I can’t imagine my life without books in it. Someday I want people to walk into my house and see the ginormous library of knowledge I’ve collected over the years.

Know this ahead of time though, it probably won’t be organized. It will be stacks of books and some of them may have dust. Feel free to borrow as many as you’d like.

I believe I’ve grown in my relationships, my spiritual life, my writing, and my work because of reading. Whether it’s Henry Cloud teaching me how to set boundaries with my family, or Mark Batterson giving me tips on how to improve my prayer life, books make my world go ’round. I want them to make yours do the same.
In 2012, I read over 50 books, from self-help to fiction. Some of them I loved, some were mediocre, and some just sucked to be honest. But I read them anyway. I wanted to share with you some of my favorites.

The Circle Maker 

This book flipped my prayer life upside down. It challenged me to pray big dreams and stop settling for the small things. One of my favorites quotes from Mark Batterson is,

Bold prayers honor God, and God honors bold prayers. God isn’t offended by your biggest dreams or boldest prayers. He is offended by anything less. If your prayers aren’t impossible to you, they are insulting to God.

This is one of those God-inspired masterpieces that we should all read at least once a year.

Wrecked: When a Broken World Slams into Your Comfortable Life

If there was ever a call to take radical steps, step out of your comfort zone, and stop making life all about you, this book is that call. Jeff Goins writes from the perspective of a missionary seeing pieces of the broken world and returning different, but struggling to stay different.

This book is for us–a generation intent on pursuing our life’s work in a way that leaves us without regrets.

Well said.

Fully Alive: Lighten Up and Live – A Journey that Will Change Your LIfe

Ken Davis makes you both laugh and cry in this book.  Talking candidly about his journey from depression to redemption, it’s certainly a wake up call to look at our own lives, stop living in the mundane, and live fully alive.
It’s a take-action book. You can’t put it down and not want to change something about your life, whether it’s emotional, physical, spiritual, or mental.

There is no such thing as a small choice. The choices you make today affect your tomorrow. Those tiny little choices become habits that eventually destroy the foundations of your life or lead you toward living fully alive. Beauty or destruction. Either way, it’s your choice.

One of my favorite parts of the book refers to the mossy butt section. You’ll have to read it to know what I’m talking about.

Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever

I’m a fan of history. I’m also a fan of Abraham Lincoln. I had no clue that Bill O’Reilly was a history buff until I saw this book. I was hooked from the title and knew it was a must read.
Our history determines our future and you may just get a glimpse into today’s government by taking a step back into the government of yesterday. It provides an amazing account of the vivid dreams Lincoln had prior to his death, the debilitating depression his wife Mary suffered through, the unsettling mind of John Wilkes Booth, and the evil that surrounded the White House during this time.
I’d love to know your thoughts on it.

Radical Well-Being: A Biblical Guide to Overcoming Pain, Illness, and Addictions

This book actually found me. Dr. Rita Hancock asked me to review the book for her and I agreed. When the book arrived, I had actually forgotten about it and was trying to figure out to keep the commitment I made in the deadline she had requested.
I opened the first page and that was the end of it. I couldn’t put the book down. So much of what I went through during my one-year journey at the Table Rock Freedom Center was displayed on the pages of this book.
In the process of reading, however, God continued to work on me, revealing emotional healing that still needed to take place, as well as paying attention the addictive behavior of food that likes to creep its way back into my life.
This is a book I will forever recommend and I am so grateful for Dr. Hancock writing it.

Dream More: Celebrate the Dreamer in You

I got this book for Christmas and I couldn’t wait to dig in. Not only is Dolly Parton a hero of mine, I knew the pages in this book would inspire me.
Expanding on a commencement speech she made at the University of Tennessee, Dolly calls us to dream big, give big, learn big, serve big. You know her. She doesn’t do anything small.
She talks openly about her relationship with God in the book and knows without Jesus none of her success would be possible. It’s a great book to get you back on track to pursuing those dreams you’ve always wanted to pursue.
Okay, I must stop there I guess. I could keep going for sure. If you take the time to read these books shoot me an email and let me know what you think. I’d really like to hear from you.
Also, if you want a list of many of the books I’ve read, you can see them on my Goodreads profile.
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What were some of your favorite books in 2012? What do you plan to read in 2013? Leave a comment below....