I know the above image looks kind of cluttered but that’s because I like to collect unusual things and put them in my office. That’s a picture of part of my library, by the way.
I realize that many people nowadays will read books in their iPads and Kindles but I like the old fashion hard copy ones.
Someone said that a mind that has been stretched by an idea will never return to its original dimension.
I thought of sharing with you some of powerful books that had a profound effect in my life and can do the same for you. By the way, I am not referring to amazing classics like Mere Christianity by C.S.Lewis or The Pilgrim’s Progress by Bunyan. Those and many others are a given! These are just works I came across, and not all necessarily Christian, that in some way or another helped me.
Through Gates of Splendor is the story of a group of missionaries led by Jim Elliot. Years ago they felt God wanted them to go deep into a jungle in Ecuador to reach the indigenous people there. The book is basically Jim’s memoirs but it was put together and finished by his wife.
Those folks were the definition of total commitment to God. They gave their all to the cause knowing there was a reward waiting for them in heaven.
He is no fool to lose what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. Jim Elliot
Sometimes we struggle with our purpose on earth. You may say to yourself, “There’s got to be more to this mundane existence.” There is! Jim Elliot and the crew found it. This read will challenge you.
Let me shift gears here to something lighter. If you have not read Who Moved My Cheese, you should. It’s easy reading that can be put away in one sitting.
This little jewel is about how to handle change in life. Change, for many, is like one of those 4 letter words but a little longer.
We’re all creatures of habit. We like routine and the times when the wind is blowing at our backs. But when something happens that alters that or someone comes along to disrupt that, we are shaken. At that time we have a choice to either become paralyzed by whatever’s wrong or to try new ways to work through the difficulties and changes life presents. This book may provide you with some much needed perspective.
Developing The Leader Within You by John Maxwell is a book that helped me grow as a leader. It’s full of quotes, stories, and insights and will seriously equip you in the art of leading others.
Along those lines is an old booklet called The Tyranny Of The Urgent by Charles Hummel. If time management is something you struggle with you’ve got to get a hold of this.
So, there you have it! I could go on with other titles but I’m sure you’ve got your own list.
I hope and pray that my soon to be published book, Hecklers In Your Crowd: Silencing The Voices That Hold You Back, will help people as books have helped me.
There’s one more book that has influenced me more than anything else in the world, the Bible! There is nothing like it. It’s powerful and supernatural.
The wise man wrote,
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. (Proverbs 4:23, NLT)
The heart there also has to do with our minds and our emotions. We’ve got to be careful with what we feed our minds and what we chose to concentrate on. Our day and age is in information overload. But there’s one book that’s essential for happiness in life, God’s Word! Don’t overlook it or ignore it.
Please leave me a comment. I would also love to hear of what books have influenced your life in a powerful way. Thanks for reading.
I thank my parents for instilling in me at an early age the desire to read! Because of that, I have read books all my life; science fiction, sword and sorcery fantasy, mysteries, adventures, spy novels….I immersed myself in all of these, thoroughly enjoying each one. Some of my all-time favorite fiction works are The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Frank Peretti is also a favorite author of mine and his two novels: Piercing the Darkness and This Present Darkness truly moved me. These books remind me what God’s missionary, Paul, warns us about spiritual warfare, and why it is so very important to put on the Armor of God every single day.
That’s why I agree with you, Jorge. The one book that has had and continues to have the most influence on my entire life is the Bible. It is powerful, it is truth, and it is eternal!
Great stuff, Jim. Fiction is awesome. Although is not scifi, Don Quijote De La Mancha (the man of la mancha) is one of my all time favorites.