In the Right Seat

 

Issue No. 654 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Aug. 14, 2025) asks, “Are you in the right seat?” Read this book and—guarantee—you’ll order more copies for friends. (I warned you!) Plus, click here for recent issues posted at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog, including Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers, by Dane Ortlund. Also, check out the 20 management buckets (core competencies). Dean Curry, author of In the Right Seat, says he prays regularly about the people that sit next to him on airplanes—and everywhere. But get this—he also prays about whether to cancel a meeting. Why? In case “God has something else for me that day.” (See Chapter 11, “Overflow Seating.” Wow!)   Your Most Important Seat Assignment Warning! Read this book and you’ll be compelled to buy more copies for co-workers, friends, and family members. I can’t stop talking about it! Dean Curry asks, “Does your life look like Jesus? Smell like Jesus?” You must read: In the Right Seat by Dean Curry (Dec. 13, 2017)   When I met Dean Curry some years back, I asked him if he was working on another book—and he said yes. He told me it would be a series of personal stories about being in the right seat at the right time. He then told me a stunning story about a guy he met on an airplane.  I won’t spoil the story, but you MUST read Chapter 2, “L is for Listen.” Curry reminds us that God is eager to speak to us—in those defining moments when we’re in the right seat—and listening. He writes, “More often than not, His voice is a whisper rather than a shout.” (This reminded me of Henry Blackaby’s tip: “When God speaks, it is important to write it down.”) The Lord reminded me of Curry’s “listen” story this month—and I realized I never followed up to see if he had actually written the book. Yikes! So, there it was on Amazon—published in 2017. (I could have used this wisdom for the last eight years!) Every story is memorable.    • 17 personal stories    • 17 times in the right seat    • 17 people impacted (actually more than 17) Every story will touch you.    • 17 hallelujahs!    • 17 prompts: Am I in the right seat?    • 17 x 100 future opportunities Example: I tried to read this book slowly—just a chapter a day. Impossible. Most days—two or three chapters. Stirring. Fun. Fruitful. After reading all 17 chapters, I prayed and then I wondered—what chair would the Lord place me in next, and when? LOL! The next day, at 1:07 a.m. (not a typo), my phone rang—and a concerned neighbor asked me to drive her to her hospital’s emergency room. I was in bed (not a chair), so I’m wondering if Dean Curry’s next book will be “In the Right Bed.” I told my neighbor about the book! I was in the waiting room (apparently in the right seat) until 4:00 a.m. Blessed. Each chapter of In the Right Seat describes how these experiences have heightened Curry’s awareness about being available to other people. He writes: Don’t ask, “Who, me?” Ask, “What if?” He adds, “See yourself as someone God loves, for whom Jesus died, and through whom God wants to do great things. See yourself through your calling, not your category. After all, ‘calling’ is not an impersonal command. Calling is relational. God is not as concerned about what you can do for him as He is about what you can do with him.” You’ll meet an eclectic collection of Curry’s airplane seatmates, and others, in these quick-reading stories (but best if read slowly).    • A man just released from prison.    • “Ms. Gold Member” frequent flyer (a real pill!).    • The coach passenger who had the audacity to use the first class bathroom!    • The mid-eighties woman—wandering aimlessly near a private golf course. (This reminded me of John Baillie’s prayer, “Let me see no fellow traveler in distress and pass by on the other side.” Read more.)    • The flight attendant who needed comfort—and found it in the one empty seat on the entire plane. (You guessed it—next to Curry.)    • The Muslim doorman—in a hotel in Afghanistan. Guess who hugged him and why. Curry notes, “Sometimes when God gives us a command, our first response is to appraise it rather than immediately obey.” (Read why he got up at 4:00 a.m. one morning.) This reminded me of the outstanding book, The 10-Second Rule—the perfect companion to In the Right Seat. Curry writes, “More often than not, God’s direction comes exactly when we need it: right now.” And this: “Delayed obedience can be the same as disobedience.” But note: In the Right Seat is not a guilt trip—it’s an invitation to a joy-filled journey.  This is not a leadership or management book—but it kinda is. Following each story, Curry’s short commentary from Scripture illuminates what just happened. My favorite chapter? All 17. Honest. Examples:    • Chapter 17: The biblical concept of “commander’s intent,” learned from a U.S. military general. (Read more about commander’s intent in Call Sign Chaos.)    • Chapter 10: Curry reminds us about Malcolm Gladwell’s classic story/experiment in The Tipping Point when seminary students at Princeton—right after class and having just talked about the Good Samaritan in class—thoughtlessly passed by people in need!    • Ever cancel a meeting—because God has other plans for you? Read the "Field Test" chapter and learn why a Muslin asked Curry if he was going to “practice what he preached!” Where else does Curry pull up a chair? “Once you’re a follower of Jesus, start to not just talk to Him, but listen to Him. I spend 40 percent of my prayer time listening. I used to spend 90 percent of it talking. Then I realized, How can I get His input if I do all the talking? Hear what he says to you. We don't bring our lists to God; we bring our hearts to Him. We pull up a chair to sit in relationship with Him. And that's the most important seat assignment of all.” To ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for In the Right Seat, by Dean Curry. The author describes himself as “a Jesus follower, husband, father, pastor, and friend—always on assignment, and always in the right seat.” To subscribe to Dean Curry’s daily encouragement email, "AM Hope,” visit OurChurch.    YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: 1) Dean Curry asks, “What are your excuses for not following God’s call on your life? Write them down, and then cross them out or tear them up. Do something that physically demonstrates your readiness to listen and respond.” What are your excuses? 2) Very transparently, Dean Curry confesses in Chapter 6, “Emergency Landing,” the following: “I was in the right seat that day because I needed an object lesson about the state of my own heart.” When is the last time you were challenged about the state of your own heart?        SECOND READS: Fresh Solutions From Classic Books You have changed—and your problems have changed—since you read this the first time! Book #24 of 99: The Temptation to Do Good For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by featuring Book #24 of 99 in our series, “Second Reads.” The big idea: REREAD TO LEAD! Discover how your favorite books still have more to teach you and the people you’re coaching and mentoring.   The Temptation to Do Good  by Peter F. Drucker   In this delightful novel (just 152 pages), Drucker addresses the subtle “temptation to do good” syndrome that gets many religious leaders into trouble. You’ll enjoy the story and Drucker’s memorable insights. I included this book on my “Top-10 List” for My Ideal Bookshelf.    • Read my review (Issue No. 281, July 7, 2013).    • Order from Amazon.    • Order two Drucker novels from Amazon.*    • Management Bucket #4 of 20: The Drucker Bucket. Drucker introduces us to Father Heinz Zimmerman, president of a Catholic university.  He faces all of the leadership challenges common to nonprofit CEOs: budgets, donors, staff conflicts, board members, ethical issues, and more. Throw in student and faculty expectations and you’ll appreciate your current organization more—no matter how complex it is! *Bonus! A second novel by Drucker, The Last of All Possible Worlds, is included in this two-novel edition, along with The Temptation to Do Good.   CLICK HERE FOR BOOKS BY JOHN      Read the reviews of five books by Peter Drucker in Part 6, “The Mount Rushmore of Leadership Legends,” in Mastering 100 Must-Read Books, by John Pearson with Jason Pearson. Download the list of 100 books here.

6-Minute Video: Faith for the Curious Mark Matlock says we’re in an “era of spiritual openness” in his book, Faith for the Curious.  #1. View this “explainer video” (6 min.). #2. Listen to this AI-generated podcast “review” of my review (12 min.). #3. Read my review. #4. Listen to more AI-generated podcasts. (You'll need a Google account to listen to the podcasts.)  $uccessful Mi$take$ Read my review of this hot-off-the-press new book from Kim Perell, Mistakes that Made Me a Millionaire: How to Transform Setbacks into Extraordinary Success (Aug. 12, 2025). And visit the Pails in Comparison Blog for 100+ more book reviews.