2013 Reading

Here are a few notes on some things I read in 2013, published in the hope it might encourage you in your reading. "Readers are leaders" it has been said, and so I encourage reading, and I covet the prayers of my church family as I strive to become more faithful to reading in the new year.

The 2013 list:

The Bible. I always strive to read it through at least once during the year. There are, of course a variety of ways to go about that goal, and this year I chose "Prof. Horner’s Bible Reading Plan". It was a very intense reading plan, not for the faint of heart. I found it too difficult to keep up with and ended up abandoning it in favor of less structured reading plans. I will have a separate post about some suggestions for reading the Bible in 2014.

Out of the Silent Planet, by C.S. Lewis. I've read Lewis's "Space Trilogy" several times before, and love it. Timeless science fiction unlike any other I've read. This is the first in the trilogy.

Perelandra, by C.S. Lewis. The second book in the trilogy.

The Christian Directory, by Richard Baxter (from The Practical Works of Rev. Richard Baxter, Vol. 2) Baxter was a Puritan Divine who pastored, preached and wrote prolifically. This volume, like most of his writings, is excellent. Directive 14 on mortifying the flesh, is particularly good.

The Life of David, by Arthur W. Pink. Read as input to the sermon series "Lessons From The Life Of David."

Follow Me, by David Platt While parts of this book were good, I did not like the fact that he based a lot of it on a strawman argument about the "sinners prayer". Overall I found it a good, but not great, read. Chapter 7, on the church, is absolutely excellent, though and worth the price of the book.

The Life and Diary of David Brainerd Alas, I started this, but found it a difficult read and gave it up. Perhaps I'll try again in 2014.

Pontius Pilate, by Paul Maier This is an historical novel on the life of Pilate. Although a novel it is meticulously researched and based on known scholarship. I found it fascinating and highly recommend it for its thought provoking insights into the mind and life of this important Biblical character.

The Hardest Sermons You'll Ever Have To Preach, by Bryan Chappell. A good set of examples of sermons for the hard times in life.

Saving Eutychus, by Gary Millar and Phil Campbell. I picked this book up at the BASICS conference, as it was highly recommended by Alistair Begg. I agree with his assessment after reading it. It is an excellent book on preaching in general. I found Chapter 3 to be the most useful chapter.

The Hole In Our Holiness, by Kevin DeYoung. This is a superb book, and a wonderful antidote to the misuse of “legalism” in American Christianity today.

Exploring Church History, by James P. Eckman. This, along with the next two titles, were input to the Leadership Training Institute studies in church history.

Studies in Early Church History, by HENRY T. SELL, D.D.

Who’s Who in Christian History, J. D. Douglas and Philip W. Comfort, Editors

The Autobiography of Charles Spurgeon in 4 Volumes. If, in addition to God's Word, I could have the works of only one author in my library, Spurgeon would be the only choice. At the close of the year I'm still working through this massive work, and finding jewels on every page.

Here are a couple I've started and not yet finished. They should make the 2014 list:

Brothers, We are Not Professionals, John Piper

Deepening Your Conversation with God: the Life-Changing Power of Prayer, by Ben Patterson

And, for the geeks among you, a little IT-based reading:

Version Control with Git, 2nd Edition, by Jon Loeliger and Matthew McCullough

KEEP READING, BROTHERS AND SISTERS!