I love to read.
I recently heard a leader say "No one can ever take away your education."
Whether intentionally or unintentionally we are constantly learning. The sad reality is that most people go through life choosing to unintentionally learn and add to their education.
I believe that one of the things that sets good leaders apart from great leaders is reading.
In her article for Forbes "Why Leaders Must be Readers" Kelsey Meyer lays out some incredible thoughts and practices for incorporating reading into your development as a leader. In her article Meyer says that we read for three main reasons:
Reading reminds you.
Reading challenges you.
Reading gives you opportunities to interact with others.
I wanted to share what I am reading as we start 2016. Some of it is for fun, some for my faith, some for work and some to just flat out challenge my thinking. In 2016 lets be leaders that read and challenge ourselves to lead others better than we did in 2015!
“If you are a leader, you should be striving to develop knowledge to improve yourself, your company, and the people who work for you. To do anything less is to shortchange your ability to lead.”
My Current Reading List:
The Message Bible by Eugene Peterson
I use The Bible for just about everything I do for work. It was also my main textbook while I was working on my undergraduate degree. It is where I go for leadership help, wisdom, relationship guidance and so on. Because I use it in so many different capacities, I found myself treating it like a text book. It was cold and void of emotion. The Lord really challenged me on this a few months ago, so I went out and bought a new Bible in a different translation than I normally use to simply begin to read through. The Message is a great translation and is written in a common vernacular which makes reading it very easy.
The Complete Works E.M. Bounds
This book has been on my reading list for several years now. It includes 8 of E.M. Bounds’ books on prayer. I have learned more about prayer and been challenged more to pray by this book than any other outside of the Bible. Bounds is an incredible author and a challenging teacher. If you want to be a disciple who sees the Kingdom of Heaven advanced on the earth then prayer must be one of the things that consumes your life, which means that you should read this book.
Together: Adults and Teenagers Transforming the Church by Jeff Baxter
I believe that we sit in an interesting age in the local and global church where we are having to constantly evaluate and adjust how we do ministry within the walls of the church and within the communities we are positioned. One of the areas I am always evaluating is youth and young adult ministry. I am excited about getting further into this one, so far it is challenging me as a leader and pastor.
“Does youth ministry in your church exist on an island, disconnected from the larger church? Does your youth ministry accomplish the church's overall goals for making disciples of teenagers? Together helps answer those questions and more. Almost since the concept of "youth ministry" came into being, churches have struggled with how to keep their twelve-to-twenty-year-olds engaged. A contemporary focus, lots of fun activities, and cool leaders seemed to be the answer. Yet large numbers of young people are still leaving, many feeling disconnected from mainstream churches. In Together, author Jeff Baxter offers a thoughtful perspective on why real change requires not just a new model for youth ministry, but a whole new congregational mindset. Using practical examples from his own experiences ministering to youth and their families, Baxter provides a detailed guide for creating an intentional, whole-church, intergenerational ministry. Effective and life-changing, this ministry focuses on connecting the generations for the express purpose of fostering discipleship and spiritual growth, and investing youth in the long-term goals of the church. Together is for anyone committed to helping young people mature into Jesus-following adults who remain invested in God's kingdom.”
Jesus Is ______ by Judah Smith
This book has been in my stack for a while now. It is a very easy read and has amazing content. It is simple yet contains powerful truths about the character of Jesus. It is a great reminder that Jesus is so much more than a distant God who operates outside of relationship. Jesus is deeply invested into our lives on a personal level, and this books helps to embed that idea.
Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds by Carmine Gallo
This has been one of the hands down best and most practical books I have read on improving your public speaking and presentations. This one is a must if you speak a lot or give a lot of presentations!
“Public speaking coach and bestselling author Carmine Gallo has broken down hundreds of TED talks and interviewed the most popular TED presenters, as well as the top researchers in the fields of psychology, communications, and neuroscience to reveal the nine secrets of all successful TED presentations. Gallo's step-by-step method makes it possible for anyone to deliver a presentation that is engaging, persuasive, and memorable.”
13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened In Benghazi by Mitchell Zuckoff and the Annex Security Team
I am just beginning this book and I am very excited to read it as well as see the movie which comes out this month!
“13 HOURS presents, for the first time ever, the true account of the events of September 11, 2012, when terrorists attacked the US State Department Special Mission Compound and a nearby CIA station called the Annex in Benghazi, Libya. A team of six American security operators fought to repel the attackers and protect the Americans stationed there. Those men went beyond the call of duty, performing extraordinary acts of courage and heroism, to avert tragedy on a much larger scale. This is their personal account, never before told, of what happened during the thirteen hours of that now-infamous attack.”
Pure Desire: How One Man's Triumph Can Help Others Break Free From Sexual Temptation by Ted Roberts
This has been a very challenging and insightful read. The author is a former fighter pilot now pastor who deals with the power of addictions. Our culture is saturated with so many different self-medications that far too often turn into powerful addictions that threaten to ruin our lives. Roberts does an amazing job of blending scientific studies, psychology studies, and the Bible to present a clear and profound look at how we deal with addictions as the local church.
The Purple Book: Biblical Foundations for Building Strong Disciples by Rice Broocks and Steve Murrell
I am working through this book in conjunction with a ton of people involved in our young adults ministry. It is a work book which deals with major theological issues within the Christian faith by pointing participants back to the Bible to find answers. Even having been a Christian for some time this book challenges my thoughts processes and forces me to align my beliefs with the word of God and not my emotions or feelings.
Generational IQ: Christianity Isn't Dying, Millennials Aren't the Problem, and the Future is Bright by Haydn Shaw
I am just starting this one, but the book deals with a new generations approach to the local church and Christianity. I am excited to get further into it!
Renaissance: The Power of the Gospel However Dark the Times by Os Guinness
I am three chapters into this one and it is really challenging me as a Disciple and believer with the local church. We are working through this book as a Generations Department which encompasses our staff from children’s ministry to young adults. The premise of the book is a challenge to the global church to engage culture with the Gospel in order to see the world change.
“The church can be revived to become a renewing power in our society―if we answer the call to a new Christian renaissance that challenges darkness with the hope of Christian faith. In this hopeful appeal for cultural transformation, Guinness shares opportunities for Christians, on both local and global levels, to win back the West and to contribute constructively to the human future. Hearkening back to similar pivotal points in history, Guinness encourages Christians in the quest for societal change. Each chapter closes with thought-provoking discussion questions and a brief, heart-felt prayer that challenges and motivates us to take action in our lives today.”
The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics) translated by Abdel Haleem
I have had this book for 2 years now and have used it for different studies comparing and contrasting Christianity and Islam. I believe that we as the local church and as disciples of Jesus Christ are going to be asked more and more about our response to Islam. I never want to be someone who responds out of ignorance or fear. I am a good ways into it and I have learned a ton, it is shaping my worldview and causing me to love Jesus and his gracious mercy and love at a whole new level.