I’m going to keep this short and sweet. 2018 was a great year for me and my family. We experienced lots of change, but God has been faithful through it all.

5. The Symposium– Plato

I don’t recommend this book exactly. There are disturbing themes throughout it. But for those who dare, Plato’s Socrates enters into the world of the erotic and he emerges with a view of longing and desire which can only be fulfilled by the Good. With those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, the longing for the coming of a Christ-like figure is evident.

4. Confessions– St. Augustine

This personal account of the life of Augustine is full of encouragement. The encouragement comes in the form of being able to see this man who lived so long ago struggle with the same struggles that we face today. The encouragement comes also in the form of hearing how God was faithful to deliver Augustine by His Spirit and grace.

3. Getting to Yes– William Ury

Last year I put William Ury’s The Power of a Positive No on my top 5 of 2017 list. This year I am adding this one. I still prefer the former, but this is a fantastic read. I know of no other modern non-fiction books that have impacted my thinking more in the past five years than William Ury’s writings. I highly recommend for leaders or really anyone who works with people.

2. The Power of Habit– Charles Duhigg

I wish I could say that I have applied more of what I learned from Duhigg. His research into how habits are formed and how to change habits is quite insightful. The greatest value of this book though is what Duhigg reveals about the habits of organizations. If you are an organizational leader, there is great value to be gained here. Your organization has habits that develop over time. This book will help you invent ways to cultivate the habits you want.

1. The Divine Comedy– Dante Alighieri

Oh my. Wow. Dante’s Divine Comedy (The Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso) is simply beautiful. I know that I missed so much that was present in the text due to my own ignorance of Dante’s culture and times, but nonetheless was blown away by the majesty of his writing. Some would say that the Divine Comedy is the quintessence of poetic literature. That is difficult to refute. When reading it, I felt as though sitting at the feet of a most wise sage, a masterful artist, a literary genius. I don’t know if it gets any better than the Divine Comedy.