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This year I am taking a cue my friend and co-worker, Jonathan McDuffie, and I am creating a reading plan by selecting twelve books to read for the year… the plan being to read at least one book a month for my spiritual growth and development. The list of my twelve is at the bottom of the post.

As I mentioned before, some of the books I read are “new” while some of them are a bit older. For example, John Huss’ work “On the Church” was written in 1413. (And then he was executed by fire two years later for holding to the Bible over man-made religious beliefs.)

Here is most of what I read over the past two years:

Personal Spiritual Growth
Knowing God – J.I. Packer
How to Develop a Powerful Prayer Life – Gregory Frizzell
Returning to Holiness – Gregory Frizzell
Releasing the Revival Flood – Gregory Frizzell
The Cost of Discipleship – Deitrich Bonhoeffer
Christ at Work Opening Doors – Kent Humphreys
Every Man’s Battle – Stephen Arteburn & Fred Stoeker

Missions Strategy Books
The Great Omission – Steve Saint
Serving as Senders – Neal Pirolo
When Helping Hurts – Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert

Other Stuff to Help Me As a Pastor
Dangerous Calling – Paul Tripp
I Am a Church Member – Thom Rainer
Creature of the Word – Matt Chandler, et. al.
Transformational Church –Ed Stetzer & Thom Rainer
Building below the Waterline – Gordon MacDonald

And the Old Stuff (written over 100 years ago)
Orthodoxy – G.K.Chesterton
Pilgrim’s Progress, parts 1 & 2 – John Bunyan
In Praise of Folly – Desiderius Erasmus
A German Theology – Martin Luther, translator
Address to the Christian Nobility – Martin Luther
Augsburg Confession – Phillipp Melancthon
On Christian Freedom – Martin Luther
Treatise on the Church – John Huss
The Babylonian Captivity – Martin Luther
On Christian Liberty – Martin Luther

The twelve books I have selected to read for this year are:
1. The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey
2. The Imitation of Christ, Thomas a Kempis
3. The Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius of Loyola
4. The Seven Storey Mountain, Thomas Merton
5. Darwin on Trial, Phillip E. Johnson
6. The Pursuit of God, A. W. Tozer
7. Out of the Saltshaker and into the World, Rebecca Pippert
8. The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne Frank
9. The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom
10. The Wounded Healer, Henri J. M. Nouwen
11. Prayer: Conversing With God, Rosalind Rinker
12. Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, Ronald J. Sider

What about you? Earlier in the week you shared what your favorites were. What are you going to read to help you grow in Christ this year? Do you have a plan? Do you have any you are presently working on? Have you read any that are on my list?

Today I’ll let you in on a little secret – I’m weird.
You’re probably thinking – “but that isn’t a secret at all.”
Point taken.

Today’s topic of discussion on my weirdness is my “Reading List.”

What I post about often comes from what I have been reading. So how do I choose what to read? Many people choose their “next book” on what is the latest bestseller. My list doesn’t come from the hottest books out there today, but rather from respected sources who share with me the best stuff they have read — People (and authors) I trust who share with me the books that have influenced them most.

I don’t necessarily want to know what is the newest book on a subject, but what is the best book on the subject… especially one that has lasted the test of time. Some of my favorite authors have warned their readers to avoid “Chronological Snobbery” — something I definitely had when I was younger. Back then, I believed that “new” meant best, while “old” was dated and less important. But what I have learned is that there are books that have stood the test of time as being extremely important for Christian growth. And with the limited amount of time that I have to read, I want to choose not just “good” books, but those that have been deemed the best.

Two lists that have helped me select books are both from Christianity Today:
(you can click on the links if you are interested in knowing their choices)

The Top 50 Books that Have Shaped Evangelicals

The Top 100 Books of the 20th Century

Though I’m sure there could be some disagreement about the lists, the books they suggest are certainly a good place to start. They aren’t the newest books on the shelves. And some of the choices may seem a bit weird to you.

Over the next few days, I’ll share with you some of what I have been reading and give you some of my own recommendations. But until then, what are your suggestions? What would be on your list as your very favorite Christian books… the ones that have been instrumental in shaping your Christian development that you recommend everyone should read?

I’d love to know, as I might want to add one of your recommendations to my weird reading list!