The Bible commands us to be careful that we do not become of this world. And while that's important, our hopes to shield ourselves from outside forces might sometimes get us stuck inside a Christian bubble of isolation and lost opportunity.
Philippians 4:8 tells us, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
Fact is, many times these pure, lovely and commendable ideas can come from non-Christian sources, too.
Reading contemporary books is one way to expose ourselves to great wisdom that might not necessarily be packaged or drawn straight from scripture, but can nevertheless provide us great principles that strengthen and relate to Biblical principles.
Personally, I have found that just reading "Christian" books can be quite limiting. There are hundreds of good contemporary books out there. Here are five great ones that you can start with.
1. 'Good To Great' by Jim Collins
Sticky quote: "Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great."
If there's one thing God desires for you it's that you live a life marked by greatness. That's what business consultant and author James Collins shares in his book "Good To Great." A five-year project that lead to 2,000 pages of interview transcripts lead to seven great characteristics of organisations that went from just good to great.
2. 'Outliers' by Malcolm Gladwell
Sticky quote: "Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. It's the thing you do that makes you good."
So many Christians are on the search for success. God promises that success comes through reading and meditation on His Word (Joshua 1:8). A great augmentation to the Bible is Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers: The Story Of Success." In this book, Gladwell shares stories of successful people and his observations of things that lead to their success.
3. 'The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People' by Stephen Covey
Sticky quote: "Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply."
Do you want to become more effective at work, at a hobby or in your relationships? If you do, then Stephen Covey's "The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People" is a must-read. Starting off with the concept of a paradigm shift that two people can see the same thing and yet differ with each other, Covey draws out seven habits that you can develop to become highly effective at practically anything.
4. 'Who Moved My Cheese?' by Spencer Johnson
Sticky Quote: "Life moves on and so should we."
If there's one thing that we're sure of in this world, it's change. Many times it can get pretty hard to cope up with the changes that we face on a regular basis. That's what Spencer Johnson aims to help us solve with "Who Moved My Cheese?" Based on a metaphor of rats and cheese, we can gain great insight into how to deal with changes and adapt in an ever changing environment.
5. 'Failing Forward' by John Maxwell
Sticky quote: "The more you do, the more you fail. The more you fail, the more you learn. The more you learn, the better you get."
John Maxwell is openly a Christian, I know, but many of his books aren't blatantly Christian and can be enjoyed by Christians and non-Christians alike. One of my personal favourites is the life-altering book "Failing Forward" which looks into the most important part of winning: losing. "Failing Forward" teaches us how to deal with the inevitable arrival of failure and to use it for personal discovery and growth.
