Last month, Jon Acuff posted a picture of the 15 books that he was taking with him on vacation to the beach. I loved looking at his

I also wanted to share a picture of all the books that I will  taking with me on our vaction. I”m only bringing 11. I guess that’s what separates me from a best selling author. 4 measly books.

As you can see, my picture isn’t as interesting as Jon’s. One hardcover book and my Kindle don’t really engage the imagination but the picture does tell a larger story. It seems that over the past two years I have been making the switch to digital. I love the convenience, the price, and the extra shelf space. The down side is that I miss out on some really beautiful covers like the book on the left. The real upside for this week will be that I won’t need a separate bag at the airport to carry all my books.

So which books am I taking with me to California? Let’s take a look:

Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human by Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is one of the premiere comic book writers out there today. I don’t always like his stories or his particular take on certain characters but he understand the medium. I saw Morrison interviewed for a documentary about All-Star Superman (his voice sounds like Uncle Argyle and he looks like Lex Luthor) and have been interested to hear him talk more about storytelling and the Man of Steel. I am also looking forward to getting into this book since I just finished re-reading Campbell’s Hero With a Thousand Faces earlier this year. I love reading about mythology, story, and culture- I am hoping Morrison delivers.

Untitled: Thoughts on the Creative Process by Blaine Hogan
Sundays come once a week. Every 7 days, another one arrives. In Untitled, Hogan offers hope and encouragement for those of us who have to turn out new content on a regular basis. The cover features a blank notebook- the bane of many writers and the thing that scares many of us from producing anything. I like the description from the book’s ad: Blaine Hogan “walks you through the creative process of attacking the blank page, executing vision, finding the importance of contemplation, fighting the battle with resistance, and learning from your failures.

Buy-In: Saving Your Good Idea from Getting Shot Down by John P. Kotter
I’ve had my eye on this book for a while now. One of the biggest tools I have to use as a leader is communication. If there are any insights I can learn in order to communicate better I am listening. I am hoping this book will help me learn to anticipate questions and push-back while giving me the knowledge to communicate vision and my thoughts in ways that invite people to come alongside me.

Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip Heath & Dan Heath
Re-reading Switch in conjuction with Buy-In.

Move: What 1,000 Churches REVEAL about Spiritual Growth by Greg L. Hawkins & Cally Parkinson
The 3rd book in the REVEAL study promises to help church leaders understand what spiritual growth looks like in the hearts of their people so they can maximize their efforts behind things that are actually leaving a lasting impact. I really enjoyed Reveal and Follow Me and I am very much looking forward to Move.

Small Groups With Purpose by Steve Gladen
I have some high hopes and big plans for the Small Group ministry at our church so I’m taking along a few books on the subject to help me think through what steps we need to take in order to impact our people and the community around us.

Creating Community: Five Keys to Building a Small Group Culture by Andy Stanley & Bill Willits
Re-reading Creating Community in conjunction with Small Groups With Purpose

Creating a Tech Sabbath Habit by Bryan Brooks
Can I read about creating a Tech Sabbath on Tech itself? Will this cause a hole in the Space-Time Continuum? Great Scott, this is heavy!

Hell, Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die by Bobby Conway
So I’ve learned that Love Wins. I then went about Erasing Hell. Now, I’m onto a couple more books about Hell and the Afterlife. In case I thought I was escaping the heat of Texas (110 today!!!), a little light reading on the subject of eternity should set me straight.

Is Hell for Real or Does Everyone Go To Heaven? by Various Authors
Reading in conjunction with the above.

Leadership Prayers by Richard Kriegbaum
I desire to be a leader who depends on prayer.

So, there you go. I have been looking forward to this week for quite sometime. Beach, here we come!!!