Experiencing God

       

PIC No. 62: Pails in Comparison (Feb. 13, 2024)

• Title: Experiencing God (2021 Edition): Knowing and Doing the Will of God
• Author: Henry Blackaby, Richard Blackaby, and Claude King
• Publisher: B&H Books (May 4, 2021, 368 pages)
• Management Bucket #11 of 20: The Donor Bucket

Welcome to Issue No. 62 of PAILS IN COMPARISON, the value-added sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. This blog features my “PICs”—shorter reviews of helpful books—with comparisons to other books in my 20 management buckets (core competencies) filing system. 

Experiencing God (Part 2 of 2)

In more than 600 book reviews, I’ve featured only a handful of books that required two reviews. This book also requires two reviews, maybe three. I wrote the Part 1 of 2 review for Experiencing God back on Dec. 1, 2021. I named it my book-of-the-year for 2021.

On Feb. 10, 2024, Richard Blackaby announced that his father, Henry Blackaby, had passed away. (Heaven’s gain!) He was 88. (Read this tribute in Christianity Today.)

So it’s appropriate for me to look over my notes and share Part 2 of 2 of my Experiencing God review. (It’s actually my third review. I published my first thoughts on Feb. 18, 2008 in Issue No. 76 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting. Now in 2024, more than eight million books have been sold.)

The C.T. tribute noted, “Blackaby’s famous summary of how to know and do the will of God—“watch to see where God is working and join him”—has guided numerous people, churches, and ministries to join God’s work. Blackaby’s teaching and influence crossed denominational lines as well as cultural and geographic boundaries.”

That simple principle—“watch to see where God is working and join him”—is at the heart of every short chapter and “the seven realities.” Example: “Reality 1: God is always at work around you.”

WATCH & JOIN! Henry Blackaby wrote, “When I served as a denominational leader in Vancouver, one of our churches believed God was leading it to begin three new mission churches for different language groups. At that time, the church had only seventeen members.” Citing biblical examples, such as Judges 7-8, he adds, “If He ever asks you to do something, He will work through you to do it.” The result: the 17-member church received “a substantial check” from a woman’s estate in California!

WATCH & JOIN! Don’t skip Chapter 5, “Seven Realities of Experiencing God.” Blackaby shares the movement of God in Angola Prison in Louisiana, “one of the largest and most formidable maximum security institutions in the United States.”

The warden’s church had been studying Experiencing God “…and he decided to make the study available to any inmate who wanted to take the course. It was also offered to all those on death row.

“So many prisoners were becoming Christians that seven different congregations were begun throughout the prison with inmates serving as pastors. Violence and drug use in the prison was dramatically curtailed.” Blackaby adds, “Some of the men even sensed God calling them into Christian ministry!”

And get this! The prison became an official satellite campus of a theological seminary and “…wardens from across the country began asking Angola Prison to transfer some of their transformed prisoners to them!”

EXAMPLE: View this remarkable first-person account from Angola Prison inmate Donald “Carolina” Biermann, one of five videos from co-author Claude V. King. Biermann’s story is stunning. (Watch all five videos here.)

  
View Donald “Carolina” Biermann’s experience with God in this 23-minute video from Angola Prison in Louisiana. 

WATCH & JOIN! Henry Blackaby cautioned: “Christians talk about ‘open’ and ‘closed doors,’ asking God to close a door if they are not headed the right way. While it is admirable to seek indications of God’s desires, the danger in this thinking lies in assuming that God’s will is always the path of least resistance (i.e., the open door).”

WATCH & JOIN! Henry Blackaby urged readers to “take an inventory of where your life efforts are being spent. How are you investing your time?” What are your priorities? Then ask yourself, ‘What am I presently doing that can only be explained by God’s activity in my life?’ If you cannot think of anything, spend time with your Lord and ask Him why.”

Oh, my. There’s so much more, I may need to write another review in a few months. Thank God for Henry Blackaby and Blackaby Ministries International.

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of several other must-read books in the Donor Bucket, plus other buckets/core competencies. Why the Donor Bucket? When you find out what God is doing—and you join Him—not surprisingly, God funds His work!

[  ] God in the Marketplace: 45 Questions Fortune 500 Executives Ask About Faith, Life, and Business (Nov. 3, 2020), by Henry Blackaby and Richard Blackaby. (Order from Amazon.) Note: See their answer to Question #12, “How do I honor God when I have to fire someone and make other difficult business decisions?”

[  ] Experiencing God: Bible Study Book with Video Access (April 1, 2022), by Henry T. Blackaby, Richard Blackaby, Mike Blackaby, and Claude V. King. (Order from Amazon.)

[  ] Spiritual Leadership: Moving People on to God's Agenda, Revised and Expanded (May 1, 2011), by Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby. (Order from Amazon.)

[  ] Joy Giving: Practical Wisdom from the First Christians and the Global Church, by Cameron Doolittle. (Read my review.)

[  ] Read my review (Part 1 of 2) of Experiencing God, featured as my 2021 book-of-the-year in Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews.

To order from Amazon, click on the title for for Experiencing God (2021 Edition): Knowing and Doing the Will of God, by Henry Blackaby, Richard Blackaby, and Claude King. Listen to the book on Libro.fm (11 hours, 3 minutes). (Note: The audio version is from the 2009 book revision.) And thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy. For more reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews.

MORE RESOURCES:

   • John Pearson’s Buckets Blog
   • Subscribe: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews
   • John Pearson’s book reviews on Amazon
   • Management Buckets website
   • Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations Blog

Note: This is the NEW location for John Pearson's Pails in Comparison Blog. Slowly (!), the previous 100+ blogs posted (between 2022 and 2025) will gradually populate this blogsite, along with new book reviews each month. 

© 2026 John W. Pearson. All rights reserved. New blogs for Pails in Comparison are posted every once in a while. We do not accept any form of compensation from authors or publishers for book reviews. As an Amazon Associate, we earn Amazon gift cards from qualifying purchases. As a Libro.fm Affiliate, we earn credits. By subscribing to Your Weekly Staff Meeting, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. 

Wealth Habits

      

PIC No. 29: Pails in Comparison (Jan. 12, 2023)

• Title: Wealth Habits: Six Ordinary Steps to Achieve Extraordinary Financial Freedom
• Author: Candy Valentino
• Publisher: Wiley (Nov. 15, 2022, 256 pages)
• Management Bucket #18 of 20: The Systems Bucket

Welcome to Issue No. 29 of PAILS IN COMPARISON, the value-added sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. This blog features my “PICs”—shorter reviews of helpful books—with comparisons to other books in my 20 management buckets (core competencies) filing system. 

Not “Regurgitated Fluffy Talking Points!” Truly Contrarian!

“CONTRARIAN!” That’s how I’m describing this new resource to friends and colleagues.

CONTRARIAN. You don’t need six extraordinary steps to achieve financial freedom—you just need to follow Candy Valentino’s six ORDINARY steps. (That’s refreshing! You could do this!)

CONTRARIAN. Most books obligate you to wade through introductory materials, filler, and pompous autobiographical claptrap. Not Wealth Habits. Page 16 invites you to take a 25-question quiz with Yes or No options. (Fascinating—and it pulled me immediately into the book.) Here are a few gut-checks:

YES or NO?

[   ] 1. I’ll invest when I have more money.

[   ] 3. Money is evil.

[   ] 10. God doesn’t want us to have wealth.

[   ] 17. When X happens, then I can fix my finances.

[   ] 21. I feel bad for having more money when there are so many other people in the world who don’t have what I do.

CONTRARIAN. Right from the get-go in the intro—you learn why this book is different and contrarian from all the rest. “You don’t need another book filled with a bunch of regurgitated fluffy talking points to be convinced you should build wealth—you already want it. What you need to know is how to get there.” The plan: “a book of actionable steps to get off the hamster wheel of ‘work to pay bills’ once and for all.”

CONTRARIAN. BYOC! “Be Your Own Champion” counsels the author. “You don’t need anyone else to believe in you, that’s your job.” (Find that in any other book today!)

CONTRARIAN. The essence of this book, in my opinion, is found in the simple chart on page 79, “The Business Success Route.” Four quadrants/four intersections:
   1. What you know.
   2. What people will buy.
   3. What you can sell.
   4. What you want.

Just do a deep dive in Chapter 7, “The Three Reasons Why Owning a Business Is a Powerful Wealth-Builder,” and you’ll see the possibilities. 

CONTRARIAN. “From a young age,” Candy Valentino writes, “we are taught to think of only having one stream of income—a career. When you were asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ as a kid, can you imagine the look on adults’ faces if you answered:

“I want to be an investor and business owner with a diverse portfolio of income-generating assets including passive-income businesses, interest- and dividend-paying securities, and real estate with good rental income, under management so I can set it and forget it.”

Hilarious, right? The humor flows as fast as the author’s six ordinary wealth habits (growing, learning, earning, saving, investing, and giving). I made over 20 notes in the front of the book—and I will return to them often at Starbucks appointments with my teenage grandchildren (budding entrepreneurs!).

CONTRARIAN. Warning! There’s more contrarian gut-checks about passion and purpose. “I hate to say it, but I have to say it: ‘Go find your purpose’ is just like ‘Follow your passion.’ It’s terrible advice. (Read why.)

CONTRARIAN. “Do Everything Yourself” is one of five business “philosophies” that do NOT work. Mentioning frequently that “91% of all businesses fail,” the author warns NOT to do everything yourself. She offers a helpful three-point formula/worksheet on the big question that plagues every leader and business owner—should you outsource or hire someone to do certain tasks? Go through this process and you’ll have “your permission slip to hire” the right people. (Brilliant!)

CONTRARIAN. Chapter 9, “Yes, You Can Start a Business—Here’s How,” delivers the meat and potatoes with nine initial steps to starting a business. It’s here that Valentino recommends you focus on purpose—your business purpose. (And “reverse engineer your desired outcome.”) Aligned with this—read my review of Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution: A Handbook for Entrepreneurs, by Uri Levine. (Order from Amazon.)

Oh, my. This book is filled with big ideas and practical insights. Example: Why brain science might lead you to set an alarm on your phone every day—and review your business “blueprint” for two minutes every day. And this: “Schedule a meeting with yourself once a month.” She suggests two hours at a restaurant or coffee shop, and “Turn your phone on silent and flip it upside down.”

This is a must-read book. Enjoy!

 PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of several other must-read books in the Systems Bucket, plus other buckets/core competencies.

[  ] Corporate Entrepreneurship: How to Create a Thriving Entrepreneurial Spirit Throughout Your Company, by Robert D. Hisrich and Claudine Kearney. (Read my review.)

[  ] Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It…and Why the Rest Don’t – Mastering the Rockefeller Habits 2.0, by Verne Harnish (read my review)

[  ] The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It, by Michael E. Gerber (Order from Amazon.)

[  ] Poke the Box: When Was the Last Time You Did Something for the First Time? by Seth Godin (Order from Amazon.)

[  ] The Power of Passion in Leadership: Lead From Your Heart, Not Just Your Head, by Hans Finzel (read my review)

[  ] The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership, by Steven Sample (read my review)

To order from Amazon, click on the title for Wealth Habits: Six Ordinary Steps to Achieve Extraordinary Financial Freedom, by Candy Valentino. Listen on Libro (8 hours, 40 minutes). For more reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews.

MORE RESOURCES:

   • John Pearson’s Buckets Blog
   • Subscribe: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews
   • John Pearson’s book reviews on Amazon
   • Management Buckets website
   • Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations Blog

Note: This is the NEW location for John Pearson's Pails in Comparison Blog. Slowly (!), the previous 100+ blogs posted (between 2022 and 2025) will gradually populate this blogsite, along with new book reviews each month. 

© 2026 John W. Pearson. All rights reserved. New blogs for Pails in Comparison are posted every once in a while. We do not accept any form of compensation from authors or publishers for book reviews. As an Amazon Associate, we earn Amazon gift cards from qualifying purchases. As a Libro.fm Affiliate, we earn credits. By subscribing to Your Weekly Staff Meeting, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.