Yep. You read that correctly. I did a fair bit of reading in 2011.
Now I’m not telling you this as some claim to be the most avid reader in our church. (My wife owns that title. ) More than anything, I realized that this is one of the first New Year’s resolutions that I have ever followed through on.
On 1/1/11 I committed myself to read 1 book per week. Even though we are still 5 weeks from 2012, I have already finished my goal. That’s 9,928 pages on preaching, parenting, politics and more.
While I don’t recommend every single book on this list (some for obvious reason), I thought I might share my 2011 reading list with you. While it has been fun and informative, I’ve also found Ecclesiastes 12:12 to be true:
“excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.”
My resolution from the rest of 2011? Take a nap.
Preaching
- Spirit-Led Preaching by Greg Heisler
- What is Biblical Preaching? Eric J. Alexander
- What’s Wrong with Preaching Today by Albert N. Martin
- My Heart for Thy Cause: Albert Martin’s Theology of Preaching by Brian Borgman
- Famine in the Land: A Call for Expository Preaching by Stephen Lawson
- The Homiletical Plot by Eugene Lowry
Biography
- Bill Wallace of China by Jesse C Fletcher
- The New Johnny Cash (His story of conversion) by Charles Paul Conn
- Amazing Grace: The Life of Wiliam Wilberforce by Eric Metaxas
- Salvation on Sand Mountain (Snake-handling churches) by Dennis Covington
- Susanna Wesley: The Mother of John & Charles Wesley by Arnold Dallimore
- D.B. Cooper: What Really Happened by Max Guthry
- Apparent Danger: The Murder Trial of J. Frank Norris by David Stokes
- Bossypants by Tina Fey
- Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas
- John MacArthur: Servant of the Word and Flock by Ian Murray
- Samuel Morris: African Missionary to America by Lindley Baldwin
- John A. Broadus: A Living Legacy ed. by David Dockery
- Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
- Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff
- D.L. Moody: Greatest Evangelist of the 19th Century by Faithe Bailey
Ministry
- Reforming Pastoral Ministry ed by John Armstrong
- The Pastor as Scholar & The Scholar as Pastor by John Piper & DA Carson
Fiction
- The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
- 100 Cupboards by ND Wilson
- The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
Marriage, Family, & Parenting
- Future Men by Douglas Wilson
- Fidelity: What It Means to be a One-Woman Man by Douglas Wilson
- What’s the Difference? Manhood & Womanhood Biblically Defined by John Piper (Download a FREE digital copy here!)
Political
- Republocrat: Confessions of a Liberal Conservative by Carl Trueman
Theology/Doctrinal
- Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Christ by DA Carson
- Whosoever Will: A Critique of 5-Point Calvinism ed. by Allen and Lemke
- What is the Gospel? By Greg Gilbert
- What is the Gospel? By Bryan Chapell
- Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs by JI Packer
- Peculiar Treasures: A Biblical Who’s Who by Frederick Buechner
Bible/Biblical Studies
- You Can Trust the Bible by John Stott
- God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible by Vaughan Roberts
Commentaries on Jonah
- Surprised by Grace (Jonah Commentary) by Tullian Tchividjian
- Jonah: A Study of Compassion by O. Palmer Robertson
- Man Overboard! The Story of Jonah by Sinclair Ferguson
Humor
- I Am America (and so can you) by Stephen Colbert
- Up to No Good: The Rascally Things that Boys Do edited by Kitty Harmon
Apologetics/Philosophy
- Basic Christianity by John Stott
- Time for Truth by Os Guinness
- Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl by ND Wilson
Practical Christian Living
- Finding God’s Will by JI Packer
- Out of Solitude: Three Meditations by Henri Nouwen
- Note to Self: Preaching to Yourself by J. Thorn
- Tempted and Tried by Russell Moore
Missions/Evangelism
- Breaking the Islam Code by J.D. Greear
