Books

I read a lot of books every year, and most of them are, you know… ehh. Not bad, but just not very life-changing either. Too many of them seem to contain the same old Christian jargon rehashed and served up inside different dust jackets. Others offer nothing more than the flavor-of-the-month; whatever the latest spiritual fad happens to be — seeing angels, 7 steps to…whatever (why is it never 6 steps, or 8, or 41?), how to grow a 9,000 member church in just under two weeks, etc. In a day and age when Christian books “sell” well, it’s obvious that many books spring from a publisher’s demands for another bestseller rather than from the deepest places of the author’s heart. And in those cases, it’s the authors I feel bad for.

But now and then I read a book that knocks the breath out of me. These rare and glorious encounters leave me feeling like a pee wee football player who takes a brutal hit and gets up dazed and wobbly, looking through the ear hole of his helmet. When I do find such a book, or rather, when it finds me, it becomes a constant companion to me along “the journey.” I end up reading it again and again over the years, marking its pages with underlines, circles, lightning bolts, and scribblings of enlightenment.

Here are some of the books that have impacted my life.

	The Bible I love this Book. To this day I still read it with tears in my eyes seeing just how much God loved me and how far His grace and mercy reached to save me. It is the greatest book ever written. It is the only hope for mankind. Apart from it, none of the other books on this list matter in the least.
	Jesus Rediscovered — Malcolm Muggeridge I don’t know anyone who can weave words together like Muggeridge. His writings leave me hungering for more. After living most of his life as a pagan, he was transformed when he met Jesus, and he spent the last years of his life writing passionately about his Savior. There is an uncommon depth and sweetness to his work that enraptures me.
	The Jesus I Never Knew — Philip Yancey Philip Yancey’s unflinching honesty bothers some people, but it immediately earned him a place among my all-time favorite authors. This book in particular serves as an epic milestone in my personal journey of faith. I thought I loved and appreciated Jesus before, but after reading this masterpiece many years ago, I will never see Jesus the same way again.
	Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire — Jim Cymbala I read this book at a time when God was calling me to lay it all down and take an enormous leap of faith, and God used it to absolutely rock my world. I’ve never gotten over this book. I never will. I read the entire thing in one sitting, struggling to see the words through all the tears. What a powerful reminder of the great things God can do if we just call on Him!
	Tortured for Christ — Richard Wurmbrand I had the unique and amazing privilege of having Richard Wurmbrand in our home many times during my boyhood years. He and my father were very close friends, and I can still remember sitting in our living room listening to him share the stories of his life. This book should be required reading for every believer. We will not be as quick to complain about our life.
	The Pursuit of God — A.W. Tozer Tozer writes, “God can, without anything other than Himself, meet and overflow the demands of our total nature. Why then do we consent to abide all our days just outside the Holy of Holies and never enter at all to look upon Him?” God is forever longing to reveal Himself to us, and that revelation will give us a life that is radiant with the light of His face!
	The God Who is There — Francis Schaeffer Very few authors in history have been able to deliver the kind of impact in the arena of Christian apologetics as Schaeffer has. In those crucial years of life when I absolutely had to know “why” everything I had been taught from the Bible was either worth staking my entire life upon, or worth abandoning, Schaeffer’s books helped settle the matter once and for all.
	The Autobiography of George Muller When my children were little, they thought I was Superman. They truly believed I could do anything. George Muller was a man who lived his entire life with that kind of view of God. The thought never seemed to enter his mind that God couldn’t do something. And as a result of that childlike faith, God did astounding things through his life.
	The Cost of Discipleship — Dietrich Bonhoeffer Years ago Sandy and I were in the home of Steven Curtis Chapman, and after dinner he was telling me about some songs he had been writing that were inspired by a book called The Cost of Discipleship. He handed me his copy to take home, and after reading it, I understood why he was so moved by it. This book really puts my “sacrifices” for God in perspective!
	Fearfully and Wonderfully Made — Dr. Paul Brand Augustine said, “Men go abroad to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering.” This book will open your eyes to the magnificence and wonder of God’s creation that is you.
	Knowing God — J.I. Packer When we wake up to the fact that the God of the universe is speaking to us — to us — through the Bible; that He wants me as His friend; that He has entrusted His mission to us; that He gave His only Son for my sin, and that He did all of this voluntarily out of love… that’s when, in Packer’s own words, living becomes an awesome business!
	Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — Douglas Adams Okay, so this book didn’t change my life… but it does hold a place as one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. In his typical British humor, Adams leaves us with timeless quotes like, “The secret to learning how to fly is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” (You had to be there.) Don’t bother with the movie. It was terrible beyond belief!