Ever had your life changed by a book? I’ve read many phenomenal books in my life and been inspired, entertained as well as molded by great people I never met. A handful of books have gone a step beyond inspiring for me and pushed me to grow to the next level. If I had to stick to 12, these would be my top dozen.
I remember reading the thrilling ‘The Lord of The Rings’ trilogy as a high-school student and being amazed at Tolkien’s genius but also challenged by his prophetic take on human susceptibility to corruption by power.
I consider ‘EMyth’ by Michael Gerber a must read for anyone starting a business or new enterprise. ‘Good To Great’ by Jim Collins is a remarkable leadership book that has a very biblical view of leadership. ‘The Shaping of Things To Come’ by Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost shows what the church of the next generation needs to look like to be effective in reaching its culture. Andy Stanley’s ‘The Seven Practices of Effective Ministries’ is about church leadership but has lessons that could be profitable for anyone leading an organization.
Right now my current read is ‘The Leadership Pipeline’ by management consultants Charan, Drotter and Noel. This one could also be subtitled ‘Management For Dummies’ and I’m enjoying every second of it. I’m already leading very differently as I practice what I’m reading.
Two other very useful ones have been ‘Cash Flow Quadrant’ by Robert Kiyosaki and ‘The Richest Man In Babylon’, a classic by George S. Clason. Both are about money. I have also greatly enjoyed ‘
[Okay, I’ll unofficially stick in one more… Andy Stanley’s ‘Communicating For A Change’. A great book for all who aspire to be preachers or public speakers. Hey, two books by the same author!]
These books have shaped my life and I am grateful that I read them.
[Movie edition of the Pastor M awards coming up soon J]
5 comments:
The LOTR also had a profound impact on me. I have read it 14 times, though I doubt I will read it since watching the movies. Movies tend to replace the characters I originally imagined in my mind, so best to let them lie in peace.
My vote goes to The Richest Man in Babylon This small book, with seemingly simple stories made the biggest impact to me.. especially in the area of saving little by little.
14 times! Ok Johnny, thats a lot. I agree about movies, though I think this was probably one few times where the films were almost as good as the book. And I'm with you Joyce, some life changing truths but presented so simply!
WOW! Thanks for the list, Pastor M. I'm heading to Barnes and Noble right now!
Can I add one to the list?
"Purple Cow" by Seth Godin... It's at Bookpoint or Text Book Center...
actually- all his books are amazing.
~Kangai~
Hey Kangai, thanks for the ref. I've noted it down on my 'need to buy soon' list. Unless you can send me an autographed copy from the big apple!
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