My Favorite Books

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to three women; my mom, Mrs. Mary Brown and Ms Penny Chilton.  These three women were the ones who taught me to love to read and to read a lot.  My mom who wound up being my Sunday school teacher for many years made sure each of us kids read from the Bible each class.  I really learned to read and read well by reading God’s Word aloud.  Ms. Brown was my first grade teacher who very patiently taught us kids the alphabet and then how to put words together.  Ms. Chilton was my second grade teacher who allowed us to check out any book in the library as long as we could read the first page to her.  The two I remember most were, Geronimo: Apache Warrior and George Armstrong Custer: The Last Cavalier.  Since then I have read thousands of books, magazines, pamphlets, files, websites-you name it. 

     Sometimes I’m asked what my favorite books are.  I love a lot of different books but here are the top 20 (in no particular order):

1.       The Bible.  Of course!

2.      Wild at Heart by John Eldredge. 

Though I don’t necessarily agree with Eldredge’s theology, this book helped me rediscover my masculinity. 

3.      Knowing God by J.I Packer.

Was a required text in seminary that became one of my most beloved books.  Dr. Packer explores the greatness, glory and person of God that to this day leaves me in awe- highly recommended.

4.      Desiring God by John Piper.

Another required seminary text that really taught me the joy of complete devotion to and delight in the Lord.

5.      Anointed Expository Preaching by Stephen and David Olford.

The Oldfords start with the character of the preacher and end at the delivery of the sermon.  This is a comprehensive guide to true biblical preaching that I wish every preacher in the world would read and apply.

6.      Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail by Theodore Roosevelt.

TR at his best doing what he loved best, killing animals!

7.      T.R. The Last Romantic by HW Brands.

The absolute best single volume biography of America’s most colorful and vigorous presidents.

8.      Karate-Do: My Way of Life by Gichin Funakoshi.

The auto- biography of the founder of Shotokan karate, a true samurai and gentleman. 

9.      Power Training by Robert Dos Remedios.

These are the most intense productive workouts I’ve ever tried.  They are not for inexperienced trainers, but if you will do the work you will get very strong and in great shape. 

10.  The Jesus Style by Gayle Irwin.

I love Gayle Irwin’s preaching and writing.  This is his opus and introduces you to his humor and his feelings about Christian servanthood. 

11.  Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala.

How the power of prayer can transform any one or anything. 

12.  The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.

Helped me learn time management based on my values.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who has problems managing their time or focusing on the essentials in life.  Covey writes from a Christian perspective which is cool since this book was a mainstream best seller. 

13.  The Collected Short Stories of Jack London.

London captures the “heart of the wild”.  To Build a Fire, The Apostate, just some great literature. 

14.  For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway.

Hemingway at his best.  Really a story of a man who “spends himself at a worthy cause”. 

15.  The Nick Carter Stories by Ernest Hemingway.

These little “slice of life” stories are semi-autobiographical.  Hemingway takes Nick in and out of boyhood, through WWI and back hime again.  Really great human interest stories. 

16.   Know Karate-Do by Bryn Williams.

I bought this book at Rice’s Drug Store when I was in the third grade.  I’ve been training in martial arts ever since.  

17.   Weight Training for Boys by Robert B. Parker.

Parker wrote the Spencer Series but also wrote this book that taught me how to lift weights properly and became a life-long habit.

18.   The Best of Babcock by Havilah Babcock.

An old fashioned southern gentleman hunts and fishes and talks literature in an era I wish we could return to. 

19.  The Green Berets by Robin Moore.

An inside look at Viet Nam era Special Forces.  John Wayne played the lead role in the movie adaptation if that tells you anything about the characters in the book. 

20.  The Return of the Dark Knight (Graphic novel by Frank Miller)

Batman was dead and gone and Miller resurrected him way before the movies.  The best part about this book is that Batman whips Superman proving once and for all who is the greatest. 

So dialogue with me- What books do you love and why?