That being said, here is a list (as well as links to check out) my favorite reads so far from 2010:

• “Put Your Dream To The Test” by John Maxwell – an absolute must for anyone considering pursuing a dream, passion, calling, etc.  Will give you great guidance and insight into developing that dream and determining if it should be followed.
• “Too Busy Not To Pray” by Bill Hybles – somewhat of an oldie but still a goodie.  A short, easy read with some good thoughts that changed the way I pray.
• “Developing The Leader Within You” by John Maxwell – another Maxwell great with one leadership principle after another.  Buy this book, don’t borrow it, because you will want it as a source later.
• “Getting Things Done” by David Allen – A non-Christian book given to me at church planting school that at times is a little repetitive and common sense, but has helped me develop a better way for setting up projects and using my calendar.
• “Speaking My Mind” by Tony Campolo – Tony is one of the only people I know who I agree with on most religious AND political issues.  Whether you like him or not, Tony is very intelligent and will challenge the way you think about today’s issues.
• “A Comedian’s Guide To Theology” by Thor Ramsey – Thor is a Christian comedian who has written with a perfect balance of humor and insight.  This book really did make me laugh a lot as well a present some theological basics in a way I wish most pastors could.

What have you been reading?  I’m still working on my list of 30 books for next year, so what suggestions do you have?

The book is divided into seven chapters (or “sections”) each, in typical Maxwell form, dedicated to one principle or practice of leadership.  The layout is gift-book like with each chapter drawing out its message amidst pictures, quotes, stories, etc.  I occasionally found the quotes to have little to do with the subject of the chapter.  The largest part of each chapter was basically a copied and pasted selection from one of Maxwell’s previous books.  So though the content of the writing was good, if you are familiar with John Maxwell, it was certainly not new.

Though there are certainly solid teachings and motivational stories within The Right to Lead, again, I thought some of the quotes to be random and the fact that the book contains 40 pages of content stretched out over 125 picture filled and large print pages in a hard back format, I feel the book is probably over-priced……but maybe I’ll let you borrow mine!

As soon as the paper back NT arrived I reviewed the preface and introduction.  I think doing this was crucial as it tells the heart and story behind Chris Seay’s motivation for finally making this project happen.  Those who are critical of new Bible versions and look for traditional, exact translation should read those opening sections to understand what The Voice claims to be and what it does not claim to be.  These sections discuss how previous translators have “flattened out” the personalities of the 40 original Bible authors and how in not doing that they brought together a group of diverse scholars so some of the controversial passages would not be bent toward a single doctrinal view.

I then chose to read through the book of Romans.  I found this translation to be thought provoking and easy to read though, to me, it did not have the power or richness of my favorite Bible translation, The Message. If you are looking for a new take on things and are fans of Brian McLaren and Chris Seay (both contributing writers) I think The Voice would be worth checking out.

The book serves as an unbiased motivation and evaluation with which to learn how to clarify, communicate, and build towards your dream.  The most important thing you can do with a dream is to continually put both yourself and it up for evaluation.  Make a list of your habits and strengths to make sure you are moving in the right direction.  According to what it is and how big it is, let other people in on your dream so they can help you, point out flaws, or perhaps serve as resources for your dream.

Dreams can be scary if you actually think about following them and they will always lead to hard work.  Dreams change you though.  They give you meaning and a better story.  Rather than admire others or claim “they” always get the breaks, dreams compel us to step out and accomplish something that will either inspire others or cause them to envy us.

Think about how much better your life could be if you chose to quit your job and pursue the career of your dreams.  Or speak up and take a stand for a relationship that is important to you.  Or finally take that mission trip because you think it’s what God wants you to do.  How much more peace would you have?  How much more meaning would your life have?  Would you still lay down at night feeling insignificant or would you know you are pursuing something great.

It’s life change folks, and it’s great!!

For me, my dream is to plant a new, exciting, dynamic church in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  I can sit and dream about that all day (and I do) or even read, pray, and prepare for it as much as I want, but if I don’t ever transfer that dream to others who can work with me, it’s not going to happen.  Teams always accomplish more and great leaders will assemble great teams that will cause things to run smoother and each person to get better.  The word leadership scares some people but this could mean an executive hiring good managers or a man seeking to marry the right girl.  Bringing other valuable people into the picture always makes the team stronger and increases the chance for success.

Leaders, bosses, and owners who are insecure may fear criticism or opposition if other people get heavily involved.  That’s why I love what Maxwell says in this chapter when he states, “A dream that cannot survive honest criticism is a dream that’s likely never to be attained.”  A consultant may be needed.  Perhaps going to a counselor is a good idea……if you are serious about seeing your dream come to fruition.

As I seek to do this with my own dream, I made a lot of notes on the pages where Maxwell laid out a guide for recruiting others.  He said to transfer the dream to others so that they become interested and invested.  To do this, transfer (or communicate) the dream logically, emotionally, and visually.  Appeal to them.  Show them the need as well as how they will benefit.  Realize too that others will buy into the dreamer before the dream.  They will be looking to see if you’re real or not.

In chapter three of Put Your Dream To The Test, John Maxwell says, “People who achieve success love what they do and do it well.”  It was a breakthrough for me in high school when I realized that the way God was leading me was through the desires He was putting in my heart.  Doesn’t it make sense that we are going to try to become good at what we like?  And we are going to want to do the things we like?  So won’t we be most content and efficient to do that which we enjoy?  In making that happen we become deeply connected with our dream so that it is not just what we do from nine to five, but it’s who we are.

We then build and work toward that dream in continuous small steps.  We should examine our habits.  Whatever our dream is, it’s not going to just happen one day.  We have to use the talents, materials, and time that are within our possession and control to work toward our goal.

When that begins to happen our dream creates momentum to where we begin to see progress but may still be nervous about our future or the security we may loose if we fully commit to whatever it is we are pursuing.  Chapter four addresses this by asking if our dream is so real to us that it compels us to follow it.  Maxwell says, “to succeed in life we must stay within our strength zone but continually move outside our comfort zone.”  This is where things get hard.  For me, I feel in some ways I am in that place now and it can be quite scary at times.  But this is where our passion must come in.  The vision of our dream making us a better person or causing change in our work, family, or world must cause there to be enough passion to get us out of our comfort zones.  Because if passion doesn’t pull us out into the unknown, nothing will.

That thought leads into chapter five which was great for me because it talked about setting goals and making plans for your dream.  I love making plans!!!  And having them is important in pursuing something.  A dream may be one big idea or vision but goals are necessary in getting there.  The dream is the “what” and the goals are the “how”.  If you’re ever going to get others to buy in to your goal, you are going to have to be able to explain what your goals and plans are for achieving it.  And getting others to jump on board is exactly what was discussed next in the book and is also where I struggle the most.

Check back tomorrow!

While reading the first few chapters of Put Your Dream To The Test, author John Maxwell’s words had me focusing in on not only my dream, but my thoughts toward my dream.  And did I even have a dream.  Rejecting the notion of dreaming and accusing others of living in fantasy land is exactly what causes most people to live lives of quiet desperation.  On the inside the average man wants more but thinks it is either beyond his right or his ability to get, have, and do more than the average.  In dreaming though it is not about the quantity of what we get, but the quality of what we want.

What do we want out of life?
How do we want to make a difference?

First we must recognize whether or not we have a dream.  Then lay out what it is.  Then evaluate it.  Is it my dream?  When did I begin wanting this?  Did I inherit it from someone else?  Am I getting paid to have this as my dream?  If you say yes to the last two questions it’s probably not really YOUR dream.  So figure that out.  And if you determine it is yours, invest in it.  Put some pressure on yourself.  Throw some chips in on your dream so that you are invested in it and forced to be committed to it.  This could mean buying an item to get yourself started or making your dream public so others will watch your progress.

With my dream, I found myself waiting for “the ok” to go.  I’m not sure where I expected that permission to come from but was hit hard when I read that such permission can only come from myself.  Here I was being the biggest hindrance to what I wanted.

Once we realize it is ok to go, we immediately begin changing.  It’s not just reaching our goal, but the entire journey towards it that molds who we are and what we want.  The journey turns us into better people.  It’s not that only great people can follow their dreams, but ordinary people who follow their dreams often times do great things.

So what is your dream?  Could you describe it to me?  Is it what you really want?  Are you laying it out clearly so others can understand it?

The introduction went on to present the reasons many of our dreams slip away as well as the necessity of living with a dream.  Maxwell states that those who don’t have a compelling dream are in danger of having their lives slip away.  I have learned that if you don’t decipher what you want for your life and then go after it, someone else will.  That’s when we find ourselves old and miserable because we have been doing someone else’s work for someone else’s vision and contributed nothing to what gives us meaning and contentment.  Many allow life to close up on their dreams though, believing such things are only for the rich, famous, or fortunate when those of us who have true burning dreams cannot help but long to follow them despite the risks.  And I believe that it is those who dare to do so and succeed who most of the time become the rich, the famous, and the fortunate.  “You can’t reach for a dream and remain safely mediocre at the same time” (pg. xvi).  That quote scares many in our security-driven culture but I believe it also motivates some, most likely those who will go on to lead fulfilling, meaningful lives.

The introduction of the book ends with Maxwell listing why so many give up on their dreams.  I had to take this list as a personal check sheet as those who enter half-hearted, insecure, or only looking for the material reward will most likely fail.

So much to say and I’m not even to chapter one yet!

Now, it doesn’t take much to get me going these days as far as getting excited about my dream.  Just driving through the city of Chattanooga or someone in a crowd whispering a phrase that rhymes with “church planting” will make me want to run circles or loudly regurgitate all I know about starting a church.  Working through this book served as even additional motivation as well as a honing guide for laying out my dream.

The book was written (or at least I read it) with a very seasoned, mentoring tone.  Each chapter served as a question challenging the reader to gauge the reality, validity, and authenticity of one’s personal dream.  There was an incredible balance of motivating the reader to pursue his dreams, while also strongly urging them to be honest about the possibility of such a dream coming true.  Never was there a section that could be interpreted as belittling a dream or discouraging someone from thinking big.  Maxwell was even careful to say that it is ok if someone cannot clearly articulate their dream but that they should be working on that as the next step.  The importance of involving others was also stressed because anything that is greater than one person requires more than one person.

The book connected with me so deeply where I am right now in the preparation stage of pursuing my dream, I have decided to review the book and write a series of posts that will include book excerpts and my thoughts as I went through the material.  I would love to lead a book study on the volume, but since I’m not, we will do a cyber one on here for several days.  Feel free to follow along!

Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas Kostigen, along with minor input from celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres, Tyra Banks, and Justin Timberlake, wrote a book simple entitled, the green book.  I had picked the book up several months ago at the Tennessee Aquarium as part of my attempt to be a not so taxing resident of planet Earth.  I found the book easy to read with a good flow and no fancy scientific or political terms.  The book did not make a huge argument for the green movement but rather took a solutions oriented approach, assuming the reader already knew about pollution, waste issues, and the dangers of global warming.

Each chapter took a general area of living (home, travel, sports, shopping, etc.) and provided short challenges, warnings, and suggestions on being more Earth friendly.  Again, if you are looking for a deep, scientific source on the issue, you will probably be unsatisfied with the green book.  But in being someone who does care and just wanted some practical guidance and a little insight on the issue, I found this book a good balance.  Though I would already say I probably have a smaller energy footprint than average American, I came away from the read with a list of several more steps I could take, such as:

• Buying bottled drinks over canned
• Begin recycling my bottles and cans
• Purchase carbon credits – you can do this at http://www.carbonplanet.com/shop/purchase_carbon_credits
• Pay more bills electronically
• Buy a water filter rather than drink bottled water
• Purchase energy star quality appliances
• Use retreaded tires
• Make my next car a hybrid
• Get my meat from the butcher
• Not buying cheese that comes individually wrapped
• Buy food in bigger bulk, especially canned food
• Get fresh produce over canned fruit
• Recycle my phonebooks
• Plug my household items into a power strip and turn it off when I’m not using it
• Buy recycled toilet paper

Anyone else know of any helpful, small things we could do in our day to day to lessen the amount of waist we put back into our air and landfills?

I know that I have some international readers in Brazil and Mexico.  Anything you guys see over there that gets the job done without being as wasteful as we are accustomed to in our American society?