If you are a leader or a leader-in-training and being discipled, trained, equipped and mentored by a leader you need to become a reader if you are not one already. A mentor of mine a long time ago told me that "LEADERS ARE READERS." I believe that and so I began then to systematically plan my reading so that my knowledge and skills would continue to grow and my leadership would always be relevant and usable in God's hands. My plan still remains the same today - in spite of my busy traveling and ministry schedule I read a book a week or better...

However, a lot of the thousands of books a year that are published in the Christian market are certainly not worth wasting money or time on. They lack depth, often are simply popular beliefs pushed by motivational speakers and psychological self-help material. When they actually are rooted in biblical truth they are often based on personal experience and often end up proclaiming heretical teachings as Christian truth. So, good books worth your time and effort are often hard to come by. So, as I have found a list of books compiled by a young American pastor which might help steer you to some excellent books in which to invest... I have read almost all of them during my many years of building a library of decent Christian reference books and classics of the faith. Have a look and remember, leaders are readers. Stop reading and you will literally, one day, stop leading for others will no longer be following you. ~ Ralph

I had been preaching for more than two decades, and I should have been at the top of my game. The church I served ran up to 1,500 on Sunday mornings, and the live telecast of our services covered a fair portion of several states. Most of my colleagues thought I had it made, and if invitations to speak in other churches were any sign, they thought I could preach.

But I didn't think that.

My confidence was taking a beating as some of the leaders let me know repeatedly that my pulpit work was not up to their standards. Previous pastors carried the reputation of pulpit masters, something I never claimed for myself. To make matters worse, we had numerous vacancies on staff, and my sermon preparation was suffering because of a heavy load of pastoral ministry. But you do what you have to do. Most days, my goal was to keep my head above water. Every day without drowning became a good day.

That's when I got serious about praying for my preaching. Each night, I walked a four-mile route through my neighborhood and talked to the Father. My petitions dealt with the usual stuff--family needs, people I was concerned about, and the church. Gradually, one prayer began to recur in my nightly pleadings.

This is an interesting article by Stephen Gregory

The phone rang at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday. Generally I would have long since been at the church. But this Sunday morning I was caring for our sick son while my wife taught her Sunday school class. Our game plan was for her to finish early and come home. Then I would rush to church for the morning service.

The call was from one of our lay leaders at the church. "Steve, the district superintendent just walked in. He mentioned he was in the area and wanted to worship with us today. Did you know he was coming?"

"No, I sure didn't," I replied. "I'll be there shortly."

Oh no, I thought. What a lousy day for the district superintendent to show up.

To who it may concern:

In September of last year, I wrote concerning Todd Bentley and the end of the Lakeland Revival. At the time, I was concerned that someone would try to restore Todd to ministry very quickly. I wrote, "In the coming months, I'm sure that someone will restore Todd and then hope he gets healed. That would be tragic and perhaps disastrous." Almost every week for the last year, I have been asked what I think about Todd's restoration. I have met with members of Fresh Fire's Board of Directors and with Shonnah, Todd's former wife. All of this has furthered my resolve to share what I believe about restoring any fallen minister. I have waited and prayed about what I am writing. I have sought counsel from trusted ministers and leaders and therefore I write the following to you my Partners.

It is vitally important that we learn from what happened in Lakeland. We should first ask, "Were the healings real?" Yes, there were real healings that happened; I personally know someone who was healed. Miracles actually did occur. At the same time, there were also many exaggerations of healings and of people being raised from the dead. We need to keep in mind that signs and wonders do not always mean a person is or isn't endorsed by God. God alone judges the heart.

Well once again it's time to get wise to what's on the web that will help us in our personal growth and our service of the Lord. Be blessed and be "Web-wise"!

David Mickalishen

This month I chose to focus mainly on burnout. the following is an exerpt on burnout:

So, how can we tell if we are just tired or burnt out? First, we need to ask ourselves the questions from the previous section on Setting Boundaries. If we are doing it, it is probably just exhaustion. However, if we find ourselves being apathetic, and detached from our call and ministry, we have a problem. We have to be on the watch for pride, which will produce a
superiority complex. It will make us become careless towards others, then, we will lose our perspective, and what God has called us to do. In addition, either the pride, or the refusal to set boundaries, or a combination of the two, will cause us to fall into burnout and even sexual sin. It is up to the leader to determine if he needs an overhaul, or just a good night's sleep.
In addition, that leader needs to have others who feel free to tell him if warning signs appear.