NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE—It seems that everyone on the interweb is now required to either dump ice water buckets on their head, criticize Victoria Osteen, post narcissistic selfies, or make a top ten book list. Since I have no interest in the first three, I am choosing door number four.
I’m not sure about the rules of the top ten book list, so I am making up my own parameters. These are not my favorite ten books. They are not the best ten books. My list is simply the top ten books that I think had the greatest influence on my life. Here they are, in no particular order.
1. No Wonder They Call Him Savior by Max Lucado. I have lost count of how many times I have read this one. It taught me that complicated difficult-to-understand theological concepts can be communicated with clarity and simplicity that even a child can comprehend.
2. C.T. Studd by Norman Grubb. First missionary bio I read as a new believer. The C.T. Studd story planted seeds of sacrifice and service deep in my soul as a teenager. Not sure I would have stayed in Manila had I not read this foundational book about absolute surrender to the Lordship of Christ and cross-cultural mission.
3. Knowing God by J.I. Packer. Helped me know God, and made me want to know him better. Another book I read over and over and over. Today it is held together by duct tape.
4. The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer. Ignited a lifelong desire to pursue and please God wholeheartedly. Reignites that desire every time I read a page.
5. The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul. Opened my eyes the first time I read it. Opened my heart the second time. Pierced my heart the third time. Healed my heart the fourth. Every time I read this book, I go deeper with God.
6. A History of Christianity: Volume I: Beginnings to 1500 by Kenneth Scott Latourette. Everything Latourette wrote about history is worth reading, but his early church history is the best. His experience as a missionary to China and later as a professor of Ecclesiastical History at Yale gave him a unique perspective of the expansion of the church. The combination of missional passion and scholastic detail make these 700 pages feel read like an adventure novel.
7. Focus by Al Ries. I read a lot of leadership and business books. None have impacted the way I work or shaped the way I think more than this one. I think I need to read it again soon.
8. The Making of a Leader by Frank Damazio. More than any book that is not part of the Bible, this book has influenced how I think about leadership, how I lead, and how I equip and empower leaders.
9. Shepherding Your Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp. Whatever my sons have become as men, Deborah and I owe a debt of gratitude to this book. Best parenting book, period.
10. The Old Man and the Boy by Robert Ruark. My dad’s all-time favorite book. I finally read it when I had my first son, and understood Dad’s parenting philosophy like never before. “This book captures the endearing relationship between a man and his grandson as they fish and hunt the lakes and woods of North Carolina. All the while the Old Man acts as teacher and guide, passing on his wisdom and life experiences to the boy, who listens in rapt fascination.” (Amazon description)