Fifty Books I've Loved and Learned From - Book TWO: Man in the Mirror

All my writing time has been going into papers for school... With the semester winding down (and the fact that I need a BIG break from school) I'm back on this topic of the books that have most influenced my life. In this list of books, I'm not including the Bible. That is the book that has changed me the most... so it's implied in this list :)

When I was a brand new believer in Jesus Christ at the age of 28, to be honest, I really didn't have any clue at all what that meant... what did it mean to be a Christian husband, employee, and guy in general???

In 2001 I was at a men's breakfast... it was a real miracle that I was even at the breakfast since it was in a completely different city than where I lived at the time. I met one of the leaders there, shared my story with him, and he gave me a copy of the book Man in the Mirror by Patrick Morley. I got home that afternoon and read the entire book in one sitting! This was EXACTLY what I'd been looking for!

Morley's book covered every single issue that I was dealing with. Work. Family. Finances. Friendships. Struggles. They were all there. I quickly learned what kind of man I wanted to be!

This book influenced me on the type of church that I would go to... I was looking for a church where I could relate to other men on this same journey.... This book got me to join my first men's small group... This book got me to become a leader in men's ministry... this book encouraged me to dig deep into scripture... this book encouraged me to be all that I can be in Christ! I'm absolutely convinced there's no way I would be a pastor today if I was never given this book.

Even after 10 years I still have my original copy of that book. It's highlighted like crazy. It's falling apart at the seem. But I still flip through it every 6 months! It has become a very important part of who am I.

I hate to think where my life would be if I wasn't given that book at that breakfast 10 years ago. That's why for years I've been giving away copies of that book to Christian and non-Christian men whenever I can.

Over the past 10 years Patrick Morley has been a spiritual mentor to me. I'm so grateful for his ministry and his books. If you've never read any of his work you definitely will want to start!

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