Summer Reading List for 2012...

It is a long trip to get there and back to Zambia...almost 40 hours on planes and we traversed the country from top to bottom to meet amazing people, see remarkable ministry and needs, and gaze at some incredible things in a beautiful country...

And as a result, I had time to do some serious reading even before the summer began...here's the top 3 books I read on this particular trip overseas:

*LOVE DOES by Bob Goff...a remarkable read with amazing stories of the active dimension to our faith as it engages other's lives and needs...it is the summer read for our men's soccer team here at CU as we prepare for our fall season...

*THE NEXT CHRISTIANS by Gabe Lyons...a crucial book for the young generation of Christians I help lead as we engage the role of being a restorer in our world...my Terra Firma leadership team is reading it this summer and having an online conversation about its ideas...

*HOW SOCCER EXPLAINS THE WORLD by Franklin Foer...fascinating read on the way soccer describes the globalization of our world...incredible stories and examples...

And I always love the chance to read while we are at the lake in MN...although my usual reading outdoors was shifted somewhat to the basement of our cabin due to record heat!

Here's the list I am tacking this summer:

*LOVE WORKS by Joel Manby...a powerful read advocating that embracing LOVE as a VERB in our work culture will make our leadership much more effective in every dimension...

*THE WORLD IS A BALL by John Doyle...another read I loved as the author traveled to 2 EURO and 2 WORLD CUP tournaments as he lived the remarkable impact the beautiful game has on so many people and cultures in our world, wherever you are...

*MORE THAN JUST A GAME by Chuck Korr and Marvin Close...the story in South Africa of soccer versus apartheid...and how the game played by Mandela and others on Robben Island helped change a nation and world...

*KINGDOM NEW TESTAMENT by N.T. Wright...I am loving getting to read this translation daily as I work thru the New Testament writings in June, July, and August...