Recommended Reading: Give Us Your Top 5

[deacon blues]

I am a reader. I love to read a good book. There's never enough time read as much as I want. Good books abound out there and there are many I have yet to read that I want to read. If someone were to ask you to recommend after the Bible your top five books, what would you say?

My list:

1. The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
Probably known by most here. I think set a record for books in print next to the Bible in modern times? Very practical. A manual for life.

2. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Holocaust survivor shares how, after being stripped of all dignity, humanity and hope, he tapped into the human spirit to recess in his mind. The only thing the Nazis could not take away from him was imagination, creativity and faith.

3. Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Fairy tale series of seven books written by one of the great minds of modern Christianity. Written for his niece, Lewis weaves seven tales that are metaphors for Christian and Biblical truths. Read them as a kid and have read them to my children.

4. Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards
The stories of Saul, David and Absalom, Edwards writes this easy read like a novel. The focus is the brokenness of David that prevented him from becoming a Saul or an Absalom. Read it as a young aspiring minister and it has helped me over the years deal with authority/submission issues.

5. The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck
Peck's basic premise is that life is hard, its not meant to be easy. Those that do well practice discipline defined in four ways by the author. Peck defines discipline as the basic set of tools we require to solve life’s problems. These tools are delaying gratification, assuming responsibility, dedication to the truth, and balancing.

Share your book recommendations!