I am a huge advocate of personal growth. I believe that we must keep learning and growing to be the people that God calls us to be in every area of our lives. As a result, I am an avid reader, seeking to learn all that I can from others. Over the past several years, I have kept a list of all the books I have read in that year, usually there are somewhere between 50-65 books on the list. Additionally, I also keep a list of the books that I want to read in the near future; that list continues to grow and as of right now, has about 100 books on it.
As you move into the New Year, perhaps one of your goals is personal growth. While personal growth does not directly give you skills and knowledge needed to develop, run and grow a nonprofit or ministry, personal growth develops you as a human being. And, the better you are at being human, the better you will be at every role within your humanness.
Below are some of the books that I have read recently that you may enjoy.
Fervent by Priscilla Shirer. This book has changed the way I pray. In it, Shirer outlines how to develop a plan for prayer recommending that instead of taking prayer haphazardly, that we have a plan (because we all know that when we plan things go better).
Clout by Jenni Catron. Catron talks about Clout as the influence God has given you and no one else. She says, “When we discover and unleash our God-given influence, we position ourselves to lead with passion and purpose that defy our personal limitations.”
Embracing Change by Carey Nieuwhof. Change is inevitable, but how we approach change can make all the difference in the world.
Visioneering by Andy Stanley. The subtitle of this one is God’s Blueprint for Developing and Maintaining Vision. Stanley asks us what our vision for life is, recognizing that life is multi-faceted. Thus, our vision must be multi-faceted as well. When we are clear on our vision, we become passionate, we develop motivation and direction and purpose.
Divine Direction by Craig Groeschel. The introduction of this book is called “Small Choices.” Small choices are those little things that we do each and every day. As we do those little small, seemingly insignificant things, they begin to add up to the big things. Groeschel presents 7 decisions that will change your life.
You will notice that all of these books are non-fiction. For me, this is an important distinction. I decided a few years ago that in order to grow, I needed to read what other thought leaders have written. Yes, I will still occasionally read fiction (3 or 4 books a year) when it is really time to relax and unwind. But, I believe God wants me to be focused on growing into who he is calling me to be so that I can better serve each of you.
What books have you read this year? I would love to hear, so I can include them on my list as well.
Next week, our focus will be on books that I recommend to grow and support your professional side, your work in ministry and nonprofits.
