Tomorrow I will finish reading the best book I’ve ever read. It took me a full year to complete it and I’ve really enjoyed the journey, so I wanted to let you know about it so you can read it too. It’s the Bible.
Warning: don’t read this if you are not open-minded.
I recommend books to the CEOs and business owners I work with so they can lead their company with excellence, learn how to understand and work better with others and find more joy in life.
Great books from authors like Patrick Lencioni, Eric Blehm, Jim Collins, and Ken Blanchard line the bookshelves of my home office. They are great books but the Bible has taught me more than all of them combined.
The Bible is the History of the World.
This year I read the Bible using the One Year Bible in Chronological order, New Living Testament. This version of the Bible gave me a daily reading of about 15 minutes each that tell the story of the world as it occurred, in our current Conversational English, without the Old English “Thee” and “Thou,” so it’s easier to understand by us simple folk.
I have learned more this year about myself and how to be a better Husband, Father, friend and business leader than I have in years. This has been an amazing year for me and my family despite the challenges of 2020, and I can directly connect this to what I learned from reading the word of GOD each morning for the last year.
The Bible is anything but boring if you read it every day. It contains stories of the Jewish Nation (God’s chosen people), it’s full of miraculous healings, supernatural events, dragons, sea monsters, epic battles, romance, humor (talking donkeys, etc.) and people being raised from the dead. Pretty exciting stuff, if you ask me!
Be Open To Learn
Don’t shut down and ignore this recommendation. If I wrote an article saying how great is Cheryl Bachelder’s book Dare to Serve Leadership, or how much I was inspired by the book Small Giants or Raving Fans, most people would go read it without hesitation.
In our CEO Groups, we practice the idea of Radical Open-Mindedness and Radical Transparency so we can pursue excellence in our lives. Be honest with yourself, you have much to learn and lots of areas to improve on. I think learning from the words of the GOD of the Universe is just as valuable as anything Bill Gates or Warren Buffet have to say.
All the great principles of leadership and business come from the truths of the Bible. Making wise plans, having good communication, being honest, working hard, saving money, investing wisely, caring for others, and speaking the truth in love all are essential to being a great leader. And all of these come from the truth of what the Bible teaches us.
I read Ray Dalio’s book “Principles” where he presented his beliefs, many of which were contrary to the truths I hold dear to me. I learned a lot from his book just like I do from people who do not agree with what I believe. If I’m willing to do this, maybe you can do the same and invest a year learning all that GOD has to say in the Bible.
My Story
I could write thousands of pages to tell you how GOD has changed my life as I learn more about what he expects of me. It has been an exciting journey that I’d be glad to share with you if you’re interested. I leave margin in my life for others so if you want to know my story let’s meet sometime soon.
In the meantime, join me as I once again read through the Bible starting January 1.
You don’t have to agree with me but you can’t argue with something you’ve never read. Take some time and invest in your eternal soul as well as the world around you by reading the one book that matters the most.
We can do it together. Amazon can ship it overnight and we can swap notes on what we read. Order it today at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1414314086/ref=emc_b_5_i
Not to spoil it for you, but at the end of the book, God wins.