Organizations Books

This book is the most comprehensive and thoughtful text on the subject I have read to date, systematically presenting the vision, arguments for and against it, and practical approaches to making progress towards achieving it. While it is not fully up-to-date with the latest developments in international politics, it is surprisingly relevant - a true classic.

If I had to choose a textbook for a course on world federalism, this would be my runaway choice.

Glossop displays a respect for true discussion of the issue. He outlines the most-often heard criticisms of world federation and offers accurate, informed responses which any American would support and appreciate. This is the leading authority on world federation in many years!

As is the case of the "true believers" of any philosophy, many proponents of a world democratic government display an element of Utopianism. Serious thought gives way to sloganeering. Ronald Glossop is an exception. A dedicated World Federalist, Glossop demonstrates his devotion to the cause is the result of thorough analysis of all points of view, which he presents in this book with unusual fairness and accuracy. His work belongs in the library of every student of international relations, regardless of the reader's viewpoint.

Regardless your position on Church corporate worship is, contemporary worship (CW) or Historical Worship (HW), Bob Kauflin addresses the principles of Holy Scripture dealing with the important aspects on worship: Your love to God, your believes in sound doctrine, your way of life aiming for obedience to God, and your role modeling as a Christian leading others to worship God through Christ with spiritual music in your local church. Personally, I was impressed by the honest approach the author observed along the book realizing his own church weaknesses and acknowledging the learning he could find in other historical/traditional churches. What I liked the most, was what he called "Healthy Tensions" in worship: "Transcendent and Immanent", "Head and Heart", "Internal and External", "Vertical and Horizontal", "Planned and Spontaneous", "Rooted and Relevant", "having in mind believers and unbelievers", etc. I think these healthy tensions give you the key secret for musical ministry in the church that will be pleasant to God and his creatures.

Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God is a book written primarily for those who lead music within a church setting. The goal of the book is to give guiding prinicples and practical advice to help the music leader see the essence of what their ministry is about and do that within whatever church context they find themselves.

For the worship leader: This book is a must read. I can think of no circumstance a worship leader may find himself in which he should not read this book. It is the best on the topic of which I am aware, combining into one well written, heart-shepherding book all of the good things that before you would have had to read a dozen separate books to find. The book is both practical and theological, realistic and idealistic. It is God-centered, God-exalting and man-minimizing, while realizing that man must play a role. I have only rarely seen a book that so skillfully and thoughtfully combines rich doctrine and practical advice.

For the band member: Must read. The book is not only about how to lead those who perform, but about what the goal of the music portion of the worship service must be. The book will help you evaluate and redirect your heart in what you may have grown comfortable with. Maybe you

For the pastor/elder: Must read. Know how to encourage, direct, and come alongside your worship leader. I would recommend that the worship leader, band, and pastor(s) read this book together. The book so accurately describes the Biblical vision for worship that all who are involved in how a Sunday service, smallgroup gathering, or other meeting unfold should do so in light of the thoughtful, biblically informed direction Bob Kauflin lays out. There is even a chapter specifically for non-music-oriented pastors.

For the church member: Should read. I do not lead worship; I can't even sing on pitch, but what I was gained from the book made an immediate and palpable difference in the entirety of my worship (singing, participating in the Lord's Supper, listening to the sermon, and interacting with others) on Sunday. There are certainly other books that can benefit you in this regard, but this book is certainly one that can benefit all members of the body of Christ. Wayne Grudem recommends the book with the following words, "Worship Matters is an outstanding book borth for those who lead worship and also for every Christian who wants to worship God more fully. The book is biblical, practical, interesting, wise and thorough in its treatment of the topic."

The 260 pages of Worship Matters is laid out in a very convenient manner: Each of the 32 chapters are generally 4-7 pages in length, focus on a single topic, and can easily be read in a single sitting, even for slow readers. It reads much like a devotional and could easily be read in one month using only 10-15 minutes per day.

The book is broken into four parts:

Part 1: The Leader - Focusing on what kind of man the worship leader must be, touching on the heart, mind (doctrine), hands (practice & skill), and life.

Part 2: The Task. Each chapter takes a phrase from Kauflin's definition of a worship leader to define his task:

A faithful worship leader
magnifies the greatness of God in Jesus Christ
through the power of the Holy Spirit
by skillfully combining God's Word with music,
thereby motivating the gathered church
to proclaim the gospel,
to cherish God's presence
and to live for God's glory.

Part 3: Healthy Tensions - Bob identifies that many of the debates that surround music in churches tend to polarize people and points out that as a response to incorrect emphasis placed on one aspect of worship, that aspect may be neglected and too much weight given to the other extreme. We should rather see the wisdom in each of the two poles and using Scripture as a guide find ourselves in a healthy tension between them not as a response. The poles discussed, each in a chapter are:

* God's transendence and immanence
* Head and Head
* Internal and External
* Vertical and Horizontal
* Planned and Spontaneous
* Rooted and Relevant
* Skilled and Authentic
* For the Church and For Unbelievers
* Event and Everyday

Part 4: Right Relationships - Lays out some biblical guidelines and practical advice for how the various groups of people and the worship leader can interact in the most edifying, God-glorifying way possible. Groups addressed are people in general, the church, the worship team, and the pastor. The book finishes with a chapter written specifically for the pastor(s) of the church.

I cannot sum up my thoughts any better than D.A. Carson did in his endorsement: "Here is a rare book: a practical treatment of corporate worship that nevertheless reflects deep theological commitments. One may disagree here and there with some of the judgments, but it is demonstrably unfair to imagine that Bob Kauflin has not through about these matters deeply." Bob's life and ministry at sovereign grace have demonstrated that he is a worship leader and pastor from whom we want to learn. C.J. Mahaney writes, "I know of no man more qualified to write this book than Bob. And I know of no more important, useful work for those who would lead God's people than Worship Matters." I agree.

I can't say enough about this book, and at the same time I can't say too much. As I've attended and served in a Sovereign Grace Ministries church for the better part of the decade, I've had the benefit of Bob Kauflin's teaching on worship filter down to me in my capacity of intermittent worship leader (and more importantly as a worshiper) in many ways: articles and columns, messages on mp3 and CD (the "Theological Foundations for Worship" and "Practical Foundations for Worship" series), and even by word of mouth from my own pastor and worship leader. Enough about me. Bob wrote the book - and contrary to reviewing practice, I cannot bring myself to refer to him as `Kauflin' - and so to Bob we turn.

Bob's heart for biblical, passionate worship pervades every page of this book. His writing is littered with Bible, especially the psalms, that manual of Old Testament worship. But this isn't merely a devotional on a few aspects of worship. No, this is a handbook about how to pursue more biblical, more humble hearts in the midst of a task pregnant with tensions. Earlier in this review I said that I can't say enough about this book; that's because it accomplishes what it sets out to do in a biblical and humble manner. It practices what it preaches. I also said I can't say too much about it; that's because it is a wide-ranging and valuable lay-of-the-land guide with far too much content to convey in a mere review.

There are four main sections in the book:

1: The Leader

2: The Task

3: Healthy Tensions

4: Right Relationships

Following a foreword by über-worship leader Paul Baloche, Bob begins his discussion of worship by honing in on the worship leader's heart, mind, and life. All of this flows out of a leader's devotion to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the second section Bob unpacks the following working definition of worship, constructed with aid from his good friend Jeff Purswell. The definition is not only written in verse form to effectively highlight each line, but because each subsequent chapter in this section explores a fragment of the definition.

Simply reiterating this definition arouses my soul in worship of God through Jesus Christ:

A faithful worship leader
magnifies the greatness of God in Jesus Christ
through the power of the Holy Spirit
by skillfully combining God's Word with music,
thereby motivating the gathered church
to proclaim the gospel,
to cherish God's presence
and to live for God's glory

Section three wades into the most fraught of all church matters: reconciling seemingly opposing preconceptions of worship. Again, this review does not warrant an exposition of the book's teaching on these areas. Suffice to say that Bob advocates the need to hold many, if not most, of these areas in healthy tension. Like J.I. Packer, he seems to dislike the term `balance,' so misused for so many years.

Finally, the fourth section explores the common cause of the tension in the third section: people. More specifically, people with ideas rubbing up against people with different ideas. A pastor himself, Bob recognizes the tensions that can arise on both sides of the pastor-worship leader relationship, and provides many suggestions for an improved and thriving relationship.

This book is primarily intended for worship leaders, but is also directed at pastors - even unmusical ones. No matter which tradition you practice, liturgical or free-flow (to use Bob's nomenclature), charismatic or somber, Bob's wisdom will benefit. Worship team members will profit from every page, and pastors and worship leaders may consider employing the copyright fair use policy (within reason) to disseminate relevant pages among their congregations at key junctures in the process of building a worshiping community. Worship Matters should also probably become requisite reading for all worship studies programs in North America, and I daresay should displace some, if not most, of the current primary textbooks in those programs.

I've never seen a book on worship featuring such a mix of god-glorifying theology and biblically-sound methodology. I have a feeling this is Bob's magnum opus, and every pastor, worship leader, and worship team member must invest in a copy, to read over and over and over. Because...worship does matter.

This book really leads you through what you need to know, and does so in a well-thought-out manner.

I'm now about 2/3 of the way through the book, and it really has not been a difficult learning exercise. It gives a great overview of web servers, and the included videos really are a great learning tool - nothing like seeing someone actually telnet into Apache and fake out a browser request. There are some errors in cross reference to the CD-only book, and some audios are out of place, but that'e life. Well worth the money.

This multimedia volume is well worth the purchase price. Exceptionally written using real-world examples, this volume creates a virtual education factory for webserver training. As a partner at a major e-services firm I require this volume be used by all my web practicioners.

I don't think they could pack much more info into one book. It has refernces and shows how the author backs up his information. If you have people willing to really make thier church grow this book will help.

This book is perfect for those members of the church body who want to help but aren't sure where to begin. It's also perfect for pastors who want to teach on spiritual gifting, and also encourage church members to exercise their spiritual gifts with benefit to the church.

Wagner's writing is succinct, humorous, and clear. This book sheds light not only on different spiritual gifts, but theories surrounding them (the book draws from several lists in the Bible, none of which completely mention every spiritual gift), common misconceptions, as well as a test in the back of the book to help each person begin to get a sense of what his or her spiritual gifts might be.

The book is geared toward using spiritual gifts to help the church grow, and therefore focuses on some spiritual gifts more than others (to my disappointment, the ones barely touched upon seemed more relevant to me than the ones greatly expounded upon -- ah well, another book perhaps). I appreciated Wagner's candor and openness to other scholar's theories about spiritual giftings, as well as his standpoints on misuses of spiritual gifts.

This book is highly recommended as a place to begin your studies on spiritual giftings, especially in the context of gifts within the church body.

Having taught many seminars over the past seven years on Spiritual Gifts and having helped hundreds of people to find thier unique call to ministry through their giftedness, I found this little book to be a treasure of information. It succinctly describes the value of helping church members discover thier gifts and function out of them, leading to fulfilling and enthusiastic service for the Kingdom of God. Church leaders who have read this book in our setting have stopped looking for just "warm breathing bodies" to fill a position, but instead look for a person whose giftedness qualifies them for it and therefore classic burn-out is kept at a minnimum. Peter Wagner is easy to read and speaks clearly to the lay person.

At last a book that distills the learning of the last 20-30 years in business management. Drennan and Penningtons book is unique in the simple and structured way in which it helps set out action plans for us all, no matter what our role in business. An irresistible feature is a checklist for carrying out an immediate evaluation of your company and its world class status. A special aspect of the authors approach is the people dimension and how to achieve world class performance through people.

It is also a great reference book for picking up and putting down. Its part of my toolkit for running businesses in different parts of the world. Well done to the authors!

The book focuses on the 12 key benchmarks that lead on organization to world class performance and results. We are using this book within our facility in order to help drive results. Best practices and continuous improvement are the emphasis. I strongly recommend this book for all organizations. All managers have a copy of this book and we are beginning our world class audit.

This volume covers every government agency covering environmental concerns. Federally Protected Areas are described
together with the names and addresses of the supervisory governmental agencies. For instance, the federal agency for
Virginia and Eastern States is located at 7450 Boston Blvd.
Springfield VA 2253 703-440-1713.

The National Estuarine Research Reserves and National Forests
are located at the Bard College Field Station at 914-758-7033

This work would be valuable to a wide constituency of government planners and professionals in academe.

This is a must for conservation education professionals. The numerous indexes and summary descriptions of organizations are wonderful.

If you actually counted every idea this book suggests, you'd come up with loads more than 365, not to mention all the ideas of your own it inspires you to come up with! Entertaining, gift suggestions, wrappings, decorating, addresses for mail-order companies, recipes & lots more, all in one book. This is the book I've been wanting for years

I bought this book about 10 years ago, when I was first setting up my own house for Christmas. I read it cover-to-cover as soon as I got it, and have referred to it periodically since then. Many of the ideas aren't my style, but even those get me thinking, and there are plenty of other ideas to use/adapt.

There are no pictures to inspire, but the writing is crisp, the ideas are good, and the text is easy-to-read. The chapters cover:

Getting ready throughout the year
Preparing/buying gifts, wrap, cards, etc. (including food gifts)
Decorating the home/garden
The tree
Entertaining (including recipes)
Traditions

Some of my favorite ideas/recipes are the "Braided Wreath for Birdies" (a bread wreath with birdseed), "Winter Wonderland Centerpiece," and an never-fail party favorite, "Chocolate Indiscretions" (not quite a sin, just an indiscretion). I've considered picking up this newer edition to check for updates and new ideas -- and just because my paperback one is falling apart.

In this book Fisher presents models for three phases of cultural development: Culture of Comfort; Culture of Complacency; and Culture of Contribution. Six "productive" organizational activities commonly initiated by senior management are dispelled as "unproductive" to a contributory culture. Fisher goes on to analogize that just as termites destroy a home, "social termites" (employees with destructive behaviors) destroy and undermine an organizations infrastructure. Managing these covert-destructive behaviors (Six Silent Killers) are one of management's greatest challenges.

Fisher doesn't pull any punches in this book, and I like that. His brilliant and succinct writing style makes this book an absolute must for anyone who: a) makes decisions about employees (hiring, firing, performance assessments, etc.); b) can't put their finger on employee challenges; and c) for those looking to improve productivity and well being in their workplace.

Authors Note: As ! I was reading this book, I realized that three of my six employees in my restaurant business were clearly "social termites." I was working hard but getting no where, spending all my time putting out fires. This book provided me with the insights into employee behaviors which I was then able to take action on. Sales are up, customers are happy, other workers seem to enjoy their work more, leading to improved productivity. I no longer spend all my time putting out fires. I now spend my time managing a "successful, creative business" and leading the ENTIRE organization, not just an un-chosen few. I wish I had this book 30 years ago, but grateful that I have it now! Thank you James R. Fisher Jr.!!!

For many years, researchers and behavioral scientists have attempted to view organizations by using psychoanalytical and/or other psychological schools of thought structures. James R. Fisher, Jr. follows similar approaches, but does so, to this reviewer's opinion, with great insight, philosophical depth and uncanny predictive truth.

This book provides readers with an accurate development of organizations in the USA over the past century, and those crucial factors that must be taken into consideration if organizations are to survive. Fisher's vibrant prose explores the dominant cultures in the marketplace, the need for a new set of organizational paradigms, incipient catastrophe, the six silent killers, the cutlures of comfort, complacency, and contribution.

The author opens his heavily documented and self-experienced work with the dilemma that has spawned the "Six Silent Killers," and discusses why this phenomenon is the latest and greatest challenge to management. He observes that "professionals have the mind of an artist, rather than that of an analyst, more the heart of the creator than the discoverer, more the soul of the rebel than the patriot."

The book examines those areas that have created what Fisher calls "the new workforce that the post-industrial society has created." He cites the six silent killers, which have evolved in organizations as "a reaction to the frustration with the growing breach between the role demands of modern workers and the self-demands of those in charge."

Fisher's six silent killers, "the manic monarchs of the merry madhouse," are passive aggression, passive responsive, passive defensive, malicious obedience, approach avoidance, and obsessive compulsive behaviors.

His poetic description indicates that these silent killers "eat at the sinews of organizations, and workers who display them have an amazing ability to appear as performers when they clearly are not. They are caught in the crunch between hypocrisy and hype, turning their frustrations into deceptive devices. They are looking for leadership in a leaderless society. They are looking for direction when nobody admits to being off course. They are looking for real work in the chaos of activities. Wherever they look, they find confusion. Nobody knows who is in control or who has the power. Managers and workers alike, equally frustrated, spread these silent killers. Nobody is in charge. Management plays the role but has little control. Workers are reluctant to step up to the challenge of taking control because they don't want the responsibility. So control and productive effort slip silently between them, covered by the smoke and mirrors of frenzied activity."(pp. 87, 88)

After a substantive analysis of organizations and managers and workers, which represents the residue of an obsolete culture, Fisher explores the cultures of comfort, complacency and contribution. He suggest that modern organizations should develop the culture of contribution, which represents "an entirely new landscape for doing business, a new visage and frame of reference. It is the land of growth and contribution."

This book is written with sincerity and passion, evoking incredible syntactic imagery and stimulating thought. However, it is more an analytical approach in understanding cause and effect of American Society and its organizations rather than the process of solutions. It is optimistic, perhaps simplistic in the actualization of coping behaviors for survival, but it is very deep in ferreting out those hidden factors (subconscious) that impact behavior without an explanation as to why this kind of behavior occurs.

James R. Fisher, Jr. has succeeded in writing a book which is a valuable contribution to the fields of psychology, philosophy and business. He provides insight and important issues in contemporty society that allows readers and organizations to understand, prepare for, and survive the new millennium.

This is a dangerous book. Why? Because those who make a total, long-term commitment to the eight practices will create great turbulence which must be overcome. Most of the wounds which organizations experience are self-inflicted...including the damage caused by ignorance and arrogance. Perils are inevitable whenever bold initiatives are undertaken. For those unwilling and/or unable to make a commitment to achieving and then sustaining excellence, their cause is hopeless. Fitz-enz insists that the best organizations are led by those who effectively nourish as well as manage human assets. Organizations grow only to the extent that those who comprise them grow. As he correctly points out, "In a knowledge company, people are the only profit lever."

One final point: The best practices for any organization are often found within that organization. As a recruiting slogan for the U.S. Army suggests, "Be all that you can be." Stop looking for THE BIG ANSWER elsewhere. Look within yourself and within your own organization. Discover how to implement the eight practices in ways and to the extent that are most appropriate. Pogo once said, "We have met the enemy and he is us." Fitz-enz would perhaps accept a paraphrase of that: "We have found ways to be the best...and they are in us."ÿ

"Although best practices and benchmarking have become intertwined topics for some people, this book is not a discussion of benchmarking. Instead, it is a discussion of our findings and opinions based on research into how effective companies manage the 'human asset'-the people whose efforts are the basis of any organization's success...This book is designed to serve two purposes. The first is to present the best human asset management practices that my organization, the Saratoga Institute, uncovered during a four-year study of over 1,000 companies. We learned that what constitutes best practice is an interactive set of eight organizational characteristics...My second objective is to expose the wasteful and misleading practices that cause three out of four improvement projects to fall short of their goals" (from the Introduction).

In this context, in Chapter 1, Jac Fitz-enz identifies the eight driving forces that make up the context from which the best human asset management systems (BHAMs) and processes are derived: an interwoven human-financial value focus, commitment to a long-term core strategy, linkage of culture and systems, massive multidimensional communications, partnering within and outside the company, collaboration within functional groups, innovation through well-planned and managed risk taking, and a competitive passion that is never satisfied with less than constant improvement. Hence, throughout the following chapters, he explains each driving force and presents case studies of BHAM companies both in the U.S. and abroad. And, at the end of each chapter, he gives a short checklist. He says that "build your best practices by answering to those questions, you will have the blueprint for being one of the best human asset management organization."

Finally, he writes, "Wouldn't it make more sense to accept the fact that complex problems can't be solved by simplistic programs or popular panaceas? Instead, take the time you might put into chasing the newest miracle cure and put it into:

* Focusing your organization on value

* Making a long-term commitment to a core strategy

* Linking your culture to your systems

* Communicating everything that people should know

* Partnering

* Being mutually supportive

* Innovating and taking well-considered risks

* Never getting complacent."

Highly recommended.

I puchased this book for my wife as a birthday present. Ironically I read it once she was done, based on her flowering recomendation. It was fantastic, well written, and inspirational. The pictures of the original texts are beutiful. I will read a page or two when ever I need a quick pick me up. In these times, thats probably going to be often.

This is a condensed version of the Psalms as editted by the Venerable Bede (c. 673-735). It is illustrated by plates of the Latin and translated well by a professor of Classics at the University of Illinois (Urbana). The translation is very readable.

The condensations may be as long 11 or 12 verses or a short as a phrase. Often they trigger a memory of the Psalm from which they come; this would be even more common among those who regularly pray the Psalms. Reading the condensations gives an overview of the Psalms as a whole, that is difficult to observe when reading the entire Psalter. This overview helps place the various psalms in their literary and theological context.

One oddity in Bede's abridgment; Psalm 50 not only prefigures Jesus but refers directly to him! The brief introduction explains this and the single line from Psalm 136 which in no way implies the well-known "By the waters of Babylon".

If you are interested in the early Church in England, liturgy, or a devotional version of the Psalms, this version is well worth exploring.