Deus Misereatur

The Organized Pastor: Life, Love, Caring, Systems, Organization, and the Gospel Message by Doug Serven My rating: 3 of 5 stars "God calls both introverts and extroverts into the pastorate. He wants us to extend ourselves but not to burn out and hate people" is one of several penetrating observations made by Doug Serven, Senior Pastor of City Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Oklahoma City, in his Kindle book "The Organized Pastor: Life, Love, Caring, Systems, Organization, and the Gospel Message." This short, quickly readable piece is all about pastors extending themselves without burning out, giving up, hating people, or forgetting Christ. Serven, with the editorial help of his wife, Julie, takes the reading pastor on a fast-paced ride through the woods, addressing your time, your people, your church and you. Most of the material is on managing time, with loads of helpful hints, suggestions and challenges. The author promotes employing organizing systems and using...

Scaling Force: Dynamic Decision Making Under Threat of Violence by Rory Miller My rating: 5 of 5 stars Self-defense instruction, martial arts, and Krav Maga are selling like hot cakes on a Saturday morning! Why? Some folks simply want to enhance their self-confidence; others have had their peace of mind stolen by the viral fear-breeding in our culture; a few are mesmerized by the glamorous brutality of “Olympus Has Fallen” or “Die Hard”; and then there are those who have been real victims of violence who never want to be victimized again. Into this mix of motives comes a sensible 342 page paperback, “Scaling Force: Dynamic Decision-making under the Threat of Violence” written by Rory Miller and Lawrence A. Kane, both of whom are seasoned in violent confrontations from a law enforcement and security perspective. “Scaling Force” looks into the bigger scenario of violence and defense, guiding the reader through the various types of violence (social and predatory); situational awaren...

HBR's 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence by Harvard Business Review My rating: 4 of 5 stars There are good ideas, and then there are really good ideas. Harvard Business Review Press compiling 10 of the "Must Reads" on Emotional Intelligence (EI) was a really good idea. The articles range from 1996 to 2013, though they are not in chronological order. These 208 readable pages will soon be in both Kindle format, and  paperback. Each chapter is a different article dealing with a number of aspects related to EI, not only as it applies to an individual leader, but also to teams and organizations. Daniel Goleman's "What Makes a Leader?" heads the line-up. If you've read his book on EI, then you will already know much of what is contained in this article, but reading it is a nice refresher. Goleman also co-authors the second chapter, along with Boyatzis and McKee, as they describe the important ways a leader's moods and behaviors infect an organiz...

[This whole prayer is from Psalm 9]  We will give thanks to you, O LORD, with our whole heart; we will recount all of your wonderful deeds. We will be glad and exult in you; we will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Now lifting our hearts in confidence of who you are, hear us as we pray for your Church, your world, our worries and our ways. O Lord, hear our prayer. When our enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence. For you have maintained our just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment. You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you rooted out; the very memory of them has perished. We thank you, Holy God because you do care for your people, and by sending your Son in our full humanity, who died for our transgression, was raised for our justification, he destroyed him who had the power of death...