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My Top 3 |
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Josh made a challenge at Crew to become a church of avid readers. First and foremost we should be reading the Bible, but other books help to grow and stretch our minds and walk with Christ, so here’s the exhaustive list of books mentioned during the service (all links open in a new window):
Books About Great People:
- Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot
- Jonathan Edwards: A Life by Ian Murray
- Spurgeon: Prince of Preachers by Lewis Drummond
- Books like Abraham Lincoln by Carl Sandburg or John Adams by David McCullough
Books that Stretch Your Mind:
- Knowing God by J.I Packer
- Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
- Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell
- What’s So Amazing about Grace? by Philip Yancey
- Books by Francis Shaeffer, G.K. Chesterton, or Philip Yancey
Books that Broaden Your Scope:
- Books like Moby Dick or War and Peace - classic books make us interesting.
- Books that improve our vocabulary and allow us to join the rest of the literary world.
- Harry Potter and Da Vinci Code - It allows us to talk and build bridges with people in our culture. It kills me when I hear people start ranting on Da Vinci Code when they haven’t read it. They have n credibility. Although Da Vinci Code was a fun read it is full of heresy and bad history. And when I start talking about it with folks the first thing people ask is Have you read it? And I say yes and I am now legit.)” - Josh Perry, Sermon 1-4-09.
- Culturally relevant issues- It’s naive not to. This includes reading the newspaper and magazines that discuss economy, the arts, music, movies, politics, etc.
Books That Soften Your Heart:
You should read these books and keep a journal while you do, read and pray through them with other Christians, challenge each other.
- Grace Awakening by Chuck Swindoll
- Desiring God by John Piper
- Holy Ambition by Chip Ingram
Books That Improve Your Skills
Great books on leadership, marriage, and teaching and small groups and on and on. These are skills books.
- Instruments in the Redeemers Hands by Paul Tripp
- I Dating Goodbye and followup book Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris
- Dare to Discipline by James Dobson
- Shepherding a Child Heart by Tedd Tripp - must read for every parent.
- When Sinners Say I Do
- Books related to your field (business, ministry, parenting, computers, etc.)
Books that Deepen Your Soul:
- Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem – Read a chapter here and there
- Read great pastor-theologians. Particularly ones who have lasted through time and have served every generation of Christian after they were written. If a book has been serving the church for hundreds or thousand of years or more, it’s probably got something to say. All of those books will take you a long time tread and will be work, but the results are as good as anything out there you and I can read.
- Confessions and City of God by Augustine, Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther, Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin
- Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan, Mortification of Sin, and the Death of Death by John Owen; The Religious Affections, Freedom of the Will, On Charity and It’s Fruits, and Original Sin by Jonathan Edwards
Books that Remind You of The Cross
- The Cross Centered Life by C. J. Stott commentaries
- The Cross of Christ by John Stott
- Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges
- Discovering the Power of the Cross of Christ by Charles Spurgeon
Read Your Bible
- Get a reading plan (see previous {{real}} post)
- Google it.
- Begin with a regular time in the Bible using a version you can understand. (ESV Study Bible)
- Use a resource that will add valuable insight, structure, and guide you. (Reading Plan Through the Year)
- Develop a plan tread a book or two a month. Alternating between the different types of books we talked about in order to stay balanced.
- It’s ok to give up on books.
- Don’t get overwhelmed. Have fun! Don’t worry about reading a bunch of books. Just always be reading a book, growing and being changed by the ones you read.
- Go to www.bestbookbuys.com for price comparison on books.
We’d love to develop a culture in this church where we are all reading. We’re regularly being changed by great books and we’re asking each other. What are you reading? And we always have an answer.
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