At the beginning of each year for 9 years I have blogged about the reading I did the previous year. You can read those other posts here: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017. And now I am at it again.

My reading this past year was a bit frustrating. I managed to read plenty, but my reading always seemed rushed and haphazard. I need to do a better job of carving out time—quality time—to read and reflect and hopefully respond, reform, and be revived. Busyness doesn’t help, but neither does Netflix or Words with Friends. I intend to be more disciplined in 2019, but more on that in a subsequent post.

If you’re wondering why I write about what I have read, let me be so bold (and lazy) as to quote myself from an earlier “A Year of Reading” post:

"First, it is a means of holding myself accountable. I value reading and intend to make it an integral part of my life. By making my reading life public, I can allow people a glimpse into one of the disciplines of my life.

Second, I hope for my reading history to be an encouragement to others. Though I know many others who read much more than I do, nevertheless, my year-long record of reading often surprises people in terms of what is possible if reading is a priority. I think that if I can share some of my successes with reading, that other busy people will be encouraged to read more. And that, in my estimation, would be a good thing.

Third, to give glory to God. It is by grace that we read, desire to read, learn from our reading. The fact that my life allows me time to read, and that I have the faculties to do so, are nothing more than gifts from God to a person who has done nothing to deserve such favour."

 

Here is my list of books I have read in the past 12 months:

1. ESV Bible by God via various authors
2. Spiritual Depression by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
3. The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing by Jonathan T. Pennington
4. Preach Well by Darryl Dash
5. Prayer by John Onwuchekwa
6. Defining Deception by Costi Hinn and Anthony Wood
7. How to Grow by Darryl Dash
8. How to Understand and Apply the New Testament by Andrew Naselli
9. Christ from Beginning to End by Trent Hunter
10. The Christian Ministry by Charles Bridges
11. God and Politics by Mark Dever
12. When Harry Became Sally by Ryan T. Anderson
13. Expository Exultation by John Piper
14. Union with Christ by Rankin Wilbourne
15. Spiritual Gifts by Thomas Schreiner
16. Descriptions and Prescriptions by Michael R. Emlet
17. The End of the Law by Jason Meyer
18. Four Forty-Four by Mike Wilkins
19. Practicing the Power by Sam Storms
20. Learning Evangelism from Jesus by Jerram Barrs
21. Conscience by Andrew Naselli and J. D. Crowley
22. No Quick Fix by Andrew Naselli
23. Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage by Jim Newheiser
24. Missions by Andy Johnson
25. Work and Our Labor in the Lord by Jim Hamilton
26. The Cross of Christ by John Stott
27. The Death of Christ by James Denney
28. True Worshippers by Bob Kauflin
29. Gospel Wakefulness by Jared Wilson
30. The Pastor as Scholar and the Scholar as Pastor by D. A. Carson and John Piper
31. Am I Really a Christian? by Mike McKinley
32. Conversion by Michael Lawrence
33. God's Glory Alone by David VanDrunen
34. Total Church by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis
35. Revitalize by Andrew M. Davis
36. The Imperfect Disciple by Jared Wilson
37. The Story of Everything by Jared Wilson
38. God the Son Incarnate by Stephen J. Wellum
39. The Lost Letters of Pergamum by Bruce W. Longnecker
40. The Barnabas Factors by J. D. Payne
41. On Revival by Jonathan Edwards

 

As I reflect on my reading, a few things occur to me:

Dead guys – there probably aren’t as many dead authors on this list as there should be. Edwards, Denney, Stott, Bridges, and Lloyd-Jones represent some excellent books that have passed the test of time. A few more classics at the expense of a few less new books would be an improvement.

New authors – this year I read numerous authors I had not read before: Wilson, Davis, VanDrunen, Johnson, Newheiser, Naselli, Barrs, Emlet, Wilbourne, Anderson, Bridges, Hunter, Pennington, Dash, Onwuchekwa, Hinn, and Wood are all authors I read for the first time in 2018.

Newbie necessity – Being relatively new to this pastoring thing, I found myself reading books for the very practical reason of needing to know things about certain topics to perform my job faithfully. I would include in the list of books I chose for very pragmatic reasons related to ministry the following: God and Politics; When Harry Became Sally; Descriptions and Prescriptions; No Quick Fix; Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage; Missions; Revitalize; and The Barnabas Factors.

Small books – I continue to be edified by clear, concise books on various topics. The Building Healthy Churches series from 9marks and published by Crossway are excellent. These include Conversion, Mission, and Prayer. Another outstanding small book was Descriptions and Prescriptions by Michael R. Emlet. I recommend it for anyone wanting to learn about psychiatric diagnoses and medications from a biblical perspective. Preach Well by Darryl Dash in another shorty that I found helpful for those interested in preaching.

Sentimental – There is one book by a dead author on the list I didn’t mention earlier: Four Forty-Four by Mike Wilkins. I received a copy of Four Forty-Four from Mike’s family—his wife Deb and children Jessica, Ben, and Joanne—after he went to sleep in the Lord. I treasure this book from my mentor and the man who entrusted his flock to me.

Forsaken Fiction – I am a little embarrassed there are no works of fiction on my list; another misstep I hope to remedy this year. At the very least, a guy can find time to read a Shakespeare play or two!

I intend to follow up this blog post with another on my top books of the year as well as my reading plans for 2019. Until then, I’d love to hear what you read this past year; let me know in the comments.