Renewal

Tuner and Crawford provide an easily read summary of the key characteristics of successful change organisations. After extensive studies of corporations undergoing change, they have identified the key capabilities required to change. They provide useful models around this concept which are easily adopted. Lots of case study examples also provide easy reference and "trips for young players"!

As a native Chicagoan, this book was a revelation to me. I had no idea how much the city had changed since I left 5 years ago. Millions of dollars have been spent to affect an "Environmental Renaissance" - new 'green' zones, wildlife habititats, rooftop gardens, etc. The photography is breathtaking, and the writing is almost conversational. If anyone knows Chicago better than Kenan Heise, let him or her speak up! If you are a Chicagoan, this book will introduce you to a city you never knew. If you aren't from the city, this book may convince you to move there!

Probably the best approach to children's role in the Christain church that we've seen. It explores the relationship of the Holy Spirit and hoe he can empower children to be working for God. Written by an Anglican Church Army member, this book has lots of useful, down to earth guidance for churches and parents, who want to ensure that their children know more about God.

The spiritual journey of George Carey, from rector to Archbishop of Canterbury. If our church survives its stodgy services and radical priests, then George Carey will deserve much of the credit. He is a spiritual giant among those who would turn this ancient tradition into an anything-goes modernism.

I work in missions in a conservative Church environment, an environment that has all too often replaced Abundant Faith Life with an intense enfasis on Bible KNOWLEGE and mindless REPETITION of religious function. "The Church on Purpose" gets back to the reason the Church exsists and gives unbelievably simple (biblical) explanations & workable guidelines for returning to a "*living, *growing and *FRUIT PRODUCING" Church life. Excellent reading, wish I could buy one for most of the struggling Churches I know of.

Wonderful Examples of Advocacy!

This book really illustrates the power of the community. To describe important aspects of community advocacy, the chapters provide real life macro studies by the way of peer-review articles, narratives, and excerts from other books. Each chapter illustrates and describes how communities have been gathered together to create change and then explains the importance of building and enhancing quality of life within a variety of oppressed populations.

Instructors of social work or similar fields with a Macro focus will really enjoy the real life studies which students can identify with.

Highly Recommend for teaching the importance of community as a whole.

Some think of sprawl as a simple zero sum game: suburbs win, cities lose. But this book explains (with quantitative analysis from numerous regions) that sprawl, like the French Revolution, devours its own children: that older suburbs decline as newer suburbs suck away their elites. That fact is of course common knowledge in the Rust Belt. But Lucy and Phillips add another level of detail, explaining how some places have survived the rising tide of sprawl while others go into meltdown. Suburbs (and city neighborhoods) with historic housing and pedestrian-friendly features have often managed to keep up with the rest of their metro areas, while typical 1950s suburbs are the biggest losers from sprawl because they are stuck with the worst of both worlds: their housing is too small for 21st century tastes, yet they lack the urban amenities that lead to gentrification.

Elizabeth Johnson presents a very well written and easy to read introduction to Christology for the new student of theology. She clearly explains the Christological definitions at the early Church councils, showing the errors that plagued the early church.

She presents a clear explanation of the meaning and implications of both: Ascending Christology and Descending Christology.

There is also a clear trace of the developments in Christology from the 50's up to the present time with Liberation and Feminist theology.

Johnson writes in the end, "Out of our own experience of salvation, our own telling of the story, our own praxis and prayer, we must name Jesus Christ again and claim him again for our own people, so that a living christology will be handed on to the next generation into the twenty-first century." I found these words to be encouragement for the reader to apply the story of Jesus of Nazareth to our everyday lives.

This is a MUST reading for any student of theology.

When the Globe & Mail newspaper reviewed this book, it referred to Mr. Hurst as "a thinking manager's Tom Peters." Not bad, and based on the book not entirely unjustified.
What makes this book really fascinating to me is the way it weaves insights from human history, anthropology, science, and personal business experience into a coherent picture of organizational growth, decay, and renewal. A lot of us have had a feeling that the standard bell curves and life cycles weren't really all that helpful. David Hurst has proposed an alternative solidly grounded in practice and history, one which is much better-suited to helping real managers think systemically about their companies and make decisions on the ground.
Hopefully David can expand on some of his insights in a forthcoming book, and include some more business cases that show his ideas in action. Action-oriented, "give it to me in 10 bullet points" types will probably find this book a bit frustrating for that reason. But if you belong to the school of thought that says wanting everything in 10 bullet points is part of the problem, this is definitely a book worth your time.

A wonderful book with beautiful insights into practical Judaism as well as Judaic mysticism. A spiritual journey among the very best. This book is a vital resource for anyone who has been looking for spiritual guidance through meditation and/or inner reflection.

While some Jews may find some of his ideas "out there," this book is so full of ideas on how to increase the spirituality of your life that it has something for everyone. Rabbi Dosick's thoughts on the future of Judaism reflect the thoughtfulness of careful cultural study. Though he does use parts of this book as a pulpit from which to spread his vision, he relates it in a way that makes readers at least ponder the ideas they don't agree with, and does so in a way that doesn't detract from the rest of the journey.

Even if it doesn't bring spiritual renewal and transformation to every reader, it would be impossible to read this book and not be influenced by its beautiful ideas. This book should be required reading for anyone, Jew or non-Jew, looking for spiritual rejuvenation in their lives. Jews shouldn't have to turn to "eastern" philosophies and mystics to enrich and guide their lives. In this book, Rabbi Dosick proves its all there in Judaism - you just have to know where to look.

For established Jews looking for ways to increase the spirituality of their lives this book gives a way. And for non-established Jews looking to fill a void, this book can provide a canvas from which to find a more spiritual and fulfilling existence, a God you can talk to and a God you will want to talk to.