So I signed up for this thing where you get free books. The only thing I have to do is read the book, and then write a two hundred word review of it and post it on two different sites, my blog being one of them. It’s actually pretty sweet.

SO, the first book that came my way was titled She Still Calls Me Daddy: Building a New Relationship with Your Daughter After You Walk Her Down the Aisle.

I thought this was a very insightful book, and I’m not even a Dad. I thought the author did a great job of dealing with a few different touchy areas of life when it comes to how a Father will handle his relationship with his daughter once she becomes a wife. Even though she will be married and the support she’ll need will mostly be found through her husband, she is still her Daddy’s daughter. Author Robert Wolgemuth suggests that using seven different steps, which consist of protection, conversation, affection, discipline, laughter, faith, and conduct do deal with this new woman. Even though I’m not a Father, I found it insightful to understand what would be going on in the mind of one when it comes to his Daughter. It’s great because it gives the reader logical steps to follow and the author hits on the things that daughters want to tell their Father but don’t know how, like how they still love their Dad, but at the same time, they are no longer a little girl, and they want his support in a different way, because when they do this, they are showing their daughter that he trust them and believes in what they’re doing.

Overall, great book. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to gain a deeper understanding of the Father/Daughter relationship.

I’m reading through Talent Is Never Enough by John Maxwell and it’s pretty good stuff.

The thing that’s challenged me the most so far was the chapter on preparation. Not only do I have the desire, but I fully believe the Lord’s called me into full-time ministry, and because of that, preparation is a pretty big deal.

I often wonder if I’m doing enough of it.

I know I’m not perfect, so what is it about my character that sucks that I should work on? Am I reading enough books? Am I reading the RIGHT books? Am I spending enough time with the Lord? Am I praying enough? Do I love people as best as I can? Am I taking the time to work on my preaching skills?

It’s a never ending list…

“People don’t get a second chance to seize a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” – John Maxwell

Having the desire to capitalize on every once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that comes my way,

- Joe

Dang. We’re already in May!? This is kind of a bittersweet update, mainly because I need to confess that I didn’t read one book in the month of April. Argh!

Between my trip to Long Beach and the crazy amount of mid-terms/tests I had due, I just couldn’t seem to find any time to read. But it’s okay, God is still on the throne and I’m only four books behind schedule. I’m always up for a challenge…

Wow, I can’t believe it’s already April. I feel like it was just yesterday when I was stuck in PDX for eighteen hours just to get home for Christmas! Anyway, here’s a recap of all the reading that took place in March.

Just Walk Across the Room by Bill Hybels: Great book. Being the Outreach Coordinator for the Pearl Campus, I strongly believe that I need to keep myself on “top of the game” at all times, otherwise I’ll become a stagnant leader and that’s just not an option for me. I don’t want to be complacent, so, I’ve been taking the time to study evangelism, the life of Christ and all of that good stuff. This book was very beneficial and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. Also, studying all of the different styles of evangelism is great, but there’s nothing better than just actually doing it.

Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs: Confession: I had to force myself to read all 300 plus pages of this book. It’s not that it wasn’t a good book, there’s just certain seasons in life when you’re trying not to think about marriage and how “to do it right”, but because you have a book report due in one of your classes, there’s not much you can do. It was a great book though, and I learned a lot. My recommendation? Only read it if you really have to.

Too Busy Not to Pray by Bill Hybels: This past summer I had the wonderful privilege of meeting Bill Hybels at a leadership conference. The short conversation we had was priceless and in a lot of ways it was the reader’s digest version of what this books has to offer. I highly recommend it.

Next Generation Leader: Five Essentials for Those Who Will Shape the Future by Andy Stanley: This was a pretty quick read. Full of insightful stuff. If you have a few hours to spare, pick up a copy and read it.

Stop Dating The Church by Joshua Harris: I am very passionate about the church. Not only do I love my church, but I love every church who is currently out there fighting the good fight of faith. Sure, there are a lot of things we can work on, but I’m tired of watching people fight with each other about who’s right and who’s wrong. Have we forgotten that we’re on the same team? This was a small book, but very insightful. It’s worth reading at least once.

Let the April reading begin…

Summer Reading

With only three more days of school I decided it was time to put my summer reading schedule together.

Telling The Story: Evangelism For The Next Generation – - Luis Palau

From Zero to Eternity in 60 Seconds Flat: Influencing Others for Christ at a Moment’s Notice – - Wendell Smith

Be A People Person: Effective Leadership Through Effective Relationships – - John Maxwell

Touch: Pressing Against the Wounds of a Broken World – - Pastor Rudy Rasmus

Soul Virgins: Redefining Single Sexuality – - Doug Rosenau & Michael Todd Wilson

Dating Delilah: Purity From A New Perspective – - Judah Smith

More Than Enough: The 10 Keys to Changing Your Financial Destiny – - Dave Ramsey

It’s gonna be good…

Good Grief

I have a lot of books. I’m buying them faster than I can read them too! I really need to read some…