I managed to finish one last book before 2008 came to a close: Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell. I have read (and thoroughly enjoyed) Gladwell’s earlier book The Tipping Point (my review). So as I opened Blink, I had high expectations. To my delight, Gladwell not only met but exceeded my expectations, blowing me away with his meticulous research, delightful storyweaving, and brilliant takeaways.
I recently read The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. Written by Malcolm Gladwell, this book looks at how a minute action, called a “tipping point,” can have a very significant impact. In his words, the “tipping point” is “the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point” (p. 12). Essentially, the “tipping point” is when a small, localized event or product turns epidemic, spreading exponentially throughout the masses. Some of these epidemics are bad (like the mid-1990s syphilis outbreak in Baltimore), while others are good (like the dramatic lowering of the crime rate in NYC in the 90s). In the book, Gladwell identifies small but key components of an epidemic: leaders, message, and context. Essentially, he argues that a tipping point needs dedicated leaders, a dedicated message, and the proper setting. (more…)
In It: How Churches and Leaders can Get It and Keep It, author Craig Groeschel (pastor at LifeChurch.tv) attempts to define and describe the indescribable contrast between churches. Some churches are vibrant, alive, and impacting many lives for the Kingdom of God. Yet at other churches the mood is depressing, the members are stagnant, and the church is spiritually dead. Even if these churches are next to one another, sharing the same geography, community, and culture, they will look vastly different inside. The reason for this innate difference (why churches are alive or dead) is what Groeschel tries to define. (more…)
