As I look back over my previous order list on Amazon, I see that most of my “best reads” were not published in the last year. That said, I just packed up my most recent Amazon order to take back home to Australia with me this week and look forward to a few more current books in 2010 (listed at the end of this post.)

Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer

“Vocation does not come from willfulness. It comes from listening. I must listen to my life and try to understand what it is truly about — quite apart from what I would like it to be about — or my life will never represent anything real in the world, no matter how earnest my intentions.” (p. 4) This book challenges me to live more authentically and to understand vocation less as an achievement and more as a gift.

The Ugly American by Eugene Burdick and William J. Lederer

While this book was originally published in 1958, it is thoughtful and profoundly relevant today. The book is written as a series of engaging short stories based on the authors’ foreign experiences. Many of the Americans in the book don’t understand the culture they are immersed in. Thus, they are unable to help people and in fact, come across as incompetent and arrogant. The book thoughtfully raises questions of foreign policy and also has significant implications for mission agencies and those involved with cross-cultural ministry.

ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch

“Show me your Jesus, and I’ll show you who you are.” (p. 72) Too often our picture of Jesus comes more from our personal baggage than from the Bible. I really like how this book focuses on Jesus and challenges readers to do the same. It is also written by two Australians☺

Women Lead the Way: Your Guide to Stepping Up to Leadership and Changing the World by Linda Tarr-Whelan

This book presents research and ideas to help organizations do a better job of including women in the process of setting priorities and allocating resources. Having women involved in leadership not only benefits women but significantly benefits the entire organization, church or team.

And here are the books in my bag to take home to Australia to start my 2010 reading list:

Fierce Leadership: A Bold Alternative to the Worst “Best” Practices of Business Today by Susan Scott

Rediscovering Values: On Wall Street, Main Street, and Your Street by Jim Wallis

The Three Tasks of Leadership: Worldly Wisdom for Pastoral Leaders by Eric O. Jacobsen

Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor

Kim is a trainer, coach and leadership consultant with Church Resource Ministry in Melbourne, Australia. She is an ordained pastor, ICF certified
coach, and has an MDiv and DMin from Fuller Seminary. Her passions include travel, getting a good deal, running, and helping leaders multiply their impact by reproducing more effective leaders.