Posted on January 11, 2010 - by rfrank

90 second book review: Leading on Empty

Browsing our Christian bookstore a few weeks ago, Leading on Empty caught my eye. Every leader struggles with maintaining the energy and passion needed to lead. Face it: the demands of ministry are overwhelming. This book addresses this challenge.

Leading on Empty: Refilling Your Tank and Renewing Your Passion is written by Wayne Cordeiro, a hip pastor in Honolulu, Hawaii. He experienced burnout and candidly shares his experience. Here are a few things that stuck out to me in the book:

1. A leader’s greatest asset isn’t time, it’s energy. A person with energy can do in four hours what would take another four days.

2. One of the best ways to avoid burnout is to start young. If you wait until it’s too late you’ll be in trouble. Listen all of you “young guns” (thanks Jim Wideman for coining that term) – start refilling your tank now!

3. Friends and intentional relationships play an important role in keeping your tank full. Friends are rare these days, but not because they aren’t important. It’s because we have increased in speed. Friends are made in the margins of life.

4. Schedule time alone with God. If you’re like me you’ll understand what I’m about ready to say. If you don’t schedule it, it won’t happen. Schedule time to spend with God, to renew your soul, and restore your hunger for what he has called you to do.

These are just a few of the big things I am taking away from the book. If I loaned you my copy, you would find stars and underlined sentences on nearly every page. This is one of the better books I have read in a while. Stop right now and buy it while it’s on your mind. You’ll be glad you did.