Mark Twain said it well: “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” I have found consistent reading to be an invaluable resource for personal and leadership growth.
The list below includes books from my reading over the past several years. Of course, I don’t agree with everything I read, and there are some books in this list that require you to exercise spiritual discernment as you “eat the meat and spit out the bones.” The reference to any book is not an endorsement of the entire book or to the other works of a particular author. Yet, these books have been generally helpful to me, and I hope they can be a help to you.
| TITLE | AUTHOR | PUBLISHER | ||
| Doctrine | ||||
| A More Sure Word | Ouellette | Striving Together | ||
| Basic Bible Interpretation | Zuck | Victor | ||
| Dispensationalism | Ryrie | Moody Press | ||
| From God to Us | Geisler | Moody Press | ||
| Heaven | Randy Alcorn | Tyndale | ||
| Salvation and Sovereignty | Keathley | B&H Academic | ||
| The King James Version Defended | Hills | Christian Research | ||
| The Lord Gave the Word | Watts | Trinitarian Bible Society | ||
| Touch Not the Unclean Thing | Sorenson | Northstar Baptist Ministries | ||
| Which Bible? | Fuller | Institute for Biblical Textual Studies | ||
| Whosoever Will | Allen/Lemke | B&H Academic | ||
| Biography and History | ||||
| 50 People Every Christian Should Know | Wiersbe | Baker Books | ||
| An American Life | Reagan | Simon & Schuster | ||
| Baptists in America: a History | Kidd/Hankins | Oxford University Press | ||
| Benjamin Franklin | Isaacson | Simon & Schuster | ||
| Bold as a Lamb | Anderson | Zondervan | ||
| Cast Your Bread | Hester | Temple Baptist Church | ||
| Christianity through the Centuries | Cairns | Zondervan | ||
| C.H. Spurgeon Autobiography | Spurgeon | Banner of Truth | ||
| David Livingstone: His Life and Letters | Seaver | Harper | ||
| David Livingstone: The Story of One Who Followed Christ | Houghton | Nabu Press | ||
| If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty | Metaxas | Penguin Books | ||
| John R. Rice: Captain of our Team | Rice | Walden | ||
| John Wesley’s Sermons | Outler | Abingdon Press | ||
| Oswald Chambers | McCasland | Discovery House Publishers | ||
| Outsiders: 15 Leaders Who Followed Christ and Changed the World | Chappell | Striving Together Publications | ||
| Rescuing the Gospel: The Story and Significance of the Reformation | Lutzer | Baker Books | ||
| Seven Men: And the Secret of Their Greatness | Metaxas | Thomas Nelson | ||
| The Autobiography of Charles G. Finney | Finney | Bethany House Publishers | ||
| The Last Founding Father | Unger | Da Capo Press | ||
| The Lion’s Gate: On the Front Lines of the Six Day War | Pressfield | Sentinel | ||
| The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West | McCullough | Simon & Schuster | ||
| The Shadow of the Broad Brim | Day | Striving Together | ||
| Through Sunshine and Shadow | Parker/Monroe | Sword of the Lord | ||
| Tom Malone: The Preacher from Pontiac | Vick | Sword of the Lord | ||
| Unbroken | Hillenbrand | Random House | ||
| Christian Counseling | ||||
| Adrenaline and Stress | Hart | Thomas Nelson | ||
| Change Your Heart, Change Your Life | Smalley | Thomas Nelson | ||
| Emotionally Healthy Spiritually | Scazzero | Thomas Nelson | ||
| Repentance and the 21st Century Man | Miller | Christian Literature | ||
| Respectable Sins | Bridges | NavPress | ||
| The Anxiety Cure | Hart | Thomas Nelson | ||
| The Biblical View of Self-Esteem, Self-Love, and Self-Image | Adams | Harvest House Publishers | ||
| The Christian Counselor’s Manual | Adams | Zondervan | ||
| The Dark Side of the Internet | Hummel | BJU Press | ||
| The Five Languages of Apology | Chapman/Thomas | Northfield Publishing | ||
| The Spirit-Controlled Temperament | LaHaye | Tyndale | ||
| Wired for Intimacy: How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain | Struthers | IVP Books | ||
| Contemporary Theology | ||||
| Biblical Separation | Pickering | Regular Baptist Press | ||
| Broad Is the Way: Fundamentalists Merging into the Evangelical Mainstream | Sorenson | Northstar Ministries | ||
| Charismatic Confusion | Pickering | Regular Baptist Press | ||
| Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe | Baucham | Salem Books | ||
| Grace Gone Wild | Jeffress | Waterbrook Press | ||
| Keep the Faith | Chappell | Striving Together Publications | ||
| Kingdom of the Cults | Martin | Baker Publishing Group | ||
| New Evangelicalism: The New World Order | Smith | Paul R. Smith | ||
| Set Apart | Hughes | Crossway Books | ||
| The Courage to Be Protestant | Wells | William B Eerdmans | ||
| The Hole in our Holiness | DeYoung | Crossway | ||
| The Tragedy of Compromise | Pickering | BJU Press | ||
| There Really Is a Difference | Renald Showers | Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry | ||
| This Little Church Stayed Home | Gilley | EP Books | ||
| What Love Is This? | Hunt | The Berean Call | ||
| Why I Left the Contemporary Christian Music Movemnet | Lucarini | Evangelical Press | ||
| Why We’re Not Emergent | DeYoung/Kluck | Moody Publishers | ||
| Christian Growth | ||||
| 10 Power Principles for Christian Service | Wiersbe/Wiersbe | Baker Books | ||
| Beyond Halftime | Buford | Zondervan | ||
| Buy the Field: Find, Follow and Finish God’s Call for Your Life | Fleshman | Striving Together Publications | ||
| Changed Into His Image | Berg | BJU Press | ||
| Come Thirsty | Lucado | Thomas Nelson | ||
| Contentment: The Secret to a Lasting Calm | Swenson | NavPress | ||
| Embraced by the Spirit | Swindoll | Zondervan | ||
| Experiencing God | Blackaby | B&H Books | ||
| Experience the Cross | Blackaby | Zondervan | ||
| Half Time | Buford | Zondervan | ||
| God Works All Things Together For Your Good: Living in the Promise of Romans 8:28 | Morgan | Robert J. Morgan | ||
| How to Win Over Worry | Haggai | Harvest House | ||
| If God Is Good | Alcorn | Multnomah Books | ||
| In Search of Balance | Swenson | NavPress | ||
| Living in an Imperfect World | Ouellette | Striving Together | ||
| Margin | Swenson | NavPress | ||
| Mastering Life before It’s Too Late: 10 Biblical Strategies for a Lifetime of Purpose | Morgan | Howard Books | ||
| My God Is True! | Wolfe | Banner of Truth | ||
| Red Sea Rules | Morgan | Thomas Nelson | ||
| Rescuing Ambition | Harvey | Crossway Books | ||
| Resilience | Wright | Servant Punbs | ||
| Revival | Lloyd-Jones | Crossway Books | ||
| Running Scared | Welch/Lutz | New Growth Press | ||
| Songs in the Night | Wiersbe | Baker Books | ||
| Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health | Whitney | NavPress | ||
| The Calvary Road | Hession | CreateSpace | ||
| The Incredible Power of Kingdom Authority | Rogers | Broadman/Holman Publishers | ||
| The Indwelling Life of Christ: All of Him in All of Me | Thomas | Multnomah | ||
| The Purity Principle | Alcorn | Random House | ||
| The Revival Journey: Experiencing God’s Reviving Presence | Van Gelderen | Amazon Digital Services | ||
| Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts | Bridges | NavPress | ||
| We Would See Jesus: Discovering God’s Provision for You in Christ | Hession | CLC Publications | ||
| Worry Less, Live More | Morgan | Thomas Nelson | ||
| Family | ||||
| Christian Living in the Home | Adams | Baker Book House | ||
| Family Life | Swindoll | Multnomah Press | ||
| Finishing Strong | Farrar | Multnomah Books | ||
| Firm Foundataion | Chappell | Striving Together | ||
| God in Your Family | Rice | Sword of the Lord | ||
| King Me | Farrar | Moody | ||
| Shepherding a Child’s Heart | Tripp | Shepherd Press | ||
| Tech Savvy Parenting: Navigating Your Child’s Digital Life | Housman | Randall House | ||
| The Marriage Builder: Creating True Oneness to Transform Your Marriage | Crabb | Zondervan | ||
| What Did You Expect? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage | Tripp | Crossway Books | ||
| Finances | ||||
| The Total Money Makeover | Ramsey | Thomas Nelson | ||
| The Wall Street Journal. Complete Personal Finance Guidebook | Opdyke | Crown Business | ||
| Health | ||||
| Eat to Live | Fuhrman | Little, Brown and Company | ||
| Leadership | ||||
| 360 Degree Leader | Maxwell | Nelson | ||
| Atomic Habits | Clear | Penguin Random House USA | ||
| Amusing Ourselves to Death | Postman/Postman | Penguin Books | ||
| Attitude 101 | Maxwell | Thomas Nelson | ||
| Biblical Leadership | Collier/Williams | Ambassador International | ||
| Building below the Waterline | MacDonald | Hendrickson | ||
| Built to Serve | Sanders | McGraw-Hill | ||
| David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants | Gladwell | Little, Brown and Company | ||
| Digital Minimalism | Newport | Portfolio | ||
| Everyone Communicates, Few Connect | Maxwell | Thomas Nelson | ||
| Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done | Bossidy | Crown Business | ||
| Free to Focus | Hyatt | Baker Books | ||
| Getting Things Done | Allen | Penguin Books | ||
| Good to Great | Collins | Random House | ||
| I3: Devotions for Leadership and Life | Dan Brokke | Summerside Press | ||
| In Search of Excellence | Waterman | Warner Books | ||
| Lincoln on Leadership | Phillips | Warner Books, Inc. | ||
| Lead Like Jesus | Blanchard | Thomas Nelson | ||
| Love Works | Manby | Zondervan | ||
| Making it All Work | Allen | Viking Adult | ||
| One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth behind Extraordinary Results | Keller | Bard Press | ||
| Replenish: Leading from a Healthy Soul | Witt | Baker Books | ||
| The Daily Drucker | Drucker | HarperBusiness | ||
| The Effective Executive | Drucker | Harper/Collins Publishers | ||
| The Five Dysfunctions of a Team | Lencioni | Jossey-Bass | ||
| The Five Levels of Leadership | Maxwell | Center Street | ||
| The Measure of a Man | Getz | Regal Books | ||
| The Power of Less | Babauta | Hyperion | ||
| The Way of the Shepherd | Leman/Pentak | Zondervan | ||
| Traction | Wickman | BenBella Books | ||
| Your Iceberg Is Melting | Kotter | St. Martin’s Press | ||
| Missions | ||||
| A Strategy to Start Churches on the Missions Field | Martin | |||
| Christian Mission | Cook | Moody Press | ||
| Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream | Platt | Multnomah | ||
| Sending Forth Laborers | Tomlinson/Chappell | Striving Together | ||
| Starting a Church on the Mission Field | Martin | |||
| Understanding Christian Missions | Kane | Baker Books | ||
| Church Leadership | ||||
| Beyond the First Visit | McIntosh | Baker Books | ||
| Called to Be God’s Leader | Blackaby/Blackaby | Thomas Nelson | ||
| Criswell’s Guidebook for Pastors | Criswell | Broadman | ||
| Dear Timothy | Ascol | Founders Press | ||
| Disciple Making Pastor | Hull | Baker Books | ||
| For the Hurting Pastor | Pickering | Regular Baptist | ||
| God isn’t in a Hurry | Wiersbe | Baker Books | ||
| Guided By Grace | Chappell | Striving Together | ||
| Heartbeats of the Holy | Krauss | Faithful Life | ||
| John Ploughman’s Talk | Spurgeon | Pilgrim Press | ||
| Leading on Empty | Cordeiro | Bethany House | ||
| Leading with Integrity | Smith | Bethany House Publishers | ||
| Lectures to My Students | Spurgeon | Baker Book Press | ||
| Less Is More Leadership | Burke | Harvest House | ||
| Pastors At Risk | London/Wiseman | Victor Books | ||
| Pastoral Leadership | Weirsbe | Moody Press | ||
| Preaching for Preachers | Jones | Zondervan | ||
| Prodigals & Those That Love Them | Graham | Baker Books | ||
| Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture | Murray | Crossway | ||
| Shepherding the Church | Stowell | Moody Press | ||
| Sticky Church | Osborne | Zondervan | ||
| Sunday School in HD | Taylor | B&H Books | ||
| Sunday School That Really Works | Parr/Rainer | Kregel Academic & Professional | ||
| The Heart of a Great Pastor | London | Regal Books | ||
| The Integrity Crisis | Wiersbe | Oliver Nelson | ||
| The Vanishing Ministry | Kroll | Kregel Publishing | ||
| They Call Me Pastor | London | Regal Books | ||
| The Apostles | Malone | Sword of the Lord | ||
| The Church | Malone | Sword of the Lord | ||
| The Contemplative Pastor | Peterson | William B. Eerdmans | ||
| Thirty Minutes to Raise the Dead | Bennett | Thomas Nelson | ||
| Understanding Islam | Feghaly | Feghaly | ||
| When Life Is Hard | MacDonald | LifeWay Christian Resources | ||
| Prayer | ||||
| How to Pray | Bounds | Barbour Publishing | ||
| On Earth as It Is in Heaven | Wiersbe | Baker Books | ||
| Power through Prayer | Bounds | Rough Draft Printing | ||
| Prayer | Rice | Sword of the Lord | ||
| Prayer for Revival | Beckum | Intercessor Ministries, Inc. | ||
| The Pastor in Prayer | Spurgeon | Whitaker House | ||
| Prophecy | ||||
| A Woman Rides the Beast | Hunt | Harvest House Publishers | ||
| Epicenter | Rosenberg | Tyndale House Publishers | ||
| The Coming Economic Armageddon | Jeremiah | FaithWords | ||
| The Late Great State of Israel | Klein | WND Books | ||
| The Popular Bible Prophesy Workbook | LaHaye/Hindson | Harvest House Publishers | ||
| Prophetic Untimeliness | Guinness | Baker Books | ||
| Understanding the Times | Chappell | Striving Together Publications | ||
| What in the World Is Going On? | Jeremiah | Thomas Nelson | ||
