Non-Fiction
The Prodigal Prophet by Tim Keller – This book is brilliant on so many levels. I’ve studied and taught on Jonah several times and yet as I read this book I felt like I had never previously known the story. One of the greatest insights was in his comparison of the account of Jonah with the story of the prodigal son found in Luke 15.
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear – I’ve read my fair share of books on setting goals and creating habits yet none of them come close to the practicality and helpfulness found in Clear’s book. In this book, he spells out the four laws necessary for creating (or breaking) a habit.
Leadershift: The 11 Essential Changes Every Leader Must Embrace by John C. Maxwell – Maxwell is one of the most respected leadership guru’s. I found Leader Shift to be my favorite book yet of his. So much so, I purchased it for our entire staff and told them every chapter is worthy of a staff meeting.
The Book That Transforms The Nations: The Power of the Bible to Change Any Country by Loren Cunningham – There are a lot of dreamers, but most dreamers only dream about the things they can see. Not many dream things that have yet to be conceived. What Cunningham does is dream about things that have never been thought of before. And, then, goes and does them. That is why I love Loren Cunningham. In this book, you are forced to wrestle with ideas that are beyond what most would dare to consider.
Fix It by Rob Ketterling – Sometimes we need encouragement in the field we work in. We face situations that are difficult, hard, or even bizarre. In Fix-It, Ketterling weaves personal stories into a three-option approach in how to handle any situation that comes your way.
Biography
Through The Valley of the Kwai by Ernest Gordon – I learned of this book while reading The Prodigal Prophet. The book follows the story of Ernest Gordon who was captured and held at POW work camp during World War 2 and found faith in the worst of circumstances. The transformational impact of the gospel shows up in the camp and offers hope in any dark situation.
Coolidge by Amity Shlaes – Here was a president I knew little about. I was struck by the similarity of his story in becoming the Vice Presidential nominee and that of James Garfield.
Youth Fiction
Restart by Gordon Korman – Blythe and I read this book together. It follows a boy who had fallen off a roof and suffered from amnesia and couldn’t remember anything about his prior life. Upon returning to school, he begins to discover that who he used to be may not have been that great of a person.
Fiction
The Source: A Novel by James A. Michener – A group of archaeologists are doing a dig at a fictitious Tell in Israel known as Makor. In the process, they find items spanning thousands of years of history. The book then takes you on a journey telling a story about each era from which an item was found. At times, the retelling of some of the pagan worship is explicitly descriptive but overall this was a fascinating tale that also enlarged my understanding of the different perspectives cultures have on the land known as the Holy Land.