I love a good book reco ... and I particularly love collecting books into the years that I've read them. It gives a sense of season and often illustrates what the year held.
Have you seen those cute little bookshelf models people make - they're tiny little libraries where people create a little cardboard book shelf and print front covers of all the books they've read that year onto tiny little cardboard books. They're adorable! Not too sure I have the patience for it, but I like seeing what people create!
Anyway ... here's my top 6 best books of 2023.
Praying like monks ... Living like fools by Tyler Staton
Rating: 9/10
Short blurb: It's time to experience prayer in its purest form - a vital, sustaining, powerful connection with God that is more real and alive than you could have ever imagined.
Favourite quote: 'Prayer can't be mastered. Prayer always means submission. To pray is to willingly put ourselves in the unguarded, exposed position. There is no climb. There is no control. There is no mastery. There is only humility and hope.'
You should read this book if ... you want to be inspired and equipped to practice a variety of different types of prayer. If you want to find the deepest meaning and greatest connection within these types, and mostly embrace the wonder and mystery of how every day prayer can change EVERYTHING within you, and around you.
Winning the war in your mind by Craig Groeschel
Rating: 8.5/10
Short blurb: Are your thoughts out of control - just like your life? Do you long to break free from the spiral of destructive thinking? Let God's truth become your battle plan to win the war in your mind!
Favourite quote: 'Our frame is how we view things. It’s the cognitive bias through which we look at and interpret what’s happening. Reframing is when we decide we are not going to hang on to old perceptions that have worked against us. We are going to choose a different, more godly, more productive way of thinking.'
You should read this book if ... you want to overcome self doubt and negative thinking. If you've been looking for a framework for beating down the greatest weapon against you - your mind, and turning it around to work for you, this book is a solid foundation. I genuinely felt like I was being mentored and coached by one of the most authentic leaders in the Christian world.
The Night is Normal by Alicia Britt Chole
Rating: 8/10
Short blurb: It's unnerving, isn't it? When our faith feels ungrounded, untethered ... unreal. When our certainty is adrift, as though an undercurrent has pulled us away from shore into the deep, into the darkness. This is disillusionment. This is spiritual pain. And if this is you, please know that you are not alone. (And you are not as far away from safety as you may feel or fear.) Though faith shines best in full sun, it grows depth in the dark. The night is not your enemy. In fact, the night is necessary.
Favourite quote: 'Such a love, as exemplified by Jesus, is not intimidated by pain. It grows in the midst of real, raw life. This is the treasure refined through disillusionment - a love that keeps increasing in strength and stability with each cycle as we lose more illusions, gain more reality, and choose again and again not to bail.'
You should read this book if ... you're going through a 'night' season, a 'dark night of the soul', a moment of disillusionment, or you're journeying through discouragement. This book changes the way you think about your 'night' and introduces you to mechanisms that will help you keep moving forwards.
Strengthening the soul of your leadership by Ruth Haley Barton
Rating: 9.5/10
Short blurb: "I'm tired of helping others enjoy God―I just want to enjoy God for myself." With this painful admission, Ruth Haley Barton invites us to an honest exploration of what happens when spiritual leaders lose track of their souls. Weaving together contemporary illustrations with penetrating insight from the life of Moses.
Favourite quote: 'Behind my heroic image of myself I saw my tiresome perfectionism, my resentment of those who did not try as hard as I did, and my huge appetite for approval.'
You should read this book if ... you have been leading for years and feel that silently screaming, deeper inner you crying out for breathing room, you've felt the effects of the sacrifice of leadership, or you're feeling good but need to strengthen your soul.
Trust by Dr Henry Cloud
Rating: 10/10
Short blurb: Dr. Cloud explores the five foundational aspects of trust that must be present for any relationship to function successfully and helps us to understand how to implement them. He also guides us through the difficult process of repairing trust when it has been violated and broken, even when restoring trust feels impossible.
Favourite quote: 'Forgiveness has to do with the past. Trust has to do with the future.'
You should read this book if ... you're a human! Honestly this book should be read and re-read by all of us, often.
Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone and Sheila Teen
Rating: 10/10
Short blurb: We know that feedback is essential for professional development and healthy relationships - but we dread it and even dismiss it. That's because while we want to learn and grow, we also want to be accepted just as we are. This book offers a simple framework and powerful tools, showing us how to take on life's blizzard of comments and advice with curiosity and grace.
Favourite quote: “Appreciation — motivates and encourages. Coaching — helps increase knowledge, skill, capability, growth, or raises feelings in the relationship. Evaluation — tells you where you stand, aligns expectations, and informs decision making.”
You should read this book if ... you know you struggle to receive feedback. Also read it if you ever give feedback, coaching, or evaluation. This is essential for management, for employees, for leaders, for learners. I think I would put this on my 'book of the decade' list!
These were the 6 best books that transformed my 2023 ... what transformed yours?
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