for meaning in their life. Give yourself time to really absorb the concepts and apply them to your life. You may find your life and your world transformed as a result.
the saint the surfer and the ceo.......2007-01-19
a very good book...quick reading ..good insights...
i recommend this book and follow it with the book who will cry when you die...they go hand in hand..
The best bit was the Surfer section.......2006-01-06
For me, that section held more new insights than the others, which tended to fall into the usual self-help talk. Didn't really like the overall style of writing, it was a bit cloying. But the Surfer section on self-love, abt taking care of yourself with the occasional self-pampering did make me stop and think, which was great!
Book Description
Praise for Vital Factors
"Each story in this book provides a real-world example of the importance of finding ways to continually focus on and perfect your vital factors as a means to be successful in business and in life.Vital Factors brings to life the MAP process to help you figure out what really matters as you seek to enhance your personal life or to transform your business."
--Kerry Killinger, chairman and CEO, Washington Mutual
"When I first became CEO I was inundated with constant interruptions and distractions. Then I discovered the MAP process. MAP forces you to focus on those core issues that drive an organization and eliminate the extraneous. Vital Factors shows the reader how to overcome these challenges through the stories of people who succeeded."
--John V. Shields, chairman emeritus, Trader Joe's Company
"Vital Factors brings to life the power of concrete concepts that create consistency and results.I entrenched myself in these MAP principles early in my career, and years later I used them to develop my leadership team and transform our organization."
--Joseph V. Haggerty, chief operating officer, United Way of America
"Vital Factors?captures the winning formula to run any size business or organization. The real-world examples--provide insight that will help you grow as a leader and advance your career. It is mandatory for all of my senior leaders."
--David Berman, vice president of worldwide?sales and service, WebEx Communications, Inc.
"Vital Factors is a valuable tool for all leaders and teams. It has provided our organization with a simple disciplined process to transform our business from being 'action focused' to 'results focused.' Vital Factors is now part of our culture and used by every employee; the linkage to results is incredible. Focus, discipline, communication, and accountability are driving positive results!"
--Sharon Stein, senior vice president, Ceridian
Customer Reviews:
Vital Factors tells the story but falls short in teaching the subject..........2007-02-12
Vital Factors is a wonderful promotional piece about the benefits of MAP's business consulting success as told through the stories several of it's clients. The stories are quite inspiring in terms of the dramatic results the individuals and organizations achieved subsequent to the implimentation of the MAP process. However, I found myself wanting for more of a text book understanding of the MAP steps as they are best applied. For example, I would have preferred more of a case analysis of the methodology of MAP's determination of a business' Vital Factors and how those were identified and subsequently measured.
I recognize that all improvement comes through a feedback loop where efforts are measured against results and then adjustments to future efforts are made to optimize outcomes. While MAP distills that process down the book doesn't really get into the meat and potatos of their approach, leaving me wanting for something more to learn from. Guess I'll have to call MAP to learn more. Maybe that's what they wanted all along...
There will be little (if any) organizational vitality without individual vitality.......2006-12-07
Like the human body, each organization has "vital factors" and it is important to know what they are and how to monitor and protect them, especially when attempting to transform any organization from what it is now to what will improve and strengthen it. In this volume, Lee Froschheiser and Paul Chutkow introduce their reader to MAP (Management Action Programs) which they characterize as "a powerful system of business management and personal growth." It consists of six basic functions: Leading, Communication, Planning, Organizing, Staffing, and Controlling. Expect no head-snapping revelations nor do the authors claim to offer any. Rather, the substantial value of their book is derived from understanding and then effectively applying the Vital Factor process which they explain and illustrate with rigorous precision.
The authors assert that the best-run companies share a common set of attributes and virtues. These they list on pages 6-7 and are essentially the same as those identified by others such as Jim Collins, Andrew Hargadon, Jason Jennings, and Alfred Marcus as well as by Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman. For example, personal as well as organizational goals are clear, specific, and measurable; people, strategy, operations, and competitive marketplace are in proper alignment; continuous improvement at all levels and in all areas of operation; and decisions are based on "outside-in," customer-centric perspectives. In this volume, Froschheiser and Chutkow cite research conducted by Eric Gillberg and his associates which reveals that "companies are like people: each was unique, each had its own distinctive DNA, each had its own particular set of defining strengths and weaknesses. Moreover [key point] each company had its own unique - but often hidden - set of vital factors, the critical elements that would either hold that company back or propel it to success."
In this instance, in terms of alignment, the challenge is recognize the strengths of each individual and then apply them to tasks appropriate to those strengths. In fact, Marcus Buckingham is among those who support this leveraging of talents and skills against work to be done while suggesting, also, that managers should concentrate on increasing strengths rather than wasting time struggling to eliminate weaknesses. Specifically, how to do that successfully? Froschheiser and Chutkow offer the MAP system whose foundation consists of Vital Factors and business fundamentals, "the daily blocking and tackling that winning companies do better than their competitors. MAP is an ongoing process that, when implemented well, produces all those attributes and virtues that [Gillberg's] team found in the best-run companies."
As I read this book, I appreciated learning much more about how the transformation of an organization (regardless of size or nature) must occur - and indeed, can only occur -- simultaneously with the transformation of those who are involved in it. Credit Froschheiser and Chutkow with a brilliant explanation of how and why MAP is such a powerful system of business management and personal growth. With comparable brilliance, Collins has discussed companies which made a "leap" from good to great and he and his research associates also learned a great deal about once great companies which became only good and then mediocre. Obviously, there are significant differences between and among those companies that "leap" as well as between and among those that deteriorate...and especially between the two groups...but all of these companies share at least one factor in common: their "health" as an organization is determined almost entirely by the "health" of their people. The ROI on initiatives which achieve and then sustain the mental, physical, and emotional vitality of everyone involved in a given enterprise is incalculable. What Lee Froschheiser and Paul Chutkow offer in this exceptionally practical book will guide and inform such initiatives.
Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out Michael Ray's The Highest Goal, James O'Toole and Edward E. Lawler's The New American Workplace and O'Toole's Creating the Good Life, and Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths And Total Nonsense co-authored by Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton.
Vital Factors is enormously valuable at 3 levels.......2006-11-23
Vital Factors is one of the most useful works I have seen. Having been in executive business positions for over 30 years, having taught in universities, and having enjoyed the chance to coach team members in hundreds of community, business, and university activities, I am struck by the blending, the welding done in this book.
Much of what I see in Vital Factors is long-time proven leadership, management, and success fundamentals. For me, what breathes life into Vital Factors is the brilliant blending of known success factors with the discipline of the MAP processes. The pathways made clear through real-life stories make Vital Factors even more extraordinary.
Vital Factors and the MAP processes are wonderfully valuable to me at 3 levels:
.....In business
.....In coaching, and
.....In my personal life
I recommend this work as a brilliant blend of proven success factors with wonderfully valuable MAP processes.
Vital Factors.......2006-11-17
Fascinating book! I particularly enjoyed the personal stories of people and organizations who have used the management system described in the book. I have been in senior positions in business for quite some time and it never ceases to amaze me that one can always learn from the experiences of others. A lot of the stories were about people in smaller companies who do not have internal groups responsible for organizational development. I am recommending the book to my son-in-law, who is in just such a position.
Average customer rating:
- You gotta sing this one!
- Conside Love doesn't compare
- More to "Penguin" than meets the eye
- I LOVE This Book!
- utterly romantic
|
Your Personal Penguin (Boynton on Board)
Sandra Boynton
Manufacturer: Workman Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book
 Fiction
| Marine Life
| Animals
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Fiction
| General
| Animals
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Fiction
| Friendship
| Social Situations
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Picture Books
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Boynton, Sandra
| ( B )
| Authors & Illustrators, A-Z
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Picture Books
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Fiction
| General
| Animals
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Fiction
| Marine Life
| Animals
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Boynton, Sandra
| ( B )
| Authors & Illustrators, A-Z
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Fiction
| Friendship
| Social Situations
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Dinosaur's Binkit
-
Snoozers : 7 Short Short Bedtime Stories for Lively Little Kids
-
Belly Button Book (Boynton on Board)
-
Snuggle Puppy (Boynton on Board)
-
Birthday Monsters! (Boynton on Board)
ASIN: 0761143726 |
Book Description
The irrepressible, ever-original Sandra Boynton introduces a brand new Boynton board book. Your Personal Penguin is a read-aloud, listen-along favorite for young children and the grown-ups who read to them. Fun to hold, the book tells the story of a slightly bewildered hippo and the loyal penguin who wants nothing more than to be his pal:
Now, lots of other penguins seem to be fine
in a universe of nothing but ice.
But if I could be yours, and you could be mine,
Our cozy little world would be twice as nice.
I want to be Your Personal Penguin.
Customer Reviews:
You gotta sing this one!.......2007-10-08
You can see by the musical notes on the cover of this little board book that it's really a song you can sing. And music really anchors language. I saw the link to the song but wasn't able to download it when I got the book so I made up my own little tune. It's a hit! My kids are too old for this but my neighbor's daughter, who is just learning English, comes over for story time every Saturday. She loves this book and sings along with me. So does her big sister and my daughter (who are both really too old on their own for this book)--they all bounce around the house and sing along. Very sweet. Recommended for a fun together time with your little ones. :-)
Conside Love doesn't compare.......2007-09-04
I adore this book! My boyfriend is in love with penguins and it was by chance that I saw this in a window of a local bookstore. It's the perfect book for you to add personal touches too. As dorky and corny as it may be, we like to think of each other as one another's personal penguin. Great for kids and adults.
More to "Penguin" than meets the eye.......2007-05-27
Like But Not the Hippopotomus, there is more to I Want to be Your Personal Penguin than meets the eye at first. The book is about all of the traits of our closest companion. It is about the one who wants to love us when we aren't particularly intersted in being loved. It is about the one who is with us during great adventure and also those moments when we think we may have even gone a little too far. It is about the one who is with us at night, and the one who is always actively listening to us. I'd say this is a very spiritual little book for those who choose to read with an open mind and open heart.
I LOVE This Book!.......2007-05-15
This is my new favorite Sandra Boynton book! I found the book after watching a YouTube video of Davy Jones singing the text. The book has the website where you can download a free mp3 copy of the song. I recently got to read some bedtime stories to a couple of young girls. This one, I sang. They both declared it their favorite. The story is about a penguin who wants to be a hippo's 'personal penguin'. Cute story line, wonderful Boynton illustrations. Can't lose with this one!
utterly romantic.......2007-04-09
i'm a fan of sandra's older books ("moo baa la la la" is a favorite), but "personal penguin" may be her best book yet. the premise is clever, and the title is adorable -- a great way to learn about love, platonic and romantic.
Customer Reviews:
I didn't know before...but I know now!.......2007-07-14
I didn't know this book would be so good. It was so fast-paced that I finished it off in a one night. I shook my head as David and Jocelyn relentlessly went against everything I personally believe in when it comes to relationships and fidelity. Eric and Janelle truly didn't deserve the deceit and treacherous heartbreak that was thrown their ways. I cried tears over Isaiah. Marc, Kim, and Marisol were great supporting characters. The ending actually surprised me. I think Eric did the right thing in the end. Jocelyn was indeed tainted and no longer good enough for him. As for David and Janelle...I think they really did belong together because in spite of David's unfaithfulness, he truly loved Janelle and she loved him back. Good job by this author.
This book doesn't need a follow-up, but I would be happy to read one anyway.
Two thumbs up..........2007-07-02
I'm not really good at doing book reviews, but this book was an excellent read. If you like drama...you will definately love this book! Good thing Mr. Joseph put the disclaimer at the beginning because I would have really thought he wrote this after a personal experience. This just goes to show how real the story seemed....
Good job Dwayne!!!
Slow start but great finish.......2007-06-12
This is the first book I've read by Dwayne Joseph and I must say that I wasn't disappointed. The book had a slow start but finished up great. This is a good read. I don't think Janelle should've given David a second chance but hey love conquers all....I guess.
don't waste your time.......2007-05-04
Imma keep it short and sweet. I don't know what yall were reading, maybe I had a different version or something. But this book was so watered down it was annoying. The plot and idea was good, but that's about it. The characters were stupid and unbelieveable... a husband takes hsi wife back after she left him for her high school sweetheart... i don't want to ruin it for those who choose to read it... but why waste your time?
Let's Just Say It's On FIRE.......2007-03-08
What first caught my attention about this book was the title because in my head I was singing the Aaliyah song and after I realized that the book was by a friend of mine I knew I had to get it because I knew it was going to be a hot joint. Well needless to say I finished the book in a cool five hours and was highly impressed. I have read much work in the literary world as well as read quite a few by Mr. Joseph himself and I got to say every time I read something new Dwayne turns the heat up.
Book Description
Too many of us have settled for a predictable, mediocre existence when deep down we long to live a life that really counts. In their new book, bestselling authors Eric and Leslie Ludy reveal that the life God has called us to is beyond anything we have dreamed or imagined. This grand adventure can turn ordinary men and women into heroes for Truth—agents in the service of the Most High God. This adventure transforms the impossible challenges of life into amazing opportunities to see the power of God at work. If you are willing to explore the boundless depths of a God-scripted life, this book can help you to embark on a new and magnificent voyage of discovery. Get ready to discover how breathtaking the adventure can be when God writes your life story. Discover the Adventure of a Lifetime
As little kids, we dream big dreams for our lives. We want to become CIA operatives, Jedi masters, samurai warriors, or super heroes who save the world from evil villains. We want to be someone who makes a difference—someone who puts a dent into this life before we leave it. But as we grow up, it’s all too easy to lose sight of our big dreams and settle for a predictable, mediocre existence.
If you are longing to live a life that counts, this book is for you. When God Writes Your Life Story isn’t just a book about finding your purpose; it’s about the life-altering effect that God—the Author of adventure—can have upon your purpose. If you want to experience the most thrilling, satisfying, and world-altering existence possible, then get ready to discover how breathtaking the adventure can be…when God writes your life story.
Story Behind the Book
Eric and Leslie believe that God is in the business of writing amazing scripts for our lives. Not Hollywood scripts, but heavenly scripts that showcase His awe-inspiring faithfulness and love. This powerful book takes readers on a personal journey to discover their true purpose, proving that when we entrust the pen to the Author of Adventure, the result is a life story more fulfilling than anything we have ever dreamed.
Customer Reviews:
A terrific read!.......2004-12-28
Eric and Leslie not only write what they believe...they live it! This book offers the keys to a joyous and enlightening journey for a purpose-filled life, one that is absolutely adventuresome because Christ is the center. Two thumbs up!
When God write's your Life story........2004-10-09
As a young adult, trying to make some decision's about my future and the direction i should take, this book definately came in due season. Eric and Leslie Ludy are great author's. They know how to relate the message God has layed on their heart's to all age group's. I bought this book a few day's ago, and already it has opened my eye's to many thing's in my life. It's not a "how to" guide to christianity, but rather, a message from the heart's of two people who have been down the same road, have had the same concern's and worry's, and confronted with the same type of issues as many of us are plagued with every day. Though, they have found the secret that many of our heart's search for.... the secret to how to live a victorious christian life.
A message greatly needed in this generation.......2004-09-30
Eric and Leslie have done it again! While all of their books convey a message of building one's life around Christ and pursuing Him in everything, this book really hits the message home. Not only is the book packed with their candid stories and cunning tales, but it also offers a life application section which can be used as a study guide individually or as a group. The entire book is very practical with the same great message drilled home- our lives need to be totally devoted to the Lord.
For Such A Time As This .......2004-09-28
I don't have to own this book to know it's good. I plan on getting it when it comes out. They are definitely are called for such a time as this. I love how real and practical they are in sharing God's Word and encouraging you to give God your pen with your life and in the romance department. I higly recommend this book! This is a must have if you bought any of their books!!
Books:
- Essential Rumi
- Everyone's Mandala Coloring Book Vol. I (Everyone's Mandala Coloring Book)
- Focus on Grammar 3: An Integrated Skills Approach, Third Edition
- Getting Organized: Learning How to Focus, Organize and Prioritize
- Grammar the Easy Way (Easy Way Series)
- Great Books of the Western World (Great books of the Western world)(60 Volumes)
- Guide to Literary Agents 2007 (Guide to Literary Agents)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Gregg Reference Manual
- The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell
- Getting Started with Peachtree 2005
- Prospero's Books: A Film of the Shakespeare's The Tempest
- Management Accounting: A Business Planning Approach
- Perfect Trust
- Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution
- Accounting for Overseas Operations
- Labour and Globalisation: Results and Prospects
- Rocks and Hard Places: Four Stories
Waking the Dead: The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive
The Journey of Desire: Searching for the Life We've Only Dreamed of
The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God
Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul
Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul
