Books & Texts:

Practicing Poverty - Kent Dunnington

In this address, originally given at the 2010 Baccalaureate service at Greenville College, Dr. Dunnington suggests that we are all faced with a choice of stories for our lives. "The first kind of story is a story about acquiring, about securing, about practicing wealth. The second kind of story is a story about giving, about relinquishing, about practicing poverty...What would it mean to take up Jesus' invitation to commence upon the way of letting go, to commence with the practice of poverty?"

Leading With a Limp - Dan B. Allender

"Go ahead and take full advantage of your flaws.  The most effective leaders don't rise to power in spite of their weaknesses; they led with power because of their weakness it is their authenticity in limping leadership that compels others to follow them.  Flawed leaders are successful because they're not preoccupied with protecting their image.  They are undaunted by chaos and complexity.  And they are ready to risk failure in moving an organization from what is to what should be." - From the publisher

In The Name of Jesus - Henri J. M. Nouwen

"According to Nouwen, Christians must give up their desire to be powerful and embrace authority based on prayer and forgiveness." - From the publisher

Servant Leadership - Robert K. Greenleaf

"Servant and Leader -- can these two roles be fused in on real person, in all levels of status or calling?  If so, can that person live and be productive int he real world of the present?  My sense of the present leads me to say yest to both questions." From Chapter One.

Good to Great - Jim Collins

"Good is the enemy of great.  And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great...Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life." - From chapter one

Leadership Can Be Taught - Sharon Daloz-Parks

If leaders are made, not born, what is the best way to teach the skills they need to be effective? Today's complex times require a new kind of leadership--one that encompasses a mind-set and capabilities that can't necessarily be taught by conventional methods. In this unique leadership book, Sharon Daloz Parks invites readers to step into the classroom of Harvard leadership virtuoso Ronald Heifetz and his colleagues to understand this dynamic type of leadership and experience a corresponding mode of learning called "case in point." - From Harvard Business Review

Let Your Life Speak - Parker Palmer

"With wisdom, compassion and gentle humor, Parker J. Palmer invites us to listen to the inner teacher and follow its leading toward a sense of meaning and purpose.  Telling stories from his own life and the lives of others who have made a difference, he shares insights gained from darkness and depression as well as fulfillment and joy, illuminating a pathway toward vocation for all who seek the true calling of their lives." - From the publisher

My Name Is Asher Lev - Chaim Potok

"Here is the original, deeply moving story of Asher Lev, the religious boy with an overwhelming need to draw, to paint, to render the world he knows and the pain he feels on canvas for everyone to see.  A loner, Asher has an extraordinary God-given gift that cannot be controlled, but that possesses a spirit all its own.  It is this force that he must learn to master without shaming his people or relinquishing any part of his deeply felt Judaism.  It is under the labor of these burdens that Asher must work and live and love.  He knows it will not be easy for him, but he knows, too that even if it is impossible, it must be done..." - From the publisher

Becoming Nehemiah - David L. McKenna

Rising from royal cup bearer to master builder and governor, Nehemiah's life teaches us a remarkably uncommon thing - how to lead as a servant. - From the publisher

To Be Told - Dan B. Allender

Everyone wants clearer guidance from God on what to do with their future.

Yertle The Turtle - "Dr. Seuss" (Theodore Geisel)

"On the far-away Island of Sala-ma-Sond, Yertle the Turtle was king of the pond.  A nice little pond. It was clean.  It was neat.  The water was warm. There was plenty to eat.  The turtles had everything turtles might need.  And they were all quite happy. Quite happy indeed.

They were...until Yertle the king of them all, decided the kingdom he ruled was too small.

Endurance: Shackelton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing

"In August 1914, the Endurance set sail for the South Atlantic.  The object of this expedition; to cross the Antarctic overland.  In October 1915, still half a continent away from their intended base, the ship was trapped, then crushed in the ice.  For five months Shackelton and his men, drifting on ice packs, were castaways in one of the most savage regions of the world...The book recounts a harrowing adventure, but ultimately it is the nobility of these men and their indefatigable will to fight back and survive that shines through." - From the publisher

Shackleton's Way: Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer - Margot Morrell & Stephanie Capparell

"All the great teachers that this world has known - Socrates and Jesus among them - were at their most effective when teaching people principles and precepts through the medium of stories...On one level, the book is 'ripping yarn' of sort that has enthused the impressionable young at heart for generations.  On another level, it provides a well-focused insight into the essence of exemplary leadership skills, as well as offering a few tips on how to develop and apply these in less climatically challenging but no less hostile conditions." - PricewaterhouseCooper, Corporate Register

Habitudes - Tim Elmore

"Every one of us influence those around us.  Sociologists tell us the most introverted of people will influence 10,000 others in an average lifetime.  So how do you influence others?  Do you event think about it?  Do you make a difference in the world you live in?  How do you add value?" - From the publisher

Dorthy on Leadership - Brian McLaren

"At first glance, Dorothy is all wrong as a model of leadership. She is the wrong gender (female) and the wrong age (young). Rather than being a person with all the answers, who knows what's up and where to go and what's what, she is herself lost, a seeker, often bewildered, and vulnerable. These characteristics would disqualify her from modern leadership. But they serve as her best credentials for postmodern leadership." - From the article.

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