I started this year with a goal of providing one full length book review per week. Needless to say, I might of slightly underestimated the schedule of a church planter. Each week I sit down and list out the tasks I need to accomplish in the week and then I allot the amount of time I reasonably think the job will take me to complete. This week that number came out to 90 hours. ​

I don't know of any church that would admit to being unwelcoming to those new to the community. In fact, every church I have been a part of has prided themselves on being the "most welcoming church in town" and yet many of them were anything but welcoming. As a church planter this lack of self awareness among churches is frightening. Of course, I want our gathering (and all else for that matter) to be welcoming, but how am I to know what makes for a truly welcoming church? Why do so many churches think they are welcoming when everyone knows they aren't? Thom Rainer helps us think through these questions and more in his book Becoming a Welcoming Church.

If you find vulgar language offensive, this book is not for you. I'll just start there for any of my Christian friends or congregants. I do not want you to turn the audio book on with your kids around and then never speak to me again. 

​I first found out about Atomic Habits from the “Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast”. Craig talked highly of this work by James Clear, so naturally I had high expectations before reading. The book did not let me down! In fact, this might be the best book I’ve read in the last year.

My favorite books are the ones where my entire perspective shifts on a subject so much that it actually changes the way I live. There are many books that provoke a new idea, but few actually spark new action in my daily life.

Giftology by John Ruhlin is one of the best business books I have ever read. I may end up gifting this book on the power of gift giving more than any other book I have ever gifted. That was kind of a tongue twister, but you get the point!

High Performance Habits, by Brendon Burchard is defined by this summary from the author: 

"After extensive original research and a decade as the world’s highest-paid performance coach, Brendon Burchard finally reveals the most effective habits for ​