You probably heard all the cliches. Leaders are readers. Today’s readers are tomorrow’s leaders. I love learning. I also love reading – it can be very relaxing. I try to go through around 20 books in the year. This year I just fell short of that, but setting these types of goals usually helps me. Usually I read some fiction books as well in my holidays, but somehow that didn’t happen this year. At the beginning of our summer holiday, when I usually read a lot, we went to Presence Conference in San Diego; after that I only wanted to read my Bible. So I brought all these books with me that I didn’t end up reading! Anyway, here’s my list of recommendations:
- More Distinct by Calvin Samuel
I loved reading this book MORE > Distinct, reclaiming holiness for the world of today. Holiness and sin and often perceived as complex subjects in our society today. Calvin Samuel unwraps what it means to be holy in today’s world. Samuel himself asks the question ‘what does it mean to be holy and what models and metaphors might we use to understand it?’
This book is relevant, insightful and encouraging. Samuel encourages us that holiness is possible. I have not before read such a concise yet versatile view on holiness. It’s just ten chapters of distinct characteristics of holiness.
Get this book here or here (for Dutchies).
- The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle
The book explores how groups work together; the secrets of great teamwork. The influence of vulnerability, having a safe environment, the importance of purpose and how humans can function in a group. I specifically enjoyed how Coyle uses different examples to explore why great teams work together well. Successful organizations and teams are examined as to why they perform so well and time and time again the importance of having a great team surfaced.
I think this one is a must-read for anyone trying to build a strong team or organization or who is interested in team dynamics in general.
- Communicating for a change by Andy Stanly
I read both Communicating for a change and Irresistible this year. Where Irresistible is a book that challenges the way you look at the Bible for sure, I think Communicating for a change has a lot of practical value for preachers and communicators. The most important take-aways for me are in the way he structures a message and keeps it focused around a single point. Stanley is a big advocate of single point sermons.
A lot of time is spent to encourage the reader to spend time on connecting with the audience, instead of diving directly into the message. Although this book is written by a pastor, I think it has a lot of helpful material for anyone speaking in front of audiences regularly.
Get this book here.
- The story of reality – Gregory Koukl
The story of reality: how the world began, how it ends and everything important that happens in between is the full title of this book. This book reads more like an apologetic text than a theological work – which is something I enjoyed. I think this book is suitable for a broad audience: those new to Christianity, those trying to make sense of the story of Christianity and those who are more seasoned believers. Also for non-Christians who wonder how the Bible can support a coherent worldview, this book would be interesting.
- Under Cover – John Bevere
I think this book is one you’ll either love or hate. Not many people like talking or reading about authority, submission and obedience. But my personal journey is one of learning to deal with and submit to leadership, whilst keeping a good attitude. I think this book can help you if you struggle with that too. And check my last post to read more about my journey concerning this.
Good luck and have fun with the books that you are about to read in 2020! Let me know if you have any recommendations for me to add to my reading list this year.
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