;)
A Book Post
Posted by Tony Sisk in Uncategorized
Like most other pastors I know, I love to read, that is when I have time. I typically split my reading between fiction, theology, classics, devotional, and the occasional middle school level adventure book (some of my favorite books are the Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander). So this post will function somewhat as a poll. Other than the Bible, what books have had a profound influence on your walk with Christ? What books have a had a profound affect on the way you live and act as a Christian, shaped the way you think as a Southern Baptist, molded your theology, influenced your worldviews, and how you relate to others? I have listed five, and they are in no particular order. Perhaps you could drop a comment and recommend some titles and why it would be beneficial for our readers to read that book.
- Knowing God, J.I. Packer
- Overcoming the World, Joel Beeke
- A Passion for Prayer, Tom Elliff
- Every Man’s Battle, Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker
- Ministering Like the Master, Stuart Olyott
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
1. So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore, Wayne Jacobsen & Dave Coleman
2. Pagan Christianity, Frank Viola & Georga Barna
3. Church Without Walls, Jim Peterson
4. He Loves Me, Wayne Jacobsen
I guess that’s all for now.
God’s Glory,
Lew
The Pursuit Online Store
1. Pursuit of God by Tozer
2. Spirit of the Disciplines by Willard
There are definitely others, but those are the top two.
1. Just Like Jesus – Max Lucado
2. Ragamuffin Gospel – Brennan Manning
3. Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire – Jim Cymbala
Forgot one:
3. Freedom of Simplicity by Foster
1. Streams in the Desert–
2. My Utmost For His Highest–Oswald Chambers
3. Healing For Damaged Emotions–? Seamands
4. Woman, Aware and Choosing–Betty Coble
5. The Gifted Woman I Am–(series from WMU in the 70′s)
Pursuit of Holiness – Jerry Bridges
Cultivating A Life for God – Neil Cole
I bought a curriculum from Chip Ingram that had 3 awesome books:
God as He Longs for Us to See Him – Chip Ingram
Knowledge of the Holy – A.W. Tozer
Knowing God – J.I. Packer
Ingram’s book was a synthesis of the Tozer and Packer books, but was still good.
I forgot to say why.
The Bridges, Ingram, Tozer and Packer books all helped me to gain a much more healthy, and accurate, understanding of God. The God I saw in those books was much higher than the sentimental god I had imagined.
The Neil Cole book has helped me develop how I believe we should disciple others.
Tony, opps. Reasons why I would recommend these books flew right past my eyes when I read your post. Terrible at directions.
Streams in the Desert has been a continual source of encouragement and inspiration to me. Each day’s devotion seems to hit upon something I’m going through no matter how many times I’ve read it. (over twenty times in my Christian life, at least). Many times I find myself digging deeper into the passages of Scripture referenced after I’ve read her thoughts.
My Utmost for His Highest has deepened my knowledge of God for His saints. I began reading Chambers immediately after I became a Christian. I always loved it and God used it to teach me much of what I didn’t understand about sanctification, justification and righteousness.
Healing for Damaged Emotions gave me an entirely new insight into the problems of my past childhood and adult pain. With it I’ve come to understand much of what I’ve become through the pain and abuse and neglect of my past. It’s also helped me understand others and how their actions and attitudes today are a reflection of how they have been healed or how they still carry festering sores.
Woman, Aware and Choosing gave me the basis from which I have learned to be the wife that I am to my husband. This single book helped me understand submission as unto the Lord. It makes perfect sense. I don’t remember all of it anymore, read it over 30 years ago and a few times afterwards. I’ve given it as a gift to women struggling with their relationships with husbands and it has helped them too.
The Gifted Woman I Am was a workbook kind of book that helped me understand how I fit into the work of God’s kingdom by discovering and exercising gifts His Spirit gave me.
These five are not by any means exhaustive. I think some books I’ve read by Amy Carmichael, Missionary Biographies such as Bertha Smith’s have fed my desire to reach the lost. selahV
The Stranger – Camus / Even ‘good’ people have a dark and selfish side that just wants to be clean.
88 Reasons for the Rapture in 88 – Whisenat / taught me as a young Christian not to belief just because there are lots of Scripture and arguments that seem to fit together; turned me to Biblical theology over systematics (and yes, I moved on to real systematic theologies, just always aware of the subtle tendency to force views forward or down as our system requires).
For God So Loved the Third World – Hanks Jr. / reading the Bible with an awareness of overlooked themes regarding poverty. Fueled my hope in the relevance of Scripture for the world as it actually is beyond the local diner. Rich awareness of the prophets, up to and including Jesus and the apostles, who call for real change beyond self-intrest for true justice.
Divine Conspiracy – Willard / there is a way of life in Christ and the Sermon on the Mount is a glimpse of it. Helped me reverse the trend of reading Jesus through Paul (back to reading Paul through Jesus).
Renovation of the Heart – Willard / how change happens. This is the most convicting book I have read. It is no where near as passionate as Tozer, grand as Packer, touching as Lucado… it is just clear and true and inescapable; noticeable, real change of the heart is actually possible but not certain. There are choices to make.