Summer reading

I was asked by a reporter of Faith Today about what reading material I would cover this summer. Having just finished a couple of weeks of a very restful vacation, I thought I'd share the titles of a few books I read while away. They were all worthwhile reads:

1. Letters to Auntie Fori was a lot to digest. A friend gave me this captivating book as a gift and it really struck my fancy. The author covered in a long series of letters to his Jewish Auntie, the history of Judism over the past 5000 years. I was, of course, very familiar with the Bible history from Abraham's time to Jesus' day, but the many chapters that meticulously overviewed their history from Jesus to modern times were fascinating. The resilience of the Jews through the centuries of persecution they've endured is admirable. The author carefully explains every Jewish tradition and holiday I ever wondered about.

2. Winning, by Jack Welch, was a very worthwhile book to read. Jack was the very successful CEO of General Electric who is revered as a imitable leader. What amazed me was how his philosophy of leadership, which proved very successful, was based on biblical teaching. Especially interesting and controversial was his chapter on Differenciating. Jesus used the same principle.

3. The 360 Degree Leader, and also, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, both by John Maxwell, were good easy-to-read overviews of leadership principles. John illustrates well with interesting stories.

4. Leaders on Leadership, compiled by George Barna, was excellent. George gathered 15 articles from some of the most respected leaders in Christendom. Chapters by Kenneth Gangel, Jack Hayford and Robert Clinton were among my personal favorites.

5. The history of the Pentecostal Church in Canada. This is an old out-of-print book which a dear friend gave to me. It covers the early 1900's as pentecostalism spread throughout our nation. The stories that thrilled me the most were of how our Foursquare founder, Aimee Semple McPherson influenced the church. For example a revival she led in Montreal laid the groundwork for a strong PAOC church which is there today.

6. Just before I left on vacation, I read Fathers and Sons (I don't have the book here so I don't remember the author) . This book was a gripping picture of the hole in our society left by the lack of fathering. How the church can fill that necessary lack is very challenging. I'll pass this one on to our men's leadership for sure.

Well that's it for now. I have about 12 more books on my table to take with me on the many airplane trips planned for this summer, so I'll fill you in on what else I read later. Happy reading over these sunny months!