So Many Books, So Little Time

The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd. But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.
(Ecclesiastes 12:11-12 NASB)

My love for books seems to grow over the years, even while the time to read them seems to diminish. Thankfully, God is building into me a delight for His word in the Bible (Psalm 1:1-2), which enables me both to rejoice in His sovereignty over my time and to cultivate wisdom and discernment in all that I read.

Perhaps you can relate to the sentiment of Michael Card in the song 'So Many Books', which you can enjoy listening to here:




May God continue both to satisfy us with and to create deeper hunger for His word.

So, how do I choose which books to read with such limited time? I am influenced first by my time in God's word, secondly by family members, thirdly by my church pastors and leaders, and lastly by other friends. I'm also thankful for iPod technology, which enables me to redeem some time in the car and to listen to a number of these titles on audio.

It's pretty dynamic, subject to revision based on that constant input, but here's how that list looks early in 2010:

Recently completed:
  • The Sovereignty of God, A.W. Pink
  • Valley of Vision, Arthur G. Bennett
  • The Prodigal God, Tim Keller
  • Radical Reformission, Mark Driscoll
  • So You Don't Wan't to Go to Church Anymore, Jake Colsen
  • While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks, Dr. Tim Laniak
  • The Constitution of the United States with the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation, Intro by R.B. Bernstein

In Progress:
  • The Bible, ESV Study Bible
  • Spiritual Life Studies, Harold Burchett
  • The Complete Husband, Lou Priolo
  • Total Church, Tim Chester and Steve Timmis
  • Pagan Christianity, George Barna and Frank Viola
  • Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot, Admiral James Stockdale
  • Invisible Hands: The Making of the Conservative Movement from the New Deal to Reagan, Kim Phillips-Fein

Next:
  • 1776, David McCullough
  • A God Entranced Vision of All Things, Edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor
  • Him We Proclaim, Dennis E. Johnson
  • Sola Scriptura, Don Kistler, General Editor
  • The Shape of Sola Scriptura, Keith A. Mathison
  • Because the Time is Near, John MacArthur
  • The Second Coming, John MacArthur
  • The Kingdom of Christ, Russell D. Moore
  • Israel and the Church, Ronald E. DiProse
  • Understanding the Times, David A. Noebel

You'll notice a mix of perspectives, Christian and non-Christian, with an attraction to history (current and future!) over fiction.

Of course this week, I head off to sunny California for the Shepherds Conference, where they graciously give us many books, so I anticipate the list will change yet again!

In the meantime, may God's word be like well-driven nails in your life as you seek Him and the counsel of those who love Him, and may you be strengthened and not weary in the journey.


Mark



Comments

  1. benMarch 2, 2010 at 7:12 PM

    good stuff mark. don't know where you have time to read all this, mr. project manager.
    enjoy walking the road with you.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God and His Wisdom: An Introduction to Proverbs

“The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: To  know  wisdom and discipline, To  understand  the sayings of understanding, To  receive  discipline that leads to insight, Righteousness, justice, and equity, To  give  prudence to the simple, To the youth knowledge and discretion; Let the wise man  hear  and  increase  in learning, And a man of understanding will  acquire  guidance, To  understand  a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge; Ignorant fools despise wisdom and discipline.” (Proverbs 1:1-7 LSB, with emphasis)   “My son, if you will  receive  my words And  treasure  my commandments within you, To  make your ear pay attention  to wisdom, Incline your heart  to discernment; For if you  call out  for understanding, Give your voice  for discernment; If you  seek  her as silver And  search  for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of Yahweh And find the knowledge of God
Read more

Friendship with the World

"The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' ( - Jesus, Luke 7:34 NASB) 'You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.' (James 4:4 NASB) 'It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.' ( - the Apostle Paul, 1 Timothy 1:15 NASB) Was Jesus, in fact, a friend of sinners? What is to be the nature of our relationships as believers with unbelievers? As believers, should we refer to ourselves as ‘sinners’? As I've reflected on much of the teaching I've heard in recent times, as well as many conversations I've had, it seems to me much confusion abounds regarding these questions.  I hear the term 'contextualization'
Read more

Psalm 119:80

(This is an entry from a devotional commentary I am working on from Psalm 119 entitled ‘God and His Word’.   The introduction can be found here , successive entries have covered the 22 sections of the Psalm, and following entries verse by verse.)   "May my heart be blameless in Your statutes, So that I will not be ashamed."   There is no higher goal than Your righteousness, which is to be blameless in Your statutes.   Surely this is ultimate spiritual strength, for "The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, But the righteous are bold as a lion."   (Proverbs 28:1).   Walking in Your ways is ultimate strength and confidence.   It is also ultimate blessing, seen in Psalm 119:1-2, which hearkens back to Psalm 1:1-2.   It is a compelling picture of what I want to be, the opposite of ashamed.   When ashamed, I shrink back, but when blameless before You, I seek further righteousness.   Blameless is the Hebrew   תָּמִים , tāmiym,
Read more