Book review - "Primal" with Mark Batterson

First, a couple of items in the "full disclosure" category:

• The good folks at Random House provided me with a free copy of the book "Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity" By Mark Batterson to review and post here (thanks Liz - you're the best!)
• I've enjoyed Mark Batterson's previous books, his blog, and even his Twitter Updates for a while (and have led a men's class discussion on his book "Wild Goose Chase")
• I am part of the group that's organizing a Men's Conference featuring Mark Batterson on Feb. 12 & 13 in Hockessin, DE

So, here's the review:

It is clear from the opening pages that Mark Batterson is not interested in just selling some books and offering tidbits of wisdom and insight to make the reader feel more comfortable, more secure, and more spiritual for reading the book.

Almost every page is a call to action - whether Batterson is sharing some of his own struggles or the experiences of others who have taken unbelievable risks, he seems to be consistently challenging the reader to do something: Live, Risk, Love, Give, Lead, Explore, Move.

It appears that Mr. Batterson is more interested in inspiring a movement than anything else - all I can say is that if enough leaders and future leaders take this message and make it their own, then we will see a very different world in a short period of time.

My challenge to anyone reading this review is simple - get a copy of this book, open it to any page and start reading - let me know if you don't then feel like doing something daring, something life changing, something Primal.

If you're going to buy something for the holiday...

I don't think this qualifies as shameless self promotion - since I'm not really promoting myself. I am promoting my wife's incredible jewelry, though.

OK, here's the deal - my lovely bride started making jewelry a couple of years ago and she is Really Good at it (I'm no expert, I'm just going by what I hear from so many other people who seem to know jewelry). I can tell you that my wife will work for hours on a necklace, bracelet, and/or earrings, and because they don't meet her standards, she will take them apart and start all over again - she's committed to making sure everything she produces is a high-quality piece of jewelry that will compliment the wearer.

This Saturday, Nov. 28, you can check out the jewelry for yourself at OverCoffee Cafe in Lantana Square in Hockessin between 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM.

WHAT: Jewelry Show
WHERE: OverCoffee Cafe in Lantana Square in Hockessin
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 28 - 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Now, here's the selfish part - when you come, make sure you tell my wife that you found out about this through twitter, facebook, or other social media - it will just help me out - thanks!

preparing for Frank Schaeffer's visit to Delaware

So, a couple of years ago I sent an e-mail to Frank Schaeffer, just letting him know that I appreciated his writings and that I would be using some of his material in a discussion I was leading at the time.

Frank responded and, next thing you know, we're exchanging e-mails from time to time - most of my e-mails ended with something like, "let me know if you're coming to the Philadelphia/Baltimore area for a book-signing or anything" - a few months ago Frank sent me an e-mail saying his new book would be published soon and I should see if anyone would want to bring him in as part of the book tour.

A couple of phone calls and e-mails later, and the great folks at the Community for Integrative Learning said, "Yes, we'd love to bring Frank Schaeffer to Wilmington!"

As we're preparing for his visit this Friday, I find myself reflecting on just how much of an impact Frank has had on my thinking - it was Frank's writings that introduced me to an appreciation for great art, film, history, writing, and clear thinking. It was also because of Frank that I discovered P.J. O'Rourke, which led to enjoying Christopher Buckley. Ironically, it was this time last year that I went to see Christopher Buckley in Philadelphia - and he and Frank have both been criticized heavily by people who used to appreciate them for the same reason, both men openly endorsed Obama in the '08 Presidential Race.

If you get a chance, check out my Twitter postings this Friday - I'll be getting Frank to his interviews during the day - first, Radio Times on WHYY at 11:00 AM, then Rick Jensen on WDEL at 2:00 - and, of course, the discussion Friday evening at First and Central Presbyterian Church in Wilmington.

You can read a great article about Frank by Gary Soulsman here.
You can read more about Frank on his web site here.
You can find out more about Friday evening's event here (please come on out - walk-ins are welcome).

How about a Newark Freeze this Friday?

UPDATE: Check out the News Journal Story - Causing a scene on Main Street


UPDATE: If you are on Facebook, Go here to sign up!

Do you want to do something really cool this Friday?

A couple of us are thinking about putting together a Giant Freeze this Friday.

What's a Giant Freeze? you may be asking - well, here's probably your best introduction



For those that are having a hard time accessing Youtube, the idea is simple, a number of people, doing average, normal stuff in a very public place, simply freeze at the same time and remain perfectly still for a couple of minutes (long enough for a crowd to start wondering what the heck is going on - then, at a set time, they simply resume doing whatever they were doing before they "froze."

We're thinking Main Street, Newark would be a great location.

But, to do this properly, we need a lot of people (I think 40 is a minimum) - if it's just 2 or 3 of us, well, that's kind of lame.

In addition to those who will "freeze" we will need people willing to take photos and video of the event (because we have to share this fun stuff with the world).

So, if you're interested, please post below or e-mail me directly - "ken.grant7(at)gmail.com".

Oh, and yes, by all means, invite others to be a part of this as well!

Here's what we'll need to know:

1. Are you available on Friday around 11:00 AM (that's the tentative time I'm thinking - not set in stone)?

2. Are you willing to come to Newark, go walking down Main Street, and "freeze" for about 3 minutes?

3. Really? Seriously? If you're going to chicken out at the last minute, let me know now.

If it helps, think about doing this with a couple of friends (it really looks good when you have a few people engaged in conversation and "freezing" together) so you're not just standing there by yourself.

OK, there's the idea - it's in your hands now - let me know if you're in.

Oh, and no, there's no reason, purpose, or cause for this - it's purely for our own fun and amusement.

Community Matters Networking Group

Has it really just been two weeks?!

Just two weeks ago I was writing about this great core group of people - Rodney, Alison, Ed, Greg, and Bill - who took on the formation of this job networking group.

During the 1:00 hour this afternoon (Thursday) - the group will be featured on WDEL's Rick Jensen Show (1150 AM - WDEL.com).

And, the News Journal, Community News, and WHYY-TV all plan on being at the Friday meeting (9:30 AM at Hockessin Baptist Church).

Why all of this interest?

Well, things are happening - major employers in the area are interested in working with the group (everything from recruiting to offering help and expertise to donating time and equipment for training).

If you or anyone you know is looking for a job, has some skill or talent to share with the group, or just want to find out more, please contact the Community Matters Networking Group and get involved now!

The Networking Group is Up and Running!

True Confession Time:

When Bill Barto, Jon Boulet, and I first met to discuss the possibility of setting up a networking group for employment opportunities, I was pretty nervous - I mean, it sounds good, but what if nobody shows up? What if those who do aren't interested in participating? What if it all falls flat?

So, I put up the post, sent out a couple of e-mails, posted on facebook, linkedIn, and twitter - and the next thing you know, I'm getting e-mails from people saying they're planning on coming - then the meeting is featured in the News Journal and on WJBR radio - and then the meeting time came.

About 50 people packed the room.

And for 90 minutes a spirit of pure energy and generousity permeated the room - people shared their experiences, talked about exciting ideas, and connected in ways I don't think any of us expected. While the formal meeting ended at 8:30, the sharing and networking continued for another hour.

So, what's next? I'm glad you asked!

The next meeting is scheduled for this Friday morning, February 20, at 9:30 AM - the good people at Hockessin Baptist Church have agreed to host this group.

I'm also excited because a number of people contacted me after seeing the article in the paper and let me know they've either just started a similar group or are getting ready to start one - I see some real potential for networking among the neetworks coming up!

If you are curious, want to help, want to see what this is about, please come out Friday and stay tuned - there's going to be a web site created soon -- I'll keep things updated here as well.

Let me just say this to everyone who was there last night and to everyone who couldn't make it but called or e-mailed: THANK YOU!!! You have already played a significant role in making this group a huge success!

P.S. Big thanks to Libby Foester for the great photo - check out her stuff here: http://libbyportraits.com/

Net - Working

I would dare argue that there isn't a person reading this post who doesn't know someone who has been impacted by the recent economy - be it someone who has been laid off from a job to someone whose small business is facing unprecedented challenges.

While the situation may seem overwhelming, I am confident that by combining resources we can make a real difference. Personally, I'm a big believer in Teddy Roosevelt's admonition to do the best you can with what you have where you are.

So, here's the plan:

There is going to be a meeting on Wednesday, February 18, at 7:00 PM to explore ways to network together - this meeting is open to all who are looking for a job, may be looking for a job, may be looking for employees, feel as though they have something to offer to help those looking for jobs (resume writing, interview skills, etc.), or those who simply want to try to do something to help - in other words, if you're reading this post then you're invited. The meeting will be held at Hockessin Baptist Church - 505 Schoolhouse Road, Hockessin, DE 19707.

Here's just some of the ideas we'll explore:
1) Growing a support system
2) Networking - giving everyone a chance to share about opportunities (job fairs, openings, etc.)
3) Tool Share - help each other with resumes, social media, interviewing skills, etc.

If you can't make the meeting but have some advice, ideas, questions, or suggestions - please feel free to post them here. Hopefully this meeting will lead to several networking opportunities.

WHAT: Networking meeting for jobs
WHEN: Wednesday, Feb. 18, 7:00 PM
WHERE: Hockessin Baptist Church - 505 Schoolhouse Road, Hockessin, DE

Looking forward to hearing your ideas!

Has John Cleese seen my company's video?

Anyone who knows me knows all about the fun video our company put together a few months back:



So the question now is, has John Cleese seen this?

Here's the evidence I have that indicates he may have:

1) I sent a comment to his blog which needs to have approval before being published, after weeks of waiting, the submission is now posted - click here for exhibit A (scroll down to comment #12)

2) I just received a google alert showing that the video was added to the Cleese page on Funny or Die - click here for exhibit B (scroll down to the 9th video - feel free to give it a "funny" vote while you're there)

So, what do you think? Have you seen or heard anything that indicates he (or any of the other members of Monty Python) have seen this video?

I appreciate any thoughts/insights anyone can offer.