Resources Books

I picked up a copy of this book at the 2007 Hawai'i Conservation Conference, where author David Helvarg was a keynote speaker. Helvarg is president of the Blue Frontier Campaign, an ocean advocacy group.

50 Ways to Save the Ocean is a book with a mission. That mission is to convince the reader that:

1. The oceans are in trouble and need your help.

2. There are things each person can do to assist in the conservation of our oceanic resources, even if you live in Kansas.

Most of the ideas are good, and I appreciate that Helvarg went beyond the "donate money to..." strategies that most Americans get in their weekly mail solicitations (although he encourages you to donate money to a variety of causes and organizations). He promotes activism: volunteering, writing, and lobbying. He notes the power of consumerism in affecting how the ocean's resources are exploited ("follow the money").

I found that I do about 3/4 of the actions he recommends. The question is, how does this information get into the hands of those who are not already involved in ocean protection issues?

This is an excellent book to help teach your family about caring for our oceans! The ideas and illustrations are fantastic to read with kids. Almost all of the suggestions can be accomplished as a family, too. Going to the beach, going on a whale-watching trip, visiting tide pools, eating healthy and sustainable seafood, etc., are all great family activities! This book makes it easy to get your whole family together and interested in saving our oceans. Also really helpful in giving extra meaning to family activities, as everything can be prefaced with an interesting suggestion from this book. It will certainly also improve your kids' self-esteem, knowing they are helping the environment. On top of that, it is a great read!

If you saw An Inconvenient Truth and are wondering what you and your family can do about global warming, take a look at 50 Ways to Save the Ocean. It will help you through the thicket with lots of practical and yes, simple, ways each of us can participate in saving our planet.

Fifty Ways To Save The Ocean by environmental activist David Helvarg (founder of Blue Frontier) is an informed introduction to the innovative ways anyone can use to help preserve Earth's oceans and aquatic-life. Expertly guiding readers through diverse ways to effectively contribute to bettering the condition the great oceans, Fifty Ways To Save The Ocean provides a keen understanding of which fish should not be eaten and which species are endangered or could impact adversely human health; how to save energy and how that might help out the seas; proper diving, surfing, and tide pool equipment; support for local marine education; and keeping an ocean-friendly aquarium. Fifty Ways To Save The Ocean is enthusiastically recommended reading, especially for environmentalists hoping to do their part in contributing to the best health of Mother Earth's oceanic environments.

This book is truly an excellent resource for those of us that are concerned about the well-being of our environment but feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the world's enviromental issues. Here is a book that gives us all really practical, realistic, and fantastic ways to help save our oceans! I absolutely loved this book, and had so much fun doing many of the suggestions (especially going to an aquarium, eating organic foods, going surfing with my kids, and maintaining an ocean-friendly driveway). All of the suggestions are not only informative but also very easy to do and fun!

As an educator I found this book to be a "must read" for students of all
ages. The reader gains a better understanding of what positive business
gains can be made when hiring within the disabled community. Further, the
author writes the book in a manner that allows you to know the "heroes"
within the company and gain a personal appreciation for what each one brings
to the work place, ultimately allowing a better understanding of the talents
a truly diverse workforce brings to enhancing the business and the lives of
each individual.

I hope this is only the beginning of Nancy Henderson Wurst's career in book
writing. Her ability to help the reader know and understand the lives of
the people she writes about is a true gift to the reader. This book is for
everyone willing to learn.

This book inspires people of all abilities to appreciate one another's differences. There are many interesting stories related throughout the book. It's a must read for all organizations.

I am lucky enough to know David Morris personally, he is an inspiration in my life. Nancy Henderson Wurst captures in this book what David brings to the world, and we all need to know that compassion CAN live in the successful business world. I've also been lucky enough to meet some of those who David hired, persons who were "unhirable" by traditional standards. Wow, what a thing it is to see ABLE where others see "disabled". Just imagine what that does for that person. David brings compassion, harmony and ease into the bigtime corporate world and into the lives of everyone around him. Seeing David live his life, run his business and accept others is a major catalyst for the creation of a new business venture I am bringing to the world. Just last night I figured out how to also involve ABLED persons into the mix! It took 2 months of brainstorming but now I get to also try to make a little difference in the world, and I feel great ..thanks to David! No kidding, if you are a business person who has a yearning to also contribute to the world AS you do business then you should read this little book, I bet you WILL find some possibilities in there that will bring beauty to your life ..and to others. Have a good day.

I've worked with the disabled for many years and I am in fact able myself after having suffered a broken neck seven years ago.
Nancy Henderson Wurst has captured the essence of compassion and understanding in this population as she introduces you to a man who has totally embraced our differently abled friends to his advantage as well as to their own.
David Morris at great risk and with tremendous courage creates a workforce consisting mainly of disabled people and turns his business into a gold mine.
Hiring people that no one else would have is a story that touches the soul and will enrich, enlighten and change the way you think of these precious souls you once thought DIS - Abled.

This book should be read by every C.E.O. who cares about his employees and wants to improve his company profitability; and should be required reading in every H. R. Department and business School. Mr. Morris has shown great courage and vision. He and Ms. Henderson-Wurst deserve to be given as much prime time publicity as possible to showcase the people in their book. I am 53 years old, born with Cerebral Palsy, trained as an Attorney, in London. I have never met an employer, with the vision of Mr Morris.

This job hunt system is designed to make for a speedy job search which narrows the field and locates the best position in a minimum amount of time. From using lead sources and creating master applications to networking and creating a job where none may exist, this provides important guidelines for serious job-seekers.

This is the book I've been waiting for. No hype, no cheerleading, just a book that shows you how to find your job very quickly. Unemployment is very expensive, and Dr. Ford shows you how to minimize it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs that next job yesterday.

This is an excellent job search manual for anyone who wants to get it done right. It takes years of experiences and nets it down to simple, directed steps. If you are looking for a book that is "fluff reduced" this is the book for you. Highly recommend it!!

Bookstall 99 is proud to add "The Accelerated Job Search" to our list of recommended business and professional books. We look at many books, recommend very few, and our reviewers must be in total agreement before we issue our approvals. This book we felt was exceptional in it's use of resources, in-depth research, timliness, and ease of reading. It is the only book on job search we are recommending. Dr. Wayne Ford has done an excellent job in producing a complete text for the job hunter, regardless of the level of experience. He logically lays out a sequential approach to getting organized, setting up an effective strategy, and following proven methods in achieving success. A particularly well thought out book with the reader in mind.

The system and techniques laid out in this book really work. The proof is that it helped me find a very good job in a short amount of time. It gives you the best techniques available step by step. I admit I bought 7 books when I started looking for a job. This is by far the best one. Everything I did improved, from my resume to time management to organizing. I am enthusiastically recommending this book to any and all job hunters.

I bought this for my husband - a definate "chocoholic". It is a great book and the pictures make your mouth water. It tells you so much interesting information about chocolate. If you love chocolate, you will enjoy this book - even if you can't eat the book.

Wow, all my Internet research seems to be right here in one book!
Thanks!

This book has something for everyone about the world of chocolate. If you want to know more about chocolate history or how chocolate is made, it's here. If you want to know where to find the best chocolate in the world, it's also here. This book makes a great travel guide for chocolate afficionados. You can find where to learn more about chocolate and where the nearest chocolate festival or museum is. This book makes a great gift for your chocolate-loving friends and family, as well as a great gift for yourself. All the information and fun facts about chocolate are located in an easy-to-manage paperback book at a great price.

I read my friend's copy of this book. Covers history of chocolate, chocolate around the world, locations of chocolate festivals and events in the USA, explains the different kinds of chocolate, chocolate terms (like bloom, tempering, etc...), chocolate recipes, and even shows listings on the web of where you can find chocolate information. I think it's an interesting book for this sort of general information

Carole Bloom knows all about chocolate and is willing to share it. A compendium of fact and highly educated opinion about the world of chocolate. Dependable and indispensable. It even includes a chapter on other books about chocolate, including fiction, which is the only thing this book is not. In that realm, Bloom and I recommend BITTERSWEET JOURNEY, A Modestly Erotic Novel of Love, Longing & Chocolate.

This book provides practical answers and ideas for helping children with sensory integration challenges to be succesful in the classroom.

People on the autism/Asperger's (a/A) spectrum contend with a wide array of sensory issues, one of which is sensory integration. For many people on the spectrum, sorting out relevant stimuli from the extraneous can be difficult. Imagine being in a classroom and being distracted by the odors in the room, such as those from people and materials. Imagine having heightened sensory modes so that fire drills and alarms, as unpleasant as they are, are amplified. Dr. Temple Grandin equated fire drills to "dental drills in the ear," which is a very apt and accurate description.

Many people on the a/A spectrum often have trouble using multi-sensory modes, e.g. looking at someone while listening to them speak. The multitude of sensory input can be overwhelming, which in turn can lead to melt downs. This book does an extraordinary job of explaining these things and providing tips and resources for responding to sensory issues. The book also has some good information about how sensory distraction affects learning and strategies and techniques in working around this.

Former Beatle George Harrison unwittingly described the a/A experience with his stellar gem, "It's All Too Much." The lyric "it's all too much for me to see...it's all too much for me to take..." aptly describe sensory overload. It is not uncommon for people on the spectrum to close their eyes or go someplace private to come even after being bombarded with sensory input.

Be sure to read "The Out of Sync Child" and "The Out of Sync Child Has Fun" by Carol Stock Kranowitz. Those books are excellent companions to this one in exploring this further.

I highly recommend all books by Carol Stock Kranowitz on this topic. This book is another winner. Some of her books have been translated into Spanish as well.

I purchased a copy of this book to give to my SID kids teacher. There are good descriptions of the types of behaviors that many SID kids experience. In addition there are many fun activities that a teacher can use with all types of children in their classes that benefit all of the kids. My son's teacher appreciated getting this guide.

Sensory integration is well worth understanding because it is estimated that 20% of all students in the U.S. are affected by sensory integration issues. There is little offered to teachers who might have to work with children whose ability to learn is often clouded by affects of stimuli. Carol Stock Kranowitz is the author of one of the best books on the topic called "The Out of Sync Child." Stacey Szklut, occupational therapist, discusses practical advice on how to assist learning for children with sensory integration problems.

The book outlines how problems in sensory integration can adversely effect learning and how to develop useful strategies to help struggling students focus and absorb. The book also includes simple advice on how to improve educational and social success for kids with this particular LD and how to network with other teachers who have used various techniques to help their students engage. The book is geared toward preschool through high school teachers of all subjects.

This is a great book on hydrology, the author is very famous in both hydrology and hydraulics area.

This is a well-written and fairly comprehensive textbook for the science and engineering of hydrology, suitable for undergraduate and graduate courses. I used it for a class taught by one of the authors (David Maidment), so it was a natural fit for the class, but I believe that any competent teacher could make good use of it. The example problems are useful and the explanations are clear.

I took a hydrology course taught by one of the authors (Larry Mays) using this book. Advantages of this book lies in (1) the arrangement of the contents is very logic-oriented, you don't feel aburpt jump from one chapter to another one, (2) the theory addressed in the text is concise, easy to read and understand, (3) the examples used to illustrate the theories are very correlated. Other books may be good too, however, in terms of "hydrology" alone, I haven't seen a better one. It is a useful reference for your understanding of hydrologic design manual, creteria.

A must have reference for those of you guys in the field of Applied Hydrology. If you are tackling the task of modeling some particular hydrologic process, you will find the detailed descriptions and flow charts very handy. Step by step derivations of equations, excellent referencing and convenient chapter setup makes this book a first-to-look reference. Although it is a 1988 print, you will hardly feel it unless you really dig into details like flow routing in meandering rivers.

I believe you will enjoy reading this book...

I use this text to teach a first-semester graduate class for civil engineers who are targeting a graduate degree with emphasis on hydrology. I've been using the text for nearly ten years. It might be a little advanced for undergraduates, but certainly is in the grasp of advanced undergraduate students.

Applied Hydrology is the text I wanted way back when I was in graduate school. Chow was still alive but had not finished the book. I was introduced to his writing in his open-channel hydraulics text, which I thought (and still think) is the best. Applied Hydrology was assembled posthumously by Maidment and Mays, who did a good job putting together whatever remained of Chow's work. I'm very glad they undertook the process and published the work. It's an important text for my discipline specialty.

Part 1 of the text covers the basics and does it well. This material is timeless and will not change much as new research comes available. Part 2 covers analysis and shows its age, just a bit. Unit hydrographs and lumped-flow routing are old technologies and while updates are inevitable, the basic technologies will not change. Chapters 9 and 10 are a bit dated as substantial work has been done over the last 15 years. They're still good, but require supplementation. Chapters 11 and 12 again contain great fundamentals but the technology is changing. The theory of linear moments (L-moments) is working its way into hydrologic statistics for fitting distributions to datasets. Furthermore, there is a trend toward using resistant statistics (median, inter-quartile range, and others) for description of the statistics of hydrologic datasets. Part 3 on hydrologic design is still good, but is also showing its age just a little. Again, the basics are great and well-explained. However, as new data become available and new analyses of those data are accomplished, new interpretations also become available. This is true especially with precipitation atlases and the estimation of n-year precipitation events, and hence n-year hydrologic events.

My observations are not an indictment of Applied Hydrology; it remains my favorite engineering hydrology textbook and I will continue to use it to teach engineers about hydrology. In my opinion, this is the best upper-undergrauate/graduate engineering hydrology text available. Like all textbooks, it is beginning to show its age because technology is not stagnant. But its descriptions of core concepts and the application thereof remains top notch.

I'm getting my Doctor of Ministry degree in preaching, and so I've read lots of books about giving sermons through the years. This is one of the best. Dozens of scholars have written articles divided up into different categories (style, delivery, preparation, application, illustration, introductions, conclusions). Timothy Warren has several articles defending the topical expository sermon. He is strongly committed to expository preaching, but he doesn't necessarily feel that this always has to be from just one passage per Sunday.

Haddon Robinson has a convicting article warning about plagiarism, and he also has a great article about planning your sermons ahead of time.

Rick Warren has a good article about purpose driven titles for your sermons. The title should clearly communicate what the message is about without giving too much away.

John Ortberg discusses the use of illustrations, and there are also articles about outlining and discovering the main point of the scripture passage you are preaching on (frequently referred to as "The Big Idea").

Don Sunukjian has some contributions to the book, and one article warns about using too much alliteration, which is often the result of the preacher forcing his outline on the text.

You could read this book straight through, or you could pick out the articles that interest you at that moment in time. Many of these articles were first made available only to those who had an online membership to a certain website. But now these sterling pieces have been compiled into this thick volume. The book also comes with an mp3 cd. Highly recommended.

This is an A-1, first class book. Very inspiring and worth every bit you pay for it. We need better preachers and this book will for sure help you be one!

this was an excellent book on preaching. it taught me so many things. i do not agree with everything, but most of it was excellent. i would strongly encourage you to buy it.

I recently received a copy of The Art and Craft of Biblical Preaching: A Comprehensive Resource for Today's Communicators, and have been browsing through it from time to time. Whether you're a full- or part-time preacher or even if you spend any time at all speaking in front of others as a Christian attempting to bring others to a better understanding of the Bible, or to bring them to a point of decision, you need this book on your shelf. It is the finest compendium of useful preaching/exhortation articles I have ever seen.

I've only just started to browse through this tome, but every article I've glanced at or read has excited me, filled me with ideas on how to improve my preaching and prep-time, and given me already useful techniques to make my delivery more effective. Many of the articles were repurposed from timeless Leaderhip journal articles, some were culled from the Preaching Today website's "Skill Builder" articles, but there are a ton of new articles written fresh just for this project.

About the two editors: Haddon Robinson is considered by many to be one of the finest preachers alive today. I've always enjoyed the interviews and teaching I've heard from Robinson, and he has a clear, fatherly style of teaching. The blurb from Preaching Today Audio says, about him:

"Dr. Robinson has been named one of the 12 most effective preachers in the English-speaking world. His text, Biblical Preaching: The Development and Delivery of Expository Messages, is used in more than 100 seminaries and Bible colleges in North America. He is also host of Discover the Word which airs on 400 radio stations across the world."

Craig Brian Larson is pastor of Lake Shore Church (Assembly of God) in downtown Chicago, and is the managing editor of Preaching Today. He's well-known in the world of sermon illustrations, having compiled several illustration compendiums (see Movie-Based Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching, volumes one and two, for example), and coauthored a guide for helping preachers add journalistic impact to their messages (see Preaching that Connects).

If you preach or teach at all, you really owe it to your listeners to pick up this book and refer to it from time to time. It will be a resource you refer to for years, and it will challenge you at every turn. This book is truly a gift to the Church!

Rich.

This is a thoroughly exhaustive resource in the toolbag of the pastor. The multitude of author's writing on a variety of topics from one end of the field of homiletics to another adds a fresh view to bringing a Holy Word for God to affect the "Fallen Human Condition."

The reviewer had to read the book for a seminary preaching class. It was somewhat tedious reading this long book cover to cover. This is expected when there is such a vast number of author writing, but this cross-over isn't necessarily bad. It does give weight to techniques that are shown to be pragmatic. None of the authors are claiming that "their-way-is-the-best." They are merely showing what's worked for them and what is tried and true. They are passing their perspective on...because everyone has something to learn.

So from the lay minister to the scholar, this is a worthy resource to be in your homiletical arsenal.

This book gave me the next steps to what I needed to make winning commitments. I knew all the analytical information to promote myself and business but I was lacking a way to engage the heart and spirits of my prospect. This book has helped me move in that direction.

We enjoy well organized books that get to the point: this is one of them. In a nutshell, the work, based on interviews with leaders, offers practical wisdom and highlights 10 essential competencies of effective leaders: 1) seeing what is, in a new way; 2) vision; 3) storytelling (conveying a compelling message); 4) fostering hope (creating a sense of the possible through optimism); 5) rendering significance (connecting vision with each person's life goals); 6) mobilizing (encouraging right actions, setting high expectations, letting go, encouraging the best in others); 7) self awareness; 8) emotional engagement (empathic connection); 9) enacting beliefs; and 10) centering (developing centering consciousness and improvising). These highlights don't do justice to the book. In its content-rich pages, it delivers an abundance of insights about the meaning of leadership, as well as revealing an inspiring spirit.

To be an effective leader, one must inspire a broad and deep genuine commitment to a team's mission, vision, desired results, and members. A number of books have been written on ways to get people to sign on, to agree, to perform. Applying the principles they promote will generate performance, adherence, and a certain degree of loyalty. Full commitment is a different issue.

Richards presents an approach that is balanced between intellectual commitment, emotional commitment, and spiritual commitment. Emphasizing the art of leadership, he shows how leaders can craft deeper relationships that generate genuine commitment to produce meaningful achievement and fulfilling satisfaction.

In the area of intellectual commitment, four chapters present the elements of insight, vision, storytelling, and mobilizing. Under emotional commitment, the chapters address self-awareness, emotional engagement, and fostering hope. Rendering significance, enacting beliefs, and centering build the understanding of spiritual commitment. The wrap-up chapter is titled Towering Conclusions and Further Strategies. A brief list of resources (interviewees and websites) and an index complement the text. Each chapter concludes with a handful of questions to stimulate contemplation.

The entire text stimulates contemplation. Using a wide range of people and their experiences and philosophies, Richards engages the reader in an introspective and educational journey. In chapter after chapter, I found myself inspired and enlightened, motivated to apply what I was learning in my work.

You will find this book to be a sort of combination of a walk in the woods, a comfortable soak in a hot tub, and time in a classroom with an energetic professor scribbling concepts rapidly across a white board while his writing hand struggles to keep up with his mind. Plan on reading this book twice; you won't get it all the first time. Margaret Thatcher's quote will help you understand that opportunity.

I had always viewed myself as a pretty successful leader, but the insights I gained from reading this book have caused me to step back and review aspects of my leadership style that have evolved over a 25 year period. This excellent book calls on leaders to honestly assess the way they lead and communicate with their people in areas that for some are in uncharted waters - i.e., the emotional and spiritual dimensions. The book is not only insightful but is written so clearly and simply that its messages are very easy to grasp. I recommend this book for any leader who wants to raise her or his performance to the next level.

So much business literature is mind-numbingly and illogically recursive, suggesting that breakthroughs for your business will stem from imitating the techniques of other business people.

In a departure from this tired and arguably broken premise, consultant and coach Dick Richards provides lessons from leaders operating outside of corporations: in not-for-profits, the arts, sports, religion, education, government...

In drawing insights from his interviews with these leaders, Richards argues that leaders succeed by securing follower commitment. He posits that this happens when leaders work on, if not master, ten competencies in four interrelated domains: political, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual (defined as, "the sense of a calling from some source larger than one's self").

When a leader's capabilities coalesce in these four main areas of competence, she becomes, in essence, a fuller, richer human being. As a result, others positively respond to the improved leader by choosing to invest more of themselves in pursuing the leader's mission.

~~~ Familiar but..., Soft but... ~~~
In this framework, Richards proffers a cogent, integrated way of *thinking* about your own leadership. Drawing on historical and personal anecdotes, quoting philosophers, researchers and leaders, Richards both echoes and transcends conventional business literature (including the recent spate championing "emotional intelligence").

It would be fair to argue that there is little new here. But that would be off the mark. As Dick Richards himself candidly points out, there is more than plenty of literature and seminars traversing the broad, overly worn leadership field. Fortunately, the intriguing whole that Richards has woven is more than the amalgam of its recognizable threads.

Likewise, it would be patently unfair (to both reader and author) to dismiss this thoughtful, occasionally lyrical work as too soft, too philosophical, or too New Age-y. By moving past the sterile Insert Tab-A into Slot-B mentality that underpins so much prescriptive management literature, Richards elevates his readers, helping them to transcend the heartless transactional world so many work in. (Still, while there's more than a modicum of practicum in the book, readers probably will want more guidance on how to translate the principles into action. Perhaps Richards is at work on a "field guide.")

Dick Richards proudly writes, as his title suggests, of the *Art* of leading. One senses that Richards thinks as an artist, a world-savvy poet reflecting on leadership. One could mistake the book for a wizened corporate shaman's love letter to meaning-starved managers.

~~~ Bottom Line ~~~
Dick Richards' THE ART OF WINNING COMMITMENT is more gestalt than how-to, more fresh synthesis of the known than breakthrough. It should ignite your little gray cells, kindle your interest in self-development, inflame your own commitment to fostering commitment in your colleagues. And help you become a better person in the process.

Don Blohowiak, Lead Well® Institute; editor, The Leader's Letter

I work in Brazil catalyzing a movement of mentoring pastors with the intent that they in turn will mentor their principal leaders. Hendricks book was recently published in Brazil. I gave a copy to each member of my executive team and other key leaders who work with me. It is the most practical tool I have yet found, both for those wanting to be mentored as well as those wanting to mentor. This book has done more to provoke, challenge and channel my thinking and practice of mentoring than any other book. I hope that those who read it will find themselves not just finding and improving mentoring relationships, but also spreading a mentoring movement, both inside and outside the church. We need mentors in our churches and we need them in the marketplace.

Main Purpose: The purpose of this book is to enlighten men of their responsibility to mentor or share knowledge/experience, both practical & theoretical with other men in a constructive manner.

Content Description: The majority of the content of this work shows that through Biblical as well as a few secular texts that men throughout history have helped to mentor the youth of their culture in positive ways. Audience: In my own opinion this book is aimed at all adult males who have grown up in social environment that stipulates that all men are to be a "Lone Ranger" figure. There is nothing wrong with these qualities per se as I to was raised this way; however, one must realize that to better society as a whole, men with experience and skills need to impart their knowledge in a mentoring relationship to other men or young adults to better promote values and skills which are constructive and build a better individual and thus society.

Special Features: This book's target market is men. Men who are Christians or at least know of the Christian Bible. The skills taught in this book remind me of Special Forces cross-training methods. That is to say that each squad of 12 men learn their particular skills then impart their knowledge to other members of their squad. The squad (society) then grows from each individual learing these skills. This is the mentoring process.

Warnings of Weakness: This is not really a weakness; however, if one equates a Biblical reading Christian man as a mind controlled lab rat there could be a hesitation to the acceptance of the overall message. If one is not of an open mind, and only looks to secular texts this may not be the book for you. However, if you can read a Biblical-based text as well as secular texts without suffering from cognitive dissonance I think you would enjoy the message of this book.

Subject: Re: Self-Selected Mentoring Book Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 21:29:56 -0800 From: "Bryan D. Souza" Organization: Clovis Unified School District Newsgroups: pep.gsep.ed639.chaka References: 1

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.

I have yet to be disappointed with anything written by Howard Hendricks. In this book, he does a superb job of presenting the tremendous worth and transforming power of a mentoring relationship between two men. While these principles would also apply to a woman-to-woman relationship, Hendricks is writing to provide support for the Christian men's movement "Promise Keepers."

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.

Prov 27:17
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.

Utah's acceptance of the 2002 winter games seemed to prove the soundness of Colorado's decision to reject the games decades earlier. As has now been well documented, the award touched off a cascade of corruption, from outright bribery of the International Olympic Committee to various land swindles. It was a seismic event in the rural West, creating a shock doctrine all its own. Here at long last was the perfect excuse for wholesale development at nearly any cost. Honorable state and national legislators morphed into eager enablers.

Steve Trimble wisely opted out of trying to thoroughly assay the political scheming and environmental consequences played out in a spectacular crucible. But he has done something far better. He tracks one emblematic deal -- the transfer of a great swath of prime public land to a driven man who was already one of the largest landholders in the country. Bargaining For Eden is not just another depressing illustration of the corrupting influence of power, but a vibrant montage of unusual suspects expressing quirky aspects of individualism, camaraderie, and Western ethos. The author himself does not stand aside in judgment, but, in going the extra mile for the truth, explicitly implicates himself -- almost shamefacedly detailing his own micro-land development.

I'm grateful that Steve Trimble volunteered to guide us through this minefield of desires and improbable outcomes. His softspoken integrity puts the reader at ease. His own contemplative adventures are mingled deftly with the big doings of "operator" Earl Holding -- a man who, despite the author's careful rendering, seems more bulldozer than flesh and blood. This, above all, makes the book compelling. It is surprisingly easy to read, in spite of the messy wrangling for wilderness and luxury it reveals. In the end, I could not escape the feeling that the author's essential honesty and kindness overshadow even his larger-than-life subjects. He would never concede the point, however. He maintains that we are all Earl Holding, to some degree. That perspective is, at least, instructive and useful for bridge-building. Steve Trimble is harder on himself than on anyone else in this book, and that's saying something. It is therefore the one book about the changing West that every American should read.

"Bargaining for Eden" is really two books in one. The first book, and the one that has garnered the most attention, is about self-made billionaire Earl Holding and how he finagled, with the help of powerful friends, to add over 1,000 acres of public land to his Snow Basin ski resort in advance of 2002 Winter Olympics. It's an interesting tale, and author Steve Trimble tells it with careful, well-researched precision. Trimble, a self-avowed environmentalist, treats all sides of the controversy fairly, as witnessed by the reading he gave at the Salt Lake City public library where one of Earl Holding's minions, who probably didn't care much for the book, complimented Steve on his good writing and accurate quoting.

The second book within the book is, to me, really the more important one, because it's about all of us who love and live in the West. As Trimble writes, "On some level I am Earl [Holding]--we are all Earl." Here, Steve chronicles his own adventures as a small-time land developer in Utah's redrock country, and what he thought about and considered as he built a second home for his family on a previously-undeveloped piece of land. As I read this I thought about myself, the places I've lived in Utah, Oregon, and Montana, and how I've impacted those places. I doubt few of us have considered our own impacts and worked to mitigate them in the way Trimble did. I know I haven't.

The last chapter of the book, "Credo: The People's West" is something of a non-sequitur. It's Trimble's rules for living in the West, and it clearly draws on more than what's in this book. I agreed with some of parts of the credo; disagreed with others. My credo would be different from Steve's. So would yours, I imagine.

Overall, the book is fair and even-handed, possibly to a fault. It is not a rant and it steers clear of the self-righteousness so common in environmental tomes. Buy it. Read it. Think about it.

Steve Trimble's latest book is a compelling look at the tensions between private mega-enterprise and public interests. If you care about the future of open spaces (and not just in the American West), if you care about the future of community, if you care about how to tend to democracy in an age of fracture and fracas, this is a sobering look at a battle in Utah that can stand in for many such battles across the country. Refusing to give into cynical preaching, Trimble offers a nuanced look at his own complicity in questions of ownership and activism, which makes this book even more important. It ends with a hopeful, necessary "Credo," which also was recently published in High Country News. A fine naturalist, photographer and writer, Steve Trimble is a treasure. This book demands to be read, understood--and its lessons put into action by thoughtful citizens everywhere.

Stephen Trimble tackles the paradox of the modern west: how do people inhabit and develop a rapidly vanishing landscape? Trimble weaves the important tale of public land transformed into a commercial ski resort with his own construction of a second home near a national park. This juxtaposition elevates the book from polemic to a serious discussion of the many facets of land development. Trimble recognizes that there are no easy answers, but argues convincingly that wise land use policy requires the contribution of all of the stakeholders in the landscape: developers, environmentalists, long-time residents and the public in general.

What sets Trimble's book apart is his obvious affection not just for the land, but for the people who have lived on the land for many years. His interviews with men and women whose families have lived on the land for generations provides the reader with an often neglected perspective on the west. Trimble has an ear for the ironic poignancy of how development displaces those families who have lived and loved a particular place for generations, even as that landscape is changed by their own decisions regarding its value and use.

Highly readable, Trimble's natural storytelling ability comes through to illuminate a transformative moment in western history. As a native Montanan and long-time resident of Utah, I recommend it to all those who seek to understand a sense of place.

Trimble tells the story of reclusive oil executive Earl Holding and his struggle to develop a wild mountainside into a an elite ski resort, using the Olympics as a cudgel to overcome passionate local resistance. This is a compelling story that has not been covered outside of Utah. It is a shocking example of how the powers-that-be facilitate destructive and one-sided land use and how common citizens who personally know thew land and love it resist. The book then takes an unexpected twist: Trimble builds a second-home in a wild canyon in southern Utah and realizes he is becoming like his nemesis, Holding, just on a different scale. This confessional realization makes him dig deeper. Ultimately it is our own human nature he uncovers.

Why do we violate the integrity of ecosystems and habitat and how can we stop ourselves? these central questions are not resolved here. Trimble's book is both a heartfelt and intelligent invitation to public discourse on these critical questions. The reader could not get a more honest or wise guide than Trimble.