The Top 21 Books Christian Leaders Need To Read In 2021

Christmas shopping will soon be underway in earnest and few things are better gifts for Christian leaders than books.  Because of this reality, allow me assist you with your purchases.  Below is an incredible list of quality resources written by amazing authors.  Whatever the primary interests of the person you are buying for, there is something here for everyone.

The following are The Top 21 Books Christian Leaders Need To Read In 2021:

• Harnessing the Power of Tension – Study Guide: Stretched but Not Broken by Sam Chand.  In his new book, international leadership consultant Sam Chand examines tension as it arises in and between the arenas of business, church, and family. The presence of tension isn’t a flaw in you, a threat from others, or a problem to solve. It’s a strain to be used. When you develop this perspective, you’ll experience less pressure to figure everything out and less compulsion to resolve it quickly and completely. When we accept tension as a reality of life, we gain confidence and mental clarity when we encounter it. Our focus isn’t on getting rid of tension, but using it to create something better than before. We don’t walk on eggshells, afraid to say the wrong thing. We learn when to speak up, when to ask questions, when to listen, and when to let things go. As we relax in the middle of tension, we see people and situations more clearly, and we invite others into the process of creativity using tension in life and leadership.
• Jimmy Dykes: The Film Doesn’t Lie: Evaluating Your Life One Play at a Time by Jimmy Dykes. This book was recommended to me by Pastor Rusty George, a member of my unofficial book club!  Elite level coaches, business owners, CEOs and difference-makers from all walks of life share a common trait: they are masters at the process of evaluating. Film sessions are the life blood of any successful sports team, whether following a soaring win or a crushing loss. Nothing goes unchecked, and nothing gets taken for granted. They understand and respect a simple fact: the film doesn’t lie. ESPN broadcaster and coach Jimmy Dykes guides readers through a tough but crucial evaluation process, incorporating wisdom from both sports and scripture as he demonstrates how to search your heart like a coach scrutinizes game film. 
• After Amen: What to Do While You’re Waiting on God by Rusty George – This is a special book for me as I am one of its endorsers.  I don’t feel there is a more appropriate book for these times because of the many disappointments and disillusionment in our world. Though none of us pray enough, we all pray some. There eventually comes a moment when we get desperate enough to cry out to God. We pour out our prayers, making confessions, promises, and deals, then we say Amen. And we wait. And wait. Sometimes the silence is deafening, and we question whether God hears us or not. We wonder if our prayers ever got past the ceiling, if he’s even there, or if he is waiting on us to do something. So what do we do while we wait for God to answer our prayers? As a pastor with decades of experience, Rusty George offers a new way to help you connect with God and get answers while you wait.
• Dream Big: Know What You Want, Why You Want It, and What You’re Going to Do About It by Bob Goff.  In his revelatory yet utterly practical new book, Bob takes you on a life-proven journey to rediscover your dreams and turn them into reality. Based on his enormously popular Dream Big workshop, Bob draws on a lifetime of living and dreaming large to help you reach your larger-than-life dreams. In Dream Big he shows how to
  • learn to define clearly your dreams for yourself,
  • identify the obstacles holding you back,
  • come up with a specific plan for reaching goals, and
  • develop the tools that will help you act on the plan.
• The Garden: A Spiritual Fable About Ways to Overcome Fear, Anxiety, and Stress by Jon Gordon. From eight-time bestselling author Jon Gordon comes a spiritual fable about the power of faith, hope, and love. The Garden is an enlightening and encouraging spiritual fable that reveals the 5 D’s that can sabotage us and a proven plan to help us overcome and win the battle in our mind. Rooted in Jon Gordon’s faith tradition, this fable is a different kind of book than his previous business fables. However, in his familiar trademark style, he takes a complex subject and simplifies it to help people take action and improve their lives.  
• The Good Life: What Jesus Teaches about Finding True Happiness by Dr. Derwin Gray.  You should pre-order this book now. What is true happiness, and how can we find it?  Everyone wants to be happy. We spend our money, time, and energy chasing after “the good life,” and we run ourselves into physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion on the way. But what if the happiness we’re all striving for isn’t the happiness we were created for? Releasing June 2nd, pastor and author Dr. Derwin L. Gray believes there is a path to true happiness. It is a life lived with Jesus by embracing the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5:1-12. As you walk through these words, Jesus invites you into a new life-giving rhythm that cultivates a flourishing, happy, transformative life. 
• Dangerous Prayers: Because Following Jesus Was Never Meant to Be Safe by Craig Groeschel. Do you ever wonder, “Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?” Do you wish you could see the evidence that prayer changes lives? Are you tired of playing it safe with your faith? In Dangerous Prayers, New York Times bestselling author Craig Groeschel helps you unlock your greatest potential and tackle your greatest fears by praying stronger, more passionate prayers that lead you into a deeper faith.
• The Vision Driven Leader: 10 Questions to Focus Your Efforts, Energize Your Team, and Scale Your Business by Michael Hyatt. In The Vision Driven Leader, New York Times bestselling author Michael Hyatt offers six tools for crafting an irresistible vision for your business, rallying your team around the vision, and distilling it into actionable plans that drive results. Based on Michael’s 40 years of experience as an entrepreneur and executive, backed by insights from organizational science and psychology, and illustrated by case studies and stories from multiple industries, The Vision Driven Leader takes you step-by-step from whyto what and then how. Your business will never be the same.
• A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller – I absolutely LOVE this little book.  Keller is an actual shepherd so his insights are amazing. Travel the Shepherd’s path to the green pastures and cool, refreshing waters of Psalm 23. As a shepherd, W. Phillip Keller shares his insights into the life and character of sheep–and of the Good Shepherd who loves and cares for them. A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 will give new meaning to the ageless Shepherd Psalm, enriching your trust in and love for the Lord who watches closely over you.  
• Jesus the King: Understanding the Life and Death of the Son of God by Tim Keller – This incredible resource made the Book of Mark come alive like no other study I’ve ever read!!!  Timothy Keller, New York Times bestselling author of The Prodigal Prophet and the man Newsweek called a “C. S. Lewis for the twenty-first century,” unlocks new insights into the life of Jesus Christ as he explores how Jesus came as a king, but a king who had to bear the greatest burden anyone ever has. Jesus the King is Keller’s revelatory look at the life of Christ as told in the Gospel of Mark. In it, Keller shows how the story of Jesus is at once cosmic, historical, and personal, calling each of us to look anew at our relationship with God. It is an unforgettable look at Jesus Christ, and one that will leave an indelible imprint on every reader.
• Uncommon Ground: Living Faithfully in a World of Difference by Tim Keller and John Inazu. How can Christians today interact with those around them in a way that shows respect to those whose beliefs are radically different but that also remains faithful to the gospel? Timothy Keller and John Inazu bring together illuminating stories–their own and from others–to answer this vital question. Uncommon Ground gathers an array of perspectives from people thinking deeply and working daily to live with humility, patience, and tolerance in our time.
• Reborn: How Encountering Jesus Changes Everything by Clayton King. In our self-help, DIY culture, we love the idea of improvement. We make-over wardrobes and restore houses and commit ourselves to better habits. But we’re still left feeling empty and not-quite-enough. That’s because what we need is not an upgrade but a complete upending of our lives. We need to be reborn. And it’s not something we can do by ourselves.  With deep compassion, Clayton King shares the compelling stories of 12 broken people who came face-to-face with Jesus in the New Testament and got a second chance at life. A respected religious leader, an ostracized woman, a despised embezzler, a condemned thief–all of them flawed, sinful, full of regret–encountered Jesus and were never the same. Along with their stories, King shares contemporary stories of people struggling with addiction, lust, greed, and depression, showing that Jesus still meets people right where they are and changes them from the inside out.
• The Motive: Why So Many Leaders Abdicate Their Most Important Responsibilities by Patrick Lencioni. New York Times best-selling author Patrick Lencioni has written a dozen books that focus on how leaders can build teams and lead organizations. In The Motive, he shifts his attention toward helping them understand the importance of why they’re leading in the first place.  Lencioni uses unexpected plot twists and crisp dialogue to take us on a journey that culminates in a resolution that is as unexpected as it is enlightening. As he does in his other books, he then provides a straightforward summary of the lessons from the fable, combining a clear explanation of his theory with practical advice to help executives examine their true motivation for leading. In addition to provoking readers to honestly assess themselves, Lencioni presents action steps for changing their approach in five key areas. In doing so, he helps leaders avoid the pitfalls that stifle their organizations and even hurt the people they are meant to serve.
• The Dad Difference: The 4 Most Important Gifts You Can Give to Your Kids by Bryan Lorrits – The world is full of examples of men who weren’t there for their kids. But there are good and even great dads out there, who inspire their children and the men around them to reach for more. How do you become a dad like that—even if your own dad wasn’t such a good example?  In The Dad Difference, Bryan Loritts explores the four gifts every kid needs from their dad: relationship, integrity, teaching, and experiences. He walks you through what each of these mean and how to put them into practice. He also shares stories of fathers, including his own dad, who were examples of this to him. Full of biblical wisdom, simple truths, and practical advice, this book will empower you to become a dad who makes a difference in the lives of your children.
• Jesus: The God Who Knows Your Name by Max Lucado.  This is my favorite book in 2020!  For more than three decades, pastor and bestselling author Max Lucado has shown us Jesus. In this capstone book, he takes us further on the journey to know the life and character of the Savior. Divided into six sections (Immanuel, Friend, Teacher, Miracle Worker, Lamb of God, Returning King), each containing multiple chapters, this book describes both the person Jesus was on earth and how to live in a personal relationship with him.  By exploring Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as well as specific details like how he interacted with his friends and his enemies, what he did with time alone, how he acted at a party, this compilation from Max Lucado—now with original never-before-read content from Max—gives readers the chance to become more familiar with the man at the center of the greatest story ever told.
• The Leader’s Greatest Return: Attracting, Developing, and Multiplying Leaders by John Maxwell – In The Leader’s Greatest Return, Maxwell shares the most important lessons he’s learned about the leadership development process over the last quarter century. He instructs readers in how to
  • Recognize potential leaders
  • Attract leaders by creating a leadership “table”
  • Work themselves out of a job by equipping and empowering leaders
  • Position leaders to build a winning team
  • Coach leaders to higher levels and make them leadership developers themselves
  • This is where leaders really experience the compounding value of developing leaders and go to the highest levels of leadership themselves.  Anyone who wants to take the next step in their leadership, build their organization or team today, and create their legacy for tomorrow needs to read The Leader’s Greatest Return.
• Confident Leader How Overcome Self-Doubt by Dan Reiland.  I cannot wait for this book!!!  Being released on April 21st, in his new book, the incomparable Dan Reiland draws from his 39 years of leadership experience to share a practical, workable, and transformational process that results in your ability to become a more self-assured leader and achieve maximum success. Building unshakable confidence will positively impact your personal work performance, your belief in self, your support and approval from others, and your trust and reliance on God.In this book you will learn how to:
  • Make deep foundational decisions about your core identity
  • Implement practical steps for deliberate character development
  • Incorporate daily, practical disciplines that transform your leadership ability
• The Uniform of Leadership: Lessons on True Success from My ESPN Life by Jason Romano.  Jason learned incredible lessons during his seventeen years as a producer at ESPN–and these fundamentals for success on the field or court work just as well in other spheres of leadership, especially when you add God’s direction to the playbook.  This collection of compelling, inspiring, and often funny stories challenges readers to ask themselves the hard questions. It draws them into introspection and then directs them into action so they can cultivate habits of service and excellence in themselves and in those around them. From Tony Dungy to Darryl Strawberry, Will Ferrell to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, readers will discover how to replicate the principles practiced by some of the most influential leaders in sports and entertainment. And in the end, they’ll be able to construct thriving cultures where the people they lead can bloom where they’re planted and serve one another.
• 20/20 Money: Gaining Clarity for your Financial Future by Joseph Sangl – There have been many books written about finding purpose and chasing dreams. Most of them lack practical instruction on determining ways to fund those dreams. There have been many other books focused on helping people win with their money. Most of these make an assumption that people already have taken appropriate amounts of time to think through their God-given plans, hopes, and dreams. 20/20 Money provides instruction on both: discovering your dreams and then finding creative ways to fund each one of them. It is time to connect your dreams with your dollars! In 20/20 Money, Joseph Sangl shares practical steps you can take to discover and fund your God-given purpose. You will learn how to: Set guidelines for clarifying your Fully Funded Life, Connect your vision to your money, Creatively fund your dreams, Initiate movement toward your dreams, and Sustain progress along the way. Your God-given dreams can become reality.
• A Gentle Answer: Our ‘Secret Weapon’ in an Age of Us Against Them by Scott Sauls.  In a defensive and divided era, how can followers of Jesus reveal a better way of living, one that loves others as God loves us? How can Christians be the kind of people who are known, as Proverbs puts it, to “turn away wrath?” Scott Sauls’s compelling new book shows Christians how to become people of “a gentle answer” in a politically, relationally, and culturally fractured world by helping readers:
  • grow in affection for Christ, who answers our hostility with gentleness;
  • nurture a renewed, softened heart in light of Christ’s gentleness toward us;
  • and catch a vision to forsake us-against-them mentalities, put down our swords, and “infect” a hostile world with gentleness.
• The Fear Virus: Vaccinating Yourself Against Life’s Greatest Phobias by Ed Young. In The Fear Virus, Ed addresses common phobias that plague us and the antidote that replaces unhealthy fear with God’s peace and love. Ed Young will boldly meet the fears that often control us with Scripture and wisdom that will help you to take back control of your life and eradicate the fear virus. Differentiating between unhealthy fear and healthy fear, Ed will explain why one is dangerous and the other is essential.  Readers of The Fear Virus will feel equipped to tackle things like:
  
  • Fear of loneliness
  • Fear of helplessness
  • Fear of commitment
  • Fear of death
  • Fear of failure

  The Fear Virus will help you fight against fear and face every day with ultimate respect for God and assurance that He holds all things together.

#CommissionsEarned

Also, my book Timeless: 10 Enduring Practices Of Apex Leaders is available for purchase.  If you have ever wanted to become the leader God created you to be, this book is for you!  By combining leadership lessons from biblical heroes like Jesus, Daniel and Joseph, along with modern day leaders like Bill Gates, Nick Saban, Kobe Bryant and multiple pastors, Timeless will equip and inspire you.  This book is not to be read alone.  Discussion questions are included in each chapter allowing you to develop those in your circle of influence.  Click HERE or on the image provided and order your copies TODAY.