change Books

This book answered a lot of my questions as a new interim pastor for a church that is experiencing more than one kind of transition. This is a new way of being a pastor for a church. More should read this.

"A Change of Pastors," by Loren B. Mead is brief but to the point in its 93 pages of information. Loren Mead is one of the foremost experts in the subject of church transitions and understanding the "life" of the church as it relates to Ministry Personnel, management and congregations.
This very readable little volume is an excellent resource for all levels of the church and I would recommend it, especially to those lay people (Board, Council etc) who will become involved in the process of re-visioning the future of the church. It could be the subject of a book study prior to engaging in the process on Needs Assessement/Call.
It speaks to understanding the congregational "HISTORY;" discovering "IDENTITY;" empowering "LEADERSHIP;" and the "DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS" that link the process in a coherent manner. If Lewins Theory is correct "When the pastor moves the system is unfrozen. Change is possible," then this book is for you as an initial resource leading to other volumes (also available from the Alban Institute) that cover transitions in much more depth. Enjoy.
Pastor Ian.

This book addresses all of the issues that occur when a pastor leaves a church. It deals with the many emotions that exist and the conflicts that can arise.I found it very readable, to the point, and a good resource for a church changing pastors. My husband, who is the president of the church council thought it so helpful that he ordered it for the entire council! I strongly recommend it for any congregation that is going through the process of changing pastors.

This is a great book for anyone. I especially recommend it for 60 plus people who just got laid off or fired. It gives you insightful information and options to pursue to balance work, life, play.

A great book, helps focus thoughts, defines decision-making strategies. Easy to read and understand. The author's enthusiasm is wonderful!

rewire...then retire ...or not...good info because of real life case studies...highly recommend

I'm so relieved to find practical advice on how to develop and implement an action plan. This book uses storytelling and examples to illustrate the step by step process. The steps can be applied to any life transition, not just retirement.

For the first time, I'm eligible to take a retirement incentive from
my full-time teaching job . . . though not quite ready to take advantage
of this option right now, it has gotten me thinking as to what I want
to do next with my life . . . so I was most interested in discovering
DON'T RETIRE, REWIRE! by Jeri Sedlar and
Rick Miners.

This excellent book got me questioning whether I just wanted
to continue teaching indefinitely--or perhaps try something
else . . . the key: to be able to find a work situation that was and is
both financially and personally rewarding, whether it be a
part-time job, volunteer work or even a second career.

Like many of my colleagues, I've been thinking about
this subject for quite some time . . . but that said, I didn't know
quite where to start in determining how to pursue the
subject further.

I now have some good ideas, largely because of the
many useful exercises that DON'T RETIRE, REWIRE!
guided me through . . . among them was the following
Legacy Quiz:

Imagine your funeral. Who will attend? Who do you want
to deliver your eulogy? What would you like that person to say?
What would you like your obituary to say? How would you like to
be remembered by others in your town or community?

I also liked the stories and lessons that the authors shared
from more than 300 real-life retirees they've known.

And I found myself thinking that wouldn't be great if this
happens:

When you rewire, you'll have the chance to become the person you
were meant to be, if you aren't already and to do the things you've
always dreamed of doing. Rewiring is your time to focus on your
discarded dreams, uninvestigated interests, delaying discoveries
and any of the stuff you haven't done or pursued because you were
too busy "doing life."

No longer is retirement so scary, in large part because of
DON'T RETIRE, REWIRE! . . . I strongly recommend it to
anybody still working who is 50 years or older.

The impression I get from this book is that Brinkley is trying to cash in on the popularity of Betty Eadie's wonderful book, "Embraced by the Light." But I don't believe this guy. What lost me was his claim that the angels told him to open a chain of health spas. Uh huh.

The author of this book got struck by a lightning (in 1975) through a phone line and barely survived. He visited afterlife and he was given a life review there. It wasn't pleasant because he had been a self-centered and mean person. He had loved fighting and served in the army too, in Vietnam. In the afterlife he got to relive the pain he had caused to others. But, anyway, he came back to continue living as a totally changed man.

The first two chapters of this book I would recommend to any military professional. But as a whole this was slightly strange a book. Odd visions of future, psychic abilities... And the author's mission in life became to piece together some strange device. -And the story continues in another book...

If this book doesn't change your paradigm on life and death, you are hopelessly entrenched in a stagnant, antiquated belief system. If Dannion was accepted by the light, with his life on earth, the rest of us have nothing to worry about. His life, death, recovery and transformation makes this book hard to put down.

The one line in the book I always come back to, is when Dannion is out of his body, looking down as the EMTs are loading his lifeless physical body into the ambulance, and he is thinking, "Gee, I thought I was better looking than that!" Nice touch Dannion.

This is the book that got me started in believing that there is truly another side here. Dannion's account of his near death experience is both real, riveting, profound, insightful, descriptive, believable and astounding, all at once. This is a can't put it down read and I've recommended it countless times.

Sally Shields, TheDILRules.com

This book is great - once you start reading it - you really have trouble putting it down and look forward to the next chance you have to pick it up again

Weather you beleive in the concept of this book or not, you will still enjoy the trials and tribulations this man had faced in his life. More grueling than most people think possible!

Easy read, interesting, deffinetly makes you think of changing the way you live and think about the meaning of life...

Jonas

I bought this book largely on the strength of the reviews. For the price, it's very thin both physically and in content. I haven't yet tried any of the suggested scripts but reading them didn't cause any alarms bells, until some other books I've looked at in store and so maybe it'll work. Will be creating a recording and trying it out over the next couple of weeks to see if it actual makes any change in my life.

But for now, can't really recommend this book.

Self-Published Unprofessionalism

The only reasons I can think why this would have been so highly rated by other reviewers, is because they have experienced change through hypnosis, and are therefore reviewing the technique itself rather than the book.

Don't make the mistake I made, of thinking that the bland cover indicates a technical manual. I was expecting an A4 sized volume with tiny writing, filled with content - instead I got a small handbook written in a gigantic, horrible sans-serif font.

The style of writing is conversational rather than scholarly, and the book is rife with spelling and grammar errors. One sentence refers to learning how to use the "peddles" in a car. As for the content... Well, about all I can say is there is some. Probably less than you'd find on a decent website about hypnosis. The introduction is a pep talk, telling us how great hypnosis is. Then comes the single induction script, then a few odds and ends and a couple of scripts for specific issues, before a section on the history of hypnosis, obviously included as padding.

Reading this book tends to raise more questions than it answers. The less enquiring mind may find that this is all they need to know to achieve success with hypnosis. However, those who want to truly understand how and why hypnosis works, in order to apply it most successfully, will find little of value here. Similarly, those with complicated or persistent issues, will not find any detailed information on how to deal with them.

This book covers many specific areas of self-change and personal development. And as it covers all of the basics, it means that this title is beneficial for anyone.

"Things should be as simple as they need to be, and not simpler." This book took me only a few minutes to read, but the knowledge in it will last a lifetime. Mr. MacKenzie talks about self-change in the most quick, simple, succinct and ingenious way I ever read. (And I've read a lot...) And I have no complaints about his delivery of the subject matter, either. The way he uses language and metaphors shows that he isn't just a hypnosis/NLP expert on paper, he really is. And that's a beautiful thing. So, obligatorily, yet totallly encouragingly. Buy and read this book.

Captain Josh.

Knowing nothing about self-hypnosis I bought this book assuming that, like meditation, I could do it on my own without equipment. This book would be a helpful tool after working with other self-hypnosis recordings. Then one would be experienced and motivated enough to create a custom tape.

Book received in excellent condition and in timely manner. I would recommend using this site to other parents buying textbooks.

The manual is very user-friendly. It takes a while to really sift through all the ideas, but the first two parts are designed so that you don't have to re-read the important ideas several times. The main themes are recapitulated in different wordings and contexts to make you understand. The treatment section is extremely clear, with both step-by-step guidance and explanations for the activities. Though the design is quite explicit, the authors urge you to design the treatment specifically for each patient, and even give suggestions of how to do so.

This is a fantastic tool, giving the therapist useful theory as well as specific outlines for sessions. Great for the beginner ACT therapist. The CD contains lots of useful worksheets for clients, and step-by-step outlines for therapists including lots of wonderful metaphors and stories.

This book is an important contribution to therapists who want to increase effectiveness in their work with suffering beings while also learning to incorporate Eastern psychological teachings in their practice. I found it easy to read, practical, enjoyable.

Having been trained in the 70's as a behavior therapist, I moved away from BT in the 80's as I became disillusioned with the mechanistic quality of the approach. Eifert and Forsyth's book beautifully brings the best of behavior therapy together with a more humanistic and interpersonal focus to provide in ACT a truly new paradigm. The so-called "third wave" of behavior therapy incorporates much of the best of other schools while remaining grounded in solid science.
I have found ACT to be a potent weapon in dealing with the anxiety disorders that our clients bring to us. I highly recommend this book for any practitioner of any orientation to wants to broaden their perspective and become more effective in treating these most debilitating disorders.

Startling new way to treat anxiety disorders from a humanistic view aimed at creating a meaningful life despite high anxiety. The book is written very clearly and contains techniques such as metaphors and stories that are excellent and can be used with more traditional therapy.

To use ACT alone in therapy to treat anxiety disorders by just reading the clear instructions of the book and using the CD that comes with it may be dangerous. It is a counter intuitive approach that must be consistantly maintained; the therapist must be 100% present at all times. It is not just a technique that can be applied; the therapist must model this approach in real life or he/she could cause more harm than good. I would love to attend in person some training in this approach and have some live supervision (as is required for EMDR therapy). Definitly worth reading and staying in touch with any new research in this approach.

A relevant and practical book for transitional leaders. Describes the current socio-economic environment impacting congregations and need for new leadership approaches. Rendel's writing style and first hand knowledge makes this a fast and compelling read.

Excellent insights for planning strategies to help congregations into and through change. A great guide for dealing with the dynamics of change -- spiritual, intellectual, and emotional. Helpful differentiation between "management" and "leadership" and the kinds of situations when each style is more appropriate. I use it as a handbook in doing interim ministry.

Remember back to course you took in seminary about leading
your church through change? No? There wasn't one! Come now, that can't be true, but sadly it is in most cases. Pastors are called to shepherd their church's through changes but are rarely given the education or tools to do so. Most of this is picked up by trial and error, often painful trials with many errors. This book could be considered "Remedial Congregational Leadership 101," for those of us who never received this formal training. Clearly Rendle wrote this book not out of some theoretical model (although there is solid theory supporting it) but out of his lived experience of leading many congregations through the turbulant waters of change. With so many demands pulling at the free time of a pastor, this book is well worth devoting some of that time.

I was looking for a book that would help teach me how to better use the Bible in counseling and I found it in this Jay Adams book. He does a marvelous job in showing that the Bible is totally sufficient in correctly identifying and labeling our problems as well as fixing our lives.
The outline of the book can be found in 2 Timothy 3:14-16 where it deals first with the Bible's total sufficiency in giving a person wisdom for salvation. Jay then shows, as the Apostle Paul did, that the Bible is totally sufficient to teach us what is true, convict us of what is wrong in our lives, corrects us so we get back on the right path, and trains us to live a faithful, godly life. I love how Jay shows each of these parts as essential to counseling and how psychology distorts or even skips some of the essential elements of counseling people for change. And when counseling, not all change is good. Change must be to make us more like God. Psychologist who do not go strictly by the essentials of what the Bible teaches sometimes do more harm than good. They teach people a "victim" or "disease" mindset in which there is little or no hope for them. God's Word teaches "forgiveness, repentance, and deliverance." God's Word solves our problems instead of ignoring, falsely diagnosing, and mistreating them.

Jay shows that the Spirit of God working through the Word of God can make a person pleasing to God. Therefore, God wants to use a Biblical Counselor to teach, convict, correct, and train a humble, repentant person back into a fully restored relationship with God and others.

I appreciate all of Jay Adams' work and this book is excellent as well.

Jay Adams maintains that Scripture is the only thing necessary in counseling, insisting that psychology has no place in counseling and that "...the counselor must neither add to nor subtract from God's Word, but offer those needing help `the whole counsel of God,' which Paul declared `beneficial' to the church (Acts 20:20, 27) (Adams, 1986, p. 46)." Basing his approach on 2 Timothy 3:15-17, Adams' Four Step Biblical Process includes teaching, conviction, correction, and disciplined training in righteousness (Adams, p.13). His position that counseling is a ministry is evidenced by his statement, "Human counselors participate in the process as they minister the Word to counselees, instructing, encouraging, and helping them to implement biblical injunctions (p. 43)."
I feel Adams' strength is in maintaining that Scripture is the basis for all counseling. However, I do not agree that other methods of psychology cannot be used to assist in helping counselees in the healing process as we lead them to the Truth found in Scripture. Because there are many methodologies found in psychology that have a biblical basis, I see no reason why they cannot be used. It is a matter of using what substantiates Scripture and discarding what opposes Scripture.
It also seems that, throughout his book, Adams is working from a position that the counselees are already a part of the church. The scriptures Adams uses all are directed to working with members of the church. His statement that "God's Word must be ministered to His people..." indicates he is speaking of individuals who already believe and have accepted Christ as Savior (Adams, p. 28). This changes the whole dynamic when working with counselees who are not churched and are not Christians.
Finally, while I do believe that some individuals can and will respond to a very direct approach, I do not believe that is recommended or beneficial for all counselees. For many, it may drive them even further away and cause more damage. Because all people are unique, having different learning styles and "love languages", I believe it is better to access the individual and find the approach that will best fit the needs of the counselee. For many that will mean being very gentle; for others it will mean being very direct.

The four-step biblical process that Adams (1986) puts forth is based on sound interpretations of the Scriptures. His views are distinctively biblical and are likely to be best applied by clergy in the discharge of pastoral counseling duties.

Adams four-step model of biblical counseling is troubling for some - refreshing for others. The modern landscape of biblical counseling is filled a wide diversity of opinion in regard to the usage and integration of secular psychological principals in Christian counseling settings. While some choose to integrate, Adams thoroughly rejects the idea of integration.

In his model, all that is needed for counseling is found in the pages of Scripture and anything outside the realm of Scripture should be soundly rejected. "Strangely enough, many of the most prominent defenders of biblical inerrancy and authority are the very pastors who, in biblical counseling, treat the Scriptures as an insufficient source, in need of supplementation from psychiatry and psychology. Sad to say, they implicitly deny the Scriptures' credentials for helping people change." (Adams, 1986, p.21)

Adams four-step approach to biblical counseling is put forth as an attempt to counsel purely on the basis of the Scriptures ability to help people change. Adams places a high emphasis on the need for biblical teaching in counseling. He asserts that it is not possible to achieve positive change apart from the impartation of biblical truth from the counselor to the counselee.

The counseling process in this system basically leads a counselee toward serious Christian disciples by way of biblical teaching in an effort to import change in the direction of Christ-likeness. This system is unashamedly biblical and blatantly intolerant of secular counseling principals. The goal here is Christian discipleship and the aim is Christ-likeness.

Adams sees the need for change primarily as the result of a deficit of instruction in biblical truth - a shortfall of Christian discipleship.
In this system the true goal of Christian counseling is sanctification through the power of the Holy Spirit. "In other words, this book is not about neutral change. The change for which Christian counselors strive has a spiritual direction and their aim is to help people prosper in the at direction. All change toward God is good, and all change away from God is bad. Sanctification, change toward God is the goal of all Christian counseling." (Adams, 1986, xiii)

Adams counseling methodology is about forsaking sin for the sake of Christ. It is a distinctively Christian approach to the Christian life and Christian counseling. As a pastor I embrace a Christian counseling method very similar to that of Adams. While I do not reject secular principals as wholeheartedly as Adams, I choose not to integrate as a matter of pastoral counseling integrity. I have seen first hand the damaging affects of pastoral counseling done in haphazard ways. If integration is not adequately accomplished then the result is likely to be a mish mashed methodology which has the very real potential to damage clients (parishioners).

I am of the opinion that Adams philosophy fits the needs of pastors most fully. Pastors have been called to minister through Sacrament, Scripture, and Spirit. When ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ stray from that calling they are likely to be unfaithful to both the ministry of the Word of God as well the secular principals they seek to embrace. It is as if they have one foot standing on each side of a moving conveyor belt. They are not full committed to either direction and in the process their counseling is less effective and potentially it is absolutely destructive.

While I appreciate his admonishment toward a truly and purely biblical counseling style, Adams views are rather narrow. I am under the impression that it is highly appropriate for professional Christian counselors to integrate secular psychological principals into their biblically based counseling practices. Though we are to be separate from the world, as Adams clearly points out, we are also to be wise stewards of all truth. "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." (Matthew 10:16 ESV)

I highly value the insights of Adams and I do incorporate his counseling approach into my ministry. Reading this book has given me greater insight into a biblical counseling approach which fits into my ministry philosophy. It has been a valuable experience to discover
Adams contribution to the field of biblical counseling.

I look forward to integrating his insights into my counseling ministry in the context of my local church pastorate.

Jay E. Adams has done it again. He is right on point. Change is necessary and Adams truly shows you how to assist in that effort. Necessary reading and using for the Biblical Counselor and any one who cares about God's people.

Fun book for any Catholic who is interested in saints and their individual stories and origination. Who would have ever thought there was a saint for gall bladder problems!!!

I bought this book as a gift for a confirmation student and I loved it so much I'm going to order another. It has short stories about many patron saints and then it has color prayer card images for each one! The stories are easy for the students to understand and it's a great way to learn more about the saints. I would definitely recommend this one for any Catholic.

I had tried to order this from my book club, but they could not get it in. Thank you AMAZON again for granting my wishes and granting them promptly. The book itself is dear to my heart, and it is just as beautiful and endearing as I knew it would be.

I wouldn't call this a page turner, but it is full of fun history and meaningful stories.

This book should be required reading for all graduate students, even those who are planning on remaining in academia.

At heart, the book is a primer on how to leave academia and the opportunities which exist for people with PhDs and MAs in seemingly esoteric fields. Since the overwhelming majority of graduate schools provide no real career advice for their students, this book provides a much needed service.

If you are planning on leaving academia, this book is essential. But even if you intend to remain in academia, you should read this book---if for no other reason then because it will help you to understand all of your career options...and, yes, you do have options! No one is stuck in academia and, as this book demonstrates, a graduate education does provide you with very real concrete skills.

When I decided to leave academia, I read this book in conjunction with other career books (such as What Color is Your Parachute?). While I recommend that those seeking to leave academia read a wide range of career books, this book was unique. It was the only book which addressed the many strange and worrying concerns that I had as a PhD seeking to leave academia.

My favorite part? The stories of the many, many people who left academia and found great careers. There is a huge reluctance to discuss these people within academia itself (great irony as the last fifteen years have seen the majority of PhDs in the humanities leave academia so we are talking about a reluctance on the part of graduate schools to discuss what the majority of their graduate students are doing). Putting a face on the people who left academia allowed me to look behind the academic stereotypes and to discover a broad and different world along with a range of exciting careers.

It was also helpful to read about how to do an informational interview and what to expect when doing one.

In an ideal world, this book would be required reading for all graduate students but since it isn't, you'll just have to buy this and read it on your own...but share it with your fellow graduate students.

And one final note: it does help. Using this book and others, I was able to leave academia and find a great-paying job which I really love.

This book is written for a very specific audience: grad students (and even established academics) who realize that academia may no longer be the right fit--or is just too crowded to afford any significant job opportunities--but who worry their esoteric studies (medieval Chaucer, the geopolitics of wheat production) may not have prepared them for other careers.

If you fall into this category, then the book is wonderful. If not, move on. While there are better general career guides available, if the hallowed halls of the academy no longer seem so hallowed, `So What are you Going to do with That?' is a breath of fresh air. For starters it is full of anecdotes from many academics who found successful and enjoyable careers beyond the ivory tower, applying their skills and interests in satisfying ways they never thought possible. This may be the most valuable aspect of the book for the anxious and concerned grad student: realizing that future ex-academics have options. Lots of options.

The book breaks down as follows:
Chapter 1: Will I Have to Wear a Suit? Rethinking Life After Graduate School.
Chapter 2: How Do I Figure Out What Else to Do? Soul-Searching Before Job Searching.
Chapter 3: Testing the Waters: Networking and the Transitional Experience.
Chapter 4: This Might Hurt a Bit: Turning the CV into a Resume.
Chapter 5: Sweaty Palms, Warm Heart: How to Turn an Interview into a Job.

And while much of this information may seem like old-hat to your friends who got MBAs, it's a revelation to those who are more familiar with the `Journal of Nietzsche Studies' than the `Wall Street Journal.' The section on `Information Interviews' in chapter three alone is worth the price of the book. (Information interviews worked for me. Twice.)

Some Amazon reviewers of the first edition complained that the book offers pat answers to standard questions about resumes, interviewing, etc...and that may be partially true. But let's face it, most grad students and academics suddenly confronting the prospect life outside of academia (and likely getting little support on such a prospect from within the academy) haven't thought about anything but academia, so they don't even know where to start.

If that's you, then `So What are you Going to do with That?'--basic though it may be--is custom tailored for you, and will give you hope and point you in the right direction. The authors (ex-academics themselves) trust that their readers (who are intelligent grad students and PhDs, remember) will be smart enough to take it from there.

If you are sick of hearing that question and tired of wondering if you've wasted your entire life on a meaningless education: there is hope and the answer is (happily) no. There is life outside of academia and this book will help you get there.

The current state of academia is a devastating wake-up call for those of us who worshipped our college professors (and wanted to become one)-- but this book reminds us what we actually knew all along: there is (rewarding, meaningful) non-academic life out there!

This book is an excellent guide for those of us who have made it through grad school and find that academia is not the land of dreams we once thought. This book will take the pressure off your dissertation to make it "relevant" enough to be compelling to universities and yet, specific enough to fulfill their hiring requirements. This is a reassuring book, full of guidance and support- you are not the only one with doubts about academia and following your hunch out of the university can be the best decision of your life.

Further, it asserts that we are not "giving up" but finding a place for ourselves that is more sane, stable and often, uses our skills much more, putting what you know into practice. It is not a "find what you are best at" type of book but rather, helps you focus on how to translate your academic work into real-world skillbuilding for non-academic employers. You must think of your education as having "worked in academia" so that you can make a "career change" to another field. Changing this viewpoint (from "being a student" to having valuable skills/experiences) seems simple, but it is actually rather profound.

There are real jobs out there for us-- and a real need for detail-oriented people who can work with little guidance, come up with original research ideas, work with others collaboratively, speak multiple languages, write in layman's terms so others can understand, people who can teach about a topic without putting the room to sleep... Employers need us and they are so desperate for the personal and professional skills that we take for granted. This book encourages us to get out there and be appreciated for our work. A life-saver if you have doubts about an academic career, want to leave academia or aren't sure what's next for you. This should be required reading for all graduate students.