A Book for All of Us: Faith at Work

May 18, 2012 By 19 Comments

A book I’ve been looking for

Over a year ago, I started searching for Catholic business resources, specifically books. I found seven, but I felt like there was something missing. Something current, for one thing.

My husband suggested I pitch an idea or two to write such a book. I shook my head and gave him a few reasons why that wouldn’t be feasible for the publisher or for me (platform, anyone?). I also admitted that my heart wasn’t in writing such a book. It was in reading it.

It was a delight then, to have my review shelf sprout not one, but TWO, Catholic business books recently. (I wrote about the other one, The Catholic Briefcase, by Randy Hain, a while back.)

The book is one that I enjoyed immensely: Faith at Work: Finding Purpose Beyond the Paycheck, by Kevin Lowry.

(Kevin was around here quite a bit last week: focusing on WOMB as part of Looking Closer at the Hail Mary, answering my questions in 140 characters or less, and reviewing my book.)

Yes, but does it apply to ME?

Working from home, juggling small children, writing, and doing laundry and dishes and other such makes me sometimes wonder if there’s any point to reading business books.

Yes, I’m still interested, but shouldn’t I focus on my faith life?

My reading time is so limited, shouldn’t I read the novels and fiction I long for?

There’s usually nothing new or life-changing in the business books, and I can’t help but be cynical about many of the premises: is there any point?

The answer was on page one of Faith at Work:

My goal in writing this book is to encourage you along the path of conversion. Whether you are a CEO, a homemaker, a clerk, a teacher, or a laborer, I want you to think about your work just a little bit differently. Work is an opportunity, not only to earn a living but also to live your faith in its fullness. The only way this is possible is to completely integrate your faith and your work.

Making it real

This book is high on practical advice, even as it doesn’t compromise the high ideals. After each chapter, there are action steps that you can read and ignore or attempt. There are questions for reflection that are low on the eye-rolling touchy-feely stuff and high on the “examine yourself and make a tiny step RIGHT NOW” element.

We all work, period.

I love the fact that Lowry acknowledges the work of everyone–and not just in the introduction. The fact is, we all work. Even if you’re blessed to have your work look a lot like play to the rest of the world (guilty), it’s still work.

Our work is from God–or it can be. It can be for God, too, no matter where or how or when we work. We can bless it and use it to achieve holiness (or get closer, anyway).

Humility, gratitude, patience, oh my!

Through insightful and humorous anecdotes from his years of work and home life, Lowry weaves a few lessons that always seem to hit me close to home. In fact, having a spirit of humility, gratitude, and patience seems about as possible to me most days as climbing the big oak tree in the back yard.

It takes humility to be a team player, and what team is closer to home than the one that begins in your own home? Without gratitude, you miss a lot of beauty in life, but it requires you to look beyond yourself. Patience might seem impossible to some of us (me), but when it comes right down to it, patience is about trusting God.

Faith is inseparable from work.

I knew that, I know I did. Faith at Work, though, reminded me that it doesn’t have to be shoved down anyone’s throat, it doesn’t have to be un-fun, and it doesn’t have to be old news. The beauty of our faith is part and parcel of everything we do, who we are, how we live. Lowry gives us all a resource for being more intentional with our efforts.

Want a copy of your own?

I happen to have a copy here on my desk that you could own. Leave a comment by Friday, May 25 at midnight PST with the biggest work challenge you face, and you’ll be entered to win. I’ll notify the winner sometime next weekend.

There are more Quick Takes, just as there are every week, at Conversion Diary.

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Kevin Lowry in 140 or Less

May 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

If the name Kevin Lowry isn’t familiar to you, allow me to change that.

Kevin’s the author of a great new book, Faith at Work: Finding Purpose Beyond the Paycheck. (I’ll be reviewing it in depth next week.) Kevin also blogs at Grateful Convert, where you can find his conversion story, his recent reading recommendations, and his thoughts on how we should treat others.

Kevin was a guest here on Thursday, where he reflected on the word “womb” as part of the ongoing Looking Closer at the Hail Mary series.

Today, he’s going to be answering a few questions that I sent him, with strict instructions that he had 140 characters or less to use for answering.

What do you hope people take away from your book?

Hopefully a new perspective on the power of integrating faith and work, and encouragement to do so in practical, simple ways each day.

What was the best part of writing this book?

Working with the OSV team, meeting other Catholic writers, and discovering that even my mistakes could serve as blessings to other people.

Who was your biggest inspiration while you were writing it?

My dad, for our countless discussions about faith and work over the years. I also prayed constantly to the Holy Spirit for guidance.

When did you write this book? Is there a certain time of day or setting that works best for you?

I sat in an old recliner in our family room, right in the midst of all our family chaos. It was my attempt to integrate writing and family.

When you think of the book, what about it makes you smile?

Recalling some of the stories, such as getting chewed out by the ref in chapter 13. I still give my friend Tom a hard time about that one!

Be sure to check out more of Kevin’s work at Grateful Convert.

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Book Talk: What I’ve Read Lately (Nonfiction)

May 9, 2012 By 1 Comment

I’ve read some GRRRRREAT books lately. I can’t help but reflect that I’m pretty lucky: it’s rare that I read a book I don’t like. This is in part because I’ve just gotten over that desire to finish every single book, in part because I’ve gotten better at picking what I will actually read (before I pick up something I don’t like), and in part because of pure luck.

Today, I’m focusing on three recent nonfiction reads, but I promise to talk about the piles of fiction I’ve been enjoying. The thing is, some of that requires brain cells I can’t tap into right now. So you get nonfiction first.

Use Your Words: A Writing Guide for Mothers

By Kate Hopper

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I got this book through the Amazon Vine program, though I’ve stopped getting as many books (or even really looking at the books available) because, well, I am buried in books. (I’m not complaining, mind you.) Plus there are tons of other cool things I can get through Amazon Vine, so why add to the books I can’t get to yet?

This book, though, caught my eye and I broke down and ordered it. I’m a writer, after all, and a mother! This book looked like it was for me!

And…it was. I’ll admit, I was a bit afraid this would be too much “do this, do that” and not enough advice or help I could actually use, but Hopper, as it turns out, is a talented teacher. She doesn’t just tell you what to do, but uses a wide variety of examples–from mothers, no less–and she’s down-to-earth in her approach. For example, she doesn’t suggest you get up every morning at 3 AM to write (though that may be what works for you). She advocates writing, yes, and gives you tools for doing that, but she’s not militant or unrealistic. I appreciated that.

One of the best parts of this book, for me, was getting encouragement from a fellow mom-writer, someone who has multiple kids, is working in the world and in writing, and who has a life beyond the page. Some of the writing books I’ve read, while excellent, seem like they don’t apply. Hopper has combined her expertise in writing with humor and practicality.

Have you ever thought of writing? Not sure how to start or where to begin or what to do? This book will be a great guide for you.

If, like me, you have a clue but need a cheerleader or a refresher or hey, a break from a certain kind of reading you might find yourself constantly immersed in, I’ll bet you will love and appreciate this book just like I do.

Overall, highly recommended, especially for fellow mom-writers.

Wish You Were Here: Travels through Hope and Loss

By Amy Welborn

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

How could I not pre-order this book? It came highly recommended from all my favorite people, and so I did. And then, then it sat for quite a while on my to-read shelf. And then it took me far longer to read than it should have, given its length.

It hits me a little close to home. It gets me crying and sentimental and unable to be in my own company.

What makes this book great is not just the fact that Amy Welborn is a young widow who traveled with her kids to Sicily in the wake of her husband’s unexpected death. It’s great for the fact that Welborn shares herself candidly, with no icing or halos. It’s great for the fact that there are others, like Welborn, who are mired in grief and forging forward anyway, invisibly, silently. It’s great for the fact that Welborn makes everyone and every place a character, with texture and depth and feeling.

What makes this book readable is not just that Amy Welborn is a master of the craft, a wordsmith of awesome proportions, a woman who knows how to say what she means to say. It’s readable for the good writing, the expert editing, the weaving and plotting and feeling that’s in every word.

What makes this book heart-wrenching and real is not just that Amy Welborn is brave and honest and colorful. It’s heart-wrenching and real because of the word choices, the phrases, the heart that comes through at every turn. Did she relive things as she wrote? Was it torturous to bare her heart to the world?

I’m not usually a fan of memoir, but this book breaks through my prejudice and forces me to consider life. It doesn’t preach, and yet it shares a message that’s wholly Catholic, completely Christian, and absolutely provocative.

Highly recommended, just like everyone said it would be.

Holiness for Everyone: The Practical Spirituality of St. Josemaria Escriva

By Eric Sammons

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I’m a big fan of Eric Sammons and his book-writing. When he wrote me and asked me to take a look at this one, I couldn’t say no. His last book was one of my favorites, after all, and I was curious after seeing the title to this one.

It’s not a biography, but more like a braid of St. Josemaria’s wisdom and spirituality and the life we all struggle to live. Sammons does a great job of keeping it real, of making the theories into practices that apply even to me.

I found myself marking this book, thinking of the people I would share it with, and considering rereading it, right away, so that I could tackle it more slowly, in a more devotional way.

I have a copy of The Way around here somewhere (I think it’s tucked in a drawer of devotional stuff), and I remember enjoying the little tidbits within it. It ended up tucked away because…well, we moved, I had other things to focus on, and on and on.

Sammons compiles St. Josemaria’s writings and thoughts into his own, using them to punctuate the point he’s making and demonstrate the example we should strive to set.

I was a bit surprised how I enjoyed this book, honestly. I agree with the premise: holiness IS for everyone, yes. But I don’t necessarily want to be told how to be holy. I don’t quite have enough humility within me to accept a sermon, but the way Sammons and St. Josemaria pair up, it’s like a talk with a good friend.

Sammons reclaims the word “spirituality” from the wet-behind-the-ears and rather lame approach so many people have to it and makes it something tangible. It’s not easy, he makes clear, but it’s also not any harder than so many other things. “Holiness is not,” he writes, “a matter of following certain rules set down by a superior. Nor is it a predestined result that God determines for certain members of his creation. Holiness, rather, is a living relationship between a loving child who wants to please his father and a father who gives his child everything he needs to succeed.”

Holiness is about family, and our family, he reminds us, using the in-the-dirt-of-life rationale of St. Josemaria, is comprised first and foremost of God himself.

Highly recommended, especially if you’re weary of spiritual reading, looking for a light in the tunnel, and maybe just looking for refreshment in your faith journey.

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The Last Saturday of March Daybook

March 31, 2012 By 2 Comments

Outside my window: It’s looking like it’s going to be a gray day, but I’m okay with that.

Around the house: The girls are up and watching some early morning TV curled under blankets. My boys are sleeping. The washer’s at work across the room and I’m thinking of what I need to do this morning.

In other places:

In my kitchen: The floor is clean. And now the formerly quiet kids are demanding I make them breakfast. (They know about the stash of new flavors of Pop Tarts.)

In my thoughts: I’m thinking about a fun weekend visit, all I need to do in the coming week, and a host of things I’m grateful for.

In thanksgiving: For the support and encouragement of my family, for the weekly renewal of things horsey, for the weekend ahead.

In my prayers: A very special intention for someone I love dearly and a friend who’s mourning.

Nose inserted: Oh, these are goooood; it was all I could do to go to bed last night!

Recent reads: I’ll be reviewing a number of these very soon in various places.

  • The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins (fiction, YA) – I read this because my sister-in-law asked me to, and I was rather surprised that I enjoyed it and even wanted to read the next book in the trilogy. My nieces have started reading it, and one of them told me that the movie is the BEST MOVIE EVER (she’s seen it twice and offered to go with me). I haven’t put my thoughts together coherently, but my early thoughts are that it’s almost like Lord of the Flies meets 1984.
  • Style, Sex, and Substance: 10 Catholic Women Consider the Things that Really Matter, Edited by Hallie Lord – Fun and informative, lovely and hilarious, this is sure to warrant the hype it’s gotten and earn it’s spot as a best-selling Catholic book. I’m reviewing it in length at CatholicMom.com next Friday AND giving a copy away. Stay tuned!
  • The Catholic Girl’s Survival Guide for the Single Years: The Nuts and Bolts of Staying Sane and Happy While Waiting for Mr. Right, by Emily Stimpson – I met the author at the Behold Conference, and I’ve enjoyed her writing online in various places, so I thought that, although the book didn’t appear to be anything relevant to me, I’d give it a shot. I couldn’t have been more wrong! Not only was it speaking to ME in many ways, but I marked passages and will be sharing more thoughts about it at length. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time, and I don’t say that lightly! I couldn’t put it down!
  • The Work of Mercy: Being the Hands and Heart of Christ, by Mark Shea – I thought this book would be a drag, but I love Mark Shea’s writing and I thought I’d make it through it. What a delight to find that this book is the sort of thing I encourage our pastor to use for his Bible study, that I pass on to a good friend, and that I plan to reference and reread many times. Shea made the works of mercy so clear and so relevant that I found myself moved in ways I just never have been. It was touching, even as it was informative. In other words, I loved it.
  • Fatherless, by Brian Gail – I picked this up reading all the acclaim and rave reviews about it and was really looking forward to it. After all, it’s Catholic fiction. However, I gave it three stars and found myself a bit disappointed. The story does keep moving and there are many parts that are compelling and thought-provoking. I had the sensation of being a bit preached to throughout, and I felt like it could have been about half as long and twice as effective. Nevertheless, I’ll be reading the other two books in the series (Motherless and Childless), so don’t think I didn’t enjoy reading it enough to continue. Three stars doesn’t make it a must-read in my categorizing, but it is worthwhile and better than drivel.
  • Faith at Work: Finding Purpose Beyond the Paycheck, by Kevin Lowry – This is a great book, hands down. Kevin Lowry is approachable and I found that, though he wrote what is undoubtedly a business book, it’s applicable to all of us who work, whether we work at home or in an office or on the road. Lowry taps into his experience and his wisdom, shares his faith and his insight, and tops it all off with a bit of humor and perspective. I really enjoyed reading it and I will be encouraging others to read it as well.

Plea for advice: Anyone have suggestions for sharing links that isn’t FriendFeed? I thought it was going to be a great way to share in my sidebar, but I’ve caught that it’s been dropping the ball. If you have suggestions, I’m all ears!

A favorite thing: My seven-year-old’s penchant for coloring and the many beautiful drawings she is always making.

Food for thought: “Fasting, which can have various motivations, takes on a profoundly religious significance for the Christian: by rendering our table poorer, we learn to overcome selfishness in order to live in the logic of gift and love; by bearing some form of deprivation – and not just what is in excess – we learn to look away from our “ego”, to discover Someone close to us and to recognize God in the face of so many brothers and sisters. For Christians, fasting, far from being depressing, opens us ever more to God and to the needs of others, thus allowing love of God to become also love of our neighbor (cf. Mk 12: 31).” – Pope Benedict XVI, from his 2011 Lenten message

Worth a thousand words: My boy, who spent at least a half-hour a few mornings ago on the front porch, watching the traffic and pointing to all the trucks

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A Briefcase for Every Catholic

February 15, 2012 By 2 Comments

I picked up Randy Hain’s new book, The Catholic Briefcase: Tools for Integrating Faith and Work, with a lot of excitement. I’ve been longing for good Catholic business resources for quite some time. About 18 months ago, after my husband asked me about it, and then someone emailed me for recommendations, I compiled a list of Catholic business books I could find, but it didn’t feel like much.

And joy of joys, on my to-read pile is ANOTHER Catholic business book!

Randy Hain doesn’t mess around in this book. It reads like the great business books I’ve read, and it offers suggestions that, though I’m arguably not as much in the business world as I am in the home world, applied to me.

For example, Randy suggests using an examen throughout the day. Inspired by this suggestion, I set alarms on my phone and retyped what he provides in the appendix of his book. This practice has helped me enormously in the few weeks I’ve been implementing it.

My favorite part of this book, though, is Randy’s attitude about the integration of faith and work. This is no surprise from the co-founder of the Integrated Catholic Life e-zine. Faith is not EVER separate from who we are, whether we are at work in an office, in our home, or out at the grocery store. This book is a handy guide, a helpful examination of priorities, and a barrel of possibilities. Randy’s deep faith is evident and his joy in the inevitable overlap of his business world and his faith are apparent.

Highly recommended!

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Seven Catholic Business Books

July 9, 2010 By 5 Comments

Last week, I mentioned how shocked I was by a statement in an article at Catholic Culture with the top 10 business books that no Catholic titles were included “because so many Catholic business books are either junk or not very helpful.” I was sure this couldn’t be true. So I Twittered and Facebooked not once, but three times. I’ve been compiling a list of recommendations of Catholic business books.

Here seven of the finds that I can say come from reliable sources, meaning the people recommending them to me found them helpful and relevant to their lives as Catholics in the business world. My parameters at this point were that (a) the author be a practicing Catholic (insofar as that can be determined) and/or (b) the subject of the book include Catholic content (i.e. practicing your Catholic faith in the workforce, applying Catholic social teaching to your spending, etc.).

It’s a goal of mine (though admittedly low on the food chain right now) to read through the pile of recommendations and find some of my own and come up with a list that I can recommend. Until then, here’s a start:

Good Returns: Making Money by Morally Responsible Investing, by George Schwartz

This book shares the history and lessons of the Ave Maria Mutual Fund. It includes information that will help you screen your investments to be compatible with a clear set of faith-based criteria.

Time Management: A Catholic Approach, by Marshall Cook

This book combines spiritual and the practical in an approach to time management. Says the review at Amazon: “Whether you find yourself under the constant barrage of meetings, deadlines, and databases or cooking, childcare, and cleaning, time management is a skill that will help you determine how to manage the time with which God has gifted you.”

St. Benedict’s Rules for Business Success, by Quentin Skrabec, Jr.

Here’s what Amazon has to say:

St. Benedict’s Rule is one of a handful of documents, such as the Magna Carta and U.S. Constitution, that make up the foundation of Western civilization. Benedict’s Rule is an organizational blueprint for success and Benedict’s original organization is the oldest in the world (over 1500 years). The beauty of The Rule is its organizational genius, which has wide application beyond monastic groups.

The Rule is a basic textbook to create and maintain effective organizations. It offers today’s reader insights into some of the most difficult resource management in business. The Rule is a guide to success for entrepreneurs, managers, and everyone in the world of business. St. Benedict’s Rule for Business Success is must reading for entrepreneurs, managers, and business. Furthermore, it is great for anyone wanting to develop effective organizations, from church groups to Girl Scouts.

In addition, I’d like to note that the author has a degree from a fine, fine university (and yes, an alma mater of mine) (cue grins).

The Benedictine Rule of Leadership: Classic Management Secrets You Can Use Today, by Craig S. Galbraith and Oliver Galbraith, III

This looks like the kind of book I would buy my husband (a newly-minted middle manager) and my good friend the uber-business-book-consumer. I love the thought of applying St. Benedict’s Rule to management, and this looks different enough from the book above (and was, in fact, recommended together with the above book by person recommending) to make a fine companion. I found, thanks to my friends at Amazon, some of the chapters, including: The Rule of Managerial Improvisation, The Rule of Careful Counsel, The Rule of Merit and Seniority, The Rule of Innovation, and The Rule of Leading by Example.

Heroic Leadership, by Chris Lowney

This book uses the example of St. Ignatius of Loyola, who founded a 10-man “company” in 1540 and which is now known as the Jesuits, the world’s largest religious order. Author Chris Lowney left seven years of the Jesuit seminary to become a managing director at J.P. Morgan. He “explores how the Jesuits have successfully grappled with challenges that test great companies-forging seamless multinational teams, motivating performance, being open to change and staying adaptable.”

Patrick Lencioni

He’s written a variety of business fables (Getting Naked, Death by Meeting, and Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars, to name a few), at least one book of the business bookshelf variety (The Five Temptations of a CEO) even a book for families (The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family). From what I’ve found of him online (here, for example), I’m wondering why I have never delved into his work. Consider them added to my reading list!

Dave Durand

Both of Catholic author Dave Durand’s books look like winners to me: Win the World (Without Losing Your Soul) and Perpetual Motivation. Win the World “challeng[es] the idea that morality is checked by the door at the workplace … uses 12 accessible lessons to help embrace both success and integrity in professional and personal life.” Perpetual Motivation posits “that the most important element of success is not putting in longer hours or expending more energy—it is keeping everything in balance.”

Care to contribute to my list? What’s your Catholic business book recommendation? And why do you recommend it?

I’m curious: what would (or do) you look for in a book labeled “Catholic business”? Would you be more likely to purchase it from a major bookstore or your local Catholic retailer? What have you looked for, and not found, in this market of books?

Nothing says “I love Quick Takes” like paying a visit to the lady who got it all started, Jen from Conversion Diary.

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