Never a Dull Moment

The Pacific Northwest BI Summit: It's a Business Conference. Really.

Last weekend marked the 10th anniversary of the highly revered Pacific Northwest BI Summit in Grant's Pass, Oregon. For ten years running, Scott Humphrey of Humphrey Strategic Communications, has invited prominent business intelligence analysts and vendors to come together for a long weekend of intense conversation & networking and extreme recreation. It is truly a one-of-a-kind event.

Scott certainly knows how to throw a party

Some great blog posts and articles have been written (see below) - with more on the way - about the business conversation that ensued in the meeting room and on the deck at the Weasku Inn. As for this post, I just want to focus on the fun stuff I enjoyed:

• Getting up early each morning with Jill for a coffee run into town and our follow-on walk - and the sheer delight we brought Kim when Jill delivered her latte each day. (Thanks, Scott, for letting us borrow your SUV!)
• Doing yoga out on the lawn with William - and reminding myself how inflexible and unbalanced I really am. Hannah, on the other hand, is a well-balanced human pretzel.
• Meeting Nubs the Badger and the other kewl wildlife animals, courtesy of the folks from Wildlife Images Rehabilitation and Education Center.
• Teaming up with Kim, Shawn and Donald to serve all the thirsty kayakers on the Rogue River. Much power comes with being the Keeper of the Beer.
• Learning about geocaching for the first time from Colin, Ann and Michael. Something fun I can do with my nephews.
• Enjoying the musical jam session, brought to us by our very own musicians and vocalists - William, Merv, Kim and Hannah. And Claudia, Jess, Craig and John on percussion. Cow bell, anyone?
• Jet boating at speeds up to 45 MPH on the Rogue River while counting the bald eagles and osprey. And getting drenched (I think).
• Rescuing the trapped bird in the meeting room. I mean, how often does that happen?
• Hanging out with Megan and Jess, Scott's and Claudia's daughters. If I had a daughter, I'd want them to grow up to be just like them.

And yes, we played poker and raised money for cancer

Michael Whitehead, CEO of Wherescape, is running in the New York City Marathon this November, and he's doing it for a cause: to raise money for cancer research. So on the final night of the Summit, many of us joined in the benefit poker game to help raise money for the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. It cost us $20 to buy-in to the game, so over the course of the night, the game brought in $600 - which was then matched by a few folks to bring our total contribution up to ~$2,500 for the evening. YAY!

This was a really fun evening. It was my first poker game, but I was in good hands with Jill Dyché by my side coaching me along. Jill brought it all home in the end. But I have to admit that the most entertaining part of the evening (and the trip) for me was the conversation after the poker game. I may be the only one who remembers it well (since I was the only sober one!), but between Scott, Jill, Shawn and Dan - I thought I was going to pee my pants or die laughing. That memory is forever etched in the annals of my mind.

Thanks to Scott and the whole gang at the Summit for another great event! Wanna do it again next year?!

Related posts:

• Smart Stuff from the BI Summit - by Jill Dyché, DataFlux/Baseline Consulting, August 2, 2011
• News from the Pacific Northwest BI Summit - by Bob Eve, Composite Software, July 26, 2011
• A Room with a View at the Weasku Inn - from my July 2007 trip
• Is This a Business Conference or Am I On Vacation? - from my July 2007 trip
• Shawn and Ron's Second Life - from my July 2007 trip (one of my favorite stories)
• Twitter hashtag: #BISUM

Venice Beach: Same Message, But Different Words

A couple of weeks ago, I took a whirlwind weekend trip to Los Angeles. I landed at LAX around 8:30AM, and planned to meet up with my friends in the afternoon. With a few hours on my hands, I took the opportunity to go to one of my most favorite places on the planet: the beach. 

It was still early when I parked at the south end of Venice Beach, so I took the stroll up to the Santa Monica Pier (about a 3-mile walk) and hung out with the musicians and fishermen for a bit. After I had soaked up more than enough sun, I walked back to join the throngs of people at Venice Beach. They were all there: the artisans, the street performers, the skateboarders, the street preachers, the walkers, the bikers, the dogs, and strollers like me.

"How effective is all this?"

Street preachers. I'll be honest. I don't get them. Especially the aggressive, in-your-face ones. And, frankly, I don't get the more passive ones who walk around with "Christian" signs of condemnation and judgment and pass out tracts to passersby. I suspect that some folks may want to wag their finger at me for this next bit because, as a Christian, I should support those who are out there sharing the gospel. But that's my point: What gospel? And what message are we trying to convey?

But back to my story: On this day, I decided to ask a question.

There were three of them standing together: a man who looked like he was in charge, a kind-looking older lady, and a young black woman. They were carrying very large yellow and black signs with bold statements about sin, God's wrath and repentance. And they were passing out tracts. So I walked up to them and said, "I'm Christian. I'm from Seattle. I'm just visiting. How effective is all this?" 

The man who was in charge replied first. He wouldn't look at me; instead, his focus was on the cards he was fiddling with in his hands. He explained that they were there to share the truth, and that this may be the only place some would see or hear the truth. Okay. The older lady shared that on some days, they pass out boxes and boxes of tracts, while on other days, they're working hard just to empty one box.

I could tell that my question had made the man uncomfortable (which surprised me, but it wasn't my intent), and since I was more interested in the results vs. the why, I didn't pursue further with him. I thanked them for their time, and headed on my way.

What message would you share or listen to?

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how many street preachers there are or how many signs are being carried around or how many tracts are given out. What matters is if lives are being transformed by the message we as Christians are sharing. With or without words. Through whatever means.

It seems that when Jesus spoke to the people during his ministry and when Peter spoke to the Jews in the early church, their words changed people's lives. Lots of them. That same day. Forever. Is there something to be learned from the words they used?

Here's a little exercise:

• If you're a Christian, pretend that you were given three blank signs to share the gospel message of Jesus. What words, messages &/or verses would you choose to write on your signs? If you need help getting started, check out this article. 
• Still talking to the Christians: If Jesus were to walk along Venice Beach today, what would he be doing and saying? Would he be carrying a sign? How would he be interacting with the various groups of people - the artisans, the street performers, the street preachers, the sign carriers, the shoppers, the visitors?
• Now for those who don't proclaim to be Christian: What kinds of words and messages would actually speak to you, get your attention? And if you know of Jesus, would you engage with him if you met him on Venice Beach? Why or why not?

Even though these are rhetorical questions, it would be interesting to compare what the Christians would share with what the non-Christians would respond to. At Venice Beach, I suspect there's a disconnect. Why do I say that? Because the man I made uncomfortable would have been telling me a different story. And he wouldn't have been uncomfortable telling it.

Change your words. Change your world.

My friend, Jill, posted this video awhile back on Twitter, and even though it's a marketing promotion, it drives home the point well: The words we choose matter. Written or spoken. Really.

Note: If you can't see the video below, you can view it on YouTube.

The next week: You mean I missed meeting the devil?

Kurt Willems, an Anabaptist writer and pastor, was in Venice Beach the following weekend. His visit was clearly more exciting than mine. He got to see the devil: The Devil Repents in Venice Beach (The "What if..." of all "What ifs").

Hmmm, I wonder what question I would have asked the dude with the red tights and pitchfork?!

What Is and What Could Be

Last week, I wrote a review of Resonate, a book by Nancy Duarte; and then on Friday, I asked Bree Baich to write about the book from a corporate trainer's perspective. This time, I want to highlight one of the concepts in the book that has clamped down on my ankle, and frankly, won't let go. It's this idea of a "sparkline" that vascillates between What Is and What Could Be. Let's first define what a sparkline is, then I'll give you two real-life applications.

What is a sparkline?

On the right is a diagram of a generic sparkline. Click on the image if you want to see it in more detail. The thing to note are the two horizontal lines. Starting from the left, you begin to tell the story of What Is; note that you're on the lower line. You then get to a transition point in your story that takes your listener to the What Could Be line; that's the upper line.

Your story continues to vascillate between What Is—i.e., the listener's current reality—to What Could Be—i.e., the new reality you want your listener to embrace. At the end of the story, you leave your listener with What Could Be, hoping that your words will, in some small way, transform your listener from his/her current What Is state to a more compelling What Could Be reality.

I know this is a dry, mechanical description of a sparkline, but I wanted to get it out there so we can talk about the two examples and how this plays out in "real" life. If you want to know more, Nancy Duarte does a great job of explaining sparklines in this video: Sparkline Overview.

Tell them a story.

Recently, as some of you know, I took on a new product management role at a software development company. We're getting ready to release a new version of the company's flagship product (Lyza) this fall, so one of my current initiatives is to prepare for the product launch.

In previous releases, our business intelligence-focused product has been "built for data analysts by data analysts." This next release, however, has been overhauled to provide a more Facebook-like experience for everyone—not just the data analysts—in the organization. Pretty kewl stuff.

In "sparkline" language, here's what I'm really working on: We are capturing the What Is story of business users, managers and executives, so that we can help them embrace What Could Be with our product. If we can tell them a story—their story—that gets them excited about a better reality and a better way of working together with their colleagues, this could be a very fun ride for everyone involved.

Folks, some of us have been taken on this ride before. Think iPhone. Think iPad. Think Lyza. Yes, I had to put in that shameless plug for our product. Apple's not the only kewl kid on the playground. :)

Tell them your story.

After I read Resonate, I gave a verbal book report to a pastor friend. She's a great auditory learner (which I am not), and it helps me figure out on the fly if I actually "got" what I read. As I was explaining this concept of sparklines, What Is, and What Could Be, she drew out this spiritual application: Our life is the sparkline. What Is is the life we choose to lead for ourselves; What Could Be is the unique life God created each of us to live.

That idea really "resonated" with me. This past year, my spiritual journey has been downright wild, sometimes nauseating, yet richly rewarding. I have been tested and refined every which way, and in that, I've witnessed hundreds of miracles and answered prayers, small and large. In context of this sparkline discussion, I would say that I've jumped tracks from living out my self-directed What Is line to living out God's What Could Be line for me.

I'm done living What Is. I have to admit that What Could Be is filled with more uncertainty since I have no idea where God's taking me today, tomorrow or next year. But there's one thing I do know: I've never been more sure in my life that I'm on the right track.

Talking Heads

A post by guest blogger Bree Baich. This is part 2 of a 2-part series about Nancy Duarte's book, "Resonate" - this time from a trainer's perspective. You can check out part 1 here.

How many times have you been required to attend a training session only to leave overwhelmed, confused, and feeling like the content was not just mind-numbing, it didn’t appear to be applicable or implementable once you returned to your daily grind?

I’ve no doubt you—like me—felt like Burning Down the House just for being forces to participate. You’re left wondering why you were required to attend in the first place.

There’s a common term you hear used amongst the training community and that term is the *talking head*. Those are the presenters who really know their stuff, they’re even quite passionate about the content presented, but they do little-to-no research on their audience. They rarely take the time to pull together a presentation that will have attendees on the edge of their seats, hanging on every word, and wanting for more. Yep, a talking head… they literally stand there delivering a message—important as it may be—that most will simply forget the minute they walk out the door.

Inspiration can come from anywhere.

As a training content designer, I’m always looking for inspiration that I can glean from in order to create engaging, memorable, sticky messages; driving learner’s to a better place and helping them connect the dots required to improve performance and job satisfaction. I’m continually looking for that water-cooler conversation and viral effect to courses so learners come back again and again!

Recently, someone recommended an inspirational read; Resonate. In short, it’s a book devoted to helping presenters put together visual stories that will transform audiences. It’s a workbook of sorts filled with great case studies highlighting leaders, musicians, and visionaries who tell inspiring stories—with their work—in order to move participants along a path that ultimately leads them to conversations about what was presented and yearning for more.

As usual, Nancy Duarte does an outstanding job of practicing what she’s preaching with her words. A lot of business reads can appear to be “page turners” with great content, but little inspiration. Resonate on the other hand offers concepts, examples and thought-provoking ideas that moved me to begin to design differently. She left me with a *new bliss* for design!

My call to action.

Putting Nancy’s words into action for me came when asked to deliver a presentation on the way adults learn. I had ten minutes to teach an audience of the smartest people I’d ever met, everything I knew in regards to training design and development. Talk about pressure!

When plotting out the content I’d share, I began thinking about who I’d be speaking to; what were their potential life experiences, who might they interact with, how many may fall into each category… in general, who were these uber smart peeps?

I opted to design a presentation that would require them to come along this journey with me. I prepared one slide with five statements that would ask the audience to weigh in on adult learning styles and sound design principles. They simply needed to answer true or false.

I started with a quick story about how I draw inspiration from everywhere including TV commercials pointing out one in particular in order to set up the theme and ultimately the humorous conclusion. I then moved into my first statement asking for a show of hands for those who felt the statement was true, followed by those who felt it was false. After they responded, I revealed the answer.

As I worked my way through all five statements, I offered examples and asked questions (like how they studied during college finals) in order to tie them to the content which ironically caused them to offer ME the supportive data proving the theories we discussed. I heard laughs, groans and a few comments that let me know they were engaged and participating.

They say the proof is in the pudding.

Ultimately what took place was a quick lesson on design theory that left them with a better understanding of who had just joined their team, what they could expect from future course development and a little fun along the way.

Later that evening during the mixer numerous people approached me so they could thank me for the afternoon fun and tell me how much they were looking forward to what was coming next. Some even made me laugh when pointing out their 100% score on all five statements. They wanted me to know they truly were uber smart. <grin>

Bottom line… did I leave them wanting more? I sure hope so!

Final thought.

I may not always hit the mark with what I’m trying convey, but thanks to inspirational books like Resonate, I’m filled with great ideas that are sure to motivate me to think and design differently!

So if you find yourself tasked with designing content for the next company meeting, consider the concept in the words of Nancy Duarte, “Leave them with something they will always remember…” don’t just be another “talking head”!

Nancy Duarte Does It Again with Resonate

I am not a designer. But I love the design process of taking a raw, untamed idea and molding it into some beautiful, visually-appealing masterpiece. And I also love those folks who help wannabe designers like me bring these raw ideas to life. Folks like Dave Accampo, an extraordinarily talented guy that I worked with at Baseline Consulting. And Nancy Duarte, who writes books like Slide:ology and Resonate, and breaks down this creative process into practical, bite-size pieces.

I loved Slide:ology.

When Slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations came out in 2008, I made everyone read it. Well, not everyone, but those whom I believed would "get it" and play along. Great presenters like Jill Dyche, Henriet Schapelhouman and Bree Baich. And great designers like Dave. We were on the path of taking our presentations to the next level.

I loved Resonate even more.

Then, last year, Nancy Duarte came out with a new book: Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Tranform Audiences. Move over, Slide:ology, and make room for your new sister. But, really, why two books by the same author on the same topic? The short answer is: Focus. Whereby Slide:ology focuses on the mechanics of putting your ideas into a compelling presentation, Resonate takes a step back and helps you identify and shape those ideas.

In Resonate, you learn how to use a tool called the presentation form that helps you take your audience on a hero's journey, vascillating between ideas of what is and what could be. And if you like examples, the book provides a lot of case studies and analyzes many well-known presentations and speeches, from folks like Martin Luther King, Jr., Steve Jobs and Ronald Reagan, to name a few.

I used Resonate to create a presentation.

I had to develop a presentation for the Northwest Ministry Conference in April. The title of my presentation was "Facebook, Blogging, Twitter, Oh My!: A Social Media Checklist for Your Ministry." Of course, I had to do it Resonate-style, which I knew would help me sort through my bajillion ideas. But I also knew that it would take longer because it was a new approach (for me) and I would want to wrestle through each step of the process so I could learn it well.

For days, my dining room table was littered with post-it notes, but in the end, I had a presentation that captured the message I believe my audience would want to hear. Only time would tell.

I delivered my presentation. Unplugged.

The 3-day conference arrived. I was scheduled to present on Saturday AM (day 3), so on the first day, I went to check out my assigned room to see what the layout was, figure out where I would set up the projector, etc. I discovered that the room was small, long, and held about 25 chairs. As for setting up a projector, there (1) wasn't enough room and (2) the walls were covered with green, textured wallpaper.

It was time for Plan B.

I printed out my presentation to use as notes. I created a 1-page handout for the attendees. And I delivered my technology-based presentation without any technology.

And the session went really well. There was a lot of interaction, and a lot of folks came. I believe that because I had organized my ideas Resonate-style, I was able to deliver a well-received message to these folks. Sans slides. Thank you, Resonate.

Get Resonate.

I would highly recommend both Slide:ology and Resonate. But if you're only going to get one book, get Resonate. And if I had to mark the two most important pages in the book, it would be pages 142-143. It's the process recap diagram. These two pages sum up the whole book IMHO.

The Art of the Humble Brag

I like NCIS. A lot. And I like NCIS Los Angeles. But it took me awhile to warm up to this sister show. I think the clincher for me is when they added Marty Deeks (far left) to the cast. He's Kensi's partner, and watching them together is downright brilliant and entertaining, and really adds to this dynamic cast.

In a February episode, the show had some fun with this idea of the "humble brag." Kensi had just got to work and couldn't understand why guys were hitting on her at the gym with all her sweat and without her makeup. The guys' response? Humble brag. Later in the show, Deeks talks about Kensi lamenting that her size 2 jeans were too big for her. Yup. Humble brag.

What is a humble brag?

Simply stated, a humble brag is the art of complaining and complimenting yourself at the same time. In the examples above, Kensi was also boasting of her desirability and her thin physique. Her self-compliments were just dressed up as complaints.

Humble brags are all around us.

There's actually a @HumbleBrag Twitter account that retweets* humble brags posted on Twitter. Here's a few recent ones:

AGH! Awful moment when in PJ's chilling with dogs & working on music & realize you have to be on a Red Carpet in an hour! ~@PauleyP (yes, Abby from NCIS)

Great, the ONE article of mine I didn't want my boyfriend to see, and they picked it up in Details magazine ~@thebenword

I just received a text that I was the top story on NFL.com. I'm trying to stay out of the news. ~@RickyWilliams 

My voice keeps going in and out.. No biggie just have two sold out shows to do where I talk for an hour. ~@MaloneComedy

* For the less Twitter-savvy, retweeting is like forwarding an email. It's an easy way to share status updates you like (or, I guess, don't like).

It was funny. Then it wasn't.

Through humor, the show had me asking myself: Is it possible that I, too, am a humble bragger? I do try to stop myself when I'm in the act of out-&-out bragging, but this humble twist of complaining and bragging at the same time...do I do that, too? Hmmm. I had just been given a new pair of lenses from which to view my world. Thank you, NCIS LA and Kensi. I think.

Today, I do view my world differently with these Humble Brag lenses. I stop and think even more about what I'm going to say before I say it. At the end of the day, hopefully, I am complaining less and praising others more.

God, may my conversations be filled with words of praise and gratitude, not complaining or bragging.

If Anyone Asks, I'm with the Lizard Now

Yes, I’m back. And no, this blog has not died. Yet.

Life is good at Lyzasoft.

As some of you may know, I joined the team at Lyzasoft last month. It’s a great fit for me because Lyzasoft brings together the best of two worlds I play in: business intelligence and social media. And I get to do the things I love to do: product management with a dose of product marketing for good measure. The people are awesome. The product rocks. It has a lizard. Life is indeed good.

Life is also good with Semper Vita.

We are in the “getting really, really close” stage with the website application for Semper Vita. We’re cracking the last handful of development nuts, and frankly, some of these nuts require a sledgehammer. Even though my time is limited to work on the website, we’re still making plans to roll out a private beta version soon. Like this summer. Stay tuned.

You can have vanilla or chocolate or both.

I love social media - blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. But, let’s be honest, it can be time-consuming. And a time zapper. And complicated. Especially if you have a “professional” version of yourself and a “personal” version.

In the past, I’ve tried to be consistent online, almost a one-size-fits-all version of myself, in an attempt to appeal to all. But I stopped doing that last month. Why? For the same reason I won’t (or shouldn't) talk "geek" at the dinner table with family and friends. Or about my personal passions and pasttimes with my colleagues.

All that to say, you’ll now find two “Tamara” flavors online: one is geared toward my professional pursuits, and the other is for everything else.

For the Professional flavor, you’ll find me here:

• Twitter - @LyzasoftTamara and @Lyzasoft (behind the lizard)
• LinkedIn profile
• The Lyzasoft Blog (coming soon)

For the Personal flavor, connect with me on:

• This blog - Never a Dull Moment
• Facebook
• Twitter - @tamaradull
• Semper Vita Blog (later this year)

This blog will now have less tech talk, and more life talk. My goal is to post twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. I’ve got some provocative topics lined up. Or at least I think they’re provocative. But some topics aren’t. They’re just goofy.

So what's your pleasure - vanilla, chocolate or both?

Congratulations, Baseline Consulting and DataFlux!

What a great way to end the week! This morning, DataFlux announced its acquisition of one of my favorite companies, Baseline Consulting! By the excitement I'm currently feeling, you'd think I was still an employee. Geesh! Call me a sentimental fool, but I had to capture the image above from DataFlux's homepage just for posterity's sake. 

What makes this particularly exciting is that I just love it when good things happen to great people and companies. While I was at Baseline, I had the opportunity to meet Tony Fisher, CEO, and Katie Fabiszak, CMO, of DataFlux at an MDM conference in the Big Apple. Baseline had always spoke highly of DataFlux and its people, so it was great to actually meet them in person. Funny that now anytime I see images of Times Square on TV or online, I'm reminded fondly of that trip.

I believe this year Baseline will have celebrated its 20th year. That really says a lot. They have been around a long time, and have truly established themselves as thought leaders in the world of everything data. They have an elite, seasoned team of consultants who have helped hundreds of clients over the years. I totally agree with Jill Dyche's statement in the press release: "...I'd call it a 'win-win-win-win'..." Yup, Baseline, DataFlux, and its combined customers are truly the winners in this acquisition.

I want to send a heartfelt congratulations to my friends and colleagues at Baseline, especially Jill Dyche and Evan Levy. You have built a great organization, and I'm so happy that, along with DataFlux, you can now take DataFlux/Baseline to its next level of awesomeness! Congratulations!

Where in the World is Tamara?

Hey there! It is high time for me to get in here and blow the dust off this blog. Yup, I know, some of you have been through this experience with me before, so you know what to do: Cover your nose 'cuz I'm blowing now. All better now. :) So let's jump in and see what's been going on.

I have a new love in my life.

I told you about him before, but I had no idea then that anything serious would come of it. Just to catch everyone up, the relationship started about four years ago and began to intensify a bit more in 2009. Then last August, the relationship went to a whole new level. I'm not exactly sure I was ready for it or was even desiring it, but today, the fact is we're inseparable. Like I said, I've told you about him before. Here. 

Wow! Who knew?!

Want to know the real story? The above story is real, but it's missing some bits...

Many of you may know that I left a great position at Baseline Consulting last April to focus my efforts on Semper Vita, a non-profit organization I've been involved with the last few years. For those new to this blog, Semper Vita is about helping people find meaningful ways to volunteer and connect in the community. Sounds great, huh? Well, except for the fact that our website application was still not done.

We had hired a senior Drupal developer/designer to build the application. Unfortunately, development got way behind schedule, and so my hope was to dedicate more time and attention to the project and get things back on track. Things were moving along, and we were expecting to see a fully-functioning website by the end of July. But instead, our developer abandoned the project in early August. After 12 months of development. Without a word. Wow! Who knew?!

So instead of heading back into a paying job in August as I had originally thought (since my work with Semper Vita is voluntary), I was rolling up my sleeves to take my relationship with Drupal to a whole new level. I can honestly report that most - and I mean most - of my life since that time has been fully dedicated to getting the website application built. From scratch. And yes, learning Drupal in the process. I'll spare you the details on the scope of this project, but in the "real world," it would easily be a 6-month, 3-person project. So if you haven't seen or heard from me, hopefully you understand why.

What's next?

We are close to getting the first release of Semper Vita completed. It will be a Private Beta version with a limited distribution so that we can get some of our local partners and volunteers onboard, and work with them as they ramp up on Semper Vita.

I'm also starting the process of finding a paying job once again. The reality is that even though I love the work I've had the opportunity to do, it doesn't pay the bills. I will still continue my role with Semper Vita in a part-time capacity, as I've done since 2007.

And get this: I'm even entertaining the idea of starting a second blog that's Drupal-related so that I can give back to the Drupal community. We'll see. My mind still seems to be young and fresh with lots of ideas that this ol' body of mine just won't show up for anymore.

Book Review: Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola

“...the question is not “What would Jesus do?” but “What does Jesus want to do now through me...through us?” Jesus Manifesto, p. 96

Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola is a wake-up call to followers of Christ who have been distracted by the "stuff" of Christianity and/or have taken their eye off the real "ball" of our faith and existence—Jesus Christ.

The authors contend that “...once we catch a sighting of Jesus Christ in all his glory—we will gladly exchange our dusty rites, Christian-speak, and pop-culture church-building tactics for the joy of becoming a walking, breathing ‘Jesus Manifesto.’” (p. xix)

This begs the question: "What is a Jesus Manifesto?" Simply stated, it’s a living epistle. A city set on a hill. Salt and light. It’s you and me when we are compelled to respond in a very real way to the love Jesus has so graciously poured out on us.

The WWJD quote above sums up the book's purpose well: It’s not about imitating Jesus as much as it is about Jesus living in and through us. In other words, we are to live in such a way that others "see Jesus" oozing from our pores. Can you imagine what the Church—the corporate expression of Jesus Christ—would look like if Christians oozed Jesus? For me, it brings a whole different picture of the Church to mind. And that's sort of the authors' point.

This book came at a good time for me as I've been asking God to lead me to a deeper understanding of what it means to have Jesus be my "all in all" and be "more than enough" for me. It's no longer good enough for me to know this in my head and sing about it. I want it to be my experience, my reality, and nothing less.

The book does a phenomenal job of presenting Jesus Christ in all his glory. Nothing more. Nothing less. In some respect, it was like meeting Jesus all over again, complete with the awe, humility and fascination of the first time we met.

Want to learn more? The Christian Post summarized well the key declarations from the book. You can also visit the book's website at www.thejesusmanifesto.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."