- A Gardener Looks at the Fruits of the Spirit by W. Phillip Keller
- Fathered by God by John Eldredge
- Fields of Gold by Andy Stanley
- Healing Leadership Trauma by Nicholas Rowe and Shiela Wise Rowe
- Homosexuality and the Christian by Mark Yarhouse
- How People Change by Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp
- Irresistible Evangelism by Steve Sjogren, Dave Ping, and Doug Pollock
- Is God Real? by Lee Strobel
- Kingdom Builders by Andrew Denton
- Know What You’re For by Jeff Henderson
- Listening for Heaven’s Sake by Dr. Gary Sweeten
- Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerichs
- Releader by Dr. Jon Chasteen
- Silence by Shūsaku Endō
- Son of Southtown: My Life Between Two Worlds by Sonny Sandoval
- Soundtracks by Jon Acuff
- So What’s The Difference? by Fritz Ridenour
- Streams of Living Water by Richard J. Foster
- The Art of Neighboring by Jay Pathak & Dave Runyon
- The Bible, NIV
- The Closer by Mariano Rivera with Wayne Coffey
- The Expectation Gap by Steve Cuss
- The Life of the Body by Valerie E. Hess and Lane M. Arnold
- The Millennium Myth by N.T. Wright
- The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
- The Space Between Us by Sarah Bauer Anderson
- The Trellis and The Vine by Collin Marshall and Tony Payne
- Turning Everyday Conversations Into Gospel Conversations by Jimmy Scroggins and Steve Wright
Books I Read in 2024

- 25 Ways to Win With People by John C. Maxwell
- A Non-Anxious Presnece by Mark Sayers
- A Louder Song by Aubrey Sampson
- Building a Discipling Culture by Mike Breen
- Cash: The Autobiography by Johnny Cash
- Chasing Failure by Ryan Leak
- Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller
- How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics by Jinathan Leeman and Andy Noselli
- Jesus and the Powers by N.T. Wright & Michael F. Burd
- Just Walk Across The Room by Bill Hybles
- Layla and Majnun by Nizami
- Multisite Pitfalls by David D’Angelo & Ryan Stigile
- Managing Leadership Anxiety by Steve Cuss
- Neighborliness by David Docusen
- Never Trust a Man in Curlers by Tony Lazzarini
- One Year Bible Paul by Walter Wangerin
- Son of a Midnight Land by Atz Kilcher
- The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson
- The Gospel Invitation by O.S. Hawkins & Matt Queen
- The Mayo Vlinic Guide to Stress-Free Living by Amit Sood
- The One Year Bible The Ride of a Lifetime by Robert Iger
- The Story by Max Lucado and Randy Frazee
- Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
- Why Nobody Wants to Go to Church Anymore by Thom & Joni Schultz
- Why Prayer Makes Sense by Ed Strauss
Books I Read in 2023
- A Hunger for Healing by J. Keith Miller
- Better Together: Making Church Mergers Work by Jim Tomberlin & Warren Bird
- Dave Ramsey’s Complete Guide to Money by Dave Ramsey
- Church Planting Thesholds by Clint Cliffton
- Deep and Wide by Andy Stanley
- Exploring the Future of Multichurch by Brad House and Greg Allison
- Fundraising for Social Change by Kim Klein and Stan Yogi
- If God is Love, Don’t be a Jerk by John Pavlovitz
- Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change by William Bridges
- Multisite Church Pitfalls by David D’Angelo and Ryan Stigile
- Nature’s Silent Message by Scott Stillman
- Run with the Horses by Eugene Peterson
- Streetsmart Financial Basics for Nonprofit Managers by Thomas A. McLaughlin
- Surrender by Bono
- The Employer’s Legal Handbook by Fred S. Steingold
- The New Breed by Jonathan McKee & Thomas W. McKee
- The Nonprofit Marketing Guide by Kivi Leroux Miller
- The Purpose-Driven Church by Rick Warren

Books I Read in 2022

- Acid for the Children by Flea
- Alcatraz from Inside by Jim Quillen
- A Meal with Jesus by Tim Chester
- A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller
- Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison
- Born to Run by Christopher McDougall
- Canoeing the Mountains by Tod Bolsinger
- Church Planting is for Wimps by Mike McKinley
- Crucial Conversations by Patterson, Grenny, McMillian, and Switzler
- Finding Joy in the Empty Nest by Dr. Jim Burns
- Furious George by George Karl
- Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury
- How (Not) to Read the Bible by Dan Kimball
- Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez
- Making Your Children Mind Without Losing Yours by Dr. Kevin Leman
- Multisite Church Pitfalls by David D’Angelo and Ryan Stigile
- Multi-Site Church Road Trip by Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon, and Wareen Bird
- The Multi-Site Church Revolution by Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon, and Wareen Bird
- Multi-Site Churches by Scott McConnell
- Not In It To Win It by Andy Stanley
- Planting Growing Churches by Aubrey Malphurs
- The Saint and The Sinner by Stephen H. Donnelly
- Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis with Larry Sloman
- The Cure by John Lynch
- The Lord of the Rings Part Two: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkein
- The Naked Now by Richard Rohr
- The Nonprofit Marketing Guide by Kivi Leroux Miller
- This by Michael Gungor
- You Are The Brand by Mike Kim
- Winning The War in Your Mind by Craig Groeshel
Farewell to Another Friend

In the fall of 2018 I was in a very difficult place in my life. After almost 20 years of vocational ministry I was in the land in-between. I had taken on some speaking in writing, and was trying to figure out God‘s next step in my life. One day I got a message from Chris Zeigler out of the blue. I did not know him, but he introduced himself as the Director of BASIC College Ministries and asked if we could meet up in New York City for dinner while he was in town. We met at our favorite Italian restaurant, Carmine’s, in Times Square. Over dinner he and his wife Cheryl Zeigler introduced themselves to us and talked about their work with students on college campuses. He said he had been given my name by some mutual friends and was wondering if I would be interested in joining their staff in a newly-created position as Director of Development. I had never done any of this kind of work, but after couple of weeks of prayer I decided to take a leap and try it out. Over the next year and a half I learned this new field and enjoyed working with Chris to reframe partnerships and fundraising for the ministry. In 2020 I decided to go back to work in the local church. Five weeks after I began, Covid shut the world down. Interestingly, so much of what I learned doing development work suddenly came in to play. Phone calls, checking in on people, developing systems for connection, etc. A few weeks ago God really put Chris on my heart. I was thinking about him and was so thankful that he took a risk on inviting me into a role even though it was uncharted territory. I am currently doing work at the church in which I am leaning into so many other things that I learned in that brief season with BASIC. Additionally, two weeks ago I was in Las Vegas and was thinking about him as we drove by the Raiders’ stadium. He was a diehard Raiders fan. Then Ady and I saw a sign for a Carmine’s. We couldn’t believe there was one out west. As we were eating , Ady said, “The last time we were at Carmine‘s is when we went out for dinner with Chris and Cheryl to talk about you possibly joining BASIC.” It was only a few days after that when we heard the news about Chris’s diagnosis and learned the devastating news that doctors told him he only had weeks to live. Last week I am so thankful I had a chance to call and pray with him. Hearing that two people received Christ in the hospital as he witnessed to them was not a surprise at all. He was full of faith and trust in God all the way to the end. Chris, it was a privilege to know you and serve Jesus with you, my friend. Well done good and faithful servant. Our deepest condolences to Cheryl and his three wonderful children. Praying for God’s grace, peace, and comfort. 🙏
10,000 Meals Prepared to Help Stop Hunger Now
Books I Read in 2021

- Abba’s Child by Brennan Manning
- A Burning In My Bones: The Authorized Biography of Eugene H Peterson by Winn Collier
- Black Cop’s Kid by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Broken Signposts by N.T. Wright
- Business Made Simple by Donald Miller
- Fields of Gold by Andy Stanley
- From Burned Out to Beloved: Soul Care for Wounded Healers by Bethany Dearborn Hiser
- It’s Personal by Virginia Ward, Reggie Joiner, and Kristen Ivy
- Lead by Paul David Tripp
- Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate by J. Clif Christopher
- One Love: Parting Words to the Church on Race and Love by John M. Perkins
- Row the Boat by Jon Gordon and P.J. Fleck
- Quitter by Jon Acuff
- Sacred Sorrow by Michael Card
- Single Gay Christian by Gregory Coles
- Spiritual Grit by Rick Lawrence
- Stick Together by Jon Gordon and Kate Leavell
- The Coffee Bean by Jon Gordon and Damon West
- The End of the Golden Gate by Gary Kamiya
- The Fellowship of the of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
- To Have and to Hold by Doug Fields
- The Storyteller by Dave Grohl
- When Faith Fails by Dominic Done