I’m asked quite often about the books I’ve read that have impacted me the most…here is a list of 15, these are not in any particular order as it would be IMPOSSIBLE for me to actually rank them. BUT…what I can say about each one of these books is that God used them at a particular place and time to not just inspire me…but IMPACT me significantly. Here goes…
#1 - Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley - this book is LOADED with leadership stuff that is revolutionary, trust me! I’ve read it at least three times…and each time God uses it to disturb me in the best sort of way.
#2 - Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas - hands down the BEST book on marriage I’ve EVER read. Yep…I said THE BEST, I meant it.
#3 - Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels - every pastor should put this on their “must read” list.
#4 - Good to Great by Jim Collins - in my opinion this is one of the best leadership books EVER written, tons of takeaways for church and non church leaders.
#5 - The Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus - this is the first book that I ever read and then immediately read it a second time.
#6 - Choosing to Cheat by Andy Stanley - EVERY dude on the planet should read this book—period!
#7 - Confessions of a Reformission Rev by Mark Driscoll - I literally laughed and cried out loud while reading this book, every pastor should get it right now, trust me!!!
#8 - The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell - the longer I lead the more I realize that every law in this book is absolutely true!
#9 - Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership by Gary McIntosh and Samuel Rima - TRUST ME when I say every person on the planet should read this book, it is one of the most eye opening, sobering things I’ve EVER read…it literally COULD save you from a lot of unnecessary pain and frustration! Warning…it is NOT a comfortable read as it forces you to deal with the biggest obstacle in leading…YOU!
#10 - Chazown by Craig Groeschel - this is a book that will NOT allow you to be comfortable where you are!!!
#11 - Integrity by Henry Cloud - If someone refuses to make integrity an issue then it will one day be an issue!!! Believe me when I tell you that this is a MUST READ!!!
#12 - The Blessed Life by Robert Morris - Hands down the BEST book I’ve ever read on Biblical stewardship…and it challenged me in ways when it comes to finances that I’ve never been challenged before.
#13 - The Grace of God by Andy Stanley - I’m reading this book now…and it is the BEST book I’ve ever read in dealing with God’s grace!!! I fully believe that if we fully grasped the concepts that Andy writes about in this book…the Gospel would EXPLODE and reach the entire world…people are desperate for GRACE!
#14 - Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren - Hands down the absolute BEST book I’ve ever read on dealing with how to start a church. When we first started NewSpring in 2000 there was not the one squillion books that there are now on church planting and such…this (and the one I mention next) were the only two I read before we took the dive. AND…I still say that this one stands the test of time!
#15 - Rediscovering Church by Bill Hybels - Hands down the most transparent books I’ve ever read on planting a church! I just happened to pick this book up once because so many of the people I knew at the time were highly critical of Bill…I wanted to see what they were critical of so I got the book, thinking that I would hate him too…I WAS WRONG! God used this book to wreck me and it was a major catalyst that HE used to fuel the fire in me the begin NewSpring Church.
This is my list…hope it helps.