Daring Greatly
Brene Brown‘s “data with a soul” may be the most important book you read for awhile. She lays out issues of shame and authenticity in a way that make you feel known. You will be a better human if you read this book.

Prodigal Christianity: 10 Signposts into the Missional Frontier
David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw

Ecclesia Network friends Fitch and Holsclaw’s pitch for missional neo-Anabaptism. It’s important.

Faiths in Conflict?
Vinoth Ramachandra

One of the best books I read in MAGL. Comparative religions written by a Christian from Sri Lanka.

The Social Animal
David Brooks

David Brooks parable using brain science, behavioral economics and even a pitch for neo-federalism. You might not buy his politics, but he is a model thinker.

Jesus, My Father, The CIA, and Me: A Memoir. . . of Sorts
Ian Chron

Don’t let the ridiculous title fool you. It’s a story about the adventures of life, addiction and where the divine fit in.

Snow Crash
Neak Stephenson

The Matrix meets Raiders of the Lost Ark. Do not read if you are a charismatic Christian with thin skin.

The Power of Habit
Charles Duhigg

How habits work. Read if you want to be a better human. Read especially if any part of your life contains the word “discipleship.”

What We Talk About When We Talk About God
Rob Bell

God is: With us—For us—Ahead of us.
Nothing fans haven’t heard Rob say before, but written for a different audience. The Love Wins fiasco has forced Rob to find a new audience outside the evangelical world. This is a pretty good pitch.

Attached
Amir Levine and Rachel Heller

An introduction to Attachment theory. Great reading if you’re asking “why am I still single.”

Fables
Bill WillIngham

Grimms fairy tales meets Friends. So much fun.

The post 10 Great Reads Encountered in 2013 appeared first on Chris Morton.

Fall also brings a twinge of guilt. With the end of the year approaching, I can’t help but think about how my New Years Goals have panned out.

Back in January, I publically stated four goals:

• Become a Morning Person
• Create a Regular Devotional Pattern
• Write 200 Words a Day
• Read 40 Books.

Fast forward ten months. I’m still not a morning person, although I’ve had some great mornings. I have done a lot of writing. I’ve had some great devotional times. I’m around 30 books right now, so it is still possible.

Why have I not succeeded at my New Years Goals?

1. I didn’t have the structures needed to pull them off.

File this one under “you should have taken your own advice.” Goals seldom happen out of pure willpower. I wish I had created systems to help me wake up in the morning or pre-purchased books on my reading list. The likelihood of accomplishing a goal is directly correlated to the structures you create to support them. I am contemplating how to do this in the last two months on 2013.

2. Life gets in the way.

I found myself unemployed this past Spring. For a little while, I was able to remain focused. But quickly I was awash in worry, and my focus drifted. Goals, like everything else in life, are reliant on our ability to manage our emotions.

3. Relationships change your goals.

Until the age of 31, I’ve more or less managed to remain single. Then, about six months ago, a wonderful woman came around. Because my life is better with her around, I make spending time with her a priority. If you are going to make a time-oriented goal, factor in the need to share your time others.

4. A year is a long time.

When I originally chose The Mountain Goat This Year as my 2013 theme song, I was thinking it would be a year of gritting my teeth to take on significant goals. I had no idea that it would be much more complicated than that. Besides going freelance and dating, I’ve also helped launch a new church. None of this was on my radar in January. Yearly goals are good, but they should be regularly reevaluated in light of reality.

How have you done on your goals for 2013?

The post Four Lessons Learned from Revisiting My New Years Goals in October appeared first on Chris Morton.

1.  If you don’t make a plan, you won’t do it.

There are two conspirators keeping you from reading.  The first is that you don’t have to do it.  Unless you are in school, no one is going to make you do it.  The second reason is that life is just too full of easier, more passive activities.  Reading, even the most mindless fiction requires more work than watching television or surfing the web.  Making a reading plan is like a morning runner laying out their clothes the night before: because you’ve put the effort in beforehand, you are more likely to carry through when the time comes.

2.  The world is changing.

We live in a world of constant change.  Reading is both the best way to understand it, and to transcend it.  By reading regularly in your field, you are more likely to stay on top of things.  By reading classics and work outside your field, you think beyond the tyrannical urgencies and focus on what’s timeless. A reading plan will help you gather the resources you need to do both of those.

3.  Reading Plans create a Syllabus for Life

You had a reading plan back in college, but it was called a syllabus. Syllabi lay out what a class will teach you and how.  Creating a reading plan is like making a syllabi for life.  When done well, a good reading plan answers the questions “what do I want to learn?” and then lays out how.

When you are ready to develop your reading plan, you need to ask a few questions:

What books have you always wanted to read?

Have you ever wondered why it seems like everyone else quotes Shakespeare and Dickens and Elliot?  Have you ever wondered exactly how Apocalypse Now was based on Heart of Darkness or what Dune had in common with The Lion King?  Put a few pieces of great literature on your list.  Don’t get too ambitious, or you’ll overwhelm yourself.

What are some fun books?

Reading isn’t always about education.  Sometimes, it’s just about killing time in the airport or winding down after a long day.  When you build your reading list, add a few that just seem like they would be a good time.  For me, it’s usually a cheap sci-fi novel.  For you, it might be a mystery, romance or even young adult fiction.

What are some books in your field?

Your reading list is also your key to personal and career development.  While you may find a lot of good information in blogs and podcasts, the long form nature of books allows for thorough arguments, that explain both theory and application.  Build up your list by asking your boss and co-workers what they are reading.  If you can’t find specific books on your field, look for classics on topics like business leadership, sales or personal growth.  These apply to whatever job you have.

Making and sticking to a reading list is tough work.  Here’s a few tips and tricks to help you make and stick with your list:

Write it down

Keep a running list of the books you want to read.  I use Goodreads, but you can do this with a service like Evernote or just pen and paper.  Every time you see or hear about a book you want to read, add it to your list.  You may want to develop a secondary “someday” list for things that seem interesting, but less urgent.

Join a club

We’re more likely to stick with things when we do them with others.  Reading with others can be particularly rich, because it gives you a means to think more deeply about what you’ve studied.  Someone else might find something to love in a book you hated, or point out a meaningful quote you missed.  You can find groups through your local independent bookstores, services like Meetup or you can just start your own.

Talk about what you learn

Whatever you are reading, don’t keep it to yourself.  If it applies to your job, share about it at work.  If it changes the way you like about life, share that wisdom with others.  Reading a lot is a key to being “cocktail party smart”, that is knowing just enough to have meaningful conversations with anyone, no matter what you do or don’t have in common.

Here’s my reading plan for 2013. What’s yours?  How have you benefitted from having a reading plan?

The post Why You Need a Reading Plan (and how to develop one) appeared first on Chris Morton.

The Mountain Goats provide the anthem for 2013.

Thanks to Trevor McCurry for introducing me.

The post I am going to make it. Through this year. If it kills me. appeared first on Chris Morton.

Habits I Hope to Master in 2013

• Become a Morning Person
  I hate that this is a goal, but I think it needs to happen.  There’s just too much I want to do, between church, work, grad school, and oh yeah, the whole hopes and dreams thing.  My hope is to create a habit of regularly waking up in the morning, and I’m using the carrot of fancy coffee when I actually pull it off.
• Create a Regular Devotional Pattern
  My devotional life has always been haphazard.  The key I am using this year is to have a specific pattern and stick to it.  For now, that means reading a few chapters in the scriptures every morning
  and responding in my prayer journal.  I’m also using a few of the classic devotionals to mix it up.
• Write 200 Words a Day
  If I could be really good at one thing, and then use my superpower for good, it would be writing.  I’ve always been one to write and reflect, but as Ira says, I have more taste than talent. My goal this year isn’t necessarily to post daily wisdom on the blog or get a book published, but simply force myself to write every day.  Anything under 200 words doesn’t count.

The question is, how do you build a habit?  Well that’s something I’m trying to learn.  I’ve been inspired Charles’ Duhigg’s exploration in The Power of Habit, that habits come from the combination of cues, rewards and routines. I’m using tools like the Jerry Seinfeld’s productivity secret and I’m even considering paying my enemies if I break a habit.

What methods have you found help with building habits?

The post Building Habits in 2013 (with Infographic!) appeared first on Chris Morton.