I was nominated by a sweet friend on Facebook to name ten books that have stuck with me over the years, but decided it was easier to blog about it rather than write a long post on her wall.

Books have been a big part of my life since I was a young girl, and spent many countless hours with my nose in a book. Finding the time to read proved more difficult during my child-bearing years, but I would often lose sleep because I couldn’t resist reading “one more chapter”.

It wasn’t difficult for me to list ten, but it would be more difficult if I had to put them in a Top Ten LIst.  So my obvious #1 is the Bible, but the rest are in random order.

Here they are, complete with links to Amazon if you’re interested in purchasing:

1. The Bible:  (a no-brainer!)  My guide-book for life, the source of TRUTH, the WORD OF GOD.
2. Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby: As a young adult, it was pivotal in my spiritual growth.
3. The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman:  Helped me to really understand the way we love and what it means.
4. The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren:  Filled in some gaps spiritually that I wasn’t even aware of.
5. The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel:  A must have book for help in answering the questions of skeptics.
6. Where’s Mom? The High Calling of Wife and Mother in the Biblical Perspective by Dorothy Patterson:  A revelation and confirmation of my purpose.
7. Enjoying the Presence of God by Jan Johnson: Reminded me that prayer is not just an activity we do, it’s how we survive and thrive spiritually.
8. One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp:  Changed the way I think. The gift that keeps on giving–I still record 1,000 blessings every year.
9. Deadline by Randy Alcorn:  I’ve read lots of novels over the years, but this is one that I’ve shared more than any other.  Fascinating perspective on eternity.
10. Seven Steps to Becoming a Healthy Christian Leader, Warriors in Hiding, and Immersed by Doug Munton: Couldn’t help but give my husband a shameless plug–He IS a great writer and these books have changed our lives in more ways than one.

If you order a book with Amazon, don’t forget to order with AmazonSmile, where you can designate your favorite non-profit (mine is the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention!), and they will donate 0.5% of the price to the organization of your choice.

I would love to hear from my readers about books that have influenced you–and if you read any of these, what you think!

~~Vickie

 ^“For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword,penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12