“Leaders are readers.”
I’ve been reading a bunch of great books this year.
Here’s my 5 most favorite recent books which I would recommend to you.
1 . “Reframe” by Brian Hardin “From the God we’ve made, to God with us.”
Are you in a relationship with God? How do you know? Reframe peels back the layers revealing what a relationship with God is not so that we can finally find out what it could be.
I found Brian’s approach to the topic of  Reframe, “how to have a genuine relationship with God” refreshing and thought-provoking. No dogma here.
Book website:Â Includes more info, trailer and sample chapter.
2. “Louder Than Words:Â Harness the Power of Your Authentic Voice” by Todd Henry
“While your work speaks about you, does it really speak for you? Does it represent you well? The key to making your work resonate is to uncover, develop, and then bravely use your authentic voice.”
Louder Than Words is the third in Todd Henry’s triology of books for those who create value from their ideas. Like  The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice
and Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day
If you have a message to share, (and everyone should), then you will find Louder Than Words inspiring and helpful. I also purchased the audio book version.
Book website : Includes more info, trailer and sample chapter.
3. “The Emotionally Healthy Leader: How Transforming Your Inner Life Will Deeply Transform Your Church, Team, and the World” by Peter Scazzero
In The Emotionally Healthy Leader, bestselling author Peter Scazzero shows leaders how to develop a deep, inner life with Christ, examining its profound implications for surviving stress, planning and decision making, building teams, creating healthy culture, influencing others, and much more.
Going beyond simply offering a quick fix or new technique, The Emotionally Healthy Leader gets to the core, beneath-the-surface issues of uniquely Christian leadership.
I believe the need for for healthy leaders is the greatest need for the church in our generation. I’m listening to the audiobook version and have not finished, but so far it delivers in spades. Should be required study for every church leadership team and governing board.
Book website:Â Includes more info, course, free assessment, trailer and sample chapter.
4. “Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation” by Daniel J. Siegel, MD
This groundbreaking book, from one of the global innovators in the integration of brain science with psychotherapy, offers an extraordinary guide to the practice of “mindsight,†the potent skill that is the basis for both emotional and social intelligence. From anxiety to depression and feelings of shame and inadequacy, from mood swings to addictions, OCD, and traumatic memories, most of us have a mental “trap†that causes recurring conflict in our lives and relationships.
By cultivating mindsight, all of us can effect positive, lasting changes in our brains—and our lives. A book as inspiring as it is profound, Mindsight can help us master our emotions, heal our relationships, and reach our fullest potential.
OK, this book is really deep with a lot of medical jargon. I bought the audio as well the print versions. It’s the kind a book that I have to listen to many times because each section has an” ha-ha moment” to it.
Book website:Â Includes more info, trailer and web articles.
5. “Creative In the Image of God” by David Baroni
Grammy award winning songwriter, author, worship leader and recording artist David Baroni shares Biblical insights and stories of “God-Encounters” he has experienced in his 30+ years of international ministry. This book will be a significant addition to your library and your understanding of who we are in Christ. “David Baroni is one of the most creative psalmists I’ve met. This book is written from deep unto deep — that is, the depths of creativity in his soul is calling to the creativity in your soul. Don’t just read this book, drink it. Let it awaken new artistry from the depths of your spirit, through the power of the Holy Spirit.” [Bob Sorge, author – bobsorge.com]
I know David Baroni personally and he’s just a great guy with a warm and humble spirit. We both served in the music ministry at Belmont Church for a season. We both have served on the mission field at the school of worship in Romania. We’ve played on each other’s teams, and he was a fantastic keynote speaker at one of our youth retreats.
He is truly a prophetic, anointed and creative  ‘psalmist’ who knows how to flow in the spontaneous “song of the Lord.”
As I listened to the audiobook version of  “Creative In the Image of God” (which I highly recommend, because it has musical recording’s that are not in the text version ) it inspired me to go psalm and write and create myself.
Which I think is the highest compliment I could pay to a book like this!
David Baroni’s  website : includes articles, books and music store
6. Bonus: Â “Open” by Andre Agassi
A New York Times Notable Book and a Forbes, San Francisco Chronicle, and Washington Post Best Book of the Year
“Agassi may have just penned one of the best sports autobiographies of all time. Check—it’s one of the better memoirs out there, period. . . . An unvarnished, at times inspiring story [told] in an arresting, muscular style. . . . Agassi’s memoir is just as entrancing as his tennis game.â€
—Time
Around the time of the US Tennis Open this fall, I was looking at the Amazon books on tennis, particularly the one on nutrition by Novak Djokovic , and then stumbled across this autobiography by Andre Agassi. I started reading it and literally couldn’t put it down. Once I bought it and continued to read it straight through. Extremely interesting and well written, this is probably my favorite book discovery of the year.
What about you? What are some of your most favorite recent books? I’d love to know what you’re reading!
Looking for Christmas music?
Check out my latest music project JOYFUL: Christmas Praise and Worship. Available in Bulk discounts  (perfect for gifts & stocking stuffers!). Also Available! JOYFUL Songbook for Worship Teams.
