A New Feature to the Blog

I've added a new feature to the blog. It's something I've wanted to do for awhile, and just hadn't taken the time to yet. It's a "Recommended Reading List." The list is by no means complete yet, and will be added to as I encounter more great books.
I have always felt reading is a huge part of a person's growth and success in life. Dave has a quote he uses (he got it from someone else, but I don't remember who right now...): In five years you will be the same person you are now except for the books you read and the people you meet. It's been said that leaders are readers. Andrew Carnegie felt that life should be divided into 3 phases: To spend the first third of one's life getting all the education one can. To spend the next third making all the money one can. To spend the last third giving it all away for worthwhile causes.
So, to me, reading is huge. I've always been a reader. The summer before 1st Grade, we moved to a logging camp on Zarembo Island in Southeast Alaska. There was about 30 kids, grades K-12, that did school in a one room building. In the back was a bookshelf that made up the Library. In no time at all I had read almost every book up through the 3rd grade level. I lived in logging camps up until my junior year in high school, and we never had more than one TV channel (thanks, Rural Alaskan Television Network). In two of the camps we had no TV reception at all. So, reading was about the only option.
As I'm typing this, I'm watching Dumb and Dumber (greatest.movie.EVER.) on TV, and realizing I probably do not read as much as I have in the past. I plan on changing that...
The books on my list are all books I have read at least part of. Some are for spiritual growth, some for personal growth, some for professional growth. Ministers are expected to have a huge library, proudly displayed on shelves behind their desks. Truth is, most of us haven't read any of those books. I actually heard it recommended one time to watch for when older ministers retire, and then buy their libraries to fill up your shelves.
At this time in history, we have more books available to us than ever! Public libraries have been around for awhile, but now there is so much available online too. Publishing a book is easier than ever. While it's great that we have so much available to us, some books probably aren't worth the paper they are written on. And, even if it's a great book; it's fruitless to read it and then not apply it. Proof in point: in 2008 there was over 8000 books written on being successful in business. And yet 2008 saw the biggest failures in the business world in at least 70 years.
We don't need more books, and the books we do have we need to put into practical use. The books I have on this list are all ones that will bring a benefit to your life. In future blog posts, I'll highlight some of these books, to give you an idea of what they are all about. The link for most of them will take you to Amazon. I typically find that they offer the best price and customer service. But, I know I've found a number of these in my local library. Why buy when you can borrow?
Do you have a book you would recommend? Then sign up for your own blog and put it on there...