Being that many of us in the Northeast are stuck home from the storm, these might be worth the time to look up. These are the top 5 books have shaped me (I didn’t feel like doing a top-5 category list)…these are just my straight-up Top 5. Like Oscar Wilde said, “It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.”
1. The Bait Of Satan by John Bevere
This book is powerful because it deals with an issue we all face: offense. It is impossible to go through life without either offending someone or taking offense at someone. Whether it’s having your idea dismissed by a superior or just being cut off on the highway, all of us deal with offense. I earnestly feel every Christian should read this book. As Bevere writes, “our response to offense determines our future.”
This book has forever shaped my outlook on church leadership. I’m pretty sure I highlighted something in every chapter. Written in a proverbial style and hitting all sorts of issues, this book has been a roadmap for me in so many areas of ministry. I don’t know where I’d be without it.
3. Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi
This is a business book about networking. Ferrazzi is a pretty brilliant guy; Yale undergrad, Harvard MBA. Yet he started from very humble and poor beginnings. The key to his success? Networking. This book shoots straight from the hip on everything you can think of and more. As Ferrazzi writes, “Poverty, I realized, wasn’t only a lack of financial resources; it was isolation from the kind of people that could help you make more of yourself.”
4. Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong
Outside of the Bible, this beautiful Chinese historical novel is the most influential book I’ve ever read. This epic tale encompasses strategy, loyalty, betrayal, politics, love, power, fame…everything that is timeless when we talk about humanity. It has helped me understand our human race, witness different leadership styles, and is a constant reminder that the good guys don’t always win. If you ever check this out, I recommend the Moss Roberts translation.
This was the first Christian book I read that required I use my brain when it came to the topic of God. I would not have been able to process the philosophical soul-searching and questioning of my faith I did in college without this book. It wasn’t that Packer’s book convinced me of God; it isn’t an apologetics book. But it showed me that Christianity wasn’t just some emotional ride at an age where my faith moved from feelings…to faith.
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