Successful Christian businessman Terry Looper has written a part-memoir, part-how-to book full of practical advice for the man or woman who wants to follow God’s leading in business, and in life.

Looper became a millionaire in his 20s, and had eclipsed all his financial goals in his 30s, but it came at a great cost. He found himself so utterly depleted – physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally – one morning he couldn’t get out of bed. His health and relationships with others were a mess. Although he was about to be ordained as an elder in his church, Looper admitted to himself that money and approval had really been his gods.

This low point in Looper’s life became the genesis of his new way of living and doing business, something he developed into a 4-step process he calls the Sacred Pace. The crux of Looper’s system is what he calls “going neutral”. This means divesting yourself of interest in the matter at hand, as you lay it before God. If your heart cannot impartially say, “I want what You want, God,” then you are not neutral.

The meaning and importance of scripture increased for Looper, as did stopping to discern peace. If there was no peace he could not proceed. Looper demonstrates this principle with examples from his business and life. This book is helpful for those exploring the logistics of following God’s leading.

#SacredPace #NetGalley

Now available in ebook and paperback!

This time, you weren’t going to mess up.

That was your resolve.

You weren’t going to make God mad.

Until you did.

The Good News is God isn’t mad. And you don’t have to try so hard.

You’ll love this 3-volume bundle because you’ll learn how to get close to God. (And everybody loves a great deal!)

Get it now.

In Blink, Malcolm Gladwell examines the first few seconds our mind is exposed to something, and our ability to make amazingly accurate assessments without thinking about it. He postulates that those initial decisions come from behind the locked door of our subconscious.

Gladwell also puts forth a theory that in moments of extreme stress, our mind becomes blinded to the cues that would provide critical information. He calls this being “mind-blinded” and compares it to autism. To support his theory, Gladwell recounts the shooting of an unarmed black man in a rough part of New York City by four white policemen. I’m not sure I agree with the autism comparison, but the rest of the theory seems to hold water.

Blink is an interesting and well-researched book, typical of Gladwell’s other efforts. This one didn’t grab me the way Outliers did, but still introduced new ways of thinking and seeing things. I give it four stars.

I read this book so long ago when I was a child, I had forgotten most of it. After all this time it is still a classic! This audiobook version has opening remarks by Madelene L’Engle’s granddaughter, and closing remarks recorded by the author herself. The book, written now over 60 years ago, didn’t fit any established genre at the time. It took two years before any publisher was willing to take a chance on it!

Malcomb Gladwell’s What the Dog Saw

This is an extensive compilation of Malcolm Gladwell’s articles in audiobook form, read by the author. Most were taken from the New Yorker magazine. Gladwell has a circumspect way of examining topics, usually keeping himself unbiased, and coming up with new and surprising conclusions. Much of the material in this audiobook dates to the ’90s, so the reasoning and wrapup of each article aren’t earth-shaking today. 
Gladwell is still a fun read (or listen) so I give this one four stars and recommend his recent work more vigorously.

Not a Rant, but a promise