Reading to Lead!
I didn’t come up with this quote, but I love it. “Leaders Read and Readers Lead.” Today, I just want to share some of the things I read on a daily basis other than the Bible. (If you are in Christian Leadership and your Bible is dusty, you NEED to start there!)
ONLINE
Pastor’s Blogs
Perry Noble – Pastor of NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC. Writes a great blog that mixes encouragement for Christians and for other pastors.
Dean Herman - Pastor of 5 Point Church in Easley, SC. His church is the fastest growing church in Pickens County, SC and he has a lot of great ideas.
Business and Marketing
Seth Godin – It is no secret that this guy writes one of the best marketing blogs in the world! Great thoughts and many of them can apply to the church.
Publishing and Leadership
Michael Hyatt – He is the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers and writes a great blog about much more than the publishing industry.
News and Current Events
Drudge Report – a quick news feed to keep you up to date on what is going on in the news.
ZoeCity – A great feed of news and blogs from a Christian Worldview perspective.
IN PRINT
Non Fiction
Andy Stanley – One of the best writers on pastoral leadership and christian leadership.
Seth Godin (yes, I know I already mentioned his blog, but he is an accomplished author as well.)
John Maxwell – Another great writer on Leadership. Not as focused on pastoral leadership as Andy Stanley, so if you aren’t a pastor, you might get more out of Maxwell.
Joseph Ransom – I wish he had a blog! I would read it! I have read every book and play he has written. The pastor of Shady Grove Baptist Church in Sparta, MO is a great inspiration! He is blind and still pastors a church, has completed a PhD, teaches in a Bible institute and unfortunately doesn’t have spare time for things like blogging…but Joseph, if by chance you read this, I would love it if you did have a blog!
Fiction
John Grisham- Ok, not deep stuff, but I love reading his work.
Robert Ludlum- International Crime and intrigue.
I know this list didn’t impress anyone, but it might give you an idea or two or challenge you to read something new. (If you want a list of the stuff I read in Spanish, let me know…I have some favorite authors but they are all in the fiction genre.)
Zoecity.com
Today, I am stepping out of my box. I want to recommend a new website to you. Zoecity.com is a new site that combs through thousands of articles and posts the top shared articles first. The theory behind this is that if you share an article with your friends and family, then it is something you cared enough about not only to read, but to pass on. Zoe.com tracks these “shares” and the article that has been shared the most times ends up at the top of the list. At the moment, the list is still small, but I am sure with time that this start-up web article ranking page will become to Christian leaders what Drudgereport.com is to conservatives and news junkies.
Since the blog world seems worried about blogging about things without disclosing whether they have recieved something in exchange for blogging about a product, I want to freely admit that Zoecity.com gave me access to their site the same way that you have it…I linked off a blogpost I read. http://michaelhyatt.com/ actually.
Morning Devotions??
Filed under: Random Thoughts, accountability, personal growth, reading
This morning, I have a confession to make. I woke up late and just got to the office and I still haven’t had my time with God or read His word! It is VERY important to do so, and I know this! In Mark 1:35 we see that Jesus himself got up while it was still dark, went out to a solitary place and He prayed! If Jesus needed to pray to start His day, we mere mortals must do so as well. I promise to take a break and get my prayer time in. Thanks to all my readers for also being accountability partners!
Confessions of a Blogger/Pastor
Filed under: Body of Christ, Book Review, Direction, Encouragement, Fear, Pornography, Random Thoughts, Repentance, accountability, healing, leadership, personal growth, reading
I just finished reading Craig Groeschel’s book, Confessions of a Pastor. It surprised me in a good way! I expected it to be a decent book. I enjoy Craig’s teaching and the articles he has written that I have read. I must admit, it was the first book by him that I had picked up. I read it almost all the way through last night…finally about 3:30 in the morning, I decided that the book would still be there in the morning and I needed to get some sleep. It got me thinking, which is part of Craig’s motive for writing the book, that I am as guilty as he is about not taking off my mask and trying to let people see the new and improved me instead of letting them see the “real” me. As he “confessed to me” through the book, I found myself wanting to talk out loud to him saying, “I am right there with you!” I have been in church since the week after my parents conceived me, yet it wasn’t until November 28, 2003 that I finally broke down and gave myself 100% to God! Why did I wait so long? I had said a sinner’s prayer when I was three years old. Was it real? I thought it was, but was my life bearing fruit of someone sold out to God and crazy about reaching the world for Jesus Christ? I can answer that for those who didn’t know me…it wasn’t! I was a “convenient Christian”. What about now? Each day is a new struggle. I have previously blogged about having had a pornography addiction and leading the pornography addiction recovery group at church. So how do I admit that there are days when I just want to give up on almost 6 years being porn free? There, I admitted it. (Yes, I know that giving in would destroy my witness, it would cause problems in my marriage, it would end my ability to be an effective pastor and leader in the church, it would take away the credibility I have built with the guys who talk to me about their own addictions…) Yes, I know that stuff…and yet there are days when I don’t feel as close to God and don’t feel his love. I know HE is still there watching out for me. Yes, there are days when I wake up tired on Sunday morning and don’t want to go to church. (And the senior pastor is an incredible leader and speaker! I love the worship band! I just want to stay in bed.) Do you ever have those feelings? Comment away!
And if you are struggling with a pornography and/or sexual addiction, feel free to contact me privately. If you are a pastor, I really encourage you to do so! If you don’t want to talk to me, get an accountability partner! Very, very few men/or women can kick the habit alone without the help of a friend.
Personal Celebration
Filed under: Book Publication, Book Review, Marketing, Random Thoughts, Wonderment, reading
Ok, this post has nothing to do with church leadership! I am just happy. The author’s proof of my book came in yesterday! I made some minor format changes, and now it is done! (So all of you who were anticipating buying a copy can now click here to get one!) The feeling of satisfaction just holding a copy of Wild About the Church! Thought Provoking Ideas for Pastors and Lay Leaders was one I wasn’t ready for. There it was in my hands…a book with my name on the front…And people have actually paid money to buy copies! (No, I am not yet on the NYT best seller list, but sales have been made!) It is the same joy I get when I see that people actually read my blog. I think for the first six months or so, the only person who read it outside my family was my pastor.
This Morning…
Filed under: Book Review, Encouragement, Repentance, accountability, personal growth, reading, thanks, tithing
Last night, I started reading a great book by Robert Morris entitled, The Blessed Life. This morning, I woke up at a little before five. For some, that may be normal, but I don’t usually drag myself out of bed until about six. I went ahead and got up to spend some extra time in prayer and reading God’s word. So why share? It was incredible! The getting up earlier isn’t spiritual at all, but the uninterrupted time with God was AWESOME! Honestly, I never before understood people who said things like, “I got up at 4:30 this morning and spent time with God.” I always figured they were just bragging or wanted me to feel sorry for them for getting up so early! Now I understand! Sorry to all those who I had bad feelings toward in the past!
Back to the book, when I finished praying and reading the Bible, I still had a little extra time before having to leave for work, so I picked the book back up and read a couple more chapters. It is challenging me in some incredible new ways! I don’t know Robert Morris, and have never heard him speak, but he has written a wonderful, yet easy to read book! I highly recommend it, not just to pastors but to all Christians!
Reading to stay fresh in your ministry…
Are you busy? Yeah, I know, dumb question. This isn’t so much about your reading the Bible as it is about reading to stay fresh. (If you aren’t reading God’s Word and you are a pastor or lay leader in your church you need some time off to spend with God in prayer and getting into HIS word. You can’t do it on your own.) A good friend once told me to read old and new books to challenge my faith. I think he was citing C.S. Lewis, but even if he wasn’t, it was good advice. You can read to stay up to date, but it is also important to read to stay grounded in your faith. If we only talk to people in our church and community, it is easy to get stale in our teaching. If we read great books, we can see how great minds think. Isaac Newton said something once about doing great things because he stood on the shoulders of great men. In this century, we have the luxury of having millions of books in print. We can thus stand on the shoulders of both those who are currently doing great things in God’s kingdom and also those great saints who have gone before us. Scheduling time for reading is tough, but it can be done. My wife teases me because I prefer reading to TV, but seriously, many of us spend a lot of time watching very un-educational television. If you prefer the internet reading, which may be true if you are reading this, then check out the Christian Classics library. http://www.ccel.org/ I also have a link to it on the sidebar. There are many great Christian classics on this site. Most of all have fun. Don’t read it if it totally bores you. You may not be ready for it, or it is below you etc. As anyone who has read more than a few books knows, sometimes you can think a book is awful, and then a few years later, when you try it again, it is one of the best books you every read! What happened? You changed, the book didn’t. So that to say, if you don’t like it, try it again later.
Sorry if this was more rambling than usual, but hopefully you take from this that reading is a great way to help you stay fresh in your area of ministry!
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