2017: A Good Year…for Reading!
For me, 2017 was a banner year when it came to reading. All said and done, I read more this year than any other year in times past. As they say, “Readers are leaders.” This is a good time of year to set goals for the upcoming year, and so here are the top books that I read in 2017 (in no particular order):
* I hope that it goes without saying, but this is certainly not an endorsement of EVERY bit of content in these books. I am saying that I enjoyed these books, and I learned from them.
- Sleep Smarter by Shawn Stevenson – At times over the last few years, I have had struggled with sleeping through the night. I can honestly say that I slept better in 2017, and part of the credit goes to some very simple, doable, and practical things that I picked up from this book.
- Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi – Nabeel passed away in 2017 from stomach cancer and is now in Heaven, but this is an incredible story of a man who grew up in a Pakistani Muslim family, skeptically explored and studied the evidence over several years, and came to know the true God.
- The Go Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann – This is short, readable business book (loaned to me by a friend who is in business), written as a story, with some excellent thoughts and perspective when it comes to business, leadership, and success.
- The Tech Wise Family by Andy Crouch – The world of new technology has been completely dumped on us over the last ten years in particular; some people are finally beginning to work to filter and discern how this technology can help us, how it can hurt us, and how to live in wisdom in this very big part of our world.
- Killing of the Rising Sun by Bill O’Reilly – This was the first book that I have read by O’Reilly (and an experienced military friend confirmed that he liked O’Reilly as well), and I absolutely flew through this fascinating story of the conflict between the United States and Japan in World War II.
- Jesus Continued by JD Greear – I have enjoyed Greear’s writings, and this book was readable, sometimes fun, and extremely convicting. The book is on the subject of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer, and challenged me more than I ever saw coming.
- Rescuing the Gospel by Erwin Lutzer – I have not read an Erwin Lutzer book in a long time, and I was reintroduced to a speaker and writer who is a very good story teller. It was appropriate to read a book on the Reformation this year, and this was an enjoyable read on the stories of Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, and the Anabaptists.
- Good Leaders Ask Great Question by John Maxwell – I don’t know that this was the best book that I read this year, but it did introduce to me a very powerful thought: the potential impact of a well timed, challenging question.
- Church Membership by Jonathan Leeman – This is one of the books in the 9 Marks series, a set of short books on a biblical look at the church. Church Membership briefly explains a biblical perspective on what I think is a misunderstood or at least incomplete understanding of the church by many Christians.
- How Did You Do it Truett? by Truett Cathy – We all love Chic Fil A, and this is a quick window into the founding and philosophy behind this very successful company that pretty much sets the bar when it comes to quality and service.
* And just for fun, as a Cubs fan, I really enjoyed The Cubs Way, an inside look at the building and journey of the 2016 WORLD CHAMPION Chicago Cubs!
Honorable Mentions:
– The Disciple Making Parent by Chap Bettis
– 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You by Tony Reinke
– Unlocking the Wardrobe by Paul Karkainen
– Decision Points by George W. Bush
– The Carolina Way by Dean Smith
Written by Pastor Bob DeAngelo, Pastor of Youth and Outreach