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.

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