Works Books

A lot people who read this book are baffled as to what exactly Semco and Ricardo Semler are doing that is so revolutionary. My simple answer is this:

They are treating their employees as "adults" and guess what? They are discovering that their employees behave as adults! Wow!

What's hard to understand for most people who are treated at their work as "children" (boss, may I do this, may I do that, etc., etc.), is that they actually behave as "adult-children"? All the resultant effects of the current and dying corporate system are totally predictable: low esteem, no initiative, fear, office politics, mismatch of talents and goals, etc., etc.

This is the revolutionary premise behind the success of what the 21st century "company" will look like.

I had read sound bites from Semler over the past few months, but finally got the book and devoured it over a holiday weekend. It did not disappoint. It presents some very non-conventional wisdom that challenges all sorts of corporate policies and norms with the question - why not do it differently? I wrote about several of these insights on my blog (http://creativeoutletlabs.wordpress.com/?s=semler). This book is highly rated as I am reminded frequently of several of the concepts in the books and I have recommended it to many others. You'll love this one!

Jennifer B. Davis
http://jenniferbdavis.blogspot.com

What an amazing story this book recounts. I kept reading of ideas they had and thinking - Well of course that would never work - and then read on to discover that they did indeed make it work. How I wish that all work was this democratic, this inspiring and this creative. When I had finished the book I felt a sense of excitement that the old methods of working, which seem unchangeable, could so easily be discarded. Well done Ricardo Semler and all the people who have helped to make your ideas reality. You are my heroes.

Seven-Day weekend is the second (English) book by Richardo Semler, the CEO of Semco. Semco is a weird Brazilian company known for it's modern HR practices. The history of Semco and Ricardo Semler was explained well in his first English book: Maverick.

The author makes a point that the workweek has invaded the weekend via internet and email. Now it's time to abandon the standard week/weekend thinking and have weekend whenever we want and have week whenever we want. So we'll have a seven day workweek AND a seven day weekend.

The book is a collection of stories and opinions by Richardo which are organized according to the days of the week. Every day a couple of stories, mostly about Semco but also about other activities in which Richardo was involved in.

Some of the more interesting points and stories are, for example, where the author is questioning the need to always grow. In business it seems to be the purpose of the business to grow bigger. Richardo questions this purpose and asks why this is. Cannot companies stay small and then still be successful?

Seven-day weekend is certainly worth reading. It's a small book it takes maybe a day to read it. Its well written, it keeps you awake and the stories are interesting. Though, I personally found it less interesting than Maverick (which I had read first). If you need to chose between the seven day weekend or Maverick, I'd go for Maverick. If, after Maverick, you still do not have enough of Semler, then the seven-day weekend is for you.

I really enjoyed this book because it seems to be the antithesis of so many standard biz books out there. No ex-consultant in-depth research of "best of breed" or new "growth paradigm" dreamed up by a college professor - just musings from a man who has created just what might be the best case scenario for the future of work.

The book is based upon is Semco, a diversified Brazilian company where Semler is the CEO and whose revenue has grown from $4 million in 1982 to $212 million in 2003. His basic theme is that in order harness the full power and talents of your workers they have to be truly engaged and this means they have the power to pretty much do what they want when the want - as long as it focuses on generating results for the company.

While many of the practices he implements might not work so well in your workplace, they will get you thinking of what might be possible and what we may hopefully be heading towards. Overall his approach is similar to Industrial Democracy whereby workers are involved in making decisions, sharing responsibility, and have equal authority in the company.

Below are just a few of my favorite quips from the book...

- Once you define the business you're in you create boundaries for your employees, you restrict their thinking, and you give them a reason to pass up on opportunities.
- Semco has no official structure, no CFO, no HR, no mission statement, no job descriptions, etc. it is a place where people are just considered adults and get their job done.
- Semco cares about the core of what an employee does for the company, not the boarding school behaviors like what time they came in. But it is sooo hard to give up control. People should be involved to the point they shout "yes"!
- You need to be willing to give up control. Like an entrepreneur who is flexible, intuitive, non-dogmatic, take risks, make money, and have fun.
- You must tap into your workers true talents. The best way for people to feel job satisfaction, to feel passion, is to get them doing their calling so that work is more like fun.
- If an employee has no interest in a product or project then it will never succeed.
- For a company to excel it must put the employees self interest first. An employee who puts his interests first will be motivated to perform.
- Without formal job descriptions people can wander into neighboring work activities without being chased away for trespassing.
- Workplace stress reflects the difference between expectations and reality.
- Unless we click with a worker, unless he latches onto something he is passionate about, our productivity won't be high. Few organizations make an effort to find out whether a person has a calling.
- A mission statement can be a beautiful document, and mostly useless if it is not driven from the bottom up. Mission and vision are just the first step and they mean nothing on their own. You are judged by what you do, not what you say.
- Privileged information is a dangerous source of power in any organization.
- Limit your plans to 6 months. 5 year plans are ridiculous and every 1 year plan has the stuff happening at the end of the year.
- If a discussion on salaries is taboo then what else is off limits? The only source of power in an organization is information, and withholding, filtering, or retaining it only serves those who want to accumulate power.
- It's easy to talk about diversity, tribes, and dissent; but it can be frustrating, slow, and cumbersome. So much easer just to take control and tell people what to do but then you don't get an employee who is inspired to do their best.
- Productivity stagnates when workers are waiting for someone to tell them what to do or following a formal plan.
- In most conventional organizations decisions are made at the top and the rank and file is asked to check their brain at the door which leads to hostile and extremist views among the workers.
- By giving up or sharing control of small nettlesome issues like dress codes, and of graver matters like factory closings and security, management creates a culture of self-government that has more resilience then my way or the highway.
- No one is required to attend any meeting at Semco. Everyone is invited and they can come and go as they wish. If someone isn't interested in a meeting, then their engaged time is spent better somewhere else. This way management knows which projects are worth pursuing.
- A full time employee only needs one requisite, to have a material connection with the heart of the biz. Their job had to be central part of the differentiation between the biz and their competitors. The connection between the biz and the job had to be intrinsic and obvious.
- In a group environment, the only way to get your idea off the ground is to lobby ferociously in favor of it. If no one buys into it, then leave it on the back burner and return to it later.
- The more informed people are, the better they are able to develop and follow their gut instincts.
- Harnessing the wisdom of people, the reservoir of talent. This only comes from freedom, from democracy, from asking why...

Last but not least, Wiki on Ricardo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Semler

I purchased an earlier version of this book when my first child was an infant. I continued to use the book until they were teenagers. It was the most used of my parenting books. I purchase this book for shower gifts for soon-to-be moms. They will find it useful, when their child is ill, in making decisions about when to call the doctor and when not to worry.

I still have the copy of the book my mother-in-law gave me 30 years ago, and the worn cover reminds me of how often I referred to it while my now-adult children were growing up. I'm ordering 3 copies of the updated version today; it's the perfect gift for all the brand new parents I know. Want to know when to alienate the doctor by calling at midnight and when to wait until Monday morning? This book is The One..... Want to walk into the pediatrician's office with a clear, concise idea of what symptoms to convey? It's The One. Want to avoid a trip to the doctor's office or urgent care center altogether? This book can help you do that with confidence and a clear conscience. It's definitely an excellent buy for any and all parents.

This is a great guide. I received my copy in 1977 when my daughter was born. I used it for years! Loved the flow charts. Definately eases the panic of parents. Explains so much! I have bought several copies of this book-first for friends in the 70's having their children, and now the updated book for the next generation of new parents....our children having children.

This book is like having a doctor in the house. My pediatrician took me more seriously when I called because I only called or visited when it was truly necessary. This book is so helpful in the way it works you through the problem and informs you of what to expect when you do have to visit the doctor. I highly recommend this book to new parents; it will give you more credibility when you visit the doctor and you are not seen as an anxious new parent.

I bought this book 27 years ago when I had my first child. I loved it then and love it now. I give it to every expectant mother I know. Our doctor was surprised that a new mom would know exactly what to ask and what information to have on hand. It has an easy to follow format with questions and guidelines for the taking care of your child. The book helps the parent know when to call the doctor or when to head to the emergency room. The book of course has been updated but the information from my original book is just as valuable. I still use it today to answer those important questions...virus or bacterial infection?

besides the Bible. Page by Page, Young Cajun Priest Fr Romaro has Answered All Key attacks/questions about the Catholic Church. He Cites Early Church Fathers, after Citing each Question/Attack. Cites Definitive Bible Verses, And Reasoning, And Sometimes Recent Church Leaders. An Ideal Methodology. Fr Romero Adds a Basic Chart of the Many Different Protestant Denominations That Began 1500 Years after Jesus. Major Surprises Page by Page. Cannot put down. And This Book by Fr Romero is the First Such Book. Other Authors are Following. Very Highest Recommendation.

Fr. Romero has written an excellent resource that should be on every apologist's bookshelf. Each topic begins with a statement of Catholic teaching, then each major objection is handled individually, and finally the writings of the early Fathers of the Church end the chapter. The footnotes alone are worth the price of the book!

Using the Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, writings of the early Church Fathers, and a number of other references, new and old, Father Mario Romero has compiled a wonderful defense of the Catholic faith in "Unabridged Christianity." Having read a number of apologetics (including many of the newer references used in this book), I've found that Protestants will accept few sources outside of the Bible. It appears that Father Romero had this idea in mind when writing his book. He takes a number of the primary complaints, disagreements, or falsifications of the faith from Protestants, divides them into chapters, and then answers each one with solid Biblical references. He also educates the reader on the proper translation of certain words that seem to be problematic for those outside of the Catholic faith. At the end of each chapter, he lists writings of the early Church fathers to show how the Catholic Church has been doing things the same way for two thousand years. Also at the end of each chapter are endnotes (some of which take up almost as much space as their respective chapters).

The topics covered range from Mary to Purgatory to "statue worship." He also defends transubstantiation, which always gets my friends of other faiths riled up. He covers marriage annulments, which do not always get a lot of attention from apologists.

All of this is done in a very straight-forward, plain talking manner that is neither offensive to Protestants nor is it egotistical sounding. I've come across a few apologists who are very headstrong with their defense of the faith which, while not necessarily wrong, might turn off Protestants from studying further. Father Romero's writing style is more like a "sit down over a cup of coffee" than an out-and-out religious debate.

I highly recommend this book. It's an enjoyable read that won't weigh you down with a lot of philosophical jargon or lose you with lots of "big words." I also recommend a number of the books that Father Romero uses as references, particularly the Karl Keating and Scott Hahn books. Another excellent apologetic is "Why Do Catholics Do That?" by Kevin Orlin Johnson. His writing style is very much like Father Romero's, with a little more humor spread throughout his book. Check these titles out if you are a budding apologist like myself.

If you're a Catholic you MUST own this book and read it so that you can defend your faith. If you're a non-Catholic Christian, you must read it to learn about your heritage. When I was a protestant, I one day wondered, "Just what am I protesting against? Why should I assume that the Catholic Church is wrong without looking into the matter myself?" It's been my experience that most people don't really know what they believe or why they believe it, much less what or why anyone else believes. If you are an "Anti-Catholic" protestant who thinks that the Roman Catholic Church is the [..] of Babylon' then, with all due respect, PARK YOUR PRIDE, remove the chip from your shoulder, get comfy and open your mind and heart and read this book. Of course, before you do, offer a prayer to the Holy Spirit for guidance. God Bless all of you on your journey.

This book is a very practical guide to what Catholics believe. It is written is practical style, setting forth in each chapter a basic tenant of Catholic faith, followed by a series of Protestant objections and Catholic Responses to each objection. This format makes the book easy to follow and a great source for quick research or for group study discussions. As a protestant, I am trying to educate myself on what Catholics genuinely believe, and I've concluded that the best source for that information is not from Protestant critics but from those who are themselves Catholic. The author, a Catholic priest whose ministry emphasizes teaching about what it means to be Catholic, quotes from much Scripture in this book and provides citations and footnotes to numerous Church documents to support the points made.

For purposes of gaining a better understanding of what the Catholic Church teaches, I highly recommend this book. It is also beneficial for developing a mutual sharing of faith between Protestants and Catholics so that each can better understand what they have in common as well as their actual differences. From that point, a more meaningful, productive and spiritual conversation may follow.

This book is perfect for anyone wanting to understand this controversial subject. It provides a very scientific look into many long-standing myths associated with the plant and drops humorous comments along the way.

Dr. Earlywine's book "Understanding Marijuana" explains the uses of marijuana on a level that can be understood by all readers. Remaining unbiased, he combines the political aspect to the benefits of decriminalization the substance as well as the harmful effects and beneficial uses. The long term research becomes clear as the author takes you into a world not clearly understood by most in everyday society. This book comes highly recommended to those who can benefit from Dr. Earleywine's years of dedicated research into the variations of the legalization of marijuana and in my opinion, the end of the tireless "war on drugs".

I first experienced pot at age 16 and soon learned that what little I was told was NOT TRUE. This book lays it out in all its splendor. It is not a harmless drug- but it is the next best thing. The pharmacology section was very useful as it explained the way THC is produced and broken down by the plant. On the way up to THC Cannabidiol is produced. Cannabinol is produced as the plant starts to break down. The medical section is fabulous. I was not aware of its medical applications fully until I became a Medical Assisting Student and was placed as an intern in a Multiple Sclerosis practice. This drug does wonders for them! Few knew about it. More need to learn about it. That and I just love the look of those leaves! They are Serrated!!

With all of the misinformation circulating about cannabis over the last 70 years its nice to have a refreshing, scholarly, intelligent review of the subject. I wish everybody in the country who had anything to do with the War on Drugs - from both sides of the debate, would stop bantering about unsupported nonsense and old cliches about that vegetation and look at the evidence, the history, and see the nonsense that is currently floating unabashedly about on that subject. Thanks Dr. Earlywine for your significant effort to try to get out the facts. Del

Yep. Another book that's packed full of research to support this incredible little herb. SIGH! We really need to get "with it" and make this available for health and well being for our people and our planet.

I got this book because of the reviews. But after reading it
I had a few problems with the story. Things happen super fast between Michael & Libby. One minute Michael and Libby meet (hardly any conversation between the two) and the next he is in her bed in the middle of the night and she's ok with it, and so it goes with things happening between this two that hardly know anything about one anoher but act like they've know eachother for years (no explanation as how they got to that point). The dialogue between the two falls flat. I felt no connection between the two. It was almost boring.

I loved this book and all the "Highlander" books!! Janet Chapman is an excellent author..

I read the fourth book in the series first, as it was a current release and I didn't realize at the time of purchase it was a series. I was hooked and had to purchase all of the series. These books can stand alone, but it was also an excellent series that I would recommend.

A little insite in to the book would be nice. A small peice to read to get a feel for the book and so it would help in my decision on buying. But since i read a book by Janet Chapman before; I knew that this would be just as good as the other. When I read her books it is like a movie playing in my head while i read, because i can picture all of it. wonderfully inviting.

I just discovered Janet Chapman and I will now look for every one of her books. This is a great tale about living in the Maine woods (something about which I am familiar) and I loved every page. I had been seeing her books and not getting them, because I was kind of 'done' with the historical Scots, but I accidentally discovered that these books were about modern life (sorta) and that changed everything I felt about the whole series of books. Get them! They are great!

This book ought to be available in every library, and made available to any and every one! It is a total jewel of a book. I would really be interested to meet the author.

Chinmoy uses new age jargon to mask the fact that he is uninformed about the subtleties of the subject matter. He is neither a philosopher nor is he spiritually adept. He uses his PR skill to lure unsuspecting youth to his cult. Don't buy his books.

Great book for Great Source of Enlightenment!
You wish you have read this book 20 years ago!

Sri Chinmoy is a living fountain of inspiration for the world. He writes from the heart in an elegant and lucid manner. His poetry communicates to our own hearts to stimulate the peace, harmony and love which are so simply already there. His rich Indian background and life accomplishments dramatically impower his messages.

It took me a long time to arrive at the place where I inevitably had to find this book. I find it to be the most succinct, beautiful, practical, and accurate work on the spiritual life that I have ever read. Long and bumpy is the path to arrive at this book, Wings of Joy. First I went through Catholicism; its rigid literalistic theology, though, leaves something missing for the thinking person. Then, Buddhism, with its deep meditation and striving for enlightenment. But there is something big missing there too: its rejection of the world is too non-intuitive, and does not make sense in trying to live a harmonious unified life. Then other independent religious thinkers, like Osho, whose books are wonderful and inspiring, but who demands that we tear down everything we have learnt from any institution (parents, church, state, etc.), in order to achieve the freedom that is our birthright. This may be the right way, but its radicalness can leave one feeling rudderless (in a bad way). It all leads to Sri Chinmoy, who, seemingly with direct access to God and the soul, has written a work that transcends them all. He does not reject religion, but says that they all contain truth: "each religion is right, absolutely right, in its own way, but when we cry for the highest truth, love of God becomes our only religion." Have you ever seen a more perfect statement. He does not reject the body or the world. He says the body needs the soul to illuminate it, and the soul needs the body to manifest the soul. So logical, so true, so inspired. Love is the answer, as it should be; not some detached enlightenment. There is not only one path, as too many religions demand. In short, this is the man, and this is the book. May you love it and each other

I have dealt with depression and lack of motivation for many years. Whenever I feel like I need a pick-me-up, I whip out this book and start thumbing through it. It has loads of ideas on things to do in your life. I recommend it to anyone and everyone who feels a little hopeless or bored sometimes. GREAT book!

I wish I had bought two...my husband got his for Christmas from me and he hasn't even looked at it yet. I have looked at it and love it. I may snatch it from him...

I bought this book about 5 years ago and have had so much fun reading it. I know I'll never get to do all of the "wishes" but I do check them off as I complete them. I would love to see how many I can achieve in the next 40+ years. It's a great book when you're bored to just pick up and open to any page. My kids have fun looking at it with me too. This is one of the greatest books I've ever opened!

This book made me realize two things when I received it in 1997. First, I need to remember how many things I have accomplished in my life. Second, what an accomplishment or "wish" is to one person is not to me. I define my own success.

I have been keeping for sometime a notebook in which I write things that I want to do in my life from sailing, visiting Italy, and writing a magazine article to eating less fried foods, and stop worrying for once. I have about 500 entries and its a great feeling when I can slash them off after they are completed. I bought Kipfer's 14,000 Things to be Happy About and I liked the lists of things she mentions that make you happy since it was so diverse and amusing. When I saw The Wish list, I thought perfect for me because it was just lists of wishes like that of my notebook. I like this book a lot because its simply ideas and wishes that I would never have thought about. From simple wishes such as join a health food co-op, learn to play the piano, stand up for a friend to the challenging, have dinner with former governers, hike the Appalachian, sit next to Jack Nicholsen at a Lakers game, this book has tons of ideas. I have added many entries from it and have never failed to be entertained by Kipfer's ideas. This is a small thick book that would fit well in a stocking, on your desk, and in good reading spots such as an office or even a bathroom. I love to pull it out and pencil off or circle entries that I have done or wish to do.

I have got the book on my hands before i was expecting.( outside USA)
In this case i knew the book.
I had bad experience buying books through other book Sellers and after had bought them i was informed that they were not available . I've got really disappointed.
When i buy a book i wanna make sure the book seller has it available.

If you are looking for a concise and practical guide to business writing, then you've found the right book. It is organized well allowing you to zoom in on the specific advise you are looking for (e.g., memos, letters, emails, reports). The chapters are easy to scan so you can readily zoom into areas that you feel would be most useful to you. The book provides specific examples that well illustrate the principles touted in the book. This was one of the main books used in a Business Communication class at NYU's Stern School of Business. I also found the Guide to Managerial Communication (7th Edition) helpful.

Concise, simple and straight froward advice.
It give you advices of how to write good memo, report, e-amail,....

Writing that Works, by Kenneth Roman, is a great, great, book on how to improve your writing on the job. Even if the only writing on your job is to reply to an occasional e-mail, this book will improve your writing immensely. This is one of the top three writing for the job guides I've read (out of dozens), right up there with "Plain English at Work", and "The Elements of Style".

This expanded version of an earlier edition of two seasoned advertising executive' original writing guide is something like Elements of Style, but aimed squarely at someone writing for business purposes (e.g., one of the ten chapters is "Asking for Money". There is a useful afterword describing a dozen more books to help you write better. Recommended as a good starting point for any business person wanting to write more effectively.

For anyone who has read Eckhardt Tolle's work or watched him on Oprah, you'd know about the hugely popular self-help movement that focuses on living in the present moment.
Richard Carlson's, You Can Feel Good Again, was written before A New Earth, and takes the same view as Tolle, but presents the material from a more practical and psychological perspective, rather than Tolle's spiritual one.
The book is an easy read (less than 200 pages) but Carlson's message is so clearly presented, that any extra chapters would simply be literary padding.
Carlson's aim is to divert reader's attention away from the constant chatter and judgment of their mind, and redirect their focus to their "Healthy Functioning System" - their inner place of peace. His advice is balanced, straightforward and simple to implement.
So if you're looking to take the theories of Tolle's A New Earth, and apply them to the everyday, I would highly recommend this book.




Zara Stevens
Boy Meets Girl: A Pocketful of Wedding Stories

This is a life changing book. It shows how our thoughts create our perception of life. Our perception of life is our experience of life. It doesn't go overboard and claim their is no objective reality outside our thoughts, as some new age teachings do. However, it does say that it's not the circumstances of our lives, but our reactions to them. It does repeat it's central ideas several times, but sometimes it takes a while for something to sink in. I really liked the chapter on wisdom. My only problem with this book is the subtitle, because I read this book when I wasn't depressed and still got tons out of it. It could be read by anyone who wants to think optimally and discover happiness in life. I am only writing this review, because I have the hope that someone might read it and get solid info about living a better life. Carlson is influenced in his writing by a school of psychology called Psychology of Mind. Psychology of Mind is based on the concepts originally presented by Sydney Banks. I think this is the most clearly written of the Psychology of Mind books. However, if you read this book and like it I would reccomend any of the books from the Psychology of Mind authors (e.g Wisdom Within by Roger Mills, Divorce Is Not The Answer by George Pransky). Also check out Sydney Banks website and books.

Dr Carlson has written many self-help books aimed at helping us to find the stable state of happiness that naturally exists within us all. He has now written this book specifically for those of us who suffer from depression. The book contains practical truths that are so obvious that most of us miss them or at least bypass them in the rush of our everyday lives. If you are suffering from depression this book will help immensely. Richard Carlson will show you how your state of depression is as much perpetuated by your own thinking as it is by any chemical imbalance that may or may not exist. I have read this book at the same time as receiving treatment with an SSRI anti-depressant (Cipralex). While I am unsure if the SSRI has benefited me at all after 6 weeks, I am certain that this book has changed my outlook completely after two weeks and that it continues to do so more and more with each re-reading. If I allow myself to slip back into my old ways of thinking, the severity of my depression rapidly returns. The good news is that it just as rapidly alleviates when I get back on track with my thinking. The book is simple to read and may seem repetitious. However, if you are one of Dr Carlson's target audience of sufferers from depression you should read this book and keep on re-reading it. You will find that on each re-reading something will leap out at you with greater meaning than it did before. I have highlighted many sentences so that I can rapidly re-read them, and have noted down the keywords on the title page. This way I can pull myself back on track quickly. The approach takes some work to put into practice but there is nothing as hard work as being in a depressed state. The hard work, by the way, is only in terms of changing your habitual modes of thinking, it does not involve making lists and analysing things as do many cognitive (i.e. thinking) approaches such as that found in Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David Burns. I have found Dr Burns's book to be of some use also, mainly because it has helped me to identify particular types of cognitive distortion that help perpetuate depressive illness. This enables me to more accurately recognise when I should dismiss my thoughts, as Dr Carlson recommends in his approach. If you are depressed, low, angry, resentful, dissatisfied, unfulfilled, stressed, hurried, fearful or just not happy most of the time then read this book and keep re-reading it. I only wish this book had been available when I was aged twenty rather than forty.

The first time I read this book, I read it straight through and it seemed to say the same thing over and over again: I began to wonder why on earth I bought it. I am now on my third reading, and I'm reading just a few sentences each and every day. However, although the basic message is still the same on each page, "Live in the Present", Mr Carlson constantly gives new aspects to the message so that it drip feeds sanity into my brain. I wish I'd had this book 50 years ago, and maybe it wouldn't have taken so long to do its work.

Never has something I've read had such an impact on my life as this book has. In fact, I would never have imagined that a book could have this much impact on my life!

This is the best guide I have ever read to helping you understand personal evangelism and to putting it to work.

It seems to me that today's mainstream evangelical Christianity is guilty of putting too much importance on what people SAY they believe, rather than placing importance on what beliefs actually have meaning in people's lives. About My Father's Business, written in an easy-to-grasp style and in terms that members of most evangelical churches will be comfortable with, urges us to return to the essence of Christianity. Campbell explains that as Christians we should focus on loving and building relationships with others (NOT just getting them to believe what we believe.) This is exactly the attitude that many churches (including my own) need to adopt in order to create a positive influence in today's society.

Go ahead and buy multiple copies, (if you have the $) because you will want your Christian friends to have this book too.

About My Father's Business is more than a Typical Christian book. It is a discussion of the calling and the lifestyle of "making disciples". As a result it makes the reader deal with issues of our heart like "How much do I really love the people around me?" and "What are the core motivations of my life?". Seeing this book as another book about workplace evangelism is a superficial reading of a book that calls out to much, much more. Campbell's setting is mostly the workplace becasue that is where his experience lies. About My Father's Business is a profoundly challenging book for Christians ready to expand beyond knowing more to following Christ. Letting this book seep into your life will challenge you in new and fresh ways to live in daily dependence on the guidance of the Spirit and to live sacrifically out of the overflowing gratitude in your heart.

I saw this book for the first time at PromiseKeepers and was interested as soon as I cracked the cover. Campbell does an excellent job of explaining his thoughts about bringing Christ to work and walks the reader through the thought process. For most the thought of "evangelizing" at work sends shudders down the spine, but Campbell shows that it doesn't have to be as scary as many of us view it. His approach of meeting co-workers where they are and giving them what they need is refreshing, and is far more akin to wading into the shallow end of the pool than jumping into the deep end blind-folded. This book has helped move me on a path to increased comfort in spiritual leadership in the workplace. A must read for those who struggle with how to keep from checking Christ at the doorstep to work.

This book includes an incredible tool for evangelism called the IMAP. It lined up perfectly with a passion for evangelism God was birthing in me, and as a result it's been one of the most impactful tools I've ever come across. It's helped me see the areas where I'm weak, it's given me consistency in keeping in touch with people, and it's given me vision for what to pray for them for. As I've had a desire growing again to have my time on this planet be all about personal ministry, this has been possibly the most effective tool I've come across to help me do that.