This past year I had some GREAT books on my list and I learned so much! I’m excited to share these books with you and I hope you get as much out of them as I have.
It was hard choosing only 4 because I got my hands some great ones this year but I’ve narrowed it down to the 4 that I feel I grew most from. Here we go!
- Getting To Us by Seth Davis
This book is great if you are leading a team of some sort and need some good ideas or if you just love learning from great coaches. Seth Davis interviews the best coaches in just about every sport and puts in this book what they say makes a great team. What’s unique and eye-opening is how all the different coaches have different approaches. You’ll read how coach Dabo Swinney from the Clemson Tigers (my favorite 🙂 ) inspires his team to have remarkable character on and off the field, you’ll see how Geno Auriemma of the famous UConn women’s basketball team focus es his team’s attitudes more than anything else. You’ll discover the hardships coach K of the Duke Blue Devil’s endured while he was growing up which make him coach from humility.
Link to buy: https://amzn.to/33Pwp6V
2. Business Made Simple by Donald Miller
I really enjoy reading and watching Donald Miller’s content. He’s such a humble guy with a heart to make it as simple and practical as possible. You won’t find in this book hard to understand concepts and pie in the sky philosophies. In this book what you’ll find is a guy who literally took what he did to grow his business (with little education and money) and tell us step by step how he did it.
This book is easy to read, simple in concept and anyone can learn something from it. For me, the leadership and productivity sections were the most applicable. Donald teaches how he makes every day productive by listing out his top priorities and secondary priorities each day. He even gives you a worksheet to follow! I use this every single day since I learned it from this book! The leadership section focuses more on how to treat people you lead with kindness and how to rally them around a vision. He even gives you a free video course where he unpacks these ideas in detail!
Link to buy: https://amzn.to/3JgORWf
3. Vision Driven Leader by Micheal Hyatt
In this book Micheal Hyatt shares insights on leadership which challenged me a ton this year! He shares that vision starts with a desire within. He shares how to communicate that desire in a way that’s inspirational and practical to others.
The chapter I got the most out of was probably chapter 7 or question 7 titled “Can You Sell It?” He talks about it doesn’t matter how great the vision is if you can’t sell it. He talks about selling it up the company ladder and below the company ladder. It’s a great book that will make you think about how you process thoughts and ideas as a leader.
Link to buy: https://amzn.to/32pHuLN
4. Soul Keeping by John Ortberg
This book was originally not on my reading list for 2021 but I felt nudged by Jesus to revisit this book. I hadn’t read it since I was in ministry school back in 2016 and boy was it a breath of fresh air to pick this back up.
My words can’t possibly put into context what you’ll learn from this book but here’s my best shot. Each of us has a soul whether we realize its importance or not. This book teaches how to rest in the presence of God, how to have lasting peace in life, and just how to live in such a way that you are free from worrying. Trust me when I say this… your soul needs this.
Link to buy: https://amzn.to/3yUbyuV
Free recommendation!
I read too many good books this year to only include 4… so here’s another one that I HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
You see the word addiction and think “I don’t need this book.” Let me challenge you for a second. Is there anything in life that you go to other than Jesus for peace, comfort and Joy?
I knew Chris Dew back when I was in ministry school and he’s one of the most genuine authentic guys I’ve ever known. His story is so rich and real… it’s evidence of the power and goodness of Jesus. Chris will help you understand what’s missing in life and how to drink from the endless fountain of joy every single day. If you know someone that’s struggling this is a great book to get them!
Link to buy: https://amzn.to/3sx893P
Thanks for checking out my top book recommendations from this year. Drop a line and let me know what you’ve been reading!
Bryant Westbrook 