The Matheny Manifesto, by Mike Matheny

Mike Matheny shook up the world of Little League Baseball when he agreed to coach a team of kids, but the shakeup was when he wrote a five page letter to the other parents declaring how he would be different in the way he approached the task. Bottom Line, Matheny wanted to teach kids how to play the game, he wanted to teach them character, he wanted to help them develop into good young people who show respect to the other players on their team, to their coaches, to their parents, to the umpires and to the other teams they play. Character is more important than winning!

That is quite different from other things that little league coaches want. Most want to win at all costs and this usually leads to very poor character development and to allowing many kids to sit on the sideline and never really getting a chance to play and develop.

In his book Matheny talks about his own development through little league and then high school, college, the minor leagues and then the majors. His focus is on the many coaches that were getting it right and how they helped him to develop into a fine young man.

The other thing that is really good is the fact that he honors Coach John Wooden from the U.C.L.A. Bruins for his coaching style. Coach Wooden was also one who sought to develop character in his college athletes instead of just wanting to win. What's interesting is that Coach Wooden was working with Basketball Players not Baseball players. BUT, the coaching style works no matter what the sport.

In our culture parents have become a major problem with youth sports. Matheny addresses that and proves his point of the fact that building character over winning will also bring a winning style. Coach Wooden had a winning percentage of over 800 for his entire career, that is impressive and won't easily be out done.

If you want an encourage story about coaching for character this is the book for you.

Do the Kind Thing, by Daniel Lubetzky

First of all I want to thank Ballantine Books and Net Galley for making a review copy of this book available to me in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book is mainly a book about entrepreneurship, but it is also a book about commitment and integrity in creating a new type of product that is not just about the product, but it is about the efforts behind the scenes to bring people together to work together and form bonds through business that will lead towards bonds in relationships and bring about peaceful coexistence between cultures.

Daniel Lubetzky started PeaceWorks and KIND as a way to bring cultures together that were in conflict with each other. In other words how do you bring Jews and Arabs together in a business venture that will not only succeed as a business but provide the ground work for bringing cooperation between the two cultures and afford a peaceful coexistence.

While working on this premise Lubetzky also wanted to bring to market a product, Nutrition Snack Bars, that were wholesome, good tasting and “kind” to your body by providing a healthy alternative to the processed “paste” products of energy bars, nutrition bars and breakfast bars that our culture has become use to.

The book tells the story of the struggle to start business while holding on to the values and morals that Lubetzky wanted to bring to our society.

Another part of this book was not what he intended originally and that is to provide a book for Entrepreneurs  that is sort of a guide book on how to make your venture a going concern that will not only provide you a healthy work environment and enjoyment in your work, but provide an income that can pay your bills.

One of the first things that I appreciated was his discussion that the drive for PeaceWorks and KIND was not to produce income (money) just for the sake of income, but to provide a product and thus service to our culture that would help them eat better, fight obesity, fight diabetes and well, just flat out taste good.

I had not heard of KIND before this book, but while reading I ordered a couple of boxes of them on Amazon and was amazed at how good they were. I am now sold on the concept and the product.

Enjoy!

Saturate; Being Disciples of Jesus in the Everyday Stuff of Life, by Jeff Vanderstelt

First of all I would like top thank Crossway Publishers and Net Galley for making a review copy of this book available to me, at no cost, in exchange for a review.

Jeff Vanderstelt is a former youth Pastor with Willow Creek Church and now a church planting Pastor in Tacoma, Washington. This book is his first and is a description of his spiritual walk and to some degree his spiritual awakening to how the Christian life should be lived and how Discipleship should take place.

As the book started I thought it was a bit over the top and I wasn’t sure that I was going to like it very much. In his introduction he states, “Can you imagine every city, every neighborhood, every street, and every house saturated with Jesus’s presence through his people? What if, in every school, every classroom, and every extracurricular activity, students daily experience the person and work of Jesus? And can you dream with me of a day when no business office, retail center, or industrial hub can get away from the good news of Jesus proclaimed in words and expressed in gracious deeds? A day when every café, pub, restaurant, or bakery smells of the aroma of Christ? This is God’s intention for this world. And his plan is to do it through his people.”

I thought that was a bit idealistic given how our culture is and how there is such a distain for Christ and His church. So I thought here is another idealistic young person whom needs a reality check!

But, as I read more of the book I found that I understood where he was coming from and I found that I agreed with him on more and more points.

Since I am working with a church plant group that is operating the same way that Pastor Vanderstelt is with his “Missional” church plant I appreciated his major points of how we are to live with Jesus as the central focus of our daily lives and that we should be so immersed and filled by the Spirit that everyone around us will see Jesus and see how Jesus wants to influence our culture and influence each person’s life, for the better.

This book is a compilation of stories about peoples changed lives and how Discipleship played an important role in each of those changes.

For those who know Christ and understand their Bible fairly well this book will seem like just a reminder of how we should be living our lives. But then again it has some radical thoughts, according the many, about how to Disciple others within their church community.

This will be an encouraging read for laypeople and pastors as well who are wanting to think through how living in the community of Christ and discipling others might look with some new emphasis on boldly living out our commitment to Christ.

Blessings!

Cries from the Cross, by Erwin Lutzer

Based on a sermon series by Erwin Lutzer the pastor of Moody Church. This book was released in a decade ago but is being re-released in new format's and in the Kindle format. I want to thank Moody Press for making a review copy of this book available to me for free through Net Galley.

Pastor Lutzer will take you through all of the statements that Christ made on the Cross when the Romans were crucifying him. Those statements are:
1. Father forgive them for they know not what they do
2. Today you will be with me in Paradise, a promise given to the repentant criminal
3. Woman, here is your son . . . Here, is your mother
4. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
5. I am thirsty
6. It is finished!
7. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit

Each of these statements from Christ is full of meaning. As Pastor Lutzer points out when someone is dying the last words that they utter are usually very important to them and something that you should take care to listen to. These words of Christ reveal His heart and reveal His mission that the Father sent Him to earth to accomplish. That mission is being finalized here at the Cross!

Through excellent writing and exposition of the Scripture you will find encouragement as Pastor Lutzer explains each statement and what their impact is on the people who were at the Cross watching Him die. They are statements that we should take time to carefully study and meditate on so that we understand their impact to the world and to ourselves.

I believe this is a great book for people to be reading this month before we get to Easter Sunday. I would encourage you to pick up a copy and make a careful study of it.

Blessings!