Reading

Reading for me is very important, as a believer and as a pastor. Every book we read adds to our ability to critically think because the content of that book is now in us permanently. I enjoy the opportunity to purchase some new commentaries, but I just ordered quite a few books to actually read. My plan for the year ahead is for every third book to be on preaching. Listed below are the books that I read this past year, and for the year ahead I will post a short review of each book I read. Right now I am working on the book My Bad. It is a history of 25 years of apologies. Ted Turner made the book more times than anyone else.I am hoping to finish it by the end of the year.

Jonathan Edwards by Marsden
Enthusiasm Makes a Difference by Norman Vincent Peale
The Pursuit of Holiness by Bridges
The Sacred Trust by Caner and Caner
Desiring God and The Supremacy of God in Preaching by John Piper
Predestined for Hell? Absolutely Not! by Adrian Rogers
Revival and the Unregenerate Church Member by Jim Elliff
The DaVinci Code By Dan Brown
The Radical Reformission by Driscoll
Breaking the Missional Code by Stetzer and Putnam
To The Ends of the Earth by Jerry Rankin
Trial by Fire by Blackstock
The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Going Under by Jim Elliff
Blue Like Jazz by Miller
The Simple Church by Rainer
Flabbergasted by Blackston

In the year ahead I hope to add a little more fiction in the list. This past year I have read 4,114 pages of completed books. I hope to bring next year's total to 5,000 or extremely close. I am challenging myself mentally and spiritually with this reading. Of course without the reading of God's word all of this would be pointless. My challenge there is to read Proverbs each month that has 31 days and a different book of the Bible each month for the remaining months.