The 14 Non-Fiction Books That Influenced Me the Most
Someone asked me recently, what books are you reading?
I looked at the stack…no, stacks of books beside my bed, piled on my desk, beside my desk on the floor, and stuffed into the “to be read” part of my bookshelf.
And, then I re-discovered on my dusty bookshelves the books that I’ve loved over time. Books that are friends who coached me into new thinking and new ways of doing.
So, like the “oh, a shiny object” girl that I am, several hours later, I made THE stack of my most influential, non-fiction books that I’ve read (and re-read and scribbled in and highlighted, not including the 66 books in my beloved Bible) over my entire life.
Here’s my criteria on how I chose each of these fourteen books:
✅ The book changed my life in a significant way.
✅ The book is well written and I couldn’t put it down.
✅ I felt joy when I saw it and thumbed through it again.
✅ I’ve recommended it to many people.
If a book (and I have MANY) didn’t fit ALL of these criteria, I didn’t include it here.
Here’s my STACK of the fourteen most influential non-fiction books I’ve ever read, in no particular order. You can keep scrolling to read my review and a link to each book to read it for yourself.
***While I included links to each book on Amazon, if you are in another country that doesn’t have Amazon, you can get most of these books with free shipping at bookdepository.com
The 14 Non-fiction Books That Influenced Me the Most
Seek First: How the Kingdom of God Changes Everything by Jeremy Treat (Zondervan) The best, down-to-earth, practical, readable, un-brick-like explanation of the Kingdom of God. It’s my book #2 I wanted to write (until I found it). I give this out as graduation presents. Because if we can understand Jesus’ obsession with the Kingdom of God (he talked about it over 100 times in the Gospels), we can receive it and live it. Hey, I just saw my review for Jeremy Treat’s book is trending number one as most helpful on Amazon! Best quote: “The Kingdom of God is God’s reign through God’s people over God’s place.”
Please Understand Me: Character and Temperment Types by David Kiersey and Marilyn Bates (there’s also a third edition revised). I discovered this book in college and sat with countless friends since then over coffee analyzing and understanding them over laughs and deep discussions, constantly taping together the pages of the book that kept falling out because of overuse. I love the Myers-Briggs personality types. This book gave me uncanny high emotional intelligence on how to relate to all kinds of people, and to know myself. By the way, I am an ENFP, with a 100% N and only 1 point away from a J.
Across the Street and Around the World: Following Jesus to the Nations in Your Neighborhood…and Beyond by Jeannie Marie (Thomas Nelson). Of course I had to include this book! So much of my heart, soul, and stories—all the things I want the young people I’m raising to know and do—are between the pages of this book. Writing this book changed me forever. I hope it impacts you too, and thousands of others you’ll meet as you go across the street and around the world.
Muslims, Christians, and Jesus: Gaining Understanding and Building Relationships by Carl Medearis (Zondervan) I instantly understood how to build bridges to make Muslim friends. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to do that too. I’ve probably given away over a hundred copies of this book. An easy, fun read, the stories illustrate deep principles that might surprise you about Muslims, Christians, and well, yes, about Jesus too.
Disciplemaking Among Hindus: Making Authentic Relationships Grow by Timothy Shultz (William Carey Library). This is my go-to book for anyone who wants to introduce Jesus to a Hindu friend in a bridging way. It challenged how I view Hindu’s and gave me words I needed to know and use, plus insight into their worldview in an easy-to-understand way. I read this book in one sitting, and I always keep a copy on hand to promote and give away when I teach.
The 3D Gospel: Ministry in Guilt, Fear, and Shame Cultures by Jayson Georges. I never really understood worldview until I read this simple, short book. Practical, with stories and a view of scripture I had never considered, I love the way Jayson explains such a foundational concept as worldview. It helped me tremendously to change the way I speak about my faith depending on the worldview lens of how my friend, often from a different culture, saw the world.
The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God by Dallas Willard Oh my. I confess I read this deep, get-your-highlighter-out book over a period of time—because I kept underlining and journaling these incredible insights and quotes about the Kingdom of God. Then I listened to the entire 18 hours of the audio book on a drive from Arizona to Kansas. So. Worth. It. A theological deep dive into a subject I never understood before reading this book. It deepened my faith and the way I live my life.
Building a Storybrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller (HarperCollins). I needed a clear, easy to follow plan for creating a brand that grew because of writing Across the Street and Around the World. It helped me to be clear in my vision and communication of an important message. When I speak, what I learned between these pages about the seven elements of great storytelling also make my talks interesting, story-based, and inspiring.
Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God by Henry and Richard Blackaby and Claude King (B&H Books). My husband Paul and I did the workbook together with a small group many years ago. My whole way of relating to God changed dramatically. I woke up, spiritually speaking. I learned to seek God’s will actively experiencing his presence and communication to me through scripture, circumstances, and other people. I have the book too, but I like the workbook even better. Highly recommend!
The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business by Erin Meyers. I recommend this to anyone and everyone communicating with people from different cultures, especially on multi-cultural teams. I even bought the online slider tool where you can plug in two different cultures, say a German talking to someone from China, and it will tell you how each views time, authority, giving feedback, and more. So fascinating and completely useful!
The Christ of the Indian Road by E. Stanley Jones (Abingdon Press, 1925) I didn’t know Jesus already walked the roads of India. And that Indians could actually love that Jesus, and not the one tied to the image of Western Christianity. It blew. my. mind. Radical, out of my current theological box (at the time), new (but old), and absolutely changed the way I invite people in eastern cultures to follow Jesus. And the stories of how E. Stanley Jones interacted with high caste Brahmins…so inspiring and inviting. The non-fiction book that reads like fiction, because the stories.
Heaven: A Comprehensive Guide to Everything the Bible Says About Our Eternal Home (Clear Answers to 44 Real Questions About the Afterlife, Angels, Resurrection, and the Kingdom of God) by Randy Alcorn (Tyndale Momentum) I didn’t know about the new heaven and the new earth, or how to explain what happens right after we die, or if there’s pets in heaven, or meaningful work. This completely changed my view of the afterlife. Even though my dad seemed so excited to go there, I always felt like I might like earth better, what with all the angels and fluffy clouds. But not anymore. Eternity, the new heaven and the new earth, my future home with gardens and nature, exploring, reading and writing, maybe some paddleboarding and painting…it’s going to be amazing. RUN and get this book. There’s a super helpful Heaven For Kids version too.
The Advantage: How Organization Health Trumps Everything in Business by Patrick Lenzioni. A business book changed my life? Yes. Because I worked for a secular corporation, a church, a non-profit, and now I’m an entrepreneur with my own business. I needed this book to understand vision, mission, and what a healthy team looks like. I think I knew this already…but I didn’t know how to put words to it. My husband, who manages a lot of people in the corporate world, gives this to his employees to read every year.
Evidence That Demands a Verdict: Life Changing Truth for a Skeptical World by Josh and Sean McDowell. In college, I had questions. Was my faith the same as my parents? How could I know the Bible was really true? How does Christianity compare with other world religions? I devoured this book, and found logic, evidence, depth. No sugar coated frosting here. This is science. I wish every young person wanted to read this book. I think we all wouldn’t be so wishy washy, skeptical, and blown by the winds of social media.
I might add books to this list in the future, as books I’m reading stand the test of time, and lead to long-lasting change in my thinking and living. Let me know some of your favorite, influential non-fiction books.
For you and the Nations,
Jeannie Marie
Creator of The Neighbors & Nations Course