2022 Summer Reading List: Yours
It’s that time again, campers: the late-springtime when nerds get giddy with excitement over everyone’s recommended beach reading lists. I have ten for you, picked out of what I’ve read over the last year. These books were valuable additions to my shelf…your mileage may vary.
(Coming later this week: what I hope to tackle this summer.)
At Your Best: How to Get Time, Energy, and Priorities Working in Your Favor (Carey Nieuwhof) (See my Top Ten Quotes post) Six months after reading this, I still find myself using so many concepts. Summer is a great time to read this to reset your brain for fall.
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever (Michael Bungay Stanier) (See my Top Ten Quotes post) As I mentioned in the “Top Ten” post, this may be one I go back and read again this summer.
Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners (Dane Ortlund) Dane Ortlund is our Gentle and Lowly guy, and we all know what a great book that was. Deeper has been my morning companion over the last several weeks, and reminds us to press deeper into the gospel.
The Eagle’s Claw: A Novel of the Battle of Midway (Jeff Shaara) I’m a borderline history buff. All of Shaara’s books read like novels. Maybe that’s why he has the word “novel” in the subtitle. Weird.
A Gentle Answer: Our “Secret Weapon” in an Age of Us Against Them (Scott Sauls) (See my Top Ten Quotes post) We’re just flippin’ angry people. Sauls reminds us to step back, step down, and really love our neighbors.
Humor, Seriously: Why Humor is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life (Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas (See my Top Ten Quotes post) I just realized that two books on my list have “secret weapon” in the subtitle. Let’s diagnose that, shall we? (No. We shant.)
Making Numbers Count: The Art and Science of Communicating Numbers (Chip Heath and Karla Starr) Y’all know my fanboy status of the Heath Brothers. Chip made even a book on numbers pretty compelling. A must for all communicators.
Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs (Steve Cuss) If there’s one trait we display more than anger (see above), it’s anxiousness. Steve’s work will help you dig down in the deep parts of your soul – and the soul of your team.
To the Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson (Courtney Anderson) Our entire staff read this classic a few months back (classic defined as a book everyone has heard of but no one has read). It’s really, really good. And if it’s a classic to you, pick it up.
Who Stole My Church: What to Do When the Church You Love Tries to Enter the 21st Century (Gordon McDonald) McDonald’s book is a dozen years old and – if you are not in a “stuck” church – you may think it doesn’t apply to you. Oh, nay nay. Written in a Lencioni-esque narrative style, he applies wisdom from years in the pastorate on how to navigate any change that comes our way.
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Making Numbers Count: The Art and Science of Communicating Numbers…Chip Heath does it again! This is a great read for metric geeks like myself
Such a great book!
Danny, Every book you have recommended so far has been a fantastic read and I’ll be putting a few of these on my list!
“A Gentle Answer” is a book that should be required reading for every church staff member across the country. It’s a powerful message on the right way to respond in today’s climate of cultural divide. It’s a game changer with so many reminders of what the Gospel teaches us.
Agreed!