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Books that have impacted your life or ministry


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I am very familiar with Mr. Clouds ministry, and I truly cherish my Baptist History Collection CD.  I would say to the other readers on the board the Baptist History Collection is a must for serious students of our heritage.  Thousands of dollars’ worth of books are at your fingertips for $50.00 (unless the price has increased), well worth the price.

 

I appreciate all the hard work your team does.  Thanks for the links.

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Book number three and why it impacted my life.  Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan.  Finished in 1677 and published in 1678 other than the bible this book has been read more than any other book in the last 350 years.  In the early years of America and through the 2nd world war the two books you found in nearly every household in America was the King James Bible and Pilgrim’s Progress.  The books historical presence and eternal impact will never be known this side of eternity but its impact in my personal life will forever be appreciated.  The book is an allegory of everyone’s journey from conviction to entrance into heaven, in my opinion a must read. 

 

Upon opening the book we come upon Pilgrim running from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City and he is burdened because of the book in his hand (the bible) not sure how to escape the revelations shown him in the book.  Until he comes to the wicket gate, which was shown to him by Evangelist, the wicket gate symbolic of many things, first and foremost opening the gate was the same as determining to search and investigate the cross of Christ beyond the entrance. I have used this illustration many times when speaking with people over the years explaining that just because one can see the cross does not mean you have kneeled at the cross, it does not mean you have committed yourself to approaching the cross, nor confessing your sins.  The wicket gate has served as a reminder through the years that I responded to the Christ who died on that cross for my sins, I made a rational decision to come to the cross, I opened the gate as it were, and entered for the express purpose of coming to the cross and to Christ.

 

Christian meets many people in his journey, Mr. Legality, Mr. Worldly Wiseman, Mr. Goodwill, Mr. Mistrust and Mr. Timouros each being part of the journey to the Celestial City.

 

The second reason impact on my life is yet future the description of Christian is one of the grandest expressions of faith found anywhere except by the precious martyrs.  The River of Death and Pilgrims entrance and determination to cross it while beholding the Celestial City is moving.  I picture my death similarly that I will know I am dying and yet have my vision so focused on where I am going I enter death with a great peace and longing for my arrival in the Celestial City. 

 

I would encourage everyone to read this book and if you have Children read it to them a few pages at a time and then discuss what you have read.  It will be a marvelous opportunity to pass God’s wisdom to your children while they are yet young.  And Christian can be one of their heroes.

 

This is a must read and has been translated into over 200 different languages.

 

 

 

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The forth book that has impacted my life is a more recent purchase and comes in the twilight of my life as it were.  Dr. Paul Chappell’s book “When a Nation Turns its Back on God” should be required reading for every servant in every church in America.  I suppose the principles that are presented would be appropriate for any nation (Romans 1). 

I am a patriot and an American, I pray often for our nation and our leadership both federal and local.  But when I read this book I found myself in tears often and on my knees often.  The point is driven home that we must have a plan to reach our nation with the gospel of Christ it will not happen by osmosis but by intention. 

Dr. Chappell encourages the reader to realize that our nation is further from God than the world of Christ and the apostles, and that the power of the word of God gives us cause for hope and not despair.  Where sin abounds grace doth much more abound.  It is hard to express the impact of this book on my life.  As an older believer, I had nearly come to the point where I was just going to ride out my remaining days and do some writing and blogging but this book encouraged me not to give up on the fight but instead involve myself with a plan to witness.  It was the challenge issued in this book that has caused me to plan on how I can make a difference in the small area of the planet I live. 

Let me encourage you to purchase and read this book it will be worth your while.  It is a mini paperback, 144 pages long and sells for $3.95 from striving together publications.  Kindle is $2.99 and if you have Amazon Prime it is $3.95

 

A great read!

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An early book that would greatly affect my future (at the time) ministry, and my overall appreciation for the word of God, was "Foxe's Book of Martyrs." I haven't read his entire series on it, but the single book. It is a tough read, and heartbreaking, but so important for a believer to truly appreciate what has gone before and made the life we have today, and the freedoms we have now, available. I once talked to a preacher, on the subject of whether believers would be present for the Great Tribulation (don't want to bring that up here!) who said he could never worship a God who would allow one of his children to have to stand helplessly and watch his wife and children be put to death, and I just thought, Wow, does this guy have no sense of history whatsoever? What believers have gone through for the cause of Christ in the past, and still do in some instances today, would make most believers' knees buckle and fail.

Another short, simple but very good book is "Touch Not the Unclean Thing" by David Sorenson, a book on the Bible version issue. It isn't an indepth book, but gives a relatively brief, all-around explanation of the issue. My favorite part is the section on the various language translations that have come from the Textus Receptus, from Asian, European, even Native American languages. Amazing stuff.  

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My fifth and final book that has impacted my ministry is Well-Intentioned Dragons by Marshall Shelley.   Several years ago I became pastor of a small Baptist church in a small city we enjoyed moderate growth and after a couple years I began to notice that there were some underlying stresses in the congregation and in seeking to find the problem I seemed to make several mistakes and soon found myself at odds with some of our members. 

 

I sought some advice from a few pastoral friends one of which suggested this book.  What an encouragement the book turned out to be. Mr. Shelley writes in satirical style similar to C.S.; Lewis’s The Screw Tape Letters (suggested reading) of a young pastor coming to an older pastor for help with people problems in his pastorate.  The wise and kind older pastor gives the young pastor various counsels of how handle each case.  On page 34 Shelly speaks clearly to the purpose of the book. 

 

"The rest of this book deals with various kinds of dragons, their tactics, and the ways to handle them. But from the beginning a premise stands clear: the goal in handling dragons is not to destroy them, not merely to disassociate, but to make them disciples. Even when that seems an unlikely prospect" (p. 34). 

 

People problems are part of ministry and Proverbs reminds us that we need workers in ministry but with those workers come messes and we cannot have one without the other.  No messes to clean up means we have no workers so be thankful for the messes.

 

Proverbs 14:4 Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.

 

This book should be a must read for every young pastor and we older ones as well.  People are our business and generally the messes they make are well-intentioned.

 

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1 hour ago, Orval said:

My fifth and final book that has impacted my ministry is Well-Intentioned Dragons by Marshall Shelley.   Several years ago I became pastor of a small Baptist church in a small city we enjoyed moderate growth and after a couple years I began to notice that there were some underlying stresses in the congregation and in seeking to find the problem I seemed to make several mistakes and soon found myself at odds with some of our members. 

 

I sought some advice from a few pastoral friends one of which suggested this book.  What an encouragement the book turned out to be. Mr. Shelley writes in satirical style similar to C.S.; Lewis’s The Screw Tape Letters (suggested reading) of a young pastor coming to an older pastor for help with people problems in his pastorate.  The wise and kind older pastor gives the young pastor various counsels of how handle each case.  On page 34 Shelly speaks clearly to the purpose of the book. 

 

"The rest of this book deals with various kinds of dragons, their tactics, and the ways to handle them. But from the beginning a premise stands clear: the goal in handling dragons is not to destroy them, not merely to disassociate, but to make them disciples. Even when that seems an unlikely prospect" (p. 34). 

 

People problems are part of ministry and Proverbs reminds us that we need workers in ministry but with those workers come messes and we cannot have one without the other.  No messes to clean up means we have no workers so be thankful for the messes.

 

Proverbs 14:4 Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.

 

This book should be a must read for every young pastor and we older ones as well.  People are our business and generally the messes they make are well-intentioned.

 

I amy look for this book. I have found in my ministry that people have a tendency of just leaving-often no explanation, they are involved, active, sometimes in a ministry, then suddenly, just gone. Not a word, nothing. A few leave after many years, some cite things like "Well, we think you're wrong in such-and-such area", and when I offer to sit with our Bibles and go over it, it is, "nope, we're leaving." One man left saying "Oh, there's no joy in the church", which is odd, since most don't seem to find that an issue. Of course, later on I found out that he suspected I was mis-handling the church money, and I found out when he had dropped the suggestion in the ears of one of our young men, much after he left the church, who came and asked me what we did with the church money. I honestly had to reply: "What money?" Because no one gives at our church. That man did, maybe $100 each payday, for a few months, then he stopped. Otherwise, all the money comes from myself, my MOTHER who doesn't attend the church since she lives away from us, and a former member who believes the Lord put our church in his heart to help financially, even though he lives across the country. After we lost our old building, due to the lack of giving, I think he thought there was all kinds of money coming in and we were misuing it, instead of paying the bills. It stung a bit, but my wife REALLY got mad, and started telling them about how most churhes pay their pastor, while their pastor pays to be the pastor, and kind of shamed them all a bit. Not enough that they have begun to give, though. Seemed every time I taught on biblical New Testament giving, the offerings shrank.    

So maybe I need to learn about dragons.

 

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21 minutes ago, Ukulelemike said:

I amy look for this book. I have found in my ministry that people have a tendency of just leaving-often no explanation, they are involved, active, sometimes in a ministry, then suddenly, just gone. Not a word, nothing. A few leave after many years, some cite things like "Well, we think you're wrong in such-and-such area", and when I offer to sit with our Bibles and go over it, it is, "nope, we're leaving." One man left saying "Oh, there's no joy in the church", which is odd, since most don't seem to find that an issue. Of course, later on I found out that he suspected I was mis-handling the church money, and I found out when he had dropped the suggestion in the ears of one of our young men, much after he left the church, who came and asked me what we did with the church money. I honestly had to reply: "What money?" Because no one gives at our church. That man did, maybe $100 each payday, for a few months, then he stopped. Otherwise, all the money comes from myself, my MOTHER who doesn't attend the church since she lives away from us, and a former member who believes the Lord put our church in his heart to help financially, even though he lives across the country. After we lost our old building, due to the lack of giving, I think he thought there was all kinds of money coming in and we were misuing it, instead of paying the bills. It stung a bit, but my wife REALLY got mad, and started telling them about how most churhes pay their pastor, while their pastor pays to be the pastor, and kind of shamed them all a bit. Not enough that they have begun to give, though. Seemed every time I taught on biblical New Testament giving, the offerings shrank.    

So maybe I need to learn about dragons.

 

Brother Mike,

 

My heart was truly broken to hear your story and it is obvious that your wife loves and wants to protect you from being hurt or having to submit to such unfair judgments. 

 

If you would not mind I would like to offer you a couple of suggestions for your ministry.

 

1.    If your people do not give then they must be taught to give.  This is a biblical principle, when I took over the small church several years ago, they asked me to come for $50 per week I told them no, that they would have to pay me $100 per week.  At the time, I knew they would be able to afford it because I knew what my offerings would be to the church.  The main thing I wanted them to see was that they had a responsibility to provide for the pastor.

 

After approximately two years I began to do a stewardship month each January where we highlighted, missions, giving of time, giving of our-selves and giving financially.  We set financial goals and began to teach giving in all areas.   The church was in debt when I got there and had no church insurance or savings.  We paid off our loan in my fifth year, established a budget that would allow us to financially free and afford insurance.  Near the end of my fifth year I taught a series of messages on the churches responsibility to provide for the pastor.  At that time the church voted to support my family at $1300 per month which was a real stretch of faith for them but one I was excited to see them take.

 

The process is long my brother but you need to be paid something to begin with and your people need to be taught over time that it is there responsibility to take care of their pastor as best they can.  There is a wonderful story in 1Kings 17 concerning Elijah and the widow woman who had just enough for her and her son to eat and then die.  In verse 13 Elijah told this poor woman who had nothing to make him a small cake first then make for herself and her son.

 

The message is simple you may not have much to give but if you will give what you can God will use it to provide first for the man of God and secondly to the giver.  Give and it shall be given unto you still works.

 

2.    Let your people know you have needs.  The decisions human beings make are made in conjunction with both their reasoning capabilities and their emotions.  You need to learn to humbly let your needs be known to your congregation.  We had corporate prayer on Wednesday night, we broke into small groups of two or three and we prayed to God out loud in those groups.  Before we broke into prayer groups I would ask for prayer requests and for needs to be presented. We gave people pieces of paper to write the requests on and those request sheets were the basis for many of the prayers.  It was in those times I was able to ask for prayer in particular areas my family had needs in.  You would be amazed how many times we got an encouraging comment or note saying someone was praying for our need and on more than one occasion we found money attached to our door or laying on my desk at church. 

 

Your people need to know you have a need before they can respond to that need.  Remember decisions are part logic and part emotion let them see your need.

 

It sounds like this book would be a great help to you.  If you will PM me your name and address I would be happy to purchase the book and have it sent your way.

 

God bless you and your family as you minister together.  

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I started off being paid, but as the church shrunk in numbers, I took outside employment. At the time, also, my wife worked as a nurse, so we opted to drop the pay. Unfortunately, my wife's health took a downward turn and she isn't working, and honestly I don't want her to.

We have a small farm with some animals, goats and such, so that takes up some money.

I think when they did the questioning of how we spent the church money, and my wife kind of let them have it over that, we really laid out where we were. For instance, we have two families, a couple and a single woman in her 40's, that are on complete disability, (though really none of them need to be and we are working on that), and they have no vehicles. We live roughly 40-60 miles from shopping areas, in the boonies, (I don't know why poor people with no cares want to live here!), so we often have taken them shopping, to doctor's appointments and the like, and in a Suburban, which is what I drive, it takes a lot in gas, which they just never thought about. Well, they know now, lol. But on the plus side, a couple young men in the church, twins, have started helping out with this, as well.

Another thing you should know-we only run about 8-10 people right now. We were closer to 20 last year this time, but last year I dedicated to getting everyone on one page. Being in a very small area, there aren't many churches, so we had Baptists, methodists, S.Baptists, some AOG, all with their various particular beliefs. Well, the Bible is clear we need to be in one accord, especially in doctrine, so that became the vision for the year. We are left with 8 now, the rest left, not willing to part with various issues. So we are sort of in a restart place right now, but with few to draw from in the area. 

You know, I never figured you could have so many issues with so few-but really, a lot is my own fault. Teaching them to give and the blessings that come with it can be hard, and it always seems kind of self-serving, you know? So I have done a poor job of it. This has opened my eyes to seeing the need to teach even this sort of thing, because it is one area of blessing they lose if they don't give.

As for the book, thank you much, but I do work so i can afford it. very inexpensive on Amazon.

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Let me mention another book that impacted my life as a very young Christian.  Harry Ironside's "Holiness, the False and the True."  I love Harry Ironside's writing.  The first half of this book is biographical and tells how he came out of the the "holiness" movement (Salvation Army).  It is quite inspirational.  The second half of the book is doctrinal.  Free to read on several sites.  Here is place where you read it online.

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On ‎2‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 1:25 PM, TheSword said:

Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Christian Convictions by Gregory Koukl -- I actually just finished this book, so I guess the impact is still TBD; but it was just that good. The premise is just like the title sounds. It is one of the best resources I've seen for defensive apologetics (i.e., when you come across a challenge to your faith in everyday life situations) and is suitable for Christians of all levels from newly saved to the well-studied.

Brother Sword,

I finished the book Tactics and thought I would give my opinion on the read.  Overall I was quite pleased with the book.  Mr. Koukl did a great job of accomplishing his purpose which was specifically stated as providing ambassadors for Christ with a means of turning a potentially explosive confrontation into a civil discussion.  Providing a series of tactical questions which allows one to defend their faith without being drawn into an argument or angering someone with an unappreciated rebuttal.  I would definitely recommend it all who want to develop a plan for engaging people with strongly held beliefs that are contrary to their own. 

I loved the Columbo designation for set up questions, as well as the series on types of suicide or self defeating statements (must read the book to appreciate these words).

The cons are not many but for me they were important.  

Mr. Koukl presents his work as a help to believers and yet seldom refers to the scriptures, it is primarily an intellectual approach to defending those things we believe to be truth.  I am not against the book but I believe that a book admonishing being ambassadors for Christ should probably have a bit more bible in its pages.

Secondly, I caught on very quickly that Mr. Koukl is a strong Calvinist as early in the book he speaks of the sovereignty of grace (predestination) and uses other words that give him away as well.  A quick search on the internet verified my suspicions.  While I have recommended the book to several pastor friends it is unlikely our pastor will use it at Heartland BBC because our stand against Reformed Theology would not be consistent. 

Over all I give the book a strong B+ and I am glad you put it on your list.        

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I liked the book by John R. Rice called "The Coming Kingdom of Christ". Its a simple bible study book that Brother Rice wrote about the Millennial kingdom and how the promise of eternal Inheritance of Land to Israel will be fulfilled at His return. Not overly "earth shattering" but it was helpful to me in getting a proper perspective on how all the promises of the bible will be fulfilled not just temporarily or partially to some but in fullness to all who trust in Christ. With a lot if confusion to to how things play out with the rapture and tribulation it was a good book for a foundation to those events.

Here is an online version:

http://www.oneway.com/library/the-coming-kingdom-of-christ/

Edited by John Young
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17 hours ago, Orval said:

The cons are not many but for me they were important.  

Mr. Koukl presents his work as a help to believers and yet seldom refers to the scriptures, it is primarily an intellectual approach to defending those things we believe to be truth.  I am not against the book but I believe that a book admonishing being ambassadors for Christ should probably have a bit more bible in its pages.

Secondly, I caught on very quickly that Mr. Koukl is a strong Calvinist as early in the book he speaks of the sovereignty of grace (predestination) and uses other words that give him away as well.  A quick search on the internet verified my suspicions.  While I have recommended the book to several pastor friends it is unlikely our pastor will use it at Heartland BBC because our stand against Reformed Theology would not be consistent.  

Those are both certainly valid points of contention. However, when considering the stated purpose of the book, they don't detract from the utility of the method. Regarding the Scripture references, I would certainly expect to see a varying amount in any given encounter based upon who you are interacting with. Quoting Scripture to a Hindu with whom you have a wide philosophical/worldview gap will be mostly futile while doing it with an informed Christian with whom you have a doctrinal disagreement will define the conversation. Secondly, with Koukl's Columbo approach you're asking questions to force the other person to clarify and support his/her position and you are limiting your assertions and therefore your need to reference Scripture in support thereof.

On the Calvinist thing, I honestly didn't dive into his theology deeply enough to notice. I read on the plane to/from Hawaii and was focused on gleaning the method more than the substance of his personal beliefs. Again though, I don't think the theology detracts from the method which I find incredibly useful. There are so few books with which I will share 100% of the theological position with the author that unless it's a book about theology, biblical interpretation, or commentary I really don't get concerned with it unless they're way off the deep end or the substance of the book is dependent upon the flawed theology. There are many great heroes of the faith which had flawed theology, even Calvinism, that had some great spiritual insight like Spurgeon or Moody.

I'm glad you read and enjoyed the book, though. Thanks for the reply and honest engagement.

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