The intent was to visit a couple of small towns to walk the downtown. As Philip said, we don’t have those kind of towns like Ontario does. Quite right Phil! Alberta has had a different kind of development and towns did not grow up around a stream and a mill as did the east coast. Prairie towns were more about the rail line on one side of the highway and a series of small shops no the other.

That being said, we took a drive down to Beaumont to walk part of their main street – 50th Street. On that street is this delightful bookshop. As we entered Wendy told us this is where Amanda comes for coffee, chocolate and books! …..ooooohhhhhh…… THIS is where she comes!

What a delightful shop.

I found this gem! Some people seem to take exception to this picture! I don’t know why.

And then I saw this book – Andy Stanley’s Deep and Wide. A novel, a story, a set of leadership lessons, a recounting of how vision was cast and how decisions were made to create a church culture. I think that’s one of the things missing at times. Decisions which are not tied to an overall strategy with clear outcomes for the LONG term. Too many incremental decisions with little impact for the future. Or at least little consideration given for the future.

I am not sure how many copies of this I’ve given away. Beginning as the corps ministry secretary and beyond to program and business I passed this on to most corps officers who invited us for a Sunday or a weekend. And the feedback is always the same – “we bought a copy for every leader and had them read it with us”.

I’m uncertain why leading for the long game is so illusive. I think for our denomination we are plagued by leaders living in the next appointment. Taking education for the ultimate appointment not for the development of mind or skill seems to be too common. For certain those who learn the lesson of living in the present, leading for the long term are easily recognizable. They just do things differently.

Which books do you recommend to leaders?