5 Quotes From “Recruiting To Releasing”

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I loved Jim Wiegand’s book Recruiting to Releasing! If you missed it, I had an opportunity to interview Pastor Jim, and I shared that video here. 

There were so many passages that I highlighted and annotated as I read this book. My Patreon supports have access to all of the quotes, but I wanted to share a handful of them with you publicly. 

Jim’s book centers on the intersection of three circles. This is the “sweet spot” where people are doing what God created them to do. In order to find your sweet spot (or help others find theirs), Jim gives us three questions. Here are those questions with a couple of supporting quotes. 

Question #1—What is your passion?

“The easiest question is the first one I always ask and sounds something like this: What are you passionate about? What thrills you when you get to do it? What makes your heart come alive when you see it? What do you love to do when you’re done doing what you have to do? If all jobs paid the same and you couldn’t fail, what would you do starting tomorrow?” 

“Paul said he was ‘compelled’ to preach the gospel and that it was a ‘pleasure’ to do so. His passion for the God of the lost and the lost themselves caused him to travel the world. Everywhere he went, he saw revival or a riot, or at times, both in the same day. Then he’d be mistaken for a Greek god, stoned and left for dead or at times beaten, imprisoned, and slated for execution. And then the next day, he got up and did it all over again. That’s not fear of failure! That’s a God-given passion to tell people the good news of Jesus Christ!”

Question #2—What is your pain?

“What bothers you? What is it you see in the world that you would change? What breaks your heart? What do you find yourself praying about more than any other thing? What subjects do people no longer want to talk to you about because you’re always talking about those things?”

“The way I figure it, if it was bothering me the way it was, I was probably the one God wanted to do something about it. You see, I’ve learned that if I do something about what bothers me, and you do something about what bothers you, and the folks around here all do something about what bothers them, well, eventually there may come a day when there won’t be anything left to bother anyone.”

Question #3—What is your proficiency?

“What are you good at? What comes naturally to you? What did you pick up quickly and easily compared to others around you? What do you do with little effort that takes others much effort?” 

I highly recommend that all ministry leaders get a copy of Recruiting to Releasing. Be sure to check out my interview with Jim Wiegand too. 

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Recruiting To Releasing

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on AppleSpotify, or Audible. 

Before you recruit someone to fill that next opening in your organization, I’ve got a resource that you should definitely check out. The resource I am referring to comes from the book Recruiting to Releasing by Jim Wiegand. I had a chance to sit down with Jim to talk about this eye-opening book.

Purchase your copy of Recruiting to Releasing on Amazon here, or on Apple Books here.

If you would like to check out when Jim interviewed me about my book When Sheep Bite, check out that video here.

Here are some quotes from Jim’s book.

Here are a bunch of ways to get in touch with me and follow along with other projects on which I am involved.

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De-Sizing The Church

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on AppleSpotify, or Audible. 

I’d like to tell you about a book that I think is an absolute must-read for those in church leadership. Check out my interview with Karl Vaters, the author of De-Sizing The Church, on this episode of The Podcast.

Purchase your copy of De-Sizing The Church here.

You can keep up with all that Karl is doing on his blog.

And if you would like to check out when Karl interviewed me about my book Shepherd Leadership, those videos are here.

Here are a bunch of ways to get in touch with me and follow along with other projects on which I am involved.

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

5 Quotes From “Unshakable You”

John Opalewski’s short book is highly readable and easily applicable. I recommend this book to both help you get emotionally healthier and then to maintain that emotional health. You can check out my full book review here. 

Here are a few quotes that especially caught my attention—

“Maybe you are reading this book and have no issues currently with depression. Be thankful to God for your health. But understand depression is easier to prevent than it is to cure. Educating yourself while healthy minimizes your future risk.” 

“Emotional health is a choice. If you choose to ignore your emotional health, no one else will pay attention to it for you.” 

“God used words to create the universe. They have the power to create or destroy, heal or wound. … Nobody talks to you more than you talk to yourself. Verbally assaulting yourself damages your emotional health—every time. Being kind to yourself with words enhances your emotional health—every time. … Loving yourself means you gain increasing control of your self-talk.” 

“Learn to be assertive rather than aggressive or passive. Aggression includes foul language, yelling, or getting physical with people. Passivity is another word for repression. Here we stuff our anger and let it boil on the inside. An example of passivity is giving someone the silent treatment. Assertiveness, on the other hand, means standing up for yourself by expressing your needs to others with love and respect.” 

“A depressed person often complains of having no energy to deal with people. Therefore, they tend to isolate themselves, which usually compounds a person’s distress. Depression thrives in isolation. Consequently, it is critical to surround yourself with the right kind of people during your battle with this affliction.” 

I have shared another half-dozen quotes from this book with my Patreon supporters. Please become a supporter and get access to lots of exclusive content—videos, early-releases, study aids, and so much more!

Unshakable You (book review)

Mental health issues grab a lot of headlines, and they should! I believe mental health is at the foundation of all of the other aspects of our lives, so we should be paying attention to this core issue. John Opalewski helps us do this through his book Unshakable You. 

The subtitle of this book—5 Choices of Emotionally Healthy People—gives you the outline of the entire book. John skillfully shares the importance of these five choices through a combination of recounting his own story, applicable biblical principles, and pertinent scientific discoveries. John concludes each chapter with an “I choose” statement. 

  1. I choose to love myself as Jesus commanded. 
  2. I choose to manage my anger instead of it managing me. 
  3. I choose to protect myself from abusive people. 
  4. I choose to refuel emotionally. 
  5. I choose to stay alert.

This is a short book, but you should spend a lot of time reading it, processing the “I choose” statements, discussing the concepts, and finally in implementing the principles John presents. I would strongly recommend reading this book with a friend who can help you in the implementation of each of the “I choose” statements. 

P.S. I addressed many of the same points John did in my year-long series of messages A Christian’s Mental Health.

5 Quotes From “A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23”

After I wrote the best-selling book Shepherd Leadership, I started naturally gravitating toward anything shepherd related. A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 was the perfect fit for me! But I think anyone will enjoy these beautiful insights on Psalm 23. Check out my full book review here. 

Here are some quotes that especially caught my eye—

“Sheep do not ‘just take care of themselves’ as some might suppose. They require, more than any other class of livestock, endless attention and meticulous care. … From early dawn until late at night this utterly selfless Shepherd is alert to the welfare of His flock. … Above all, He is very jealous of His name and high reputation as the Good Shepherd. He is the Owner who delights in His flock. For Him there is no greater reward, no deeper satisfaction, than that of seeing His sheep contented, well fed, safe, and flourishing under His care. This is indeed His very ‘life.’ He gives all He has to it. He literally lays Himself out for those who are His. He will go to no end of trouble and labor to supply them with the finest grazing, the richest pasturage, ample winter feed, and clean water. He will spare Himself no pains to provide shelter from storms, protection from ruthless enemies and the diseases and parasites to which sheep are so susceptible.” 

“A flock that is restless, discontented, always agitated and disturbed never does well. … When one startled sheep runs in fright, a dozen others will bolt with it in blind fear, not waiting to see what frightened them.” 

“In the course of time I came to realize that nothing so quieted and reassured the sheep as to see me in the field. The presence of their master and owner and protector put them at ease as nothing else could do, and this applied day and night. … When my eyes are on my Master they are not on those around me. This is the place of peace.”

“Only those intimately acquainted with sheep and their habits understand the significance of a ‘cast’ sheep or a ‘cast down’ sheep. This is an old English shepherd’s term for a sheep that has turned over on its back and cannot get up again by itself.” 

“Sheep are notorious creatures of habit. If left to themselves, they will follow the same trails until they become ruts; graze the same hills until they turn to desert wastes; pollute their own ground until it is corrupt with disease and parasites. … No other class of livestock requires more careful handling, more detail direction, than do sheep.”

My Patreon supporters had early access to these quotes, plus I have shared many more quotes from this book with these friends.

My newest book When Sheep Bite is releasing soon. You can pre-order a copy for yourself here.

A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23 (book review)

When I wrote my first book, my publisher asked me to write on “servant leadership,” but the more I dove into the topic, the more I kept coming back to Jesus as the ultimate example. But then I noticed that Jesus not only called Himself a shepherd, but many of the Old Testament prophecies foretelling His arrival also used shepherding terms. It was then that I pivoted to entitle my book Shepherd Leadership. 

Ever since I immersed myself in the research for that book, I’ve been especially attentive to all things related to shepherding. In going through books from my Mom’s library, I stumbled upon A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller. 

Oh my! I wish I would have discovered this amazing little book while I was writing my book! What a depth of insight I have gleaned from someone who looks after actual sheep! 

As the title denotes, Keller uses the well-known Psalm 23 to give us so many eye-opening insights into our Good Shepherd. He goes phrase by phrase—“the Lord is my Shepherd,” “I shall not want,” “He makes me lie down in green pastures,” and so on—with each phrase adding a new level of intimacy with this One who cares for us so profoundly.

Just as Jesus used so many parables to show new facets of the Kingdom of God, Keller uses insights and stories from his own shepherding experience to reveal new facets of our Shepherd’s care for each of His precious sheep. I loved these insights! 

And as an added bonus for me, it was so sweet to see the highlights and notations my Mom had made as she read this book. This made A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 a double blessing for me.

(P.S. Check out some quotes I’ve shared from this book here.)

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Book Reviews From 2023

I love reading, and I love sharing my love of good books with others! Here is a list of the books I read and reviewed in 2023. Click on a title to be taken to that review.

A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, And A Great War

Opportunity Leadership

Proverbs: Amplified and Applied

Sage Advice

Here are my book reviews for 2011.

Here are my book reviews for 2012.

Here are my book reviews for 2013.

Here are my book reviews for 2014.

Here are my book reviews for 2015.

Here are my book reviews for 2016.

Here are my book reviews for 2017.

Here are my book reviews for 2018.

       Here are my book reviews for 2019.

Here are my book reviews for 2020.

Here are my book reviews for 2021.

Here are my book reviews for 2022.

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Interviewing The Author Of “Sage Advice” (part 2)

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on AppleSpotify, or Audible.

All of us can benefit from having someone wise speak into our lives. That is the message of Sage Advice. Here is part 2 of my interview with the author of Sage Advice. Greg Heeres is my friend of 30+ years and my podcast partner on The Craig And Greg Show.

Check out this episode of The Podcast.

Resources for this episode:

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The Craig And Greg Show: The Leadership Lessons Of “Sage Advice”

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On this episode, we are celebrating Greg! His new book Sage Advice has just been released, and everyone at Maximize Leadership is incredibly excited for you to be able to finally get your hands on the finished product. In this episode, Greg and I discuss the new book, and talk about how each chapter pairs a story from Greg’s childhood with a helpful leadership lesson.

  • [0:50] I encouraged Greg to write this book. 
  • [1:49] Each chapter combines a story from Greg’s life, a helpful leadership lesson, and an interview with a modern-day leader.
  • [3:50] How did Greg find the leadership lessons?
  • [6:00] A chapter that I especially relate to has to do with toilets! (It is another reminder of Plungerman!)
  • [9:06] What if you don’t have parents and grandparents that could give you sage advice? Where would you go to get wisdom?
  • [11:37] There are more people out there that want to invest in both emerging and seasoned leaders than most people think.
  • [13:58] We can really trust mentors who have a “limp.”
  • [15:27] Every chapter in Sage Advice is a stand-alone leadership lesson.
  • [16:08] I share my favorite chapter in this book.
  • [17:09] Greg shares a great tip for all leaders who are readers.
  • [18:02] What does a girl in a red bikini have to do with leadership?
  • [20:10] You can get an autographed copy of Sage Advice here

Check out my totally(!) unbiased book review of Sage Advice here.

Check out this episode and subscribe on YouTube so you can watch all of the upcoming episodes. You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify and Apple.