Most of the people reading this are pastors and church leaders. Most of us are readers. Our lives have been changed by books. We can’t give away our favorite books, though. Many people won’t read them because they are long.
Today, I want to describe some great short books that you might give away. I’ve found that most people will read a book if it is relevant, excellent, and short. I think a short book should be under 100 pages. Maybe someday people will read longer books, but the point isn’t the length. The reason we give books is that we want to help people grow in Christ.
Here are seven books that I give away. I often hear back that something specific was helpful in it. Most of them are discipleship-focused and have a specific topic or stage of life that they discuss. I like to keep them around so I can give them out.
Raising Kids in the Way of Grace by Robert W. Kelleman. This is great to give away to parents (or grandparents raising their grandkids). I gave a copy of this away today.
Raising Kids in a Hyper-Sexualized World by Eliza Huie. Most people are alarmed at the culture we are raising kids in. This book gives good, practical help to parents regarding sex and temptation.
The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Tim Keller. Everyone I’ve given this to has exclaimed over it, often giving it to someone else to read. This is perfect for teens and adults.
The (Not-So-Secret) Secret to Reaching the Next Generation by Kevin DeYoung. This is great to give to church leaders to help them think through priorities for making disciples of teens, college students, and young adults. There are so many bad ideas and fads, and this cuts through all those to focus on the right priorities.
Searching for Christmas by J.D. Greear. When I finished this, I told my wife that if I hadn’t already been a Christian, then I would become one after reading that book. It shows how wonderful Christ is. We are giving this away at our Christmas light show this year.
Becoming a Widow: The Ache of Missing Your Other Half by Elizabeth Groves. This minibook is helpful for women who lose their husbands. I give it away after dogearing and underlining one specific passage that I think is particularly helpful.
Caring for an Aging Parent by Bryon Peters. This is a unique challenge that most people have no preparation for. People have told me that this minibook was really helpful when I gave it to them.
Do you know any short books that we should know about?
