5 TIPS FOR GETTING MUCH MORE OUT OF YOUR READING

Hello, hope your weekend was great! Welcome to a new work week. What will you be reading this week that will impact your life and career? Let me help you with some tips for getting much more out of your reading. Have an impactful week. YOU WILL SUCCEED!

                                                                  

Francis Bacon has been quoted as saying that reading makes a full man, but he gave further advice:

“Read, not to contradict or confute, nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.”

To get more out of your reading here are my suggestions:

1. RECOLLECT : This is mental recall. When you read, try to remember what you have read. The where; the who; the how and the why. Use your imagination. Picture what you’re reading.

2. REFLECT: Reading without thinking is like eating without digestion – it does no good. When you read, analyze and process the information being fed into your brain. Think!  Ponder deeply. Allow the judgment of the Holy Spirit. No author’s opinion or interpretation of scripture is final. Use the Bible and the witness of your spirit as the final arbiter before you digest any information; that’s why getting conversant with your Bible is supreme.

To enhance your thinking process, (i) you could seek the counsel or opinion of an older Christian, a mentor. (ii) You could also cross-reference or juxtapose different authors on a singular subject. Finally, be objective, not biased. Don’t fall victim of the sin of a closed mind.

3. RECITE: Recitation is part of the meditation process. The Hebrew root of the word ‘meditate’ means ‘to murmur in pleasure’. Recall to yourself the things you have learnt from the books you have read. Memorize facts. Memorize scriptures. It will help you in dire moments. “The memory is a treasurer to whom we must give funds, if we are to draw the assistance we need.”

4. RECOUNT: Share your knowledge with others. It helps retention of facts. “You will always remember what you teach.”

5. REVISE: Go back to revise and review that material. It will be well stored now. It also helps to cultivate the habit of writing down what you read. The faintest pen is always sharper than the sharpest brain. Information that is not documented will never be implemented! (Excerpts from the book, READERS AND LEADERS by Yomi Olufiade)

Please assist the bearer | Daily Times Nigeria

Please assist the bearer | Daily Times Nigeria

THE LITTLE CHAP WHO FOLLOWS ME

I should have posted this a week ago but permit me to still do it today. Seven days ago was my son Samuel’s birthday. The occasion made me reflect a lot. In three short years, the guy has taught me a lot. His birth and his growth have revealed many sides of me that I did not know existed before. I have become a better man all because of the privilege God gave me to father this “young man”.

I remembered that evening when he was born. I held him in my arms. The tiny bundle that he was, I wondered, “This is a human being, right from my very own loins.” God indeed, is awesome. When I called his grandfather, (my dad, of course, what do you think?) I cried on the phone. My voice broke and I wept. At last I’d become a father! The reality of the privilege and responsibility dawned on me and in that moment I couldn’t hold back the tears.

A boy we (my wife and I, of course) had prayed for. And a boy God had given us. He was a true answer to prayer. So we named him Samuel – “For him we had prayed”. How the boy taught me to pray. Or rather, I should say, he made me pray; the waiting period for his coming, his conception, his delivery, his first few weeks, the first year, boy, did I pray? And I’m still praying. And growing, and knowing God better as a result. That, I won’t trade for anything in the world!

He is my protégé, my friend, my playmate. And true to God’s Word, he is the beginning of my strength, the excellence of dignity and the excellence of power! As I reflect on this anniversary of his birth, this poem just about summarizes my sentiments.

A careful man I want to be,

A little fellow follows me;

I do not dare to go astray

For fear he’ll go the self-same way.

I cannot once escape his eyes.

Whate’er he sees me do he tries.

Like ME he says he’s going to be –

That little chap who follows me.

I must remember as I go

Through summer suns and winter snows,

I am building for the years to be –

That little chap who follows me.

To you, Samuel AanuOluwalofifunmi Oluwadamilola IyeOluwadamayo, Daddy, Mummy and Joyce will always love you. We are proud of you and we bless God for your life today and we celebrate you. You will grow up before the Lord and go forth like the calf of the stall, in Jesus’ name! Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR WORLD!

I am releasing a book next month with the title above. It's my very first book but now in it's second edition - revised and enlarged. It would sure bless you. Here, enjoy an excerpt from the first chapter. YOU WILL SUCCEED!

You can turn your life around. Yes, you can! You can change your world from a world of defeat into a world of victory. From a world of poverty into a world of riches. From sickness to health; from breakdown to breakthroughs. You can move your world from failure to success, from survival to significance. You can change your world!

You Must Be “Born Again”!

But listen, friend, you cannot change the world until your own world is changed. That is, you cannot impact your generation until your own life is changed! If you can get the ‘man’ right, you’ll get your ‘world’ right. James Allen in his all-time classic “As A Man Thinketh” said, “Man has but to right himself to find that the universe is right; and during the process of putting himself right; he will find that as he alters his thoughts towards things and other people; things and other people will alter towards him.”

Change begins with you. Without personal change there can’t be professional change. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Except a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”¹ That is to say: Except a man is changed, his world – his circumstances – cannot change. Except a man be transformed from within, he cannot see, perceive nor experience the wonderful realities of the new life in Christ. It is first within, then without. That is a fundamental law in the school of success. A man can only travel as far and as fast as he travels on his inside.

Change Your Thoughts

We live in a house made of thoughts. So start to change your thoughts. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”² Men are living magnets. We attract to ourselves per time, the sum total of our thoughts. So I can say, your thoughts determine your worth! That should tell you where the change must begin - in your heart. The thoughts of your heart determine the quality of your life.³ It was William James, the famed Harvard psychologist, that said, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter the state of their lives by changing the state of their mind.” That’s true. It is first within, then without. If you change your world, the world will change for you.

Don’t waste your life trying to change the world, change yourself!

The Man Who Wanted to Change the World

That reminds me of the man who wanted to change the world. He said:

“I was a revolutionary when I was young and all my prayer to God was: “Lord, give me the energy to change the world.”

As I approached middle age and realized that my life was half gone without my changing a single soul, I changed my prayer to: “Lord, give me the grace to change all those who came into contact with me, just my family and friends, and I shall be satisfied.”

Now that I’m an old man and my days are numbered, I have begun to see how foolish I have been. My one prayer now is; “Lord, give me the grace to change myself.” If I had prayed this right from the start, I would not have wasted my life.”

You can change your world. You can stop to take what you have put up with thus far. You can change the quality of your lifestyle. You can improve your standard of living. You can have breakthroughs, live in health, have a decent house (even build your own) and a fulfilling career, indeed a decent life. It is possible. You can live in abundance! Jesus said, “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).”⁴

You may not be able to alter your past, (you can’t anyway) but you can effect a change in your future. You may not be able to do anything about where you have been but you sure can (and must) do something about where you will be. You can!

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15 SURE THINGS TO DO TO FAIL!

I’m not being pessimistic neither am I trying to be negative but at times we need a kick in the butts to get up and do something. Much has been said about what to do to succeed. And how much that has been ignored by a lot of folks. Often those who most desperately need to adjust their attitude for them to succeed are the least to heed the admonitions. So, I thought, for once let’s see what anyone needs to do to fail, maybe that would cut it. Let’s go!

1.     Plan well but don’t prioritize.
2.    Prioritize but put unimportant things first.
3.   Think, think and think. Do nothing but think, don’t take action.
4.   Always go back on your words. Renege on your promises, always and you will see how credible you become.
5. Forget to show appreciation to those who help you succeed. (They will be most eager to not help next time!)
6. Build your reputation but do not work on your character.
7.  Always be late to your business premises. Better still if you’re an employee somewhere.
8. Count nobody to be important but yourself.
9. Take your spouse for granted and put your home in disarray.
10. Please everyone at the expense of your own personal goals and agenda.
11. Be consistent at inconsistency.
12. Always have it in mind to do good but never get to doing it.
13. Know something about everything but make sure you don’t know everything about something. Be jack of all trades but be master of none.
14. Pay no attention to your health.
15. Accept every advice you are given (if you don’t know that the best advice ever given is that you don’t have to take every advice!)

Do these, my friend and you sure need nobody to curse you, to fail. Such a one who lives by these fifteen rules and others like it is already under a curse of failure. YOU WILL NOT FAIL!

I’M LAUGHING BUT THINKING ABOUT THIS…

Joseph comes up to the Cotonou border on his bicycle. He’s got two large bags over his shoulders.

The customs official stops him and says, “What’s in the bags?”

“Garri,” answered Joseph.

The Customs official says, “We’ll just see about that. Get off the bike!” the Customs official takes the bags and rips them apart; he empties them out and finds nothing in them but garri.

He detains Joseph overnight and has the garri analyzed, only to discover that there is nothing but pure garri in the bags.

The customs official releases Joseph, puts the garri into new bags, lifts them onto the man’s shoulders, and lets him cross the border.

A week later, the same thing happens. The customs official asks, “What have you got?” “Garri,” Joseph answers.

The customs official does his thorough examination and discovers that the bags contain nothing but garri. He gives the garri back to Joseph, and Joseph crosses the border on his bicycle.

This sequence of events was repeated every day for the next three years. Finally, Joseph doesn’t show up one day and the customs official meets him in a beer parlour in Cotonou.

“Hey, my friend,” says the customs official, “I know you are smuggling something. It’s driving me crazy. It’s all I think about….I can’t sleep. Just between you and me, what are you smuggling?”

Joseph sips his beer and says, “Bicycles”!

You would agree with me that this is very funny. (Or maybe you don’t.) But while I’m laughing I can’t help but think.

One, we must learn to THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. The customs official should have known after a while that it is not garri that Joseph was smuggling. And also that contraband does not always have to be in containers. Joseph used on him what we call a smokescreen, and he didn’t see through it.

Two, LOOK BEYOND THE OBVIOUS.  What appears is not always what is. Plain and simple!

Three, WE MUST NOT JUST THINK THROUGH BUT THINK FAST.

So, while we laugh, let’s think. YOU WILL SUCCEED!

HAVE YOU HAD A CHECK-UP LATELY?

It is okay and it is recommended that you have a medical check-up – a complete physical exam at least once a year. It helps early detection of diseases and helps you stay on top of your health and physical condition. In short, it’s a strategy for keeping fit. So, let me ask you, “Have you had a check up lately?”

However, the check-up I am talking about is neither physical nor medical. The last time I checked I was and have never been a medical practitioner. The exam I talk about is attitudinal, mental and spiritual. Let’s feel your pulse:

Check your ATTITUDE to life. “Attitude” Chuck Swindoll said, “is more important than facts.” And I believe it. Your attitude to life will determine your altitude in life. QED!

Check your ASSOCIATIONS. Your friend determines your end (see Proverbs 13:20). Evil communications corrupt good manners (see 1 Corinthians 15:33). Your associations are either making you poorer or richer, making you better or worse. Check it!

Check your BELIEFS. A man would never change what he believes until his belief system cannot deliver to him the results he seeks. What you believe is what you will become. Fertility is not in the land, it is in the mind. Selah!

Check your CONFESSION. What do you say to and about yourself. You will always have what you say. Your words will become “flesh” and dwell with you.

Check your CONVICTIONS. Men are not ruled by feelings; they are governed by the depth of their convictions.

Check your DEVOTION. Are you still seeking first the kingdom of God? Half-hearted seekers of God get nowhere.

Check your ENTHUSIASM. “It is the little thing that makes a big difference.” (Matthew Ashimolowo) Are you still full of God? Haven’t you lost your zest for life and living?

Check your FAITHFULNESS. If you are faithful in little things, you’ll be trusted with bigger stuffs. That’s how God designed life to work.

Check your GROWTH. Are you growing? When last did you learn something new? True prosperity is marked by consistent growth and increase, not just accumulating possessions. When you’re through learning, you’re through! Many are growing OLD but how many people are growing UP? To grow old, you need do nothing but effort must be made if you must grow up. Selah!

Check your GIVING. The price of living is giving. What and to what are you giving? Give to God and to the people around you. The true measure of your life is not by its duration but by your donation.

Check your HABITS. You choose your habits and your habits decide your destiny.

Check your IMAGINATION. You are who you think you are and you will become the person you imagined to be.

Check your JOY level. Joy is not the same thing as happiness. Happiness is a function of your circumstances but joy is a choice. Choose joy today (see Habakkuk 3:17-19).

Check your KNOWLEDGE of the truth. Are you merely assenting to or you indeed believe the truth. The Word of God is truth. Only the truth you know, can and will set you free (see John 17:17; John 8:32).

Check your LISTENING QUOTIENT. We are all guilty of this. Me too! God gave you two ears and a mouth so you can listen twice before you talk once! James 1:19 says to be swift to hear and slow to speak while Ecclesiastes 5:1 admonishes us to be more ready to hear than to speak.

Check your MEDITATION. How often do you think? It was novelist George Bernard Shaw that said, “Few people think more than two or three times a year. I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week.” Thinkers are winners. When you don’t think, you stink! No pun intended, that’s the pure truth.

Check your PERSISTENCE LEVEL. “Persistent people begin their own success where others quit.” (John Mason) Do you give up so easily? “You can soon determine the caliber of a man by ascertaining the amount of opposition it takes to discourage him.”(Dewey King)

Check your PRAYER LIFE. A man cannot be greater than his prayer life. When you are too busy to pray, you are too busy. Do everything but be sure you are praying. Prayer is your breath (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Check your VITAL RELATIONSHIPS. Your relationship with God (James 4:8); with your spouse, if you are married, that is (1 Peter 3:7; Ephesians 5:22-25); and with your children (Ephesians 6:4). These are the relationships that will matter when the push comes to the shove. Fail here and you’ve lost it all; your success elsewhere does not matter. You will not fail!

Check your ZEAL. Are you growing complacent and cold towards your God-given purpose? Zeal is a vital key to success. Get your vibe back. Do whatever you will but get it back.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Additions and comments welcome. YOU WILL SUCCEED!

WAKE UP AND ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY!

“So, then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:12)

This scripture changed my life years ago. It has never ceased to challenge me since then.

In the final analysis, you are the sole person responsible for how your life turns out. The earlier you accept this, the better. The reason many are stuck and stagnated personally and professionally is because they sat down waiting for someone or some help to come their way.

May I say, loud and clear, that the best helping hand you will ever find is the one attached to your shoulder blades! You don’t wait for the waters of opportunity to flow by your house. Go make a way – dig a tributary – for the waters to flow towards you. Or you go find the waterways!

You don’t wait for the rains to fall. You make the rains. Stir up the cosmic dust. Become a rainmaker! I’ve learnt in life that nothing moves without a mover. Behind everything that moves is a mover! Every object remains in its state of rest or uniform motion unless an external force is applied to it. Pick up the phone. Make that call. Write that exam. Enroll for that course. Read that book. Do whatever it takes to move forward. Do not let life happen to you. Make life happen!

You do not need anybody’s permission to be what you were born to be. You only need God’s permission and that you already have. Nobody but you is answerable to God for how you live your life and what you accomplish with it. That is both a scary and exciting thought at the same time.

Wake up, dear friend! “Responsibility is the price of greatness,” Winston Churchill said. What anybody does for you will not count for much as what you do for yourself. The prayer you pray for yourself is more important than the ones others pray for you.

John Mason wrote in one of his books, “It was amazing to me how many (people) were anxiously searching for help from other people while they had - between them and God – everything they needed to succeed.” This means you and I are responsible, primarily and ultimately, for our failures and successes. No one else is to blame if anything goes wrong. Only mediocre men blame others and give excuses for their non-performance.

You do not have a handicap; it’s a “cap-in-the-hand”. You do not have a disability either. It is “this-ability”! You don’t need a godfather, you have God as Father! What greater privilege do you seek?

Acknowledge your contributions. The earlier you do the faster you climb the ladder of success. “Until there is a personal input, you will never enjoy personal success.” (Dr. David Oyedepo) It’s time you wake up, friend. YOU WILL SUCCEED!

THINKING OF “EXCELLENCE”

“But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.”

                                                                                               (1 Corinthians 14:40 NIV)

“Let all things be done decently and in order.”  This scripture got me thinking about “excellence”.

Excellence distinguishes the men from the boys. It separates the high-flyer from the mediocre. It marks the difference between celebrated men and tolerated men.

Excellence – a journey, not a destination; an attitude, not an attainment.

The world hates the demands of excellence yet respects it when on display. Why? Excellence and convenience are strange bed-fellows. The two are mutually exclusive. It is true: Those who pursue convenience never attain the heights of excellence!

Excellence is not an event, it is a person. It isn’t what you do, but who you are that impacts what you do!

Excellence is not a function of where you are but who you are!

Excellence is not about what you have but it shows in what you do with what you have!

Excellence is not what you do but how you do what you do!

Excellence is that touch of gold, the spirit, and the attitude of heart that permeates all you do.

Excellence is a passion, a consummate desire to do small things in big ways. Excellence it is, that does common things in uncommon ways. Excellence it is, that does the ordinary with an extra touch.

The mundane acquires the status of importance when a person of excellence does it. Excellence affects our “being” before our “doing”.

This is missing yet in a lot of places in our nation today. But I see the dawn of a new day! Because as Booker T. Washington wrote in his book, “Up from Slavery”, “No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.”

It reminds me of a story: After several attempts and defeats, Abraham Lincoln eventually became the president of the United States. On his first day in office, President Lincoln entered the Congress to give his inaugural speech. Just in the middle, one man stood up. He was a rich aristocrat. He said, “Mr. Lincoln, you should not forget that your father used to make shoes for my family”. The whole assembly laughed; they thought they had made a fool of Abraham Lincoln. But Lincoln and these types of people are made of a totally different material.

Lincoln looked at the man and said, “Sir, I know that my father used to make shoes in your house for your family and there will be many others here too…. Because the way he made shoes, nobody else can. He was a creator. His shoes were not just shoes; he poured his whole soul into it. I want to ask you, have you any complaint? Because I know how to make shoes myself, if you have any complaint I can make another pair of shoes. But as far as I know, nobody has ever complained about my father’s shoes. He was a genius, a great creator and I am proud of my father.”

"His shoes were not just shoes; he poured his whole soul into it."

The whole gathering was struck dumb. They could not understand what kind of man Abraham Lincoln was. He had made shoe-making an art, creativity. And he was proud because his father did the job so well that not even a single complaint had ever been heard.

That was excellence on display. Whatever you touch becomes gold. You see, what John W. Gardner said is true: “The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity, and tolerate shoddiness in philosophy because philosophy is an exalted activity, will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water”.

When excellence becomes your way of life, whatever you touch becomes gold. YOU WILL SUCCEED!

LOOSEN UP AND LAUGH A LITTLE!

“A merry heart does good like medicine…” (Proverbs 17:22). Good humor is medicinal. I enjoy a good joke any day. A merry heart sure ventilates the brain. Laugh this off with me and enjoy your day. Many blessings.

                                                                                            

Three tortoises, Mick, Tom and Roy, decided to go on a picnic. Mick packs the picnic basket with drinks and sandwiches. The trouble is the picnic site is ten miles away so it takes them ten days to get there.

They get there and Mick unpacks the food and drinks and says, “Ok, Roy, give me the bottle opener”. “I didn’t bring it,” replied Roy. “I thought you packed it.” Mick gets worried, so he turns to Tom and says, “Did you by any chance bring the bottle opener?” Naturally Tom didn’t bring it. So they’re stuck ten miles from home without a bottle opener.

Mick and Tom beg Roy to go back for it. But he refuses as he says they will eat up all the sandwiches. After two hours and after they have sworn on their tortoises’ lives that they will not eat the sandwiches, he finally agrees. So, Roy sets off down the road. 20 days had passed and still he isn’t back and Mick and Tom are starving, but a promise is a promise.

Another 5 days and still he isn’t back, but a promise is a promise. Finally they can’t take it any longer so they take out a sandwich each and just as they are about to eat it, Roy pops up from behind a rock and shouts: “I KNEW IT…I’M NOT GOING!”

MY FAVORITE QUOTES

I collect quotes. Witty sayings, inspirational thoughts, powerful ideas that have inspired, motivated and instructed me over the years. When I come across such I write them down and file them. I have stacks of notebooks filled with them over time. I meditate on them, and later find them useable in my ‘career’ as a preacher and public speaker.

These quotes have blessed me. And they have informed, in-formed, and transformed me. They are among my favorites. I share these in the hope that they will do the same to you too. YOU WILL SUCCEED!

1.     Responsibility is the price of greatness. – Winston Churchill

2.     How you dress is the way you will be addressed! – Benson Idahosa

3.    People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. – John C.  Maxwell

4.     No one can make you feel inferior without your permission. – Eleanor Roosevelt

5.     Sin will demand of you more than you can pay, take you further than you want to go and drag you lower than you ever imagined. – Unknown

6.     Readers are leaders. – Unknown 

7.     The road to hell is paved with roses. Wise men see the thorns, fools see only the petals. – Zachariah Tanee Fomum

8.     The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes. - Benjamin Disraeli

9.     An entrepreneur is a man who falls down 7 times and gets up 8 times. – Akio Morita

10.  I’ve read the last page of the Bible; it’s going to be alright. – Billy Graham

11.   Consider the postage stamp. Its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to things until it gets there. – Josh Billings

12.    The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything. – W. C. Magee

13.     In times like these it is good to remember that there have always been times like these. – Paul Harvey

14.    Do not fear moving slowly. Fear only to stand still. – Chinese Proverb

15.    99% of failure comes from people who have a habit of making excuses. When you excuse yourself, you accuse yourself. – George Washington Carver

16.     The way to succeed is to double your failure rate. – Thomas J. Watson (IBM        founder)

17.    Others see things as they are and ask, “Why?” I dream of things that have never been,       and ask, “Why not?” – George Bernard Shaw

18.   When a winner makes a mistake, he says, “I was wrong”. When a loser makes a  mistake, he says, “It wasn’t my fault”! – Unknown

19.   Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more        common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; the world is full of educated        derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on”        has solved, and always will solve the problems of the human race. – Calvin Coolidge

20.   It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled        or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man        who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with dust and sweat and blood and        who if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never lie with        those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. – Theodore        Roosevelt

21.    You can soon determine the caliber of a man by ascertaining the amount of opposition it takes to discourage him. – Dewey King

MY TOP 10 BOOKS. WHICH ARE YOURS?

“It’s not what a book costs that matters, it is what it will cost you if you don’t read it. A book you don’t read will not help you.”

                                        

This quote from Jim Rohn is very instructive as I write this. I’ve never been impressed by the size of any man’s wardrobe, only the size of their library. That established; the fact also remains that a book you do not read will not help you, no matter how well it adorns your ornamental bookshelf.

My top 10 books... deciding on this list is a tough one for me. As much and as far back as I’ve known; I have always been a bibliophile. I love books, straight and simple. Buying and reading a book is one of the joys of my life.

I’ve read quite a few volumes in my little life. So, picking the top ten is quite something. These in my own experience (I sure don’t know about you) are the top ten plus, books that have indelibly shaped my journey through life thus far. So strong is their influence that I can tell you in vivid details the circumstances surrounding my encounter with them. Let’s go!

1     1. The Bible. Top on my list is the Book of books itself. “Of course,” you’d say, “what do you expect from a preacher?” But I’m not being politically correct on this one. This really is the ‘numero uno’ that changed my life and still does. The other ones are in no specific order.

2.     The Man God Uses – Oswald J. Smith. I read this book in 1991. I was still in high school. More than any other material I credit this book with sparking the desire to consecrate myself to God and be a use-able man in His service.

3.     The Power of Positive Thinking – Norman Vincent Peale. This classic will always enjoy a pride of place in my library. I stumbled upon it in my dad’s collection in 1988 but never did read it until 1992 when I was about leaving high school. How my life changed! The book sold me in on the writings of the author for life. I credit the book with helping me at that age cultivate a positive and possibility mindset. And it was timely because the challenges I was yet to face ahead will definitely need a positive thinker to surmount them.

4.     About that same period in 1992 I got on loan from a friend and schoolmate (incidentally, he was the one who loaned me “The Man God Uses”) the book, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. This was the book that changed how I relate with people.

5.     Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church to Grow by C. Peter Wagner helped me understood myself and my part in the body of Christ. Professor Wagner taught me to identify, acknowledge and appreciate the gifts God has given me. In it I learnt to also appreciate others who may have different gifts from mine and value their contributions in the body of Christ.

6.     It was in the University bookstore at Ife that I came across this book, Towards Excellence in Life and Ministry by David Oyedepo in 1993. It became ‘un-put-down-able’ for me. I read and re-read it. In fact, for the next seven (7) years straight, I was reading it twice yearly! Such was the illuminating effect the book had on me. In it I learnt diligence, confidence and commitment.

7.     Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders. This in my opinion is a classic. If you’ve read it you’ll agree with me. It is practical, concise and cuts straight to the heart of the matter. When I first read it in 1996 I was so blessed and encouraged that I started recommending it to friends. I’d counsel anyone hoping to make a success of Christian leadership to read this and own a copy.

8.     Signposts on the Road to Success (E W Kenyon). This is the master of all success motivational pieces. Little book, big impact! In the words of the author, “My spirit goes with thee, little book of my dreams, Go waken the slumberer, Go strengthen the weak. Encourage the disheartened; To the lone dreamer speak, yes, Kindle within him a mighty desire, With dauntless ambition, Set his spirit on fire.” That’s what the book did for me and will do to you if you care to read it.

9.    In The Footsteps of A Prophet (Jerry Savelle) My! My! My! This was my baptism into the school of faith proper. Not that I was new to the word of faith but it opened an entirely new vista for me. My life and ministry has never been the same again since. It’s the biographical account (plus much more) of the author’s experience with Kenneth Copeland, the apostle of faith.

10. When God Builds A Church (Bob Russell with Rusty Russell). For me this was very instructional as a church planter and pastor. It reveals the building blocks of a ministry founded upon truth and lasting principles not fads. Selah!

11. The Richest Man in Babylon (George Classon). You see, I’m exceeding ten. I told you, choosing the top ten books would be tough for me. This classic tale taught me how to build wealth. It’s simple and uncomplicated. Unforgettable lessons like “Pay yourself first. A part of all you earn is yours to keep.” Ancient wisdom for modern times – that’s how I describe this book. It’s not just a good book. This is a foundational instruction to wealth building.

12.  Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter. I bless God always for letting me come across this book. It’s not just an eye-opener; I underwent a paradigm shift on reading it. I’ve re-read it many times since and all the other books in the series.

Permit me to make no comments on these next two books or else I’ll be writing you a full-blown synopsis. Such is their impact that I’ve worn out the copies I have. They are such a tremendous blessing.

13. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (John C. Maxwell)
14. The Purpose-Driven Church (Rick Warren)

15.   Finishing Strong by Steve Farrar. This book further strengthened one of my core life philosophies: I don’t want to shine, I want to last! I sincerely want to finish strong. This book identifies and teaches you to avoid the potholes that can shipwreck life and ministry.

See, let me stop here. I have already exceeded ten and reached fifteen. There are so many other books that also have significantly impacted me: Love and Marriage (Bruce & Carol Britten); Gifted Hands (Ben Carson); The Millionaire Next Door (Tom Stanley & Bill Danko); Public Speaking  (Dale Carnegie); The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen R. Covey). But let me drop my pen here. Hope I haven’t bored you. There you have mine, what are your own top ten books? I am waiting to hear it. YOU WILL SUCCEED!