What are the world’s 10 greatest books? Here are the top 10 books that have had the most impact on my life:
1) The Bible: I’ve read it almost daily for 42 years. There have been times that I have read it for hours a day. Here’s a challenge. Read the New Testament for a minimum of 5 minutes a day for 21 days and see what amazing things it will do in your life.
2) The Philokalia: This is a five-volume collection of ancient writings (from 300 AD until about 1,000 AD) by Orthodox monks. It is absolutely incredible!
3) The Way Of A Pilgrim is the journal of an Orthodox pilgrim as he wanders around Russia (I think in the 1800s) reading The Philokalia and trying to live out its principles, especially the Jesus Prayer.
4) All On Fire by Henry Mayer is a biography of William Lloyd Garrison, my “greatest American of all time.” (See my list of Top Ten Greatest Americans.)
5) Black Like Me is John Howard Griffin’s account of the time in the 1950s when he darkened his skin and traveled around the American South, experiencing the unbelievable hatred and racism that blacks went through during that Jim Crow time period.
6) The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee: Nee actually didn’t write this book or his other books (with the exception of The Spiritual Man). Someone heard his sermons in China and wrote them down. All Nee’s books are life changing!
7) Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis gives powerful and logical reasons to believe in the truth behind the teachings of Christianity.
8) Unlimited Power by Anthony Robbins (yes, the guy who gets people to do a fire walk on hot coals). I love positive thinking books and this one is so good that I read it and immediately read it again (something I’ve never done with any other book).
9) Uncle Tom’s Cabin: This powerful novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe is not just something to learn about in history class. It still has an amazing impact today by showing how incredibly evil, cruel, and immoral that American slavery was. It is heart-rending.
10) Self-Help by Samuel Smiles (his real name) was written (in the 1850s, I think) by a Scottish doctor who lived in London. It is known as the first modern self-help book and is overflowing with inspiration.
Have you read any of my top ten favorite books? Which ones? Why not start reading one of them today? If you have read one of them, please make a comment and tell how it touched your life. (Or share some favorite quotations from one of these books.) Thanks.
Free Gas For Your Think Tank (A blog to jog your mind and unclog your heart . . .) 
Read the bible and Nee’s books
Thanks for sharing, Shaun. Nee’s books are addicting. They touch me at the core.
You’ve listed very good books. Surprised not to see Pilgrim’s Progress by Bunyan. Enjoyed your post.
Thanks, Tea. I tried to read Pilgrim’s Progress years ago, but found it very difficult to read and to follow, so I read a condensed version. It has had a lot of impact on different streams of Western Christianity, but it isn’t the easiest read.
I would extend your list to 12 and add the following at Number 2 – “The Saving Life of Christ, by Major Ian Thomas (now deceased) and 2a would be his, The Mystery of Godliness.
Number 3 would be – Your Mind Matters, by John Stott, or any of his several others including, Basic Christianity
Thanks for sharing about those two books, sherwood!
I enjoyed your post, Steve. I’ve read the Bible, and Black Like Me. I saw a program about the Jesus prayer, and the Orthodox church that fascinated me. The search never ends. Maybe going back, way back, to the beliefs and practices of the early church would inspire more people.
Thanks, Gerri. It is amazing how different books have the ability to touch different people. I wish that everybody would experience the power of the connection when a book moves you deeply.
Pingback: Finishing Unlimited Power by Anthony Robbins
I recommend to you “In That Day Teachings”… http://www.inthatdayteachings.com
Thanks, Robert!