The number of books on my shelf grows at a much faster rate than the number of books I actually read. I keep piling books on top of books and eventually feel the guilt of too many unnecessary purchases. So, I grab a cardboard box and sift through the books I’ve never read and probably never will. Some get given to friends or family, others find their way to a give away table at church, and the remainder usually end up at a local Christian op shop.
The writer of Ecclesiastes couldn’t have begun to grasp the sheer volume of books, not to mention blogs, articles, and podcasts that saturate our world today. “Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.” (Ecclesiastes 12:12) I confess to feeling overwhelmed and weary. There has never been so much information to take on board. The internet floods our lives with content. So much information. How do I know what matters most? How much do I need to understand as a Christian leader? I can’t read everything, so should I read anything?
The danger is we give up. Let AI decide what we read, what we hear, how we think. Don’t do the hard work. Have someone else (something else) curate our learning. Take all the short cuts. Stop being curious. Give up on exploring, investigating, comparing, researching, and discussing.
God is in the business of transforming our minds and reshaping our thinking. Not just our knowledge, but our discernment, our priorities and perspectives. We’re called to be sober minded and to take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1-2)
So I’ve decided I must keep reading. Bible first. Good Christian books second. Other worthwhile books, articles, essays, and blogs. I believe God wants me to be a lifelong learner. To inform my mind for his glory, for the sake of all who live without the hope of Jesus, and for the building of my brothers and sisters in Christ.
I’ve set the goal of reading a book a fortnight. To be transparent, sometimes this will mean listening to an audio book and other times turning the pages of a hard copy or kindle. It’s challenging to do, but more than possible. Less time on the phone, computer, or tv could open up hours. In many cases that will mean averaging one or two chapters most days. I will listen to the recommendations of others so that I’m not wasting my time, and I will mix it up so I’m learning more widely. Thus far in 2026 I’m not quite achieving my goal, having read 12 books in a bit over 6 months. But it’s more than I managed last year, and the discipline is making it easier as I go along.
And writing? Yes I’m keen to start writing again. It clarifies my thoughts, pushes me to consider others, and offers a means for ministry to others. This is my first blog post in 3 years – you have to start somewhere!
Below are the books I have read so far this year. There is much more to be said about each of these books. Some commendations and some critiques. But that will be for another day.
- Peter Adam, Prayerfulness
An inspirational and practical call to have the Bible shape and fill our prayers. I must return to this book and read it more slowly. - Bobby Jamieson, Everything is Never Enough
A rich and beautiful deep-dive into the book of Ecclesiastes. My only gripe is you need to hang in there until the end to find the hope of Jesus. - Salas and Tannenbaum, Teams that work
A master-class on teamwork drawing on widespread research, giving evidence-based insight into what makes teams work well. A secular book with important insights for ministry leaders. - Carl Trueman, The Desecration of Man
Somewhat brain-straining, though not as much as some of his former books. An important reminder that we are made in God’s image to show his glory. We are made to be God’s temple and our sin ‘desecrates’ this sanctuary. - Matt Smethurst, Before you open your Bible
Good Bible reading requires more than in depth study. It takes a heart posture that is seeking to be transformed. - Karen Bell, The Adkar Advantage
The ADKAR approach to change management is intuitive and evidence-based. The book argues that all successful change efforts will contain the same components in the same order. It rings true to me. - Timothy Paul Jones, Did the resurrection really happen?
Easter provided a good opportunity to examine another resource for skeptics looking at evidence for the bodily resurrection of Jesus. - John Mark Comer, Practicing the Way
Many people seemed to be greatly influenced by JMC’s books, podcasts, and resources. I wanted to understand why he was so popular and what to make of his emphasis on spiritual ‘practices’. To be honest, I’m concerned. While he diagnoses many of the ills of our modern busy lives, my fear is that he replaces them with a move to mysticism that has little regard for the local church. For a “Christian’ book, it did not seem to give much emphasis to the person and work of Christ. - Anna Boxwell, Amy Erickson, Laura Rademaker, God’s Yes to Women
I started reading this on the plane returning from the overtly complementarian TGC Women’s Convention in Indianapolis. Knowing many of the book’s authors, I was keen to hear their arguments about egalitarianism. I found myself saying “yes, yes” to much in this book, but remained unpersuaded of its conclusions that all ministry roles are open to both men and women, and that God’s design for Christian marriage doesn’t involve an extraordinary synergy of loving headship and submission. - Craig Ott, The Church on Mission: A Biblical Vision for the Transformation among All People
God’s plan to transform his image bearers is the key to understanding the church in this world. I read this book in preparation for the FIEC conference this coming week. To be fair, I need to read it again with a pen in hand. - Mark Vroegop, Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy
It took me a while to get into this book but once I did I was gripped. Mark is the President of TGC in the US and I heard him give a passionate talk from Psalm 102 on the importance of lament. Lament is a category that I have been exploring deeply over the past year or so, and Mark Vroegop’s book is a biblical master class. - Collin Hansen, Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation
Now that I’m working with TGCA I figured that I wanted to know some of the origin stories. Never having met Tim Keller and not knowing a great deal about him, I have found this book to be inspirational. Hansen gives us so many windows into who and what shaped Tim and Kathy Keller. I love a good biography and there is much to learn and apply in this volume.
What are you reading? What would you recommend?
My new year resolutions for 2016 included reading a book a week. The plan was to finish 52 books before the end of the year. I wasn’t following a recommended reading list, but there were a few books that I was keen to knock over. Someone had suggested mixing things up with a range of genres and topics. There were issues I was interested in researching and their were numerous new books that piqued my interest. During this time I also discovered audio books and bought myself a kindle. So my list represents an eclectic mix of styles, difficulty, issues, media, and… quality. Yes, I also discovered that some books had done little more than steal my time.
macarisms 