Matt Burgess

The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick), Seth Godin

Too many times I have encountered "Yes Men" and "Jacks of Everything, Master of Nothing". Although being a lifelong learner I dabble in a lot of things, I make it a point to avoid time wasting projects and people, which lends itself to selectivity. I run into people everyday that are reluctant to say "no" to someone or something. Generation X to Millennials are challenged with committment. This book will not solve their eccentricity, but it may get them thinking about it. I believe the problem is heavily rooted in a lack of self awareness, our inability to see the big picture. The Dip by Seth Godin explains knowing when to champion and when to surrender.

The pinnacle of The Dip is a challenge issued to the age-old saying: winners never quit. In 80 quick pages, Godin does not entirely dismiss the old proverb reverbiating from vicarious parents around the world. Instead, he contrasts Vince Lombardi's quote, "Quitters never win and winners never quit" with "Winners quit all the time.  They just quit the right stuff at the right time." This is no "how to" book.  It merely sheds light on our need to know ourselves in relation to opportunities and relationships.

The underlying theme of the book is selectivity, which reinforces the importance of self awareness. Having the foresight and the guts to quit can make all the difference in the world, but so does knowing when to commit. A short prose near the beginning of the book outlines the chapterless content:

Quit the wrong stuff.
Stick with the right stuff.
Have the guts to do one or the other.

An inaugural experience with Seth Godin after hearing so very much about the chronic writer and author was good...not great.  Although Godin's writing style is enjoyable I felt the content of The Dip was well-written common sense. Perhaps it was groundbreaking for some. I left with a handful of elegant quotes reinforcing ideas I have whole heartedly subscribed.

Can We Do That?: Innovative practices that will change the way you do church (2004), Andy Stanley and Ed Young

Can we share the practices that form that foundation of our organizations?  Basically, that is the question Andy Stanley and Ed Young tossed around on a vacation together before co-authoring the book, Can We Do That?  I'll answer the question.  Yes.

At some point you will ask, "can we do that" or "can I do that?"  Although this book by two of America's most effective church leaders is about the church and for the church, you may identify with the creativity and strategy laid out in 24 chapters.  Heavier on church specifics, nuggets of general organizational wisdom can be found through the specifics both authors describe in their different experiences.

The book is divided into four parts:

• Reaching Out presents ideas and philosophies on reaching the target audience, which is the unchurched person.
• Ministering to People deals with those people that are engaged.  Several specific topics are described in detail and various programs are mentioned.
• Leading the Church describes how the leadership team is kept on mission and how new leaders are brought on board or developed from within.
• Getting the Message Across is more specific to leading the larger audience into growing relationships with Christ, keeping focus on the underlying mission and specifically how to approach message topics, timing and preparation.

The way co-authorship is handled in the book is interesting with each chapter constructed in two styles:  either around a 50/50 split in perspectives or a 90/10 where one author delivers most of the content.  For the 90/10 chapters, either both authors in sync or respectfully disagree.  The beautiful thing about co-authorship is while both men have differing strategies they respect each other's mission to bring people into a growing relationship with Christ.