My Top Book Reads of 2016

Each year I like to publish a list of the top books I read. If you’ve been with me awhile you know that my list isn’t a best of what was just published but a best of what I read that year.

My goal for this year was 36 but I ended the year with 32. I’m not beating myself up though. I moved to a new home and I’m in the middle of moving our church to a new location. Throw in a few other twists and surprises and I’m pretty happy with my number.

In fact, if it wasn’t for one of the books I read this year I don’t think I would have made it through. I wish I was exaggerating, but the book helped me so much I read it 4 times! Don’t get me wrong there were bright spots in 2016 but there were many that brought me to my knees.

What might you face this coming year that God will use your discipline of reading to provide you wisdom, perspective, and encouragement? You have to fuel your spirit, your heart, your soul, and your mind.

The books below reflect the ones that did just that for me.

1. Leadership Pain: The Classroom for Growth. An old friend that I reconnected with this year told me he was going through a hard time and thinking about quitting. He called a mentor who immediately sent him this book. He said he cried the whole way through it and told me I had to read it. I’m so glad he did! Every great leader I know has suffered in ways most people never see. The author says “Leadership is bleedership. If you’re not bleeding, you’re not leading.” He also stated that the only difference he can see from pastors of larger churches and pastors of smaller churches is their threshold for pain. This was the book I read 4 times this year.

2. Outliers: The Story of Success. Probably the best and most scientifically researched book Gladwell has written. I’m not sure why it took me so long to get to this one. I guarantee you’ll look at success differently after reading it. Super easy to stay engaged. A perfect audio book!

3. Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win. This is written by 2 former Navy Seals who also served with Chris Kyle of American Sniper fame. The authors continuously drive home the point that the leader is always responsible for what happens on their watch. If you have ever wanted to blame or make excuses instead of taking responsibility you have to read this book. If you just said you never do that, you really need to read it. I flew through this book!

4. The Imperfect Board Member. I’m sure that reading about the role and functions of boards and how to improve them sounds as pleasant as sunburn, but you really will enjoy this one. Lots of boards are dysfunctional because they don’t understand their role and responsibility. They get confused about which hat they’re wearing within the organization. If you’re on a board, hope to be on a board, report to a board, or curious about what goes on behind those mysterious closed doors you need to read it. If you are on a board or report to one, when was the last time you read something to improve in that area? Start here. Brown writes in parable form like Lencioni so it’s a quick read.

5. How I Changed My Mind About Women In Leadership. I’m sure the title alone is scandalous to some of my friends for different reasons, but it really made me think. A good question to ask yourself is, “What are some things I’ve changed my mind about during my Christian journey?” If you’ve never changed your mind it’s probably a sign of arrogance. I once heard a pastor say, “My theology is my home, but it’s not my prison.” 21 Evangelicals share how they changed their minds about the role of women in the church. Funny story about this book…I took this book with me when I was getting the oil in my truck changed. I sat the book on the counter and my keys on top of it and started to sign the paperwork. The lady behind the counter pointed at the book and asked me, “How have you changed your mind about women?” I laughed and pointed out my keys were covering up the rest of the title. It’s called “How I Changed My Mind About Women In Ministry.” My explanation didn’t change the expression on her face. I awkwardly tried to explain to this lady the beliefs being debated in this book. It ended up feeling more painful than funny. I walked away feeling sad for myself and Jesus’ Church that I love so much. Read a book that will make you think this year. This book is one to make you think about lots of issues surrounding gender.

6. The Compound Effect. I can’t believe I never heard of this book before! The author is the publisher of SUCCESS magazine so he has heard and seen just about every idea and gimmick. Don’t worry he isn’t offering you a silver bullet. His formula is “Small, Smart Choices + Consistency + Time = Radical Difference.” If you are looking for some motivation as you try to build a new habit or push through the messy middle this is the book for you.

7. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. As soon as I started this book I knew it would make the top of my list, but I also knew I’d have to spend some time thinking about how to word just why I think you should read it. The first couple of chapters I think everyone should read. It gives a concise history of how we got here in terms of racial tensions. Honestly, I hadn’t spent a lot of time reading about this topic, but with the police violence, and violence against police this year I knew as a white male pastor I needed a better understanding. Coincidentally, I also watched The Free State of Jones while I read the first couple of chapters. The movie vividly examined many of the same points. If you find yourself “not getting the whole #blacklivesmatter thing” you need to read this. While this book has nothing to do with that particular movement it makes it easier to understand what the frustration is about. In no way does the book justify any violence against police. Instead it opens up a world most suburban dwellers know very little about. As you read it becomes clear the enormous power police officers have. An arrest and charge can do a lot of damage even if in the end it’s dismissed and unfounded. I promise you’ll have a new perspective on the war on drugs, mandatory sentencing, plea bargaining, get tough on crime, racial tensions, and so many other things after reading this book. This one will take you some time to work through. Try it as an audiobook.

8. Two Chairs: The Secret That Changes Everything. I met Bob last year and his previous book made my Top 10 for 2015. If you haven’t read The Power of Who I would highly recommend it. Bob sent me this new one and while I appreciated the gift I honestly didn’t think this book on prayer would make my final list. As I started to read it my impression quickly changed. I’ve been practicing his idea of setting up 2 chairs for prayer and can testify it has really changed my experience. Bob’s new book reminded me of some important truths right when I needed to hear them again.

9. Live Love Lead: Your Best Is Yet to Come. Your church will probably sing a song this Sunday that came from this pastor’s church. No other church in the world has contributed more to what churches sing each week than Hillsong. More than 20 years of music have flowed from this Australian church to the global Church. We are one of those churches that sing their songs each week. Despite my familiarity with their songs I knew surprisingly very little about the pastor or his story. So I was looking forward to learning from this leader. His humility was refreshing and comes through with each story. I loved reading the back stories of some of their most famous songs and the stories he shared about his journey as a pastor. In fact several of the stories I repeated to my wife and we both teared up. It was encouraging to hear how he had weathered some of the storms we were right in the middle of. The audio version of this book is fantastic. Each chapter is separated with one of their worship songs and it’s read by Pastor Houston. If you need some inspiration this is for you.