A friend of mine shared his reading experiment with me and challenged me to do the same--read 52 books this year. I read probably closer to 100 books every year, but I want to use this blog post to record the better books I read this year, along with a brief summary of each book.
The Bible, English Standard Version. This is ongoing reading. The same friend and I are holding each other accountable to read the entire Bible through this year. I read and use many translations, but this ESV is a new one for me, so I'll link to it. Great Kindle price on this one.
The Bible, New Living Translation Study Bible. We use this at home in our daily family worship. I like the NLT quite a bit, especially for reading. I'm a little uncomfortable with some of its glosses (paraphrases), but overall I think this is an excellent reading Bible, and one that I will likely give to my son as he becomes older (barring the introduction of a better translation, of course). The study notes in this Bible are top notch, equaling those, in my opinion, in the ESV Study Bible and surpassing those in the NIV Study Bible.
1. Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy (January). I enjoyed Tony's book immensely. His conviction and character challenged me to really think about the decisions I make and my ability to mentor people in all areas of my life. This book is an engaging story about Tony's life.
2. The Character of Leadership by Jeff Iorg (January). Iorg is a seminary president but has also been a pastor. His book is very solid reminder that pastoral ministry brings with it many challenges and tasks that can subvert character, rather than define it and build it up. Iorg reminds us to to take our character development seriously, not make excuses for our shortcomings, and work to get better.
3. Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God by John Piper (January). In this book, John Piper presents a case for reading as thinking, and thinking as a type of spiritual formation. Several dangers exist for our formation: relativism, anti-intellectualism, and pride. He advances a concept that we are only able to understand the things of God as he reveals them to us. "Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything" (2 Timothy 2:7) is one of Piper's key passages, illustrating the both-and of spiritual enlightenment.
4. Money: God or Gift by Jamie Munson (January). (see my review at link)
5. @stickyJesus by Tami Heim and Toni Birdsong (January). A good introductory book about online ministry. It's definitely for beginners who are exploring how they could build an online ministry presence. The first half of the book is a very helpful sociological and theological reflection on the hows and whys of living faith online.
6. Little Green Book of Getting Your Way by Jeffrey Gitomer (January). A nice, short, actionable book about persuasion and its uses in business (though it has a broader application). Gitomer focuses mainly on speaking, but also on writing, and provides small, meaty chapters with lots of things to apply. His key idea is that to be really persuasive, you have to be willing to help others get what they want. "Getting your way" has nothing to do with selfishness.
7. The Mentor Leader by Tony Dungy (January). (see my review at link)
8. Church Planting is for Wimps by Mike McKinley (January). (see my review at link)
9. The Missional Mom by Helen Lee (January). (see my review at link)
10. Right Here, Right Now by Alan Hirsch and Lance Ford (January). (see my review at link)
11. What He Must Be...If He Wants to Marry My Daughter by Voddie Baucham, Jr. (January). I really enjoyed Voddie's Family Driven Faith and expected a lot out of this one. It delivered. Although written more for fathers with daughters, there is still much here one can learn from to raise their sons to be the kind of man Voddie would let marry his daughter! In reality, Voddie presents biblical teaching about manhood. In particular, if a man is grounded in the gospel, has faith in Christ, and practices the four P's (priest, prophet, protector, and provider), he will be well on his way to being a godly man.
12. Puritan Evangelism by Joel Beeke (January). (see my review at link)
13. Radical by David Platt (January). I read this book last year, but after seeing a review by a fellow minister-friend, I decided to re-read it. I'm glad I did! Far from being Radical, Platt is simply encouraging those who call themselves followers of Jesus to do simply that--follow Jesus! His foil is the American Dream and our fascination with it. Using scripture and examples from around the world, Platt puts the focus back on Jesus and on the mission of trusting him and following him, even through sacrifice and trial. Recommended.
14. The Family at Church by Joel Beeke (January). A short book describing how a father can teach his family (and especially his children) about the importance of listening to and attending sermons, worship services and prayer meetings, as well as how he can prepare them for the same.
15. A Praying Life by Paul Miller (January). Hit or miss, for me. Longer than I'd like in a practical (not theoretical) book about prayer. However, the last section, where Miller describes his experience with prayer tools, is outstanding. There, I received a wonderful idea of using notecards for prayer, rather than a prayer list. Recommended for the last section, in particular.
The Bible, English Standard Version. This is ongoing reading. The same friend and I are holding each other accountable to read the entire Bible through this year. I read and use many translations, but this ESV is a new one for me, so I'll link to it. Great Kindle price on this one.
The Bible, New Living Translation Study Bible. We use this at home in our daily family worship. I like the NLT quite a bit, especially for reading. I'm a little uncomfortable with some of its glosses (paraphrases), but overall I think this is an excellent reading Bible, and one that I will likely give to my son as he becomes older (barring the introduction of a better translation, of course). The study notes in this Bible are top notch, equaling those, in my opinion, in the ESV Study Bible and surpassing those in the NIV Study Bible.
1. Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy (January). I enjoyed Tony's book immensely. His conviction and character challenged me to really think about the decisions I make and my ability to mentor people in all areas of my life. This book is an engaging story about Tony's life.
2. The Character of Leadership by Jeff Iorg (January). Iorg is a seminary president but has also been a pastor. His book is very solid reminder that pastoral ministry brings with it many challenges and tasks that can subvert character, rather than define it and build it up. Iorg reminds us to to take our character development seriously, not make excuses for our shortcomings, and work to get better.
3. Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God by John Piper (January). In this book, John Piper presents a case for reading as thinking, and thinking as a type of spiritual formation. Several dangers exist for our formation: relativism, anti-intellectualism, and pride. He advances a concept that we are only able to understand the things of God as he reveals them to us. "Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything" (2 Timothy 2:7) is one of Piper's key passages, illustrating the both-and of spiritual enlightenment.
4. Money: God or Gift by Jamie Munson (January). (see my review at link)
5. @stickyJesus by Tami Heim and Toni Birdsong (January). A good introductory book about online ministry. It's definitely for beginners who are exploring how they could build an online ministry presence. The first half of the book is a very helpful sociological and theological reflection on the hows and whys of living faith online.
6. Little Green Book of Getting Your Way by Jeffrey Gitomer (January). A nice, short, actionable book about persuasion and its uses in business (though it has a broader application). Gitomer focuses mainly on speaking, but also on writing, and provides small, meaty chapters with lots of things to apply. His key idea is that to be really persuasive, you have to be willing to help others get what they want. "Getting your way" has nothing to do with selfishness.
7. The Mentor Leader by Tony Dungy (January). (see my review at link)
8. Church Planting is for Wimps by Mike McKinley (January). (see my review at link)
9. The Missional Mom by Helen Lee (January). (see my review at link)
10. Right Here, Right Now by Alan Hirsch and Lance Ford (January). (see my review at link)
11. What He Must Be...If He Wants to Marry My Daughter by Voddie Baucham, Jr. (January). I really enjoyed Voddie's Family Driven Faith and expected a lot out of this one. It delivered. Although written more for fathers with daughters, there is still much here one can learn from to raise their sons to be the kind of man Voddie would let marry his daughter! In reality, Voddie presents biblical teaching about manhood. In particular, if a man is grounded in the gospel, has faith in Christ, and practices the four P's (priest, prophet, protector, and provider), he will be well on his way to being a godly man.
12. Puritan Evangelism by Joel Beeke (January). (see my review at link)
13. Radical by David Platt (January). I read this book last year, but after seeing a review by a fellow minister-friend, I decided to re-read it. I'm glad I did! Far from being Radical, Platt is simply encouraging those who call themselves followers of Jesus to do simply that--follow Jesus! His foil is the American Dream and our fascination with it. Using scripture and examples from around the world, Platt puts the focus back on Jesus and on the mission of trusting him and following him, even through sacrifice and trial. Recommended.
14. The Family at Church by Joel Beeke (January). A short book describing how a father can teach his family (and especially his children) about the importance of listening to and attending sermons, worship services and prayer meetings, as well as how he can prepare them for the same.
15. A Praying Life by Paul Miller (January). Hit or miss, for me. Longer than I'd like in a practical (not theoretical) book about prayer. However, the last section, where Miller describes his experience with prayer tools, is outstanding. There, I received a wonderful idea of using notecards for prayer, rather than a prayer list. Recommended for the last section, in particular.
