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Book Review: Earn The Right To Win by Tom Coughlin

July 29, 2013 by EnnisP 1 Comment

Preparation Is Winning

I just read Tom Coughlin’s book, Earn the Right to Win, and gleaned some valuable insights. Insights anyone can appreciate. This isn’t just another book written by a popular icon to entertain the masses and make a few bucks.

Although the book includes plenty of anecdotal material it isn’t a bio of the NY Giants or of Tom. This is Tom telling us how he won the most coveted prize in football, the Super Bowl, and he assures us, even in the title, that the principles he used can be applied to any field of work. Tom is very intentional in his coaching, his book tells us how he does it and it illustrates the point that a lot of thinking went into his approach to football.

If that’s true for one of the most physical sports around then it is probably true for anything else one might do.

Tom does have impressive credentials. He began his coaching career at Rochester Institute of Technology, starting the school’s football program from scratch. He also served in several assistant coaching positions before taking the head coaching job at Boston College and was eventually hired as the head coach for the new NFL franchise in Jacksonville. At every level and in every position he established himself as a no-nonsense leader who won games. How he accomplished this winning tradition is what his book is about.

I was impressed enough with the book to think it deserved more than just one short review. Since Tom is the kind of man who can start with nothing and eventually reach some lofty goals, He’s also a man to whom we should listen. If you’re looking for inspiration and how-to advice, Tom’s your man.

This post is just the beginning and will be followed by more.

It becomes very clear in the book that Tom is very deliberate. I was actually surprised at how much of a thinker he is and the overall theme of the book, preparation, illustrates the point. Everything Tom led his teams to do was his way of preparing them to win. Every detail of the preparation was well thought out. Winning was the goal and detailed preparation was his way of getting there. He introduces the “preparation” theme in the subtitle:

How Success in Any Field Starts with Superior Preparation

He elaborates on preparation in his introduction and then expands on it in every chapter that follows. He uses sports to illustrate his points but his illustrations can easily transfer to any other sphere of endeavor. He argues his points well. [Read more…] about Book Review: Earn The Right To Win by Tom Coughlin

Book Review: Blended Family Advice by Shirley Cress Dudley

July 23, 2013 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Shirley, the author of Blended Family Advice: A step-by-step guide to help blended and step families become strong and successful, is not only a qualified psychologists specializing in marriage and family counseling – with two Masters degrees, one in family and marriage counseling and one in education – but also a wife and mother in a blended family. She’s lived through the experience. She knows first hand what it takes to blend members from two different families into a secure family group and she honestly and openly provides gems of wisdom from both her academic training and her blended family experience.

Reading through the book it is clear that her advice is good for traditional family units also which means she is not changing the rules. Instead, Shirley is helping blended families navigate the unfamiliar turbulence created when two groups of people, previously unknown to each other, move toward a desirable place: family.

The book is refreshing because Shirley doesn’t excuse poor family structure on the challenges of being a blended family. She makes it clear from the start that sound family structure can be maintained in spite of the difficulties. The challenges are different but not impossible to deal with and the solutions she provides enable blended families to achieve the same stability as traditional ones. She provides copious amounts of “how to” instructions for many different scenarios. [Read more…] about Book Review: Blended Family Advice by Shirley Cress Dudley

Tithing – Definitions And Warnings

May 10, 2013 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Tithers Offer Confused Instructions
But
Anti-Tithers Give None At All
Other Than Don’t Tithe

The definition of tithing is really straightforward. The word means one-tenth or ten percent and it is the designated amount of one’s income dedicated for God’s purposes. A “Tither” is someone who contributes ten percent of their income to God.

But don’t let that simple definition fool you. Tithing isn’t an easy topic to dissect. Every tither agrees on the ten percent part but they don’t all agree on how to calculate it or how it should be applied. “Tithe” can mean one thing for one person and something very different for another. The differences can be significant. Questions abound.

Tithers argue over which portion of their income should be included when calculating the tithe. Are we tithing on gross income or net? Stated more precisely, the question is “Ten percent of what?”

But the debate doesn’t stop there.

Those who say “Net” don’t agree on why it should be net instead of gross and they offer a variety of different formulas to calculate net. Some eliminate only their taxes before calculating the tithe and others eliminate more.

The same is true for gross tithers. They can’t say why it should be gross or what constitutes gross. In extreme cases, the definition of “gross” expands to include things like birthday gifts and student loans. Obsessive!

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Because the Bible never addresses these issues directly, gross tithers have to use stern looks and a demanding voice to force the issue. Emotional strong-arming.

In one internet conversation, a man complained that his pastor refused to accept his offering because it was calculated differently to what the pastor taught and was therefore tainted.

That mindset gives tithing a legalistic hue and it is this enforcement attitude to which many anti-tithers react. [Read more…] about Tithing – Definitions And Warnings

Suntide Illovo Sands – Durban South Coast, Amanzimtoti

May 8, 2013 by EnnisP 7 Comments

Beautiful Setting
Not So Appealing Surrounds

Just south of Amanzimtoti – near Winkelspruit – the Suntide Illovo Sands, a Holiday Club timeshare, is situated approximately 150 meters walk from the shoreline.

My wife and I made a midweek visit during the winter months – middle of June – and here is what we found.

The positives:

It is quiet, except for the sounds of the surf and the blowing of the wind. Very pleasant.
Units were neat, tidy, well maintained and self catering.
Grounds were clean and well maintained.
Our six sleeper unit had two bathrooms and two bedrooms. The 5th and 6th person were accommodated on beds in the lounge, beds that I could rest on.
Easily accessed braai units (BBQ’s) are located throughout.
All the usual timeshare services and amenities: daily house cleaning, game room, pool table, table tennis, an assortment of games, laundry, pool, TV and babysitting.
Every unit has beautiful views of the beach and ocean.
Personnel are friendly and professional.
The upmarket Galleria Mall within 12 kilometers drive.

Unfortunately, however, the negatives outweigh the positives, at least for me: [Read more…] about Suntide Illovo Sands – Durban South Coast, Amanzimtoti

New Review for “In Defense of Divorce”

May 1, 2013 by EnnisP 1 Comment

Two Very Different
But Amazingly Complimentary Books

This post is a shout out to Tara Eisenhard, author of The D-Word: Divorce Through a Child’s Eyes, for taking the time to read and review my book In Defense of Dirvorce. If you’re not sure what a defense of divorce looks like, read her review. She covers all the salient points.

You’ll find my review of her book here.

If you’re curious about the divorce issue read both books. The books speak from two different perspectives and are amazingly complimentary.

The D-Word is a fictional narrative that is forward looking and encourages hope rather than despondence toward life following divorce and In Defense of Divorce is more technical and debunks the idea that divorce is sinful just because it is divorce.

Read the books.

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