Lead Well

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash John Maxwell famously said that leaders are readers. I’ve taken that to heart and become a voracious reader.  Every year I set a goal to read a certain number of books. I’ve gone all the way to 36 but have settled between 20 to 24. This year, instead of focusing on quantity, I focused on subjects that interested me and read a few pages every day. Somehow, I still got 20 books in. For this post, I broke the books into categories. Each book has an affiliate link to Amazon so you can easily make your list for next year. Thanks for your support! What I read in 2022

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

When working with other leaders, the question I hear often is, “How do I lead up?” They may not use that phrase exactly. It usually comes out like, “Why won’t my leader do this?” or “How can I get them to see it my way?” This is a common theme among any leader who must submit to the authority of someone else.       Every leader who must submit is faced with two options: They can sit on the back row and criticize every move their leader makes, or they can move to the front row and bring about the change they know needs to happen.    The thing is, it’s always easier to sit in the back. You don’t have to do anything but criticize and talk about how much better it would be if they would just do it “your way.”  Back-row leaders get a certain joy out of seeing their leaders fail and convince themselves that they know the right way. Back-row leaders are ultimately poisonous to the organization because of their negativity. They do bring change, but unfortunately it's usually t

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'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?