Issue No. 459 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting features a give-away and seven books I’m reading in 2021, plus three books I’m re-reading. And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies) and click here for my 2020 Book(s)-of-the-Year and Top-10 picks.
Read Knight of the Holy Ghost: A Short History of G.K. Chesterton.
Sketch by Jason Pearson.
The Problem With the World Is Me
A year ago—when everything was just peachy—I devoted one issue to “2020 Spiritual Growth Books.” I asked, “In the next decade, what’s your plan for growing and enriching your walk with God?” (Click here for my 2020 list.)
What’s Wrong With the World? Based on COVID and the news this week, heed the gentle reminder from G. K. Chesterton that our problems are not material, they are spiritual. Our solutions are not political, they are spiritual. In 2016, our son, Jason, presented a solo exhibition, “The Problem With the World Is Me.” It was inspired by G.K. Chesterton’s response when The Times of London invited intellectuals to respond to the question, “What’s the problem with the world?” View Jason’s three-minute video with Chesterton’s two-word answer, “Dear Sirs, I am.”
This past week an unprecedented number of readers asked me, “What are your 2021 recommendations for spiritual growth books?” (Well…to be honest…only one reader asked that question, but even that was unprecedented!)
So…I’m venturing into no man’s/no woman’s land here and “semi-recommending” seven books that I have NOT yet read.
7 Spiritual Growth Books
I Plan to Read in 2021
#1. Weakness Is the Way: Life With Christ Our Strength, by J. I. Packer (2013, 118 pages) - This giant of the Christian faith, and author of Knowing God, finished his race on July 17, 2020 at age 93. Order from Amazon. Listen on Libro.fm (2 hours, 12 min.)
#2. Invitation to Retreat: The Gift and Necessity of Time Away with God, by Ruth Haley Barton (2018, 146 pages) – Order from Amazon. Listen on Libro.fm (4 hours, 10 min.). Note: Barton’s masterpiece, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, was my 2009 book-of-the-year.
#3. The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions, by Arthur G. Bennett (1975, 220 pages) - Jon Ortlip and the team at Ambassadors Football gave me this special gift several years ago, and while I have browsed this classic, this year I’m going deep. Read more about the book here. Order from Amazon.
#4. Mother Teresa's Secret Fire: The Encounter That Changed Her Life, and How It Can Transform Your Own, by Joseph Langford (2008, 313 pages) – This caught my eye (and my soul) in 2009 when The Wall Street Journal’s Peggy Noonan wrote, "2008 was my year of reading furiously. None of these books were more important than Mother Teresa's Secret Fire." – Order from Amazon.
#5. The Attentive Life: Discerning God's Presence in All Things, by Leighton Ford (2008, 225 pages) – Order from Amazon. In 2020, I reviewed Leighton Ford’s latest book, A Life of Listening: Discerning God's Voice and Discovering Our Own—and that prompted me to give attention to The Attentive Life.
#6. The Cure & Parents, by Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol, and John Lynch (2016, 131 pages) – Order from Amazon. I’m a big fan of the TrueFace team and have read and reviewed many of their books—but not this one. Using humor and story, even the Acknowledgments pages invite you in! “Writing a book on parenting is not like writing a book on the future of plutonium. With a parenting book, individuals can comment from experience whether or not you know what you’re talking about. Like your own kids, for example.” Note: I may also re-read John Lynch's update of his 2013 book (new chapters!), On My Worst Day: Cheesecake, Evil, Sandy Koufax and Jesus. Read my review. Order his Nov. 2020 book here.
#7. The New Elder's Handbook: A Biblical Guide to Developing Faithful Leaders, by Greg R. Scharf and Arthur Kok (2018, 192 pages) – Order from Amazon. The massive 74-page chapter, “75 Questions for New or Prospective Elders,” is a treasure trove of questions-you’ve-never-thought-about with 75 practical/theological answers. Example: “How do you recognize false doctrine? How do you refute error? How do you rebuke or admonish people? How should you comfort the bereaved?” This is the perfect companion book to Lessons From the Church Boardroom.
3 Spiritual Growth Books
I Plan to Re-Read in 2021
#8. Harsh Grief Gentle Hope: From the Agony of a Mother’s Greatest Loss on Earth, Comes the Divine Comfort and Hope From Heaven, by Mary White (Oct. 15, 2020, 121 pages) – I read the first edition of this poignant true story on an airplane in 1995. I sobbed uncontrollably—alarming my seatmates. “On a dark spring night, Jerry and Mary White’s only son became the victim of a brutal homicide.” I will read this again in 2021 and write a review. Many are experiencing devastating loss during COVID. We need the deep faith and example of the Mary’s and Jerry’s to point us to Heaven. Order from Amazon.
#9. The Top 10 Leadership Conversations in the Bible: Practical Insights From Extensive Research on Over 1,000 Biblical Leaders, by Steve Moore – Order from Amazon. I reviewed this “Top-10” book in 2018 and promised to return to it again. It’s deep and wide. Get your underlining pen ready for gems like this: “The best way to find out whether you have a servant’s heart is to see what your reaction is when somebody treats you like one.” (Elizabeth Elliott) – Read my review.
#10. Devotional Classics: Selected Readings for Individuals and Groups (1990, 353 pages) – Order from Amazon. A gift from Bob Andringa in 1994, both Joanne and I have found joy and wisdom from this classic. Richard J. Foster and James Bryan Smith, editors of this remarkable book, begin, “We today suffer from the unexamined notion that the more recent something is, the better, the more true it must be. This book is our attempt to counter this present-day myopia. It brings together fifty-two carefully chosen selections from the great devotional classics.” Read my review.
MUSICAL BONUS! During COVID and after watching the news, I often turn to an eclectic sampling of YouTube morsels. What ministers to you? I appreciate “Come, Ye Disconsolate,” by Acapeldridge, “Hear My Song, Lord,” by Gaither Vocal Band, “Anthem,” by Leonard Cohen (… “that’s how the light gets in.”), and most recently episodes of the BBC’s Song of Praise broadcast such as “The UK’s Favourite Hymn.”
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Win an Autographed Copy of The Advice Trap
Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook
What’s your 2021 reading plan? Email me with your list of at least three books you’ll read in 2021 and I’ll enter you in My 2021 Big Give-Away! Three readers, chosen randomly, will receive an autographed copy of my pick for 2020 Book-of-the-Year, The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You Lead Forever, by Michael Bungay Stanier. (Thanks to the author for his generous and unsolicited donation!)
This week we updated our three book lists (as of Dec. 31, 2020) and you can download the lists (PDFs) by clicking on the Book Bucket here.
• List #1: Books by Management Buckets Categories (450+ books)
• List #2: Chronological List of 458 Issues of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (450+ books)
• List #3: John Pearson's Top-100 Book List (updated 12/31/2020)
List #1 and List #2 also include the 2008 to 2020 Book-of-the-Year honors, and the Top-10 books of each year. List #3 features the 20 core competencies of the 20 management buckets—and the must-read books for each bucket (the Top-100 books I’ve reviewed).
Also at the Book Bucket webpage, download the bonus list, "30 Books to Delegate During This Crisis...and the Next Crisis," a 12-page PDF with links to 30 book reviews as of July 1, 2020.
I mentioned in the last issue that our granddaughter, Zuzu Pearson (age 18 and an occasional co-reviewer with me), read 175 books in 2020!!! (That’s not a typo!). What’s your 2021 goal for reading or listening to books?
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JASON PEARSON: UNEXPECTED CREATIVE. Need some marketing and communication fresh ideas (books, audio books, podcasts, Ted Talks)? Check in with Jason Pearson at Pearpod Media (branding, digital, print, and video).
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