Organizations Books

Mand and Whipple do an excellent job describing how finance, business centers and top management can work together more effectively for optimum performance. The concept is powerful, and the examples from actual events are very stimulating. Best of all, they use a dialog method to make the message really come alive. "Listening" to the CEO and CFO discuss partnering makes the reader realize that the concept is not just another management theory, but can be readily applied to his or her situation as well.

A very concise and well-written book which appeals to the financial executive and the MBA student. The CFO's role is clearly delineated with the support of actual cases and experiences as noted by the authors. I found this book to be interesting and a "quick-read" and was an excellent summation of the role of the CFO in the 21st corporations.

A very thorough and easy to read book. The experience of the authors is clearly evident. Highly recommend to anyone working in finance or corporations!

PARTNERING FOR PERFORMANCE: Unleashing the Power of Finance in the 21st Century Organization, Martin G. Mand and William Whipple III, AMACOM, 2000.

As an attorney practicing corporate law in Delaware, I have been involved in many acquisitions, mergers, divestitures, etc., and have an understanding of the imperative for all companies and businesses to increase shareholder value. "Partnering for Performance" is the first book that I can recall reading which provides a lucid explanation of how a company can do so. The discussion is enlivened by numerous real world examples, as well as by an engaging dialog between the CEO and CFO of a hypothetical company.

The book goes on to sketch the wide range of activities that are conducted under the Finance umbrella, and offer suggestions as to how the value of these activities can be enhanced. There are two key thrusts the author recommends, which in many companies will require a significant culture change:

* Finance people must rethink their roles, and make the transition from functioning as analysts and controllers to "Shareholder Value Enabling."

* The business people and finance people in a company must work together as equal partners, otherwise known as "Partnering for Performance."

Drawing on their considerable experience as financial practitioners, the authors do not merely advocate such changes in principle. They also explain the obstacles to implementation, and offer solid suggestions for achieving the desired changes. The suggested game plan includes new roles and responsibilities for business people and finance people alike, demonstration projects such as overhauling the budget process, the integration of talented finance people into business teams, incentives for change, communications and training, and sample diagnostic tools (such as a corporate troubleshooting guide).

In sum, "Partnering for Performance" offers valuable insights about a low cost, low risk approach to increasing shareholder value. The book should be of considerable interest and value to a broad audience.

Excellent read !! There are many books about Therese. This one stands out because it presents her profound spirituality in light of the progression of her extensive illness of Tuberculosis. There is much to learn about both the effects of illness on the spiritual life and the almost ideal response to illness of one seriously seeking God.

Most books gloss over the last months of St. Therese, possibly because up until the last 40 years TB was so common that nobody really needed to hear an in depth discussion of it. After reading this book you will be deeply moved. St. Therese went through a long dark night of the soul and body and although physically crushed she spiritually soared above it. I would definitely say that this book belongs in your collection of works on the Little Flower.

This book provides a clinical report of the last agonizing months of Therese of Lisieux's life. The research is meticulous and the medical details are easy to understand. It is a complement to the Saint's writings because the reader can trace in this book her physical trials which help to understand her spiritual trials as well which were plaguing her at the time. My only criticism is that the second part of the book is a bit redundant to the first.

Rich in detail of Therese's last months; a powerful framework for Last Conversations.

I highly recommend this wonderful book as an inspiring companion to Gil Amelio's 'Proft for Experience: The National Semi-Conductor Story of Transformation Management', which I have reviewed earlier. Both books were published around the mid-nineties, but the relevancy & practicality of their lessons & insights have not faded.

It draws its intellectual cues from three principal strands of high performance: organisational, leadership & personal effectiveness. In some way, it builds on the author's two earlier books, 'The VIP Strategy: Leadership Skills for Exceptional Performance' & 'Firing on All Six Cylinders'. I have read the latter book, which has a primary focus on service/quality improvement.

What I like about this book is the author's introductory premise: Before you try to change anyone else, you have got to change yourself. Self-leadership is at the heart of effectively leading others. Self-improvement is the beginning point to team or organisational improvement. The author is also candid about his book: Many of the principles & insights are not new. In fact, they have been with us for decades, if not centuries. But we continually need to rediscover them for ourselves; repackage them for our times; & to make them relevant for today. The author is obviously driven by what works. He argues that, when dealing with personal & people issues, the fundamentals of what works have remained fairly constant through the years.

Additionally, I also like the presentation format of the book: each chapter starts with a 'Pathways' section, covering success strategies that really work, but also ends with a 'Pitfalls' section, where the author visits several Do's and Don't's for the individual as well as for the organization.

For readers who are seeking more real-world perspectives in initiating & guide change & improvement in a team, business or organizational setting, this book is definitely worth pursuing.

I have enjoyed reading this book, together with Gil Amelio's book, & I am confident readers will feel likewise!

In "Pathways to Performance," Jim Clemmer provides readers with an inspirational guide that will help anyone improve leadership abilities. It is clear that by following these pathways, great personal benefits will follow. And, of course, I loved the humor!

"Pathways to Performance" provides a valued sense of direction and reference for those struggling to behave differently and lead more effectively. Jim pulls together the many facets of leadership and management and shows how they fit to make the whole. It will become a guide for all our Team Leader/Managers.

I really enjoyed this book. It helped put leadership into perspective -- the fact that in order to change or influence an organization, I need to change myself. I appreciated Clemmer's ideas around working at becoming a better leader ("leaders are made, not born"), and the importance of continued, continuous learning. It is an easy read, with humor, lots of quotations, examples, and simple suggestions to begin *being* a better leader in all aspects of your life. It has made me stop, reflect, and write notes about what I am going to do to incorporate some of these ideas into my life. The idea of "victimitis" and recognizing the "Catch 22" of the poor-me syndrome was particularly pertinent. This book covers the entire spectrum of home life and career, which is why I find it so helpful -- many management books don't concentrate enough on the improving all aspects of life. It especially hits home the need for the leader to establish his/her own personal values and direction and to lead by example. I've purchased copies for people close to me that I'm sure will find value in this book.

Sherosky argues that corporations, like people, have a character and a soul and a set of values--and that molding toward humanistic values and away from those driven by greed is a central mandate for our time. Written well before the 2002-03 round of business scandals, it seems eerily prescient, if a bit dated in places.

A brief excerpt:

"...this whole corporate concept is still somewhat of an enigma. Governments do not know how to deal with it because legally there is this illusion of a lack of the human element. We never sat in conversation that the 'people within corporation X' did something. We just say that 'X did this or that'. We point to a collective entity as a singular, impersonal unit despite the fact that living human beings push the buttons... "Profit is not a sin, but it is the real motive and charter of corporate entities. In order to obtain a profit, those within the structure not only produce products and services, but legally hide if improprieties are used to garner the profit. Corporate structures become havens for profiteers with unscrupulous character.

"Since the corporate entity is not traditionally looked upon as a person, there appears a sense of inhumanity that is truly frightening.

"It explains how oil spills, price fixing and product failures can be treated so cold[ly] that human emotions appear missing. This inhuman quality, although a legal safeguard, is also a key ingredient to all business failures and bad press." (pp.67-68)

While the book is somewhat densely written and could have benefited by a good edit, his message is important and worth the effort.

With the recent bombshell of the Enron failure, it is becoming increasingly apparent that somethings are amiss in Corporate America. Those "somethings" are explored in this revealing expose' by Sherosky, a veteran himself of corporate structures both large and small. Vince Lombardi, legendary football coach of the Green Bay Packers once said, "winning isn't everything, its the only thing". This attitude has permeated the corporate world - nothing else matters except the "bottom line". Whether a company is a good citizen, or a concerned employer, or environmentaly conscientious has no relevance! Greed is god. Sherosky shows how this manageent philosophy is leaving a lot of money on the table. He counsels that attention to character and virtue in the market place and the workplace would result in ever-growing profits for consumer, employer and employee. If we continue the business practices of the past into the 21st century we will continue to reap the same disfunctional results. This book shows how that can be avoided. Must reading for the progressive and enlightened citizen.

Character is a quality issue, too. Integral to every business process, human nature is the greatest shaping force of corporate performance. Insightful lessons of this book promotes a deeper understanding of human nature; and teaches how to positively contribute toward perfecting total organizational quality. Audience: * Working Personnel of all levels, Managers, Union Leaders * Self-Help: Individual and Organizational Training Reading Advantanges: * Author's 28 years includes Saturn Corps. Launch Team * Exceptional insight into the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of human, organizational character development * Challenges the hot issues of teamwork, diversities of race, gender, position and empowerment

As a Professional Career Coach for women, I can see that the author has obviously spent a great deal of time thinking and researching his work. This is not your usual 'corporate strategy' book -- rather it is a work in progress. Sherosky has brought into focus the main issues between corporate success and spiritual happiness. Does one have to lose one to gain the other -- not according to the author. I agree. You can have both. His chapter on "Tapping the Power of Gender Teamwork" is one of the reasons I recommend his book to my clients. I recommend any professional, seeking a better understanding of the corporate world to read this book.

Chris Cross's analysis of the history of federal public policy in public education provides all of us a critical perspective of the evolution of this policy, the issues within it, and possibilities for the future. Change is undoubtedly coming for our work in education at the federal level, and to fundamentally understand and then move to assist in this change, practioners and policymakers alike must understand the evolution that has brought us to the point, the needs we jointly face, and the players who have wrought our federal system. Chris gives us the foundation the make critical decisions in this book. Our next steps will be better measured because of this seminal work! Alice D. Parker, former Assistant Superintendent of Public Instruction, California Department of Education, former president, National Association of State Directors of Special Education

Political Education is a must read for anyone interested in education, but policymakers have a special obligation to read this book. Cross has preserved important aspects of our nation's institutional record concerning K-12 education that will benefit even the most seasoned policy and education professionals. Cross explains with ease the ways - both subtle and overt - in which America's federal education policies have evolved over time, focusing most intently on the policies enacted after World War II that led to the creation of No Child Left Behind. Rest assured though, this is no snoozer. Political Education is a page turner that is full of engaging stories about how the political process really works. A must read.

Political Education is a must for anyone studying federal education policy! The author, Chris Cross, has written a comprehensive book on the history of the paramount Elementary and Secondary Education Act, giving the reader a clear picture of its evolution and purpose.

This book is also important read for elementary and secondary public school educators. This book will help teachers around the country better understand the federal role in our nation's public schools.

This book serves as a foundation for understanding the No Child Left Behind Act and the future of federal elementary and secondary education in the United States.

The author provides a masterful account of the development of federal K-12 policy. He draws upon his own experience as a key player in the proceess while maintaining balance and perspective. This book belongs on the short list of anyone with an interest in American education policy.

I have bought a lot of books on Amazon, but I have never written a review. This was a GREAT READ!! In a user-friendly writing style, Cross' ubiased work follows the progression of federal education policy from World War II to the present. This well-researched work (over 150 references and personal interviews) provides an excellent refresher of US education policy. I am not a history buff, and I couldn't put it down (and neither could my classmates-- they loved it too.)

The joint project of organizational consultants and human resource experts Stephen M. Dent and James H. Krefft, Powerhouse Partners: A Blueprint For Building Organizational Culture For Breakaway Results is a handy guide to structuring a strategic partnership, whether between businesses, within a project, or with an individual, and applying the Powerhouse Model to smoothly coordinate and maximize efforts. Chapters outline a three-strep process: practicing focused leadership, building a partnering infrastructure to balance competencies, retain high-quality talent, and increase growth, and developing smart partners with creativity, openness, and connectivity to better allow for quick adjustments to unexpected changes. A practical guide for dealing with both individual and collective personalities, and making the most of human resources to focus on optimum goals.

I found "Powerhouse Partners" an extremely interesting and valuable book from two perspectives. First, as a trainer helping companies develop leadership skills it is refreshing to see Dent and Krefft focus on the concept of connections and how powerful they are in maximizing the potential of any person and any organization. They not only talk about the concept, but provide a framework any leader or person can use for building quality connections between people and throughout an organization. The specific tools and techniques described should be part of every company's leadership development program.

Second, as a CEO of a small but growing company I have been using connections and partnering since our incorporation in 1988, however after reading "Powerhouse Partners", I will be focusing even more on creating partnerships. I found the real-life examples and clarifying graphics extremely useful in understanding the specific concepts and will be using many of the exercises, forms and assessments provided in the book to help me build successful and productive partnerships for my comany.

This is a subversive book.

On the surface, Powerhouse Partners can be read as a useful guide to advanced managerial and organizational practice and techniques in the business book genre. Authors Stephen Dent and James Krefft share their business culture-building skills gained from years of practice in the corporate trenches. The book is a must-read for managers, but especially for a new generation of CEOs and CEOs-in-waiting.

The authors have written a much more powerful book than the jacket blurbs claim. Powerhouse Partners can be read as a book within a book. It is this text below the surface that interests me.

Althouh Dent and Krefft might not appreciate the comparison, I liken the book to Karl Marx's Das Kapital. Of course Powerhouse Partners has nothing specifically to do with Marx's massive text on political economic theory and his polemical critique of 19th century capitalism. But it may be like Das Kapital in its (understated) critique of outmoded practices and structures of corporate capitalism by means of an easily-read understanding of networking. Powerhouse Partners, despite the business seminar alliteration, is really radical stuff.

A descriptive title might be the more accurate Amplificatory Buiness Networking Theory and Practice, though no publisher's marketing department in their right mind would ever call it that. This book is not just a text on the latest managerial fad-du-jour, but a fundamentally different approach to organizational culture and praxis.

Network theory applied to organizational practice is the next big thing. I recommend reading Powerhouse Partners along with some other texts (this in itself would be "smart partnering," and follow the language and advice of the authors). The key partner text is Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means by Albert-László Barabási (Perseus Books 2002). And why not two powerhouse partners for Powerhouse Partners? Throw in Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software by Steven Johnson (Scribner 2002). Perhaps any other texts on the networking theory and complexity theory bookshelf would also amplify Dent and Krefft's book in ways the authors would approve of.

"Partnering theory," (although it sounds too much like a text on successful gay marriages) would be better described by the as-yet unnamed theory-nexus where complexity, chaos, and network theory overlap. Whatever this emerging field ends up being called, complex network theory is a gateway to deep understanding of how the world works, It also, one hopes and prays, would lead to improved business practice that is not at odds with the real world outside of the dominant corporate commercial cultures overtaking national, cultural, and political life around the world today.

Here are some specifics. Dent and Krefft write: "Smart partners drive creativity by increasing the frequency, frankness, and fruitfulness of interpersonal connections, dialogue, and collaboration" (page 130). I wonder if this is a prescription that the average CEO would actually believe (though to be sure, some lip service might be paid to it in corporate communications or HR contexts.) Yet let's accept it as intuitively correct: it feels like it would work since it uses what seems like a deep, network principle.

Yet paradoxically, Barabási has observed that increased traffic along network pathways has a tendency to create hierarchies though the unexpected development of "supernodes." Is this the opposite of Powerhouse Partners observation that "Hierarchies are being replaced with networks" (page 157)? Networks may have counter-intuitive properties. Increased traffic in interpersonal connections tends to favor the person who is a node--i.e., the person who, through an initial lucky or brilliant state condition, is positioned to become super-connected to many others. This person, whoever she/he is in the imagined hierarchy, becomes powerful, despite what the organizational charts might say. Thus network dynamics create new hierarchies which may or may not include the guy who makes all the money--the CEO.

Powerhouse Partners could be the book that begins to change corporate culture and governance because it is friendly and non-threatening. When read with some other partnering texts, its true beneficially subversive nature is revealed. May corporate culture be changed forever, and may new organic networks develop that include the big world of interconnected nature and bioregional processes, thus both humbling corporate capitalism and yet allowing rightly-scaled, sustainable development and co-evolution.

This book walks the reader through the steps and benefits of developing partnerships within their organization. I found the book to have a logical flow of ideas and enjoyed reading the anecdotes. All of us would like to work for a company that used this model with their employees and customers.

The problem with Christians and their ministers, that I am liable to as well and that Bishop Ryle addresses in this text is summed up in the following statements:

"... we live in a day of weak and feeble statements. The danger of the state of nature is feebly exposed. The privileges of the state of grace are feebly set forth. Hesitating souls are not encouraged. Disciples are not established and confirmed. The man out of Christ is not rightly alarmed. The man in Christ is not rightly built up. The one sleeps on, and seldom has his conscience pricked. The other creeps and crawls all his days and never thoroughly understands the riches of his inheritance." (p. 454)

"But to have religion enough to be saved, and yet not go into extremes, -- to be sufficiently good, and yet not be peculiar, -- to have a quiet, easy-going, moderate kind of Christianity, and go comfortably to heaven after all, -- this is the world's favorite idea. There is a third class, a safe middle class, the world fancies, and in this middle class the majority of men persuade themselves they will be found." (p. 446)

He answers the challenges of the above statements through systematic forceful compassionate stinging offending bold unashamed essays on what the Scriptures say about what Christianity is, and what true Christians are like. The readers will not only find systematic treatments on what the Bible teaches about Jesus Christ, the gospel, zeal, happiness, heaven (under the heading "Our Home") and hell, the church, holiness, charity, formalism, the absolute necessity of spiritual disciplines of prayers, Bible reading and ordinances, the end times (the great gathering and the great separation), but also piercing questions to the point that I feel as if he were forcing you to deal with the questions at hand in often an obnoxious manner which I think is very good, appropriate, and necessary. The readers will find heart-searching, self-examining questions as:

"Is your religion a matter of form, not of heart? Answer this question honestly, and as in the sight of God. And if it is, consider solemnly the immense danger in which you stand.... I earnestly beseech you this day to know your danger, to open your eyes and repent...if you only have a name to live, and a form of godliness without power, awake and repent. Awake, above all, if you are an evangelical formalist... There is no formalism so dangerous as evangelism formalism.... Whatever religion you have, never be content with wearing a cloak." (p.281-282)

There are few indeed, ministers with uncommon wisdom and vision of the signs of the times, the dangerous ones particularly; of whom Ryle is one of them, not only in the 1800's but O how much still and even more applicable today, the sober warnings from the Scriptures of the necessity of earnestness, serious, fight of faith to enter the strait gate and narrow way. "Practical Religion" is a Christian jewel that needs to be in every Christian family's library.

What does a Christian do? What are the duties of the Christian life? What are the privileges of the Christian person? How does my faith in Christ affect my day-to-day living? My outlook on life and the world around me? J. C. Ryle answers these questions with his characteristic (but uncommon) wisdom, certainty and plainness. It is no mistake that this volume of his practical divinity (the others being `Holiness,' `Knots Untied' and `Old Paths') carries a subtitle that begins `Being Plain.' If Ryle is anything, he is plain. He is straight-forward, sincere, honest and eminently practical. Ryle just plain makes sense. His interpretation and application of the texts are impeccable. He makes Christian theology and the practice of heart-religion seem so simple and obvious and beautiful that I sometimes wonder what Bible I've been reading all these years to have missed so many beautiful truths!

Ryle speaks to both common and uncommon subjects in this volume. Prayer, Bible-reading, and attendance at the Lord's Table are duties which are well-known to every professing believer. His treatment of `Zeal,' `Formality' and `Sickness,' however, are bound to make the nominal Christian more than a little uncomfortable. Ryle speaks to the heart and soul of every man. He wields the sword of the Spirit like a skilful surgeon, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow. His sword strikes true and cuts deep-especially to those whose religion is a matter of practice and not a matter of the heart. It is clear that the title `Practical Religion' does not speak of a formula for mere religious action (nothing was more abhorrent to Ryle than heartless religion), but of those acts which are done by those whose faith is a way of life.

Christian, read J. C. Ryle. You will not regret it. He is a man who first and foremost loves the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the vital center of all his teaching and writing and the sole reason for his great power in ministry. Whether you are an erudite scholar or a hard-laboring farmer, a pastor or a layman, a spiritual elder or a babe in Christ--no matter where you are--Ryle's writings are for you. The love of Christ and the faith of this great 18th century saint cling to every page like an aromatic perfume. He is quickly becoming one of my very favorite writers. I have no doubt he will win a place in your heart (and your bookshelf) as well.

Here is a brief quote from one of my favorite chapters to whet your appetite: `Perhaps you have thought that if a man's religion is correct outwardly, he must be one with whom God is well pleased. You are completely mistaken. You are rejecting the whole tenor of Bible teaching. Outward correctness without a right heart is neither more nor less than Pharisaism. The outward things of Christianity,--baptism, the Lord's Supper, Church-membership, almsgiving, and the like,--will never take any man's soul to heaven, unless his heart is right. There must be inward things as well as outward,--and it is on the inward things that God's eyes are chiefly fixed' (p. 269).

Of all the books I have read in the past few years, no one has influenced my life as Bishop J.C. Ryle has. His writtings give the perfect balance of Law and grace and will help you to better understand the Christian life to a deeper and richer level. I am very thankful for the writings of this man. I would recommend his other works including "Old Paths." His expository commentaries on the Gospels are wonderful, too. Find out why J.C. Ryle has impacted Christians for over 100 years.

There is quite the movement in today's evangelical circles to the idea of "practical theology." Living what you believe, or 'walking the walk, if you will. What this movement sorely misses however is that to "live what you believe," you must KNOW WHAT YOU BELIEVE! Ryle deftly walks the line between Systematic and Practical theologies, constantly forcing the reader to stop and examine his/her own life. What is the point of theology if it doesn't impact your walk? Ryle challenges the "talk" and the "walk" at the same time. Not recommended for those who do not wish to engage in "Self-Examination," but highly recommended for those who truly wish to make Truth the reflection in the mirror of their lives.

This is an excellent resource. The reading assumes some formal theological training, so it is a resource that is more useful for pastors, educators, spiritual directors who are looking for tools to help equip lay people for ministries of prayers. Both theoretical and practical, this is a must-have for the pastor's study!

Initially a bit wary of this book title, since (as a psychotherapist) I am allergic to most things pious, I was thunderstruck from the first chapter. A church person myself, what I learned suprised me, as well as enriched me.

This splendid work by a professor of pastoral care, thoroughly grounded in theology, counseling, psychology, and literature as well -- not only revitalizes pastoral care; it also revitalizes FAITH in the true sense of the word.

Of the many ways in which I feel indebted to this book, two are especially important to me.

1) The church at its core is a community of mutuality centered in the relationship with Christ among us. Caring for each other means mutual hearing, mutual seeing, mutual service, and mutual joy, made possible by the love of the Lord working in us as a community. These are gifts bestowed upon an intimate fellowship of love that reaches beyond itself, indeed to the world. This koinonia, as it is expressed in Greek, is the subject of the first chapter that stunned me so. It is the sole purpose of pastoral care, which is an end in itself, not a tool in the desire to obtain other ends.

2) This truth includes the second one: the distinction between pastoral care and pastoral counseling from the practice of PSYCHOTHERAPY. The elegant and compelling distinction between the two is on pages 13 and 14 of the book. If you are interested in either of these disciplines, just buy the book, and start there. It is only the beginning of the treasures, but it is most revealing.

If you should be simply a titular "believer", or a church goer with a vague notion of what is going on there, or an interest in prayer as a subject to know more about, READ THIS BOOK.

I like this book so much I wrote two mini-reviews of praise during my reading of it. As I got closer to the end, I liked it more and more. I bought an extra copy and had it shipped to a friend before I was through. I think it deserves a place on every pastor's bookshelf, but it should not stay long on the shelf- it deserves to be read over and over again.

One reason I like the book so much is that it serves two purposes, and each of those for at last two audiences. Yet all are bound together in one integrated narrative, as best described in the opening paragraph: "Pastoral care cannot be Christian unless conducted in a spirit of reverence. The work of prayer is integral to every step. If we believe that it is finally God who provides what is needed, then prayer is not optional" (p. 1). This theme is woven into the rest of the book. In the chapter on prayers of lament, Hunsinger describes Job's unseen encounter with the Holy Spirit, then writes: "The unique history that unfolds between God and Job is a paradigm for pastoral care. The decisive encounter is shown to be not between the caregiver and the afflicted, but between the afflicted one and God" (p. 149)

Hunsinger presents first a "Theology of Koinonia" in which "prayer in the context of pastoral care draws persons into intimate fellowship with God and one another" (p. 3), then lays solid groundwork for understanding that prayer is the essence of communion with God.

Chapters two, three and four speak to the listening aspect of prayer- listening to God, listening to each other, and listening to ourselves. Chapters five, six, seven, eight and nine speak to distinctive types of prayer.

The book is thus both a primer on pastoral care, and a primer on prayer. It is easy to understand, written without jargon, and develops in logical manner. It can be used by pastor and layperson alike, as individuals or as a class. In fact, there are several wonderful appendages that provide teaching tips for each chapter. These are not lesson plans, but ideas to either shape or include in your own lesson plans. For instance, the ideas for teaching Chapter Two, Listening to God include a group practice of lectio divina (nicely outlined in the suggestion) and a group discussion of which Psalms might be worth "learning by heart." Many of the teaching ideas could be used as an individual reading or re-reading the book alone.

The book is almost poetic in its style. Consider this passage from chapter eight: "What does the church have to offer when natural eloquence fails? When someone shares a great joy, is it received with the dignity it deserves, or is it trivialized with paltry words of congratulations? Does the church have the sanctified imagination that can discern the sacrifice, the faithful hoping against hope, the persevering struggle that prepared the person's heart for this longed for day? Can caregivers enter imaginatively into the long night that preceded this day of splendor?" (p. 183).

The author was my professor for one class at seminary, but I did not take a basic course in pastoral care. This book has really added to the knowledge that I need to function as a pastor, both in terms of pastoral care and in my own prayer life.

I loved reading it!!! Amazing! I've already recommended it to several people. As I was reading it, I kept thinking about how much fun it was to have excerpts from the Bible, Barth and others entwined for me to read, savor, and re-read. Hunsinger presents prayer and pastoral care in such a fresh way. Deeply grounded. Rich examples. Beautiful writing. In fact, sometimes I had to stop to reflect on the beauty of particular sentences. Thank you for the hard work and prayer that brought this book to life. It is a great gift to the church.

While some of the diagrams leave you wanting and wondering, the heart of the book solidifies the need for small groups. Especially in a era when there is so much demand on our time and so much stress in our lives. When George related the story of Jethro and his council to Moses, I knew our church HAD to get behind small groups in a big way. George shows how small groups are the key to a church family and how they are the true ministry of the church.

Carl George's "Prepare Your Church for the Future" is a must-read for those who desire to approach ministry in fresh ways in the coming years. His emphasis on the keys for developing groups for meaningful relationships and growth are second to none!

Many churches have adopted small group ministry as a way to connect Christians and to provide support and growth for their members. George shows how small groups can become an engine for evangelism and leadership development and enable churches to break through barriers to growth. Essential reading for any church wanting to grow -- in both numbers and depth. I also recommend the follow-up book by George, "The Coming Church Revolution," which goes into greater depth and detail and provides examples of many churches from several denominations that have successfully used this model.

Carl George wrote this book some time ago, but even today, it is a highly relevant and important book for many of today's churches. The concept of small groups is not exactly a new concept. Many churches have encouraged this for years. But few churches even now have turned the concept of small groups into a far reaching and fundamental tool of ministry, outreach, and caring that permeates the entire church mission. Even today, small groups tend to be a "back burner" concept among many churches.

This book tries to draw a direct relationship between small group ministry and church size. The theory is that a church can grow only so big and reach only so many people absent a vital and large emphasis on small groups. George cites a few megachurches as examples of the kind of ongoing growth and changed lives that occur when the church embraces small groups not with a recreational commitment, but with the kind of commitment that comes when something is considered a primary mission of the church.

The small group model for church growth is a model that works, not because George says so, but because several churches who have embraced this model are growing beyond many of the ceilings that the vast majority of churches who don't embrace this model can't seem to break through. Getting their people into small groups, when emphasized and encouraged, allows bigger churches to continue ministering to people and meeting their needs by allowing the congregation to minister to itself and not overtax the staff. This accomplishes the goal of the church not having to build up a huge staff of paid people to try and meet the needs of a big congregation. Therefore, allowing church funds to be spent not on an increased staff, but on more relevant activities that are more in line with the mission that God has imparted on the particular church. Further, small group multiplication allows the church to continue to grow and reach new people in the community in ways that are non threatening.

I did not give the book 5 stars only because the book does not appear to spend a lot of time discussing how a church can really establish a vital small group ministry and structure their staff in an effective way to cultivate it. Too often, growing churches want to do good things, but do not put the kind of infrastructure in place, whether people or facilities, to administer the programs with excellence. It's the classic problem of biting off more than we can chew. The motivations of the church are in the right place in these instances, but without a clear plan in place for administering a major small group ministry, George provides an incomplete strategy for implementing this approach. This may sound like a minor point, but it isn't. Ministries that are not undertaken with excellence are ministries that fail to fully fulfill the purpose for which the ministry was created. Having an administrative infrastructure in place that effectively manages a big small group ministry while also being an infrastructure that is frugal relative to church budgets is clearly one aspect of establishing a ministry with excellence. And this aspect is not easily addressable and thus, represents a significant challenge to George's model. It is solvable I believe, but George should have addressed this in more detail, in my view.

But clearly, George has hit on something that every church can benefit from if implemented correctly. At its core, Christianity needs to be about people. And in order to meet people's needs and transform people into fully devoted disciples of Christ, the church must place just as much a priority on meeting people's needs and providing care and support as it does on spreading the Gospel message. In fact, I would argue that those two things go hand in hand, and both are strengthened by the other. Having an active small group ministry that looks for small group solutions for a whole array of congregational concerns and interests is a proven model for church growth and evangelism, and something George describes very well. A good book, a good pastoral resource.

My earliest memories of Mass are of the first stages of the New Order. I remember having a Communion rail, then not having one. Over the years, I felt that the Mass provided me less and less grace. I have gone for years not going because there seemed to be no point. I won't say the New Order itself was bad, but in the way it is celebrated, it does seem to be susceptible to being "dumbed down" way too much. Almost by accident, I discovered that a Latin Tridentine Mass was celebrated near me every Sunday afternoon. Since then, I never miss Mass unless I have to work. It is almost like the Tridentine Mass provided something to my soul that the New Order did not. This book helps a lot to explain that phenomenon. If I felt that way, how much more deeply would the priest feel it?

Over the last few years, the students at the SSPX seminary in Winona, Minnesota, conducted interviews with priests who still say the Traditional Latin Mass as opposed to the Novus Ordo. THis little gem is the result of those interviews. None of the priests interviewed are members of the SSPX. THeir numbers include both secular and order priests, those ordained before the famous (or infamous) Second Vatican Council and those who lived through the touchy-feely drivel inflicted on modern seminarians. All have come to the same conclusion, namely that the changes that swept through the ROman Catholic CHurch in the 1960s and '70s have led to an unacceptable break with the Church's history and her Sacred Traditions. All of them would break away from their Liberal Bishops and begin providing The Mass and the Sacraments to the Traditional Faithfull in what Traditonal Catholics refer to as "Independant Chapels." SOme are cut off altogether from their pensions and have their faculties revoked by their bishops. Their interviews well reflect the bitterness of Traditional Catholics who have watched everything they love trounced in the years since the REvolution. One of them, ironically, tells how Archbishop Levada, the Pope's new appointment as head of the Holy Office, once told him how Transubstantiation "is a long and difficult word and we don't use it anymore." Others tell of years of suffering in silence and fear of being "outed" as Traditionalists. The world of modern day Catholic Tradition is a highly fascinating one and is known to so very few. The SSPX seminarians of Winona deserve a round of applause for bringing these interviews to light.

At my parish one of the easiest ways to tell a joke is to mention the traditionalist/Tridentine movement. Within minutes everyone listening will jump in to call the Traditionalists names and to mock them. I never really thought about it before but after reading Priest Where is Thy Mass, Mass Where is Thy Priest, I find myself wondering why there is so much hostility towards them.

Each one of these priests has a very sad story to tell. They preferred for various reasons to say the traditional mass instead of the Novus Ordo and they all got smacked down for it.

This is strange when you stop to consider that some of our bishops have ignored or covered up some pretty foul behavior in the past and yet these 17 men were handled with such scorn and even outright cruelty. If this is how traditionalists were usually treated in the 70s, 80s and 90s then it's no wonder why some are bitter about the experience.

The book makes for painful reading. Some of the priests here rebounded with humor, others are obviously angry and disgusted. All of them seemed sad and still a little shocked at how things have turned out. If you've ever cracked a joke about the traditionalists or was the least bit curious about them read this book and try to do it with an open mind. I'm glad I did.

I came back into the Church after a 35 year journey in evangelical protestantism. I figured that priests, bishops and the parishoners all believed in the teachings of the Church, consistent over 2000 years, or they would move on to the "church of fun" down the street. Wrong. I was dismayed beyond belief. I've always been a voracious reader and went through writings of various saints like Aquinas and St. Augustine. Where was the Catholic Church of history? It certainly isn't the one with the sign that says, "St. So-and-So Catholic Community." That one is Catholic in name only.
Through God's grace I discovered the traditional movement where people like myself will drive over an hour each way to attend "The Mass." People attend because they want to be Catholic. Read the book!