Clout by Jenni Catron

This book is subtitled, “Discover and Unleash Your God-Given Influence.” This simple, straightforward book addresses seven “clout killers” and four “clout cultivators”. The writer talks about fear, comparison, jealousy, scarcity, insecurity, pride and control as the “killers” and identity, confidence, mission and passion as the “cultivators”. She addresses directly how to confront and overcome the seven undesirable traits and how to find and pursue the desirable traits. Jenni Catron writes in a very easy style, sprinkling her analysis with anecdotes that are pertinent and helpful, while using Bible passages effectively. At the end of each chapter are penetrating questions which will help you evaluate yourself and which can help you move forward. If you are wondering how to increase your significance and influence, this is the book for you. It is practical and hands-on, and you will come away a deeper understanding of yourself and your influence. I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.

The People Factor by Van Moody

Approaching relationships in an objective fashion is not something most people consider. Van Moody does an exceptional job of presenting the case for building strong, healthy friendships by giving critical consideration to everyone we encounter. As the vast majority of people will become close to, and therefore heavily influenced by, at least a few, the author makes the case for the importance of choosing friends wisely. Van Moody systematically considers what he calls the ten Critical Laws of Relationships, among which are mutual benefit, agreement, selectivity, sacrifice, and loyalty. He discusses how to evaluate ourselves and others based on these and other criteria. When relationships are unhealthy, guidelines are given to help decide where to go from there. The author is a pastor, and he effectively weaves biblical examples and references into each chapter, which ends with a summary and then questions to help the reader evaluate past and current relationships. This was a very good book, one to pick up again and again, with a goal of evaluating relationships. I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.