Book Matters. Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the end of China's Last Golden Age

Every once in a while a book of history has significant relevance today. For those who have had interactions with China or who are watching the current trade wars this book by Stephen R. Platt is a must read. The book chronicles the attempt by the west to force the Chinese to open their borders to greater trade (including opium) and the various strategies that were used to convince China to comply. 

The end of the Opium War (which was about much more than opium) saw the Chinese cede the Island of Hong Kong to the British along with 12 square miles of the mainland, later supplemented by a 100 year lease of the New Territories. This was my home during my childhood and I had the experience of visiting the residual opium dens still open in the 60's. No I did not inhale - I promise. 

While the events of the book take place in the 1700's and 1800's the essential style of leadership in China related to outsiders doing trade with the same is amazingly similar. In addition, the inability of the West to understand or attempt to understand the Chinese psychology during this period reminds me very much of the attempts of the United States to convince the Chinese to modify certain practices today. 

China is not easily convinced to change their practices and neither force or public shaming have been helpful in that regard. The west is doing both today and China is doing what it has always done in taking the long view and biding their time. A reading of this book indicates that not much has changed in this regard. 

Equally compelling for any business people or missionaries who are going to work cross culturally are the lessons that can be learned from this account of the necessity to understand one's host culture, its way of thinking and its practices based on their historical values. 

The west was wildly incompetent in this regard, not only in their way of relating to the Chinese but in their total disregard of what mattered to China. They were the west after all and knew what to do! In fact, China knew a great deal more about the west than the west knew about China and that is true today as well. Cultural intelligence has not been the west's strong suit in understanding Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria or China. Reading this volume reminds me that the west makes many of the same mistakes today that we did two and three hundred years ago.

If I taught cross cultural studies I would make this required reading for the class. We can learn much from history and particularly from this volume. I give this five stars for the historical account and its relevance for today. 

Creating cultures of organizational excellence
AddingtonConsulting.org

A must read for all those interested in Latin American Christianity

If you support mission efforts in Latin America or serve there I would encourage you to pick up this book which gives an excellent overview of where the church is today and how it got there. It is part of an Oxford series on Christianity and is a fascinating and helpful read.

Amazon link

Posted from Guatemala

All of T.J. Addington's books including his latest, Deep Influence,  are available from the author for the lowest prices and a $2.00 per book discount on orders of ten or more.

"I’ve loved Addington’s work for years, because it addresses the questions that keep me up at night as a leader."

"Awhile back, T.J. sought input on the manuscript of his now-released Deep Influence to fellow leaders in the EFCA (like me). What follows are some of the gems I gleaned (a combination of direct quotations and personalized applications)." - Jeff Cagwin

See Jeff Cagwin's take aways

All of T.J. Addington's books including his latest, Deep Influence,  are available from the author for the lowest prices and a $2.00 per book discount on orders of ten or more.

Read the first chapter of Deep Influence here for free

Deep Influence Chapter One


All of T.J. Addington's books are available from the author for the lowest prices and a $2.00 discount on orders of ten or more.

Interview with Leary Gates regarding my new book Deep Influence

Check out this podcast with Leary Gates regarding my new book Deep Influence. Take some time to think deeply!

All of T.J. Addington's books are available from the author for the lowest prices and a $2.00 discount per book on orders of ten or more.

Give the gift of Hope this Christmas to those who need it

Nothing describes the incarnation better than hope. Yet there are many who need the gift of hope this Christmas. This book was written for those who are walking through hard times - to give them the ultimate hope. If you know someone who needs the gift of hope this Christmas, this is a gift that will deliver much needed hope. To order, just click on the book cover.

From the forward:
Life has come undone. One day life is normal, and the next day our
lives are thrown into confusion and chaos. Like a drowning person, we find ourselves fighting to get back to the surface so we can take a breath.Pain, fear, and uncertainty have taken over. It is hard to even grasp this new reality as our minds and hearts shout, “This cannot be!”

If any of this describes you, a friend, or family member, this book is written for you. This is an authentic experience with life and pain and faith. Ultimately, this book offers hope for what can be after life has come undone, but before we get to what can be we must deal with what is. We must struggle through the emotional turmoil when life’s rules change cruelly without our permission.

No matter how strong our faith, such events often create a crisis of
faith. To not ask hard questions about God’s love and faithfulness in the trauma of life undone is abnormal, maybe irrational. Never is our understanding of God’s love, grace, and mercy more challenged and the answers more important than when life is hard and hope is scarce. We hang on to faith by the tips of our fingers as our minds work to encompass issues we have never had to understand except in a theoretical way.

To all of this there are no easy answers and often just more questions. The life undone forces us to question and reexamine the very core of what faith and life are about. I have asked these hard questions, and I am sure you have as well.

I invite you on a journey toward a life of hope, wholeness, and freedom. You can get there, regardless of how your life has come undone. This is not a journey of easy answers but one of honest realities, unlikely gifts, divine scars, God’s goodness, and ultimately a freedom that you have never experienced before.

There is nothing theoretical about When Life Comes Undone. It
comes out of real life, real pain, real struggle, and real faith. It explores the question, How do we walk by faith when life is hard and hope is scarce? Where is God in our pain? Why does God allow life to come undone when I have served Him and followed Him? There are no easy answers, but there are divine perspectives that can help us on that hard journey we all walk at one time or another.

I have walked this hard path. Walk with me toward freedom.
When life comes undone, having a community of support becomes
crucial. You may choose to use this book in a small group with others who are on this journey. Finding your freedom may involve receiving from others as well as giving your compassion and prayer to others. Use the discussion questions at the end of each chapter in your small group. Each chapter also includes a prayer, as an example of praying boldly. I invite you to prayerfully read through this book, allowing God to minister to your heart and heal your pain.

First look at the upcoming book Deep Influence

Table of Contents

Forged on the Inside

Choosing a Posture of Humility

Allowing Suffering to Mold

Embracing Spiritual Transformation

Managing the Shadow Side

Growing Emotional Intelligence

Leading from Who God Made Me to Be

Choosing Intentionality

Thinking as a Contrarian

Getting to the Freedom of Clarity

Living with Transparency

Guarding Our Hearts

Resisting Gossip: Winning the war of the wagging tongue

We all know the damage that gossip can make. Finally there is a clear, simple resource for your church that deals with the insidious but common problem. I highly recommend this book for every congregation that desires to be healthy and Christ like.

My endorsement of the book sums up my thoughts: “Matt Mitchell tackles one of the most common, destructive but least talked about sins. While gossip destroys, Matt suggests alternatives to gossip that build trust and relationship and that are practical and helpful. Our words, good and bad, are powerful, and this book can be a helpful tool in prompting God’s people to consider their words, attitudes and practices. I highly recommend it.” 

View the trailer here.

$9.97 at Next Step Resources

A happy man and a happy (well used) book

A book for those who follow global politics

 

While the title may be a bit stiff: The Revenge of Geography: What the map tells us about coming conflicts and the battle against fate, this is a fascinating book on both world history and current events. I would recommend it to those involved in missions or those who simply want to understand global realities at a deeper level.

There are few contemporary authors who understand current events better than Robert Kaplan. Taking our world a section at a time - looking at how geography shaped their history and current situation, he also gives a glimpse at where our world is headed - or possible scenarios. 

The implications for missions are significant and thus I recommend this to those who are missionaries or those simply interested in global politics. 

All of T.J. Addington's books including his latest, Deep Influence,  are available from the author for the lowest prices and a $2.00 per book discount on orders of ten or more.

Endings in our lives are normal

We tend to do beginnings much better than we do endings! But just as beginnings are a normal part of life, so are endings. Something must end before something else can begin. It may be a relationship that has run it's course, a job that has been miserable for years or maybe a termination that is long overdue. It may be a personal obligation that we have had for years and it is time to move on.

I am challenged by a new book by Henry Cloud called "Necessary Endings" where he seeks to normalize the endings in our lives, help us to see them as necessary as beginnings and to do endings as well as we do beginnings. Something must end before something else can begin. Somehow, however, we find endings far more difficult than beginnings.

Too often we see endings as negative when they are just a part of our lives. Not only that but they are the precursor to better things in many instances. I once resigned a job feeling like a failure. That ending was the best thing that could ever have happened to me as the situation was destroying me from the inside out. It opened up opportunities that I never would have had if I had stayed. I need not have agonized about "failing." It was a necessary ending and truly a gift.

I currently know leaders who need to end a relationship with someone on their staff but they cannot pull the trigger in spite of the fact that the staff member is in the wrong place and causing a drag on the ministry. Somehow they feel that it "would be too painful" to do end the relationship. Yet, that necessary ending is normal - and needed - and would open up opportunities for the staff member in the wrong role and the ministry that needs a new beginning.

Endings are obviously more challenging because of the emotional investment we have made over a period of time. Endings mean that we have to let go, move on, turn our attention to a new thing and be OK with the letting go. That takes a certain amount of maturity, intentionality and discipline to do well. The past can be celebrated but our attention, focus and emotions must move toward a new beginning - leaving the old behind. Imagine how Abraham would have fared if he had continually longed to be back to Ur after God told him to go to Canaan, necessitating an ending (Ur) and a new beginning (Canaan). The leaving was a necessary ending to the blessing he would receive by doing so. I cannot imagine it was easy.

Things run their course in our lives. And in order for something new to begin there must be and ending. I love my job but one day there will be an ending and how well I handle it will determine how well I move to a new beginning.

If you are struggling with a necessary ending, pick up a copy of Henry Cloud's book. He helps us think through a transition that is hard for all of us - but necessary - and the prelude to a new beginning. Endings are not bad. They are necessary.

Free Download available for Leading From the Sandbox: How to develop, Empower and Release High Impact Ministry Teams

I am pleased that Leading From the Sandbox is currently being offered as a free Kindle download for a limited period of time. The Mission Exchange named this book its Leadership Book of the Year in 2010.

Written out of a passion to help ministry teams, this book is a paradigm that brings clarity to what your organization is about, and what you must focus on as a leader or a team member to be successful. Leading From the Sandbox can revolutionize your leadership and teams through the clarity and alignment it creates.

The book will help you bring clarity to your ministry, understand what good leadership looks like, how to build healthy, effective, united, and missional teams. How to grow your staff and deal with staff who are not productive. It is designed for a staff to read together and develop a common lanuage that can help them go to the next level.

For my many readers in the UK

My book, Live Like You Mean It: The 10 Crucial Questions That Will Help You Clarify Your Purpose; Live Intentionally and Make the Most of the Rest of Your Life is currently being offered as a free Kindle download (UK only). 

Take advantage of this offer and help spread the word in the UK!

When Life Comes Undone: Walking by Faith when Life is Hard and Hope is Scarce

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The new book is out. Copies can be ordered from Next Step Resources.

The book is written:

• For those going through hard times
• For small group discussion around suffering and pain in our lives
• As a resource that churches can provide for those whose lives have come undone.

Life comes undone for all of us and when it does, we live with the pain, uncertainty and questions that come with it. Using a biblical perspective When Life Comes Undone can help you navigate those times when life is hard and hope is scarce.  The book is written out of deep, personal experiences with catastrophic illnesses, and speaks to the question of suffering with the candor and honesty that comes from grappling with pain firsthand.

Table of Contents

1.   Life Undone (When Life Changes Forever)

2.   The Unlikely Gift (Learning to Walk in Faith)

3.   Divine Scars (The Fellowship of His Sufferings)

4.   Creation Interrupted (Why Bad Things Happen)

5.   God's Amazing Heart (Understanding God's Love for Us)

6.   High Ropes and Waterfalls (Where Faith and Grace Collide)

7.   Storming Heaven's Gates (Bold Prayer)

8.   Offensive Plays (Taking Life Back)

9.   Life Redone (New Perspectives Forged in Fire)

10. Freedom (Reshaped Hearts)

The book will help you understand how you can turn your human scars into divine scars

• Understand why bad things happen to God's people
• Develop bold faith and understand God's grace and love
• Pray boldly
• Take life back
• Experience the freedom that pain can bring
• See how God takes the pain in our lives and turns it into something good and meaningful.