This book is simple, informative, and transformative all at once. Williams has once again used his exquisite insightfulness to transcend many of the blockades and excuses often used to avoid taking the responsibility and courage necessary for individuals to first look deeply, earnestly and honestly at “self,” before looking outward at others when seeking to effect lasting and meaningful change. His belief that the first and most significant step to our long journey outward always begins with the first truthful step inward is evident throughout this writing. While each teaching is independent of the ones to follow or precede it, each of them is powerful and highly applicable as a stand-alone self-improvement tool. If growing yourself (and not the entire world) is your objective, then this is the book for you. No one, Williams says, changes the world for the better until he or she first concedes that effective change must begin with self and work outward from there. It is obvious that this book is intended to serve as a self-paced guide and companion along the readers’ growth route, and not merely as a tool of instruction to be read, laid aside, and forgotten.

'In recession-chastened, soddenly staycationing Britain, Foley may well have devised a new bestseller format: a how-to book offering a way of escape ... [a] lovely book' Guardian It has always been difficult to appreciate everyday life, often devalued as dreary, banal and burdensome, and never more so than in a culture besotted with fantasy, celebrity and glamour. Yet, with characteristic wit and earthiness, Michael Foley - author of the bestselling The Age of Absurdity - draws on the works of writers, thinkers and artists who have celebrated and examined the ordinary life, and encourages us to delight in the complexities of the everyday. With astute observation, Foley brings fresh insights to such things as the banality of everyday speech, the madness and weirdness of snobbery, love and sex, and the strangeness of the everyday environment, such as the office. It is all more fascinating, comical and mysterious than you think. Intelligent, funny and entertaining, Foley shows us how to find contentment and satisfaction by embracing the ordinary things in life. 'A convincing argument for the beauty of the seemingly banal… ' Scotsman

Ken Holly is just an ordinary guy with an ordinary past. He grew up in postWorld War II America as a middle-class boy in an old-fashioned suburban neighborhood, learning the value of hard work and absorbing the strong ethics of the Greatest Generation. But being ordinary is what makes Ken special. Whimsical and honest, An Ordinary Guy shares Kens story of how a childhood spent in Houston, Texas, in the 1950s made a lasting impact on his life. Ken was a faithful church-goer who grew up surrounded by World War II veterans and was active in Boy Scouts; in this memoir, he reveals how each of these influences shaped him into the adult he is today. He also discusses how his values sustained him in some of the most challenging times of his life. While serving in the US Navy as an aviation electronic tech and radioman, Ken had some close calls, but came out of them unscathed. Following his military service, he went back to school, built a career in electronics, and married his wife, Pat. He became a father twice with the birth of his two daughters and continued working until his retirement in 2011. Through all of lifes challenges, Ken never forgot those influential days of his youth.

Can an ordinary person achieve extraordinary results? If you ask Tim Carlin, the answer is a resounding "yes!" Tim is living proof that you can be "extraordinarily ordinary" and still achieve success through constant self-reinvention. When you embrace your challenges and put your ego on the shelf, you can become the type of person who improves the lives of others. Tim knows this isn't always easy, so he's here to help. In An Extraordinarily Ordinary Life, Tim draws on his past experiences to give readers a crash course on facing life's challenges and seizing its opportunities. You'll learn: To look to the future, not in the rearview mirror Why taking the easy way out is selling yourself short The benefit of not following the crowd And much, much more Tim will help you take what you have and make the most of it. He knows that small changes, when taken together, allow you to change your world for the better!

The shocking account of how a unit of average middle-aged Germans became the cold-blooded murderers of tens of thousands of Jews.

You don't have to be perfect to do God's work. Look no further than the twelve disciples, whose many weaknesses are forever preserved throughout the pages of the New Testament. Join bestselling author John MacArthur in Twelve Ordinary Men as he draws principles from Christ's careful, hands-on training of the original disciples for today's modern disciple, you! Jesus chose ordinary men--fishermen, tax collectors, political zealots--and turned their weakness into strength, producing greatness from people who were otherwise unremarkable. The twelve disciples weren't the stained-glass saints we imagine. On the contrary, they were truly human, all too prone to mistakes, misstatements, wrong attitudes, lapses of faith, and bitter failure. Simply put, they were flawed people, just like us. But under Jesus' teaching and touch, they became a force that forever changed the world. MacArthur takes you into the inner circle of the disciples--their selection, their training, their personalities, and their incredible impact. As MacArthur took a closer look at the lives of the twelve disciples, he found himself asking difficult questions along the way, including: Why did Jesus pick each of the twelve disciples? How did Jesus teach them everything he could in just eighteen short months? Can the lessons that Jesus taught the disciples can still influence our faith today? In Twelve Ordinary Men, you'll learn that disciples are living proof that God's strength is made perfect in weakness. As you get to know the men who walked with Jesus, you'll see that if he can accomplish his purposes through them, he can do the same through you.

"Ordinary Servant: Lessons in Loving Jesus and Serving HIS people," is a book that will train, equip, and prepare you to serve in your churches. Do you want to be someone that God can use to make a difference in this world? Are you looking for help in becoming that man or woman that God uses to impact this world? Does your heart yearn and burn to be a used by God? If you answered, "Yes," then I have good news for you. God wants to use you! Just as a diamond has many different facets that reflect varying levels of light, so servanthood also has different sides and varying levels. In this book, you will learn some of what the Bible teaches about servanthood. I pray it's one of the best times in your spiritual life...as you learn to serve and serve well.