Steps to Christ (1892) by Ellen G. White

Book's Pages: 126;

This little amazing book has been translated into more than 70 different languages and has had more than a million of its published copies sold and shared in probably every single country on the planet. My two favorite chapters are the first chapter entitled "God's Love for Man" and the eleventh chapter, "The Privilege of Prayer." The following is a short excerpt from the beginning of the chapter "The Privilege of Prayer:"

"Through nature and revelation, through His providence, and by the influence of His Spirit, God speaks to us. But these are not enough; we need also to pour out our hearts to Him.... Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not that it is necessary in order to make known to God what we are, but in order to enable us to receive Him. Prayer does not bring God down to us, but brings us up to Him."

I think the trustees in charge of the publishing this book described the book best when they stated:

 

"The title of the book tells its mission. It points the reader to Jesus Christ as the only one who is able to meet the needs of the soul. It directs the feet of the doubting and halting to the pathway of peace. It leads the seeker after righteousness and wholeness of character, step by step, along the way of Christian living, to that experience where he can know the fullness of blessing which is found the in the complete surrender of self. It reveals to him the secret of victory as it unfolds in simplicity the saving grace and the keeping power of the great Friend of all mankind."

Check out this great musical , based on this book, by a Canadian high school choir, the FountainView Academy.

You can purchase this musical (DVD has 39 songs) here..

Click here to read Steps to Christ online.

Click here to buy the E-book  modern English version of Steps to Christ (i.e., Steps to Jesus) by Ellen G. White for $0.69.

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The Three Angels Messages of Revelation 14.6-12 (1892) by J. N. Andrews

Book's Pages: 141;

Since my friends and I are launching 3Angels Livable Communities Initiative (3AngelsLCI) Global, I thought it would be important to read the history of what the 3 Angels Messages mean. J. N. Andrews and his colleagues, such as Ellen G. White, wrote extensively about the 3 Angels Messages. 

In summary, they argued that the 3 Angels Messages are God's last great messages of mercy "to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people" Revelation 14:6.  These 3 Messages of mercy are proclaimed by the church and they are also revealed by the life of church members who then demonstrate the love of God by dedicating their lives "to loose the chains of injustice … to set the oppressed free and break every yoke… to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter … to clothe [the naked], and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood." (Isaiah 58:6-7).


The spirit of the message of Isaiah 58 underlies the goals of 3AngelsLCI. When you get a chance, visit 3AngelsLCI Global Humanitarian News to read about humanitarian issues from all over the world.


Click here to read The Three Angels Messages of Revelation 14:6-12 by J. N. Andrews (1892)

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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989/2004) by Stephen R. Covey

Pages: 340;

This is probably the third or fourth time I have read this book and surprisingly I still feel that I will have to read it again. The book is very rich. Stephen Covey states,

"I would recommend that you not "see" this material as a book, in the sense that it is something to read once and put on a shelf.... [The] material is designed to a companion in the continual process of change and growth."

Of the many books I have read, this is one of the few books that uses a lot of practical examples to illustrate its concepts. In my view, Stephen Covey possesses a teaching style that is comparable to that of one other person who taught similar principles many centuries ago (leave a comment if you can guess who I am alluding to).

The book teaches the following seven principles which Dr. Covey argues to be principles essential for high effectiveness in individuals, families, organizations, communities and nations.

1. Be Proactive.
2. Begin with the End in Mind.
3. Put First Things First.
4. Think Win/Win.
5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood.
6. Synergize.
7. Sharpen the Saw .

For those of you who may be as busy as I am, you may want to learn about the Quadrant II Tool (the fourth generation time management tool) which teaches the concept of "organizing and executing around priorities." The tool teaches what Covey believes to be the best method of time management: organizing the week. The stages for this time management tool (or rather self-management tool) are as follows:

1. Develop/tap into your mission statement.
2. Identify your roles as they relate to your mission statement.
3. Choose one or two goals to accomplish in each role in the next week.
4. Schedule time to accomplish the goals you identified above.
5. Adapt each day to prioritize your goals "while responding to unanticipated events, relationships, and experiences in a meaningful way."

Click here for an overview of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

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The Acts of the Apostles (1911) by Ellen G. White

Pages: 602;

The writer presents the courage, leadership, friendship, love, passion and fearlessness that a group of first-century individuals showed to a cause they had recently found through their young Jewish friend, Jesus of Nazareth. 50 days before, this Jesus of Nazareth had been killed through a humiliating and painful Roman killing practice called a crucifixion. The Jewish nation expected Jesus' friends to be completely devastated and fearful; sure enough, they were hiding and fearful. However, on the fiftieth day from Jesus death, which coincided with the Jewish festival of Pentecost, this group suddenly developed boldness and courage to stand for their beliefs. Many of them were killed, arrested, tortured, and exiled. Nonetheless, their courage did not wane even as they were killed like their friend, Jesus of Nazareth.

Some of the heroes in this book include Stephen, Phillip, Dorcas, Peter, John, Paul, Barnabas and James. Among these, Paul seemed to be the key individual. He was a very educated individual who held both the Jewish and Roman citizenship. Though he starts off on the side of those killing and arresting the Christians (a name later given to the friends of Jesus of Nazareth), he has a life-changing event which transforms him into a ardent support of those persecuted. His story exemplifies dedication, passion, love, strong leadership and endurance. His extensive traveling and launching of new affiliate centers all over the Euro/Middle-Eastern area, and his management, oversight, and thorough grooming of new leadership shows that he possessed strong CEO-type qualities.

Click here to read The Acts of the Apostles by E. G. White.

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