I had never really understood the American Revolution until I read this book. I'm not sure I can claim to fully understand it now, but it is far more meaningful than ever before.
John Adams may have been the single greatest advocate for independence from England. He pushed the Continental Congress. He pleaded and argued. And in the end, he won.
Then he single-handedly wrote the Massachusetts Constitution with three separate branches of government. The US constitution is largely based on his work.
Then for the remainder of his life, he worked as an ambassador, Vice President to Washington, and then President. And I would say he was amazingly accomplished at all of them, but I'm not sure he worked the same magic as he did with the Continental Congress.
There is something about how events seemed to unfold despite his work that makes me think that if he would have had more emotional intelligence, he might have accomplished more.
However, his greatest credit should be in his reconciliation with Jefferson before they each died. He practiced the Christianity he claimed to own and forgave the wounds of Jefferson. And then he died on July 4 (the same day as Jefferson) exactly 50 years after the Declaration Independence was signed. How cool is that!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
From Wild Man to Wise Man - Richard Rohr
This is simply THE best book on male spirituality that I have ever heard of. It is excellent. I would love to lead a men's retreat based on this book, just because the dialogue on its subjects would make for an enriching weekend.
Richard Rohr is a Franciscan and from what I can tell and ex-hippie. Although he did the 60's while wearing a habit, so I'm not sure that qualifies under the normal rules of hippie.
This book is everything that Wild at Heart wished it was, and the theology is better (which is ironic since it is written by a Catholic).
Rohr delves into the uniqueness of masculine spirituality.
"For starters, a masculine spirituality would emphasize movement over stillness, action over theory, service to the world over religious discussions, speaking the truth over social niceties and doing justice instead of any self-serving 'charity'" pg. 10
But he also spends quite a bit of time on the ills of our world and the addictions of men. HE claims that "the addictive system, therefore, offers the illusion of power and freedom while holding back any real decision-making power." pg. 27
"Initiation always taught the young men to die before he died, and then he would begin to live... or as St. Francis put it 'If you have once faced the great death, the second death can do you no harm.'" pg. 36
Rohr talked about how men have problems with sexuality and authority. I had always realized the first, but didn't realize how universal the second problem is as well. He talked about encountering men who carry authority inside of them. "If we not encountered a man with true inner authority, we allow authority to be something external and arbitrary, and with either love it or hate it at that level."
I learned by reading this book that I had an amazing father, who did nearly everything that Rohr says great fathers should do. However, I still have a "Father Wound" as he puts it. I still need a Heavenly Father to heal me.
I learned that no dad can be perfect, and that includes me. However, I have a responsibility to be the man God has called me to be for my children.
Every guy should read this book.
Richard Rohr is a Franciscan and from what I can tell and ex-hippie. Although he did the 60's while wearing a habit, so I'm not sure that qualifies under the normal rules of hippie.
This book is everything that Wild at Heart wished it was, and the theology is better (which is ironic since it is written by a Catholic).
Rohr delves into the uniqueness of masculine spirituality.
"For starters, a masculine spirituality would emphasize movement over stillness, action over theory, service to the world over religious discussions, speaking the truth over social niceties and doing justice instead of any self-serving 'charity'" pg. 10
But he also spends quite a bit of time on the ills of our world and the addictions of men. HE claims that "the addictive system, therefore, offers the illusion of power and freedom while holding back any real decision-making power." pg. 27
"Initiation always taught the young men to die before he died, and then he would begin to live... or as St. Francis put it 'If you have once faced the great death, the second death can do you no harm.'" pg. 36
Rohr talked about how men have problems with sexuality and authority. I had always realized the first, but didn't realize how universal the second problem is as well. He talked about encountering men who carry authority inside of them. "If we not encountered a man with true inner authority, we allow authority to be something external and arbitrary, and with either love it or hate it at that level."
I learned by reading this book that I had an amazing father, who did nearly everything that Rohr says great fathers should do. However, I still have a "Father Wound" as he puts it. I still need a Heavenly Father to heal me.
I learned that no dad can be perfect, and that includes me. However, I have a responsibility to be the man God has called me to be for my children.
Every guy should read this book.
The 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family
I love Patrick Lencioni! His writing is so much fun! Even books he writes that don't apply to me are still fun to read.
This book, however, more than hit the spot. It really is ingenious in its basic premise. A consultant makes the comment to his wife "if my clients ran their companies the way we run this family, they would be fired." This causes his wife to research the basic consulting techniques her husband uses and apply them to her family.
So the three big questions are:
What makes your family unique? (talk about purpose, values, strategy for how you do family)
What is your family's top priority right now? (what is the rallying cry for the next 2-6 months?)
How to you talk about and use the answers to these questions? (what is your plan for measuring success?)
The book took me about 2 hours to read and I read every single word. The appendices are great and I hope Amy and I are able to work through this process together in the next couple of weeks.
This book, however, more than hit the spot. It really is ingenious in its basic premise. A consultant makes the comment to his wife "if my clients ran their companies the way we run this family, they would be fired." This causes his wife to research the basic consulting techniques her husband uses and apply them to her family.
So the three big questions are:
What makes your family unique? (talk about purpose, values, strategy for how you do family)
What is your family's top priority right now? (what is the rallying cry for the next 2-6 months?)
How to you talk about and use the answers to these questions? (what is your plan for measuring success?)
The book took me about 2 hours to read and I read every single word. The appendices are great and I hope Amy and I are able to work through this process together in the next couple of weeks.
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