I am a big fan of Wayne Cordeiro and New Hope Church in Hawaii, so I try to read everything Wayne writes. In fact, his book “Doing Church as a Team” is required reading for anyone who joins our staff. So when I saw he wrote a new book I immediately downloaded it into my Kindle for iPad app and moved it ahead of several other books. I really enjoyed this book. The book is not about how a church can be irresistible to your community. Instead, the book is about how a church can be irresistible to heaven. It’s … Read More

So many of you know that I'm a pretty voracious reader. I usually read about 150 books a year. But at the start of 2011 I decided to not read anything except the Bible for the 1st month of the year. So I read the New Testament for the 1st 40 days of 2011.  But over the last couple of weeks I've been able to get through some good books on a variety of subjects. I hope you find something here that piques your curiosity. Here's the last 5 books I've read:  – Unmarketing by Scott Stratten – I finished … Read More

I've read a lot this year (thank you iPad), but these are my personal favorites so far:  How to be a Fierce Competitor by Jeffrey Fox – I love everything Jeffrey writes, but this book was one of his best. This was a great book on the practical stuff that makes people effective. Loved this book! No Excuses by Brian Tracy – This was a great book about taking personal responsibility and getting things done in your life without making excuses. Very motivational. Really enjoyed this one.  7 Lessons for Leading in a Crisis by Bill George – This is … Read More

 I read a bunch of books in May, but the book that stood out to me was John Maxwell's new book, "Everyone Communicates, Few Connect." As preachers, it's so important that we read books and listen to great communicators. This book gives the most important elements that are needed to connect with those we communicate with.  Because if we don't connect with our audience, we've wasted everyone's time.   If you're a teacher at any level, I recommend you read this book and study its principles. 

 I read a bunch of books in April, but my favorite was Sticky Teams by Larry Osborne. I read everything Larry writes and have been challenged by his books personally and as a leader. I thought instead of my thoughts on the book, I'd give you some quotes that particularly stood out to me:  "I don't think it's an accident that Jesus predicted church growth but prayed for unity."  "Rather than blasting it all at once, I drip vision and core values into every sermon I preach." "Our primary job is to listen to, discern, and carry out God's will, … Read More

 I read a bunch of books in March, but my favorite by far was Sticky Teams by Larry Osborne.  I read everything Larry writes and particularly liked "Ten Dumb things Smart Christians believe" and "The Unity Factor", but this was by far my favorite book that he has written.  It's a smart, funny and quick read that give you page after page of nuggets and godly wisdom from someone who has been in ministry a long time.  I loved several things about this book:  – A real look at the role of a Senior Pastor – An honest look at … Read More

There's several books that new staff must read in their first 90 days. I thought I'd share one of them.   It's called, "Be our Guest" by the Disney Institute. This book is a must read for anyone that serves people in some capacity.   This books goes into how Disney creates a magical experience their guests and the principles that are transferable in any organization. In fact, they mention other companies that have implemented these principles and have taken their service to new levels.   Lots of books are written about how Disney does things, but this one is Disney … Read More

 Hands down my favorite book for the month of February was Mastering the 7 Decisions by Andy Andrews.  I absolutely loved this book.  If you've read "The Noticer" or "The Traveler's Gift", then you know Andy is a powerful writer. But Mastering the 7 Decisions was about putting the principles into practice that were written about in his other books.   This book is a must read in a world where everyone wants to blame their parents, the economy, the government, and/ or anything else as long as they don't have to take personal responsibility for their lives and actions. … Read More

If you've followed this blog for any length of time, that you know that I like to read.  But most of the time I'm commenting or reviewing new books that I've read.   Now what gets lost in the 'tyranny of the new' is the classics that need to be re-read.   There's books that I read every year and some that I read every other year.   So I thought I'd put together a list of a couple books that are on my regular re-read list:  – Lectures to My Students by Charles H. Spurgeon (my favorite book of … Read More