August Turak is a successful entrepreneur, corporate executive, and award-winning author who attributes much of his success to living and working alongside the Trappist monks of Mepkin Abbey for seventeen years. As a frequent monastic guest, he learned firsthand from the monks as they grew an incredibly successful portfolio of businesses. Service and selflessness are at the heart of the 1,500-year-old monastic tradition's remarkable business success. It is an ancient though immensely relevant economic model that preserves what is positive and productive about capitalism while transcending its ethical limitations and internal contradictions. Combining vivid case studies from his thirty-year business career with intimate portraits of the monks at work, Turak shows how Trappist principles can be successfully applied to a variety of secular business settings and to our personal lives as well. He demonstrates that monks and people like Warren Buffett are wildly successful not despite their high principles but because of them. Turak also introduces other "transformational organizations" that share the crucial monastic business strategies so critical for success.

"Brother John is the true story of a monastic encounter between the author, going through a mid-life crisis, and an umbrella wielding Trappist monk. A magical Christmas Eve encounter that eventually leads the author and us all to the redemptive power of an authentically purposeful life. Uplifting, deeply moving, and set in the magnificent Trappist monastery of Mepkin Abbey, Brother John is dramatically brought to life by over twenty full color paintings by Glenn Harrington, a multiple award-winning artist." --Publisher description.

What a highly successful, centuries-old practice can teach the corporate world and how it can bring more meaning to one's career.

Equal parts memoir and road map to living a less stressful and more vibrant life, bestselling author Jesse Itzler offers an illuminating, entertaining, and unexpected trip for anyone looking to feel calmer and more controlled in our crazy, hectic world. Entrepreneur, endurance athlete, and father of four Jesse Itzler only knows one speed: Full Blast. But when he felt like the world around him was getting too hectic, he didn't take a vacation or get a massage. Instead, Jesse moved into a monastery for a self-imposed time-out. In Living with the Monks, the follow-up to his New York Times bestselling Living with a SEAL, Jesse takes us on a spiritual journey like no other. Having only been exposed to monasteries on TV, Jesse arrives at the New Skete religious community in the isolated mountains of upstate New York with a shaved head and a suitcase filled with bananas. To his surprise, New Skete monks have most of their hair. They're Russian Orthodox, not Buddhist, and they're also world-renowned German shepherd breeders and authors of dog-training books that have sold in the millions. As Jesse struggles to fit in amongst the odd but lovable monks, self-doubt begins to beat like a tribal drum. Questioning his motivation to embark on this adventure and missing his family (and phone), Jesse struggles to balance his desire for inner peace with his need to check Twitter. But in the end, Jesse discovers the undeniable power of the monks and their wisdom, and the very real benefits of taking a well-deserved break as a means of self-preservation in our fast-paced world.

In the spirit of The Tipping Point and Freakonomics, David Niven presents a new way of decoding the riddles of the everyday choices we make. It's Not About the Shark opens the door to the groundbreaking science of solutions by turning problems—and how we solve them—upside down. When we have a problem, most of us zero in, take it apart, and focus until we have it solved. David Niven shows us that focusing on the problem is exactly the wrong way to find an answer. Putting problems at the center of our thoughts shuts down our creative abilities, depletes stamina, and feeds insecurities. It's Not About the Shark shows us how to transform our daily lives, our work lives, and our family lives with a simple, but rock-solid principle: If you start by thinking about your problems, you'll never make it to a solution. If you start by thinking about a solution, you'll never worry about your problems again. Through real-life examples and psychology research, Niven shows us why: *Focusing on the problem first makes us 17 times less likely to find an answer *Being afraid of a problem is natural: we're biologically primed to be afraid *Finding a problem creates power – which keeps you from finding a solution *Working harder actually hides answers *Absolute confidence makes you less likely to find the answer *Looking away from a problem helps to see a solution *Listening only to yourself is one of the best ways to find an answer Combining hard facts, good sense, and a strong dose of encouragement, Niven provides fresh and positive ways to think about problem solving.

What is the way of the cross? Why does it create resistance? How do we answer objections to it? The revival of interest in Christ's kingdom and radical discipleship has produced a wave of discussions, but sometimes those discussions are scattered. This book aims to pull together in one place the core claims of the way of the cross. It aims to examine the deeply cherished assumptions that hinder us from hearing Jesus's call. When we do that, we'll see that the gospel of Christ is not primarily about getting into heaven or about living a comfortable, individually pious, middle-class life. It is about being free from the ancient, pervasive, and delightful oppression of Mammon in order to create a very different community, the church, an alternative city-kingdom here and now on earth by means of living and celebrating the way of the cross--the reign of joyful weakness, renunciation, self-denial, sharing, foolishness, community, and love overcoming evil.

TO: You SUBJECT: A porch to Porch Invitation DATE: Now Join me on the porch for some Soul Sittin to spark your renewal. Come to the mountain in the storm, travel the back roads to the farm, and share the wanderings that shaped a journey. As we roam, remember, and retrace the steps of your story. Connect porch to Porch, and co-design your life over and over anew, with the Source as your touchstone. Do the work, and youll have a plan that will provide you more hope, security, and fulfillment than you have ever dreamed. This is your time to fill up your empty front porch and create a deeper, more compelling life than you can author on your own. If it scares you, remember that there is no safer place than being with our greatest Fan. Lets do some Soul Sittin and create your porch to Porch plan. Weve saved you a seat. The Empty Front Porch is a wonderful book. With insouciance, humor, and first-rate story telling, Cynthia Mills provides a clarion call for a life that is truly worth living. While that would be more than enough, her book also provides a compelling workbook full of the experiential exercises that will turn your vocation into a way of life. If you are seeking a more meaningful life then read this book! August Turak, author of Business Secrets of the Trappist Monks, Forbes.com contributor, entrepreneur, and speaker, www.augustturak.com Whether you are uncertain about your faith or well along in your journey, the insights Cynthia shares will cause you to pause, sit a while, and stop the swirl of the world around you. Learn how silence can speak boldly and refresh your soul. Choose to walk up the porch steps, take your seat, and accept a hand to co-create the life you are truly meant to live! Barbara and Dave Zerfoss, authors of The Power of Nothing, Stress is a Choice, and Stress Less and Enjoy Each Day, www.TheZerfossGroup.com This is an eye-opening resource for Christians to evaluate their porch. In todays busy world, it is easy to lose focus of what is truly important. Take the time to sit with your soul, and design your porch to Porch plan. Cynthia is a shining light for the Holy Spirit. Chip Eichelberger, co-author of Smart Guide To Accomplishing Your Goals, former Tony Robbins international point man, and NSA-certified speaking professional, www.GetSwitchedOn.com