If you go all the way back to the beginning of 2014, you will find that one of my goals for the year was to read one Christian book a month. Though I didn’t succeed in all my 2014 goals, I did accomplish my reading goal, including the completion of another reading through of the Bible (though that took 18 months, instead of 12).
I tell you this to remind you that I believe it is very important to have a plan for your Christian growth. I had a plan to read 12 books. I surpassed my goal. But if my plan had been more vague, such as if I had just said to myself, “This year I’ll read more,” how would I measure if I really met the goal? We set goals in almost every other area of life. We should do the same with this most important thing called: our relationship with God! So as you think through your Christian life, it is important that you make specific goals and plans. Write them down.
I write mine down as a yearly Personal Worship Plan, and then stick that plan in the front of my Bible so I can review it throughout the year. Here is a copy of a blank plan if you’d like to use it too:
(Just click on this pdf image link to open or download the file.)
And regarding the reading I did, one of my brothers recently asked me what I’d recommend for reading. So now that I’ve finished my 2014 reading, let me tell you which ones I read last year that I would recommend you to check out (and also which ones to avoid!)
Highly Recommended:
The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey
The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom
These are my top two from the year. They are both well-worth your time. In fact, because I enjoyed it so much, I read The Hiding Place twice. Once on my own, and then a second time with Paige.
Also, I re-read two books with my men’s small group that I would highly recommend:
Life of a God-Made Man, Dan Doriani – excellent for all men (though women would benefit from it too), but now it is only available for purchase as an e-book;
Radical, David Platt – a great reminder of what life is really all about, and a challenge for us to live with radical devotion for Jesus.
Recommended:
These next three are also worth reading, though they are not as highly recommended as the ones listed above.
The Pursuit of God, A. W. Tozer – this book is free at The Gutenberg Project. Just search for “The Pursuit of God” or A. W. Tozer.
Embracing Obscurity, anonymous – My favorite chapter was the one on suffering. It was a useful reminder of how we too often desire the spotlight, when the proper place for the spotlight is on Jesus and the good news He brings.
The Imitation of Christ, Thomas à Kempis
Excellent, but due to the out-dated use of English, I would only say “recommended” for most people. It is just too laborious for most people to wade through. But very good insights if you are willing to work through it. In case you didn’t know, The Imitation of Christ became, and remained for several hundred years, the second-most widely read book in the world, surpassed only by the Bible. This book is also free to download or read from The Gutenberg Project. Just search for The Imitation of Christ.
Recommended for specific situations:
Out of the Saltshaker and into the World, Rebecca Pippert (a good book on basic evangelism)
Darwin on Trial, Philip Johnson (if you enjoy apologetics, this is a very good read.)
The Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen (written primarily for those who work in hands-on church ministry. If that is you, then this is a good read, and others would benefit from it as well.)
Prayer: Conversing with God, Rosalind Rinker (this is primarily about how to engage in a new prayer style in small groups. So if you are a leader of a small group, this could be beneficial if you want to try a new prayer direction)
Not Recommended:
These are the books I read last year that I would tell you to not worry with…
Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola
The Seven Storey Mountain, Thomas Merton
The Diary of Anne Frank (yes, this is a classic, and while it is an interesting read into the life of a teenage girl in hiding during WW2, it is not a tremendous help in Christian living. So for history and classic reading…sure. But if you are looking for a book to read for Christian growth…not recommended.
Why I Am A Christian, Norman Geisler, ed. – too academic.
And finally, let me also give you some other books that I would recommend if you have not read them. These are books that I have read before 2014, but which I think are excellent for everyone:
Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster
How to Develop a Powerful Prayer Life, Gregory Frizzell
Returning to Holiness, Gregory Frizzell
Knowing God, J. I. Packer
Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis
Can Man Live Without God, Ravi Zacharias
The Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning
Every Man’s Battle, Arterburn & Yoeker
More than a Carpenter, Josh McDowell
Are there other books you read in 2014 that you would recommend?