Organizations Books

As pastors we live in a world that is changing. This book brings it out to the forefront what is changing and the choices that we have to make. I didn't walk away from reading this book all warm and fuzzy but I did walk away having a greater understanding of the issues involved in what is going on in my church and in the world and community around me.

This excellent resource from Roxburgh has been significantly revised and reissued as The Sky Is Falling: Leaders Lost in Transition. Roxburgh calls for a new conversation between emergent and "liminals" (or those in various existing traditions).

This book does a marvelous job of weaving together change theory, a theological vision of the church, and a sense of the cultural and social setting in which today's churches live. Building on the vision of "missional church" cast in a book by that title (of which Al Roxburgh was a co-author), this book helps leaders develop a sense of their calling to cultivate congregations in that direction in a time calling for rudimentary rethinking about who the church is and rerooting of practices that embody that understanding.

In a time when books on change are sometimes mere how-to manuals, this one sees things deeper and broader. In a time when cultural analysis paralyzes, this book invites hope within even vague and chaotic times of transition. In a time when biblical vision is set aside for what works, this book works toward a habit of discerning the calling and sending of God

This volume introduces the reader to some very helpful perspective on understanding the complexity of the postmodern world we now inhabit. While the "liminality" we find ourselves in at present between this new world and our present world prevents us seeing clearly where we are going, the authors provide some very helpful insights far charting a course. Those seeking to be leaders in the church in this postmodern milieu will find this a very valuable resource. The treatment of change is particularly strong - one of the best that is available in print for Christian leaders that I have seen.

This book gives hope and reality to stay focussed on mission and ministry in this time of enormous transition. The transition themes in the Bible are pivotal in staying connceted to the people of God who have crossed the bridge. Redefining leaders as poets, prophets, apostles, and pastors and notputting one type above another was liberating and very discerning. This book will be used in the SEPA synod for the training of future pastors and leaders and to transform existing leadrship. Biblical and postmodern ...all in one.

The book will alter your world view of past present and future. It is one of the most important books I've ever read.

Should be required reading in all schools.

So much wrong doing religion have done that it should abolished! Do not think that Islam is not touched in this book, you are for a double wammy! This book should taught in High School as a measure against bigotry. Mr. Bushby keep up the good work!

This book shows proof of the lies and fictitious stories told in the bible that millions believe to be fact. It's nice to see Tony did his homework and is allowing worn out followers of a dead and gone religion, or one that should be to know the truth. There is far more proof that we are visited by species from other worlds than anything the bible has to offer, and please don't give me the faith story, that is also a crock. The only faith you need to have is in yourself. The book is great, Buy it!!!

This book's subjects are areas that will shake the foundation of most of today's Christian religions. Mr. Bushby makes no precepts without ample references. It is NOT the book to buy for "light reading" as I would constantly check his references. (All checked out.) I am sure an autodefe during the "Inquisition" would have burned him before sundown!

Mr. Bushby did a great job on a monsterous subject.

Now I would like to see the same research done to the Koran (Qur'an). But that would be dangerous, unlike discussions of the Holy Bible.

In a fashion similar to the Bible Fraud and The Secret in The Bible, Tony Bushby continues opening the nooks and cranies of history that has been hidden from the mainstream.
In this book, the author opens doors that were once closed and reveals facts about the early church fathers and their story telling. This book exposes just how stories were changed into fact by the various councils and how they created christianity.
An incredible amount of research went into this book. A great resource highlightng many great works as its foundation.

This book is very thought provoking. I felt the same as the first time I read 1984, and Brave New World. I like his style. There are many quotations and interesting facts. It was a learning experience that I will ponder for a long while.

Jason Cruise Founder TodaysPreacher.Com

There are a lot of bad books out there today!! There is nothing worse than spending money on something that you can't use; but, this is not one of those books!!! Henderson's book was super, in my opinion. He is certainly up to speed on today's listener. He uses a constant theme throughout the book which he deems, "God's Word to a _______." For instance, Chapter 6 deals with "God's Word To A Distracted World"; Chapter 8 deals with "God's Word To A Disconnected World." This helps you see how God's Word can reach such a target.

In this work he covers the average person sitting in your audience; what has made them the type of listener they are; their different thinking patterns, etc. David Henderson sat under Haddon Robinson, the "teacher of preachers." You can see Robinson's solid, Biblical influence on Henderson; and, I think this only adds to the credibility of the author.

David Henderson knows how to help you "gain a hearing" with a crowd. The book really helped me better understand today's audience, and techniques to help reach them. I'd really recommend that you read this book ... I think you'll be a better preacher because of it!!!

Preach On Friends ... Jason Cruise

In high school speech classes, we were taught to "know your audience." As an apathetic high schooler, I didn't really care what she meant, but it eventually made sense (once I actually decided to think about it). You wouldn't use sock puppets to explain math to accountants; you wouldn't use in-depth power-point presentations to explain math to first graders. With this in mind, why do many Americans still try to talk about Jesus using the methods used thirty years ago? Why do we use Christian "jargon" to explain Christianity to those outside the faith?

Henderson, as you might guess, contends that modern American Christians must change their approach to sharing the faith in order to fit modern America. The pattern of Henderson's book is straightforward: he examines a particular aspect/mindset/value of modern Americans; he then gives ideas about how a Christian might share Words of Eternal Life with such an American. Henderson's prose is both straightforward and enjoyable. He gets right to the heart of the American mindset, then illustrates it with descriptions from scenes from popular movies, personal anecdotes, jokes, etc.

In all, Henderson does the modern Christian a great service in writing "Culture Shift." Jesus tells Christains to tell others about him ("Go, therefore, and baptize all nations...") and Henderson can help us along the way through this book. Highly recommended.

This book is not just about "Communicating God's Truth to Our Changing World," but also about better understanding the world we live in today. The author delves into various facets of the modern (American) life to show "Who We Are," (chapter 3-8), and "How We Think," (chapters 9-14). While doing so, he shows not only how deeply our culture has gone into a sort of postmodern chaos, but also gives examples of how he has been able to reach out to non-Christians and see their lives' changed for Christ. Henderson has definitely been affected in his writing by his mentor, the author of the foreword, Haddon Robinson, named one of the top ten preachers in America. This is mostly positive, including Dr. Henderson's "Concepts Worth Remembering" and "Recommended Reading" lists that are at the end of every major section. This book is very readable and helpful for any Christian who may want to know the current culture better as well as how to present the gospel of Christ in the 21st Century. I enjoyed the book for these reasons, but did not feel it was exceptional enough to warrant 5 big stars. However it is very good and any pastor or lay person who is actively involved in the life of their church would enjoy it.

David Henderson has a better understanding of today's culture than most college philosophy professors. He provides awesome insight of how to reach out to people who believe God is absent from their lives, and draw them into Christianity. The book also forces the reader to evaluate the sincerity of his own faith.

I must say that this book came right alone side of some other material I have been studying. I have develop a series of sermons
and to have had this book at this time, was comfirmation for me, that I was is God Will, as I address the concerns at our pastorate. Which allowed me and my congregation to be enhance and to expand our understanding of ministry as it concerns our needs and God's Will. Thanks again for being use of the Lord!

No other book has motivated me to plan ahead and strategize more than this one. Both in personal life and in my ministry, this book points me to accomplishing what needs to be done. This book is invaluable. IT is worth ten times the money. Get it for yourself and see.

Malphus joins the growing ranks of authors whose goal is to help bring renewal to the church by teaching pastors how to develop a vision for ministry. In this, Malphurs was very successful. The author presents a six-step process to help pastors develop and implement a vision in the local church

Being a small church pastor I appreciate his emphasis on the small church. The use of the fictional Pastor Bob was an excellent tool of identification. It allowed the author to bring in the human element of discouragement, frustration and antagonism in a way that every pastor can identify with. Malphurs dealt adequately with the idea of opposition. The Deacon Bill character is a man we call can identify with.

His advice on how to obtain a vision was excellent, it was pragmatic and easy to use. This is in direct contrast with Barna's The Power of Vision (pgs. 81-1-84) that promulgated a process so tedious that only the most tenacious pastor would ever work his way through. His insight that vision will become a dividing rod in the congregation rings true- those who buy into it stay, those who do not, leave.

This was a pretty powerful book, but it was not without some weaknesses. It assumed that some of Pastor Bobs board were visionary people. In far too many churches, the maintenance mind-set is firmly entrenched in the power structure and visionary people are excluded. It is not unusual to have no men of vision on a church board, what then? Although he did not neglect the opposition to vision within the church, I think he did underestimate it. Peter Drucker makes it very clear that the people who have the most to lose by vision are the people who have invested the most into the organization. Barna's insight into the nature of opposition in his excellent book Turn Around Churches was far more realistic.

This book was packed full of helpful advice. I especially appreciated the distinction the author makes between leadership and management and that both are necessary in growing churches. Churches cannot grow without leadership and they cannot deal with the problems caused by growth without management. Thus the pastor must wear both hats.

Yes, this is a must read dealing with issues concerning vision that are not adequately covered in other books on the subject.

Like most ministers, I have read several books on vision. Some titles were very inspiring, other titles were very confusing. The vast majority however, were not very enlightening. This book by Malphurs moves beyond establishing the need for vision and helps the reader grasp, communicate, and implement a vision.

Malphurs follows an easy-to-understand process beginning with the definition of a ministry vision and ending with the preservation of that vision. I recommend this book highly to all ministry professionals, especially pastors.

In a world of religion where many churches seem to simply "exist" without much understanding of their own purpose, the answer time and time again of "Why?" comes back to a people perishing because of no Vision. Aubrey Malphurs skillfully weaves together wisdom and experience with practical application of a much used and little understood term: Vision. With fresh, illuminating spiritual insight, he guides us upon a journey of discovery and awareness. This voyage exposes the snapshot which has been impressed upon the film of your spirit, and through the "light-room" of the Holy Spirit, brings forth a full blown picture of what God wants the ministry He has given you to look like, ready to battle, in the 21st Century. If you would not be ignorant of the wiles of the devil, this book is a must read!

In all probability, the topic of teaching and education elicits such an array of responses that we are sometimes at a loss to logically understand why the system very often contributes to apathetic and uninterested students.

Professor (Emeritus) Ira Jay Winn, author of The Education Mirage: How Teachers Succeed and Why the System Fails, deftly weaves together his thoughts, suggestions and solutions concerning the weaknesses that are prevalent within today's educational institutions.

Winn emphasizes that one of the primary objectives of teaching must be the fostering of creative thinking. In fact, he dedicates his book to his former students who, he states, "hopefully, learned the art of critical thinking and came to expect nothing less than a civilized dialogue."

The book divides itself into two parts, How Teachers Succeed and Why the System Fails.
Readers are constantly reminded that just regurgitating of facts is useless. You must emphasize problem-centered and inquiry-based teaching and learning, in order to stimulate and maintain the interest of students.

Drawing on his personal teaching experiences, Winn presents several alternative pedagogic techniques in order to present material in a way that will fuel the discovery process.
For example, what is the value of having students learn the names of Columbus' three ships? As Winn states, they are dead- ended insofar as discussion goes. Would it not be more beneficial if facts were associated with definitional problems and value questions?
Instead of focusing on the names of Columbus' three ships, why not ask the question, "what did Columbus hope to prove by sailing to the New World?"
Unfortunately, as pointed out, many teachers have not stopped to think about the important differences between questions of fact, definitional problems, and questions of value.

Winn displays a sharp eye in his analysis of what makes a good teacher, as he deals with the topics of lesson-strategy planning, discussion leading, when not to lecture, the use of case studies, testing and grading.

His solutions to fixing the problem are quite novel, particularly when he challenges the belief that high school must be an exclusively teen-age institution. According to Winn, "high school must be changed into adult common schools, common in the sense that they are open to all people regardless of age, so long as they have completed middle schooling."
Other topics explored in the second half of the book deal with public policy, teacher training, the environment of reform, the school crisis as a crisis of culture, and a brief critique of Allan Bloom's book, The Closing Of The American Mind.

By the end of the book, readers will well understand Winn's preface to the opening chapters when he quotes a Chinese proverb, "I listen and I forget...I see and I remember... I do and I understand!" It is too bad many of my teachers did not heed this advice when I was a student, and why today teachers still do not get the message.

No doubt, Winn has written a splendid in-depth book in which every educator, and even non-educators will discover something novel.
For those who wish to further explore the book's topics, a short bibliography is provided at the end of the book.

This review first appeared on the reviewers' own site:

Review: THE EDUCATION MIRAGE by Prof. Emeritus,Ira Winn
ISBN 0-595-29142-2

More than a primer, Prof. Winn's analysis of educational do's and don'ts, his shattering myths about some long-gone, golden age of public educational achievement, and the dissection of "senders and receivers" in the knowledge industry will make readers question previously held educational beliefs as well as current practices. Above all, the writer connects the nation's lack of success solving our most critical social and political problems with failed educational assumptions and methodology-"stuffing turkeys" rather than "lighting lamps." Also indicted are gross materialism, mindless TV offerings, video and computer games, as well as our near-total reliance upon science-technology education, solely to prepare students for money-making jobs, the end goal. Squeezing art and humanities out of curricula has deprived students of adequate preparation to function as informed citizens in a democracy. Rarely do problem-solving and creativity enhance the learning experience because of reliance upon rote learning, worship of objective testing norms, or celebrating adolescent rites of passage. Nor does the swollen educational bureaucracy of overpaid administrators and underpaid teachers escape Winn's scrutiny, claiming our society does not value excellence in public education, now morphed into another "bottom line" commodity. Prof. Winn envisions educated adults working together to attack poverty, reduce excesses of global capitalism and dependence upon finite resources. For him, these issues are inextricably linked to values of mind and heart deriving from inspirational education.

Marian Blanton, retired community college instructor

Prof. Winn's "Education Mirage . . ." is a revelation in the compendium of educational literature. This is a writing free from cant and pedantry. It is an idealistic and inspirational vision of how to be a teacher who is motivated by the important social, ethical, and historical perspectives of the time. His use of examples and techniques is always pithy and relevant and the general reader shall grasp what excellence in teaching means. I would suggest that this is a "must" read for every aspiring student teacher who wants to teach secondary, college, and university level. This is a work which is uniquely refreshing and original.

Ideale Gambera, Emeritus
Department of English and American Studies
City College of San Francisco

I regret that Ira Winn's new book, "The Education Mirage," was not available several years ago when I first started teaching. The book is a great help to all who wish to make their teaching more effective and their workload easier. The first part of the book is a detailed manual on what the author calls "creative problem centered teaching." It includes the art of questioning and the avoidance of unconsciously motivating student apathy, and an analysis of teacher types, Winn shows us how to get more students interested in the subject matter and involved in class discussions. Above all, he shows how to encourage and develop critical thinking in our students. The book even offers planning exercises and a self-test to measure the reader's comprehension of the modern teaching concepts presented. Winn finds the current mania for state-mandated testing counterproductive, a fig leaf for politicians and a force driving creative teachers to distraction and exodus from the profession.

The second part of the book is a collection of essays, analyzing the faults and weaknesses of the American educational system and offering a variety of suggestions for improving the system. The suggestions are not the standard recommendations for change that appear periodically in political debate, however. Winn proposes a host of reforms in the system, in educational institutions including the universities, in teacher and professor training and in the curriculum that are all highly innovative, even radical. For example, he finds that the highly educated are more often a greater danger to society and democracy than the less educated, because the former sit at the seats of power and too often prove arrogant and swayed by a money ethic. The result is that the planet's environment and the world economy bear an intolerable burden. He also finds that TV and computers have made the traditional teacher role outmoded, and thus he calls for intensive retraining in problem-centered methodologies.

Professor Winn is an EDUCATOR. I recommend this book to all who have a strong interest in education in America.

In all probability, the topic of teaching and education elicits such an array of responses that we are sometimes at a loss to logically understand why the system very often contributes to apathetic and uninterested students.

Professor (Emeritus) Ira Jay Winn, author of The Education Mirage: How Teachers Succeed and Why the System Fails, deftly weaves together his thoughts, suggestions and solutions concerning the weaknesses that are prevalent within today's educational institutions.

Winn emphasizes that one of the primary objectives of teaching must be the fostering of creative thinking. In fact, he dedicates his book to his former students who, he states, "hopefully, learned the art of critical thinking and came to expect nothing less than a civilized dialogue."

The book divides itself into two parts, How Teachers Succeed and Why the System Fails.
Readers are constantly reminded that just regurgitating of facts is useless. You must emphasize problem-centered and inquiry-based teaching and learning, in order to stimulate and maintain the interest of students.

Drawing on his personal teaching experiences, Winn presents several alternative pedagogic techniques in order to present material in a way that will fuel the discovery process.
For example, what is the value of having students learn the names of Columbus' three ships? As Winn states, they are dead- ended insofar as discussion goes. Would it not be more beneficial if facts were associated with definitional problems and value questions?
Instead of focusing on the names of Columbus' three ships, why not ask the question, "what did Columbus hope to prove by sailing to the New World?"
Unfortunately, as pointed out, many teachers have not stopped to think about the important differences between questions of fact, definitional problems, and questions of value.

Winn displays a sharp eye in his analysis of what makes a good teacher, as he deals with the topics of lesson-strategy planning, discussion leading, when not to lecture, the use of case studies, testing and grading.

His solutions to fixing the problem are quite novel, particularly when he challenges the belief that high school must be an exclusively teen-age institution. According to Winn, "high school must be changed into adult common schools, common in the sense that they are open to all people regardless of age, so long as they have completed middle schooling."
Other topics explored in the second half of the book deal with public policy, teacher training, the environment of reform, the school crisis as a crisis of culture, and a brief critique of Allan Bloom's book, The Closing Of The American Mind.

By the end of the book, readers will well understand Winn's preface to the opening chapters when he quotes a Chinese proverb, "I listen and I forget...I see and I remember... I do and I understand!" It is too bad many of my teachers did not heed this advice when I was a student, and why today teachers still do not get the message.

No doubt, Winn has written a splendid in-depth book in which every educator, and even non-educators will discover something novel.
For those who wish to further explore the book's topics, a short bibliography is provided at the end of the book.

This review first appeared on reviewer's own site

I liked this book. I purchased a copy back in 2005 when I was learning everything I could about fundraising. It certainly covers many of the things I had learned (and was learning) during my stint as a consultant to nonprofits regarding capital campaigns. I found this book to be a marketing vehicle for the authors' Internet-based fundraising consulting firm. It has the feel of a blog since most of the book is written in question-answer format. And the questions and answers are lifted from work product produced by answering questions of patrons of the firm's Web site.

This book was a very easy read for me. It covered its topic well and flowed pretty good from beginning to end. It explains that successful fundraising requires the mastery of three key concepts:

1. Develop a Case Statement
2. Develop a Campaign Plan (Fundraising Plan)
3. Identify the strongest possible campaign leadership

Since I visualize a Campaign Plan as starting with an annual effort (annual campaign), I would have liked the book better if the chapters were reordered as follows:

5. Annual Campaign
4. Prospect Research
6. Direct Mail
11. Grants
12. Corporate Dollars
7. Special Events
8. Major Gifts
10. Planned Giving
9. Capital Campaigns

I'm used to the Range of Gift Table to be referred to as a Donor Pyramid (DP). And I didn't see a reference to DP anywhere in the book. This surprised me. I found Chapter 1 to be pretty good. I found Chapter 2 to be lacking in substance and good organization. There was content there, but it just did not help pull the book together. Why jump into capital campaigns at the outset? I would have liked the book much better if Chapter 2 were to be expanded and broken into 2 or three chapters. And it seemed like the blurb on prospect research was out of place by being included in Chapter 2.

I loved Chapter 3 about Nonprofit Boards. I thought it covered its topic very well. I think I would have liked the book better if each of the chapters had better introductions and conclusions. Since most chapters are not very long and the "blog entries" that filled the book were each headed by a boldfaced question, I don't think the chapter intros needed to include bulleted lists of the blog entry headings. All in all, this was a good book. And I recommend it for any fundraising expert's resource shelf. 4 stars!

The quest for funding is a high-pressure, never-ending process for nonprofit organizations large and small. Authors G. Douglass Alexander and Kristina J. Carlson break the process down into manageable pieces while covering each major avenue that fundraising professionals travel in the search for financial support. The authors use a question and answer format to explain and illustrate the premise outlined at the beginning of every chapter. Packed with useful, applicable information from cover to cover, this book deals with a range of topics including the basic principles of fundraising, annual and capital campaigns, special events, major gifts, foundation funding and stewardship. Such a comprehensive, well-organized analysis of any one subject is rare. We strongly recommend this book as a primer for any individual or group seeking guidance for a strategic approach to raising funds.

I've served on the boards of a number of organizations that have developed very strong fundraising capabilities -- and some that have not. The latter group could catch up quickly by reading this book. Authors Carlson and Alexander have covered all the key topics in an easy to read and easily referenced format. Their depth of experience is evident throughout. Anyone involved in nonprofit fundraising should invest the time to read and appreciate these "essential principles."

I just finished reading the book. After serving the non profit sector for over 20 years it is nice to have an easy to read, yet comprehensive publication for everyone to learn from. It will be required reading for all of our new hires at my organization. I cannot think of a better way to learn how to properly raise money in a variety of manners.

Jay

Although others will be doing fund-raising for Earth Intelligence Network, to fill in whatever our parent sponsor cannot provide, I found this book to be extraordinarly useful to me, so that I could understand in detail what is expected and required.

Bottom line: Fund-raising is a *professional* *year-long* orchestrated, documented *demanding* endeavor. It is neither easy nor an after-thought.

Over-all this book is a best in class offering that is superbly organized, superbly presented, and clearly authoritative. I noticed right away on the jacket blurbs that both givers and seekers of funds were represented.

The quick summary (there is no substitute for reading the book in detail, and probably annually as well), is found in the 9 principles on page 6:

1) Face to face solicitation is the most effective means
2) Individual giving (not foundation or corporate) is the greatest return
3) Money FOLLOWS involvement
4) Challenge gifts can solve most fund-raising problems
5) The board must lead if others are to follow (in giving)
6) Make it personal
7) Believe in volunteers
8) Offer opportunities
9) Practice sequential fundraising, starting at the top (the big gift)

A few highlights that stayed with me:

+ Range of Gifts table very useful device for planning and presenting
+ Core concepts credited to Ms. "Be" Haas--the authors are respectful
+ Key ingredients are the case statement, sequential fundraising, and the strongest possible campaign leadership
+ Connect to donors (DEVELOPMENT) first, ask LATER
+ 80% of giving is individual
+ Board membership (another book, not this one, says put them on the stationary) is the most powerful signal
+ Focus on personalized, face to face wherever possible
+ Volunteers are both a form of giving, and a form of connecting to others
+ MAKE YOUR CASE--"Need" is NOT a case, "Impact" is...
+ Prospect research is a sub-discipline now
- Helps find donors who are both able to give and passionate about the cause you represent
- Philanthropic history is more important than total wealth
- Websites exist for "conducting prospect research"

The authors shy away from recommending specific individuals or institutes but they are very professional and provide more than adequate pointers to specialty websites that I would not have been able to find myself.

+ Ethics matters
+ Annual campaigns are life-blood of the organization
+ November-December are the hot months for end of year deductable giving
+ Philanthropy 400 is a key reference
+ Capital campaigns every ten years or so
+ Planning giving is a long-term strategy but hugely promising
+ Foundations are NEXT TO LAST with Corporations LAST.

The chapter on technology is excellent, and covers the basics:
01 Website including "donate now" button
02 Fundraising software, one size does NOT fit all
03 Avoid spam, know the STATE law, quality matters
04 Email delivery of newsletters or other value is good

Stewardship is its own sub-dsicipline, the nurturing and appreciation of those who give and cannot be forgotten or taken for granted.

I have a full two pages of notes, not for this review, but really great ideas tailored to our program that I would never, ever, have thought about without reading this book.

This is a great book, a serious book, one you cannot do without (IMHO).

As a Human Performance Technologist, I am constantly running into situations where I need to use facilitating skills. I have acquired such skills and knowledge over years of experience and practice. This book, Facilitating With Ease!," neatly packages the knowledge components required of a Facilitator and provides useful tools to be used in practice. I am planning to use this book with a client in training new facilitators to facilitate discussions of ethical business leadership. I wish I had this book 10 years ago!

I have had the privilege of participating in workshops taught by Ingrid Bens: this is like having her in your own training room! The information in this book is both relevant and concise. I use the book to lead my facilitation team through all of their group dynamics training. The CD-ROM allows me the freedom to customize the worksheets to meet our needs. This is a great book that I highly recommend to all individuals who work in teams, lead meetings, or need assistance in group dynamics

As a failitator of a process using storyboards, I am always looking for new twists on facilitation in general. As a compact, to the point resource on facilitation and basic meeting management, I think Ingrid's is at the top of the list. While, like any such work, you truly gain the value when you attend a workshop, this book is worth the price in things anyone can adapt and use in any organization. You can never become "good enough" at facilitation and I am glad someone referred me to this book. Two thumbs up......Oh, and one other nice thing. Everything in here is to-the-point instruction - no big ego trips with the author's name dropped into war story after war story...

Details core facilitation tools and techniques. Chapters cover: understanding facilitation; facilitation stages; assessing and understanding participants; creating participation; effective decision making; facilitating conflict; meeting management; process tools for facilitators (e.g., visioning, exit surveys, brainstorming) and process designs. This is a well organized 'soup to nuts' reference including worksheets on CD-ROM that can be customized. Comprehensive, clear, and concise.

Companies that embrace work teams quickly discover a basic truth: More teams mean more meetings. Management experts laud the benefits of enlightened teamwork, but they spend much less time dwelling on the often long, sometimes pointless and nearly always inefficient meetings that teams breed. With teams fast becoming a fixture in the corporate world, meeting management, or facilitation, is becoming a critical skill for anyone with executive ambitions. Author Ingrid Bens' definition of a facilitator is quite specific - someone who guides a meeting without actually participating in discussion or decision making - but her book is filled with practical advice that any professional can apply when running a meeting. A host of charts, examples and worksheets (not to mention the accompanying CD) help illustrate her process for steering meetings without controlling or directing the outcome. We [...] recommend this hands-on how-to guide to anyone motivated to minimize the waste of meeting-creep.

The world leaders of tomorrow first gain their morals and beliefs in their homes. "Family Activism: Empowering Your Community, Beginning With Family and Friends" is a guide for creating a better world through a better environment at home. Focusing not only on the values and virtue of the home, but also on the invaluable abilities that people pick up at home such as communication skills and more, "Family Activism" is a solid manual for parents who want their children to become positive beacons for the future.

A delight to read and absorb on many levels: as a sensitive guide and loving reflection of family and with practical tools for leadership and community and family empowerment, I heartily recommend this thoughtfully developed, inspiring book. I will also use this as a reference!!

Roberto Vargas unites theory and practice in this concise and compelling book. Through these pages, the reader will find insight into a life time of family based activism.

Vargas reminds us that the personal IS in fact political and that social and global transformation begins with the transformation of our interpersonal relationships, as family, community, and peers.

This book is filled with rich and compelling examples from from the authors own life as well as insightful reflections.

I highly recommend it.

-canek

As an activist, my passion is to improve the quality of life for our communities and strengthen our diverse democracy. This requires a lifetime of work and one needs a strong support structure to face new challenges each day. This book's premise is that positive social change also begins with one's family and close relationships. Creating a healthy family circle enriches ourselves and further propels us to live out our purpose. The author provides simple tools and perspectives that if implemented, can create safe family dialogues that validate our different opinions and honor each other. I can see myself using some of these tools, such as establishing a family council with my mom, uncle and grandfather. I will also buy my good friend, who is a new dad in Oakland, a copy for his new family.

Have you ever struggled to find a way to make family gatherings meaningful, nurturing and inspiring? Read this book and you will struggle no longer!!!

Family Activism is perhaps one of the best books I have ever read that provides strategies, tool and proven methodolgies for creating healthy and engaged families. The power of the talking stick is one wonderful tool for creating powerful and authentic conversations for birthday celebrations, weddings, baptisms, graduations and other venues where you bring family members togethers in a meaningful and inspiring way.

I also enjoyed learning more about how the process for creating great families can be used in the corporate and public sectors. I was inspired to learn how Dr. Vargas has taken these tools to many corporate environments and has introduced a mechanism to help leaders engage their teams in powerful ways. Dr. Vargas also shared how the tools of family activism can generate authentic, honest and real sharing which leads to greater familiarity, trust, unity and eventually greater results.

I believe this is a must read for anyone interested in investing in a nurturing family, a great community and engaging great teams. What a treasure and again a must read if we are to create a better world, beginning with family and friends!

This book was purchased as a text book for a graduate course at Campbell Divinity School. It's a great book for the course in which it was offered. I would recommend this book for any church leader interested in the family ministry of their church.

Should the Christian family support the church and be church-centered, or should the church support the family and be family-centered? The Family Friendly Church, by Freudenburg and Lawrence argues that to reach the needs of Boomers and their families a shift needs to take place from a church-centered family to a family-centered church. By facilitating ministry with the families, not to them, the church accomplishes its mission and develops strong families.

This book is a must read for all in ministry, full-time, part-time or volunteer. Freudenburg's sabbatical experience led him to understand the needs of his family (him) and the need for the church to enable,allow and train parents to be the source of their childrens faith and practice of faith. This book will challenge your thinking about ministry and life in ministry. It will create a paradigm shift in your churches priorities which I believe would be the most positive move you could make.

This book could easily be titled the Family Friendly Ministry. Change the word church to fit your organization and you will be challenged to a more effective and efficient ministry.

Ben Freudenburg has established himself as one of the most respected Christian Education directors of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. His glimse into home-based Christian education, as opposed to the conventional church-based Christian education, has changed many individuals views on how the church reaches out through traditional Christian education methods. This book presents a wonderful philosophical basis for beginning the shift to a home-based Christian education system. Check it out.

The Family Friendly Church is the chronicle of personal discovery by Ben Freudenburg. The discovery may seem simple but it is an area missed by many churches. How about yours? Ministry to children and families with young children is often overlooked and undervalued.

Often when a church grows or adds staff, the first position to be filled is the youth pastor. Unfortunately this is a plan that follows traditional practice and not conventional understanding. One must look no further than current statistics to determine this.

According to the Barna research group, children are the most available to receiving and accepting the Good News. If you are spending the majority of your church's momentum, manpower, and resource on something other than children, you may be unwisely using your talents. Children are the future and most likely the best way to reach the adult population in your community.

The Family Friendly Church will offer suggestions and simple resources to reach families with children. Employ your leaders and families in the process of building a strong Family Friendly Church.

I am a teacher in the Texas public schools, and I can tell you from my own experience that what this book says about Texas is absolutely true.

I read this book in a few days which is fast for me. What is intriguing about the book is the "in your face" assertions about controversial topics in education. I found Glass' style refreshing in comparison to overly politically correct styles found in so many books on education.

My intent would be to use this book in a graduate seminar course and have students produce evidence that either challenges or supports many of the book's claims. The reader who is familiar with these topics may question the accuracy of some claims but in the end, the book does what it is supposed to do - it leaves the reader thinking about and wanting to discuss the book with others.

The analyses and projections Glass presents are spot on in my view. That the US will become older and browner is evident from US Census data. But Occam's razor could well be applied to "fertilizers, pills, and magnetic strips." These are metonyms for technologies that have indeed had wide-ranging consequences, but they are very distal determinants of the present status or likely future of US pre-collegiate education.

The sub-title is also problematic. The book deals with the politics and economics of education in the US. Accepting the five projections in Chapter 10 in no way defines the 'fate' of public education in the US. That will be what 'we' make it. Glass' analyses of current belief systems regarding education are scathing. But belief systems can be changed (per George Lakoff's work). And overriding beliefs is Boulding's wisdom: "We make our tools and then they shape us." Combine this with the wisdom of Josiah Royce, emblazoned over the stage at Royce Hall, UCLA, (when I was a student. They remodeled the building and I don't know what's there now): "Education is learning to use the tools humanity (Royce said 'the race' but 'humanity' would be the term used today) has found indispensable" and you have a pretty good two-sentence guide.

Ironically, in the end Glass goes soft-headed, " The only reform [sic] that stands any chance of making our public schools better is the investment on teachers--to aide them in their quest to understand, to learn. Go become more compassionate, caring, and competent persons." (p. 249) That's a fool's errand--well-intentioned, but foolish in the sense that it hasn't had the intended consequences in the past and offers little for the future. If Ray Kurzweil's projections in "Singularity" are even half-right, it's going to be a different future for instruction.

My story of how US schooling got to where it is currently is simpler than Glass' story. As Glass states, prior to the mid-50s the aspiration was to enroll all kids in high school. Prior to that time, schools handled instructional failures by tossing kids out or counseling them out. With "full access," weaknesses started to show.

Historically, all media information regarding schooling was local, focusing on athletics and 'human interest' anecdotes. Even today, only a handful of newspapers cover schooling nationally. That gain is an important consequence of NCLB, but even there the accounts largely swallow whole governmental news releases.

The move that began in 1965 to make schooling a matter of national interest was important. The subsequent history could be titled "Bureaucrats, academics, and publishers." The small number of individuals who constituted the Beltway Consensus bought, and still buy, Jim Coleman's contention (based on shoddy "research") that "families matter more than schooling," "education spending is unrelated to educational achievement," and "school integration across socioeconomic lines (and hence across racial lines) will increase Negro achievement, and they throw serious doubt upon the effectiveness of policies designed to increase non-personal resources in the school." (The self-serving interests Glass exposes are evident.)

By the mid-1980s it was all-too-clear that "school integration" was not getting the job done. "High standards "was the answer, culminating in the "Goals 2000" legislation. Of course 2000 came with none of the goals met. No one recognized that the "standards" were rhetoric masked as "content." The consensus was that "accountability" via standardized achievement tests is the answer. Hence NCLB. (Same self-serving interests.)

What has the academy been doing? Not much. Glass tells that story. What he doesn't explain is why those who understand the flaws in NAEP and all standardized achievement tests have sat with their thumbs in their mouths.

Publishers are culpable in that they provide the tools that define schooling instruction. The publisher line is that they "only respond to market demands." This means they're unaccountable and unregulated. Their 'offerings' are junk, but bureaucrats and academics give them a free ride.

So what to do? Again it's a simple story. Borrow from the corporate world the notion of "business intelligence" and "key performance indicators." Also borrow from the IT sector and several large corporations the notion of structured "certification of capability." This "gets a handle" on schooling and permits real cost-benefit analysis of instructional accomplishments. Further, recognize that schools today provide important societal services (e.g. health screening and nutrition provision) in addition to instruction. Ironically, instruction is the weakest benefit of schooling and the other benefits go unrecognized.

A few final reactions: "Appendix A: Notes on Theory, Research, and Policy" alone is worth the price of the book. If it were read by every student as a freshman, every legislator, and anyone remotely concerned with schooling, the future of education would be a good deal brighter.

The practice of documenting with footnotes on the relevant page as well as references and indexes at the end of the book is welcome and should be standard practice. The use of footnotes is judicious and the occasional accompanying elaboration makes the communication more interactive.

The exposition is a model of 'good writing.' Strunk and White, where ever they are, are no doubt exchanging high-fives. someone followed their advice. I didn't always buy what Glass was saying, but there was never any doubt about the substance of the communication. The communication warrants consideration by anyone in any way concerned with US schooling.

Glass's "Fertilizers, Pills and Magnetic Strips" is an extremely well conceived publication. The situation of education in the United States has been carefully analyzed and documented, as well as carefully argued with both data and personal opinion. It is a book that every parent, teacher, and education professor should be reading, studying, and acting on. I will be recommending it to all of my former graduate students, education colleagues, and personal friends.

~ Dale Lange
Professor Emeritus
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Fertilizers, Pills and Magnetic Strips, The Fate of Public Education in America.
Gene Glass
Information Age Publishing, 311 pages
ISBN: 13 978-1-59311-892-1 (paperback)

Personal acquisitiveness, corporate greed and a lack of government regulatory supervision combined in the 21st century to create a toxic mix of personal debt, unprecedented lack of personal savings, historically high public debt, creeping poverty rates and a disturbing public reluctance to invest in indispensable public needs like schooling.
Gene Glass in Fertilizers, Pills and Magnetic Strips, The Fate of Public Education in America has finally exposed in a brilliant analysis the ugly truths that Americans have been living beyond their means, that credit card companies, hiding behind layers of anonymity, have been gouging citizens, and that Congress is in bed with the banking industry. He has not only thought outside the education box in this book, he has created new geometries to demonstrate the relationships with domestic social and economic issues and the deleterious influence of misguided government policies.
Glass has raised the intellectual bar for the discourse on schools and educational policy. This is a thoughtful book, reflective of decades of his study of policy research patterns, and now ingeniously aligned with the shifts in government policies and the dynamics of economics. I stand in admiration and ask rhetorically, as Huxley did after reading Darwin, "How stupid not to have thought of that myself."