As I near my 1,200th book review on this blog, I’ve been reviewing past posts and have recalled some of the most life-changing books I’ve read…so far, at least.

I’ve split my “10 Influential Books” into two sets: 5 Christian (excluding the Bible) and 5 Secular. Some titles may surprise you, but each has had a small part in making me the man I am today. I list them as chronologically as possible.

Note: this post includes Amazon affiliate links.

1. This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti (1986)

Impact: Teaching me about spiritual warfare and prayer

I first read this novel in senior high in the late 1990s and was blown away by Peretti’s way of bringing the spiritual realm to life. My teenager bedroom was in the cold, dark, creaky basement of our old house in Wisconsin, and I’d always had latent fears of things creeping in the dark. This book at once enhanced yet also alleviated those fears, for while I knew there might be demons lurking in the shadows, I knew as a believer that meant there must also be angels. More importantly, I knew that God’s Spirit was alive in me, and I needn’t be afraid of “things that go bump in the night.”

Adults in my church had recommended we teens read this Christian thriller, but always with the caveat: “But don’t get too interested in demons and angels, now…” This book captivated me with its story, but it also helped turn the “Bible stuff” I was learning in youth group into something more relevant.

While I never sensed the spiritual battles raging all around me as Peretti paints them in this book (and its sequel, Piercing the Darkness), I did gain a better sense of prayer’s power to effect the spiritual realm.

2. Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot (1957)

Impact: Providing me a genuine glimpse of the surrender, sacrifice, and victory of missions

I read this book as a sophomore in college in 2002, at a time when I was confused about how God might want to use me. My journals from those years are filled with dreams and doubts, fears and fantasies. I had no ambitions at the time ever to become a missionary. If anything, I thought I might be more a “hold the ropes” kinda guy.

This book about the life and sacrifice of Elisabeth’s husband, Jim, and his ministry partners was both inspirational and exciting, though I also later recognized a sublayer to it that God used to work on my heart over the course of the next three years. Elliot shows that missions isn’t simply an adventure, it’s a sacrifice, but one that gives purpose and meaning to life. Missions over the next few years suddenly became an endeavor worth looking into, if not outright pursuing.

Although I couldn’t anticipate what God had for me in the long run, He definitely used this book to light a candle that eventually became a roaring fire.

3. Revolution in World Missions by K.P. Yohannan (1986)

Impact: Teaching me that missions is more about discipleship (multiplication) than evangelism (addition)

It may be surprising to see this book on my list, but reading it as a vagrant guest in my parent’s home in 2006 was a true turning point for my life. I had just finished one year’s work with an American missionary overseas, and I had come home with no plans for the future. I doubted the effectiveness of that missionary’s methods on the field and I knew there had to be a better way to reach folks than what he was doing. This book taught me that better way: intentionally train the nationals to evangelize and plant churches instead of trying to do everything yourself.

I read the book in a few short hours, and it floored me. It’s as if everything I’d seen in that American’s ministry was wrong—heck, almost everything that Americans had taught me about missions was wrong! The problem was not that missionaries go, but that they go to focus on planting and pastoring churches with themselves as leaders (pastors), like they couldn’t or wouldn’t trust the locals to take charge of ministry in their own contexts. This may be too harsh a way to put it, but it’s how I suddenly saw things as a 23-year-old kid.

This book opened my eyes to the needs of training and sending national believers, rather than depending on the work and ministries of foreigners in-country, people who don’t know the language or culture a fraction as well as the locals do. It gave my ministry outlook a complete 180, and it’s an outlook I still maintain for the most part today. This book changed my life almost more than any other on this list—and I’m not even a Charismatic!

4. Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books by Tony Reinke (2011)

Impact: Teaching me how to read wisely and with purpose

I read this book during my earliest years of writing book reviews (2011), and probably a month doesn’t go by without me referencing it at least once in a post or conversation.

Tony Reinke offers such practical, down-to-earth suggestions for reading that every Christian lover of books should check it out. In fact, I think it should be a staple for Christian college students as well. I’d say that about very few books.

To this day, the point I use most often is Reinke’s rule that allows a reader to give up on a book only if he’s first given a fair shake—that is, 100 pages minus his age. I’m up to 58 pages at the moment, and I tell you, that’s still more than enough words to determine whether a book is worth finishing or not. As he points out in his book: I can’t wait until I’m 100 and can fairly judge a book by its cover!

5. Today Matters by John C. Maxwell (2004)

Impact: Offering practical suggestions for using my time wisely and succeeding in my life and work

After I married, moved with my wife to the States, finished a term in the military, and began grad school with 2 babies in tow, I suddenly found myself strapped with so much responsibility, I didn’t know what to do with myself. At one point, I listened to this book on cassette and loved it so much that I simply had to read a hard copy and take full, solid notes.

While I didn’t follow Maxwell’s exact plan as he lays it out in this book, I came close. I soon found that journaling through my day with a list of intentionally designed topics, questions, and goals effectively led me toward prioritization and success in my endeavors.

I’ve never stopped journaling. Using my #1 favorite app, Microsoft OneNote, I have a short list of topics to review each day. I’ve tweaked them over the years, but Maxwell’s book was an important trigger to my growth in responsibility as a husband and father. I’m forever grateful for it.

Conclusion

These five Christian books had a huge impact on my life, in one way or anotherand don’t forget to check out my 5 Influential Books – Secular Edition too!

And this all leads me to ask you: what Christian books have been most influential in your life?

©2025 E.T.

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