How to Work a Room

         

PIC No. 15: Pails in Comparison (August 1, 2022)

• Title: How to Work a Room (25th Anniv. Ed.): The Ultimate Guide to Making Lasting Connections—in Person and Online
• Authors: Susan RoAne
• Publisher: William Morrow (Dec. 31, 2013, 400 pages)
• Management Bucket #19 of 20: The Printing Bucket (aka The Communication Bucket)

Welcome to Issue No. 15 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. 

Hello! My name is…

Wow! How did I miss this stunningly practical book? While I was dithering and missing important connections (in person and online), more than a million others bought this book and have learned How to Work a Room!

As Guy Kawasaki recommends:
   • “Buy this book if you want to be a savvy socializer.
   • Buy a second one for a shy friend.
   • Buy a third one as an e-book, so you’re never without it.”

In my early years as CEO of a national association, I began collecting name badges from every event I attended. I soon realized five years into my 25+ years of meetings (with three associations) that this hobby would overwhelm my office! (I stopped!) So—get this! Author Susan Roane has a fascinating section in her book on “Name Tags That Pull.” (Have you ever thought strategically about your name tag?) Example:

A colleague told the author “…that when he put the designation ‘Financial Planner’ on his name tag at a business mixer, no one looked twice. But when he wrote ‘Money’ beneath his name, he was approached by many interesting people who wanted to know what he did.” (Others have also used humor—like the guy who wrote “Name Tag” on his name tag!) Oh…and did you know that you should “Always, always place the name tag on your right-hand side.” (Read why on page 149.)

The updated 2013 edition of How to Work a Room is subtitled “The Ultimate Guide to Making Lasting Connections—in Person and Online” and includes new chapters on “How to Work the Virtual Room” and “The Social Media Mélange” with cyber savvy insights on hashtags, live chats, texting, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and more.

The practical tricks and tactics ooze out—and with 400 pages—start with the 11-page table of contents (why doesn’t every author provide this level of detail at the front end?). Oh, my. What to read first?
   • Five roadblocks and five remedies when working a room
   • Prepare Your Small Talk
   • Name Tags That Pull
   • Great Opening Lines
   • Five Fundamental Laws of Casual Conversation
   • Fatal Flaws of Casual Conversation
   • The Ten Commandments of Connecting   
   • Working the World: Trains and Boats and Planes
   • Plus: check out the author’s recommended reading and listening list

Bonus Chuckles! The author has fun with the book and includes some very funny cartoons and comic strips, including the precocious five-year-old girl in her party dress at an adult mixer. Her comment to a gentlemen she’s speaking to, “I’d love to chat longer, but I’m working the room.” LOL!

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of the Printing Bucket and other must-read books in the 20 Management Buckets organizing system.

[   ] The Unspoken Rules: Secrets to Starting Your Career Off Right, by Gorick Ng

[   ] Public Speaking Laws of Success: For Everyone and Every Occasion, by Richard J. Goossen. See the section, “Introducing Yourself.” Goossen writes, “When asked to ‘Please introduce yourself and share something interesting about yourself,’—most people are not ready, and they’re boring. Be prepared and ‘treat it like a mini-speech.’” (Read my review.)

[   ] Social Style: The Ah Ha's of Effective Relationships, by Gerald L. Prince and John R. Myers (Read my review.) – Note: The People Bucket also features other books on the four social styles. Each style tends to “work a room differently” based on their comfort zone. What’s your style: Analytical, Driving, Amiable, or Expressive?

TO ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for How to Work a Room, 25th Anniversary Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Making Lasting Connections—in Person and Online, by Susan RoAne. Listen on Libro.fm (8 hours, 3 minutes). And thanks to Jim Canning for sending me this wonderful book!

 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
   • John Pearson's Buckets Podcast (YouTube)

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. 

The Sound of Regret

         

PIC No. 119: Pails in Comparison (Sept. 2, 2026)

• Title: The Sound of Regret: A Novel
• Authors: Trey Gowdy and Christopher Greyson  
• Publisher: Fox News Books (Aug. 26, 2026, 256 pages)
• Management Bucket #7 of 20: The People Bucket 

Welcome to Issue No. 119 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. 

Crime Novel With Leadership Lessons!

About a year ago, I reviewed Trey Gowdy’s first novel—and I was hooked! Click here to read my review of The Color of Death, by Gowdy and Christopher Greyson. 

No surprise, I even found at least 10 leadership and management lessons you could share around the water cooler or at staff meetings. And no spoiler alert: The Color of Death follows the setbacks and successes of an Assistant DA sleuthing for motive, means, and opportunity (MMO)—in a small town in South Carolina. 

GOOD NEWS! Assistant DA Colm Truesdale survived and is back in The Sound of Regret. And no way—life is not simpler or easier in his next assignment. All the themes of MMO are alive and well—only more so. You’ll love Truesdale’s unfiltered thoughts (sometimes shared out loud and inappropriately with others):

“For goodness’ sake,” Truesdale mutters to himself, “why can’t cops talk like normal people? I get it—you used your ‘education and training’ just like they coach you to say at the academy. Do people ever just get out of cars or is it always exiting said motor vehicle?”

Spoiler alert! Imagine this: a very large Bible is collected as evidence at a crime scene. Is redemption close—or does the Bible distract us with a red herring? Or does motive, means, and opportunity (and a homicide) provide teachable spiritual lessons? Count on plenty of twists and turns in this fast-moving page-turner. 

And yes…I found at least another 10 leadership and management lessons (and dozens of laugh-out-loud lines). Talking about law school:

“Constitutional Law was a difficult course no matter who taught it. A whole new vocabulary but no matter what words were chosen, the answer was always wrong. They called it the Socratic method. No wonder they put that guy to death.”

MORE GOOD NEWS. I enjoy viewing Trey Gowdy’s Sunday evening interviews and commentary. He’s humble, humorous, self-deprecating, and I like the way he thinks. So how did he get to be such a great observer of the human experience—and the ability to express it in writing?
   • “His lifeless eyes stared up at heaven. Heaven didn’t appear to be staring back.”
   • “There was something about going to high school with someone that made you feel connected for life.”
   • “Judge John Cannon banged his gavel three times, which to lawyers translated to ‘Out. Of. Patience.’”
   • “Dressed in a crisp, white shirt, blue tie, and open, gray suit jacket his lawyer no doubt bought for him at Goodwill before the trial…”
   • “Why defense attorneys coach their clients to look at the jury is a mystery to me.”
   • “Judge Cannon yelled while slamming his gavel so hard the handle finally separated from the head.”

And all of the above? That’s just Chapter One! 

Warning! Start reading this—and you won’t put it down:  
   • 60 very short chapters (about four pages per chapter)
   • An Assistant DA with EQ? Once again saying too much, out loud, Truesdale admonishes himself, “Dadgum, why do I have to add little digs at the end of everything?”
   • Truesdale’s faith vs. his wife’s faith: “I’m not a religious person. Not formally, that is. Ally handled that for both of us. Not sure that counted, but that was my thinking. I hadn’t bothered God in a long time. I doubted today was the right day to start. But I was out of ideas and out of time.”

If you’re ready for one more “fun” book to read—before jumping back into that pile of other must-read books you’ve neglected—read this one. You’ll love it. 

PAILS IN COMPARISON QUESTIONS:
Reading this book reminded me of the People Bucket, and other must-read books in the 20 Management Buckets organizing system. 

[   ] The Color of Death: A Novel, by Trey Gowdy and Christopher Greyson (Read my review.)

[   ] Doesn't Hurt to Ask: Using the Power of Questions to Communicate, Connect, and Persuade, by Trey Gowdy (Read my review.) Note: I named this my 2020 book-of-the-year.

[   ] The Seventh Key: Unlocking the Life God Created You to Live (A Novelette), by R. Scott Rodin (Read my review.)

[   ] The Temptation to Do Good, by Peter Drucker (one of two novels he wrote). Read my review.

TO ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for The Sound of Regret: A Novel, by Trey Gowdy and Christopher Greyson. Listen on Libro (7 hours, 29 minutes). And thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy.

 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
   • John Pearson's Buckets Podcast (YouTube)

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. 

Connectable

   

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.

PIC No. 3: Pails in Comparison 

• Title: Connectable: How Leaders Can Move Teams From Isolated to All In
• Author: Ryan Jenkins and Steven Van Cohen
• Publisher: McGraw Hill (336 pages, March 2, 2022)
• Management Bucket #8 of 20: The Culture Bucket

MARCH 1, 2022

Welcome to the third issue of Pails in Comparison, the sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. This blog features my “PICs”—short reviews of helpful books—with comparisons to other books in my 20 management buckets (core competencies) filing system.

ARE YOU INTERRUPTIBLE?

What’s not to like about two co-authors who each spotlight their favorite chapter? (Can you even do that? Isn’t that like picking your favorite child?)

Chapter 11, “Be Interruptible” is Ray Jenkins’ favorite chapter in their helpful book, Connectable: How Leaders Can Move Teams From Isolated to All In. They note:

“Leaders are the least interruptible workers, and yet they are the ones who need to be interrupted most. The more important and serious you consider yourself, the less open you are to detours and interruptions.” And get this!

• “Three in four employees see effective communication as the number one leadership attribute.
• “Yet, less than one in three employees feel like their leaders communicate effectively.”

Are you interruptible? “During a conversation, not maintaining eye contact, not listening (or only thinking about what you’re going to say next), not making the conversation about the other person, or consistently using phrases like ‘I’m too busy’ are all telltale and easily recognized signs of not being interruptible.”

Am I growing more or less irritable? “A more important and much more difficult question that leaders must ask themselves to uncover their interruptibility is: Am I growing more or less irritable? How irritable are you when you are interrupted?"

They add, “Your reaction the moment you feel your attention being drawn away from the task at hand is revealing. What you feel in that split second is your gateway into understanding your interruptibility.” Yikes (If you’re gutsy enough to read this chapter—it is very, very convicting!)

Chapter 11 begins with the viral video of Professor Robert Kelly (during a 2017 BBC interview via Skype) who was interrupted by his two young children. View it here. Hilarious! Interruptible? Absolutely!!

Two young kids interrupt Dad’s BBC interview! View this 3-minute video.

Patrick Lencioni, author of The Advantage (read my review--I named it my 2012 book-of-the-year), says “Every leader and manager needs to read this.”

Shark Tank guru Daymond John labels Connectable “a must-read.” I agree. And by the way, co-author Steven Van Cohen’s favorite chapter? Chapter 4: “The Science of Belonging.” Must-read! Did you know that your brain on pain and your brain on loneliness “register in the same area of the brain?” 

PAILS IN COMPARISON: I’d compare this book to the helpful books in the Culture Bucket, including: 

• The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business, by Patrick Lencioni (2012 book-of-the-year: read my review) 

• Connection Culture: The Competitive Advantage of Shared Identity, Empathy, and Understanding at Work, by Michael Lee Stallard, Jason Pankau, and Katharine P. Stallard (read my review). Note: the Second Edition includes insights on COVID. Order from Amazon.

TO ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for Connectable: How Leaders Can Move Teams From Isolated to All In, by Ryan Jenkins and Steven Van Cohen. For more book reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting.

© 2022 John Pearson Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.
Pails in Comparison is 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. 

The Prospering Parachurch

        

PIC No. 118: Pails in Comparison (July 27, 2026)

• Title: The Prospering Parachurch: Enlarging the Boundaries of God‘s Kingdom
• Authors: Wesley K. Willmer and J. David Schmidt, with Martyn Smith
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers (Oct. 30, 1998, 232 pages)
• Management Bucket #2 of 20: The Customer Bucket

Welcome to Issue No. 118 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. 

5 Reasons to Read This Book Again!

Why am I recommending The Prospering Parachurch—now almost 30 years after it was published? C.S. Lewis wrote, "It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between."

The Prospering Parachurch was published in 1998 and, at the time, I was privileged to serve as the CEO of Christian Management Association (now CLA). Wes Willmer and David Schmidt invited me to endorse the book—and here’s what I said:

"I've spent practically my entire career working for parachurch organizations. I consider The Prospering Parachurch a 'must read' for parachurch presidents, board members, staff, and those serious practitioners that need to understand the revolutionary transformation caused by the parachurch movement.”

Back in 1998, while I was reading and reviewing books in CMA publications and elsewhere, I was not yet posting reviews on Amazon. (Amazon launched in 1995.) So…last week I looked for any reviews I had written about this important book. No luck—so I asked AI for help. (Reminder: I’m writing this in 2026!) And while I thoroughly read every book I review, I don’t ask AI to write my reviews. But last week, I did. And the AI version is so much better than what I would write—so I’m sharing my edited version with you. (You’re welcome!)

REASON #1: Why You Should Read This Book Again (or for the first time)
Sometimes a book is important not because it predicts the future—but because it explains the present.

That's how I felt when I pulled The Prospering Parachurch off the shelf nearly three decades after it was published. Wes Willmer, David Schmidt, and Martyn Smith weren't merely describing a growing collection of nonprofit ministries. They were documenting a major shift in how God was advancing His Kingdom.

Today, that shift seems obvious. In 1998, it wasn't.

The authors argued that alongside hundreds of thousands of local churches, tens of thousands of Christian organizations—mission agencies, camps, colleges, rescue missions, media ministries, relief organizations, schools, evangelistic associations, and countless others—had become indispensable partners in Kingdom work. Rather than viewing parachurch organizations as competitors to the local church, they challenged readers to see them as complementary expressions of Christ's mission.

That insight has aged remarkably well.

REASON #2: My Favorite Takeaways Then and Now

What impressed me then—and still impresses me today—is the authors' refusal to romanticize parachurch ministries.

They celebrate the movement, but they also acknowledge its unique challenges: Who owns a parachurch ministry? Who determines its mission? How should boards govern organizations that depend on donors instead of members? How do leaders balance ministry effectiveness with financial stewardship?

Those questions remain just as relevant for today's CEOs, board chairs, and senior leadership teams as they were in 1998.

The book also reminds readers that Christian organizations serve an unusually complex group of stakeholders: donors, volunteers, staff members, board members, churches, beneficiaries, and ultimately the Lord Himself. That reality demands leadership skills that often differ from those required in either business or congregational ministry.

REASON #3: Looking Back with 2026 Eyes
Re-reading this book today is fascinating because so much of what the authors anticipated has happened.

Many Christ-followers now receive much of their discipleship through podcasts, conferences, publishing ministries, camps, universities, online resources, mission organizations, and specialized ministries. Churches continue to play their irreplaceable biblical role, yet they increasingly partner with organizations possessing specialized expertise.

The authors saw this coming—except for the innovation of podcasts! 

[2026 PLUG]: check out the growing list of AI-generated podcasts at John Pearson’s Buckets Podcasts, including Podcast #22, “Future-Ready Church.” 

   

That doesn't mean every prediction proved perfect. Technology, globalization, artificial intelligence, and digital communication have reshaped ministry in ways few could have imagined in 1998.

But their central thesis—that God uses both churches and parachurch ministries to enlarge His Kingdom—still rings true. (See Jerry White's book below and also the book by Angie Ward: two books on the church and parachurch conversation.)

REASON #4: We Still Need a Better Understanding of Kingdom Partnerships
If you're a pastor, don't skip this book because you assume it's only for nonprofit executives.

If you're a parachurch leader, read the book to understand what’s it’s like to walk a mile in a pastor’s shoes (or whatever footwear they’re sporting on Sunday morning!).

[Another 2026 Plug]: Check out Saints and Sneakers.

Read it to better understand the remarkable ecosystem God has built through churches, ministries, schools, camps, relief agencies, and evangelistic organizations working together rather than independently.

Billy Graham's endorsement on the cover was well deserved. He called the book "a marvelous job of capturing the essence of this movement." Nearly thirty years later, I'd say history has largely confirmed his assessment.

REASON #5: Savvy Wisdom on Building an Effective Board
Noting the challenges of parachurch governing boards, Chapter 6, “Building an Effective Christian Board,” is helpful and covers the authors’ list of four distinctives of parachurch boards:
   1) Common Christian Faith
   2) Christian Worldview
   3) Doctrinal and Behavioral Standards
   4) Accountability to God

The authors then add 11 responsibilities of a parachurch board:
   1) Govern Through Policy
   2) Select Quality Board Members
   3) Ensure Vision and Clarity of Mission
   4) Provide Spiritual Leadership and Prayer Support
   5) Organize the Board for Effectiveness
   6) Appoint, Empower, Support, and Evaluate the CEO
   7) Facilitate a Strategic Plan
   8) Oversee Financial Resources and Their Management
   9) Serve as Final Arbitrator
 10) Evaluate the Board and the Organization
 11) Represent the Organization to the Public

Note: Now almost 30 years later, you’ll still find alignment with the board governance literature (including organizations that are not faith-based). See my blog, “18 Best Board Books.”

PAILS IN COMPARISON QUESTIONS:
Oh, my. Imagine sitting in a circle today—in a mountain retreat center—with a small group of pastors and parachurch leaders. Plus the authors! I’ll provide the questions and you can jump in with the stimulating conversations (and maybe even disagreements).

   1) Has the relationship between churches and parachurch ministries become healthier—or more complicated—since 1998?
   2) If this book were rewritten today, what new chapter would be absolutely essential?
   3) Is your church or organization intentionally partnering with the broader Kingdom—or merely protecting its own turf?

Note: At your retreat, invite leaders to each give a 10-minute review (“compare and contrast”) of the books noted below. (Rules: 5-minute summary and 5-minutes Q&A.)

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of the Customer Bucket and other must-read books in the 20 Management Buckets organizing system.

[   ] New! Beyond Church and Parachurch: From Competition to Missional Extension, by Angie Ward (May 13, 2025) - Order from Amazon. (Read my review.)

[   ] The Church & the Parachurch: An Uneasy Marriage, by Jerry White (1983) – Order from Amazon (Read my review.)

[   ] Revolution in Generosity: Transforming Stewards To Be Rich Toward God, by Wesley K. Willmer, Editor – foreword by Charles Colson (Order from Amazon. Read my review.)

[   ] Wisdom from Lyle E. Schaller: The Elder Statesman of Church Leadership, by Warren Bird, Editor – (Order from Amazon. Read my review.)

[   ] Becoming a Future-Ready Church: 8 Shifts to Encourage and Empower the Next Generation of Leaders, by Daniel Yang, Adelle M. Banks, and Warren Bird (Read my review. View the "explainer video" on YouTube.)

[   ] Next Sunday: An Honest Dialogue About the Future of the Church, by Nancy Beach and Samantha Beach Kiley (Order from Amazon. Read my review.)

[   ] Effectiveness By The Numbers: Counting What Counts in the Church, by William R. Hoyt (Order from Amazon. Read my review.)

[   ] What's Gone Wrong With the Harvest?: A Communication Strategy for the Church and World Evangelism, by James F. Engel and Wilbert Norton (Order from Amazon.) Note: For more on this book and the “Engel Scale,” read Chapter 2, The Customer Bucket in Mastering the Management Buckets.

TO ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for The Prospering Parachurch: Enlarging the Boundaries of God‘s Kingdom, by Wesley K. Willmer and J. David Schmidt, with Martyn Smith.

 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
   • John Pearson's Buckets Podcast (YouTube)

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. 

Tour de France for Dummies

        

PIC No. 14: Pails in Comparison (July 15, 2022, with 2026 updates]

• Title: Tour de France for Dummies®
• Author: Phil Liggett, James Raia, and Sammarye Lewis
• Publisher: For Dummies® (May 27, 2005, 284 pages)
• Management Bucket #9 of 20: The Team Bucket

Welcome to Issue No. 14 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. 

ME: "Read the book!"

Back in 2019 (you remember those “BC” years—Before COVID?), my wife and I became serious fans of the Tour de France. Serious? Well…if you mean getting up early in the morning and watching every stage on television—with dark roast coffee and croissants. Yes—serious! Those were the days!

Yet…Joanne would pester me with questions. (How would I know the answer? I’m not a professional cyclist!) Finally, I bought the book. Now you’ll hear this every morning during the tour:

HER: “What’s with all the jersey colors?”

ME: “Read the book.”

HER: “Wow! Those crazy French fans are surrounding the riders! Why?”

ME: “Read the book.” [Or...watch this 9.5-minute video. Yikes!]

View "Cycling Crowds Are Getting Out Of Control," a 9.5-minute documentary.

HER: “Why doesn’t every team member try to win every day?”

ME: “Read the book.”

Just like any other good “Dummies” book, you’ll appreciate the format, the details, and the humor:

• Chapter 5: More Tour Rules Than You Ever Want to Know
• Chapter 8: Spending a Day in the Life of a Rider
• Chapter 12: Ten Greatest Riders in Tour History (Written in 2005, “L.A.” was still a hero.)
• Page 66: “Oh, no, we’re wearing the same outfit.”
• Page 92: “Shaving legs and getting road rash.”
• Page 135: “Watching in your pajamas”

“Joanne, please read Chapter 6, ‘Understanding Race Strategies,’ and then you won’t need to ask me all these questions.”

I pointed her often to pages 80-81 and why every team determines—in advance of each stage (the daily race), what their strategy will be for that specific day (mountains or not?). See the sections: “Chasing down the competition,” “Pulling and sacrificing,” and “Sacrificing for the leader.”

HER: “But I still have more questions.”

ME: “Read the book.”

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of the Team Bucket, and other must-read books in the 20 Management Buckets organizing system.

[   ] 5-Part Series on YouTube! (Must-see!) - "The Phil Liggett Story: Part One - Beyond the Podium" (View Part 1.) Note: Phil Liggett is the acclaimed commentator for the Tour de France and most of cycling over the decades. You'll love it.

[   ] The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, by Daniel James Brown (read my review)

[   ] Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys, by Joe Coulombe with Patty Civalleri (read my review)

[   ] Nonprofit Kit for Dummies® (4th Edition), by Stan Hutton and Frances N. Phillips (includes a CD-ROM with 100+ documents) - Order from Amazon.

[   ] Leadership for Dummies®, by Marshall Loeb and Stephen Kindel - Order from Amazon.

[   ] Managing for Dummies®, by Bob Nelson and Peter Economy - Order from Amazon.

TO ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for Tour de France for Dummies®, by Phil Liggett, James Raia, and Sammarye Lewis. 
 

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
   • John Pearson's Buckets Podcast (YouTube)

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. 

Little Is Much When God Is in It

        

PIC No. 80: Pails in Comparison (Sept. 14, 2024)

• Song Title: "Little Is Much When God Is in It"
• Words & Music by: Kittie Suffield
• Composed: 1924
• Management Bucket #5 of 20: The Book Bucket
• YouTube Podcast #15: "Little Is Much: A Legacy"

Welcome to Issue No. 80 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. Note: This special issue features a stunning story about a hymn written in 1924, but still having an impact 100 years later!

“Little Is Much When God Is in It” - The rest of the story!

Listen to the AI-generated summary of my review posted on YouTube (8 minutes), "Little Is Much: A Legacy." 

 

 

The first time I heard the song, “Little Is Much When God Is in It,” I was stunned by the powerful lyrics and music. But there’s much, much more to tell you about this poignant song. 

Pastor Marion McCandless, my next door neighbor, shared “the rest of the story” with me recently. Though now retired at age 91, Pastor “Mac” colorfully described the setting to me as if it were yesterday.

In 1957, while pastoring Midway City Church of the Nazarene in Southern California, his denomination’s district superintendent asked Pastor McCandless to drive to Pasadena for a pastoral visit with an elderly couple. They had served faithfully as traveling evangelists for years and years. “Encourage and thank them,” was the assignment.

Fred and Kittie Suffield warmly welcomed Pastor McCandless into their home and seemed to appreciate his visit. Granted, the visit was just one of thousands of routine pastoral calls that Pastor Mac made during his 33 years at Midway City Church. But there was nothing routine about this visit.

When it was time for Pastor McCandless to leave, he began to pray a blessing over this dedicated husband and wife. He didn’t know all the details of their ministry nor their devoted years of faithful service, but he knew that God knew.

So as Pastor McCandless prayed, he sensed the Holy Spirit’s nudge to include this verse from the gospel song, “Little Is Much When God Is in It.” He ended his prayer:

“Does the place you're called to labor
Seem so small and little known?
It is great if God is in it,
And he'll not forget his own.

Little is much when God is in it;
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There's a crown, and you can win it
If you’ll go in Jesus' name.

Amen.”

Kittie Suffield opened her eyes and Pastor McCandless remembers, “Her eyes twinkled!” She looked into his eyes and asked, “Do you like that song?”

Pastor McCandless smiled and said, “I love that song! Why do you ask?”

Kittie responded, “The Lord led me to write that song in 1924 and now you’re here today—33 years later—and you included those lyrics in your prayer. Oh, my.” 

Pastor McCandless couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He thought about the goodness of God. He told me that he was so sobered—and so humbled—that the Lord would give him the privilege of being a blessing to Fred and Kittie Suffield that day. 

And Pastor McCandless also told me he has never stopped telling this miracle story of “The Prayer in Pasadena!”

But there’s more to the story!

In 1956 at the General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene in Kansas City, a song leader from Canada introduced “Little Is Much When God Is in It” to the 15,000 or so delegates at this meeting. Many pastors and church leaders were in the arena representing hundreds of small churches across North America. They came to hear from God and they came for encouragement—and this song fueled a Holy Ground experience.

Pastor McCandless was there. “I was in the arena’s upper seating area. My wife, Connie, and I were just starting out in pastoral ministry. And as I looked over those thousands of humble servants—caught up in genuine heartfelt praise and worship—I knew I would never forget that day. I have never experienced anything like that then or since. I remember one guy was so enthused about praising the Lord—that he ran laps around the main floor seating area!”

God’s people sang their hearts out that day:

“Little is much when God is in it;
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There's a crown, and you can win it
If you’ll go in Jesus' name.”

Listen to “Little Is Much When God Is in It,” written by Kittie Suffield in 1924, and recorded in 2012 by the Gaither Vocal Band.

Commenting on the YouTube video of the song by the Gaither Vocal Band, here’s how one person described her experience in 1956:

“I heard this song in 1956 in the General Assembly… I was about 16 and ‘God came down in glory’ on the congregation of about 15,000 people. It felt like electricity. My hands went up in praise with no effort. I wished that I had a trumpet to fill all of heaven with praises to God. It was truly a supernatural experience which I will never forget.”

Pastor McCandless remembers that when that multitude in Kansas City sang the last verse and chorus of the song, the song leader—deeply touched during that worship experience—simply whispered into the microphone, “What do I do now?”

But there’s more to the story!

Kittie Jennett was born in 1884, and as a teenager aspired to be a concert artist as a coloratura soprano or pianist. This Melody Publications blog from July 8, 2023, chronicles her early life:

Kittie “…had been invited to be the soloist for a week of special meetings in Winchester, Ontario. During the week, a winter storm brought several feet of snow, and the train that Kittie boarded to return to New York became stuck in the snowdrifts just a few miles from the station.”

The plot thickens! “Fred Suffield was a successful young farmer whose farm was only a few hundred yards from where the train had come to a stop. Fred was awakened by a desperate pounding at the door and was told how folks were stranded on the train. He harnessed his horses to the farm sleigh, made his way through the blizzard to the tracks, and brought as many passengers as he could to his home to stay for the night.

“A Miss Kittie Jennett was among them, the singer and pianist whose music he had enjoyed all week at the meetings. After the stranded passengers had returned to the train the next morning, Fred found a note that Kittie had left, thanking him for his kindness. That was the beginning of a romance that lasted a lifetime.” 

Kittie and Fred married and they ministered together in evangelistic work and she used her God-given talents to write gospel songs and hymns. The words and music of “Little Is Much When God Is in It” were written in 1924 by Kittie, often credited as Mrs. Frederick W. Suffield.

But there’s more to the story!

Leslie Clay shares on her blog, Sisters in Song (July 14, 2014), another moment in the life of these faithful traveling evangelists, Fred and Kittie Suffield. 

According to Clay, the Suffields attended a church in Ottawa, Canada, pastored by A.J. Shea. Clay writes, “One summer, they hosted A.J.’s son, George Beverly, for a month in Westport, Ontario, while holding evangelistic meetings. During his stay one night, George tried to sing, but his voice cracked. Kittie, the pianist, lowered the key and he sang beautifully from then on.”

The result? “She is known as the encourager and initiator of George Beverly Shea’s famous career as a singer, most notably for Billy Graham’s organization.” Listen here to George Beverly Shea sing his signature song, “I’d Rather Have Jesus.” And there’s more to his story! Listen here.

What’s the rest of your story?

What’s the rest of your story? Will it be, “Welcome home, my child; well done?” Fred Suffield (1874-1963) and Kittie Suffield (1884-1972) served the Lord with gladness. As Pastor McCandless noted, Kittie’s eyes still twinkled with joy late in life. How will your story end?

"When the conflict here is ended,
And our race on earth is run,
He will say, if we are faithful,
"Welcome home, my child; well done."

Little is much when God is in it;
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There's a crown, and you can win it
If you’ll go in Jesus' name."

BONUS! Read more about this amazing story on the God Reports website. Click here.

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of the Book Bucket, and other must-read books in the 20 Management Buckets organizing system.

[   ] The One Year® Book of Hymns: 365 Devotions Based on Popular Hymns, compiled and edited by Robert K. Brown and Mark R. Norton; devotions written by William J. Petersen and Randy Petersen. (Read my review. View the podcast.)

[   ] The Messiah: An Oratorio for Four-Part Chorus of Mixed Voices, Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass Soli and Piano, by G. F. Handel. (Read my review.)

[   ] Sisters In Song: Women Hymn Writers, by Leslie Clay. (Order from Amazon.)

FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS AND RESOURCES: 

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
   • John Pearson's Buckets Podcast (YouTube)

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.