I just re-read Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders. I love this book. I have recommended it 100’s of times and I want to recommend it again to anyone who is in spiritual leadership to any capacity. This book is just a powerhouse of truth and wisdom. Here are a few nuggets that I got from reading it a second time around: – “Pessimism and leadership are at opposite ends of life’s attitudes.” – “We can only lead where we ourselves have traveled.” – “A leader know how to exploit momentum” (Great name for a conference, isn’t it 🙂 – … Read More

I get questions about reading fairly often from people at church and Pastors, so let answer some of them here. First, let me say that I was not born a bookworm. In fact, before becoming a Christ-follower the only book I had ever read completely was a biography on the life of Madonna (who would lie about something so pathetic?). But when God changed my life, I got a thirst for knowledge and books were the best way to quench it, so I started reading. So every year, I set a reading goal as part of my personal development. (I’m … Read More

Mark Batterson was kind enough to send me a copy of his book In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and after reading it I am truly grateful for his generosity. His book is insightful, inspiring, witty, and fun to read. His exposition of an obscure passage brings a man we know very little about into homes and most importantly, into our hearts. Having spent a little bit of a time with Mark, he is living out what he’s writing about. He is chasing lions and encouraging everyone around him to do the same. I think this … Read More

First, let me say that I love Brian McLaren’s books (I’m ducking from the bullets). I’ve read most of his books, but this one managed to evade me for a while. Needless to say, this is a great book on the subject of evangelism. More Ready Than You Realize is a wonderful departure from the world of 4 spiritual laws, EE, and all the other “canned” approaches that I don’t think really work in the real word anymore. I know people find this somewhat offensive at times, but I think street witnessing is pretty much dead, and along with it, … Read More

First, let me say that I love Patrick Lencioni’s books and The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive didn’t disappoint! What an easy, fantastic read! I love Pat’s fable at the beginning and then how he drops the bomb at the end with some explanation and challenges for the reader. Here’s the one idea that I what I walked away with (There were many, but here’s the big one for me): Be clear. Clear in the vision, clear in the communication of the vision, and clear in how others are communicating that vision in my absence and fulfilling the vision. … Read More

I was very excited to read Craig Groeschel’s new book Confessions of a Pastor. I loved Chazown and was eager to read his latest release. It wasn’t as good as Chazown, but it was still good. I was under the impression that the book was geared towards Pastors, which it wasn’t, but there was still enough great stuff to keep me interested. What I do love about the book is the premise: dropping the pose and being real with God and others. One of things I see to often is people becoming Christians and getting more fake than real. Recent … Read More

2 friends of mine recommended Our Iceberg is Melting by John Kotter and I loved it! Their story of a penguin colony that need to change to survive is charming and insightful. They lay out 8 steps for effective change. But here’s what they shared that I thought was most important: Change is emotional. If you’re a leader who has tried to change anything, then you know this is the truth. Lay out all the facts you want, share all the Bible verses you want, but at the end of the day, change is emotional. It’s why we know things … Read More

Getting Things Done by David Allen is out of control. What a fantastic book! If you want to get your life organized and start getting work done, this is the book to read. I heard a stat that the average person only works 2 hours in an 8 hour day. Why? Probably because he or she can’t give enough attention to one thing for any length of time with all the disruptions, calls, emails, people, and thoughts that are constantly bombarding us. Here’s 10 things I got out of this book that I’m going to start implementing right away: #1 … Read More

2 of my friends recommended “Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson to me and were shocked that I hadn’t read it. So I picked up this little 100 page book and was totally impressed. What a great book with tremendous insight into how we react to change. As I read the book, I was thinking about the people in my life that are like the 2 mice and those that remind me of Hem and Haw. Then I gave some thought to who I was most like in this equation. If you are needing to change anything in your … Read More

I try to read a couple of books a year on evangelism to keep evangelistic fires burning. Just Walk Across the Room by Bill Hybels did the trick. So simple. So practical. I’ve already told our folks to get this book for our bookstore. This book needs to get into people’s hands. It reminded me of the difference we can make, even in the most mundane of situations. Bill outlines easy steps to creating moments to share our faith in everyday conversation and using our own story. We need more tools like this and less of the formulaic stuff.