The Shepherd’s Conference is like Christmas morning for pastors. Imagine 5,000 pastors, all herded into a huge circus tent with tables upon tables of books, all sold at unbeatable prices. This is fueled by the conference handing every pastor a box of free books; like drinking salt water, rather than serving to satisfy my book buying impulses, these free books serve to whet my desire to buy new ones.
And, in point of fact, I have indeed read all (most?) of the books I received last year. With those titles crossed off my list, I felt justified in restocking for the New Year. Modesty precludes me from sharing all that I acquired (by the end of the conference I was on a first-name basis with the people in the shipping department), but for your benefit, here are the ten books I bought this year that I am most looking forward to reading:
Prayer, by John Onwuchekwa. Part of the IX Marks series for pastors, this book focuses on how pastoral prayer can unite a church around their common mission. This was recommended to me by another pastor who said it has been tremendously helpful in leading his congregation in prayer effectively.
The Apostles’ Creed, by Al Mohler. Martin Luther taught that there were four-steps to effective prayer, and number three on his list was “memorize the Apostle’s Creed.” This creed, like every other creed in evangelicalism, has fallen on hard times. Mohler aims to resurrect it with a brief (10-13 pages) explainer for each of the 14 phrases in the creed.
One Faithful Life, by John MacArthur. What MacArthur’s One Perfect Life was for the life of Jesus, One Faithful Life is for the Apostle Paul. MacArthur takes the Epistles and Acts, then harmonizes them into one cohesive and chronological narrative, complete with notes from the MacArthur study Bible in the relevant places.
Susie, by Ray Rhodes Jr. In my family devotionals, my daughters have been going through a collection of anecdotes from the preaching of Spurgeon, and they now feel like they know him personally. This biography of Susannah will introduce them to his wife, who was a compelling figure in her own right.
None Greater, by Matthew Barrett. I’m banking on my Twitter followers for this one, because I have seen more excitement on-line about this book than any other new release I can remember. Barrett, a theology professor at Midwestern, basically gives a tour of classic theism. I’ve scanned this, and it looks to be one-part devotional, and one part polemic. For me, that sounds like the perfect approach.
Marching to Zion, by Rhett Dodson. Recently I started preaching through the Psalms of Ascent (120-134). This Banner of Truth book is subtitled Ancient Psalms for Modern Pilgrims, and strikes me as having a very helpful approach to these Psalms.
Heaven Taken by Storm, by Thomas Watson. This books wins for its subtitle: “Showing the Holy Violence a Christian is to put Forth in the Pursuit After God’s Glory.” While obviously this isn’t a new work, this is its first reprint in 25 years. It is Watson’s approach to understanding one of the more difficult NT passages: “The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12). I know a couple so affected by this book that they named their son Watson.
The Preacher’s Catechism, by Lewis Allen. Allen, who pastors a church in England, writes a 40+ question catechism designed for pastors. Example: “Q: What does the seventh commandment teach us? A: You shall not be unfaithful to your ministry by failing to love those you preach to.” Each one is followed by a devotional. I imagine this one will be break me pretty good.
A Gracious and Compassionate God, by Daniel Timmer. I’ve loved, loved, loved every book I’ve read in the NSBT series (New Studies in Biblical Theology; those silver/black books edited by D. A. Carson). This series really is remarkable for its diversity and clarity. This summer I’m considering preaching Jonah, so I snagged this book, subtitled: “Mission, Salvation and Spirituality in the book of Jonah.” (I bought the book despite the fact the subtitle is missing the Oxford comma…grrr).
Mary Slessor, by Bruce McLennan. I’ve read a few different biographies of Slessor, who has to be one of the most remarkable people to have ever lived. If you are not familiar with her story—or, better yet, if your kids are not familiar with her story—you could start with the YWAM biography. But I’m excited to read this one (if you go to IBC, don’t buy this on-line! We will get them at a special price in our book store soon).
The Ten Commandments, by Kevin DeYoung. This June The Cripplegate Conference will have the theme “The Law of God,” with a focus on the Ten Commandments. While I’m sure DeYoung and I won’t agree on everything, the other books of his I’ve read have been so good, I’m confident this one will challenge me and have much to teach me. DeYoung is one of those authors who is so clear and compelling, he writes to win over his critics. I’m excited to be challenged by this.
Woops… that was the 11.
What about you? Is there a particular book you are looking forward to reading this year? Let me know in the comments below.