Most Influential Books in My Life

6. Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger (2006) This book challenged me regarding the busyness and the complexity of modern church life I had known most of my leadership life. This book came along at a key time when I was already stirred about the church’s ineffectiveness in making disciples.

5. The Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren (1995) I had been steeped in tradition most of my ministry, and highly critical of any new thinking regarding church life. I read this book with GREAT skepticism but found it Biblical, missional, and practical; and it challenged my traditional forms of faith.

4. The “Be” Series by Warren Weirsbe Rather than one book, this is a series of books. Since the beginning of my ministry, I have been collecting and using different books in this highly valued series. It is a “section by section” commentary on books of the Bible.

3. Foxes Book of Martyrs by John Foxe, published in 1563, and Deeper Experiences of Famous Christians by James Gilchrist Lawson (1911) I include these two books at #3 because both were similar in impact and influence. I read each of these books before the age of 20. In Foxes Book of Martyrs, I was