“Leaders are readers.  When you stop reading, you stop leading.”  I’ve heard that from many leaders over the years, and I agree.  My goal for the first couple years of my time pastoring in OKC was to read 40 books per year.  Reading is a key measure of your personal growth.  But it’s not the only one… I took some years during the growth of my family from zero kids to six kids and read very little.  Those years were about growing in character, growing in servanthood toward my family, not so much growing in other kinds of knowledge.

I don’t pretend to have a perfect reading list.  I doubt it would work perfectly for you.  I probably should read more of this or less of that.  But I try to avoid “shoulds” in my reading.  I don’t have a lot of time to read, and I’m often interrupted, so I can’t go too deep.  So I read:

• what is helpful to me
• what is in line with my strengths
• what I enjoy

So here’s my reading list from this past year:

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking By Malcolm Gladwell

The premise of Blink is that we all make snap decisions, gut-level decisions — and research shows that those decisions tend to be as accurate or more accurate than our thought-through decisions.  So, how can we capture and improve the power of our quick decisions?  (4/5 stars)

Habit Stacking: 97 Small Life Changes that Take 5 Minutes or Less by S.J. Scott

A very helpful little Kindle book, which really served as my introduction to morning and evening routines.  The idea: It takes virtually no willpower to brush your teeth… because it’s a habit. What if we could stack together a bundle of quick habits that you know would change your life? Then, he gives 97 ideas, categorized by life area.  (4/5 stars)

Attitude 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John Maxwell

Short read, worthwhile introduction to recognizing negative attitudes in yourself, and directions on how to change and improve them. Anything by John Maxwell is worth   (4/5 stars)

Soul Keeping by John Ortberg

John Ortberg’s writing is really wonderful.  He’s thought-provoking & eye-opening.  In the process, he creates a hunger in me to act, to grow, to know God better… and that’s valuable.  (4.5/5 stars)

Living Courageously: You Can Face Anything, Just Do It Afraid by Joyce Meyer

Some have accused Joyce Meyer of being a proponent of “name it and claim it.”  This book doesn’t fall under that category, outside of a few places where that influence could be seen.  I found the book to be helpful, & biblically focused.  (4/5 stars)

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

Classic book on temptation and spiritual warfare.  If you can read Lewis without laughing with delight, I am sorry for you.  (5/5 stars)

Church History in Plain Language by Bruce L. Shelley

An excellent overview of the progression of the church from the apostles to nearly the present day.  There is nothing like church history to lend perspective to struggles & controversies in the present day.  I listened to an audiobook version in the mornings while doing my morning routine.

Seven Men: And the Secret of Their Greatness by Eric Metaxas

Excellent short biographies of 7 great men, drawing lessons from their lives.  The book (as the title suggests) is somewhat thematic.  Its’ treatment of each man has to do mostly with how they used (or refused) power & thus expanded their influence through serving.  Metaxas’ writing & research is excellent. (5/5 Stars)

Getting Things Done by David Allen

There isn’t any finer book on workflow management than this one.  In fact, this is the 3rd time I’ve read it.  You can’t manage time, only action.  You can’t manage action if you don’t define what the next action is, and capture everything in a trusted system. This book shows you how to do it.  (5/5 Stars)

He Wins, She Wins by Willard F. Harley Jr

Good book on negotiation in marriage.  Teaches couples to strive for “the policy of enthusiastic agreement” and banish the idea of one partner’s continual self-sacrifice.  (I listened to the audio version.)  (4/5 Stars) (For a 5 star book by Harley, read “His Needs, Her Needs.” )

Healing for Damaged Emotions by David Seamands

Seamands’ classic treatment of healing for emotional damage is powerful, and worth the read even if you don’t feel particularly “damaged.”  His treatment of inferiority, depression and especially perfectionism is powerful.  If you are a pastor, you should read this, and then preach it.  I preached 6-7 messages in a Sunday PM series using the content from this book, to the benefit of my congregation.  (5/5 Stars – at this time, on sale for $.1.99 on Kindle!)

Draw the Circle: A 40 Day Prayer Devotional by Mark Batterson

I was not a huge fan of “The Circle Maker” by Batterson.  However, I truly enjoyed this 40 day Devotional.  I bought copies for our whole church, and we did the 40 days together.  We are reaping spiritual benefits still.  Batterson knows how to turn a phrase, and make it memorable.  The writing is quite good, and the stories and content are inspiring and worthwhile. (5/5 Stars)

Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results by Stephen Guise

Helpful little book on creating new habits in your life.  Your natural resistance to forming a new habit can be overcome by making the habit “stupid small,” like 1 pushup… which makes it easier to actually DO, and therefore do faithfully. (available only on Kindle) (4/5 Stars)

Launch by Jeff Walker

An interesting and easy read on internet marketing, presenting a sales process for knowledge & information products on the Web.  I enjoyed it, and it’s immensely helpful.  However, it only applies to you if you run a blog or are in sales or marketing of some sort.  (4/5 Stars)

Writing Habit Mastery by S.J. Scott

I wanted to write more regularly on my blog.  So I bought a book from a guy that I already knew was helpful.  What I have come to expect from S.J. Scott’s writing is pure helpfulness in specific areas, with manageable length.  Extremely actionable directions for those who are motivated to grow in writing faithfulness. (Kindle Version) (4/5 stars)

Evernote Essentials by Brett Kelly

If you really want to use Evernote for all it’s worth, you will need a guide to learn everything it can do.  Evernote Essentials is an effective guide.  I read only about half of this one, since I had learned what I needed to know.  I may go back and finish it up someday, when I want to go up another level as an Evernote Ninja. (3.5/5 stars)

The Complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by A. Conan Doyle

The classic.  If you don’t have some recreational reading on your list, you should.  And if you don’t enjoy Watson & Holmes, I pity you.  (5/5 stars)

How to Tell A Story by Donald Miller

Technically, an e-book, which I read on Kindle. No hard copies available.  I am interested in becoming a better storyteller, not just for illustrations or “Johnny and Susie stories” but to help me be able to weave people’s lives into the story of the gospel. Miller teaches mostly on the movement & elements of story, rather than speaking techniques.  (3/5 stars)

Shave 10 Hours off Your Work Week by Michael Hyatt

PDF book by Michael Hyatt.  I enjoy and am helped by most of what Michael writes.  This one was no exception. Helpful tips to reframe your work in your mind, and streamline your workflow to consolidate what you do.  (3.5/5 stars)

The Virtual Assistant Solution by Michael Hyatt

This book enabled me to process the idea of a secretary or administrative assistant.  It’s cheap ($2.99 on Kindle only), and focuses more on how you can coordinate with a “virtual” assistant instead of a secretary.  I wound up going with a part-time secretary, but this book helped me process through it. (3.5/5 stars)

Books I read to my kids 2014-15:

I try to read to my children several nights per week.  They have started looking forward to it as a highlight of their day.  The following books are the ones we’ve read over the past 1.5 years, all of which they enjoyed immensely.

Anne of Green Gables

Huckleberry Finn

Rush Revere & the American Revolution

The Chronicles of Narnia (The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Magician’s Nephew, The Horse and His Boy, the Last Battle)

So what books have you read this year?  Which was your favorite?

What is there to say for a Christ-follower on a day where, in a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court of our land has approved the change of a definition of marriage?  This definition is measured not in decades or centuries, but in millenia — even according to some of the same justices who voted for the legalization of gay marriage.

What to say on a day when my WordPress blog editor has a rainbow banner across the top… when Ben & Jerry’s has a new Ice Cream flavor to celebrate… when American Airlines, Youtube and Google (& dozens of other companies) join in celebration?

What to say on a day when some Christians are angry, others are despairing, and others are resigned?

What to say on a day when, before the proverbial ink dried on the Supreme Court opinions, HuffPost’s Gay Voices editor (yes, they have one of those) said this:

“We can pass all of the laws we want and talk about public policy until we run out of air, but until our society stops thinking of queer people as deviant or corrupt or sinful or in any way less than non-queer people, nothing is going to change…  It’s only after we’ve challenged and changed the most basic and fundamental viewpoints about who we are that we can really begin to think about true liberation and true equality.”

Did you catch it?  True freedom for the LGBT community can only be found when Christians stop thinking they are sinful.  Their fight only stops then.  This is what insightful Christians have understood: that this was never the “final” battle — it was the first one.

How can Christians respond?  Here are a few thoughts:

1. Love, love, love.

We have to show and demonstrate the love of God toward those in the LGBT community in every way possible.  Love demands that we treat them with respect, treat them as we would want to be treated.  I would gladly bake a cake for a gay couple.  I would not do it for their wedding, but I would gladly bake a cake for them… and cookies.  And mow their lawn.  And feed their dog while they’re gone on vacation.  And have them over for barbecue.

Love also demands that we tell them the truth.  Sexual activity outside of marriage is wrong.

2. Deep, humble repentance.

We have devalued marriage as a society… and as a Church.  The divorce rates within our walls have been higher than they should. Guidance on married sexuality has not been clear and holistic, and has not adequately helped people of faith cope with the results of the Sexual Revolution.  We have not provided the tools of conversation, the authoritative teaching about the glories of sexuality in God’s intended boundaries.

Pornography use is rampant within the church, and few are really addressing it.  Some man (or woman) in your church is trapped by pornography, and has wrestled with the private pain and guilt for years, not knowing whom they could tell.  Another has found pornography on their spouse’s phone or laptop and has no idea how to respond, and is suffering in silence.  When was the last time you heard a sermon which frankly, lovingly dealt with this issue and offered guidance, grace and hope?

We have failed to adequately deal with abuse and molestation with grace and truth.  We have failed to face up to and help heal the brokenness that occurs to the victim.  We have failed to have the conversations necessary to lovingly & justly deal with the perpetrators.

We are not qualified to deal with homosexuality with a “thou shalt not” unless we are willing to also face the myriad sexual dysfunction and fallout of all kinds of sexual brokenness that is wreaking havoc in our culture.

We owe a time of heart-searching prayer and repentance to the God who created sexuality and ordained it for the joy and pleasure of mankind.

3. Simple, humble disobedience.

Study the writings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., especially “Letters from a Birmingham Jail” 

“One may well ask: “How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?” The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that “an unjust law is no law at all.”  Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.”

I will pledge publicly that I will not obey the laws that inevitably will follow this one.  I will give up my church’s tax exemption.  I will go to jail if necessary.

This isn’t mean or harsh.  It’s conviction — the same kind of conviction that led MLK Jr. to choose jail rather than obey unjust Jim Crow laws.

4. A recapturing of biblical marriage.

Marriage did not start as a regulated, state-officiated institution.  It started as a spiritual, God-regulated covenant.  For 8-10 years, I’ve been saying that the church needs to get out of the civil marriage business.

Then, I would humbly suggest that the Church (not one denomination, but a consortium of the 20-30 largest Christian denominations in the USA) convene a super-conference.  I think this conference should consider these things:

• That churches will no longer marry individuals in the civil sense.
• That churches will only administer “covenant marriage,” which is a union before God & witnesses, which only the Church can administer.
• How “covenant marriage” is regulated and administered by the included churches.
• Requirements for “covenant marriage” before it will be administered, in keeping with our high view of its lifelong nature.  (Premarital counseling?  Marriage mentoring?  Discipleship?)
• How to deal with couples that come to faith while in civil marriage only.
• How divorces in these kind of unions would be dealt with.

If people want civil marriage for the tax deduction that it brings, fine.  They may do that at the local courthouse.  If they want to be married in the eyes of God and His Church, however, they will need to participate in “covenant marriage.”

This might be unrealistic, and unenforceable.  But I think it makes more sense than anything else I’m hearing.

To me, it is the recapturing of the purity and glory of a sacrament that should be (and should have always been) a great opportunity for teaching about the “profound mystery… about Christ and the Church” (Ephesians 5:32)

Carry on, friends.  I am hopeful that the greatest days of the Church of Jesus Christ are ahead.  When wickedness and brokenness abound, there is no lack of opportunity to preach a glorious, saving, healing, restoring Gospel.