More Reading

I just finished a couple more books that I thought I would share with you.

The first was a novel much like The DaVinci Code. Steve Berry's The Alexandria Link is about the quest to find the lost library of Alexandria. The reason why it is so important to find the library is that it will prove that the basis of Judaism and Christianity is all wrong. The Jewish people never were settled in Palestine but in Saudi Arabia. It is a little far fetched, but it was an exciting past passed mystery nevertheless. I would highly recommend it Just don't see it as history.

The second book is very different. Malcom Galdwell's The Tipping Point. I had read this book a couple of years ago, and decided to read it again. It is an attempt to explain why certain things/events succeed and others do not. From Galwell's website he defines the book as:

It's a book about change. In particular, it's a book that presents a new way of understanding why change so often happens as quickly and as unexpectedly as it does. For example, why did crime drop so dramatically in New York City in the mid-1990's? How does a novel written by an unknown author end up as national bestseller? Why do teens smoke in greater and greater numbers, when every single person in the country knows that cigarettes kill? Why is word-of-mouth so powerful? What makes TV shows like Sesame Street so good at teaching kids how to read? I think the answer to all those questions is the same. It's that ideas and behavior and messages and products sometimes behave just like outbreaks of infectious disease. They are social epidemics. The Tipping Point is an examination of the social epidemics that surround us.

He does a great job explaining how and why things "tip". But the practical application becomes very difficult.

I think the one thing that I gleaned from this reading of the book relates to why new churches grow large and established churches have such a hard time changing. But that is a discussion for another day. Overall, I would suggest this book. If you do choose to read it, their is an excellent study guide on http://www.gladwell.com/.