What I'm reading

Someone recently asked what I'm currently reading so I decided to answer that on today's blog.  One of the books I'm reading right now is The Pastor: A Memoir by Eugene Peterson.  This book traces Peterson's life from a young boy to his pastoral ministry and now to his role as a professor at Regent College.  Peterson's books always makes me think and forces me to look at my own ministry.  He challenges me like few authors, and when I saw he had written his memoir I knew I had to read it.  So far it has been everything I thought it would be.

A second book I'm reading is The Five Pillars of Leadership: How to Bridge the Leadership Gap by Paul Meyer and Randy Slechta.  John Maxwell endorses this book by writing, "This book will bridge the leadership gap for you."  I knew I would finish reading this book when the authors pointed out that although not every challenge we face today is the result of poor leadership, it will require good leadership to correct our problems.  The book is a quick read but one that is full of good insights into leadership.  The amount of highlighting I'm doing will attest to that.

I'm also reading Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith by Douglas Groothuis on my I-Pad Kindle device.  This book is going to take a while!  It is definitely not light reading, but I enjoy Christian apologetics and appreciate a challenging read.

Recently, I completed another book by well-known Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias titled Why Jesus?: Rediscovering His Truth in an Age of Mass Marketed Spirituality.  This book examines what makes Christianity different from other religions and why a relationship with Jesus Christ is the only way to God.  As usual, Zacharias did not disappoint.

Last week I finished reading Amazing Law of Influence, The by King Duncan.  If leadership is influence, and it is, then it is vital to understand how to most effectively influence others.  I had read this book a few years ago and felt it was time to revisit it.  I'm glad I did.

I should mention that as part of my devotional reading this year I am reading through the New Testament.  You can never go wrong reading the Bible!

If you are wanting something to read I would recommend any of these books to you. They will benefit anyone in Christian leadership whether you are a pastor or lay leader.