Category: authors

The Leadership Journey Podcast: The Practicing Change Collection with Tod Bolsinger

Posted on by jsalanwilson in authors, books, Christian leadership, Podcast

Tod Bolsinger is the author of popular leadership books, Canoeing the Mountains, and Tempered Resilience: we chatted on a couple of episodes of this podcast back in 2021.

More recently he has been working on a series of short books on change.

  • How not to waste a crisis
  • The mission always wins
  • Leading through resistance
  • Invest in transformation

Basically, the books work off the ideas that Tod has established in his earlier writing, in particular Canoeing the Mountains.

Each of the books tackles a mistake that good leaders often make, whether it is responding to a crisis by working harder, or aiming to lead always on the basis of ‘win-win’ – the mistakes form the (sometimes provocative) subtitles of the books. These mistakes are what he calls old mindsets and they need to be replaced by a series of new skillsets which lead to an adaptive reset.

In our conversation we begin to unpack some of the key ideas in the books – mission, loss, disagreement and values. Hopefully you will hear enough to make you want to purchase the books and get to work on them with your leadership team!

The collection will be available around the middle of August, but they are already available for pre-order. If you are in the US, visit the IVP website, and in the UK, try Eden Books.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Practicing Change, with Tod Bolsinger

Posted on by jsalanwilson in authors, books, Christian leaders, Christian leadership, leadership, Podcast

Tod Bolsinger is the author of popular leadership books, Canoeing the Mountains, and Tempered Resilience: we chatted on a couple of episodes of this podcast back in 2021.

More recently he has been working on a series of short books on change.

  • How not to waste a crisis
  • The mission always wins
  • Leading through resistance
  • Invest in transformation

Basically, the books work off the ideas that Tod has established in his earlier writing, in particular Canoeing the Mountains.

Each of the books tackles a mistake that good leaders often make, whether it is responding to a crisis by working harder, or aiming to lead always on the basis of ‘win-win’ – the mistakes form the (sometimes provocative) subtitles of the books. These mistakes are what he calls old mindsets and they need to be replaced by a series of new skillsets which lead to an adaptive reset.

In our conversation we begin to unpack some of the key ideas in the books – mission, loss, disagreement and values. Hopefully you will hear enough to make you want to purchase the books and get to work on them with your leadership team!

The collection will be available around the middle of August, but they are already available for pre-order. If you are in the US, visit the IVP website, and in the UK, try Eden Books.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Colin Holmes

Posted on by jsalanwilson in authors, books, Christian leaders, Podcast

Colin Holmes is pastor of Ferrybank Christian Community Church in Waterford. Four years ago he suffered a brain injury (from which he has thankfully recovered). He has recently written about his experience in a new book, Recovering Life: Searching for a Healthy Spirituality for the Whole of our Humanity.

Not only does the book reflect on Colin’s experience of a health crisis, but it also seeks to reflect on a number of themes that Colin believes have been brought into focus during the recent pandemic. Colin takes these themes and turns to Scripture to trace ways in which they are discussed there.

In our conversation we talk about Colin’s story and about aspects of the book.

For anyone in Northern Ireland, there is a launch event in Ballymena on Friday, February 16. It’s a ticketed event and the price of the ticket covers a meal as well as a copy of the book. Tickets are available on Eventbrite (follow the link). Otherwise, the book is available at various Christian bookshops.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Justin Irving on Organisational Leadership

Posted on by jsalanwilson in authors, books, Christian leaders, Christian leadership, leadership, Podcast

The guest on this episode of the podcast is Justin Irving. Justin is Professor of Leadership at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky and his new book, Healthy Leadership for Thriving Organizations: Creating Contexts Where People Flourish, is set for publication this month. Previously, along with Mark Strauss, he wrote Leadership in Christian Perspective: Mark Strauss joined me on the podcast four years ago to talk about the book.

Justin’s new book focusses on the work of organisational leaders, what he describes as ‘the thirty-thousand-foot-level of leadership’. Such leaders are still required to pay attention to how they lead individuals, but they also lead at a level that requires them to pay attention to the big picture. Behind the book are insights from a survey that was carried out among over two hundred leaders.

In our conversation we spend some time talking about the book and some of the ideas it covers, but Justin also talks about his own story: how he has been shaped, and what he has learned along the way.

The book’s official launch date is Tuesday 19th December in the US and as a Kindle e-book in the UK: you will have to wait another two months to get your hands on a paper copy here.

That’s all for the podcast for 2023. If you have been following along – or even just dipping in from time to time, thanks for listening, and may you have a wonderful Christmas!

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Paul Williams

Posted on by jsalanwilson in authors, Bible, books, Christian leaders, Podcast

Paul Williams is the Chief Executive of the Bible Society, a charity dedicated to making the message available to everyone. Previously he has worked in business in London and has taught at Regent College in Vancouver, where he is Research Professor of Marketplace Theology and Leadership. He is the executive producer of Reframe, a resource that aims to help Christians see how the gospel reframes all of life.

Paul is also the author of Exiles on Mission: How Christians Can Thrive in a Post-Christian World. The book is the fruit of years of reflection and challenges Christians to engage missionally in the world. The late Tim Keller had this to say about the book:

“This book comes at a most important time, when orthodox Protestant believers in particular are struggling. In some ways it is the age-old problem of how to relate Christianity to culture, but in other ways we are faced with some unique challenges–namely, how to engage not merely a pre-Christian or a non-Christian but a post-Christian society. Williams’s book helps us avoid the twin dangers of being too at home in or too withdrawn from our culture. We are exiles, but exiles on mission. Highly recommended.”

In our conversation Paul talks about some of the ideas behind the book and we also spend some time exploring Paul’s leadership journey, from his earliest interest in the Bible through a developing path that has brought him to his current role with the Bible Society.

The book is available from the Bible Society; if you live in Northern Ireland you can get a copy from ICM Books or the Evangelical Bookshop, and there are various online options for ordering, as well as a Kindle version.

There is one more podcast episode planned for 2023: I will be talking to author and seminary professor Justin Irving about his new book, Healthy Leadership for Thriving Organizations: it’s filled with helpful ideas for leaders of churches and Christian organisations or businesses.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Jonathan Thomas

Posted on by jsalanwilson in authors, books, Christian leaders, Podcast

Jonathan Thomas is pastor of Cornerstone Church in Abergavenny, Wales. He is a regular contributor to BBC Radio Wales, has written and presents the material in a recent film on ‘Welsh Awakenings‘ and has published ‘Intentional Interruptions‘, a book that challenges us about the interruptions we experience in our distractedness and encourages us to seek the ways that God wants to interrupt us.

In this episode of the podcast, Jonathan talks about his journey as a Christian and in leadership, from his early years in a Welsh-speaking chapel, through his conversion and early steps in ministry. He. talks about some of the challenges that leaders can face in remaining focussed on the core of their calling and reminds us of the ‘glorious mundane’ – the sphere of simple service to God, perhaps in smaller or apparently less-spectacular places. He also talks about his book and – of course – what he would say to his 20-year-old self.

Watch out for a moment of poetic irony towards the end of the conversation!

The book, Intentional Interruptions, is available through various outlets: you might like to consider buying several copies to use with a small group.

In December I will be talking with Paul Williams, Chief Executive of the Bible Society.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Jo Frost and Peter Lynas on ‘Being Human’

Posted on by jsalanwilson in authors, books, Christian leadership, Current affairs, MIssion, Podcast

This week we have another book-related episode as I am joined by Jo Frost and Peter Lynas who are talking about their new book, Being Human: A New Lens for our Cultural Conversations.

Jo has been with EA since 2017 and is director of communications and engagement. Peter is UK director and oversees EA’s advocacy work.

In our conversation Jo and Peter talk about their own journeys in Christian leadership and their work with EA (Peter has previously been a guest on the podcast and you can listen to his story here). They also talk about the book – how they came to write it, what the process of team writing was like and some of the basic ideas behind the book.

The book is one part of a suite of resources on the theme of Being Human – details of a podcast and video course are available on a special ‘Being Human’ website.

Peter Lynas and Jo Frost along with Manoj Raithatha, Chairman of the Evangelical Alliance, pictured at a book launch event in September

There is a special bonus for listeners to this episode of the podcast (and to anyone living in Northern Ireland). If you would like to support the work of the Evangelical Alliance, you can take out a personal or family membership: as part of your welcome pack you will receive a copy of the book. To find out more, or to sign up, go to the Evangelical Alliance website.

The guest on the next episode of the podcast will be Jonathan Thomas, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Abergavenny.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Iain Provan on the cuckoos in our nest

Posted on by jsalanwilson in authors, books, Current affairs, Podcast

Iain Provan is a retired professor of Biblical Studies at Regent College in Vancouver where he worked for twenty-five years. He is the author of several books and his most recent offering is Cuckoos in our Nest: Truth and Lies about Being Human which was published earlier this year.

In our conversation we talk about Iain’s own story, from growing up in Scotland, and spend time talking about some of the ideas in the book.

The book essentially presents a biblical theology of what it means to be human, teasing out some of the implications of this, for example as they relate to wealth or creation care, and identifying some of the cuckoos, or false ways of thinking that have found their way into the Christian nest.

This is the first of a couple of podcasts on a similar theme as the next episode will consist of an interview with Jo Frost and Peter Lynas from the Evangelical Alliance, talking about their new book (set for release next week), Being Human.

For more from Iain, visit his website, where you will find information about his writing and other teaching.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Andrew Ollerton

Posted on by jsalanwilson in authors, Bible, books, Christian leadership, Podcast

The guest on this episode of the podcast is author, speaker, family man, and outdoors adventurer, Andrew Ollerton. Andrew works with the Bible Society and has written The Bible: A Story That Makes Sense of Life, and Romans: A Letter That Makes Sense of Life. He has also written The Bible Course and The Romans Course which you can discover more on the website of the Bible Society.

Andrew’s mission in life is to help cultivate confidence in the Bible. It’s a thread that runs through his own life as well as his work. We develop this theme in our conversation and towards the end Andrew discusses the task as it relates to:

  • Preachers
  • Parents
  • Publishers and professors
  • The digital space (we couldn’t come up with a word starting with P)
  • Personal devotion

As with other guests on the podcast, he shares what he would say to his twenty-year old self.

Upcoming guests on the podcast include:

If you have not already done so, why not subscribe to to the podcast via Apple or Spotify?

Andrew Ollerton (L) with Bear Grylls: they’re working on a new project together.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Kees Postma

Posted on by jsalanwilson in authors, books, Christian leaders, Christian leadership, church leadership, church ministry, mentoring, MIssion, Podcast

The guest on this episode of the podcast is Kees Postma. Kees is a Dutchman living in the northern part of his home country (Friesland) where he is involved in a church plant. He also helps oversee the church planting work of ECM (European Christian Mission) in Holland, Belgium and Germany.

Kees is also an author. His first book, The Retreat, is an unusual combination of humour and spiritual wisdom that tells the story of a fictional group of Dutch pastors who travel to the southern coast of Ireland (Kees used to work in Ireland) for a spiritual retreat.

In our conversation we talk about the book as well as taking about Kees’ own story and we get a preview of his next book which should appear this year.

You can pick up a copy of The Retreat here.

At the end of our conversation, in answer to the question of what he would say to his 20-year-old self, Kees, refers to a song by singer-songwriter (and author) Andrew Peterson. The song includes these words:

You don’t have to work so hard
You can rest easy
You don’t have to prove yourself
You’re already mine
You don’t have to hide your heart
I already love you
I hold it in mine
So you can rest easy

You might like to take a few minutes to listen to the rest of the song.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Richard Venable on ‘Worship Leading Essentials’

Posted on by jsalanwilson in authors, books, Podcast, worship

This week’s guest on the podcast is fellow new author Richard Venable. Richard and I connected via our publisher, Instant Apostle.

Richard has written Worship Leading Essentials, a thoughtful and extremely practical book that explores a range of areas related to leading corporate worship. Join us as we chat about Richard’s own story and about the topics in his book.

To get hold of a copy of the book, you can follow some of the links on the Instant Apostle page: if you are anywhere near Southampton (where Richard lives), call in with the folk at Oasis Christian Centre in Romsey.

Watch out for future podcast episodes with literary agent Tony Collins, theologian Gary Burnett (talking about Paul on leadership), author Sharon Garlough-Brown, and Patrick Regan, founder of Kintsugi Hope.