Book Review: Creating Magic

I picked this book up as soon as I saw it in the book store.  Though I haven’t been to Disney World since I was 7, I’ve heard enough about how they run things to recognize that I need to read it. The book is by Lee Cockerell who was the Executive Vice President of Operations for Disney for over ten years.

This is one of the most practical leadership books I’ve ever read. Lee provides a ton of examples of how they’ve implemented the principles he teaches at Disney. I know I’m going to change a lot of things I do in my role as a result of this book. If you’re a leader – you need to read this book and make a list of things to implement with your ministry, organization, or personal life.

Key Takeaway: “It’s not the magic that makes it work; it’s the way we work that makes it magic.”

Final Grade: 9/10     Buy it here!

Here are the 10 Strategies Lee Covers in the Book:

• Remember, Everyone is Important
• Break the Mold
• Make Your People Your Brand
• Create Magic through Training
• Eliminate Hassles
• Learn the Truth
• Burn the Free Fuel
• Stay Ahead of the Pack
• Be Careful What You Do and Say
• Develop Character

6 Things Servers at Restaurants Wish You Knew

8 Months ago I picked up a side job being a sever at Houlihans. When my manager interviewed me he said, “I believe everyone needs to work as a server at some point in their lives.” 8 months later . . . I’m not sure I’d say everyone needs to, but I will say that as a server, you can definitely learn a lot of lessons about life. Here are some I’ve learned:

6 Things Servers Wish People Knew

• We Make $2.83 an hour and depend on Tips for the rest of our income – When I was in High School, I didn’t tip people. I was totally ignorant how dependent servers are on tips. Be a blessing to your server!

• We Make Mistakes, Be Understanding – We do our best to create an excellent experience for you, if we mess something up, it wasn’t intentional, it was accidental. How do you want to be treated when you mess up?

• 20% is the New 15% - This could be wrong, but I’ve noticed that anything less than a 20% is disappointing! (I recognize that the server should deserve it though!)

• Don’t Stay at Your Table for 5 Hours – Servers make money by moving tables. We want you come to and enjoy yourself and have a great experience, but keep in mind that the average server will have 3-4 tables. If you occupy one for 4 hours, that’s 3-4 tables that could have come and went and left us with tips. Be mindful!

• Christians Rarely Represent God – you can pray at your table, speak blessings over your server, and a handful of other things, but IF YOU LEAVE A BAD TIP – you discredit anything you’ve done or said. You end up pointing people away from God.

• Servers are People with Real Lives - this does not excuse poor service on the servers part, but most people think servers are just someone they can devalue. Please keep in mind that they have a personal life to and could be having the worst day of their life – be an encouraging customer, not one who will tear a server down.

Any servers out there? What are some things you wish people knew about you?

Book Review: The 4:8 Principle

This book was a recommendation from one of my mentors, Jeanne Mayo. She recommends it to everyone she knows, she’s read it more than any other book she’s read, and she gives this book out more than any other book. Obviously – I had to read it.

It was a great book that really focuses on getting your mind in tune with the Word of God. The book is based on Phil. 4:8 which tells you what your mind should be thinking about all the time. I found this book to be very practical. It provides a lot of questions to ask yourself and a lot of exercised to get your headed in the right direction when it comes to your thought life. We all have a battles going on in our minds – thoughts fighting for our focus and attention. This book will help you focus on the right ones. An excellent read, and a must for a leaders bookshelf.

Final Grade: 9/10     Buy it here

Some Highlights:

• All lasting change is preceded by changed thinking
• The secret conversations you hold in the privacy of your mind are shaping your destiny little by little
• Right thinking is a choice you have to make for yourself the rest of your life
• Your life here on earth is your special, unrepeatable opportunity to fulfill God’s vision for your life and to magnify the joy He has placed within you.
• Live each hour as if your full potential has already materialized
• Emotions don’t reveal the quality of your life; they reveal the quality of your thinking at any particular moment
• Do not affirm what you do not want in your life
• When you allow God’s word to permanently occupy your heart and mint, in inevitably shapes your desires and goals.
• Worry is when you trust your fears more than you trust God

Book Review: A Tale of Three Kings

I’ve heard about this books hundreds of times from people, and finally got the chance to read it because of Bible School. The book is a quick and easy read, and it is excellent. It takes the stories of King Saul, David, and Absalom and compares how they led people and treated each other.

The tag-line of this book reads: “A study in brokenness” – which is very fitting. This book really taught me that God longs to have broken vessels who want His will above their own. Our ministries are not our own, they are God’s, and can be taken from us at any moment. The best any of us can do is just live our lives fully-devoted to God and trust Him that if we live lives of integrity and live for doing His will, that one day we really will hear, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Final Grade: 8.5/10    Buy it here

Here are some highlights:

“In David’s darkest hours, we knew them as his pre-king days, but he didn’t. He may have assumed that was his lot forever.”

“David never spoke to people about authority. He never spoke of submission, but everyone submitted to him.”

“Many pray for the power of God. More every year. Those prayers sound powerful, sincere, godly, and without ulterior motive. Hidden under such prayer and fervor, however, are ambition, a craving for fame, the desire to be considered a spiritual giant.”

“After the passinf of time, and the way you react to that leader, be he David or Saul, reveals a great deal about you.”

“Men who speak endlessly on authority only prove that they have none.”

“Beginning empty-handed and alone frightens the best of men. It also speaks volumes of just how sure they are that God is with them.”

“I desires His will more than I desire a position of Leadership.” – David

Book Review: 25 Ways to Win With People

Probably one of the most influential people in my life has been John Maxwell – and I’ve never met him (Definitely a bucket list item). I’ve had this book on my shelf for a few years, it’s a companion to John’s book: Winning With People (I’d highly recommend that one as well. I pulled this off my shelf because of one of my mentors, Jeanne Mayo. Last week I got back from a mentoring retreat with 40 other youth pastors at her house. She is absolutely incredible at winning with people. I recognized that I need to do more on purpose when it comes to connecting and winning with others, so I picked up this book.

This book is a must read! It’s written by Les Parrot and John  Maxwell. Les basically interviewed people that were close to John and asked them why he is so good with people. They came up with 25 principles John practices. The first half of each chapter is Les telling a story he heard from one of John’s staff while the second half is John teaching about the principle. I don’t care if you’re naturally a people person – Read this book! It will help you win with people.

Here are the 25 Principles You’ll Learn:

1. Start with Yourself
2. Practice the 30 Second Rule
3. Let People Know You Need Them
4. Create a Memory and Visit it Often
5. Compliment People in Front of Other Peopel
6. Give Others a Reputation to Uphold
7. Say the Right Words at the Right Time
8. Encourage the Dreams of Others
9. Pass the Credit onto Others
10. Offer Your Very Best
11. Share a Secret with Someone
12. Mine the Gold of Good Intentions
13. Keep Your Eyes off the Mirror
14. Do for Others What They Can’t do for Themselves
15. Listen with Your Heart
16. Find the Keys to Peoples Hearts
17. Be the First to Help
18. Add Value to People
19. Remember a Person’s Story
20. Tell a Good Story
21. Give with No Strings Attached
22. Learn Your Mailman’s Name
23. Point out People’s Strengths
24. Write Notes of Encouragement
25. Help People Win

Final Grade: 10/10 Buy Here

Want to Win Steeler Tickets? We’re Giving them Away For Free!

This weekend at our Church we’ll be giving away free Steelers Tickets at every service. All you have to do to have a shot at winning them is simply show up! This is a great weekend to bring your friends to church, think about it, the more people you bring, the better your chances are of winning! Don’t forget to wear your Steelers gear – it’s a black a gold weekend at Victory!

Here is a video promo for Steelers Weekend staring our senior pastor! Hilarious!

See you Sunday!

Book Review: Crazy Love

This book was a gift from Zack Blair, what a great gift it ended up being! (I think books are the best gift someone can give!) This book is definitely a must read. We’re all in need of discovering how much God loves us, and this book really helps you grasp that truth. I’m really learning that all I need to do in life is know and pursue God with all of my heart. A simple thing to talk about, a little harder to live. This book will point you in the right direction toward total surrender.

Final Grade: A+    Buy it here

Here are some highlights to spark your interest:

• We forget that we have everything we need in Him

• The point of your life is to point  to Him, whatever you’re doing, God wants to be glorified, because this whole thing is his.

• In about fifty years, no one will remember you

• God will ensure my success in accordance with His plan, not mine

• Are we in love with God or just His stuff?

• Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with neighbors, coworkers, or friends

• Would your life look differently if you stopped believing in God?

• Jesus call to commitment is clear: He wants all or nothing.

• “Our greatest fear as individuals or the church should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.”

• Would you be satisfied in Heaven if  you had all your friends, family, houses, etc. and didn’t have Christ

• Giving that is not motivated by love is worthless.

• What are you doing right now that required faith?

• The thing that matters most is how we use what we have been given, not how much we make or do compared to someone else.

• Let God be as original with you as He is with other people.

• The greatest thought that has ever entered my mind is that one day I will have to stand before a holy God and give an account of my life.

Book Review: Leadership and Self-Deception

Pastor Nathan bought this book for our entire youth staff after he read it. It was recommended to him by our senior pastor. The title definitely grabbed my attention – I’m getting tired of reading leadership book after leadership book about the same things. The book did not disappoint!

This book focuses on how everyone is affected by the way we treat them. We often deceive ourselves into thinking everyone around us are causing problems, not working hard enough, have bad attitudes, etc., but we never recognize that it’s the way we treat people affects the way they work, how successful our business is, their attitude around us, and so much more. I’d would say this a must read – I definitely gained a lot of insight from it. Here are some of my favorite takeaways – hope they interest you:

• Self-Deception is the inability to see that one has a problem
• We can tell how other people feel about us, and it’s to that we respond

• No matter what we’re doing on the outside, people respond primarily to how we’re feeling about them on the inside

• Either I’m seeing others straightforwardly as they are – as people like me who have needs and desires as legitimate as my own – or I’m not

• When I blame others, I’m not doing it because they need to improve, I’m blaming them because their shortcomings justify my failure. . .  People who came together to help and org. succeed actually end up delighting in each others failures and resenting each others success.

• Are you seeing people as people or as objects?

• The  moment I see another as a person with needs, hopes, worries as real and legitimate as my own – I’m out of the box
• At work you can’t focus on results if your focused on yourself

• Success as a leader depends on being free of self-betrayal.

• Don’t worry whether others are helping you. Do worry whether you are helping others.

Final Grade: A    Buy it here