Summer Reading List

poetry

Several years ago, my wife helped me switch from watching television to reading books before bed (thank you Laurel!). We’ve grown to love this time after the kids have fallen asleep (or at least are confined to their rooms) to catch up on reading.

Reading fills you in a way that television just doesn’t. At a recent HOPE lunch ‘n learn, I went through a few of the books I’ve appreciated recently. What would you add?

  • To Sell is Human by Daniel Pink. Simply the best sales book I’ve ever read as it encourages us to go beyond gimmicks and become rooted in relationships. This book resonates with the way we think about fundraising at HOPE.
  • The Business of Generosity by Stephen Graves. From Toms one-for-one model to corporate sponsorships, Steve’s book captures the various business models in a world of rapidly changing philanthropy.
  • The Messiah Method by Michael Zigarelli. As a former Messiah soccer player, I LOVED reading a thoughtful history of Messiah’s record-setting program. But the takeaways transcend soccer and have relevance for any form of leadership. When the former head coach Dave Brandt was told after winning an unbelievable number of national championships, “You can’t keep winning championships,” his response was “Why not? Someone is going to win. Why not us?”
  • The Heart of Business by Raymond Harris. We believe God’s Word has relevance for all of life, and this book reminds us the incredible wisdom found in the book of Proverbs to the business world.
  • The Good Egg by David Peterson. This is the story of the invention of the Egg McMuffin. I loved hearing the specific details of the tenacity and talent in pitching an idea within a large corporation like McDonalds.
  • Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. Before reading this book, I thought I understood some of the differences between men and women in the workplace. However, this book created a greater awareness and sensitivity to unique challenges women face in thriving in the office.
  • The Last Hunger Season by Roger Thurow. This book is brilliant advertising for One Acre Funds innovative agricultural input and training model. At HOPE, we have been rapidly growing our church-based savings and credit association model and this book allowed an inside look into a partner organization.
  • Demons of Poverty by Ted Boers. This was a heart-breaking book about development gone wrong in Haiti. Ted is vulnerable about the challenges he faced and the bigger doubts they caused. This is a compelling read.
  • Jesus is Better than You Imagined by Jonathan Merritt. This book of stories of finding God in unexpected places is written with uncommon honesty. Included is the story about when Jonathan and I were held up at gunpoint by bandits in Haiti.
  • A Resilient Life by Gordon McDonald. This story is about finding grace to live and finish well over a lifetime of service and explores the cumulative impact of our small decisions and habits.
  • The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. I’ve become fascinated by research on the brain, and this book was an eye-opening exploration of scientific research about how habits shape us. We become mastered by our habits, and yet spend little time thoughtfully exploring our behaviors.
  • Dying Out Loud by Shawn Smucker. Shawn wrote this book about a missionary to Turkey diagnosed with cancer who decided to handle death within his community in Turkey – and how his death had a greater impact on the community than he could have had ministering during his life.
  • A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller. This book presents the simple power of prayer, as a conversation with our Father who desires to spend time with his kids.
  • Barna Frames by Dave Kinnaman. These short books are each loaded with thoughtful infographics and insights from practitioners. Each book only takes around 45 minutes to read and presents a keen understanding of relevant issues today.

What is on your list that I should add to mine?

 

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