I agree with John Wesley's advice to pastors, where he encouraged them to "develop a taste for it [reading] or else find another [job]."
When I first started pastoring, I made it a practice to try to finish a book each week. I usually didn't quite hit that. But there were a number of years that I cleared 40 books read. But then I started having children. Our 5th child was born 8 days ago today, the amount of reading I'm able to do has declined. That's OK with me for this stage of life. As Greg Gunn of Familyid says, I'm "getting my Ph.D. in spouse and children."
But I'm still committed to growth. I still read. Here are a list of books I'm reading or have recently completed.
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The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle - "Elementary, my dear Watson." (Incidentally, Sherlock Holmes never said that.) Enjoyment reading for me. My rating: 5 stars
The Street Lawyer by John Grisham - Successful lawyer survives an encounter with a crazy homeless man, but it leaves him deeply shaken and searching for significance beyond "making partner." Grisham wrestles with the line between rights and right, and where "might" comes in. My rating: 4 stars
Small is the New Big by Seth Godin - If you just need something to kick you in the side of the head and make you think differently, I highly recommend this. It's a little random. Really, it's a collection of short blog posts on all things business, management and marketing. But you'll find yourself nodding and saying "never thought of that, but it's true." My Rating: 4 stars
Revive, Refresh, Renew edited by H.B. London, Jr - Thanks to Walt Hedstrom, one of our denominational leaders, for suggesting this book. Encouraging to me during a challenging chapter in my life. Not my standard fare, but good for the moment in my life. My rating: 3.5 stars
Entreleadership by Dave Ramsey - Excellent general book on business leadership. Dave's classic, in-your-face style and practical wisdom really shine here. My rating: 4 stars
Deep and Wide by Andy Stanley - The story and principles behind North Point Community Church. I'll review this in more detail in a later post. My Rating: 4.5 stars
Vertical Church by James MacDonald - MacDonald argues that the greatest thing people need from churches is for them to be places where they have an encounter with a awesome, transcendent God. Still reading this one, I'll review it in more detail later. My Rating: 4.5 stars
I recommend these all heartily.
That's it for today.
Keep reading & learning,
Darrell
