Several years ago, my ministry shifted radically from service in
Benin, West Africa to equipping missionaries all over the world. Life was changing
fast, full of new challenges, and often a jumble of exhilaration, sleepless
nights, and a lot of prayer!
One thing that God has used to equip and anchor me through this season
was a good book. Actually, there were several!
These are the books I’ve recommended most this year. There are
tons of great titles out there, but these were really meaningful to me.
Book
1: The COACH Model for Christian Leaders
Coach and speaker Keith Webb teaches Christian leaders how to
create powerful conversations to assist others to solve their own problems,
reach goals, and develop their own leadership skills in the process. Whether
leaders are working with employees, teenagers, or a colleague living in another
city, they’ll find powerful tools and techniques to increase leadership
effectiveness.
One of my favorite quotes
from this book was “Christian coaches acknowledge the working of the Holy
Spirit and trust Him to be guiding and leading the coachee through many
different means.” This idea has helped me to entrust the people I help to God,
and remember who is really responsible for their success!
If you’d like to get it on Amazon, here’s
the link.
Book
2: Prayer: Forty Days of Practice
This unique book guides you to pray in deeper and more authentic
ways. The short prayers and thought-provoking imagery, interspersed with
contemplative reflections and suggested practices, will stir, inform, and
encourage you.
One of my favorite prayers
from this book was “May love be stronger in me than the fear of the pain that
comes with caring.” I found it beautiful and challenging!
If you’d like to get it on Amazon, here’s
the link.
Book 3: From
the Inside Out: Reimagining Mission, Recreating the World
The evolution that has taken place in the world of mission over
the last twenty-five years has left many Christians asking brutally honest
questions about what we do and why we do it. Are we doing more damage than
good? What does it look like to truly love and serve the marginalized in an
authentic and effective way? What, actually, is the gospel and is it truly good
news?
One of my favorite quotes
from this book was, “If a place is treated simply as a cross-cultural
experience then we run the risk of commodifying that place for our pleasure,
and our ministry there will likely colonize more than liberate. When God plants
us in a place, that place becomes our teacher.”
If you’d like to get it on Amazon, here’s
the link.
What are some of your favorites? I’d love to hear them —
especially if you’re in a season of transition. Leave a comment below!