I promised you a read list so here it is. These books are in no particular order of importance and so you can pick one or all or any or some or none. I’m just letting you know what I’m reading and what I would recommend to you. I read these books for instruction, encouragement, inspiration, and edification. I threw edification in there because it just felt right. Sorry. Anyway, here we go.

Read anything that Mark Buchannan writes; Holy Wild, Your God is Too Safe, Things Unseen. I’ve read them and I love his practical approach. Mark Batterson is the same. I’ve read two of his books. They may be the only two he’s written; Wild Goose Chase and In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day. Good books. Solid concepts.

If you like a little humor and sarcasm then try Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz or Searching For God. The Barbarian Way , by Erwin McManus, is a very different spin on traditional christianity and how he believes we ought to return to a less civilized version of church.

Tribes, by Seth Godin, really encouraged me to work on my leadership skills. It didn’t give me as much new information as it did remind me of things that I knew but had forgotten about or logged into my brain but not into my lifestyle. John Ortberg is one of my favorite authors and you might enjoy If You Want To Walk On Water You Have To Get Out Of The Boat, or The Life You Always Wanted.

If some of you guys are looking for some manly stuff then you might like John Eldridge or Steve Farrar. Ladies, Beth Moore is your best bet. She’s a great speaker. Notice, I didn’t say preacher but you can call her whatever you want, the woman can hold your attention on the stage or the page. OK, so that’s a pretty good start.

Now what? What are you waiting for. Go invest in some good books and sit down somewhere and start getting smarter. Oh, by the way, have you bought a translation of the Bible that you can easily understand. They are expensive, aren’t they? They should be. They hold the Words of Life that are essential for a wonderful life in heaven in the presence of God and an incredible existence on earth with your fellow man. Spend the money. It’s worth it.

Go away now and read.