Lead Well

Photo by Dominic Hanson on Unsplash At my first church, I felt like I was alone. My senior pastor was sick, and the church was struggling. I had been in ministry for about a year and half and at first, I thought I was doing ok. But then when problems came, and I expressed them to my fellow staff members, it fell on deaf ears. I had a few friends in kidmin, but they lived in other states. Also, Facebook was in its infancy so finding others like me was difficult. Then at a sectional meeting with other church leaders in my area, I met a guy who told me about his kids’ pastor and how he had a podcast. Intrigued, I downloaded a few episodes and instantly felt at home. You know that feeling when you meet someone, and they just get it?  Since we were in the same town, I looked him up, and we went to lunch. It was the first of many connections and set me on a journey of seeking outside sources to make my ministry better. The thing is you were never meant to do ministry alone. We need o

Photo by Ahmad Ossayli on Unsplash This year has been crazy to say the least. As much as I love to read leadership and ministry books, I read less this year because of all the stress. I needed an escape. Since I’m a huge Star Wars fan, and we’re in the golden age of Star Wars there are a lot of great books continuing the story. I used to have this rule that fiction doesn’t count, then I read Jon Acuff’s book Finish, and he pointed out an interesting fact. Why doesn’t it count? I’m not turning this in for a grade. There is no standard that says Fiction doesn’t count. So, I started counting it and reading became a joy again. This year was unique for my Non-Fiction books. I joined a group called Hydrate from the Assemblies of God Children’s Ministry department. Along with training in ministry they required a book a month. Many of these I would never have picked up, but I’m glad they did. The ideas expanded my world view and challenged me to think differently about my ministry. H

Designed by Freepik This year was full of big changes.  In October, I accepted a new position at Church of Hope in Sarasota, Florida and said goodbye to all the friends we made in Montgomery.  With that change came a lot of stress.  As a result, I read a lot more fiction this year, than I have in a long time. My favorite book this year by far was The Road Back to You  by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile.  If you didn't hear about the Enneagram this year, you may be living under a rock, but I can say that it is so much more than a personality assessment.  It's about understanding the why of who you are and finding spiritual renewal as you search for health.  I have to say this book has impacted the way I look at life and how I interact with others second only to the Bible.  If you haven't read it yet, you should. So here's my list for 2018 in no particular order: The Bible The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson It's Just a Phase 3 by Kristin Ivy and Re

This year, was a much different list of books than I've read before.  I've learned that reading all non-fiction all the time can get boring and tedious.  So, I read more fiction than I've read since probably High School. It's a nice mini-vacation. In addition, I started writing book reviews for the AG Kidmin blog, which means I read a lot more children's ministry and spirituality books than I normally would have.  Here's my list: Smart Money Smart Kids by Rachel Cruze  Growing young by Kara Powell  The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson  Asohka by E. K. Johnston  The Daniel plan by Rick Warren  Framework Leadership by Kent Ingle  Well Versed by James Garlow  Do Over by Jon Acuff  Spreading the Fire by Scott Wilson  5 Levels of Leadership by John Maxwell  Foundations of Children's Evangelism by Dick Gruber  Clear the Stage by Scott Wilson  Rebel Rising by Beth Revis  Finish by Jon Acuff  Whisper by Mark Batterson What did you read in 201

This year I set out to read only 10 books.  I guess I went a little overboard and read 18 instead.  I became a parent in early 2015 and started leading a parent lifegroup in 2016, so I spent a lot more time reading parenting books than I ever have before. I've also gone all in on the Rethink Group's ministry philosophy of Orange, so I read a lot of those books as well.  Here's the list with links. Talk Now and Later by Brian Dollar  The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson It's Just a Phase by Reggie Joiner and Kristin Ivy The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey Creating A Lead Small Culture by Reggie Joiner, Kristin Ivy, and Elle Campbell Children's Ministry Leadership by Jim Wideman  Good or God by John Bevere Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath One and Two by Reggie Joiner and Kristin Ivy Connect with Kids by Jim Wideman  Don't Miss It by Reggie Joiner and Kristin Ivy Parent Chat by Matt McKee The 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family b

I love the beginning of the year.  It's a great time to look back at the previous year and look forward to the next.  Every year, I make a list of books I want to read and work off of that list.  Sometimes I add books and take others off, but I always try to meet my goal. I read 13 books in 2015, which is significantly less than last year. However I'm learning that it's not the quantity of books read throughout the year, but the quality.  It doesn't do me any good to finish reading a book and not be able to apply what I've read. I plan to read even fewer in 2016, but I think I will get more out of them than I did in the past two years. Here's what I read in 2015: Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell Lead Small Culture by Reggie Joiner, Sue Miller and Kristin Ivy Good Leaders ask Great Questions by John Maxwell Three Signs of a Miserable Job by Patrick Lencioni Not Normal by Sue Miller and Ad

I'm always reading, and this year, I read more than I've ever read.  I tried to mix several different subjects on leadership, discipleship, church growth, and even a baby book. So, without further ado, here is the list. Ready, Set, Grow   Developing the Leader Within You Developing the Leaders Around You   Spiritual Maturity  The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People  Love and Respect   Good to Great  Breakout Churches   No Perfect People Allowed   Three Big Questions for Frantic Families   Deep and Wide  A Tale of Three Kings   You Lost Me   Children's Ministry Leadership   Lead small  Volunteers that Stick  The Circle Maker   All In   Jesus is   David and Goliath  I Blew It  Stretch   The Bible   Baby Wise I'll be posting my 2015 reading list in a couple of weeks.  What books have you read recently that were interesting?